Government
The Chicago Field Office (CFO) for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employs 32 canine teams – each consisting of a dog and its handler – to detect drugs at airports, post offices, and other border entry locations.
The dogs are typically one of three breeds -- Belgian Malinois, German... Read More »
Members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on Wednesday considered proposed updates to the nation’s law on preparing for and responding to national and global public health emergencies resulting from any chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) agent, toxin,... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said wildfire recovery funds are available via the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
The initiative spans Fire Management Assistance declarations for fiscal years 2017-2018 from Oct. 1, 2016, through Sept. 30, 2018, noting 85 events in 19... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists recently found a rare invasive pest known as Cerambycidae in a shipment of Persian limes at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry in Texas.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologists report that the pest, a member of... Read More »
As the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) prepares to shift its F-35 program into full-rate production, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on Tuesday recommends that Congress consider withholding funding until “key deficiencies” are addressed.
Slated for full-rate... Read More »
INTERPOL recently hosted a conference designed to spur discussion regarding the latest vehicle crime investigation patterns, new law enforcement technologies available to law enforcement, and challenges in vehicle supply chain security.
Officials said the INTERPOL Global Conference on Vehicle... Read More »
Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent John Pfeifer has retired from the U.S. Border Patrol, closing out a career that spanned 31 years.
“It has been my honor to serve as the Chief Patrol Agent for the past seven years,” said Pfeifer, who began his career in Uvalde, Texas, after entering on duty... Read More »
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) would be directed to establish a computerized, searchable database of gun records under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday.
The Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act would strike a current federal prohibition on the creation of a... Read More »
FLIR Systems has been awarded a $2.6 million order from the United States Army for airborne video surveillance units.
Specifically, FLIR will provide its Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS), which is used by soldiers for surveillance and reconnaissance.
The FLIR Black Hornet... Read More »
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led investigation has resulted in 11 individuals facing federal drug charges in multiple indictments.
Officials said the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics joined in the... Read More »
The San Diego portion of the border wall construction project is underway, just east of Border Field State Park.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the $147 million project, which replaces 14 miles of eight-to-10 foot high scrap metal wall with an 18-to-30 foot bollard-style wall... Read More »
A four-day training course coordinated by federal and territorial agencies in Puerto Rico last week culminated in a practice scenario that tested the ability of first responders and health care workers to respond to a simulated traffic crash that resulted in the release of chlorine gas.
The... Read More »
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon Co. and Kongsberg Gruppen a contract to manufacture and deliver a long-range precision missile for littoral combat ships and future frigates over-the-horizon weapons systems.
The $14.8 million contract for offensive missiles and a single fire control suite... Read More »
U.S. Marines along with members of the British army Commandos concluded their Red Dagger training exercises last week.
This year's exercise is the fifth iteration of the bilateral training program, which took place at Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, May 12-25. The exercise featured... Read More »
Homeland Security officials have increased the number of temporary non-agricultural worker visas as a means of aiding American businesses.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen said an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary visas would be available for Fiscal Year 2018, in addition to the... Read More »
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen visited multiple locations along the nation’s southwest border on Thursday, meeting with elected officials, local residents and representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. National Guard.
Nielsen was joined by... Read More »
Legislators in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives marked the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season Friday by introducing legislation that would dedicate $1 billion to improve the capacity and resilience of the nation’s evacuation routes.
The Enhancing the Strength and... Read More »
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) estimates to refurbish components of nuclear bombs were cost-effective and followed best practices, but the process could use improvements.
NNSA estimated that the cost to... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are anticipating forecasted record heat will heighten illicit border activity along the Rio Grande Valley.
CBP officials said the Rio Grande Valley has experienced a 67 percent increase in the disruption of stash houses and a 33 percent rise in the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced the winner of a biothreat competition, which called for the design of an early warning system that uses existing data sources to reveal emerging biothreats.
DHS S&T issued the $300,000 Hidden... Read More »
Information technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (Booz Allen) has been awarded a spot on the Program and Systems Support (PASS) professional services contract by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Corporate Business Office (CBO), the company announced on Tuesday.
Valued... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) facilitate better collaboration among first responders during emergencies.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf region in 2005, Congress passed a law... Read More »
At her swearing-in ceremony last week, CIA Director Gina Haspel highlighted the need for the agency to bolster its foreign language proficiency, build stronger partnerships and deploy more field officers.
Haspel, the first woman to lead the CIA in the agency’s 70-year history, was joined by... Read More »
FLIR Systems, Inc. introduced last week three new radar and thermal imaging systems that can be used by militaries and government border patrol agencies to detect objects on land and in the air, including microdrones.
The FLIR Ranger R8SS-3D and R8SS radars can provide mid-range detection... Read More »
Cellular service providers would be required to provide limited cell phone data to police departments in emergency situations like missing persons cases under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 24.
The Kelsey Smith Act is named for an 18-year-old woman who was abducted and murdered in... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is requesting input on concepts for advanced research, development, and demonstration of systems for military missions regarding national security.
The agency’s Tactical Technology Office will host a Virtual Proposers Day June 6-7 to... Read More »
With peak summer travel season approaching, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laredo Field Office will open additional traffic lanes and has encouraged travelers to secure tourist permits ahead of time and to enroll in trusted traveler programs to help reduce wait times.
CBP has also... Read More »
Highlighting the importance of “peace through strength,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced more than 30 amendments to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 during U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee markup, which concluded on May 24.
In total,... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to host an informational event on June 13 for those interested in participating in a new program that seeks to temporarily leverage the human body’s natural genetic responses to counter biological, chemical, and radiological threats.... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to enhance its approach to securing the federal government’s High Value Assets (HVAs) from cybersecurity threats.
DHS has worked for the past several years with federal agencies to identify, prioritize, and assess the cybersecurity needs of the... Read More »
A three-week Border Patrol operation west of Yuma, Arizona, between April and May yielded the arrests of 170 human trafficking suspects.
Special Operations Detachment (SOD) and Intelligence Border Patrol agents detected the suspects near the Imperial Sand Dunes. Operation Sandman apprehended a... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program recently announced that it awarded $2.94 million across 20 competitive research contracts to 19 small businesses in 10 states.
Each of the Phase I awardees will... Read More »
A Russian botnet that has infected about a half million routers used in homes and business around the world with malware was disrupted on Thursday by the FBI’s seizure of a key server.
Referred to by federal officials and cybersecurity experts as “VPNFilter,” the botnet has attacked... Read More »
In response to reports that President Donald Trump had canceled the planned June 12 summit with North Korea, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Thursday to maintain pressure by continuing talks, engaging the international community and upholding tougher sanctions.
Portman, a member of the... Read More »
A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review has found that most states meet performance standards for infectious disease threats related to safety and coordination of first responders, but states reported mixed results regarding electronic lab reporting, epidemiology capacity, and... Read More »
