Homeland Defense Institute (HDI)

Update on Potential UAS legislation. Due to recent events in NYC counter UAS authorities might finally be extended to select state and local law enforcement.

The Homeland Defense Institute (HDI), the Center for Arctic Study and Policy at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CASP), and Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies (TSC) have partnered to execute a series of ARCTIC EDGE research workshops: “Deepening Understanding, Expanding Collaborations.” The three organizations seek to deepen understanding of the Arctic operating environment and expand collaboration with Allies and partners across academia, think tanks and research institutes. Exercise ARCTIC EDGE is the Department of Defense's (DoD) premier Arctic Field Training Exercise, focused on enhancing joint force capabilities, interoperability, and mission effectiveness in executing full-spectrum Homeland Defense operations across all domains in the extreme Arctic environment. On December 12–13, 2024, the inaugural workshop of the series was held in Colorado Springs, CO. This foundational event provided an in-depth overview of U.S. and Canadian defense policies, Arctic challenges and priorities, and the objectives of ARTIC EDGE. More than 50 participants (Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), Center for National Security Initiatives | University of Colorado Boulder, CNA Corporation, Defence Research and Development Canada | Recherche et développement pour la défense Canada, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC), Center for National Security Initiatives | University of Colorado Boulder, Coastal Response Research Center - University of New Hampshire, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory - U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, German Marshall Fund of the United States (Sophie Arts), Idaho National Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, MITRE, NATO, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD), Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) 05P3, NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) N96, Oregon State University, Sandia National Laboratories, TMB Inc., United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy) engaged in facilitated discussions that advanced insights on the Arctic’s strategic, environmental, and security-related challenges. Along with HDI, CASP, TSC, DHS, DoD, and NORAD and USNORTCHOM experts the group shared current gaps and seams in the security environment and deliberated solutions to Arctic research priorities. Incorporating the insights and resources of these organizations allows the DoD to conduct more robust, forward-looking, and strategically relevant exercises and wargames. The second workshop will center on Arctic wargames exploring gaps and seams to the contribute to the development of effective Arctic operations and strategies. The final workshop will culminate in a seminar and research presentations during the execution of Exercise ARCTIC EDGE in Anchorage, AK in 2025.

The Pentagon has released a summary of a new classified strategy to guide efforts to protect American forces abroad and across the U.S. homeland from growing drone threats. This comes as the dangers posed by uncrewed aerial systems have become a national cause celebre due to a number of high-profile incidents. This includes still-unexplained drone incursions over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last year, as well as more recent incidents in New Jersey and over multiple U.S. facilities in the United Kingdom, all of which The War Zone was first to report on. The new counter-drone strategy is said to build upon a number of existing efforts, including the establishment of the Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office (JCO) in 2020. It is also set to tie into a new Pentagon initiative to help speed up the acquisition and fielding of new counter-drone capabilities dubbed Replicator 2. The first Replicator effort has been focused on getting more uncrewed systems into the hands of U.S. warfighters. In addition, the heads of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) have been given new synchronizer roles to help coordinate counter-drone preparedness (including the training and equipping of relevant forces) and actual responses to incidents.

First and foremost, the Homeland Defense Institute (HDI) commends the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies (TSC) for its outstanding planning and execution of the inaugural Anchorage Security and Defense Conference (ASDC) #ASDC24. We are confident that all participants came away from the ASDC with a renewed sense of purpose on how we can best work together to ensure the security of our beloved Arctic homelands. HDI Director, Dr. John Garver, conveys his personal “thanks” to the TSC team for their support of the Critical Infrastructure (CI) Security Panel. The panel was composed of authors and educators for the NATO Critical Infrastructure Handbook/Course, officials working the Canadian National Strategy and Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure, and Arctic experts who shape and influence the Arctic region. Additionally, HDI expresses deep appreciation to our panel members who educated over 300 Allies and partners on the importance of critical infrastructure, strengthening relationships, and whole of nation(s) planning. HDI extends kudos to Mr. Ronald S. Bearse, MPA (Ronald Bearse Associates), Mr. Chris Anderson (Principal Advisor for National Security and Emergency Preparedness for Lumen Technologies), Mr. Geoffrey French (Senior SME for MELE Associates, Inc.), Ms. Anu Fredrikson (Executive Director for Arctic Frontiers), and Mr. Ryan Schwartz (Director of Critical Infrastructure Policy and Analysis in the National and Cyber Security Branch, Public Safety Canada | Sécurité publique Canada). HDI looks forward to our continued partnerships with our Homeland Defense teammates and starting new collaborations in the Arctic space with our newfound ASDC colleagues.

🚨 The countdown is on! We're just 3 days away from the start of the Anchorage Security and Defense Conference #ASDC2024. 🌐✨ Get prepared and dive into our Read Ahead Package to find everything you need: registration details, venue and city insights, attire suggestions, weather tips, logistics, and a sneak peek at the program. 📋📍🗺️ Stay tuned for more updates as we gear up for this highly anticipated inaugural event! 🔗 Access the Read Ahead package here: https://lnkd.in/gcjZrefE

🌐 Explore Strategic Horizons at #ASDC2024 On November 21 at 1:30 p.m. (AKST), Panel 8: “Strategic Horizons” this future-oriented session offers interactive discussion among senior officials and experts of impacts and implications of conference themes for select issues. 🎙️ Moderator: Mr. Evan Bloom, Polar Governance Chair Consultant to the Ted Stevens Center, ACT1 Federal Discussant: Mr. Craig Fleener, Deputy Director, Ted Stevens Center 📣 Speakers: · Ambassador Petteri Vuorimaki, Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, Finland · Rear Admiral Scott Robertson, Director of Strategy, Policy, and Plans (J5), North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command · Mr. David Kang, Director of Joint Training, Exercises, and Wargaming (J7), North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command · Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough, Senior Scholar and Special Advisor on Arctic Indigenous Peoples, University of Alaska-Anchorage Don't miss this opportunity to engage with thought leaders shaping the future of security and defense in the Arctic and beyond. 🔗 For more details on this exclusive event, visit: https://lnkd.in/gEXHRexr

Great to be reunited last week with some of my favourite colleagues when we received the DM Award of Distinction for delivering Canada’s new defence. This award belongs to the countless people across DND/CAF who never stopped working for this bc we know what it means for Canada (and a shoutout to #TeamSB: you rock!) https://lnkd.in/eVsbK28A

Delivering new sensing and weaponry capability at the “speed of relevance” is the idea behind quickly countering adversarial threats in the battlespace. Too often, though, ideas stay just that, concepts that do not effectively lead to solutions. The lost possibilities are sensors and weapons that have little commonality between them so they take longer and cost more to produce and can’t share data across warfighting and security domains. There are, however, major new systems in production now for both the U.S. Navy and Army that have gone from conception to becoming the cornerstone of air and missile defense in just a handful of years due to engineering principals built around “composable” weapons and software- defined apertures.

A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has conducted drills in the English Channel and is carrying out tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday. The crew of the frigate, equipped with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, conducted counter-terrorism drills, repelling air and sea drone attacks of a mock enemy, Russian state agencies reported.