Weeks from today, the World Cup is due to take place in Houston, but federal authorities have already spent more than a year planning a security operation for one of the biggest sporting events in the world, all while constantly increasing its security measures around the city.
The FBI says a unified command center is expected to be established in time for the games. This is a shared command center that federal, state, and local agencies will be using to communicate any potential threats or information about them to one another. This system will allow them to quickly coordinate in a response.
The largest security operation that Houston will have seen to date is going to involve hundreds of thousands of spectators who will arrive in Houston.
According to the Special Agent in charge of the FBI in Houston, Jason Hudson, this will be on the same scale as securing numerous major sporting events back-to-back.
“We like to think of it as seven Super Bowls over the course of a few weeks,” explained Hudson. “The preparation that goes into one Super Bowl is enormous, so if you can imagine planning for seven of those in a row is very sizable and very significant.”
There is also apparently a strong focus on prevention, as the use of intelligence gathering and threat analysis is incorporated into the overall plan.
Hudson has said their plan is to prevent any security threats from ever reaching the stadiums or fan zones.
The Special Agent in charge also confirmed that authorities will be looking for any threats related to both lone offenders or organized groups, in addition to state-sponsored threats.
“Our primary focus is keeping FIFA safe,” said Hudson. “We want to ensure that anyone who wants to carry out a violent act, we’re doing everything we can to prevent that.”
Drones have been considered a significant concern. Using them at major events worldwide has become a huge topic, and these can also cause disturbances or even unwanted surveillance for security.
Hudson confirmed the FBI would be carrying a range of technology that can detect drones being operated within restricted zones around the relevant stadiums and fan zones. Authorities at the Texas Department of Public Safety also say they have invested several million dollars worth of technology, which will track, identify, and possibly disable any offending drones.
As well as physical security, cybersecurity is going to be another big area for authorities to tackle. With up to half a million spectators set to converge on Houston and more than $1.5 billion in revenue, authorities warn that criminals will be looking to exploit any opportunities presented.
Hudson says the possibility of large financial gains is always a major incentive, but fans should be extra cautious when buying any tickets or booking any hotels.
Inside the FBI command center will be intelligence analysts alongside the emergency services operators, which Isis Jones (Senior Supervisory Intelligence Analyst) says will improve communication efficiency and speed up any decision-making process. “We will seamlessly share information over the course of 42 days in support of the World Cup games,” stated Jones.
Authorities have not only focused their plans on security threats, but extreme weather, such as hurricanes, is also a scenario to have been taken into consideration.
It appears that thorough preparation and constant awareness will be the key factors to ensure that the World Cup passes without a hitch for any workers, players, and all of the fans who attend.
