U.S. Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Jim Risch (R-ID) this week reintroduced the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, which seeks to examine solutions to defend the U.S. energy grid by replacing vulnerable computer-connected operating systems with analog and human-operated systems. The … Read More
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was recently selected to chair the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities in the 115th Congress. The subcommittee is tasked with overseeing counter-terrorism initiatives as well as counter proliferation of weapons of mass … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently opened a new general aviation processing facility for the PAZOS Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in Carolina, Puerto Rico. CBP said the new general aviation facility … Read More
Two bills introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) were passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to help spur collaborative efforts between the private sector and the federal government in cybersecurity initiatives. The Support for Rapid Innovation … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Deming Station in New Mexico recently apprehended a Mexican national who is wanted by Mexican authorities on homicide charges. The incident occurred on Jan. 3 as border agents spotted several individuals entering the … Read More
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report regarding communication and coordination of personnel reassignments in public health emergencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response … Read More
In order to stay one step ahead of potential emergencies, the Houston Airport System has begun utilizing a new 40-foot mobile incident command vehicle equipped with cutting-edge technology to improve public safety. The three airports in the Houston area form … Read More
According to a recently report by the Latin American and Caribbean Leadership Network (LALN), with support of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), detonation of a “small and primitive” nuclear bomb may result in tens of thousands of people dead, a … Read More
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a January terror threat “snapshot” release that the overall terror threat environment worsened throughout 2016, even as law enforcement increased their efforts to combat it. … Read More
On the second anniversary of the L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a public letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), containing questions related to communications issues that hindered emergency response operations at the … Read More
Federal advisory committees to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) voted on Monday to approve plans aimed at developing young people into the next generation of leaders that will support national preparedness and health emergency response efforts. The … Read More
In response to a series of reports that the Russian government interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson publicly released last week plans to designate election systems as a critical infrastructure … Read More
Leidos, a Reston, Virginia-based technology company, was recently awarded a subcontract worth approximately $202 million to support the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) for analytical operations, intelligence, and various training services under prime contractor CACI. JIDO has developed its … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector and Rio Grande Valley Sector recently cooperated in the rescue of 44 undocumented immigrants from a South Texas stash house. After receiving a tip that undocumented migrants were being housed in a … Read More
Szuhsiung Ho, a naturalized U.S. citizen and nuclear engineer, recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully engage in the production or development of special nuclear materials outside of the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of … Read More
The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Cyber Policy Task Force released this week its final report titled From Awareness to Action – A Cybersecurity Agenda for the 45th President, which offered a series of recommendations on policy and … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stationed at the Port of Nogales apprehended two individuals over separate incidents attempting to smuggle a combined 32 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin, worth approximately $224,000, through the port on Dec. 23. While conducting … Read More
Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), a Navy destroyer, recently returned to the Bath Iron Works shipyard after successfully completing a week-long series of acceptance trials for the Navy’s Board of Inspections and Survey. The board recommended DDG 115 join the U.S. … Read More
FLIR Systems, Inc. recently launched five new thermal imaging cameras at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The cameras include two new third generation FLIR ONE thermal camera attachments for smartphones, two dual-sensor thermal cameras from drones, and one ruggedized … Read More
Safariland, a company specializing in body armor, recently selected Honeywell’s Spectra Shield and Gold Shield ballistic composite materials to produce a thin, lightweight vest specifically designed for female law enforcement officers. Safariland selected Honeywell’s Spectra Shield 5000 series material for … Read More
A small, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), produced with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), recently completed an endurance flight of approximately 56 hours and landed with half its fuel still on board, suggesting the aircraft is capable … Read More
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) criticized a recent report in the Wall Street Journal that suggested President-elect Donald Trump will move to weaken the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). “Congress created the DNI based on the careful study … Read More
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced legislation this week that will seek to protect the pensions of first responders who have been injured on the job. “We count on federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other … Read More
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its Morbidity and Mortality Report, which highlights 10 critical contributions the agency has made in the fight against the spread of Zika virus in 2016. CDC highlighted new public … Read More
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently named Marlon Miller as the new special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office for three states. Miller’s office will be based in Philadelphia and will have jurisdiction over operations … Read More
Soligenix Inc. recently extended its development agreement with Emergent Biosolutions to implement a commercially viable production technology for a vaccine candidate being developed to protect against ricin exposure called RiVax. Soligenix is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing products to … Read More
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in conjunction with the Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation Jay Tilden, recently conducted a scheduled aerial measuring system (AMS) proficiency flight in order to evaluate the roles and responsibilities for response crews … Read More
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded a grant worth $10 million to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) to establish a new center to help combat the spread of diseases carried by … Read More
Vermont’s Burlington Electric Department recently took action to isolate a single laptop that federal officials have said has been linked to a potential Russian-related hacking campaign. The laptop was flagged on Dec. 29 due to the detection of suspicious traffic. … Read More
With the recent release of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) FY 2016 statistics report, DHS immigration enforcement efforts showed an increase in prioritizing apprehension of convicted criminals and threats to public safety. DHS saw a 19 percent increase … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents stationed in the Del Rio Sector recently seized more than 1,000 pounds of illicit narcotics over a series of eight separate incidents. The total street value of the confiscated drugs was approximately $990,000. The first incident … Read More
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Todd Breasseale recently issued an executive summary on malicious cyberattacks conducted by the Russian government, known as Grizzly Steppe, during the U.S. election cycle. The report stated that … Read More
In response to multiple reports of Russian cyber interference in the recent U.S. election cycle, the Obama Administration issued a series of sanctions against the Russian Federation in violation of established international norms of behavior. Among the actions issued by … Read More
The American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will soon be releasing a supplement issue on the Evolution of Public Health Emergency Management from Preparedness to Response and Recovery and is … Read More
The U.S. Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector Foreign Operations Branch (FOB), along with binational partners from the Mexican Attorney General Attaché’s Office (PGR) in El Paso, recently announced the conviction of Santos Villalva Celedonio for human trafficking of migrants. The … Read More
