National Geographic Channel Goes Inside The Department Of Homeland Security For A Preview Of Cutting-Edge Technology To Detect, Deter And Defeat Terrorist Attacks Within Our Country

"This is really cutting-edge stuff.  This is brand-new science.  We're rolling the dice.  We're going for the big gain.  If we fail, we've learned in the process.  But if we're successful, it's a game-changer." - Under Secretary Jay Cohen, Department of Homeland Security

Hi-Tech War on Terror premieres Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET/PT

It's an unforgettable image: terrorists caught on film passing through airport security on September 11, 2001.  Imagine if technology could have stopped them from hijacking the planes on September 11.  Or if a suicide bomber could be detected before detonation.  How can the nation's transportation systems and power supply become more terrorist-proof?  What if we could prevent a tragedy from occurring in a busy area with technology that can determine who within a crowd has malicious intent?  Right now, research facilities across the United States are conducting a massive effort to develop new high-tech tools to protect America in this War on Terror - where the battlefield could be anywhere in our country, at any time.
 
On Wednesday, January 28, 2009, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel (NGC) premieres Hi-Tech War on Terror, a behind-the-scenes look at some of the cutting-edge technologies being developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detect, deter and defeat terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and infrastructure within our borders.  From military weapons labs to seaport and airspace command centers, the one-hour special features exclusive footage inside facilities all over the country that are testing new technologies, including those designed to protect passenger aircraft from explosions; create a high-altitude missile detection and countermeasure system; add security sensors to shipping containers; build a superconducting electrical transmission grid; and even scan people from a distance to determine if they have malicious intentions.

The organization within DHS leading the technological effort to defeat terrorism is the Science & Technology Directorate (S&T).  Its mandate: to create "game-changing" capabilities to anticipate and ultimately defeat all threats and hazards to America, from natural disasters to terrorist attacks.

The S&T is led by Under Secretary Jay Cohen, who says, "This is really cutting-edge stuff.  This is brand-new science.  We're rolling the dice.  We're going for the big gain.  If we fail, we've learned in the process.  But if we're successful, it's a game-changer."

Hi-Tech War on Terror examines vulnerabilities in aircraft, tunnels, power grids, borders and even crowds - and what DHS is developing to protect American citizens in every possible disaster scenario.

AIRCRAFT

At the U.S. Army base in Aberdeen, Md., experts focus on aircraft safety, developing bombproof baggage compartments so that, in the event of an explosion, the integrity of the plane won't be compromised and the pilot can land safely.

Other threats to planes include shoulder-fired weapons.  Engineers are now developing protection for commercial aircraft, nicknamed CHLOE after a character in the Fox series "24" - an unmanned aerial antimissile vehicle that detects incoming missiles and sends them off course.  The idea is to have several in continuous flight over U.S. airports, protecting aircraft during take-off and landing, when they are most susceptible to attack.

POWER GRIDS

Electrical grids are a major concern for DHS.  Grids power communications and technologies that our lives depend on, and in a blackout situation, they come to a full stop.  One power failure in one station can cause a cascading failure, so the strategy is to prevent such a domino effect.

In New York City, DHS is working with Consolidated Edison and American Superconducting to develop a resilient electric grid in which existing copper power lines would be replaced by superconducting cable that can act as its own circuit breaker - thus preventing a cascading effect if there is a power outage.

TUNNELS

Another key concern is tunnel fires.  A scientific team from West Virginia University has proposed placing inflatable bags along tunnel ceilings that would inflate during a fire, sealing off the smoke and allowing people to get to safety.

Aerial technology is also being used to prevent tunnel-related terrorist attacks - by spying along the 1,950-mile U.S.-Mexico border.  One unmanned aerial vehicle, the Silver Fox, is being tested in Arizona by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).  This 24-pound mechanical spy has been upgraded with a gradiometer that can, in effect, detect electromagnetic signals from under the earth that bounce off of metals, wire and even water.  The information is linked to a command center where operators can read the different gradient fields and determine if any unusual activity is going on deep inside the tunnels.

CONTAINERS

CBP is also responsible for scanning millions of containers that come into America's seaports every year.  Approximately 1 million containers annually come through New York and New Jersey's ports alone.

At the University of Maine, experts are building containers with built-in security sensors.  These "smart containers" can let CBP agents know if the package has been tampered with in any way along its route.  The Marine Asset Tag Tracking System can even let agents know if a package has been moved or switched entirely from one location to another.

PEOPLE

But perhaps the most important question to ask is how can we tell if people are about to commit a crime?  Can we spot suicide bombers in a crowd before they blow themselves up?  Imagine being able to stop the 9/11 terrorists before they boarded their planes just by scanning their faces.

New technologies are being developed to decipher the psychological and physiological indicators of someone with "mal intent." Future Attribute Screening Technology (FAST) is being tested at Battelle and the Draper Lab in Boston, scanning subjects' voices, facial expressions, heart and respiratory rates and even their thermal signature.  Terrorists can be trained to conceal their emotions, but research has discovered that everyone has involuntary "micro-expressions" that can reveal their intentions.

Experts featured in Hi-Tech War on Terror include Under Secretary Jay Cohen, Science & Technology Directorate; Nelson Carey, Transportation Security Lab; Mark Nansteel, Battelle Labs; Kerry Wilson, Project CHLOE program manager; Roger Mabe, Naval Research Lab; John Fortune, Resilient Tunnel program manager; Julio Davalos, engineer, West Virginia University; Chris Rey, Oak Ridge National Lab; Steve Kurtz, Consolidated Edison; Nick Lombardo, Pacific Northwest National Lab; Jake McAnally, Customs & Border Protection; Kevin McCabe, Customs & Border Protection; Mark Patterson, Advanced Ceramics Research; Habib Dagher, director, University of Maine, AEWC Center; Gisele Bennett, Georgia Tech; Bob Burns, FAST project manager; Dave Goldstein, Draper Lab; Larry Willis, Hostile Intent Detection project manager.

Hi-Tech War on Terror is produced for the National Geographic Channel by David Clark, Inc.  For David Clark, Inc., producer, director, writer is David Clark and editor is Patty Stern.  For the National Geographic Channel, executive producer is Howard Swartz, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.