Message from the IDHS Executive Director
Henry Connors Joins IDHS as Director of Business Development
Executive Committee Meeting
ACTD Update
VRTAC Supports IDHS
IAP Meeting in Hampton Roads
IDHS Welcomes Newest Industry Affiliates
Guest Column: Offense vs. Defense: The Risk Management Clock Is Ticking
IAP Member Profiles
Upcoming Events

Message from the IDHS Executive Director
First, I'd like to wish you and your family the merriest Christmas ever and a very happy 2004.

Since the last IDHS newsletter, I have made more than 50 presentations to academia, business and state and federal agencies to share the IDHS vision and goals and to present our near-term initiatives. The message of creation of IDHS as a national agent for technology transition has been extremely well received, and each day brings new opportunities and additional requests for meetings and presentations.

To help in meeting the steadily increasing demands and to move IDHS forward, I am delighted to announce the addition of Henry "Hap" Connors Jr. as director of business development. Hap's initial responsibilities are to develop the IDHS operating plan and to assist in IDHS operations, outreach and development of new opportunities. More detail on Hap's background is available in the news item below.

In late January we will present our FY 2005 proposals to the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) "Breakfast Club" and will make the case for three advanced technology concepts (Red Cell, Remote Presence and Wild Canary). Given a positive reception by the Breakfast Club, we will spend the next several months building a broad support base for and refining the plan for the proposed demonstrations. Upon demonstration and deployment, these concepts will help to create a safer future for the citizens of the Commonwealth and the nation. Specific updates will be posted as available on the members-only section of the IDHS website, so stay tuned.

I could not be more encouraged or more optimistic about the IDHS mission and the progress that has been made thus far, nor could I be more appreciative of the support of our members and friends that has made possible such an exceptionally strong start for the new organization. As always, I look forward to the continued sharing of your ideas on how we can together build a successful IDHS and -- most important -- a secure future.


Henry Connors Joins IDHS as Director of Business Development
On November 18, the Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security announced the addition of Henry L. "Hap" Connors, Jr., to IDHS as director of business development. Connors will be responsible for IDHS' strategic proposal development and execution. He will direct the Industry Affiliates Program, in which member companies have opportunities to engage in collaborative applied research and development efforts with partner universities and federal laboratories, leading to product commercialization. Connors also will assist the IDHS executive director with strengthening federal and state government relations.

Connors has extensive experience in strategic marketing and communications for business, non-profit and government entities, most recently as vice president of business development for Apollo Telemedicine, Inc., a Falls Church, Va., firm that offers real-time medical diagnostics services online. Connors' background includes management of marketing and media relations activities for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 10 years in marketing and communications management at the U.S. General Services Administration, and numerous professional staff positions in political offices at local, state, and federal levels. Connors also has served on the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors since January, and was elected to a full four-year term on November 4.


IDHS Executive Committee Meets
On December 12, IDHS held its second executive committee meeting, introducing two new members of the committee: Wayne Snodgrass of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems and Kent Murphy of Luna Innovations.

Presentations to the committee included a draft operating committee structure and an opportunity to partner with the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies in pursuit of the Department of Homeland Security’s new Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). More information will be posted on the members-only section of the IDHS website.


ACTD Update
As noted in the previous newsletter, on October 1, 2003, IDHS submitted three FY 2005 Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) proposals: 1) Red Cell; 2) Remote Presence; and 3) Wild Canary. Since that time, we met with potential sponsors and began the proposal refinement process in anticipation of proposal briefings to the ACTD "Breakfast Club" the last week of January 2004. Following Breakfast Club review, the list of proposals under consideration for FY 2005 funding by DOD may be reduced by as much as two-thirds. The remaining proposals will be passed to the Combatant Commanders and the Services for their review and ranking. Final ACTD selection and priority decisions will be made in April by the Joint Requirements Operations Committee. For approved ACTDs, final program development begins afterward and continues until program execution begins in FY 2005.

Additional information on proposal descriptions and updates is available on the members-only section of the IDHS website. Those IAP members who have not received their password, should email Hap Connors, IDHS business development director, at hconnors@idhs.org.


VRTAC Supports IDHS
In its November 30 report to Governor Mark R. Warner, the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission (VRTAC), urges the governor to support and invest in IDHS. The report, entitled, "Research and Development Strategies for the Commonwealth of Virginia," states:

Few initiatives of recent years in the Commonwealth have matched up more thoroughly with rapidly evolving science and technology R&D activities than the Institute for Defense and Homeland Security (IDHS). IDHS already is exhibiting extraordinary promise in identifying new opportunities in the federal market place and focusing attention on Virginia's R&D assets to be applied in areas such a security, diagnostics and sensors.

The full report, "Research and Development Strategies for the Commonwealth of Virginia: A Report of the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission," is available online at http://www.cit.org/vrtac/2003/11-20-03-rdstrategy.pdf.


Hampton Roads IDHS IAP Roundtable Draws Big Crowd
About 50 business people attended IDHS's second Industry Affiliates Program roundtable in Hampton Roads on November 20. Co-hosted by IDHS and the Hampton Roads Technology Council, the roundtable featured presentations by IDHS executive director Hugh Montgomery; Jim Wrightson, VP, Strategic Planning, Lockheed-Martin and IDHS executive committee member; and Tim Harp, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Office of Innovation and Technology Integration. Montgomery introduced the IDHS mission to the group, while Wrightson gave an overview of his company's reorganization along specific areas of expertise related to homeland security. Harp spoke in great detail about DOD contracting opportunities, specifically those with the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. All speakers emphasized the need for collaboration and integration of technologies to meet today's military and security requirements.

These presentations are posted on the members-only section of the IDHS website. Those IAP members who have not received their password, should email Hap Connors, IDHS business development director, at hconnors@idhs.org. The next roundtable meeting is scheduled for February at the regular meeting of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. More details will be posted on http://www.idhs.org/events.htm.

Prospective applicants for full, regular membership in IAP must be for-profit research- and technology-intensive organizations engaged in the provision of products or services directly related to U.S. defense and homeland security objectives. Members should view participation as an opportunity for access to requirements and Science and Technology initiatives of Defense and Homeland Security agencies, with the potential to engage in collaborative applied R&D efforts with partner universities and federal laboratories and leading to product commercialization. The complete list of benefits will be made available to members in this category. Associate memberships are also available with limited benefits.

Complete details regarding eligibility, benefits, fees and an on-line application form can be found on the IDHS website.


Guest Column
Offense vs. Defense: The Risk Management Clock is Ticking
By Peter L. Higgins, 1SecureAudit

What side of the risk field do you play on in your organization? A mix of both offense and defense is a prudent way to hedge any potential losses. Unfortunately, many don't spend nearly enough time being proactive and managing future risk.

Proactive and preventive risk management requires a layered and active intelligence program. It assumes that dedicated resources and personnel are spending a majority of their time scanning the horizon for new threats. It means devoting more time to asking, "What if"? This kind of investment will produce the new thinking and strategy that can prevent a potential new loss.

At a recent conference, Ms. Frances Fragos-Townsend, Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism in the National Security Council, addressed this exact topic of proactive risk management. She urged businesses to get out of consequence-management mode and into the risk-management mode. She was right on target. Businesses don't spend enough time thinking ahead and looking toward the horizon. We need to be actively thinking about where the next risk of loss will come from and prepare for it.

How many play minutes did your board of directors spend in the last meeting on dealing with consequences (defense) as opposed to managing the risks of the future (offense). For a look at what risks your company and our planet will face in the next two decades, take a look at the Seven Revolutions Initiative, which attempts to describe what the world will look like in 2025. This goal of this project is to promote strategic, forward-looking thinking among current and future leaders about how the world will change over the next 25 years and what that change will mean for international leadership. One visit to the Seven Revolutions website will convince you that we all have a tremendous amount of planning to do if we are going to be able to respond to the risk and change ahead of us.   More...


IAP Member Profiles
1SecureAudit LLC initially grew out of the needs of the corporate world to respond to and manage threats to physical and information assets from both internal and external attackers. 1SecureAudit designs, delivers and transfers a combination of proven risk methodologies, customized software and business audit services. 1SecureAudit Operational Risk Enterprise Architecture (OREA) system and tools have been designed to guide you successfully through the industry's new regulatory and homeland security reality. OREA enables enterprises to establish a cohesive framework for enterprise risk management in their organizations. OREA is a management system supported by an XML enterprise software platform that enables organizations to automatically collect, manage and distribute real-time operational risk content such as homeland security alerts, business continuity policies, emergency response procedures, control standards, facilities and IT assets, baselines and threats/vulnerabilities intelligence.

BRTRC, a Technology Research Company, offers a full range of management and technical services, with a corporate focus on quality, timeliness and flexibility - plus unparalleled customer service. Principal business areas include: Program Management & Technical Analysis, Project Management & Engineering Support, Grants Management Support, Program Advocacy & Marketing/ Communications , IT & Internet-Based Services as well as Professional and Management Training. Customers include both commercial and government offices in the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor and Treasury, as well as the White House, Small Business Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Veterans Administration and U.S. Postal Service.

Roam Secure builds, deploys and manages emergency communication systems. Tens of thousands of government leaders, employees and first responders across multiple agencies and jurisdictions rely on the award winning Roam Secure Alert Network (RSAN), to communicate more effectively during emergencies and routine incidents. Customers include: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a large undisclosed federal agency, the cities of Washington, DC, and Philadelphia, PA, Arlington County, VA, Fairfax County, VA, and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), is the nation's largest employee-owned research and engineering company, providing information technology, systems integration and eSolutions to commercial and government customers. SAIC engineers and scientists work to solve complex technical problems in national and homeland security, energy, the environment, space, telecommunications, health care, transportation and logistics. With annual revenues of $5.9 billion, SAIC and its subsidiaries, including Telcordia Technologies, have more than 40,000 employees at offices in more than 150 cities worldwide.


Call for Columns and Company Profiles
The IDHS Newsletter features brief, one-paragraph profiles of IAP members. These profiles will also be posted on the IDHS website to provide further exposure for IAP members. IAP members should send their profiles to Hap Connors at hconnors@idhs.org.

The IDHS Newsletter features a "Thought Leadership" column written by an industry or university partner. The Thought Leadership column will give IDHS partners an opportunity to voice their views on the issues, challenges and opportunities facing industry and academia in connection with their participation in Homeland and Security and Defense initiatives. IAP members who wish to contribute should email Hap Connors at hconnors@idhs.org.


Upcoming Events
February TBA, 2003
IDHS Industry Affiliate Informational Roundtable
Venue TBA - Northern Virginia

Send events of interest to hconnors@cit.org.

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