Government
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) launched Tuesday the Hidden Signals Challenge, a competition that seeks ideas for novel uses of existing data to discover emerging biothreats.
The competition offers a $300,000 prize.
“This Challenge is... Read More »
A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently said that Romania has significantly strengthened its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, which included the approval of a National Strategy on Nuclear Safety and Security (NSNSS).
Conducted by... Read More »
According to a recently published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should use sound program management and oversight practices in its technology infrastructure modernization (TIM) plan to avoid repeating past... Read More »
Raytheon’s Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) defense system recently intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target at sea during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led multinational operational demonstration off the coast of Scotland.
The demonstration, called Formidable Shield 17, was... Read More »
Air passenger travel is steadily increasing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and with an influx of passengers comes the need for more highly trained canines to protect the public and support law enforcement, experts say.
The FAA reports in an aerospace forecast that passenger... Read More »
A jury in Manhattan federal court returned a guilty verdict Monday against Ahmad Khan Rahimi on all eight counts of the indictment that charged him with offenses related to his execution and attempted execution of bombings in New York City on September 17, 2016.
Rahimi faces a mandatory... Read More »
A group of House Energy and Commerce Committee members sent a letter Monday to the General Services Administration (GSA) to request information on its data security vetting for awarding government contracts.
The committee members also sent a letter recently to the Internal Revenue Service... Read More »
The Government of Nigeria recently announced the launch of a 10-day campaign aimed at immunizing 873,837 people against yellow fever in the states of Kwara and Kogi.
Beginning on Oct. 13, the effort mobilized more than 200 health workers and volunteers to immunize individuals between the ages of... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced a week-long event to challenge teams from academia, industry, and the software defined radio (SDR) enthusiast community through a series of hacking sessions called the DARPA Bay Area SDR Hackfest on Nov. 17.
According to... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) recently wrote a letter to the director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), following the first case of locally transmitted Zika in 2017, asking the organization to prioritize Zika prevention efforts.
"The Zika outbreak isn't over and continues... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced a $750,000 Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR) Phase II contract awarded to BlueRISC, Inc. in Amherst, Massachusetts, for the development of a malware attack prediction and identification solution.
“The growth in the frequency,... Read More »
The Seychellois Ministry of Health recently notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a probable case of pneumonic plague emanating from a man who visited Madagascar, which has been experiencing an outbreak of plague in its major cities and other non-endemic areas since August of this... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers stationed at the Santa Teresa Port of Entry in New Mexico recently made a seizure of 9.5 pounds of heroin in a single incident.
The seizure occurred on Oct. 12 when a 28-year old male Mexican citizen driving a... Read More »
Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently convened with representatives from state and federal agencies for the first Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Election Infrastructure Subsector.
Joining DHS were representatives from the Election Assistance... Read More »
Several security and health organizations recently launched an initiative to reduce the use of risk-significant radioactive source-based devices in medical and research applications in order to reduce the risk of terrorists acquiring this material.
Radioactive sources are used in various... Read More »
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, a privately funded group established in 2014 to ascertain the current biodefense capabilities of the United States and issue expert recommendations to encourage change, has grown increasingly worried about microbial forensics and biological... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently released October’s Terror Threat Snapshot, a monthly assessment of terror threats and efforts to combat them.
The report noted there have been at least 483 plots, attacks, and arrests linked to Islamist extremism targeting... Read More »
Officials with U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) recently said they have begun executing a new limited acquisition authority to speed up its acquisitions processes for cyber-specific tools.
The command awarded its first contract under its new authority of Sept. 29, which covers technology-related... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) faces various challenges in implementing its public safety broadband network, according to a recent review conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO was tasked by Congress to asses FirstNet’s efforts to establish the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) gathered together first responders and public safety professionals earlier this month for a summit focused on flood resiliency.
It was the third annual gathering of the National Geospatial Preparedness Summit (NGPS). It... Read More »
In an effort to help federal agencies identify biodefense capabilities and identify priorities for spending, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study Wednesday tracking national activities that contribute to biological threat awareness.
Key players involved in the study... Read More »
Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. announced Wednesday that it delivered the first doses of its treatment for inhalational anthrax, ANTHIM (obiltoxaximab) Injection, to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS).
The company is providing the treatment to the SNS, the U.S. government’s store of... Read More »
Reps. Norma J. Torres (D-CA), Bradley S. Schneider (D-IL), and Eliot L. Engel (D-NY) introduced a bill Wednesday that would require federal firearms licensees to report the sale of two or more long guns within a five-day period.
This requirement already exists for handguns, but long guns, such... Read More »
The U.S. Border Patrol, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney Office for the District of Vermont, recently announced criminal charges for three individuals connected to a 15-person human smuggling attempt in Derby, Vermont.
Hector Ramon Perez-Alvarado, a 25-year old Honduran citizen, was charged... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Wednesday it would conduct a technical demonstration of facial recognition biometric technology at one Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for 30 days.
As part of the... Read More »
Looking to a drug already on the market for treating thrombocytopenia, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has joined a private corporation in evaluating its use against radiation injuries.
The drug in question is approved for use to treat low blood platelet counts resulting... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations at Charleston Seaport as well as local, state, federal law enforcement and emergency services agencies recently participated in a training session aboard the Carnival Ecstasy cruise ship.
The training session, led by CBP,... Read More »
Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) recently wrote to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to ask for an evaluation of the resiliency of the United States’ wireless networks.
Pallone requested that the commission review the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently unsealed federal terrorism charges against three men who allegedly plotted attacks in New York City in summer 2016 in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which were ultimately stopped by law enforcement.
The three men, a 19-year... Read More »
Amendments to the Border Security for America Act that include provisions to conduct thorough threat assessments, equip front-line agents with the latest technology and ensure accountability from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were recently passed by the House Homeland Security... Read More »
A joint project between private, academic and military interests has the potential to make screening and treating populations for infectious diseases easier and safer.
The $11.7 million multi-year project, to create a new universal surveillance platform for infectious disease outbreaks, will be... Read More »
Democratic Senators introduced Wednesday a bill regarding the ban the sale of accessories that accelerate the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons, such as those used by the gunman during the shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday.
This bill would prohibit the sale, transfer, importation,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) agents stationed at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas recently seized approximately $4,199,321 worth of alleged methamphetamine and marijuana in separate incidents.
The first incident began on Sept.... Read More »
The U.S. State Department needs to improve data collection and participant oversight of its Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program, according to a recently published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO was tasked by Congress to examine the State Department’s... Read More »
A bipartisan bill that would establish a bug bounty program using “white hat” ethical hackers to search for and identify vulnerabilities within U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) networks was recently advanced by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.... Read More »
