The Risk Communicator: November-December 2007 EditionWelcome to the Risk Communicator, SARMA's newsletter for information, trends and issues of concern to security analysis and risk management professionals. This complimentary news service is distributed every other month. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your colleagues and encourage them to sign up to get their own copy here.
If your server is blocking HTML e-mails you can view the current Risk Communicator through your browser by clicking here.
|
NewsSARMA Hosts Recognition Breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton
|  | | | Ed Jopeck thanks guests. |
SARMA held a Founding Board and Sponsors' Appreciation Breakfast on 16 November at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA, to show its appreciation for past and current board members and corporate sponsors. SARMA President Ed Jopeck recognized Arion Pattakos, Geoffrey French, Robin Dillon-Merrill and Lisa Bendixen for their contributions as Founding Board Members, and also thanked PricewaterhouseCoopers, SRA International, Analex and SAIC for their corporate sponsorship. Guest speaker Michael Beland, Counsel for the US House of Representatives' Committee on Homeland Security, thanked SARMA participants for their voluntary efforts and spoke about the Committee's views on the importance of security risk management in the future of homeland security efforts. |
New Additions to the SARMApedia!
|  | |
SARMApedia, the wiki-based home of SARMA's Common Knowledge Base (CKB) project, has recently received an updated, easier-to-navigate format, and two new content areas. The first addition, Who's Who in Security Analysis, allows both individuals and organizations to make themselves known to others in the profession, as well as to organizations seeking specific expertise. (See the article "Who's Who Wants You" in this issue for further details.) The second addition, R&D in Risk Management, allows researchers to post descriptions of their research and development projects in security risk analysis. The R&D section also provides a means by which practitioners can post issues still needing research and development. Through this exchange of research information, it is hoped that unnecessary duplication of research and greater applicability of future research projects can be achieved. Because both are on the SARMApedia wiki, additions from all practitioners are encouraged, and the resulting SARMApedia resources will be available to all at no cost.
[Go to the SARMApedia]
|
Government Accountability Office Hosts Homeland Security Risk Management Forum
On 25 October 2007, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) hosted a Comptroller General Forum focused on the use of risk management in homeland security. The gathering marked the latest installment in a long-running effort by GAO to advance the national dialogue in this area. Participants included current and former government leaders, as well as representatives of the private sector and academia.
[Read More]
|
Who's Who Wants You!
Do you have practical experience in the field of security analysis and risk management? Do you work for a government, private sector, academic or non-profit organization directly involved in the field? Do people point to your expertise or your academic research when the subject comes up? If so, we'd like to hear from you.
[Read More]
|
Return
to the top Reports and ReviewsNational Strategy for Homeland Security Updated
On 5 October 2007, the White House released an updated National Strategy for Homeland Security. In addressing the role of risk management in homeland security, the Strategy mirrors a SARMA position that "to develop this discipline, we as a Nation must organize and help mature the profession of risk management by adopting common risk analysis principles and standards, as well as a professional lexicon."
See Kerry Thomas's commentary in this issue, and click below to view the document.
[Get the Document]
|
Commentary: The National Homeland Security Strategy
Kerry Thomas, SARMA's Executive Vice President, comments on the recently released "National Homeland Security Strategy."
[Read More]
|
Discussion Paper: Port-Wide Risk Management Planning
Contributed by PricewaterhouseCoopers, this paper highlights the steps DHS and the nation's ports should consider to address the primary criticism of current port security efforts.
[Read More]
|
RAND Study: Securing America's Passenger-Rail Systems
|  | |
The Rand Corporation recently released a study on assessing risks and vulnerabilities of the U.S. passenger-rail system.
Abstract
"Communities across the United States rely on reliable, safe, and secure rail systems. Each weekday, more than 12 million passengers take to U.S. railways. Recent attacks on passenger-rail systems around the world highlight the vulnerability of rail travel and the importance of rail security for these passengers. Even though there have been no successful attacks on rail systems in the United States recently, the FBI and local police departments have thwarted several planned attacks against the New York subway system alone. The use of passenger rail and the frequency with which terrorists target it call for a commitment to analyzing and improving rail security in the United States. The goal of the study on which this book reports was to develop a framework for security planners and policymakers that can be used to guide cost-effective railsecurity planning..."
[Read More and Get the Full Report]
|
Return
to the top Conferences and Events2008 National OPSEC Conference
The OPSEC Professional Society's 2008 National Conference will be held in Denver, CO, on 7-11 April 2008. SARMA representatives will be among the speakers at this upcoming event.
[Read More]
|
SARMA Annual Conference 2008
The 2nd Annual Security Analysis and Risk Management Conference will be held 13-15 May 2008 in Arlington, VA. This year's conference will be co-hosted with George Mason University's Critical Infrastructure Protection Program. If you are interested in presenting at this conference, please contact the conference committee at conference@sarma.org. |
Critical Infrastructure Protection Workshop
Entitled "Critical Infrastructure Protection: Metrics and Tools," this workshop is being organized by the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, and the Center for Contemporary Conflict at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. It is scheduled for 5-7 June 2008.
[Read More]
|
Return
to the top MiscellaneousWant to Contribute to the Risk Communicator?
Do you know of an item you would like to see included in the Risk Communicator? Do you have ideas for new and interesting features for future editions? If so, please contact the newsletter staff at newsletter@sarma.org. |
Return
to the top | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Contact
SARMA |
|
SARMA
P.O. Box 710172
Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (703) 635-7906
Fax: (703) 635-7935
E-mail: info@sarma.org
| |
|
|
Sponsor
Notices
|
|
SARMA thanks the following organizations for their support:
| |
|
|
The Risk Communicator |
The Risk Communicator, newsletter of SARMA, the Security Analysis and Risk Management Association
Send questions and comments to
Editor-in-Chief
newsletter@sarma.org
Copyright 2008.
SARMA All rights reserved.
PRIVACY
POLICY
The views expressed in the Risk Communicator reflect the views of their authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of SARMA, the US Government, or the employers or clients of the contributors.
|
|
|
