Washington, D.C. - On September 20, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will host, for the fourth straight year, its national Countering Terrorism Symposium.  The symposium is open to defense, intelligence, security, and law enforcement professionals including military officers and state or local officials and will review, explore, and discuss the very latest security challenges and solutions involving homeland security.

"OPM has been intensely focused on issues related to terrorism, such as the security of the federal work force, and we are pleased to again offer this broadly focused symposium and further assist policy makers in the development of anti-terrorism measures," stated OPM Director Kay Coles James.  "It is crucial to the security of the homeland that anti-terrorism and homeland security policy makers have as much support as possible as they continue crafting new ways to mitigate the risk of another terrorist attack."      

The speakers at this year's symposium, to be held in San Diego, California, with the assistance of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, will include Director James and representatives from the Rand Corporation, Central Intelligence Agency, Transportation Security Administration, Department of State, and branches of the United States Army, Navy, and Marines.  Topics to be discussed include understanding the threat of terrorism, protecting public health, and nuclear, chemical, and biological security.     

The symposium will bring together practitioners and policy makers responsible for the safety and security of the United States.  Guest presenters and expert facilitators will work with seminar attendees to generate innovative approaches to security, analyze options, and discuss policy initiatives for homeland security. 

Last year, 155 representatives from 61 agencies were in attendance.  This year, to date, 150 agency representatives from 54 agencies are scheduled to attend, and OPM still is accepting enrollments.  For more information, agencies can go to www.leadership.opm.gov.   

"Preventing terrorism in the homeland is the primary objective of the experts who will gather in San Diego, and it is OPM's objective to provide as much assistance as possible," stated James.  "The federal government has a significant role to play in ensuring the safety of our nation's citizens, and OPM is proud to be one of the federal agencies helping accomplish this."

The Countering Terrorism Symposium is the latest in OPM's efforts to assist in the safety and security of the nation and its federal work force.  OPM also has hosted seven governmentwide emergency preparedness training sessions and has trained 605 emergency professionals from 142 federal agencies and sub-agencies.