The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently exercised an operation for the evaluation of Soligenix, Inc.’s ricin toxin vaccine, called RiVax, to fund additional animal efficacy studies. RiVax is a recombinant heat-stable subunit vaccine that contains a … Read More
Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (ETC) recently passed their subcommittee mark for the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes provisions for cybersecurity, counterterrorism initiatives, and defense innovation. According to … Read More
Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently gave a speech to key U.S. State Department officials in a commemorative event to mark the Chemical Weapons Convention’s (CWC) 20th anniversary during his visit to … Read More
Efforts to protect the nation’s agriculture sector and food supply against terrorist attacks and high-risk events would be ratched up under a bill that the House approved on Monday. The Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act, H.R. 1238, would direct … Read More
A Pandemic Influenza Plan released last week outlines areas of focus over the next decade and concludes that seasonal flu preparedness efforts must be stepped up in response to “the continually changing nature” of influenza viruses. The Pandemic Influenza Plan … Read More
Raytheon Company’s advanced Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Block IA, an offensive and defensive missile system, aced its final land-based test this week after engaging and destroying a subsonic target from a test site in southern New Mexico. With this success, the … Read More
Legislation from U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that supports the nation’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terror attacks and emergencies cleared the House Homeland Security Committee last week as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act. … Read More
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Hungary conducted a 36-hour, international exercise this week to test the global emergency response to a nuclear power plant accident, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. The exercise involved 82 IAEA Member … Read More
The first nationwide high-speed network for first responders edged closer to launching this week with the release of individual state plans by AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to help expedite the network’s buildout. Officials will have up … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations agents stationed at the El Paso Port of Entry in Texas recently made a seizure of 36.7 pounds of crystal methamphetamine during a single traffic stop. The incident began as … Read More
Bavarian Nordic recently announced that a request for proposal from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will be issued for the procurement of lyophilized Imvamune, a freeze dried version of the company’s smallpox vaccine. The vaccine is currently … Read More
In response to President Trump’s proposed FY2018 budget, which calls for approximately $847 million in cuts to grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote a public letter that strongly urged against … Read More
A newly-developed Ebola virus disease (EVD) vaccine was found to be well-tolerated with no safety concerns, according to a Phase 1 randomized clinical trial conducted by a team of researchers led by the Canadian Immunization Research Network. The vaccine used … Read More
Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently met with senior Chinese government officials during an official OPCW visit to China to deliver a lecture of chemical weapons destruction and the threat of chemical … Read More
In response to recent reports of an increase in assaults against law enforcement officials across the country, U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) recently called for an investigation into ways to increase safety for agents within Immigration … Read More
A bacterium called Wolbachia may prevent mosquitoes from transmitting deadly flaviviruses such as dengue fever and Zika virus, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Indiana University-Bloomington (IU). According to the study, which was published in a … Read More
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will soon be demonstrating new computed tomography (CT) scanners at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Logan International Airport in Boston over the course of the month. The technology will strengthen threat detection … Read More
Three amendments, authored by U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), were included in the recently-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Act of 2017 by the U.S. House of Representatives, each of which addresses a specific challenge in disaster … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint inspection site along Interstate 15 in Temecula, California recently seized more than 100 pounds of alleged cocaine in a single incident. The situation began as officers encountered a 2000 Infinity QX4 SUV … Read More
In the wake of a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which found that Zika infection during any trimester of a pregnancy can lead to severe birth defects, the Association of State and Territorial … Read More
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (R-FL) recently sent a letter to U.S. Army Acting Secretary Robert Spencer seeking assurances that the vaccine will be affordable for U.S. patients as they need it. The request was made prior to the U.S. Army … Read More
During a meeting of the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program, various scientists and experts from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partner countries recently examined opportunities for cooperation to address emerging security-related challenges. Organized in conjunction with the Norwegian … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed along various ports of entry in southern California recently seized more than 540 pounds of illicit narcotics over a series of incidents throughout the weekend. In total, agents seized more than 372 … Read More
Beginning this week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be assessing new checkpoint screening technology at a designated TSA PreCheck lane at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. The assessment is part of a proof-of-concept demonstration to evaluate both the … Read More
AT&T recently selected Motorola Solutions to provide a variety of mobile applications, software and services as part of its rollout of the first nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network for first responders. AT&T was chosen as the developer of the … Read More
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an organization within the U.S. Department of Commerce, recently awarded $38.5 million for 33 different research and development projects that seek to advance broadband communication technologies for first responders. The grants are … Read More
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology recently held a hearing to assess cybersecurity risks within wireless technologies and the networks to which they connect. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who chairs the subcommittee, said the … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector in Texas recently rescued 59 undocumented immigrants over the course of three incidents. The first incident occurred on June 2, when a tractor-trailer approached agents at the Highway 35 Checkpoint. After … Read More
Brianna Willis, a Texas A&M University graduate and current intern at Kansas State University’s (K-State) National Agricultural Biosecurity Center (NABC), was recently selected by her alma mater to participate as one of six interns in its Institute for Infectious Animal … Read More
A Latvian man was recently extradited from Poland to face charges in Minneapolis regarding his involvement in a “scareware” hacking scheme, which targeted the website of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and caused millions of dollars in losses. Peteris Sahurovs, known by … Read More
In a public letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), a group of Democratic House members requested that the committee hold a hearing regarding the country’s ability to be prepared for and respond to … Read More
Smiths Detection, a manufacturer of threat detection and screening technologies for military and homeland security applications, recently received explosives detection system (EDS) cabin baggage (CB) approvals for three of its scanners from the European Union (EU). After its HI-SCAN 6040aTiX … Read More
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted fast track designation for Aeolus Pharmaceuticals’ treatment to prevent respiratory failure among patients at risk for radiation pneumonitis following a radiological incident which often leads to acute radiation syndrome (Lung-ARS). Fast … Read More
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, the Battle Memorial Institute, and Priority Designs recently partnered to produce an improved protective mask against biological agents for soldiers in the field. The … Read More
The Commission for the Settlement of Disputes Related to Confidentiality, a subsidiary of the Conference of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), recently named Alireza Jahangiri as its new chairperson during a recent meeting at the Organization for … Read More
