Security

As a result of The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ongoing investigation into the collision between two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains in June 2009, NTSB issued nine safety recommendations, six of which are urgent, to address concerns about the safety of train control systems that use audio frequency track circuits.

NTSB makes specific recommendations and calls upon WMATA to develop a program to periodically determine that the electronic components in its train control systems are performing within design tolerances.

National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09) is scheduled for July 27 - 31, 2009. NLE 09 will be the first major exercise conducted by the United States government that will focus exclusively on terrorism prevention and protection.

NLE 09 is a White House directed, Congressionally- mandated exercise that includes the participation of all appropriate federal department and agency senior officials, their deputies, staff and key operational elements.  In addition, broad regional participation of state, tribal, local, and private sector is anticipated.  This year the United States welcomes the participation of Australia, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom in NLE 09.

Nuclear Security: Better Oversight Needed to Ensure That Security Improvements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Are Fully Implemented and Sustained. 

In 2008, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) security inspection at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), which is overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), found significant weaknesses, particularly in LLNL’s protective force’s ability to assure the protection of weapons-grade (special) nuclear material. 

This draft report prepared by the National Committee on Levee Safety (NCLS) - a committee of federal, state, local, and private sector members with the direction from Congress - outlines recommendations and a strategic implementation plan on a National Levee Safety Program.