InfraGard National Members Alliance Hosts Transportation Security Discussion

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 16, the InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) held an important policy discussion focused on rail transportation security at the Finmeccanica North America headquarters in Washington D.C.  Present were sixty leaders from industry, government and academia gathered to participate in a interactive forum on critical infrastructure protection.  The event was keynoted by Mark Giuliano, Assistant Director of the FBI for Counterterrorism, Ed Thornton, Deputy Chief of Amtrak Police and Dr. Alan Calegari, President and CEO of Ansaldo STS USA, a Finmeccanica company.

Mr. Giuliano provided a wealth of counterterrorism expertise to the discussion.  He has served in a variety of positions before assuming his current role in November, 2010.  Prior to then he served as deputy assistant director for Operations Branch II, Counterterrorism Division, at FBIHQ where he oversaw all domestic terrorism operations in the U.S., as well as the National Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Lone Offender Task Force, the Yemen fusion cell, the Pakistan threat group, human intelligence and strategic terrorism operations, communications exploitation, and terrorist financing for FBI counterterrorism operations worldwide.  Mr. Giuliano has also served as the FBI's on-scene commander in Afghanistan in support of U.S. Special Forces components.

Deputy Chief Ed Thornton is the Commanding Officer of the Special Operations Division of the Amtrak Police Department.  He has served in law enforcement for 33 years, serving with Amtrak Police since 2006 and, prior to that, spending 28 years with the New Jersey State Police, including serving as the Bureau Chief for the Division's Counterterrorism Bureau.

Dr. Alan Calegari offered insight based on his years as a leader in the security industry and as a current leader in the rail transportation industry.  Prior to joining Ansaldo STS, Dr. Calegari was President and CEO for Americas Region of Dedicated Micros Inc., President and Regional Head of Siemens Building Technologies, Incorporated's Security Division, and had executive and advisory capacities at Siemens Building Technologies Ltd., Canada.

"As mass transit ridership increases and more goods are shipped by rail, the importance of a focus on rail security is magnified," said Dr. Calegari, after the event. "The work highlighted today by my colleagues at Amtrak and the FBI is an example of the need to secure our nation's rail transportation network,"

INMA Chairman Dr. Kathleen Kiernan said, "InfraGard brought together thought leadership from across the public and private sectors to include Federal, State, Local and Tribal law enforcement, academia, research laboratories and all the military services demonstrating the criticality of transportation security, in which rail is an integral component." She went on to add that from a supply chain management perspective, moving goods and services safely via rail is key to both our homeland and national security strategies.

DHS Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector, Douglas Smith, was among the attendees and remarked, "The mix of senior leaders from the public and private sector in attendance represents the broad based interest in securing our nation's critical transportation sector, as well as the value that these types of dialogs can bring."

About InfraGard and the InfraGard National Members Alliance

The InfraGard Program began in 1996 as a collaborative effort between private sector cyber professionals and the FBI field office in Cleveland Ohio. The FBI later expanded the program to every field office in the country. In 2003 the private sector members of InfraGard formed the "InfraGard National Members Alliance" (INMA). The INMA is a non-profit Delaware LLC with 501(c)3 status. The INMA LLC is comprised of 86 separate 501(c)3 InfraGard Members Alliances (IMAs) that represent over 41,000 FBI-vetted, InfraGard Subject Matter Experts. The INMA has a dual-focus value proposition. It provides its members with unmatched opportunities to promote the physical and cyber security of their organizations through access to a trusted, national network of Subject Matter Experts from the public and private sectors. And, it provides government stakeholders, across the local, state, and Federal levels, with unmatched access to the expertise and experience of critical infrastructure owners and operators.  For more information about InfraGard, please visit www.infragard.net.  For more information about the INMA, please visit www.infragardmembers.org.

About Ansaldo STS and Finmeccanica

Finmeccanica is Italy's leading manufacturer in the high technology sector and ranks among the top ten global players in aerospace, defense and security.   Finmeccanica focuses on several key sectors, including aeronautics, helicopters, space, defense and security electronics, defense systems, energy and transportation.

Ansaldo STS, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, is a leading provider of signaling and transportation solutions.  Ansaldo STS USA, formerly known as Union Switch & Signal, brings 130 years of U.S.-based innovation and leadership to design, manufacture and service of signaling automation, train control systems and rail security systems.  Ansaldo STS can act as a turnkey transportation solution provider for metros and high speed lines, or provide a wide array of products for freight railroads.  Ansaldo STS products and control systems are in use most Class I railroad in the United States as well as numerous rail transit operators in the United States and throughout the world.

SOURCE Ansaldo STS USA