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The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed airport security forever. Many of the policies put in place in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks persist today. Agents from the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration, in particular, are tasked with following those directives to ensure safety at airports. However, a series of high-profile incidents-such as a November 2013 shooting of a TSA officer at a Los Angeles airport-raised concerns that airports lack sufficient manpower, training and resources to adequately prepare these personnel for that assignment.

Evaluation and feedback forms now include promoting a healthy organizational climate as a performance factor. The Air Force defines "organizational climate" as the way airmen in a unit perceive and characterize their environment. In other words, you'll be graded on how well you do at setting the tone around you. Promoting a healthy organizational climate is listed as a leadership skill under the performance factors section of the new officer performance reports. It is listed as a primary duty on the enlisted performance reports. "We'd like every airmen to go look at the rewrite of the Air Force Instruction so you know how you're expected to perform and be rated," Grosso said. "If you have any questions, talk to your military personnel section."

Fire Departments use CrossFit, officially or unofficially, to prepare for the rigors of their profession. In firefighter competitions around the country, it seems that whenever CrossFit-trained personnel enter, they end up at the top of the field, dominating the competition.

State police hope to entice active military personnel, veterans and full-time cops to join its ranks by allowing them to replace college credits with work experience. Gov. Tom Corbett announced on Wednesday that, effective immediately, state police cadets can get a waiver on some, or all, of required college credits if they served in the military or law enforcement for a certain amount of time.

TSA has issued a solicitation for what it calls "Credential Authentication Technology," or CAT, which can ensure that only legitimate airport personnel, airline crews, non-traveling passengers using a gate pass, law enforcement officers and Federal Air Marshals can gain access to sterile airport areas.

Military leaders, government workers and industry professionals recognize that cybersecurity cannot be understated. Last month, many of these minds-including leaders from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR)-gathered in San Diego at the C4ISR Symposium to discuss how to improve cybersecurity for the fleet. Personnel on board U.S. Navy ships must work hard to overcome technical limitations. With a significant number of older vessels failing cybersecurity checks due to outdated software, onboard systems are susceptible to a data breach-an event that could put lives and military operations at risk.

Each year, public safety professionals learn more about the complexities of firefighting. Technology has advanced with that knowledge, allowing first responders to capture critical data and use it to inform future calls. Faced with budgetary and personnel shortages that hamper management of that data, however, fire departments stand to benefit from adoption of cloud-based solutions. Taking on the burden of hardware and software maintenance, Software as a Service (SaaS) greatly mitigates the technical overhead for a firehouse. Cloud computing improves performance, increases access to important information, and lowers the total cost of ownership for software. For fire departments, that efficiency translates into more effective emergency response.

To be effective, military personnel require a unique blend of physical fitness and mental toughness. Some units are improving these skills by revamping their athletic training programs.