9/11 Revisited: The Future Homeland Security Practitioner...

We are approaching the 9/11 anniversary and the images and memories will be revisited.

Many of us will shed a tear and millions will recall where they were and what they were doing, on that unforgettable Tuesday morning in September, 2001. 

The education of "Homeland Security" is taking place on a daily basis in the popular press and on the new social media platforms that have risen and now dominate the digital content since 9/11.

The academic and government institutions have strived for improving the standards, processes, rule sets and protocols for anti-terrorism policy. By education, we also need to explore what we are doing to collaborate at the academic institution level on a global basis, not just on a government basis. 

The "Homeland Security" curriculum at universities in the EU and the United States will soon be converging on several fronts and for good reason. The generation that will be starting their 1st year (freshmen) in college were not even born yet in 2001.

Their perception of what Homeland Security is today and the future for a life long career must be designed on a global basis, because this remains a global issue. 

The students who pursue an education in languages, political science, international affairs, history and science have just as much a stake in the future of Homeland Security as others. Those who are now getting a degree in emergency management, criminal justice or risk management, or information security are well on their way, yet still may lack the knowledge and tools their liberal arts colleagues have learned to be better analysts, intel targeters or linguists. 

A flash back to this article on "Homeland Security Intelligence" (HSI) , reminds us that regardless of the university education one receives, the future of effective strategies across the world will stem from intelligence: 

(27 February 2011 HSI: Homeland Security Intelligence…)

“What is the modern definition of U.S. Homeland Security Intelligence (HSI)? Many would differ on the jurisdiction, sources and nexus with specific intelligence that falls outside U.S. borders. The future of sharing relevant pieces of the vast mosaic of information may well lie with the definition and the interpretation of Homeland Security Intelligence.

One thing is certain about this topic of debate. If the information is being utilized to determine the nature of a threat within the confines of the U.S. Homeland, then that information will be treated according to the laws of the United States. This brings us to the next question. Are the current laws an impediment to more effective Homeland Security Intelligence (HSI) processes, methods and outcomes? The following areas must be addressed in order to get closer to the truth. 

• Governance
• Policies
• Regulatory and Statutory Concerns
• Civil rights and Liberties

Yet the question begs the discussion on the structure and the purpose of the Intelligence Community (IC) itself.”

Whether the homeland security incident is a natural catastrophe or a man-made threat, there are several components that all people pursuing a profession in the discipline should be developing with increased competency, including risk mitigation, legal framework, ethics, communication/collaboration, alternative analysis, supply chain, critical infrastructure, emergency/crisis management and terrorism. 

Those kids who were not even born yet on 9/11, may have a different perspective on what might be important these days in order to detect another attack of the same magnitude during these times of heightened digital and mobile awareness.

They grew up with the Internet and they don't need a class in Social Media 101 or how to use TikTok. They might however, also need some training in AI or the Deep Web, if they want to support the HSI infrastructure, or understand the adversaries modus operandi. 

The definitions of Homeland Security Intelligence (HSI) and what comprises the spectrum of relevant and legally obtained information may differ from country-to-country and state-to-state.

Is it legal to perform digital triage on an iPhone that has been part of a lawful search and seizure in the State of Ohio, USA? 

The education for Homeland Security professionals beginning with the university must take into consideration the requirements that exist for collecting, analyzing and sharing relevant and legally obtained information. The next step is to determine the correct skills that must be developed, before the newly minted student is filling out their first job applications or interviewing for their first internship. 

As we reflect on the 9/11 25 year milestone, we can all admit the journey has not been easy. It is still far from over.

Let the next decade produce our next generation of Homeland Security professionals who may decide that Social Media and Internet AI expertise is just as vital to the curriculum as Privacy and Civil Liberties.

Watch this area to converge dramatically over the course of the next few years and for the Supreme Court in the United States to make some landmark decisions…

Competition: Life Long Learning Experience…

When you were growing up in your town across the USA, they probably had all kinds of ways for you as a kid to learn about competition.

Was it the Spelling Bee?  The Debate team. The High School ball sports games, running track or swimming meets. Cheer competitions. Car racing. The neighborhood park “Art” & “Pottery” contest. The city Golf championship.

Before you headed out of your own household to universities or colleges in other states or joined up with our Armed Forces and were stationed overseas, you really thought you understood what competition was all about didn't you.

Or did you?

competition

com· pe· ti· tion ˌkäm-pə-ˈti-shən

Synonyms of competition

1: the act or process of competing

compete

com· pete kəm-ˈpēt

1: to strive consciously or unconsciously for an objective (such as position, profit, or a prize) : be in a state of rivalry

The fact that you were in competition with others for the best example of your intellect, or your strength or your speed or your accuracy or creativity would soon become more of a life question.

"Who shall I serve in my years ahead and trust to help me navigate the joys and sorrows of my life long journey?"

How will they provide me with the wisdom and the guidance to know what is the right decision to make at the right time?

Competition in life is unavoidable and you might wonder why some people “Win” on one day and not on another.  Was it luck?

Just ask anyone who has made it to a C-Suite at Headquarters, or “Hall of Fame” or other Museum of History and the people who excelled at their particular Profession, Sport or Craft or Exploration milestone.

Have you ever heard someone say in your long competitive life:  “It’s not about Winning and Losing it is about how you play the game”.

What does that really mean?  Is it about following the rules and playing with good manners or sportsmanship?

Competition is truly a life learning experience whether it played on the field, in the pool, on the mountain, on the ice rink, on the track, in the auditorium, on the stage, in the conference room or the ready room, face-to face or online, it does not really matter.

Some may say it was lots of Time and Practice.  Some may say it was a Miracle.

What shall you learn about Competition in your own life?

Some may say it was "My Destiny"...

Godspeed!

Reliable: A Leadership Life Pursuit...

If you were asked about some of the greatest “Leaders” you have ever experienced in your lifetime so far, what is the most important “adjective” you shall use to describe them?

At an early age, perhaps they were teachers or coaches in your schools or sports teams  growing up.  They were always on-time and reinforcing several key attributes in life such as hard work, telling the truth or following the rules.

As you were just gaining experience in the work force in your mid-twenties, maybe you found bosses who focused on other key adjectives.

What about you?  Have you been described as reliable:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reliable

re· li· able ri-ˈlī-ə-bəl

Synonyms of reliable

1: suitable or fit to be relied on : DEPENDABLE.

2: giving the same result on successive trials

Moving through your mid-life as you gained more experience at work or in the armed forces, or/and maybe you got married and had kids…were you someone that close people could rely on?

Being reliable in our personal life and our career is vital, if you are ever going to become a sought after leader and a true professional.

• Do you ever find yourself running late for scheduled appointments or missing meetings or events all together?
• Do you make excuses for your own mistakes or losing important items?
• Do you have trouble getting along with other people and losing their trust?

Learning to become “Reliable” is perhaps one of the greatest leadership traits you can achieve in your life.

Think about it.

Do you make it onto the front page of “Sports Illustrated” for being unreliable?

Do you have trusted relationships with others on your team who you put your life in their hands from time to time?

Becoming a real leader in your life is not without making mistakes and disappointing others due to extra ordinary circumstances along the way.

"It has all to do with your consistency, your loyalty, your trustworthiness, your faith, your honesty, your devotion and your continuous solid character."

Maybe most of all, becoming reliable is being so capable of being trusted…

Be Brave: Courage to Experience Fear...

“We’re all afraid of something.  Some have more fears than others for reasons too various to quantify and examine.  The one we must all guard against is the fear of ourselves.  Don’t let the sensation of fear convince you that you’re too weak to have courage.  Fear is the opportunity for courage, not proof of cowardice.  No one is born a coward.  We were meant to love.  And we were meant to have the courage for it.  So be brave.  The rest is easy.”  —p. 206. Why Courage Matters by John McCain

What are you waiting for in your life?

Making decisions to do or act on a daily or weekly basis takes courage.  When was the last time you did something that was foreign or even fearful to you?

Before you had courage, did you ever think about how it would hurt if you fell off your bike.  And when you did, yes it did hurt.  Did you get back on and ride home with tears in your eyes?

Before you had courage, did you ever think about asking for permission to leave home for a night out with a friend without your parent beside you?  Did you ever have a curfew of 10:00PM and arrive back home at 9:55PM with your mother sitting in the kitchen with the light on?

Before you had courage, did you ever worry that someone would reject you if you called them on the phone to ask them for a business appointment to introduce your company or product?

Before you had courage, did you ever fear investing in your future by saving 10% of every paycheck to put in a savings/investment account?

Before you had courage, did you ever fear learning how to debate on stage or give a presentation to an audience about a topic that you had become an expert in?

After you realized that after every attempt to engage with your fears, you learned and adapted for the next attempt and gained a little more courage each time.

Of course you did.

So what are you waiting for and why are you hesitant to get out there.  To try it.  To make your call or send your message.  Or save for your future.

After you learn to be more brave and love to practice to alleviate your fears your life will change for the better.

Your courage to live and to love experiencing fear will make all the difference in your life.  Get out there!

The Third Alternative: A Precarious Future...

 If we really believe what we say we believe- if we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a "wandering to find home", why should we not look forward to the arrival. There are, aren't there, only three things we can do about death: to desire it, to fear it, or to ignore it. The third alternative, which is the one the modern world calls "healthy" is surely the most uneasy and precarious of all." — C.S. Lewis (Letters to an American Lady)

How will your life change, now that she is gone and she is truly home?

Have faith in the journey ahead with the confidence she is safe, sound and secure forever.

Your mission forward shall be to explore your own course of activities and actions to continue to give back. To invest in those new people who need you most now.

You see, your mission ahead is to find ways to help others you care about who can thrive from your advice. Your love. Your experience.

Relationships. >>>>> Results. >>>>> Rewards.

Find the time to build on your relationships with others and to increase the true value of the relationship mutually.

The increased value of the relationship will take time to discover and yet the trust and sharing will produce the most favored results.

Count the results and realize what and how the results will continue forward in time. Analyze the results and determine the changes that might be necessary.

Feel and process the rewards. Cherish the time and feelings you now have earned.

Look up...

Recognize that your time and your efforts are valuable and that it all begins with the “relate.”

You know, the way you behave initially with that person each time, to further build the relationship.

Your words and your actions collaborating with others shall provide you with the ongoing satisfaction and desirable outcomes you shall always seek.

Continue to cherish those Relationships, Results and Rewards that will make her so proud of you, before you see her again…

Godspeed!

Veterans Day 2024: Our Father U.S. Marine...

 Growing up as the first son of a U.S. Marine officer, you learn much of what it means to be a Veteran.

Loyalty. Dedication. Perseverance. Discipline. Trust. Integrity. Valor.

On this November 11, 2024 it is Veterans Day in the United States of America. A day in America to pause and to acknowledge those who made the decision to serve, in a branch of our Armed Forces.

As a young man approaching graduation of high school the Vietnam War was in full swing and conscription was a weekly discussion around the dinner table. Will your number be called?

The defense of an entire country requires a tremendous number of people to operate at home and across the entire globe.

Some veterans had the opportunity to travel across continents and were stationed in foreign countries. Our men and women were sailing across oceans on the surface and others deep undersea. They were flying whenever and wherever needed to go head-to-head with the evil people and forces in our world.

Veterans from around the USA put their lives in the hands of our country to protect our loved ones and our way of life here.

Veterans who have served our nation honorably have a real understanding of what it means to sacrifice, to work beyond exhaustion, to feel proud of becoming an expert in skills, knowledge and special activities experience.

In years past, as our colleagues waited for the hospital van to arrive on the shore of the Potomac River inside Ft. Belvoir, we prepared for the weekend warriors who wanted to go fishing.

The 501c3 we volunteered to assist would come each weekend over the summer to teach Ft. Belvoir veterans to fly fish or just try and catch a fish on that day. In the sunshine, outdoors and outside the hospital.

Years later, on one weekend when Dad was in his mid 80’s, we drove down I-95 to Quantico VA to visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

He could not believe all of the memories coming back to him. 90 Minutes later, as we pulled out of the parking lot to Fuller Road, we looked to the right and saw the entrance to the base where he had attended Officer Candidate School (OCS).

“Let’s go in there he commanded”. So as we approached the gate and pulled up to the Guard, then we said: “This U.S. Marine would like to enter and to drive through the base where he learned to become a First Lieutenant.

The guard asked, “Let me see your Drivers Licenses”. “OK, go ahead he said as we then drove through the gate.”

This is when it really started to sink in. Where and why our Dad learned all about being a leader of U.S. Marines and soon thereafter a devoted Father.

"On this Veterans Day in America, we say thank you."

For all that you have done to protect the American people and our United States to keep us safe…and to learn to serve with pride...

Acknowledgment: Forever Grateful...

When was the last time your true business accomplishments were being acknowledged and your personal character celebrated?

As we all watched the 20+ people assemble in the banquet suite facing the Pacific Ocean last evening, you could tell they were all so excited to see the surprise on her face, as she walked into the room at 6:00PM.

The point in your work timeline when you are transitioning from one key role to another and have proven your results is a good place to reminisce and to listen to those who admire and trust you.

Hearing others who are your peers and fellow colleagues stand up over dinner and explain why you are someone they have learned from and that they have valued your leadership, will always be a remembered milestone in your life.

Two out of Ten people in a room, are exactly who the “80/20 Rule” science and “Pareto Principle” are all about.

If you want to find and recruit 4 people to your team, then do the math on how many will not make the final cut.

It is just so refreshing to see a group of professionals all celebrating one of their own:

“The Pareto principle (also known as the 80/20 rule, the law of the vital few and the principle of factor sparsity) states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes (the "vital few”).”

The statistics and the “Moneyball” math is what truly sets you apart as a multi-million dollar producer from those with just the fundamental skills.

As your recognition stories continued from your colleagues into the evening there were plenty of laughs and also a few tears that filled the room. Then she just smiled at us.

How might you ever become close to the 2 people out of 10?

Some might say you are just born into it, it’s all in the DNA. Others would say you have to train, repeat and train harder in order to excel at your particular chosen profession.

Coaches and researchers and professional trainers would all have various opinions on what the ratios should be, to find that next Gold Medal Winner or Scientific Scholar or Sales Leader or even a BUD/s school graduate.

Yet that alone does not make the person that others truly admire, beyond their God given skills or training outcomes.

It is something else. “Extreme Ownership” of the organizations problem-sets and the dedication to finding relevant and timely solutions.

When you finally find the right formula and you find yourself in the spotlight someday being acknowledged and celebrated by your peers and close colleagues, say it to yourself in all CAPS:

“IT WASN’T EASY AND “I REALLY EARNED IT”…It has been a good run...

Onward and Godspeed!

Shared Mission: Look to Your Left, Look to Your Right...

Into the future, how will you decide to operate your business, manage your important projects or run your life?

Will it be well thought out or chaotic? Will it be on time and within budget or delayed and asking for more funds?

How often do you find yourself disappointed? Frustrated. Even questioning why you are spending time on this project?

Working with and managing people begins with setting expectations, mutual goals and shared responsibilities. Is your project or life at stake?

Look around your work environment. What do you see?

Is it all in order and does it look tidy and clean? Or, are you wondering who will be doing what next as you operate with clutter across your workspace and wonder where your iPhone is?

So what!

“At every turn, you can sense that, somehow, the critical fabrics of trust that have been woven together for thousands of years and that allow us to live in social systems are unsteady, trembling, and fragile. It is as true in our national governments, corporate boardrooms, and compliance programs as it is in our interactions with sales clerks and neighbors.

Decisions you take as a leader are questioned more intensely. As a team member, business analyst, armchair investor, or family financial officer, you have become more reluctant to accept the decisions of others. Blind faith is no longer an acceptable justification to lead others in a charge over the hill, or a basis on which you choose to follow others. Why is trust under attack at so many levels, across so many economies, and in so many routine, ordinary decisions through which we live our lives?”  —Achieving Digital Trust: The New Rules for Business at the Speed of Light. ©2015 by Jeffrey Ritter

Before you decided to change your future ways, this was your life.

Over the course of your particular future time line, how will you improve? Are you meeting your deadlines and the expectations of those you choose to operate with?

Do others trust you?

This is your opportunity to now answer yourself, “Yes” or “No”.

Again, look around you and what do you see?

The future of your life will continuously depend on “Who is to your left and “Who” is to your right.

Do you trust your fellow team mate with your particular mission today? Will you give them the trust to accomplish their work and their tasks towards achieving success?

Now, you have the true opportunity ahead of you. Continuously “Build Trust” with those you love and those who are on your shared mission…