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WLOX-TV
The centerpiece of the Advanced Naval Technology Exercise, or ANTEX, is the testing of their underwater defense system called Argus. An underwater unmanned vessel, or UUV, called REMUS was on display as the project testing continues. Just off the Port of Gulfport in the Mississippi Sound, the Remus roams the water. It’s a 14-foot-long, 700-800 pound system that works as a drone mapping ocean topography but in this case, it’s part of the Argus defense system. "It’s called Argus because Argus is the Greek god with 1,000 eyes,” said Elena McCarthy, Argus program director. Those eyes scan under the sea and serve as a submerged first line of defense outside our nation’s civilian and military ports.
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NMLEA
FEMA is scheduled to release the 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2019 Port Security Grant Program on or about 12 April. Expectations are that there will very few variations from last year’s procedures. And usually, FEMA allows for roughly 6 weeks for the actual application period length. But that of course can be shortened as demonstrated in 2017.
Therefore, as we have said before, it is in your best interest to start building your application package now.
Some things to consider, and areas the NMLEA can assist you are:
- Grant preparation and award administration
- Training Programs to enhance your readiness and response capabilities
- Procurement Assistance in the recommendation, identification, acquisition and implementation of specific equipment
- Exercise planning, development, execution and reporting to meet specific planning
- Online MTSA required training resources
- Cybersecurity Risk Management assessment and implementation
If you want to review some key points of the process, take a look at the Webinar we put on last year to discuss some of things to be aware of, by going to our website resource page or by clicking on this link.
And if you want assistance in any of the areas discussed above, contact us directly by clicking here.
Gregory "Cruz" Grutter
While a new instructor at the Police Academy, I was beyond excited to be in this new roll. I was excited about the ability to impact officers lives and the lives of the ones we are sworn to protect. I was going to provide the best firearms training I could, no matter the cost. After a short time of learning the lay of the land, I jumped in with both feet. Not at all paying attention to the toes of others I may be stepping on. (Blog for another time.)
What I quickly realized was the instructors from various defensive disciplines/tactical areas were teaching things totally different. The firearms team was teaching in a different way than the other instructors. Even more, the way we taught handgun, was not the same as rifle. Shotgun was nothing like the others and sub-gun was altogether different, too. Once the new recruits left firearms they moved to officer survival and did all the contact and cover stuff and more. But again this was different, too.
How is the young officer going to remember how to stand if at every stage of their use-of-force its different?
Fast forward a number of years and I am running my own show as a teacher, not as an instructor. I clearly understand the need for things to be tactically sound and court defensible. Techniques need to work during the day and at night. Speed and fatigue will break a technique. We need to safely apply that pressure in training to ensure what we are giving the rank and file is what works in the field. We need to run force-on-force to find the truth and pull the lessons from the fight. We need the force-on-force to be clear cut, short and realistic scenarios for the officers to improve, not to re-enforce negative habits. If the scenarios are short and well put together we can take multiple runs at it. This will not only give the trainees a good understanding of what to do to get better, but it will also help with the educational part as well.
Today when an organization, agency, department or even the solo officer looks at training, it needs to be with eyes wide open. We need to provide congruent training that supports all we do. Here at the NMLEA from our entry level programs to our most advanced they fill that requirement.
Contact me today to learn more about how your training, and firearms training specifically, can ensure that we are preparing our officers correctly... especially in the maritime domain. (Click here to send Cruz a note or to find out more.)
Albuquerque Journal
Ports of entry are the physical portals of interaction between countries. People cross to other countries to shop, vacation and visit families. Businesspeople cross to expand their company’s revenue stream and to diversify their customer base. Trains, trucks and barges transport goods back and forth to other countries. Ports are where people and merchandise are inspected, verified and welcomed to our country. However, ports are also the first line of defense in intercepting bad players, unsafe products and contraband.
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Work Boat
The American Waterways Operators (AWO) recently testified before two congressional committees on the state of the U.S. maritime industry. Tom Allegretti, president and CEO, testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, while across the Capitol, Jennifer Carpenter, executive vice president and COO, appeared before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. In written testimonies submitted to the committee and subcommittee, both Allegretti and Carpenter emphasized the importance of the tug, towboat and barge industry to the national economy and highlighted four pillars vital to the vibrancy of the industry: the Jones Act, federal primacy over commercial maritime navigation, waterways infrastructure and marine safety.
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to The Conversation via Government Technology
At the beginning of 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law the Open, Public, Electronic and Necessary Government Data Act, requiring that nonsensitive government data be made available in machine readable, open formats by default. As researchers who study data governance and cyber law, we are excited by the possibilities of the new act. But much effort is needed to fill in missing details — especially since these data can be used in unpredictable or unintended ways. The federal government would benefit from considering lessons learned from open government activities in other countries and at state and local levels.
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Times Herald
For the eighth year, California State University Maritime Academy will host a unique two day conference focused on productive networking and leadership development for women in maritime, the university announced. The conference “offers a robust program on maritime culture and trends, the many facets of leadership and developing self and others on a team.” Speakers include Capt. Jennifer L. Ellinger of the U.S. Navy and Kristina Bowden, president and owner of West Coast Resource Services Inc., a consulting firm specializing in occupational safety and health for terminal and stevedore operators.
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Hellenistic Shipping News
A regional workshop has provided senior maritime administration officials in Central America with the latest information on current and future developments at International Maritime Organization (IMO). The training was organized by IMO and the Central American Commission on Maritime Transport in Medellin, Colombia. The 24 participants received detailed information about the activities within the IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP) aimed at building capacity in the region to comply with international rules and standards related to maritime safety and the prevention of maritime pollution. The workshop also provided a platform for information exchange between Central America maritime administrations and facilitated the identification of technical assistance priorities for the region for the 2020-2021 biennium.
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The Maritime Executive
The towboat St. Rita went down on the Mississippi River near LaPlace, Louisiana, with thousands of gallons of diesel on board. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report that the Marquette Transportation towboat St. Rita had sunk on the bank of the Mississippi near LaPlace. The towboat Rod C rescued the St. Rita's five crewmembers and transported them to shore. No injuries were reported, and there were no reported impacts to vessel traffic. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The St. Rita is estimated to have approximately 13,000 gallons of diesel on board.
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Maritime Professional
In its annual “State of Freight” series, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has highlighted the transportation infrastructure needs of U.S. ports, state transportation agencies and multimodal projects. In this final report in the State of Freight series, AAPA turns to the vital role that security infrastructure plays in moving goods. In 2002, Congress created the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) as part of the direct response to the tragic terrorist attacks of 9/11. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the PSGP has funded 8,096 projects and invested more than $2.78 billion in America’s ports. More than a decade and a half since the PSGP began, it remains a top priority for the AAPA.
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