Homeland Security Today

29/10/2025

Coming Friday: The 5th Edition of Pracademic Affairs!

Pracademic Affairs was created to bridge the long-recognized gap between theory and practice in homeland security and emergency management.

The upcoming issue features articles on the intersection of innovation and policy — from AI-driven crisis response (Predictive AI at the Tactical Edge) to integrating ecology in disaster planning (One Health, One Plan), and evaluating preparedness investments (Valuing the Invisible Shield).

Don’t miss this latest release! Sign up now to make sure you’re on the list!
https://www.hstoday.us/newsletters-signup/

28/10/2025

Today, on National First Responders Day, we pay tribute to the men and women who rush toward danger when others flee.

First responders – including police officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, and, don’t forget, public works professionals (often among the first to arrive to assess and mitigate immediate hazards) – put their lives on the line daily to protect and serve their communities. The day serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by these professionals and their families, and the critical role they play in maintaining public safety.

Today we celebrate the achievements of Chief Morales, who was named Law Enforcement Leader of the Year by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Foundation! Chief Morales' leadership philosophy centers on fostering relationships and building trust: qualities that have made him a role model for aspiring law enforcement professionals nationwide.

https://www.hstoday.us/first-responders/miami-police-chief-morales-law-enforcement-leader-of-the-year-award-spotlighted-on-national-first-responders-day/

27/10/2025

🔍 When data breaks, oversight breaks.

The DHS Inspector General’s March 2025 report (OIG-25-21) revealed that ICE couldn’t effectively track unaccompanied children after federal custody — not because of missing effort, but missing integrity. Fragmented systems, weak identifiers, and inconsistent fields turned responsibility into information risk.

In their new piece for HSToday, Timothy Coleman and Cristian Keroles argue that this is a solvable problem. By using open semantic standards, ontologies, and constraint validation, DHS can transform oversight from after-the-fact detective work to front-door prevention.

👉 https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/federal-government/fixing-dhs-case-data-with-open-semantic-standards/

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) investigative work lives and dies by data integrity.

24/10/2025

🚨 Hiring? Post your openings on the HSToday Job Board! 🚨

With our API access, it’s easier than ever to connect your listings directly to the HSToday audience: a network of homeland security professionals, innovators, and mission-driven experts ready to make an impact.

Now is the time to reach top talent, including skilled Feds recently affected by RIFs and restructuring. These are experienced professionals who know the mission and are looking for their next opportunity to serve.

Post your jobs today and tap into one of the most trusted hubs for homeland security career!

🔗 https://www.hstoday.us/jobs/

23/10/2025

💡 Homegrown hardware doesn’t equal homegrown AI.

In their latest piece, Tanvi Singh and Dr. Thomas Cellucci, unpack a critical truth: sovereignty in AI isn’t about where your data lives — it’s about who controls your models, how they’re trained, and whose values they reflect.

Outsourced models mean outsourced judgment. True AI sovereignty demands ownership of the full cognitive stack — from data to model to alignment.

Because the model is the mission.

Read the full article here: https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/ai-and-advanced-tech/sovereign-ai-how-states-and-institutions-have-to-take-back-their-digital-intelligence/

Governments and businesses globally are spending billions to develop homegrown data centers, homegrown compute clusters, and homegrown national infrastructure for AI.

21/10/2025

🛡️ As we approach November…

We’re proud to welcome Brian Harrell as Homeland Security Today’s lead for National Critical Infrastructure Security & Resilience Month (NCSRM)!

A national security leader and Chief Security Officer, Brian brings deep experience across cybersecurity, physical security, and resilience — and will be highlighting key issues like AI, insider threats, third-party risk, and the convergence of cyber and physical threats.

💡 Have insights to share?
Submit your thought leadership, best practices, or lessons learned to HSToday to be featured during November!

SEE THE REQUEST HERE: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/November-Is-Near---Share-Your-Experience-with-us-this-National-Critical-Infrastructure-Resilience-Month-.html?soid=1137129700506&aid=3lHZsd9IjKI

20/10/2025

⏰ One week left!
Don’t miss your chance to nominate a Holiday Hero — someone who goes above and beyond to protect, serve, and strengthen our homeland.

NOMINATE HERE: https://gtscoalition.wufoo.com/forms/m1ibwdoc1i3c8b9/

The HSToday Holiday Hero Awards honor the selfless dedication of those working in homeland security, public safety, national security, and emergency management — the people who keep our nation safe while others celebrate the holidays.

Submit your nomination today and help us recognize the heroes who make a difference when it matters most.

17/10/2025

We’re already halfway through Cybersecurity Awareness Month—but it’s never too late to get engaged.

As Nitin NCSAM leader says, "Cybersecurity isn’t a light switch, it’s a bank of dimmer switches."
There’s no “easy button” or single tool that makes us secure. Each day, we all have the opportunity to move a switch up — enabling phishing-resistant MFA, addressing third-party risks, or even removing that sticky note with a password on it.

At Homeland Security Today, we’re spotlighting the people and practices that make a difference — and we invite you to join us. Share how you’re moving your own “dimmer switches” this month.

What steps are you taking to ?
https://conta.cc/3KNWVTY

08/10/2025

Online radicalization has evolved—and so must our response.

In her latest analysis, Anna Corsaro explores how radicalization now moves fluidly across mainstream social media, encrypted messaging apps, gaming environments, and decentralized networks—creating a complex web of ideological recruitment and behavioral conditioning.

“Computational intelligence has emerged as both a risk vector and a potential solution.”

Read the full article https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/cybersecurity/perspective-ai-and-online-radicalization-intervention-models-and-risk-protocols/

Online radicalization is no longer confined to fringe platforms or isolated forums.

08/10/2025

Private chat platforms are no longer just places for gaming—they’ve become digital battlegrounds for radicalization, recruitment, and even confession.

In his latest article, Kevin Metcalf examines the assassination of Charlie Kirk as a case study in how extremists exploit platforms like Discord.

The suspect’s online confession, paired with a pattern of previous attacks linked to private servers, underscores an urgent homeland security challenge: the threat landscape has shifted—and our detection and prevention frameworks must evolve with it.

“The next act of violence may already be typed out in a private chat window.”

Read the full analysis 🔗 https://www.hstoday.us/perspective/perspective-discord-extremism-and-the-charlie-kirk-assassination-a-homeland-security-wake-up-call/

Charlie Kirk's assassination exposes how extremists use Discord to plan attacks in plain sight, demanding urgent national security reforms.

06/10/2025

Nominations are now open for the 2025 Homeland Security Today Holiday Hero Awards! 🌟

Each year, we honor the extraordinary people who make America safer, stronger, and more resilient — the quiet professionals, the innovators, and the changemakers who carry the mission forward every day.

Know someone who deserves recognition? Nominate your today!

🗓️ Nominations close October 27, 2025
Mark your calendar to celebrate these heroes on December 11th!

NOMINATE HERE: https://gtscoalition.wufoo.com/forms/m1ibwdoc1i3c8b9/