New Homeland Security Interest Group Forms A new organization, the Homeland Security Leadership Alliance, is hoping to bring federal, state and local government officials together with contractors who want to do business with them. “There is no central location where people can find information about succeeding in homeland security,” says the executive director, Sean Spence of Boise, ID. He said the group will concentrate on “providing information and connections,” not political advocacy. According to its website, www.hsleadership.org, “The mission of the Homeland Security Leadership Alliance (HSLA) is to unite the private and public worlds in the effort to prevent terrorism, manage and repair the damage caused by terrorism and accelerate the development of the homeland security industry.” Spence said the Alliance formed a partnership with Homeland Security Research Corp. of San Jose, CA, to provide research for members covering all facets of the fragmented market. “Homeland security is different from the defense industry or the space industry,” he said. “State and local governments are as important or in many cases more important than the federal government.” Another organization, the Homeland Security Industries Association (www.hsianet.org), was formed last year to represent contractors.