Adm. Thad Allen, "Border Wars" Producer To Keynote GovSec

U.S. Coast Guard Ret. Admiral Thad Allen, who served as the National Incident Commander during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Nicholas Stein, the award-winning producer of National Geographic Channel’s “Border Wars,” will be the featured keynote speakers at the free Expo during the 2011 Government Security Expo & Conference (GovSec) featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Exposition, produced by the 1105 Event Group.

In addition, a newly added panel discussion will look at the national security implications of the current unrest and regime changes in the Middle East.

The keynote addresses and panel discussion will take place March 30 and March 31, during the Expo at GovSec, which is free to attend.

On Wednesday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Admiral Allen will deliver his keynote address on “Leading Through Crisis and Times of Change” and then take questions from the audience in a 30-minute Q&A session. Admiral Allen spent 40 years with the U.S. Coast Guard, where he was known for his no-nonsense leadership style and ability to bring together diverse groups to achieve a common goal. Most recently, he was appointed by President Obama to lead the efforts to end and clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Later on March 30 – from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. – attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experts who have served in the Foreign Service and Intelligence Service in the Middle East to learn about how the current unrest in that region could impact national security in the United States. The panel discussion, entitled “Regime Change in the Middle East: Implications for our Future,” will also examine how social networking, texting and the Internet has become the control center for revolutionary movements sweeping the Middle East. The panel will be moderated by Paul Joyal, managing director for Public Safety and Homeland Security at National Strategies Inc., and include speakers Mark Danner, consulting manager at National Strategies and William D. Murray, managing member of Alphom Group.

“Our panel brings together individuals who have decades of experience living and working in the Middle East, and are now using that knowledge to generate actionable intelligence for their clients in the public and private sectors,” said Joyal. “These unique insights enables our panel to adeptly explain the impact and security implications for the United States and our allies resulting from current events in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and other countries in the region.”

The keynote address -- “Border Wars: Ground Truth” -- on Thursday, March 31, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., will feature Stein discussing the challenges that U.S. Customers and Border Protection agents and law enforcement face as they try to prevent individuals from illegally entering the U.S. and stem the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband into the country. Stein will show clips from his show “Border Wars,” for which he and his camera crew have gotten unparalleled access to agents and captured telling moments from the battle zone.

“The work I’ve done on ‘Border Wars’ has really opened my eyes to the realities our border patrol agents and law enforcement officers face on a daily basis,” Stein said. “During my GovSec keynote, I look forward to sharing my first-hand experiences on the front lines, and talking more about the emotional toll that dealing daily with illegal drug and human trafficking takes on our troops in the field.”

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.