Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano

Last February, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Harper released the Beyond the Border declaration, articulating a shared vision in which our countries work together to address threats at the earliest point possible, while facilitating the legitimate movement of people, goods, and services across our shared border. 

With the announcement this week of the Beyond the Border Action Plan, the President and Prime Minister have outlined the specific steps necessary to achieve the security and economic competitiveness goals outlined in that shared vision.

The United States and Canada enjoy the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world.  For decades Americans and Canadians have stood shoulder-to-shoulder protecting our shared values and interests, working together to counter transnational criminal organizations, secure our shared border, and promote economic growth. 

The Beyond the Border Action Plan builds on this foundation: to expand our economies, spur job growth, and enhance our shared security. For example, our countries will strengthen our global competitiveness by aligning and coordinating security systems for goods and cargo, expanding trusted trader programs, and decongesting key border crossings that add time and cost to production by developing joint facilities and programs to move inspections away from the border. 

Together with our Canadian partners, we will ensure greater security and efficiency for the legitimate movement of people, goods, and services between our two nations.  At the same time, we will continue to create jobs and promote economic growth while safeguarding the safety and security of both our countries, as we have done for decades as strong partners, friends, and neighbors.

Read more about the Beyond the Border Action Plan.

Posted by Public Affairs

Today, Secretary Napolitano finished her six-day international trip in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) meeting with senior UAE officials to discuss continued collaboration between our two nations on joint security initiatives.

The Secretary’s six-day international trip started in Paris, where she joined her counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom at the G6+1 Ministerial Meeting to discuss collaborative efforts to combat transnational crime, secure cyberspace and ensure a more safe, secure and resilient global supply chain.

Following Paris, Secretary Napolitano traveled to Qatar to sign a bilateral aviation security agreement and meet with senior Qatari officials to discuss continued collaboration and increased security initiatives between the United States and Qatar.

Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano was in Abu Dhabi where she met with international counterparts and delivered remarks to law enforcement officials from over 20 participating nations at the Gulf States Global Police Symposium, underscoring the importance of international policing and security partnerships. While in the UAE, Secretary Napolitano also met with UAE Minister of Interior Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss the facilitation of legitimate trade and travel. 

International security and the security of our homeland are inextricably linked. Today, the very nature of travel, trade, and commerce means that one vulnerability or gap anywhere across the globe has the ability to impact security thousands of miles away. That means our security must be a shared responsibility—among governments, the private sector, individuals and communities.

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Posted by DHS Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano was in Abu Dhabi today, meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince General Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to promote air traffic security through United Arab Emirates (UAE) participation in the U.S. Immigration Advisory Program, as a first step toward the establishment of a passenger Pre-Clearance pilot program. The Secretary also met with UAE Minister of Interior Lt. Gen. Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss the facilitation of legitimate trade and travel.

While in Abu Dhabi, Secretary Napolitano also joined U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca at the Gulf States Global Police Symposium—where she highlighted the Department’s partnerships with the international law enforcement community. 

Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano met with Minister of State for Interior Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani in Qatar, and signed a bilateral aviation security agreement, building on previous discussions to strengthen our ability to combat transnational crime and other threats through enhanced information sharing while facilitating travel and international commerce.

Check back here on the blog tomorrow as we wrap the trip up, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest.

Posted by Secretary Janet Napolitano

Today, I had the opportunity to meet with business representatives at the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Paris.  We discussed security challenges impacting companies in the U.S. and France, and ways that the public and private sectors in both of our countries can continue to work together to address shared threats.

In today’s world, our systems of trade, travel, and communication are more connected than ever before, and the movement of people, goods, and ideas never stops.  While this creates tremendous opportunities, it also brings additional security challenges that require increased international collaboration.

We are working closely with businesses and associations, like AmCham, to strengthen the global travel and trade networks upon which our communities and economies rely.

For example, we are working with private sector partners domestically and internationally to strengthen cybersecurity and protect intellectual property rights.  In addition, just last month, we held the first joint table top exercise with our EU counterparts to enhance international collaboration on cyber incident response.
U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also works with our international partners to seize and destroy counterfeit goods, shut down websites that sell these goods, and dismantle transnational smuggling operations.  In fact, just a few days ago, on one of the busiest online shopping days of the year, ICE and our partners shut down 150 websites selling counterfeit goods.

At the heart of all our international efforts is a firm commitment to continue to build a more secure and resilient nation, while maintaining the open flow of commerce, travel, and ideas.  We are pleased to be working with our international counterparts, both within and outside of government, to improve security across global travel, commerce and cyberspace for the benefit of citizens around the world.

Read more about DHS' international efforts.

Posted by Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano was in Paris today as part of a six-day international trip, joining her counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom at the G6+1 Ministerial Meeting to discuss collaborative efforts to combat transnational crime, secure cyberspace and ensure a more safe, secure and resilient global supply chain.

During her bilateral discussions, the Secretary underscored the inextricable link between international security and the security of our homeland. In today's world, the very nature of travel, trade, and commerce means that one vulnerability or gap anywhere across the globe has the ability to affect economic activity thousands of miles away.


Tomorrow, the Secretary and Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with French Minister of the Interior Claude Guéant to reiterate DHS’s commitment to strengthening aviation security and information sharing to combat terrorism while facilitating trade and tourism.

The Secretary will also deliver remarks on the importance of strong international security partnerships at the Institut des Hautes Études de Défense Nationale (IHEDN). Secretary Napolitano will then travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Dec. 3-6 to meet with her counterparts and join U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca at the Gulf States Global Police Symposium. At the Symposium, the Secretary will deliver remarks on DHS’s role in international law enforcement efforts. Check back here on the blog for more updates as the trip continues and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest.

Posted by Secretary Napolitano

This post originally appeared on the NORAD and USNORTHCOM Blog

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a joint U.S.-Canadian command for aerospace and maritime warning, and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), which provides homeland defense and defense support, in Colorado Springs.

Like DHS, USNORTHCOM was born after September 11th to increase coordination of international, federal, state, and local resources to respond to threats and disasters. Today, DHS and USNORTHCOM are working together closely to improve that coordination across all levels of government, hand in hand with our law enforcement, private sector, international, state, and local partners.

During my meeting with General Chuck Jacoby, the Commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM, we discussed the continued importance of collaboration and information sharing between our organizations.

DHS is partnering with USNORTHCOM across our shared mission areas. For example, in response to major disasters across the country, from Hurricane Irene to the recent wildfires in Texas, USNORTHCOM and FEMA joined forces to share resources and provide coordinated support in the relief efforts. USNORTHCOM also works closely with Customs and Border Protection along our northern and southern borders, leveraging USNORTHCOM’s expertise and resources in support of our efforts to counter transnational criminal organizations.

And in 2010, we partnered with NORAD, the Department of Justice and Canadian officials on preparedness and protection measures around the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, working together to ensure the safety and security of spectators, athletes, and employees.

I’m proud of the partnerships we have built -- and will continue to build -- with NORAD, USNORTHCOM, and our partners across the homeland security enterprise. Together, we will continue to work to secure our country, protect our hometowns, and strengthen our communities.

Posted by Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano was in Vienna today to meet with her international counterparts and deliver remarks to a joint meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council (PC) and Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC)—the world’s largest regional security organization.

She underscored the Obama administration’s commitment to partnering with the international community on issues such as preventing and combating terrorism, improving border security and management, fighting the illicit trafficking of drugs, countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and strengthening cybersecurity initiatives.

During her remarks, the Secretary highlighted the Department’s work with the OSCE to further strengthen international efforts and to address transnational threats and support OSCE programs to fight terrorism and violent extremism while ensuring a continued respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

While in Vienna, Secretary Napolitano met with Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner to discuss the close collaboration between the United States and Austria to combat terrorism. She highlighted the important role that information sharing, including the analysis of Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, plays in protecting the traveling public against acts of terrorism and combating serious transnational crime. She also reiterated the Obama administration’s continued commitment to strengthening security while protecting the individual privacy of passengers.


Secretary Napolitano also met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Deputy Director General David Waller to discuss DHS’ partnership with the IAEA to strengthen nuclear security cooperation and combat threats from nuclear and radiological terrorism.

After her official meetings, the Secretary joined Ambassador Davies and staff from the U.S. Embassy at an early 4th of July Celebration wrapping up her trip to Spain and Austria.

Posted by Public Affairs
Secretary Napolitano is in Madrid today to meet with her counterparts from the G6+1 comprised of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK.

Secretary Napolitano at the G6+1 in Madrid (Photo by DHS)

During her meetings, Secretary Napolitano discussed the importance of working with global partners to strengthen border security, prevent the exploitation of international borders by terrorists and transnational criminals, and combat illicit trafficking. Through initiatives such as Operation Rubix Cube, operated by U.S., British and Nigerian authorities, information sharing has led to over 100 seizures of heroin and cocaine shipments across three continents since March 2010.

Secretary Napolitano also underscored the key roles of our partners in improving security cooperation and information sharing to better protect our global trade and travel systems.

The Department has continued to expand collaboration with our European partners through initiatives such as Operation Pacific Rim, a transnational criminal investigation, with Spain and other international partners, that, since 2009, has identified and dismantled the largest drug trafficking and bulk cash smuggling organization in U.S. law enforcement history.

Secretary Napolitano signing the U.S.-Spain Agreement on Science and Technology for Homeland Security Matters

While in Madrid, Secretary Napolitano joined Spanish First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalacaba to sign the U.S.-Spain Agreement on Science and Technology for Homeland Security Matters.

She also met bilaterally with French Interior Minister Claude Gueant, Polish Interior Minister Jerzy Miller, and UK Home Secretary Theresa May.

Check back for an update tomorrow as the Secretary travel to Vienna where she will deliver remarks to the Annual Security Review Conference at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and meet with Austrian and international officials.

Posted by Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano delivers remarks to the World Customs Organization Council meeting in Brussels.

The Secretary today wrapped up her international trip in Brussels, where she met with her international counterparts to discuss a range of international security issues.  Throughout the day in Brussels she met with Vice President of the European Union Siim Kallas, European Union Commissioner Algirdas Semeta, and World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Mikuriya.

Signing the U.S.-EU Joint Declaration.

While in Brussels, the Secretary and her European counterparts signed the U.S.-EU Joint Declaration on Supply Chain Security—reaffirming the shared commitment of the United States and European Union to enhance the security and resilience of the supply chain.

Later in the day, the Secretary delivered remarks at the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council meeting—highlighting the importance of global supply chain security.  She joined WCO Secretary General Mikuriya to underscore their shared commitment to partnering on initiatives such as  Program Global Shield, which brings together more than 70 nations in an unprecedented multilateral law enforcement effort aimed at combating the illicit cross-border diversion and trafficking of explosive precursor chemicals.

Posted by Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano tours the facilities at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam

Secretary Napolitano is in the Netherlands today to meet with her international counterparts to discuss strengthening collaboration to secure the global supply chain, visit Schiphol airport, meet with U.S. Coast Guard personnel and tour operations at the Port of Rotterdam. As a major hub for passengers and cargo bound for America, the Netherlands is a key ally in the Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing efforts to ensure the safety, security and resilience of our international transportation systems.

Secretary Napolitano tours the Port of Rotterdam

At the Port of Rotterdam – the largest European seaport – Secretary Napolitano met with customs and port officials and toured cargo security operations. This port processes more than 430 million tons of cargo every year and serves as the primary cargo gateway into and out of Europe.  In September 2002, the Port of Rotterdam became the first location for the Container Security Initiative (CSI), a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program at more than 50 overseas ports to prescreen and evaluate high-risk containers before they are shipped to the United States.


The Port of Rotterdam also serves as the home of the U.S. Coast Guard Activities Europe (ACTEUR), which is responsible for ensuring the safety, security and environmental stewardship of the U.S. marine transportation system with operations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Members of the Coast Guard conduct marine casualty and commercial vessel compliance inspections, work with the international maritime community, and ensure that our maritime partners meet anti-terrorism standards in their ports.

While in Amsterdam, Secretary Napolitano also met with the Netherlands’ State Secretary and Acting Minister of Security and Justice Fred Teeven to underscore the shared commitment of both nations to ensure the resilience of the global supply chain.

We will have another update from the Secretary’s trip tomorrow.

Posted by Public Affairs

Secretary Napolitano was in London today as part of a trip to meet with international partners to discuss ongoing collaboration to enhance our collective security.  In London, she met with her counterparts from the United Kingdom to continue to bolster international collaboration between the two countries to ensure the security, efficiency, and resiliency of the global supply chains that are crucial to the safety, security and prosperity of citizens in both nations.

The United States and United Kingdom share a long history of working together to tackle issues of global concern.  The meetings today reaffirmed our continued commitment to enhancing the security of the global supply chain by strengthening international cargo screening standards and expanding risk-based targeting  to focus resources on the most dangerous shipments.


For example, in collaboration with our international partners, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) utilizes the Container Security Initiative to ensure that all U.S.-bound maritime containers that pose a potential risk are identified and inspected before they are placed on vessels destined for the U.S..

These efforts and our continued partnership with countries around the world help to prevent terrorists from exploiting the global supply chain to move weapons and dangerous materials through U.S. ports, while also facilitating the efficient flow of legitimate trade.

Also in London, Secretary Napolitano met with the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Efthimios Mitropoulos. The IMO is the United Nations' specialized agency responsible for improving maritime safety.


The Secretary’s European trip will continue in the coming days with stops in the Netherlands and Brussels. Check back for more updates from the road.

Secretary Napolitano is visiting India from May 24-27, with stops in Mumbai and New Delhi, where she is meet with Indian officials and representatives of private industry to share best practices to promote homeland security and coordinate counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation between the two countries to better ensure the safety and security of both the United States and India.

Photos via the U.S. Embassy New Delhi

Secretary Napolitano is in Tokyo to attend the Asia/Pacific Ministerial Conference of Aviation Security. The Asia/Pacific region is the world's largest aviation market-with approximately 647 million passengers
traveling in 2009 alone.

While there, she will meet with top officials from the Asia/Pacific region and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to discuss ways to bolster global aviation security-such as strengthening information sharing and enhancing international transportation security agreements.

At these meetings, she will emphasize our ongoing commitment to working with global partners to strengthen the security of the international aviation network and prevent terrorists from boarding commercial aircraft. Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano took a moment during her busy schedule to tour Tokyo's famous Hai Shrine.

One of the most important realities highlighted by the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack is that in this day and age, aviation security is a responsibility shared among nations. The attempted terrorist had an itinerary that spanned three countries, and citizens of 17 countries were traveling on board that flight.

In light of this attack, we are working with our international partners to bolster global security measures and standards for aviation security. Part of this effort is sharing the kind of information needed to keep terrorists off airplanes. We have a good template for future information-sharing accords in the agreements we already have, which maintain high privacy standards while sharing important security information.

For example, DHS has an agreement with the European Union to allow air carriers to share Passenger Name Record (PNR) data with DHS so we can determine whether people traveling to and from the United States have ties to terrorism. This data protects not only U.S. citizens, but any person traveling to the United States –so the continued partnership of our European allies on this program is vital. Earlier this week, as part of a regular review process, expert representatives of the European Union conducted a review of the effectiveness and privacy protections of this agreement, and even saw the system in action at Dulles International Airport near Washington.

This kind of information sharing is critical to securing the international aviation system. Last month I went to Spain to meet with my European colleagues on how we can improve aviation security, and this week I’m traveling to Mexico to discuss how countries in this hemisphere can work collaboratively toward this goal.

Because the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not conduct screening at foreign airports, I am committed to strengthening coordination with international partners to implement stronger and more effective measures to protect air travel while continuing to protect privacy.

Our efforts will follow the lead of our past actions to improve security, where we have created effective systems, set high standards, and met them.

Janet Napolitano

Let’s just say we switched from European Time to Spanish Time, as Interior Minister Rubalcaba himself said.

On Wednesday, Secretary Napolitano spent the day testifying in two major hearings on the Hill—and when these hearings ran a little long, our plane to Spain took off a little behind schedule as well. Departing late is fine under most circumstances—the schedulers build in down time so we have some cushion between meetings and events in case something like this happens.
Not on this trip.

We’re in Europe for two days to discuss aviation security with our international partners – a critically important issue given the attempted attack on Dec.25 – and the Secretary has a packed schedule of meetings, events, interviews and bilateral discussions.

So, we took off at 6 PM from Washington, D.C., got two or three hours of sleep on the flight as the Secretary spent most of her time preparing for the next day’s meetings, and landed at 6:45 AM local time in Spain. I’d say my mood as we deplaned could have generously been described as “groggy,” as we were whisked from the airport to the site, past some incredible local scenery and buildings – including the Cathedral of Toledo – and arrived barely on time.

We had only had 10 minutes before we began our first event. Here's hoping no one noticed we went to our first two bilateral meetings in the clothes we slept in!

Fortunately, next we had a brief break as the Europeans met behind closed doors. Freshly scrubbed we reconvened and went full force into the first full day and evening of scheduled events. Spanish coffee was dark and plentiful to get us past jet lag, though.

On this short trip, we had a lot to accomplish in our conversations with ministers from more than 30 countries about ways we can work together to make the world’s skies safer and more secure for passengers worldwide. The main event today was the Toledo ministerial – at the invitation of Interior Minister Alfred Rubalcaba – with all of the Secretary’s European homeland security counterparts.

We had an incredibly productive session. The attempted attack on Dec. 25 threatened people from 17 foreign countries, including more than 100 citizens of European nations, and Secretary Napolitano stressed the incident’s “international dimensions,” pressing the room for support to strengthen global security and screening standards.

I must say, I was amazed at the unanimity among the European ministers on the need for more international consensus as we take immediate steps to address the security shortfalls that allowed a man – armed with an explosive device – to board a plane headed for the United States. We discussed information collection, information sharing, technological cooperation, international standards, and foreign security assistance.

The ministers discussion was so lively we went overtime, so lunch was a quick bite before more bilateral meetings. Interior Ministers, Justice Ministers -- I think there were eight meetings, not including the press conference and a few press interviews.

In the private bilateral meetings, the sentiments were even more candid and it's clear there is a mandate to move forward on some European and some American ideas -- we put them together in the ministerial statement the Spanish hosts released. We and our European partners will talk more about and refine them in the coming days.

Finally came dinner in the beautiful Museo de Santa Cruz, hosted by the region of Castilla-La Mancha. Not everyday one eats dinner looking at 16th century tapestries. I hope to come back another time to do justice to Toledo, including the museum and the cathedral.

This was the first in a series of top-level meetings that the Secretary expects to hold with her counterparts around the world as she works to build toward more concrete international coordination on aviation security.

We’ll send another update tomorrow, when she has more bilateral meetings here before flying on to Switzerland.

Mark

Mark Koumans is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of International Affairs

Today Secretary Napolitano and World Customs Organization Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya joined together in Brussels to announce the results of an unprecedented international law enforcement operation that led to the seizure of more than $3.5 million in smuggled cash over a five day period.

Dubbed Operation ATLAS (Assess, Target, Link, Analyze and Share), this groundbreaking investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from over 80 countries worldwide to target and disrupt cash couriers--people employed by criminal organizations to move their illicit funds across international borders.

Operation ATLAS focused on identifying these illicit cash couriers by employing several different methods to detect cash carried in baggage, on travelers and in shipments aboard commercial flights at designated airports. ATLAS also promoted the sharing of information and intelligence among customs agencies. In the United States, this operation was led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with participation from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and coordinated by the World Customs Organization.

Operation ATLAS is the latest and largest example of how increased international cooperation among law enforcement and customs agencies has resulted in the identification of new smuggling routes and methods used by criminal organizations throughout the world.

In September, ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners in Colombia and Mexico to uncover more than $41 million smuggled in shipping containers bound for Colombia. And in July, an ICE-led multilateral operation targeting cash couriers seized more than $3.5 million and detected an additional $4.2 million in undeclared currency at ports of entry around the globe.

This level of multilateral coordination is truly unprecedented and illustrates how the Department and our international allies are working together to shut down criminal organizations’ old ways of doing business.

John Morton
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

...from the Danes, but not the weather. It's been a bit dreary here in Copenhagen since our arrival late last night, but we've enjoyed a very productive visit to Denmark. The Secretary met this morning with Minister of Justice Brian Mikkelson to talk about cooperation on counter-terrorism. With the Headley case in the news the visit was quite timely. The Minister and the Secretary also talked about crime in cities and security in transportation, including ways to improve coordination between the two sides.

From Madrid:

The last few days have been productive...and exhausting. We left the hotel in Shannon yesterday at 7:30 AM for a flight to Dublin, where the Secretary had back-to-back meetings. She met with Irish Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to talk about implementation of our aviation preclearance agreement. I think it was clear in the meeting that both sides want this agreement in place. It will improve security for international flights coming to the U.S., and it will do so while making connecting in the U.S. easier. Just imagine: you land in the U.S. after a long flight from Europe, and instead of making stops at baggage claim, customs, baggage checking, and security, you can simply walk from one gate to the next. Before leaving Ireland, the Secretary also met with the Minister of Justice, Equality, and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, to talk about a possible agreement to share information on transnational law enforcement, similar to the one she signed today with Portugal.

Then it was off to London. We landed at Stansted Airport just before 2 PM and headed to the office of the new Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, and then the office of the Transport Minister, Lord Adonis. These meetings covered a range of topics, including cybersecurity, air travel security, and combating violent extremism. These are all issues that are salient to both countries, and our close relationship is invaluable as we address these global threats. As we walked around the block from one minister's office to the next, I thought about the fact that each of these ministers has only been in office for a few weeks. Secretary Napolitano wanted to meet with her counterparts early in their tenure, to continue the US/UK discussion on these issues with the new team. Then there was the reception at the ambassador's residence, a home in a style befitting the emissary to "Her Majesty's Government."

Today, the Secretary had a series of media interviews in the morning before leaving London and flying to Portugal. There, the Secretary met with the Ministers of Justice, Foreign Affairs, and the Interior. They all made a point of mentioning that Secretary Napolitano was the first member of President Obama's cabinet to visit Lisbon. The Portuguese and U.S. negotiators, lawyers, and translators were putting the finishing touches on the agreement only an hour before it was signed.

I noticed the folks back home already posted on the information sharing agreement. I'll give it one more plug. We look forward to cooperating with as many nations as possible in combating transnational criminals and terrorists. The Secretary has repeatedly said that these threats don’t respect borders, and that we have to work with our international partners to ensure safety for all our citizens. Check out the earlier post for more on this.

After the signing, it was another media availability and then straight to the airport for a 6PM flight to Spain.

It's settling on 12 AM here in beautiful Madrid. We have another full day tomorrow. The good news is that the agreement that the Secretary is to sign, on cooperating with securing aviation, is already agreed to - 12 hours before she signs it.

I'll try to send in a post on the day's activities tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in.

Mark

Mark Koumans is the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security