Responding to disasters is a critical function for first responders and the emergency management community. Rotary and fixed-winged aircraft have traditionally performed disaster response missions, such as overhead damage assessments, reconnaissance, and missing person searches. However, with the advancement of unmanned aircraft systems, there is an opportunity to perform conventional aerial missions in a safer, expeditious, and cost-effective manner.
Stretching from Belgium to France, the United States to Iraq, the world has been blemished with terror attacks ranging from active shooter scenarios at entertainment venues, to plowing vehicles into crowded streets. Over the past decade, the United States has joined the global community of those exposed to the consequences and carnage associated with acts of terrorism.
If someone were to walk into a high school classroom today and ask the students about their future professions, there may be one or possibly two students who wish to pursue emergency management. However, as much as the field has grown since 2001, emergency management is still not the dream career of the average high school student. It is much more likely that these students would consider more traditional fields in the business, health, or finance world.
The removal of criminal illegal aliens is a top priority for President-Elect Donald Trump. However,
identifying, locating, processing, and deporting 3 million criminal aliens among the 20 million illegal
aliens in the United States would completely overwhelm the removal process currently in place. One
proposed program may help speed the processing of criminal aliens and prevent the deportation system
from imploding.
The measurable level of national planning and preparedness for a serious pandemic threat or
biological attack continues to be a subject of great discussion, debate, and concern in the United
States and around the world. This level of readiness continues to be a challenge as identified in
regular studies, reports, and articles.
With over 30 years working in emergency management – 12 years in a state governor’s office, almost
8 years at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as associate director in charge of national
preparedness, training, and exercises, and 11 years in the private sector at Electronic Data Systems and
Systems Research and Analysis International, it became apparent that presidential leadership has been
quite important at all levels and for all sectors.
Over the past decade, meta-leadership, a methodology developed at the National Preparedness
Leadership Initiative at Harvard, has become a widely adopted framework for leading in emergency
preparedness and response. Over that time, both the model and methods have advanced based on field
experience. This article presents the latest thinking and practice for those charged with public safety,
security, and resilience.
Over the next few months, precious time will be lost trying to quickly update newly elected
officials on key health and life safety issues that have been discussed for years among their
predecessors and the public. Only time will tell how the new occupants of the White House and Congress
embrace and address such issues and the long-term implications.
In September 2016, more than 30 people gathered at the Harvard Faculty club to discuss topics related to leadership and the decision-making process. Most in the room had been faced with making critical life-and-death decisions at some point in their careers, and some on a regular basis. These participants were asked to share their knowledge about what it takes to make high-consequence decisions.
The aviation system remains a prime target for terrorists. The traveling public, airlines, and airports grew impatient in the face of long security lines. As a result, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was often in the news, until its leaders undertook a systematic process of transformation to both enhance security and minimize inconvenience for the traveling public.
Responding to disasters is a critical function for first responders and the emergency management community. Rotary and fixed-winged aircraft have traditionally performed disaster response missions, such as overhead damage assessments, reconnaissance, and missing person searches. However, with the advancement of unmanned aircraft systems, there is an opportunity to perform conventional aerial missions in a safer, expeditious, and cost-effective manner. 
Stretching from Belgium to France, the United States to Iraq, the world has been blemished with terror attacks ranging from active shooter scenarios at entertainment venues, to plowing vehicles into crowded streets. Over the past decade, the United States has joined the global community of those exposed to the consequences and carnage associated with acts of terrorism. 
If someone were to walk into a high school classroom today and ask the students about their future professions, there may be one or possibly two students who wish to pursue emergency management. However, as much as the field has grown since 2001, emergency management is still not the dream career of the average high school student. It is much more likely that these students would consider more traditional fields in the business, health, or finance world. 