Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 29 June 2026

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Massachusetts Catholic group outraged over traffic cone on Virgin Mary: ‘Out of the Scottish playbook’

A statue of the Virgin Mary outside a Catholic church in Boston was found with an orange traffic cone placed on its head following a recent World Cup match in the city, prompting criticism from the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, which condemned the act and called for a stronger law enforcement response. While the organization characterized the incident as anti-Catholic vandalism, the act mirrors a long-standing prank associated with Scottish football supporters, who have become known for placing traffic cones on statues during major matches.

Analyst Comments: Although the damage in this case appears to have been limited to temporary vandalism, the incident highlights how large sporting events can create opportunities for opportunistic or celebratory vandalism targeting public monuments, religious symbols, and houses of worship. Faith-based organizations located in host cities for the World Cup should consider incorporating these types of low-level but disruptive incidents into their security and facility protection planning. 

FB-ISAO Newsletter, v8, Issue 6

The FB-ISAO Newsletter (Volume 8, Issue 6) highlights the organization’s continued focus on strengthening the security and resilience of faith-based organizations through preparedness, collaboration, and timely threat awareness. This issue emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant against evolving physical and cyber threats while encouraging members to take advantage of FB-ISAO’s training opportunities, threat briefings, and collaborative working groups. The newsletter also features updates on organizational initiatives, upcoming events, and resources designed to help faith-based organizations improve emergency preparedness, information sharing, and operational resilience. Overall, the newsletter reinforces that proactive planning, strong community partnerships, and continuous education remain essential to protecting houses of worship and other faith-based organizations from an increasingly complex all-hazards threat environment.

Nerd Out EP 71. Hostile Events Attack Cycle UFC Style, Plus Drones and Extremist Activity June 29, 2026

The Gate 15 Nerd Out! Security Panel Discussion, moderated by Dave Pounder, focuses on physical security topics including terrorism, extremism, hostile events, and other pertinent topics.

In this month’s Nerd Out, Dave and Alec go deep into the planning behind the disrupted hostile event scheduled for UFC 250. They examine the planning and preparedness activities and align them with the Hostile Event Attack Cycle (HEAC). A key part of this planning was the use of drones and their implications for future events. Dave and Alec then looked at the current situations in Ukraine and Iran and how the use of drones has been leveraged to change the game.

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global)