Science and technology are as critical to battling terrorism as our fighting forces. Security officials from Hawaii and other nations are finding that out at the Asia Pacific Homeland Security summit in Waikiki.

At the summit held at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, you can get a close look at a shoe bomb. The alleged terrorist who made it was caught before any damage was done.

" If not for the application of science and technology to protect the United States, that shoe bomb may have been used by a terrorist cell in the United States to destroy an American aircraft," said Terrorism Expert Rohan Gunaratna.

More recently and closer to home, another potential disaster averted as different countries worked together through improved communications.

"The source has been arrested and and will be prosecuted," said Major General Robert Lee.
"Hawaii was being targeted?" asks Manolo Morales.

"Hawaii and many other states in the United States."

The summit explores how much better security forces can work together to prevent manmade disasters as well as those caused by nature.

"We have access to a satellite eagle vision look at the clear pictures," said General Lee.

Improved satellite images can alert emergency crews where there's more potential for destruction.

"You can imagine how helpful that is to me and my colleagues in the first responders side."

General Lee points out that in a major earthquake that struck the Big Island nearly two years ago, cell phones and other communication systems went down. That made it harder for the different departments to coordinate the help that was needed. A new system can avoid that.

"You give me your cell phone number it doesn't matter what provider used to provide it to you we can hook you up cell phone to police chief walkie talkie to fire department walkie talkie."

The idea is to share some of these improvements with other countries, build better relationships, and work together.