Teaching Emergency Management at UASEM
In this episode of Viewpoints, Sal Puglisi, a teacher with the Urban Assembly School of Emergency Management, talks about the mission of the school and shares the impact of teaching emergency management in...
Avoiding Catastrophe: Strategies for Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience
The past 18 months have seen a near constant stream of supply chain disruptions affecting everything from medical equipment and PPE to toilet paper, canned soup, and now the upcoming holiday season. Why are...
The Next Season of Pandemic Response
In this webinar, national experts discuss what local and state leaders might expect next in the US response to COVID-19. Panelists address the latest developments in vaccine expansion for youth populations, challenges in maintaining...
K-12 School Shooting Database (SSDB)
The SSDB is tracking recent summer and fall spikes in incidents. The SSDB is a database which contains each and every instance a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property...
Cyber Federalism
Play the audio: Today’s cyber risks to critical infrastructure and public services affect all levels of government. Eric Rosner (MA 1601/2) explores the current state of cybersecurity, examines what role each level of government...
Homeland Security Affairs: 9/11 Special Issue
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our Nation, the Homeland Security Affairs Editorial Committee decided to invite CHDS faculty members and HSAJ Editorial Board members to write reflective essays...
In Focus @ the HSDL: IS-K (Khorosan)
A collection of reports focused on Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K, ISIS-K) and terrorism in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Region.
CHDS Master’s Theses: June 2021 Graduation
The Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School graduates students with a Masters degree in Security Studies every March, September and December (with occasional June graduates). Find all 1000+ theses...
Viewpoints with Former Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf
In this Viewpoints, Heather Issvoran interviews former Department of Homeland Security acting secretary Chad Wolf. Wolf discusses his experience leading the department for four years, including what all DHS does, as well as...
Annotated Worldwide Threat Assessment 2021
The Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community is presented to Congress by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Since 2014, CHDS has produced a media-enhanced annotated version of the text document.
Ep 17: Let’s Talk About Coffee
Listen to audio: In this episode of Homeland, I had the opportunity to speak with Noel Lipana where we talked about moral injury, coffee, Jiu-Jitsu, coffee, healing through art, and of course, more about...
Immigration Is Both Fascinating and Frustrating
In this episode of the CHDS Master’s Thesis Series, Nicholas Knowlton and Robert O’Malley discuss their research and recommendations concerning the integration of immigrants into American life. Knowlton makes the case that electoral participation...
Disrupting Disinformation
Join CHDS on Thursday, May 13. In this webinar, technology and communications experts discuss the latest research in disinformation and actions local, state and federal leaders can take to counter the influence and impact...
What Comes Next? Virus Variants, Vaccine Next Steps, and Preventing Future Pandemics
Join CHDS on Thursday, April 29. In this webinar, national leaders will discuss what is next in the US response to COVID-19, from the “last mile” of vaccine distribution to what the pandemic could...
Creating a Personal Brand Strategy
In this talk, Heather Issvoran discusses the importance of first impressions and understanding your online presence. She provides suggestions on developing a professional brand identity, selecting relevant platforms for your purposes, and growing an...
Alumni Short Talks: Rescue Strike Team, an Alternative to Rescue Task Force
Eric Saylors explains the research and drills the Sacramento, CA fire department undertook to reduce the response time involved in rescuing, treating and transporting the wounded in active shooter events. Saylors discusses how...
Alumni Short Talks: Hearing Muted Voices: Using Radical Subjectivity to Address Homeland Security Issues
As technology becomes more prevalent and impersonal, Lier Chen challenges policymakers to stop their reliance upon simplistic interpretations of data that cause reactionary decisions. She provides a new tool, Muted Voices, that uses radical...
Alumni Short Talks: An Uncertain Threat: Climate Migration to the United States
Katelin Wright explores the potential implications for migration to the U.S. as a result of the effects of climate change. Using models of severe weather patterns in the coming decades, she explores the expected...
Wearables: Useful Sentinels of Our Health?
Matthew S. Austin provides his perspective on the usefulness of wearable technology as an early indicator of illness for military personnel in a COVID-19 pandemic environment. While the technology does not provide a direct...
Military Lessons: Real-time Situational Intelligence for Election Administrators
Chad Houck provides an overview of how the State of Idaho was able to secure its 2020 elections. Idaho developed some unique partnerships that utilized lessons from the military to enable election administrators to...
Alumni Short Talks: No Crisis Left to Waste: Exploring Convergent Themes in Extremist Propaganda
John Gordon provides insight into how Salafi-Jihadist extremists as well as racially/ethnically motivated extremists seek to maintain relevance by using propaganda to exploit the isolation and frustrations of COVID 19 and domestic political tensions....
How Should the National Guard Be Employed for The Next National Disaster?
Paul Jara discusses the complexity involved in activating DoD, DHS and National Guard resources in a multi-state disaster like COVID. While it has become commonplace to see uniformed personnel serving in every aspect of...
COVID-19: Public Health, Privacy, and Law Enforcement, A Precarious Balancing Act
Christopher Whiting talks about the challenges public health has faced during the COVID-19 response balancing the sharing of private health information with law enforcement and other first responders. He shares the findings from his...
COVID-19 Effects and Russian Disinformation Campaigns
Wesley R. Moy and Kacper Gradon provide their perspectives on the ramifications of COVID-19. The pandemic effects have highlighted longstanding societal divisions, disproportionately harming minority groups and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Moy and Gradon explore...
Warnings Unheeded, Again: What the Intelligence Lessons of 9/11 Tell Us about the Coronavirus Today
Dr. Erik Dahl discusses how the coronavirus pandemic represents a global intelligence failure. He explores how it was a failure for the traditional intelligence community as well as the national and international medical...
Alumni Short Talks: Rethinking Law Enforcement Response to Mass Gatherings & Civil Unrest
Chief Cynthia Renaud discusses the growing and evolving complexities of mass gatherings and crises and how first responders can become quickly overtasked with multiple threats in one event. Have we become as agile...
Frameworks for Governing: 2021 and Beyond
Join CHDS on March 31 and April 14, 2021. In this two-part webinar series, legal and public policy experts will discuss how government roles, responsibilities, and authorities have evolved in recent years and what...
Continuing Conversation: Housing and Shelter During a Pandemic
Join the Center for Homeland Defense and Security for a continuing conversation about the challenges and emerging model practices for housing, sheltering, and congregate population management during the pandemic.
Building Trust in a Disinformation Age
Webinar Time: January 29, 2:00 PM Eastern/11:00 AM Pacific. In an age of information overload, it is increasingly difficult to deliver critical information to targeted audiences and the public at large. The influx of...
Ep 16: Tackling Border Security and Immigration
Listen to audio: As I mentioned in our last episode; I’ll be releasing several conversations originally recorded during the APEX 2020 conference; this is one of those. In this episode, I’m joined by Madeline Kristoff...
Thesis Series: Blip on the Radar: School Safety Synergy Through Early Warning and Information Sharing
In this episode of the CHDS Master’s Thesis Series, Heather Issvoran interviews Bruno Dias, Director of Safety, Security, and Threat Management for the Mansfield Independent School District on his thesis, “Blip on the...
Homeland Security Affairs: Special COVID Issue
The December 2020 Special COVID Issue of Homeland Security Affairs features eleven essays which chronicle agency and jurisdictional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned thus far. The essays focus on how agencies or...
Alumni Short Talks: Climate Security: A Pre-Mortem Approach to a Sustainable Global Future
Climate Security has been described as the defining threat of the 21st Century. John Comiskey and Michael Larrañaga take a “pre-mortem” look at this emerging challenge. In this Short Talk, they provide an...
Ep 15: Climate Security Complexity
Listen to audio: Before we jump into today’s episode, I want to thank each of you for hanging with us during the very busy months of 2020. I guess this show has been directly...
Thesis Series: Misinformation Contagion: A View Through an Epidemiological Lens
In this episode of the CHDS Master’s Thesis Series, host Heather Issvoran interviews Scott Fenton (cohort 1803/1804) on his thesis, “Misinformation Contagion: A View Through an Epidemiological Lens.” Fenton, Captain with the Monterey...
CHDS Conversation with Dr. Anthony Fauci
Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Coronavirus Task Force member and Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in an interview with CHDS Subject Matter Expert, Eileen O’Connor, provides the latest updates...
Alumni Short Talks: Countering Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is happening undetected across the United States. Hear how Bentley Nettles’ state agency in Texas mobilized efforts to combat this widespread and horrendous criminal practice. In this short talk, Bentley describes...
Alumni Short Talks: Beats Thinking: Detecting Deception & Eliciting Truth
In the age of information explosion and unrelenting bombardment with opinions indistinguishable from news, how do we pay attention? Watch as Nick Catrantzos, a “pracademic” with stratcolab, reveals his secret: analyzing content for...
Superforecasting: E Pluribus Analysis
Play the audio: Experts draw on years of experience to detect patterns and make predictions when facing novel situations. US Secret Service Assistant Special Agent In Charge James Huse (Masters 1601/2) investigates decision making,...
Alumni Short Talks: Whistle-Blowing: An Unyielding Duty
Discover how leaders can harness the energy and positive contributions of potential whistle-blowers. Colonel Tom Rempfer, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) shares his personal experience as a successful and unyielding whistle-blower. Too often, whistle-blower...
Leadership Lessons from the Space Program: How Can These Inform the Unprecedented Challenges We Face Today?
This webinar is part of the CHDS Lecture and Webinar Series and is held in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), CHDS Alumni Association, International Association of Emergency Managers...
Alumni Short Talks: Health Equity is a Homeland Security Issue
What is “health equity” and how is it a homeland security issue? William Pilkington provides a snapshot of the issues that impact the security of the American people as a result of public...
Imagination, Improvisation, and Innovation in Emergency Management Education
Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Emergency Management Higher Education Symposium: Imagination, Improvisation, and Innovation in Emergency Management Education. June 1-4, 2020 [pdf] View Full Program [pdf] | Share Fair Directory [pdf] | Poster Session: Final...
What Does “Strategic Planning” for Reopening Look Like When You Can’t Strategically Plan?
Webinar Description: Organizational leaders have seen their plans for 2020 upended by the pandemic. As the country begins to reopen, leaders are facing a multitude of uncertainties about the Nation’s health, the economy, and ever-changing...
HSDL COVID-19 Resource Archive
The Homeland Security Digital Library COVID-19 Resource Archive brings together documents from agencies and organizations that capture the environment, debates, and hard realities affecting governmental and public health policy decisions in preparedness, response, and...
Ethics in Crisis: Observations from the Frontlines of COVID-19 with Dr. Sheri Fink
Webinar Description: Throughout the pandemic, government leaders, health care professionals, and communities around the globe have confronted extraordinary resource allocation questions as the number of critically ill patients grew daily amidst severe shortages of equipment,...
The Battle to Regain Cyber Territory: The Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s Plan
Webinar Description: The Cyberspace Solarium Commission was established in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act to develop a consensus strategy for defending the United States against cyber attacks. The Commission’s report, released March 11,...
Alumni Short Talks: Moral Injury
In this Alumni Short Talk, Dr. Noël Lipana addresses the issue of moral injury. Moral injury often occurs when a person commits, fails to prevent, or witnesses an act that is anathema to their...
CHDS Alumni Network: COVID-19 Information Sharing Summaries
A weekly resource summary of COVID-19 information, policies, and emerging smart practices shared amongst the CHDS Community.
Strategic Communications: Challenges and Opportunities During COVID-19
The ever-changing COVID-19 world has caused many leaders to ask, “When no one knows the answer, how do you field questions from the media and the public?”. In this webinar, CHDS communications experts weigh...
CHDS Student & Alumni COVID-19 Webinar: New York City Fire Department
In this NPS-CHDS Weekly Student & Alumni COVID-19 Webinar, recorded May 14, 2020, leadership from the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) share some of the lessons learned to date and how they are...
Public Health Threat Landscape
Dr. Crystal Watson, Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, discusses the COVID-19 outbreak and the status of U.S. preparedness to combat the virus. She explores the broader public health...
CHDS Lecture and Webinar Series: Governmental Decision-Making During a Pandemic
Decisions are being made every day to close and re-open the economy. Travel restrictions are in place in some areas but not in others, beaches are opening and/or ordered closed, barbershops and floral shops are...
CHDS Executive Education Webinar Series: COVID-19 Topics
Public Policy and Legal Issues During the Pandemic: What Have We Learned and What Is On the Horizon? May 5, 2020. CHDS-NEMA-IAEM Webinar: Personal, Organizational and Community Resilience, April 29, 2020. CHDS-NCJA Webinar: Understanding...
Alumni Short Talks: How Fake News and Information Laundering Threaten Homeland Security
February 18, 2020, Annual CHDS Alumni APEX Workshop, Monterey, CA. Katelyn Mason and Sam Korta discuss the importance of how state and non-state actors manipulate real world events to propagate narratives that influence and...
Law Enforcement’s Role in Pandemics
Play the audio: COVID19 has swept the globe in little more than 3 months. Health officials have enacted quarantine orders to reduce the disease’s spread but who enforces those orders? Lieutenant Don Lowenthal (Masters...
PrepTalks: Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science as Force Multipliers for Emergency Management
Dr. Liu highlights how social media can be an effective communication channel in disasters, how emergency managers can incorporate data provided by the general public into actionable intelligence during an emergency response, and how...
PrepTalks: Human Biases: Why People Underprepare for Disasters
Dr. Kunreuther discusses the processes and biases in decision-making under uncertainty. He also proposes a behavioral risk audit that couple’s protective decision-making with economic incentives, enabling individual and collective actions to achieve greater resilience....
PrepTalks: Left in the Dark: Power Outages in an Interconnected World
Kate Konschnik, Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University and is a Senior Lecturing Fellow at Duke Law School, dives into the fundamentals...
Ep 14: Disease Outbreak and the Complexity of Rapid Mass Notification
Listen to audio: In this episode I have the opportunity to talk with not just one or two of our fellow alum, rather I have the pleasure of speaking with four: Steven Polunsky, Will...
Better Safe Than Sorry
Play the audio: Why does the click-through rate on threatening headlines far exceed those that are more benign? Calling something a threat through a provocative headline or soundbite initiates a biological reaction that almost...
How DHS Utilizes Biometric Identity
In this episode of Viewpoints, Heather Issvoran interviews Carol Lucas on the topic of Biometric Identity. Lucas is a Senior Strategic Planner for the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) at the Department...
The Art of Attribution
Lecture/presentation. Noel Yucuis This lesson helps students work through the pitfalls of summarizing, quoting, and paraphrasing, which often lead to inadvertent plagiarism.
Grad Skills
Resources to help improve your reading, writing, thinking, learning, and research skills.
Timeline of Homeland Security Events and Milestones
The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) has resleased a new timeline. This timeline includes a variety of events and milestones related to homeland security and emergency management. New events will be considered and added as...
In-Focus at the HSDL: Current Issues in Homeland Security
Each HSDL In Focus brings together short lists of resources in the HSDL collection that are highly relevant to current events. Recent lists include: 5G and National Security Insider Threats Extreme Heat Violence against...
The Effects of Climate Change on Homeland Security
In this NPS-CHDS Viewpoints, CHDS alumni Dr. Michael Larranaga and Dr. John Comiskey discuss the results of their examination of the potential threats that climate change could have on the nation’s homeland security...
Book List from the CHDS Curriculum
These are some of the books assigned to students at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security in the last two years. Introduction to Homeland Security The Unconventional Threat to Homeland Security Research and...
How to Organize an Effective Academic Paper
Lecture/presentation — video. Marianne Taflinger Do you wonder where to start when sitting down to write your first paper in homeland security? This course teaches you how to write the introduction, body, and conclusion...
Annotated Worldwide Threat Assessment 2019
The Worldwide Threat Assessment has been presented to Congress annually by the Director of National Intelligence; and before that office was created, it was presented by the CIA Director in his position as...
Homeland Security @ medium.com
Medium.com/Homeland-Security is an App Store of Homeland Security Ideas. CHDS participants are publishing new stories every few weeks. Edited by Rodrigo Nieto Gomez
HSx Collection: Advanced Thinking in Homeland Security
A collection of presentations and resource lists across a broad range of topics and categorized into Homeland Security and Core Competencies. Topics include Machine Learning, Drought, Aging Infrastructure, Terrorism & Transnational Criminal Organizations, Challenges in Infrastructure Funding, Asymmetric...
Critical Infrastructure Higher Education Initiative
The Critical Infrastructure Higher Education Initiative (CI HEI) was a highly successful five year partnership between the Center for Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security (CIP/HS) at George Mason University and the U.S. Department of...
Self-Study Course: Social Network Analysis
Course — website/web application. Developed in conjunction with Sean Everton, Co-Director and Michael Aspland, Faculty Associate for Research at the CORE Lab in the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School This course is...
Self-Study Course: The Global Jihadi Threat
Course — website/web application. Nadav Morag. [Updated Dec 2016] Islam is a faith of richness and complexity that has manifested itself over time in a broad variety of ways. Unfortunately, it is also used...
CHDS Master’s Theses: March 2021 Graduation
The Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School graduates students with a Masters degree in Security Studies every March, September and December (with occasional June graduates). Find all 1000+ theses...