Private companies can play a role in national security by pitching technology projects to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies, agency representatives said yesterday. The DHS has begun to solicit the private sector for technologies to combat biological and chemical weapons, and the agency will look for more technology partners in the future, said David Bolka, director of the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA). The HSARPA’s annual budget is $874 million, Bolka said, with most of its research focused on ways to counter potential terrorist attacks that use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. A September call for the “next generation” of chemical and biological detectors generated 518 white papers from private companies, with a few “true nuggets” in those submissions, Bolka said. But a quarter of the white papers were what he called “nonresponsive,” meaning that they tried to pitch the DHS technologies it wasn’t looking for. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.