Government
In all, seven awards were recently announced under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) program, bringing $192.5 million to bear for the creation of domestic, critical chemical manufacturing capabilities.
Each award was given as a contract, and... Read More »
Despite legal obligations, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has delayed expanding its PreCheck program to underserved areas and reportedly opened itself to security breaches, earning the ire of two senators this week.
United States Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD)... Read More »
In a recent vote, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Competition Act advanced its way out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, leaving the Senate to consider its push to prepare federal employees for cybersecurity threats.
“By ensuring our nation has a... Read More »
After an initial five-year buildout, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board recently voted to invest further into the public safety broadband network, expanding and fully transitioning it to a fully 5G network.
“The FirstNet Authority is making a major investment in... Read More »
Updates are coming to the H-1B visa program, under a final rule recently released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that sought to beef up integrity measures for registration, emphasize a beneficiary-centric selection process and provide new codifications.
H-1B... Read More »
In a bid to protect firefighters from fire-related hazards, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened applications for the 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program this week, dangling $324 million for safety measures.
“As a former firefighter, I know the hazards and... Read More »
BAE Systems will continue production first begun in 2017, thanks to a new $418 million contract with the United States Army for sets of M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers and M992A3 ammunition carriers.
That contract will run through 2025, ultimately supplying the military with the most current... Read More »
The U.S. Justice Department recently concluded a series of nearly 200 arrests across the country as part of a large-scale operation against drug-trafficking organizations.
The cases spanned four districts and 10 states, as part of a calculated approach by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices – and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) recently introduced the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act to overhaul how emergency response is handled.
Specifically, the bill would repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently opened an application period for its Emergency Manager Exchange (EMX) program, giving state, local, Tribal and territorial governments to send emergency managers to FEMA offices.
Participants will work for six months stints, networking,... Read More »
Seeking to keep adversaries’ hands off sensitive American genetic data, a bipartisan and bicameral group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act of 2024 and took aim at certain biotechnology companies’ practices.
“Every... Read More »
A new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-U is scheduled to launch this spring, marking the last of four planned National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites.
The satellite arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week, following its... Read More »
Eying ways to improve cybersecurity among healthcare operations nationwide, the U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released new voluntary performance goals and a new gateway website this week.
“We have a responsibility to help... Read More »
As part of its ongoing Remote Identity Validation Technology Demonstration (RIVTD), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently began a third track of challenges for identity verification technologies.
Those challenges will help S&T and its... Read More »
With the recent introduction of the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Competition Act, United States Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Braun (R-IN) sought to get ahead of cybersecurity threats with improvements to the national President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition.
“As foreign... Read More »
As a way to fill gaps in its ranks, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently upped its recruitment incentives for agents to as much as $30,000 for those who entered duty on or after Jan. 8, 2024.
Additional incentives were also potentially offered for applicants who took on... Read More »
Continuing a fight against the Chinese-owned mobile application TikTok that has stretched since the Trump administration, two House committee leaders recently wrote to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to demand updates on ongoing investigations.... Read More »
Pushing to counter Chinese dominance of critical minerals, a bipartisan group of senators recently introduced the Critical Minerals Security Act to shore up what they saw as information gaps, evaluate the global supply chain and pull domestic industry away from Chinese industry.
The Critical... Read More »
Although marijuana is becoming increasingly legal state-by-state across the country, House chairs related to homeland security called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently to discuss Chinese-operated farms.
These elicit farms, their... Read More »
Concerned about cybersecurity risks posed by Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released guidance about those threats and advice on safeguards.
The Cybersecurity Guidance:... Read More »
As a modification of an Indefinite Duration, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, Northrop Grumman Corporation is at work on a new mobile ground station technology under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Maritime Targeting Cell – Expeditionary contract (MTC-X).
“We designed this... Read More »
A new road for how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) interacts with Tribal nations may be in store, following the first in-person meeting of the Tribal Homeland Security Advisory Council (THSAC) and Tribal leaders’ recommendations on policies and practices that affect their... Read More »
On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Bob Casey and Mark Kelly (both D-AZ) introduced legislation to address the fentanyl crisis by stopping it at the southern border.
The legislation, the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, would increase staffing capacity, as well as add technology to... Read More »
Criticizing a provision in the proposed national security supplemental funding bill, more than a dozen Senate Democrats sponsored a bill this week that would maintain Congressional oversight of military assistance funding for Israel.
Introduced by U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), the bill would... Read More »
In a new report, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said its 2023 was a significant year for improved transportation security.
On Friday, the TSA said the agency had made strides in its effectiveness, efficiency and enhanced passenger experience. Over 2023, TSA screened more than... Read More »
Ten Republican senators opened a new front last week with introduction of the Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly (CONTAINER) Act.
In theory, that bill draws on the Constitution’s provided right for states to defend themselves. It is untested legal... Read More »
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently chose the University of Alaska to head up a consortium of academic, industry, government, lab and community partners for a new ADAC-ARCTIC Center of Excellence, awarding it $46 million for the... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported this week that it intercepted 6,737 firearms people attempted to take through airport security checkpoints and onto aircraft in 2023.
It is the highest total on record, topping 2022’s record 6,542 firearms, which was itself... Read More »
Using her 2024 State of the State address this week as a springboard, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced new initiatives on crime and public safety, including crackdowns on retail theft and gun violence, and support for both domestic violence and hate crime prosecution.
“If government... Read More »
For Law Enforcement Appreciation Day this week, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a 2024 Law Enforcement Resource Guide for state, local, tribal, territorial and campus law enforcement to check for training and resource support.
It was the third annual release of... Read More »
A service member in the U.S. Navy was sentenced this week to 27 months in prison and fined $5,500 for taking bribes and transmitting sensitive military information to an intelligence officer from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The court named the sentenced as Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao... Read More »
In a ceremony held in conjunction with the annual Department of Defense Maintenance Symposium in San Diego California last month, the department handed out the Phoenix Award for Maintenance Excellence to the U.S. Air Force’s 18th Maintenance Group.
The award honored the Japan-based group for... Read More »
Since the 2022 implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that, as of December 2023, it had stopped more than 500 unlawful firearm purchases by people under 21 years old.
“In the 19 months since the passage of the Bipartisan... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) this week solicited the public for ideas on synthetic data generation.
This data would model and replicate the shape and patterns of real data, but in a more secure fashion the department could use to... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) last week announced up to $70 million would be made available for projects working to improve the energy sector’s security.
The security improvements, addressing both physical and... Read More »
