2016 Chemical Sector Security Summit Announced

This week DHS and the Chemical Sector Coordinating Council announced the dates for the 2016 Chemical Sector Security Summit (CSSS), published an agenda and opened registration. The CSSS will be held July 19^th thru the 21^st in Alexandria, VA. As promised DHS has greatly expanded the number of presentations that will be available via web cast this year.

The preferred method for attending the CSSS is (time and money permitting) is still being there in person in person. A number of the presentations are still not included in the web cast for a variety of reasons. That plus the fact that you will never be able to network successfully via a web cast, nor would you be able to attend the related SOCMA Expo that is always held in conjunction with the CSSS all add incentives to attend in person.

Unfortunately, there are a number of us in the chemical security community that will not be able to travel to the CSSS in person. Last year was the first year of web casting and the presentations were very limited. This year DHS is expanding them to include:

• Keynote Address;

• Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) Regulatory Update;

• Responsible Agriculture - Lessons Learned;

• What to Expect During a Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Inspection;

• Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise (TTX) Methodology;

• Industry Keynote Address;

• Cyber Keynote Address;

• Former Chemical Sector Chair Panel;

• DHS Voluntary Programs Update;

• Implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework; and

• CFATS Compliance Lessons Learned

Some of the workshop sessions that will not make it into the web cast this year will include:

• CSAT Tool to include Personnel Surety;

• DHS Tools and Resources Exchange;

• Active Shooter;

• Enhanced Cybersecurity Services;

• Interdependencies - Chemical Facilities and Regional Resilience Assessment Programs Lessons Learned;

• Research and Development - Jack Rabbit II;

• Transportation Updates in the Chemical Sector;

• Insider Threat and Social Media - How people get radicalized; and

• Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Homeland Security Environment

It certainly looks like the 10^th Annual CSSS will be worth attending, either in person or via the web cast. I particularly appreciate the fact that most of the cybersecurity related sessions appear to have made it into the webcast.