U.S. Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Rick Larsen (D-WA) on Wednesday introduced a bill to help the U.S. keep its competitive edge in the electromagnetic spectrum domain and aid warfighter readiness when needed. The Electronic Warfare Capabilities Act will aid … Read More
The House Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), recently voted seven bipartisan bills out of committee aimed at strengthening the nation’s counterterrorism defense while keeping Americans safe. Two bills are specifically aimed at counterterrorism initiatives. The Securing … Read More
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) chaired a hearing on Wednesday that examined the possibility of cyber insurance as a risk management strategy for future incidents. “Cyber risks are rapidly evolving, and cyber insurance has the potential to be an important … Read More
The Senate passed the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Modernization Act of 2016, S. 1180, on Monday. The bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), would modernize the nation’s public alert and … Read More
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday approved the Anthim injection to treat inhalation anthrax in combination with appropriate antibacterial drugs. Anthim is also approved to prevent inhalation anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or appropriate. “As … Read More
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday that it will publish new regulations that include a change to the current trade regulations regarding flights to and from Cuba. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will immediately remove … Read More
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Tuesday released a monthly assessment on terror threats that face the United States and its allies. “This week’s Islamist terror plots in Canada and Europe are a grim reminder of the … Read More
The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) announced on Monday that it has built an enhanced threat detection device called CASTLE that increases the range of detection for CBRNE threats. CASTLE, which stands for CBRNE assessment science and technology … Read More
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study on Wednesday detailing the various actions the National Capital Region Coordination (ONCRC) has taken to help improve emergency communications interoperability in the National Capital Region (NCR). The NCR is a defined area … Read More
According to a study released on Monday by the Governing Institute, AT&T and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), 80 percent of elected and appointed officials say that they don’t know if their home state has a cybersecurity incident plan … Read More
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General Ahmet Uzumcu announced last week that the European Union has provided a total of $5 million for fact-finding work in Syria and other joint United Nations ventures. “This important contribution … Read More
A coalition of New York congressional representatives last week announced more than $60 million in federal grants to support counterterrorism and emergency preparedness activities in counties across New York State. The group included New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), along … Read More
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday responded to a letter led by Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) urging the agency to add Zika virus to the FDA tropical disease priority review voucher (PRV) program. In its response, the … Read More
Immunovaccine, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it will begin a research project toward the development of a vaccine to fight against the emerging Zika virus. Immunovaccine said the vaccine will be developed using its proprietary DepoVax platform, which has produced … Read More
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing on Thursday discussing government canine programs and how they contribute to America’s national security. “The concept of a working dog is familiar to most Americans,” Secretary of Homeland Security … Read More
A new study published this week in the online open-access journal mBio suggests that the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) develops mutations that make the virus less virulent, rather than more virulent. The virus causes severe respiratory infection and … Read More
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Joint Science and Technology Office, along with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, announced this week that a compound demonstrated no adverse effects in its Phase 1 trials against the Ebola virus. … Read More
The Departments of Defense (DoD) and Homeland Security are developing a new system that allows researchers to scan the planet for anomalies in human and animal disease prevalence. The Biosurveillance Ecosystem (BSVE) is a program from the DoD’s Threat Reduction … Read More
R3 Technologies, a company specializing in radar detection systems, recently announced that its CBD-1000 concealed bomb detecting device is close to commercialization. “The suicide bomber can walk into a crowded place unnoticed and inflict a horrifying amount of death and … Read More
The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) commenced a training exercise last week aimed at handling environments affected by chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats (CBRNE). The course, entitled “Hazardous Materials Evidence Collection for CBRNE Incidents (HEC),” taught CDP first … Read More
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Monday on the steps the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) can take regarding unaccompanied children (UAC) crossing the … Read More
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) responded to concerns on Thursday regarding questions it received on its request for proposal (RFP) and the deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network. “We are pleased with the interest and questions we … Read More
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Gil Kerlikowske gave a speech on Wednesday at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg highlighting the future of the CBP and the day to day operations it faces. “So what does a … Read More
FLIR Systems, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it will integrate its Lepton micro camera into the new Cat S60 to create the world’s first thermal imaging smartphone. FLIR, a leading manufacturer of ruggedized smartphones, said that the phone would be … Read More
SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it produced a new human antibody therapeutic to threat the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) utilizing its novel DiversitAb production platform. MERS-CoV was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The … Read More
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) announced at the end of January that it will create open-access datasets for researchers and industry. To fund this venture, the DoE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) … Read More
The Brazilian Ministry of Health announced a letter of intent on Friday to collaborate with the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston to research and develop a Zika virus vaccine The initiative of the collaborating will be directed … Read More
Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoğlu held a meeting with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday at OPCW headquarters in The Hague. Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the OPCW, briefed the prime minister on the OPCW’s … Read More
The Director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the USSTRATCOM Center for Combating WMD Kenneth A. Myers testified before members of Congress on Wednesday to lay out a FY 2017 budget request. At a hearing held by the House … Read More
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood released a statement following the Obama administration’s release of its FY 2017 budget proposal. In his statement, Greenwood decries Obama’s action, warning that budget would directly threaten the goal of … Read More
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) announced on Monday that the committee has released its “snapshot” terrorism assessment for the month of February. “The Islamist terror threat remains alarmingly high as recent arrests and terror plots demonstrate,” McCaul … Read More
The American Public Health Association (APHA) announced its support on Monday for a new surge in funding to protect against Zika virus. President Barack Obama recently released the details of his emergency plan to provide more than $1.8 billion in … Read More
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced its research priorities on Friday for studies to investigate how Zika virus infection affects reproduction, pregnancy and the developing fetus. The virus is currently present in approximately 30 countries and territories, notably in … Read More
Officials from the World Health Organization, including the director-general, deputy director-general and regional directors of WHO, released a statement in late January following a special session of the executive board on the Ebola outbreak. The statement came after the conclusion … Read More
The European Commission and U.S. Department of Commerce announced an agreement on Tuesday of a safe harbor replacement deal, rebranded as the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. The specifics of the deal were not initially released, however, the privacy shield reportedly addresses … Read More
