Government
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) recently introduced legislation designed to enhance U.S.- Ukraine cooperation and address effective deterrence from Russian aggression.
The U.S.-Ukraine Security Cooperation Enhancement Act provides specific lethal military assistance including... Read More »
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Air Force recently collaborated to address the national aircrew shortage.
The partners will work to reduce barriers for entering the pilot career field, increase the number of pilots, leverage technology to improve pilot training to meet the... Read More »
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan signed last week a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Guatemalan Ministry of Government to address factors driving irregular migration from Guatemala and combat human smuggling.
The MOC is an agreement between the Department of Homeland... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a 10-year, $535 million contract to Emergent BioSolutions Inc. for the supply of Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous (VIGIV) into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile in support of smallpox preparedness.
VIGIV is the only... Read More »
Department of Justice authorities are crediting Operation Dark Gold,
the first nationwide undercover operation targeting darknet vendors, with yielding a series of illegal drug dealing indictments.
Authorities said Sean Shaughnessy, 51, of Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, was charged by a federal... Read More »
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) personnel are espousing the benefits of the recently completed Joint Innovation Battle Lab (JIBL), an exercise targeting integration of operations, intelligence, and technology.
“Our technology is cutting-edge and we’re excited to showcase it,” Matt Avery,... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives recently introduced legislation that addresses academic espionage at institutions of higher education.
The bipartisan Securing American Science and Technology Act of 2019 would standardize how federal agencies deal with academic espionage.
“There... Read More »
There have been 971 cases of measles in the United States thus far in 2019, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is the highest number of cases in the United States since 1992 when 963 cases were reported for the whole year. The CDC has been... Read More »
Air Force and Navy personnel have announced the transfer of responsibility for future narrowband satellite communications, which officials said develops an integrated space enterprise architecture.
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer recently... Read More »
Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated at the 72nd World Health Assembly this week that continued breakdowns in communication, data, and planning are hindering an effective response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
That outbreak, which has... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently changed its performance management systems for uniformed TSA officers to improve how performance is measured and recognized as well as to simplify the process.
The changes were based on feedback from transportation security officer... Read More »
A multi-state operational exercise on how to respond to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near Memphis will feature the participation of federal, local and international authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
The Federal Emergency Management... Read More »
The United States’ ability to manage health emergencies has steadily improved over the last six years, according to a nationwide index of health security.
The 2019 National Health Security Preparedness Index, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), analyzes 129 different... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the newly created Border Patrol Processing Coordinator position would prove valuable in freeing agents for critical law enforcement operations.
“I am committed to providing the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol the resources they need to... Read More »
A collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), TDA Research Inc and Avon Protection Systems has yielded a new filtration system for first responders.
The new system is lower maintenance and, according to its creators, able to reduce... Read More »
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently announced DHS has created a Homeland Security Advisory Council subcommittee to focus on threats faced by religious institutions and places of worship.
The subcommittee will be comprised of academics, emergency and... Read More »
Tapestry Solutions, a subsidiary of Boeing, got a 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide weapon planning software (WPS) for the U.S. military and allied forces.
The software is designed to help military officials plan missions, including routes, threats, and points for weapons... Read More »
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently reintroduced The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, which is designed to strengthen Taiwan’s world standing in response to increased Chinese... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a legislative amendment prohibiting the Department of Defense from procuring firefighting foam containing per and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS).
The revision served as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers made three narcotics seizures last week.
The first seizure occurred May 20 at the Calexico East port of entry between Calexico, Calif., and Mexicali, Mexico.
A canine team detected 64 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of... Read More »
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing last week that examined the use of facial recognition technology and the need for oversight on how it is used on the public.
Facial recognition technology – which analyzes faces to identify individuals -- is growing in use by the... Read More »
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents recently joined Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and Mexico’s Federal Police Force to thwart an illicit scouting network on the border.
The four-day operation yielded the seizure of more than 250 pounds of narcotics, assault weapons, and... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted the first test to locate Zika antibodies in human blood to be marketed.
The ZIKV Detect 2.0 IgM Capture ELISA is the first Zika diagnostic test that has been authorized for marketing in the United States. Until now, 18 other active tests... Read More »
Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) recently sent a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials expressing concern over a plan to divert personnel to the nation’s southern border.
The TSA plans to divert 40 air marshals to the southern border to work with... Read More »
The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was approved out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, authorizes full funding for two projects at the Fort Drum military base in Upstate New York.
The NDAA includes funding for a new railhead and a new Unmanned Aerial... Read More »
Although the technology is still undergoing tests, Air Force officials are touting the benefits of the Space Fence system, which detected the breakup field from an India anti-satellite test.
The event occurred during a recent scheduled endurance exercise of the new space surveillance radar,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Smart Cities Internet of Things Innovation (SCITI) Labs program is entering its second phase.
“SCITI Labs and the commercial-first approach allow DHS to integrate and apply new prototype technologies from... Read More »
A California federal grand jury indicted Wednesday Mark Steven Domingo for planning to bomb a rally in Long Beach in late April.
The former U.S. Army infantryman was charged with providing material support to terrorists and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Domingo expressed in... Read More »
The House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee recently conducted a hearing to examine animal pest disease prevention and response, determining U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congressional coordination is needed.
“The livestock industry faces pest and disease... Read More »
A group of lawmakers introduced this week legislation designed to address the short-term, medium-term, and long-term challenges to detecting, treating, and eventually eliminating Valley Fever.
Valley Fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides and... Read More »
In an assessment of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a planned Defense Department upgrade to a new system known as OCX, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found efforts will most likely continue to be delayed.
The upgrade has already faced around five years of delays, but... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently conducted a successful test of its Burn Saver technology.
“Burn Saver is a device S&T developed to give first responders an early warning when they are in a thermal environment that may cause... Read More »
Legislation that would increase immunization rates across the country to prevent future outbreaks of contagious diseases was introduced in Congress this week.
The Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act will give the Center for Disease... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies through research in computational intelligence, reasoning, decision-making, autonomy, and relevant societal implications.
The agreement with MIT includes... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently created an education module
to help clinicians recognize the early signs of and diagnose Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).
The bite of an infected tick spreads RMSF. Symptoms include headache, fever, and sometimes a rash.... Read More »
