Lawmaker encourages international sharing of anti-terror tech

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., on Tuesday called on the U.S. government and Israel to increase cooperative efforts on developing anti-terrorism technology, including by creating a funding pool to help spur innovation.

Thompson met with Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter to discuss provisions of a major homeland security bill Congress passed earlier this year calling for greater international cooperation. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Thompson said the bill, which was aimed at implementing recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, presents "an excellent opportunity to work with Israel." He said his committee will organize a visit to Israel "to look at some of the security measures that they've used over the years to address the issue of terrorism."

Thompson said the United States is already using some Israeli security practices, such as behavior recognition techniques by the Transportation Security Administration.

"We've sent teams to Israel already to get trained and they've sent people over here," Thompson said. "Part of what we want to do also is invest resources in creating new technology."

One of the goals of the 9/11 bill, he said, is "to create a pool of money" that can be used to successfully develop new antiterrorism technologies. "One of the things we've found is sometimes we have to create a pool of monies that would be made available to companies to do that," Thompson said.

Dichter said he believes the 9/11 bill will increase the level of cooperation between Israel and the United States.

"We have gained our experience over many Israelis who got killed in terror attacks," Dichter said. "You can get all our lessons free of charge. That bill is going to increase the level of cooperation."

Israel has long been developing antiterrorism technology that could be used in the United States, such as equipment to counter shoulder-fired missiles shot at commercial airplanes. Dichter added: "You may see Israel as a small laboratory to use [the] sophisticated tools that are being developed here in the [United States]. That may be the basis for the cooperation that we are going to increase."

The 9/11 bill, for example, requires the Homeland Security Department to create an international cooperative programs office. The office would be responsible for drafting agreements with other governments "to support international cooperative activity in support of homeland security," including by establishing a matching fund.

Thompson said Homeland Security has created the office but that the department has had an ongoing challenge in fully staffing the operation.

Thompson also said he questions, for example, the department's recent decision to move its chief procurement officer, Elaine Duke, into a newly created post as the deputy undersecretary for management. Thompson said he will press Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the matter during a Wednesday meeting.

"We have constantly made an issue of vacancies at the department. We've made an issue of people serving in a number of different roles in the department. And so many people are also serving as acting [officials]," Thompson said.