Noted security expert Col. Bob Stephan emphasizes that the United States should not let its guard down for one second despite the recent killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Stephan, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Infrastructure Protection, will drive that point home as part of his speech to those assembled for the 2011 National Sport Safety and Security Conference & Exhibition Aug. 2-4 in New Orleans.

“The threat environment that special event planners must address grows ever more complex and ever more dangerous,” said Stephan. “The Al Qaeda network continues to operate and probe for weaknesses in our defenses, despite the death of its top leader.”

Stephan, managing director of Dutko Global Risk Management, will join a group of keynote speakers for the second annual conference hosted by the National Center for Spectator Sports Security and Safety (NCS⁴) at The University of Southern Mississippi. More than 400 security professionals from across the country and approximately 56 vendors are expected to attend the event.

Stephan has also held a variety of key operational and command positions in the joint special operations community during a 24-year Air Force career. During Operation Desert Storm he deployed to Saudi Arabia as a joint battlestaff planner and mission commander supporting Joint Special Operations Task Force strategic inderdiction operations in Iraq.

“Col. Bob Stephan will bring a wealth of emergency preparedness experience to the attendees of the National Conference,” said NCS⁴ Director Dr. Lou Marciani. “He will focus on the nature of the threats we face today in sports security and illustrate the linkages between sports security and event planning and broader community preparedness in the contest of a multi-threat world in which we live.”

For more information about NCS⁴ and the national conference visit www.NCS4.com/conference