Meth labs are another clear and present danger not only to individual users and the nation as a whole, but also to the lab workers, innocent "civilians" living in the same neighborhood, and - most of all, perhaps - firefighters and other first responders who are risking their own lives to save others, specifically including the known criminals operating the labs.
Tighter laws, high-tech data systems, and considerable operational experience are making it "easier" for law enforcement agencies at all levels of government to fight the unprecedented growth of drug trafficking that is now a major danger in neighborhoods throughout the country. The winner of that fight has yet to be determined.
Drug trafficking throughout the United States has become such an omnipresent danger that it can be diminished and eventually defeated only by the combined efforts of law-enforcement and intelligence agencies at all levels of government - local, state, and federal. Here, with the names of specific sources necessarily withheld, is a true "Insider's Report" related to the quasi-military federal command, organizational and operational processes, and legal principles that are necessarily involved.
The flow of illegal drugs from Mexico into the United States is not a mere "problem" that affects only a few U.S. states along the U.S.-Mexico border, but rather a major national-security threat. Here, a former chief of the U.S. National Guard spells out the complicated details of this clear and present "existential threat," and his recommendations on what should and must be done about it.
The "save rate" of military personnel wounded in battle used to be extremely low. Now it is much higher, thanks in large part to better medicine and improved medical transport (ambulances and helicopters, primarily). However, one unanticipated result has been a huge increase in the survival of personnel suffering from brain injuries - and that situation represents a challenge not just to the wounded veterans, but to all Americans.
The U.S. Coast Guard and DHS's Customs & Border Protection Agency have achieved some remarkable interdiction successes in recent years, but so have drug smugglers and cartels. New approaches, tactics, and equipment are needed - along with additional personnel - to achieve a more effective long-term solution to what is now a clear and present danger not only to addicts but to all Americans.
In the violent world of the 21st century, there is no way to absolutely guarantee the safety of any one individual - for example, a Congresswoman holding a press conference at a Safeway without security. But, if nothing else, the senseless shooting last year of U.S. Representative Gabriel Giffords and the deaths of six other innocent victims at least proved the efficacy of the nations still relatively new Incident Management System and the life-saving merits of Individual First Aid Kits.
When the most capable and most experienced U.S. law-enforcement agency and 47,000 of the nation's best informed and most dedicated private citizens join forces to thwart terrorists, track down and capture criminals, and protect the nation's infrastructure, the smart money is on the "good guys". Which is only one reason InfraGard has been such a success.
When Japan was faced with a Level-7 radiation event following the 2011 earthquake that triggered a devastating tsunami, it drew attention from agencies and governments around the world. The Tomodachi response team was deployed by the U.S. DoD to join Japanese forces in sharing radiation-related information to help contain the Fukushima radiation leaks. The above-and-beyond efforts of all involved provide valuable lessons learned for future events.
One of the most difficult tasks facing emergency planners today involves traffic management - more specifically, getting as many people out of town just as fast as possible in times of crisis. That job is much more difficult when thousands of local residents head south instead of north - which is precisely why a new "dynamic time clearance calculator" is now one of the most essential tools of the trade.
