Government
As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) locks in its budget priorities, on the potential chopping block is the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)—a potentially devastating public health concern, one expert says.
That center, which aided governmental response... Read More »
Three amendments, authored by U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), were included in the recently-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Act of 2017 by the U.S. House of Representatives, each of which addresses a specific challenge in disaster response, oversight and... Read More »
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint inspection site along Interstate 15 in Temecula, California recently seized more than 100 pounds of alleged cocaine in a single incident.
The situation began as officers encountered a 2000 Infinity QX4 SUV driven by an unnamed 46-year old man.... Read More »
During a meeting of the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program, various scientists and experts from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partner countries recently examined opportunities for cooperation to address emerging security-related challenges.
Organized in conjunction with... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed along various ports of entry in southern California recently seized more than 540 pounds of illicit narcotics over a series of incidents throughout the weekend.
In total, agents seized more than 372 pounds of methamphetamine, 120 pounds... Read More »
Beginning this week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be assessing new checkpoint screening technology at a designated TSA PreCheck lane at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
The assessment is part of a proof-of-concept demonstration to evaluate both... Read More »
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector in Texas recently rescued 59 undocumented immigrants over the course of three incidents.
The first incident occurred on June 2, when a tractor-trailer approached agents at the Highway 35 Checkpoint. After a brief round of questioning, the... Read More »
A Latvian man was recently extradited from Poland to face charges in Minneapolis regarding his involvement in a “scareware” hacking scheme, which targeted the website of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and caused millions of dollars in losses.
Peteris Sahurovs, known by the hacker pseudonyms... Read More »
In a public letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), a group of Democratic House members requested that the committee hold a hearing regarding the country’s ability to be prepared for and respond to various biological threats.
The group, which... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted fast track designation for Aeolus Pharmaceuticals’ treatment to prevent respiratory failure among patients at risk for radiation pneumonitis following a radiological incident which often leads to acute radiation syndrome (Lung-ARS).
... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, the Battle Memorial Institute, and Priority Designs recently partnered to produce an improved protective mask against biological agents for soldiers in the field.
The new... Read More »
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) with the Newark Field Office in New Jersey recently conducted an immigration enforcement operation from June 5 to 9, which resulted in the arrest of 113 criminal targets throughout its jurisdiction.
Each... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently held an international counterterrorism meeting in Athens, Greece to discuss regional and global trends on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and the threats they pose to their home countries.
The meeting was held under... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently installed the latest checkpoint screening technology at six different Minnesota airports over the past five weeks.
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), an advanced body-scanning system, scans passengers for metallic and non-metallic items... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at various ports of entry in the San Diego and Imperial Counties in California recently seized more than 830 pounds of narcotics over multiple incidents.
In total, CBP seized 388 pounds of methamphetamine, 250 pounds of marijuana, 162... Read More »
A 27-year old Virginia man, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, was convicted by a federal jury on Wednesday of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to court evidence,... Read More »
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, IATA Director-General Alexandre de Juniac said cracks were beginning to show in the natural partnership on security between governments and airlines.
Specifically, de Juniac was... Read More »
A group of 14 Republican members of the U.S. Senate recently filed a bill to make Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Security Act (FISA) permanent before it is set to expire later this year.
Specifically, Section 702 applies to surveilling communications of non-U.S. persons located outside... Read More »
After President Trump released his FY2018 budget, which called for cutting the number of Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams from 31 to just eight, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) publicly urged Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to maintain VIPR funding at current... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at the Sarita Checkpoint in Rio Grande Valley, Texas recently seized more than 44 pounds of cocaine in a single incident.
The incident began as agents referred a local commercial bus for a secondary inspection after a K-9 unit alerted... Read More »
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee from both parties expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed budget that would cut funding for training and deployment for local security programs by as much as 30 percent next year, even while the overall funding for the... Read More »
A new facial recognition biometric exit system was recently deployed to the Washington-Dulles International Airport to be used for one daily flight from the United States to Dubai, according to officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The biometric technology uses flight... Read More »
Persistent resource challenges combined with new and evolving cyber threats have limited various organization’s ability to defend themselves against cyber threats, according to a second installment of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association’s (ISACA) 2017 State of Cyber Security... Read More »
At a commemoration ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), more than 40 participants gathered from 29 Asian States Parties to offer robust cooperation practices to implement provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
... Read More »
In the wake of the introduction of the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act, which gives local police officers the ability to enforce federal immigration laws on undocumented immigrants, the National League of Cities (NLC) released a public statement coming out strongly against the legislation.
... Read More »
Over the Memorial Day weekend, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at various ports of entry in California intercepted a total of 270 pounds of narcotics and apprehended 14 fugitives with outstanding felony warrants.
From May 27-29, CBP officers seized approximately 120... Read More »
A former member of the U.S. Air Force, Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, was recently sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and obstruction of justice.
Pugh first traveled from Egypt to Turkey... Read More »
A bill to establish a bounty program where white hats, also known as ethical hackers, identify bugs in computer systems at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in order to strengthen cyber defenses was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), in conjunction with the Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Government of Kazakhstan, recently sponsored a workshop on radiological security and safety procedures.
The event... Read More »
In response to the President’s recently-proposed fiscal year 2018 budget, which includes zeroing out funding for and closing the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) in Frederick, Maryland, U.S. Rep. John K. Delaney (D-MD) used a public letter to come out strongly... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) must address various management challenges, including aligning budgets with plans to modernize its nuclear weapons systems, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO said its report was based on 13 different reports... Read More »
A bill that would expand the ability of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to collect information under geographic targeting orders (GTOs) to prevent money laundering for terrorist groups was recently introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA).
The bill, titled... Read More »
A bill that would establish a process for federal, state and local governments to work together to manage the use of recreational and commercial drones was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
... Read More »
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee recently approved a series of bills that would provide authorizations for the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Maritime Commission, among other provisions.
The first of six bills passed by the committee,... Read More »
A bill that seeks to address the rising costs of disaster recovery, provide additional support for first responders, and reauthorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the first time ever was recently advanced by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The... Read More »
