Government
Attendees of the second annual Aviation Security Futures Workshop held in Reston, Va., addressed the central question of what airport security screening will look like in 20 years.
The workshop -- hosted by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate Apex Screening... Read More »
Robert Garcia recently was appointed chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol Swanton Sector along the U.S.-Canada border.
Garcia replaces Chief John C. Pfeifer who retired.
“It is a privilege to serve as the chief of Swanton Sector and to work alongside the dedicated and hardworking... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Digital Service (DDS) is opening a new cybersecurity workspace in Augusta, Ga., called Tatooine, named after the fictional Star Wars planet.
Tatooine is designed to house tech teams – including cyber soldiers and civilian technologists -- cultivate... Read More »
A U.S. government program designed to crowdsource digital security expanded this week through the awarding of three contracts to Silicon Valley-based firms: Bugcrowd, HackerOne, and Synack.
Hack the Pentagon, which awards cash bounties for bugs found in Department of Defense (DOD) websites and... Read More »
Recognizing the need for comprehensive cybersecurity programs, while also realizing the economic difficulties that hinder their development, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently formed a program to answer and address these issues.
S&T... Read More »
The West and Russia have increasingly different interpretations of strategic stability, according to a survey of U.S., Russian, and European experts conducted by the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
These differences increase the risk of miscalculation, nuclear competition, and escalation.... Read More »
Boeing subsidiary Tapestry Solutions has received an award to monitor contractors who move Army equipment and supplies throughout Kuwait.
Officials said the one year contract with one-year options calls for the deployment of Global Distribution Management System (GDMS) software in Kuwait and... Read More »
After two years of construction, Dayton International Airport unveiled its $1.5 million General Aviation Facility last week, opening the new facility for international aircraft and passenger arrival.
It brings Dayton into the international fold, as foreign aircraft and passengers had to... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded Pennsylvania more than $60 million in grant funding for firefighters.
“Every day, our first responders put themselves in harm’s way to help individuals and families, whether it’s responding to a medical emergency, fire, or... Read More »
Robotic Research, LLC of Maryland gained a three-year, $9 million military contract last week for work on Autonomous Unmanned Systems Teaming and Collaboration (AUSTC) for a variety of missions.
Robotic Research has worked with the U.S. Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) named last week Puerto Rican native Xavier Morales as the chief patrol agent of Ramey Sector -- the organization’s only station outside the continental United States and within Puerto Rican borders.
Morales is a 24-year veteran of CBP, entering service... Read More »
A ribbon cutting ceremony recently was held for the KC-135 Flight Deck Simulator at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base near Lockbourne, Ohio.
In 2016, the Ohio U.S. Congressional members sent a letter to Gen. Carlton Everhart III, Air Mobility Command, on behalf of the Ohio Air National Guard... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) recently introduced the Modern School Threat Reporting Act, which seeks to help schools address school safety concerns.
The legislation creates new grants for states to develop a mobile application that allows students and teachers to report threats to local law... Read More »
Hurricanes are a devastating reality for the U.S. coastline, but the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to reduce their threat through predictive and support technology.
The tools form several important roles in crisis response. For one,... Read More »
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City recently indicted William Clyde Allen, III, of Logan, Utah, on seven counts in connection with ricin-related threats.
While Allen pleaded not guilty, the indictment alleges Allen knowingly used ricin as a weapon, mailed a threat against President Donald... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) launched last week its Global Policing Goals and is encouraging the international law enforcement community to support them.
The Global Policing Goals serve as a framework for the international community to collectively address the... Read More »
SIGA Technologies announced this month that it has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases to study the post-exposure prophylactic use of TPOXX, a drug currently stockpiled by the U.S. government to treat smallpox outbreaks.
The Cooperative... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force 90th Cyberspace Operations Squadron has developed a training tool to help the force’s Cyber Protection Teams, which defends priority Department of Defense networks and systems against such malicious cyber-physical acts, prepare for cyberattacks.
The tool, called Bricks in... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice charged the largest number of violent crime and firearm defendants in its history in fiscal year 2018.
Citing data from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys (EOUSA), the Justice Department said the number of people criminal felony offenses increased by... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the Department of Defense upgrade Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) units' ability to operate and maintain U.S.-purchased equipment.
GAO officials said House Report 114-537 included a provision for the agency to review... Read More »
The South Texas-based Operation Stonegarden has united federal U.S. Border Patrol officers with state and local law enforcement agencies in an effort to enhance the area’s border security.
To date, they have rescued more than 120 aliens from stash houses and have seized weapons, drugs and... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen cybersecurity in healthcare systems and medical devices.
Together, the two agencies will seek to create greater coordination and cooperation on... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced the launch of a new voice-activated system to help first responders gather critical data while at the scene of an emergency.
The system, called AUDREY (Assistant for Understanding Data through Reasoning, Extraction, and Synthesis), is... Read More »
Federal law enforcement officials have unveiled a series of initiatives targeting transnational organized crime.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the effort stems from an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, which Sessions defined as... Read More »
An operation conducted jointly between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Caribbean Corridor Strike Force (CCSF) ended in the seizure of 2,325 pounds of cocaine from a vessel in Puerto Rico last week.
That cocaine has a street value of $29.6 million, all of it left aboard an... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently released a plan to expand the use of biometrics technology to enhance security and increase efficiency.
Biometric technology will speed up the passenger experience. The TSA and airlines currently verify traveler identity primarily by... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure designed to permanently re-authorize funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY),... Read More »
Both state and industry representatives from 25 nations gathered in Qatar earlier this month as part of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and collectively agreed to increase cooperation in the future.
“All chemical industries regardless of the size and scale need... Read More »
When two separate individuals attempted to enter the United States at the Port of San Luis in Arizona earlier this month, it was new facial comparison technology that identified inconsistencies between the passports and the people who stood before Customs and Border Protection (CBP)... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen recently hosted the second day of the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America, which focused on improving personal safety and security in the region.
Discussions included combating organized crime and gangs,... Read More »
The bill that would fund a roughly $23 billion wall along the southern border was introduced in Congress last week.
The Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act of 2018, H.R. 7059, also includes measures to cut off funds to sanctuary cities and facilitates the deportation of immigrant gang... Read More »
Department of Energy (DOE) officials said the agency has adopted national security measures designed to prevent China’s diversion of U.S. civil nuclear technology for military or other unauthorized purposes.
“The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China’s... Read More »
Javier Alfredo Valle Anaya, a former intelligence agent of a disbanded Colombian intelligence agency, was arrested Oct. 5 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigrating under false pretenses.
The former agent was convicted and wanted in Colombia for the 2004 murders of a... Read More »
Ballistic imaging equipment used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) recently was deployed in 22 state and local law enforcement agencies.
NIBIN is the nation’s only crime gun ballistic network. It... Read More »
A group of Democratic U.S. Senators are calling on the Trump Administration to look into reports of Chinese government efforts to secretly manipulate U.S. technology.
The request is in response to an Oct. 4 article in Bloomberg Businessweek that said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)... Read More »
