The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced more than $1.6 billion on Monday for 10 DHS preparedness grants programs as part of the release of a FY 2016 Notices of Funding Opportunity. Funding will be provided to state, local … Read More
The National Institutes of Health announced last week that it is aiming to develop new and improved therapeutics to treat injuries from exposure to chemical threats. The grant is entitled the “Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT): Identification of Therapeutic Lead … Read More
In the wake of the House passage of a three month Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization patch – H.R. 4721 – ahead of its March 31 expiration, U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) released a statement calling for even further action. … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Friday that Martel Valencia-Cortez, a known criminal and human trafficker, had turned himself in to authorities at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Martel Valencia-Cortez is a known human trafficker and has been … Read More
U.S. Army Cyber Command and Second Army (ARCYBER) recently announced that it had launched several new initiatives to realize Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s vision for greater cooperation between DOD and Silicon Valley. One of these initiatives is the Silicon … Read More
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in cooperation with the National Authority of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, began a new training course last week dealing with potential transfers of chemical weapons in certain areas. The … Read More
A new report released on Monday by the Syrian-American Medical Society revealed that more than 600 chemical attacks have killed 1,491 people during the five years of ongoing conflict in Syria. The report, “The New Normal, Ongoing Chemical Attacks in … Read More
The United Kingdom’s Highly Innovative Technology Enablers in Aerospace (HITEA) program announced on Thursday that its proof-of-concept, laser-based aircraft tracking system HYPERION has been successfully tested in-flight. HYPERION was designed to aid disaster relief workers in monitoring, surveying, search and … Read More
The National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point of Uruguay announced last week that the country has seen a sustained increase in the number of suspected cases – 570 – and confirmed cases – 17 – of dengue fever. All … Read More
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Wednesday that officers assigned to the Brownsville and Matamoros International Bridge seized a load of alleged methamphetamine hidden within a vehicle attempting to pass customs. “I congratulate our CBP officers for their diligence … Read More
After a three-day consultation on the virus, the World Health Organization released the criteria on Wednesday by which Zika virus research and development should advance. The first way to to combat the virus to is continue to develop novel ultiplex … Read More
The Financial Services Roundtable (FSR), part of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council (FSSCC), hailed the substance of the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework on Wednesday, calling its standards “rosetta stone-like.” The framework successfully created common … Read More
The Alliance for Biosecurity applauded Wednesday’s Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approval of the Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act, S. 2055. The legislation would accelerate the development of new vaccines and medicines meant to protect American citizens from potential … Read More
The U.S. Army Contracting Command announced on Feb. 25 that it had awarded an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) to provide logistics support services to the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological … Read More
The 2016 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) kicked off on Friday to showcase college students from more than 180 schools in a contest to determine who best protects their computer network against real-world cyber attack scenarios. The contest begins … Read More
Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell on Friday hosted the 16th Annual Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) Ministerial Meeting, featuring officials from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the U.K., as well as the European Commission … Read More
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its travel and trade-related statistics for fiscal year 2015 on Monday. “I want to thank the men and women of CBP for their unrelenting commitment to our national security mission,” CBP Commissioner … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry arrested three suspects on Saturday in a failed smuggling attempt on March 1. A Canadian citizen, Leszek Budzyna, was charged with attempted alien smuggling and making … Read More
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced on Thursday that it has awarded a Phase 2 contract for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) X-Plane to Aurora Flight Sciences. The primary goal of the program is to change the way … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday the opening of a Global Entry Enrollment Center in Port Clinton that will operate as a center for processing applicants for CBP’s trusted traveler programs, including Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. … Read More
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published a study this week detailing the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) efforts to curb illegal immigration into the United States. The study stems from … Read More
A group of witnesses stood before members of the Financial Services Task Force to Investigate Terror Financing this week and said that despite the efforts of international regulatory bodies and other entities, no central body effectively counteracts terrorist financing. During … Read More
Avon Protection announced that it will showcase its chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear respiratory protection equipment services together along with its Argus range of thermal imaging cameras at Defexpo 2016. Over the last decade, the security risks that threatened the … Read More
Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced this week that they have developed a new simulation for drug-membrane permeability, increasing the production speed for nerve agent treatments. By using in-house supercomputers, LLNL researchers are simulating the energy requirements … Read More
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Wednesday about the continuing danger posed by Zika virus to the Americas and plans to respond to the virus both nationally and internationally. Zika virus is primarily spread through the … Read More
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced on Monday the discovery of one of the key ways the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) changes and adapts between patients, allowing for even more research on the complex condition. MERS-CoV … Read More
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) issued a warning on Monday to her colleagues regarding the future of food security and agro-terrorism. “An agroterrorism attack would impact the most basic of human needs—the food we eat. Furthermore, the food and agriculture … Read More
The National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced a discovery last week that a single monoclonal antibody isolated from a human Ebola virus disease survivor protected non-human primates from the virus. The antibody can now advance to testing … Read More
SIGA Technologies, Inc., announced on Wednesday that it had officially received FDA concurrence on its lead product, tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX and ST-246. Tecovirimat is an orally administered antiviral drug that targets orthopoxvirus-related diseases, including smallpox. The feedback from … Read More
In the wake of a series of cyber-ransom events, 11 of Korea’s top information security companies will be showcased this week at the Korea Pavilion at the 2016 RSA Conference in an effort to curb cybercrime across the globe. “The … Read More
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced a collaborative effort on Thursday to establish the “Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (CARB) Biopharmaceutical Accelerator” to help fight against antimicrobial resistance. The collaboration involves the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious … Read More
A subcommittee hearing chaired by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) on Thursday heard testimony from leading cybersecurity experts on the serious national security threats currently faced by the U.S. from other nation states and malicious cyber actors. The hearing, held … Read More
The Preparedness Summit announced on Thursday that it would hold a plenary session titled “Making Smart Choices: Disaster Risk Reduction at Home and Abroad” based on disaster risk prevention. The plenary session will be held on March 20 and will … Read More
The U.S. House of Representatives passed three key Homeland Security Committee bills on Tuesday. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced two bills, the Transportation Security Administration Reform and Improvement Act and the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act of 2016. … Read More
Tenable Network Security, Inc., announced on Monday that it is expanding its focus on the federal market by adding a new sales division to see the unique cybersecurity needs of federal customers. Tenable also announced that it has hired Darron … Read More
