Government
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is seeking federal assurances designed to enhance security and efficiency at the state’s airports.
The senator recently participated in a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing and used the forum to address concerns with Transportation... Read More »
A cooperative agreement will join Bell Helicopter, Textron Systems, Xwing and the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Center with NASA for a flight demonstration of unmanned aircraft systems in the National Airspace System (NAS).
The drone in question will utilize vertical take-off and... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released three recommendations to improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) risk-based grant assessment model.
Risk models are used to determine how to allot preparedness grants. States and urban areas considered higher... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) are asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) along with leading mobile providers to guarantee service to first responders during emergencies.
The California senators also asked the mobile service providers – specifically... Read More »
House lawmakers advanced this week a measure designed to bolster protections against state-sponsored cyber activity threats aimed at the United States.
The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act of 2018 protects the nation’s economy, elections, and infrastructure from cyber activity by establishing... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation this week that demands a U.S. strategy to bolster Taiwan’s diplomatic standing around the world.
The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI)... Read More »
In a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP/AMO) intercepted a low profile vessel last month which led to more than 2 tons of cocaine seized.
The estimated street value of the cocaine seized is approximately $54,938,000. Its... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently participated in a demonstration of the New York Police Department’s FIDO X-3 Explosive Trace Detection (ETD) system.
The demonstration was part of an event, funded by the National Institute of... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill this week to improve border security and prevent potential terrorists and dangerous criminals from entering the country.
The Biometric Identification Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Authorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 6439) would fully authorize... Read More »
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released Tuesday its latest report documenting terror threats from Islamist terrorists, noting the efforts are growing.
McCaul presented the September Terror Threat Snapshot as part of an ongoing effort to highlight... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued recommendations regarding the U.S. Coast Guard’s and Navy’s plan to invest up to $9.8 billion to build and maintain three heavy polar icebreakers.
The ships would be used to conduct missions in the Arctic and Antarctic, and a... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill this week to codify the continuous diagnostics and mitigation (CDM) program at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The bill, the Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act (H.R. 6443), would require the development of... Read More »
Law enforcement officials said the arrests of more than 20 individuals associated with the California-based Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang on assault and drug charges also yielded a cache of weapons.
Officials said the recent arrests in Mendota and Los Angeles, California, were issued on the... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) is is no longer in service, leaving boaters to turn to the new Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) app.
While float plans will no longer be accepted, existing SVRS numbers are still valid. They can be entered... Read More »
A ceremony at mission headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, recently commemorated the change in command from General John ''Mick'' Nicholson to General Austin Scott Miller.
Miller will oversee NATO’s and its operational partners’ efforts to develop effective and sustainable Afghan security... Read More »
Lockheed Martin recently won a $500 million, seven-year contract from the U.S. Navy to build more than 200 electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems (eCASS) to maximize aircraft readiness.
eCASS provides maintenance and repair capabilities for all naval aircraft, ship and submarine... Read More »
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) showed off a host of new technologies deployed to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) this week, from computed tomographic (CT) scanners to photo ID scan verifications.
The technologies are being tested at the airport’s Terminal 1... Read More »
Puerto Rico now hosts a new, $4.7 million marine unit facility of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s air and marine operations (AMO).
Located on nearly an acre of land, the facility plays host to a new 41-foot SAFE Boat, filled with safety equipment and electronic packages to enhance... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded nearly $3.5 million to three new research and development projects, which will examine ways improve the threat detection capabilities of current X-ray technologies for checked baggage... Read More »
The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) produced a new video for first responders to help them protect themselves from the presence of fentanyl on the job.
The video, called “Fentanyl: The Real Deal” is a companion training video to its Fentanyl Safety... Read More »
An Army soldier recently plead guilty to four federal counts of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Federal officials said Ikaika Erik Kang, 35, a Sergeant First Class stationed at Schofield... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will run a facial comparison technical demonstration for vehicle travelers this week at the Anzalduas International Bridge Port of Entry in McAllen, Texas.
The system will use a camera to take a picture of travelers entering and departing the United... Read More »
Protect the Force, Inc. was awarded $199,260 this week by the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for their efforts to create energy harvesting fabrics.
The photovoltaic (PV) materials generate electricity through exposure to light, taking it... Read More »
Raytheon researchers, in conjunction with the Defense Research Project Agency's (DARPA) Explainable Artificial Intelligence program (XAI), are developing a network designed to enhance the spectrum of artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
Raytheon officials said the technology firm is... Read More »
The U.S. government has invested more than $20 million since 2010 in terrorism prevention and intervention measures and in understanding how radicalization leads to violence.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the National Institute of... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and MITRE Corporation as a means of encouraging cybersecurity reforms.
The letters stem from an investigation last year into the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program. Signees include... Read More »
Four Senate Intelligence Committee members recently sent a letter to Tom Burt, president and CEO of Election Systems & Software (ES&S), urging the company to arrange independent testing of its election systems.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Kamala Harris (D-CA), James Lankford (R-OK), and Mark... Read More »
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced Monday legislation to deter and respond to state-sponsored malicious cyber activity against the United States.
The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act requires the administration to impose sanctions against all entities and persons... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced it has allocated $345 million for six fiscal year 2018 competitive preparedness grant programs. In June, more than $1.3 billion in noncompetitive grant funding was announced.
Preparedness grants are used to support the National... Read More »
Senate lawmakers have passed the 2019 Defense Appropriations Act, which officials said gives American troops a raise while strengthening the military and boosting national security.
Officials said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee,
spearheaded... Read More »
As San Antonio, Texas law enforcement returned or sought new homes for dogs from a shuttered dog training operation, one found a place with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“It was a most unusual circumstance, and we were notified that there might be some dogs that met the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at Washington Dulles International Airport recently used facial comparison biometric technology to foil an imposter’s effort to pose as a French citizen.
Officials said a 26-year-old man traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil, presented a French passport... Read More »
Over the next 15 months, BAE Systems will conduct modernization efforts of the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, as part of a $146.3 million contract awarded by the U.S. Navy.
Repairs and alterations will take place at a shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia beginning January 2019. The hope is to... Read More »
Nearly a year after the destruction of Hurricane Irma, FEMA has awarded nearly $3 billion in disaster assistance to Florida recovery efforts, with the most recent case being more than $2.7 million earmarked for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
Around 777,000 households have received... Read More »
An amendment to the fiscal year 2019 Defense Appropriations bill would transfer $40 million to the U.S. Department of State for the Global Engagement Center (GEC) to expose and counter foreign influence and propaganda.
The $40 million was allotted for fiscal year 2018 and has yet to be... Read More »
