InfraGard Examines the Domestic Threat: Expert Panel Discusses Radicalization and the Domestic Threat

Washington, DC, February 23, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) held a critical sector forum examining the domestic threat and radicalization issues. INMA Chairman Dr. Kathleen Kiernan and Advisory Board Member Bryan Ware welcomed a distinguished panel consisting of Dawn Scalici, Deputy Under Secretary for Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security; James McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Russ Porter, Director of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“Threats to our nation’s critical infrastructure do not solely originate from outside our borders,” said INMA Chairman Dr. Kathleen Kiernan. She added, “We have seen a number of domestic incidents occur ranging from explosive devices and active shooters which create public panic to targeted attacks on our infrastructure. InfraGard is pleased to utilize its strong relationship with DHS, FBI and ODNI as we strive to build seamless coordination and leverage each other’s capabilities to protect the nation's infrastructure and increase our country’s readiness and resiliency.”

Bryan Ware, InfraGard Advisory Board member and CEO of Digital Sandbox remarked, “Digital Sandbox is proud to sponsor an event with such an important and timely topic and with such knowledgeable panelists. The domestic threat picture is changing rapidly and our country needs to adapt to this evolving threat situation. We at Digital Sandbox are committed to continuing to provide the analytical and operational tools that agents, security officers, analysts and decision makers need to support this critical mission.”

Dawn Scalici currently serves as the Deputy Under Secretary for Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security. In this capacity she leads the analytic efforts of DHS I&A, with a special focus on advancing analysis and developing intelligence products to support the DHS leadership and state, local, tribal, and private sector partners. Prior to assuming her position at DHS, Dawn served as the Director for Production and Strategic Planning at CIA’s Office of Iraq Analysis where she oversaw current and strategic analysis on Iraq and led efforts to advance planning, analytic tradecraft, and community collaboration. Ms. Scalici discussed the emerging threat from homegrown violent extremists and DHS's strategy for information sharing with state and local law enforcement and the private sector to mitigate the threat.

James W. McJunkin currently serves as the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. With over 24 years of service as an FBI Special Agent, he previously served in numerous senior leadership roles to include Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division, Chief, International Terrorism Operations Section (ITOS) and Deputy Director for Law Enforcement at the CIA. Mr. McJunkin discussed radicalization and the law enforcement response.

Russ Porter is the Director of Law Enforcement and Homeland Security in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to accepting this position he served for 32 years in state and local law enforcement culminating in his leading the Iowa Department of Public Safety's Division of Intelligence and the State of Iowa Intelligence Fusion Center. Mr. Porter discussed the long term impact of these issues and their effect on policy and programs.

The attendees included leaders from the FBI, DHS, DoD, the military services, the intelligence community, academia, and the private sector. David Pekoske, A-T Solutions Global Security Group President said, “the combination of the experts on the panel, as well as those throughout the room, made this an incredibly valuable session to highlight the issues facing our critical infrastructure.”

Dr. Kiernan added, “InfraGard and all attendees appreciate the tireless efforts and dedication these three valuable public servants give each and every day, ensuring the safety and security of our citizens, our nation, and its’ critical infrastructure. We are grateful for their contributions to this continuing forum.”

About InfraGard and the InfraGard National Members Alliance
The InfraGard Program began in 1996 as a collaborative effort between private sector cyber professionals and the FBI field office in Cleveland Ohio. The FBI later expanded the program to each of the FBI’s 56 field offices. In 2003 the private sector members of InfraGard formed the “InfraGard National Members Alliance” (INMA). The INMA is a non-profit Delaware LLC with 501(c)3 status. The INMA LLC is comprised of 86 separate 501(c)3 InfraGard Member Alliances (IMAs) representing over 42,000 FBI-vetted, InfraGard Subject Matter Experts. The INMA has a dual-focus value proposition. First, InfraGard provides its members with unmatched opportunities to promote the physical and cyber security of their organizations, through access to a trusted, national network of Subject Matter Experts from the public and private sectors. Secondly, it provides government stakeholders, at the local, state, and Federal levels, with unmatched access to the expertise and experience of critical infrastructure owners and operators.

For more information about InfraGard, please visit www.infragard.net. For more information about the INMA, please visit www.infragardmembers.org.

Digital Sandbox provides analytic software applications, services, and information products to government agencies and large enterprises, enabling them to optimize their strategic, policy, and budgetary decisions for risk-based resource allocation. Since 1998, Digital Sandbox’s analytic risk management solutions have helped customers in the National Security, Homeland Security, and Corporate Security fields to lower their risk exposure, increase the effectiveness of their risk management budgets, and maximize the return on their finite resources. Visit Digital Sandbox on the Web at http://www.dsbox.com.

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