CRS contemplates port, water threats.As the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress, and thus an agency in the Legislative Branch of the United States Government. audits government efforts. As the public-policy research arm of Congress, the Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a branch of the Library of Congress that provides objective, nonpartisan research, analysis, and information to assist Congress in its legislative, oversight, and representative functions. U.S. (CRS CRS Course CRS Certified Residential Specialist (real estate certification) CRS Central Reservation System CRS Can't Remember Stuff (polite form) CRS Cost Reduction Strategy CRS Consumer Relations Specialist ) provides objective analysis and data. Both have been exploring homeland security issues with recently updated CRS reports investigating nuclear attacks on seaports and water infrastructure. @ The reports can be reached via SM Online. Seaports. By one estimate, a 10-to-20 kiloton weapon, about the size of the one that devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. Hiroshima, detonated at a major U.S. seaport would kill 50,000 to 1 million people, cause direct property damage of up to $500 billion, and result in indirect losses of up to $1.2 trillion. These numbers may be largely speculative, but the threat is real, according to the CRS. The report urges Congress to consider defense in depth, including safeguarding foreign nuclear material, mitigating the economic impact of an attack, and wisely allocating funds among ports and other high-value targets. Water infrastructure. The vast U.S. water infrastructure consists of 77,000 dams and reservoirs; thousands of miles of pipes, waterlines, aqueducts, and sewer lines; 168,000 public drinking-water facilities; and 16,000 public wastewater treatment plants. Receiving scant attention so far, according to the CRS, have been wastewater treatment facilities. Destruction of chemical vessels at treatment plants could release toxic agents into the air, for example. Despite the threat, there are no federal standards or industry best practices for water infrastructure security, the CRS notes. In December, however, industry groups developed three security documents that cover the design of online contaminant-monitoring systems as well as physical security improvements for drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. , wastewater, and storm water systems. Water facilities also recently formed a Water Sector Coordinating Committee to work with federal officials. RELATED ARTICLE 14 The number of top priorities named by FBI Director Mueller in testimony before Congress. In descending order of importance, they are: Counterterrorism coun·ter·ter·ror adj. Intended to prevent or counteract terrorism: counterterror measures; counterterror weapons. n. Action or strategy intended to counteract or suppress terrorism. Counterintelligence coun·ter·in·tel·li·gence n. The branch of an intelligence service charged with keeping sensitive information from an enemy, deceiving that enemy, preventing subversion and sabotage, and collecting political and military information. Cybercrime cybercrime also known as computer crime Any use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property, stealing identities, or violating privacy. Criminal intelligence Public corruption Civil rights Violent gangs Criminal enterprises Corporate and securities fraud Healthcare fraud Mortgage fraud Financial institution fraud Crimes against children Other violent crimes |
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