Countermeasures
Legislation securing undersea cables introduced in Congress
U.S. Reps. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) and U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced legislation safeguarding the U.S. submarine cable infrastructure Thursday. The legislation, the Undersea Cable Protection Act, would ensure deployment and maintenance of undersea cables, while... Read More »
Defense Department announces Software vendors to support Replicator Initiative
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit announced Wednesday contract awards for several software developers contracts in support of the unit’s Replicator Initiative. Officials said the vendors will play a key role in enhancing the DoD’s efforts toward resilient command... Read More »
Pennsylvania Attorney General Henry, state police announce charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers
Attorney General Michelle Henry along with the Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police have announced charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers who allegedly used firearms to protect their trafficking operation in the greater Philadelphia area. Dozens of search warrants were... Read More »
Coast Guard offloads 29,000 pounds of cocaine in San Diego
The crew of a Coast Guard cutter recently offloaded in San Diego more than 29,000 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of $335.8 million, following 11 suspected drug smuggling vessel interdictions or events in September and October off the coasts of Mexico, Central America, and South America.... Read More »
Legislation introduced to address foreign supply chain threats
Legislation aimed at addressing security threats to the nation’s supply chain was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) Monday. The legislation, the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act, would improve the effectiveness of the Federal... Read More »
DARPA, U.S. Army join forces to evaluate Cyber Threat Detection technologies
Recently, major military organizations came together to test and evaluate new cyber threat detection technologies, the agencies said Monday. As part of a joint operation with the U.S. Army Cyber Command Technical Warfare Center, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the... Read More »
Legislation would prevent individuals with ties to Hamas from entering country
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would prevent any migrant tied to Hamas from entering the United States. The No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act would prohibit any migrant who carried out, participated in, planned, financed, afforded material support... Read More »
CBP testing facial biometrics at Canada, U.S. crossing
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun testing facial biometrics for travelers entering the United States in select vehicle lanes at the Peace Bridge Port of Entry between Fort Erie, Canada, and Buffalo, N.Y. Simplified Arrival-Vehicle Biometric uses facial biometrics to automate... Read More »
Bill authorizing new VA facilities advances Senate
Legislation authorizing several new construction projects for the Veterans Affairs medical facilities passed in the U.S. Senate on Friday. The legislation, Fiscal Year 2024 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester... Read More »
DOD awards winners of hypersonic prototypes challenge
The Department of Defense (DOD) recently named California-based Castelion Corp. and Massachusetts-based Specter Aerospace as the winners of the Hypersonic Accelerated Manufactured Prototype Demonstration (Hyper-AMPD!) prize challenge. Each company receives $250,000. The two-phase project sought... Read More »
CISA launches Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the agency tasked with cyber defense and the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, recently launched Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (CISR) Month. CISA uses CISR Month to educate and engage the... Read More »
U.S., Canada and Finland to build Artic, polar icebreakers
Building off of landmark agreements signed in July, the governments of the United States, Canada and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to start work on developing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers. The MOU covers the exchange of knowledge, information and resources in... Read More »
Autonomous Black Hawk helicopter targets wildfire flames in demonstration
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and Rain, California-based autonomous aerial wildfire containment technology company, recently demonstrated how autonomous Black Hawk helicopters can be used to fight fires. During the 30-minute flight demonstration, a helicopter using Sikorsky’s MATRIX... Read More »
Republican senators request policy shift toward Qatar
A coalition of Republican senators is requesting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of State to reverse American diplomatic policies toward the state of Qatar. Citing Qatar’s hospitality toward Hamas and Hamas’ role in the killing of several U.S. citizens during the... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee panel urges inclusion of military quality of life provisions in National Defense Authorization
Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include their recommendations in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. The panel, led by U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (RNE) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), said erosions... Read More »
DHS, Japan partner for technical research and development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) recently signed a joint statement of intent for collaborative research, development and foreign technical exchanges. Under... Read More »
RTX awarded DARPA cyber resiliency contract
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded RTX’s BBN Technologies a contract Thursday that will support the agency’s Compartmentalization and Privilege management (COM) program. The CPM worker to enhance cyber resilience by automatically subdividing software systems into... Read More »
Two autonomous surveillance towers added in the Big Bend Sector
The U.S. Border Patrol recently deployed two additional autonomous surveillance towers (ASTs) in the Texas Big Bend Sector to improve border security operations. ASTs detect and monitor movement in remote and rugged terrain. Using artificial intelligence, they have the ability to differentiate... Read More »
TSA establishes cyber risk management programs for railroads, pipelines
A new rule proposed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will establish cyber risk management and reporting requirements for pipeline and railroad owners and operators. In a proposed rule published as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the TSA said Wednesday that it would continue... Read More »
Bipartisan efforts seeks to crack down on Iran funding crime in United States
U.S Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced a bipartisan effort to crack down on individuals committing or attempting to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of Iran and other foreign adversaries. The Congresswomen said Iran has allegedly paid criminal... Read More »
Sen. Peters applauds Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese individuals in United States
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decided Oct. 17 to offer Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 11,000 Lebanese individuals currently in the United States, a move applauded by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee... Read More »
National Emergency Response Information System launches
The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) launched on Monday. The system is a cloud-based platform that will provide fire and EMS departments and first responders with more accurate and actionable post-incident information. NERIS captures incident data and provides analytic... Read More »
CISA releases international strategic plan
In a proactive move, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its first comprehensive plan focusing on how the agency will engage international partners to strengthen infrastructure security and resilience. The 2025-2026 International Strategic Plan supports CISA’s... Read More »
Air Force launches new initiative to change how projects are funded across the branch
The U.S. Air Force recently launched a new initiative to change how projects are funded and fostered across the service. The Squadron Innovation Fund (SIF) Marketplace is a virtual platform that allows airmen to develop and support innovative ideas that address operational challenges and improve... Read More »
Treasury, CFIUS issues rule on real estate transactions around military bases
The U.S. Treasury Department added nearly 60 military installations across the country to the areas over which the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has jurisdiction. CFIUS, working in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense, issued the final rule that expands... Read More »
CBP officials seize more than $2.1M in cocaine at Eagle Pass Port in Texas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations officers seized more than $2.1 million in cocaine in a single enforcement action on Wednesday at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Eagle Pass, Texas. A CBP officer referred a tractor trailer for secondary inspection at the... Read More »
Bipartisan delegation travels to Middle East amid rising instability concerns
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, recently led a bipartisan delegation to the Middle East amid concerns about rising threats and instability. The Congressional delegation of Cole and U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), John Rutherford (R-FL), Ed Case (D-HI),... Read More »
Federal agencies come together to train first responders on lithium-ion battery risks
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) joined other agencies this week to train first responders on the safety risks posed by lithium-ion batteries. In collaboration with the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the Fire Department of the city of... Read More »
Commerce secretary appoints members to FirstNet Authority board
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo recently appointed 11 public safety, technology, and business leaders to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) board of directors. FirstNet Authority is an independent entity within the Department of Commerce’s National... Read More »
Lockheed Martin receives $113M naval contract for full rate production of SEWIP systems
Naval Sea Systems Command recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $113 million contract for the production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6 and AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 systems. The contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and the Japanese government under... Read More »
Agreement bolsters national security-focused collaboration on offshore wind development
A new agreement signed Tuesday will ensure offshore wind development does not hinder national security. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will make certain the two agencies collaborate so that offshore... Read More »
California Highway Patrol launches San Bernardino operation
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) recently begun operation in San Bernardino. The CHP’s operation will provide the San Bernardino Police Department with additional investigative support, and will target stolen vehicles and sideshow activities. Sideshows are unsanctioned and illegal events... Read More »
U.S. DoD awards Royal Philips with contract for threat exposure algorithm
Royal Philips will accelerate the predictive health monitoring of the Rapid Analysis of Threat Exposure (RATE) algorithm for active service personnel now that the U.S. Department of Defense has invested in it. Following a successful development and pilot program, the RATE technology using... Read More »
Bipartisan senators urge increase in maximum number of authorized H-2B visas
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor, urging the agencies to release the maximum number of Congressionally-authorized H-2B visas for fiscal year 2025. The H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Visa Program allows... Read More »