New Jersey homeland security director visits Picatinny

PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- Chris Rodriguez, director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, came to Picatinny Arsenal on Aug. 10, a visit that coincides with the Army's Antiterrorism Awareness Month.

"The U.S. Army declared August as Antiterrorism Awareness Month in order to promote DoD community awareness of the terrorist threat, and to provide a safe and secure environment for Soldiers, family members, civilians and installation assets," said William Doyle, antiterrorism officer (Force Protection) for Picatinny Arsenal.

"One objective is to strengthen relationships with civilian law enforcements agencies in order to enhance our ability to recognize, detect and respond to threats against personnel, assets and information," Doyle added.

Rodriguez met with senior officials and was briefed on the installation mission with a tour.

In addition, he was briefed on initiatives in support of the homeland defense mission by the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, the largest organization at Picatinny Arsenal.

The New Jersey homeland security office is an active law enforcement agency that partners with Picatinny to installation security and force protection against terrorist threats.

Rodriguez, a Morris County native, served for more than a decade in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he held a variety of analytical and management positions.

On July 26, 2014, Gov. Chris Christie appointed Rodriguez to lead the state's homeland security agency and serve in the governor's cabinet.

The mission of the state homeland security office is to provide a comprehensive understanding of New Jersey's threat landscape to help make well-informed decisions on how to protect and defend critical assets.

The goal of the office is to take proactive steps to ensure that New Jersey residents receive real-time and reliable information on any and all emergencies through the media, as well as advertising and public events.

The office relies heavily on the public to report all suspicious activity and operates the state's toll-free, 24-hour terrorism tip line.

Persons can anonymously report suspicious activity by calling 1-866-4SAFENJ or dialing 211. Alternatively, you may email the office at tips@ohsp.state.nj.us. If you spot anything out of the ordinary on the installation, you can call the Picatinny Police Department at 973-724-6666.

Prior to his appointment, Rodriguez monitored terrorist groups in the Middle East and South Asia, closely collaborating with partners at the federal, state, and local levels to identify and counter threats to the United States and its allies.

During his visit to Picatinny, Rodriguez toured the installation's Homeland Defense Center, where he received a briefing from Rachel Wolfe, a program support specialist who coordinates training at the facility for law enforcement, military and government personnel.

"This is a great resource," Rodriguez said. "I knew of Picatinny, but I didn't know this existed. This center is very important to our nation, our local economy, and obviously our local elected officials have a vested interest in Picatinny, so this is very important to our mission."

Rodriguez also witnessed part of an event organized for first responders, such as the New York Police Department and New Jersey State Police, where Picatinny engineers partnered with outside suppliers to demonstrate and analyze potential technologies that could be used to counter unmanned aircraft systems.

Bhavanjot Singh, chief of the Battlespace Applications Branch, showed the director how a suite of sensors comprised of electro-optical /infrared sensors, radar, and a passive radio frequency system--integrated as part of a system of systems--could pick up, locate, and identify quad copters or drones that were flying overhead.

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The Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.

Related Links:

U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) homepage

August is Army Antiterrorism Awareness Month