Government
A training event focusing on hazardous chemical incident response was recently held for Latin American and Caribbean first responders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, managed by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Part of the Exercise of Assistance and Protection for Latin... Read More »
Following a review of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) documentation on the effectiveness of six passenger aviation security countermeasures, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the agency explore methods to evaluate the effectiveness and cost of those... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report exploring U.S. efforts to stop profits from drug trafficking from entering financial systems in the Western Hemisphere through money laundering.
The report describes U.S. agency oversight and monitoring of compliance with the... Read More »
A Russian hacker named Roman Seleznev has now pled guilty to a role in stealing credit card data and other personal information as part of a credit fraud ring known Carder.su.
To be specific, Seleznev, who has gone by the handles of Track2, Bulba and Ncux, pleaded guilty in two criminal cases to... Read More »
As a direct result of a cyberattack that saw the largest terminal at the Port of Los Angeles closed in June, the House Committee on Homeland Security has advanced a new cybersecurity bill this week.
The Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act is a bill... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the United States Postal Service (USPS) should assess whether the costs of the new Electronic Advance Data (EAD) program outweigh the benefits.
In 2014 and 2015, USPS and CPB launched two pilot programs at the New York International Service Center (ISC)... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives recently advanced an amendment authored by U.S. Rep. John Delaney (D-MD) to fully fund the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC), reversing a decision by the Trump Administration to eliminate funding for the center in its proposed FY2018... Read More »
ManTech International Corporation recently announced full operational capability of its Advanced Cyber Range Environment, a system that enables users to test and evaluate the cyber-preparedness of their networks and to train in the latest defensive cyber technologies.
With the new cyber range... Read More »
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation announced this week that half a million people in areas affected by floods and landslides will receive cholera vaccinations starting this month.
The two rounds of vaccines will come from the global stockpile funded by Gavi, the Vaccine... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced that it awarded four contracts for concrete prototypes of a southern border wall, which will help deter illegal crossings where they are constructed and allow CBP to evaluate new designs.
Caddell Construction Co., (DE), LLC based in... Read More »
Federal authorities are warning potential donors for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts to be on the lookout for scammers.
The call comes from multiple branches of the federal government, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) sending warnings... Read More »
Legal representatives from Ghana, Djibouti, and Benin recently participated in an Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-sponsored internship program aimed at providing insight for drafting country-specific national legislation related to the implementation of the Chemical... Read More »
Scientists, engineers, and technicians from the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Nuclear/Radiological Advisory Team (NRAT) recently conducted advanced maritime training aboard the Maersk Detroit in order to expand their advanced shipboard operational skill sets while on the... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted accelerated approval to benzidazole for the treatment of Chagas disease in children aged 2 to 12 years old.
While the drug is one of the few treatments approved for use in adults, benzidazole now becomes the only approved treatment... Read More »
Start-ups and small biotech companies are the most-promising developers for new medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats, but they face serious challenges, according to Battelle's Senior Market Manager for Medical and CBRN Products Russell Coleman.... Read More »
With support from China, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Ghana itself, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has pulled the last kilogram of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from Ghana.
“Ghana demonstrated an exemplary commitment to helping reduce the risk of... Read More »
The USS John Paul Jones recently fired from the Aegis Combat System two Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Dual I missiles to successfully intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target in a test off the coast of Hawaii.
The test, supported by the U.S. Navy, Missile Defense Agency and Lockheed... Read More »
After arresting 30 illegal aliens near the Otay Mesa port of entry in the San Diego sector, U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered a tunnel apparently being used to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States.
The agents encountered 30 people including 23 Chinese nationals and seven Mexican... Read More »
Future measles vaccination strategies in high-fertility countries should focus on increasing childhood immunization rates, while immunization campaigns targeting adolescents and young adults should be required in low-fertility countries, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at... Read More »
Battelle’s DroneDefender recently announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dedrone to examine ways to develop an end-to-end solution to provide complete airspace security for sensitive infrastructure.
The nonbinding, non-exclusive memorandum will aim to explore potential... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), recently announced that they will jointly sponsor the 2018 Global City Teams Challenge (GCTC), a competition that will focus on designed-in cybersecurity solutions for... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers recently arrested at Arizona’s Port of Nogales two Mexican nationals and two U.S. citizens attempting to smuggle approximately $685,000 worth of cocaine and methamphetamine.
Early on Aug. 18, officers referred a 27-year-old Mexican man and an... Read More »
The Laredo Sector Border Patrol (LSBP) recently released a public service announcement (PSA) describing the dangers of illegally crossing the border.
The PSA, titled “No Arriesgue Su Vida” (Don’t Risk Your Life), highlights the potential dangers of relying on smuggling cartels to cross... Read More »
An illegally-trafficked tiger cub was found by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during inspection of a vehicle headed into California from Mexico last week.
The attempt took place at Otay Mesa port of entry when two suspects--18 and 21-years-old, respectively--pulled up in a Chevy... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), part of the U.S. Army’s Research Development and Engineering Command, recently unveiled its newly-renovated chemical agent explosives chamber at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Maryland.
The facility is now the only location in the... Read More »
The United States Air Force (USAF) recently awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin Corporation and Raytheon Company to mature design concepts and prove developmental technologies for the new Long Range Standoff weapon (LRSO).
USAF is on track to replace the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile... Read More »
Representatives of the Nuclear Forensics International Technical Working Group (ITWG) recently presented the results of the organization’s fifth Collaborative Materials Exercise (CMX) at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Washington D.C.
The group of scientists, law... Read More »
In anticipation of President Trump’s official visit to the Border Patrol Station in Yuma, Arizona, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) applauded the president’s decision to visit the station while highlight the work his committee has done towards immigration issues.... Read More »
Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector Border Patrol Agents discovered this week 60 illegal aliens attempting to cross the border in a produce trailer that reached a temperature of 49 degrees Fahrenheit.
After a canine unit alerted agents about the truck, it was referred to secondary inspection.... Read More »
With the recommendation of the Secretary of Defense and the order of the President, the Department of Defense is now moving to make the U.S. Cyber Command a unified combatant command.
The process is more symbolic than anything, but it will cause reorganization in how the department approaches... Read More »
In the wake of a reported cyberattack on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) electronic comment filing system, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently called upon the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an independent review on... Read More »
Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) recently convened a seminar to help local government leaders prepare for potential cybersecurity threats in Ontario, California.
Federal officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as private-sector... Read More »
Michael Frunzi, Senior Product Manager at Smiths Detection Inc. (SDI), is set to moderate an upcoming roundtable seminar on the dangers of illicit fentanyl exposure for first responders and how a new series of detectors and identifiers could be used to mitigate the drug’s risks.
“Smiths... Read More »
James Gonzalo Medina pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime and a charge of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction after attempting to attack a synagogue in Aventura, Florida.
Medina admitted during the plea proceeding to planning an attack on the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center in... Read More »
In two foiled attempts to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine into the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Nogales seized nearly $950,000 worth of heroin and methamphetamine this week.
The smuggling methods varied, of course. In one case, a 45-year-old... Read More »
