Government
Leidos was recently awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide systems administration and maintenance services for X-ray and imaging technology.
The hybrid firm, fixed-price time and materials contract covers a one-year... Read More »
The U.S. government is funding the late-stage development of tests that would quickly determine how much radiation a person has absorbed in the event of a catastrophic nuclear explosion.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently agreed to increase funding for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) cooperative agreement by $44.25 million for public health emergency preparedness efforts in 2016 and 2017.
The funds were directed to 62... Read More »
Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy last week appointed Art House to the newly created position as Connecticut’s chief cyber risk officer, where he will work to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity prevention systems.
“As technology expands into every segment of our lives and creates greater... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently hosted a series of six medical countermeasure summits across the nation.
Topics of the summits included tribal planning and preparedness, access and functional... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently launched the MD5 National Security Technology Accelerator to create solutions for humanitarian issues and natural disaster relief challenges.
The MD5 program was launched by a public-private partnership between the DoD, New York University, Columbia... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) recently conducted its Operational Response Project in Amman, Jordan, to identify best practices related to command and control, hazard risk assessment, and evidence exploitation.
The project brought together 45 Jordanian law enforcement... Read More »
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General Ahmet Üzümcü met with Finland’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Peter Stenlund at OPCW headquarters in The Hague on Friday to discuss aspects of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
The... Read More »
A bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators recently urged the Obama administration in a letter to clarify their position on the growing cholera epidemic in Haiti.
The group includes U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA) and Robert Melendez (D-NJ).
“The... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently demonstrated its new augmented reality technology at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition.
ECBC’s augmented reality technology utilizes a head-mounted display to enable users to see virtual images for use as a... Read More »
The National Association of Fleet Administrator’s (NAFA) Fleet Management Association recently released a cybersecurity-related white paper regarding internet-connected vehicles and the ways a possible cyber hacker could exploit those systems.
The white paper, titled “Fleet Management and... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) recently said that continuing to improve interoperability among first responders and ensuring that they have access to the best equipment and technology are his top goals.
Payne, who serves as the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released a list of notable cyber threats that have been affecting computer systems for citizens and businesses across the country.
The FBI released its list, which includes ransomware, business email compromises (BEC) and intellectual property... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently purchased two medical products to treat injuries to bone marrow in radiological or nuclear incidents.
The products, called colony stimulating factors, work by... Read More »
An improved procurement process of land mobile radios (LMRs) could enhance interoperability and cut overall costs, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
LMRs are generally used by federal agencies in public safety incidents, firefighting and emergency... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response recently entered into a $24.75 million contract with BioProtection Systems Corp. for the development of an Ebola vaccine.
The contract comes in the wake of a two-year long battle... Read More »
Representatives with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian government recently completed Bulgaria’s new nuclear detection architecture.
The representatives said that the new architecture will... Read More »
The Financial Services Roundtable (FSR) recently publicly committed to the National Cyber Security Alliance’s (NCSA) internet safety and security initiative called “Lock Down Your Login.”
The initiative was announced by the White House earlier this year and to help Americans better protect... Read More »
A team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions recently developed a DNA vaccine to combat the spread of Zika virus.
Research teams with the Kansas State University (KSU) Biosecurity Research Institute, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently moved forward with the development of the anthrax vaccine NuThrax.
ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Emergent... Read More »
A coalition of leaders from law enforcement agencies, the private sector and academic institutions from across the world met in Singapore this week to address the growing threat of cyber crimes.
The meeting, titled “Solutions for Attribution,” saw approximately 200 participants from 56... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., announced on Friday that it has signed a multi-year contract for the advanced development and delivery of NuThrax (vaccine adsorbed with CPG 7909 adjuvant), the company’s next-generation anthrax vaccine candidate.
The contract, signed with the Biomedical Advanced... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed six bipartisan bills on Tuesday to enhance national security efforts within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“I commend the work of my committee on the passage of these important pieces of legislation which seek to provide necessary... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two homeland security-related bills introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) with a bipartisan voice vote.
“Your government’s chief responsibility is to protect you and your family from attack,” Donovan said. “Last weekend’s bombings... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) approved a contract on Monday to develop an inactivated Zika virus vaccine candidate.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), under the... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) recently received a response to his request for information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding reports that foreign actors hacked into American political organizations.
Carper asked DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to provide information about how... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, on Thursday, to provide assistance to first responders in communities across the country.
The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and passed with bipartisan support, authorizes... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Wednesday on high-containment laboratories and how improved oversight of dangerous pathogens is needed to mitigate any potential risks.
The GAO report said the total number of incidents involving incomplete inactivation, a... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) unveiled a counterterrorism strategy on Tuesday that he said takes U.S. policies into the digital age of security, as threats from violent extremists continue to evolve with technology.
McCaul’s plan was released just days after... Read More »
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) directed the New York State Police and the National Guard to deploy an additional 1,000 officers across the state on Sunday after an explosion in Chelsea.
In addition to the increased deployment of officers, Cuomo directed the Division of Homeland Security and... Read More »
New York’s proposed cyber security regulations for banks and insurance companies - the first such policy in the nation - would create some uniformity between state and federal rules, but the American Bankers Association (ABA) said that it is seeking clarification on certain provisions.
“We... Read More »
Elusys Therapeutics, Inc., published data on Thursday on more than 450 healthy adult subjects from five clinical trials used to support recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) marketing approval of ANTHIM injection.
ANTHIM is used in adult and pediatric patients for the treatment of... Read More »
Chief Gary Curmode, second vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), represented the organization on Wednesday at a White House event to discuss hometown preparedness activities.
The event was led by Josh Barnes, director for preparedness policy at the National... Read More »
A research team at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently began work on a system that will utilize portable analytical equipment to help detect food and water contaminants.
ECBC said that the system, called the Agents of Biological Origin Identifier (ABOid), could help... Read More »
More than 100 first responders gathered in New York this week for the state’s largest emergency response training exercise featuring realistic scenarios inspired by terrorist threats in the United States and abroad and utilizing the newest communications technology for law enforcement.
The... Read More »