The U.S. Treasury Department finalized tough restrictions against North Korea, further preventing it from accessing U.S. financial institutions due to increasing concerns over its illegal money laundering and risk of terrorist financing. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network enacted the final … Read More
A first responders working group established by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) aims to learn lessons from recent bombings in New York and New Jersey. The 10th Congressional District’s First Responders Working Group also brings together first responders and … Read More
Law enforcement officials and first responders recently gathered at the University of Maine to participate in an emergency preparedness training exercise hosted by the U.S. Border Patrol. The “tabletop” exercise was part of the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program’s … Read More
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to possibly expand preclearance operations to 11 new foreign airports would bolster border security. Last week’s preclearance announcement by DHS aims to … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized more than $17,000, along with a fraudulent permanent resident identity card and a fraudulent social security card from a 54-year old woman at the Washington-Dulles International Airport. The woman arrived into … Read More
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) held a training course this week in Cambodia that focused on identifying fraudulent security documents. Training was conducted by Interpol’s Counterfeit Currency and Security Documents Unit. Participants were updated on the latest document and … Read More
U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) recently urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action regarding consumer protections and Internet of Things (IoT) devices following a massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack last month that caused … Read More
The National Security Agency (NSA), along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), recently designated eight academic institutions as NSA/DHS National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The designation is part of the president’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan … Read More
The Del Rio Border Patrol Sector recently honored one of its agents, Julian LiDrazzah, for an act of heroism. LiDrazzah was presented with the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery at a ceremony at the Del Rio Sector headquarters. South … Read More
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on reimbursements for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Ebola virus disease response efforts, particularly how those reimbursements did not comply with legislative requirements and needed to be … Read More
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) recently appointed Sami Nassar and Masha Sedova to its board of directors. Nassar currently serves as vice president of cybersecurity solutions for NXP Semiconductors, while Sedona is a senior director of trust engagement at … Read More
U.S. Rep. John R. Carter (R-TX) recently hosted a tour and briefings at the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) facility at Texas State University in San Marcos. Participants in the tour included city and county officials, police and … Read More
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and representatives from 20 countries recently gathered for the fourth plenary meeting of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) in Abu Dhabi to discuss technical challenges involved with nuclear verification. The meeting focuses … Read More
Smiths Detection’s dual-view X-ray cargo scanner HI-SCAN 180180-2is recently became the latest system to be accepted into the qualified section of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) air cargo screening technology list (ACSTL). “Dual-View technology has long been a part of … Read More
Kansas State University co-hosted a discussion at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington D.C. last month that focused on potential bioterrorist threats against agriculture and ways to ensure biosecurity. Included in the panel discussion was Interim President of Kansas State … Read More
PPL Electric Utilities, Southern Company, Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Kentucky Utilities, and the Tennessee Valley Authority on Tuesday announced a new initiative designed to enhance the reliability of the power grid by providing additional sources for obtaining critical equipment … Read More
The George Washington University (GW) Center for Cyber and Homeland Security recently released a report that offers an assessment of the legal, policy and technological issues that involve private sector cybersecurity and active defense measures in response to cyber threats. … Read More
The United Kingdom recently created a UK Public Health Rapid Response Team to respond to outbreaks and public health emergencies anywhere in the world within 48 hours. The team’s development comes in response to the deadly Ebola virus disease outbreak … Read More
Democratic members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently urged Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) to call for a hearing on the recent cyber attack that caused outages on … Read More
The United Nations Security Council on Monday voted to extend the mandate of the United Nations-Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) joint investigative mechanism, the entity mandated to determine responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently sworn in William Ferrara as the new director of field operations in Boston, Massachusetts. CBP Field Operations Executive Assistant Commissioner Todd Owen led Ferrera in his reaffirmation. “Bill brings a wealth of knowledge … Read More
The state of Florida recently entered into a $700 million contract with Harris Corporation to develop a statewide communications network to connect public safety responders, law enforcement, public schools and other government agencies. The contract lasts seven years with seven … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) broke ground on its expansion of the Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC) at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California on Wednesday. “AMOC’s mission to secure America … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan on Wednesday appointed Deputy Assistant Commissioner Carla Provost as the organization’s new deputy chief, the first woman in that position in history. Provost’s new role will have her responsible for daily operations, planning and … Read More
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson stressing the importance of information sharing between government agencies and critical infrastructure companies. Thompson’s letter comes in the wake of … Read More
Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Üzümcü recently spoke at Georgetown University in Doha, Qatar about the ongoing efforts to uphold the global ban on chemical weapons. Üzümcü’s speech was part of a larger … Read More
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) recently conducted a global counter-smuggling operation that resulted in the seizure of more than $460 million in cash and bearer negotiable instruments (BNIs) and approximately 300 weapons. The … Read More
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has appointed Dr. Emily Erbelding as the new director of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (DMID). The division provides monetary and other … Read More
According to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), government agencies have sound procedures for managing nuclear material exchanges but an improvement in inventory monitoring is needed. The GAO report found that from Oct. 1, 2003 to … Read More
U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Angus King (I-ME) recently urged the Obama administration via letter to work with Congress to strengthen the government’s ability to detect and repair cybersecurity vulnerabilities within U.S. networks. The letter requested the president help … Read More
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers stationed at the Richmond International Airport recently discovered what appeared to be a suicide vest, an incendiaries manual and two guns, which turned out to be props for a live-action role playing game. The incident … Read More
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently appointed Army Col. Thomas Saltysiak as the new military deputy director at ECBC. Prior to his new appointment, Saltysiak served as a product manager for Battlespace Management Integration (BMI) under the Integrated Air … Read More
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch participated in the 2016 G6 Meeting of Interior Ministers in Rome, Italy on Oct. 20-21. They discussed security measures in Europe, migration flows, terrorism, cybersecurity and international … Read More
Research teams at the Emory Vaccine Center, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Mahidol University of Thailand recently conducted a study on the role of CD8 T immune cells in combating dengue virus infection. The study involved … Read More
U.S. Rep Martha McSally (R-AZ) hosted Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) for a tour of Fort Huachuca and the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base last week. “I appreciate Martha’s invitation to come and see … Read More
