Countermeasures
As the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) this month held its first drone response training outside the country since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, the administration warned of criminal, terrorist and more generic threats posed by unmanned aircraft.
This case as the... Read More »
Security concerns regarding TikTok, which have passed in and out of Congress for years, surged back into focus again recently as the House Committee on Homeland Security gathered federal agencies for a classified briefing on the Chinese firm-owned app.
In a meeting led by U.S. Rep. August... Read More »
With the introduction of the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act recently, a bipartisan mix of representatives are pushing for year-long authorities to secure the United States-Mexico border and provide $66.32 billion for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
This latest attempt to both solve... Read More »
Through introduction of the ITS Codification Act (S. 3781) earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) sought to codify the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) and improve the nation’s emergency communication technology.
“It’s critical that... Read More »
The VA Home Loan Guaranty Resiliency and Concurrency Enhancement (GRACE) Act (H.R. 7388) was recently introduced to the House as a way to help military families buy homes at new duty stations, easing their transition periods during relocation.
Affordable housing has grown increasingly difficult... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) and its network partner, AT&T, recently announced the next phase of its public safety broadband network, with 5G upgrades, coverage enhancements and service updates spurred by more than $8 billion of investments.
Those investments will... Read More »
BAE Systems recently received the regulatory approvals needed to purchase Ball Aerospace from Ball Corporation for $5.5 billion, shuffling a leading provider of spacecraft, payloads, and optical and antenna to new ownership.
In recent years, we’ve said that we would seek out opportunities to... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) released this week a discussion draft of a new bill known as the ONSHORE Manufacturing Act, which proposes incentives to encourage domestic manufacturing of critical battlefield medicines and devices.
ONSHORE, which stands for the Our Nation’s Supply chain for... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported successful safety operations during Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Nev., securing the routes in and out of Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) and continuing their efforts once the game was over.
At LAS, the TSA readied for a surge of... Read More »
Through a foreign aid supplemental package based on the Afghan Adjustment Act, a bipartisan collective of senators recently proposed creating a permanent residency path for those who supported the United States in Afghanistan and have since sought refuge after the Taliban return to... Read More »
Through the Fallen Law Enforcement Act introduced this week, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and John Cornyn (R-TX) seek to strengthen penalties for attacks on law enforcement across the board.
The bill would require death penalties or life imprisonment imposed on anyone... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with international law enforcement organizations, recently announced the seizure of internet domains used to sell malware and a pair of indictments lodged against individuals in Malta and Nigeria.
Federal authorities in Boston seized four... Read More »
For the first time in more than a decade, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) managed to reduce its backlog of immigration cases in 2023, pushing hard to complete an unprecedented 10 million cases over the course of the fiscal year.
The agency faced down two record issues at the... Read More »
Drone mission autonomy is the focus of a new DARPA program known as Rapid Experimental Missionized Autonomy (REMA), and in just 70 business days, it has made major headway.
Focused on commercial drone technology, the program sought to allow these devices to autonomously continue predefined... Read More »
An upcoming plan by the Biden administration could see the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) give up communication airwaves typically reserved for military operations, but recently, three senators from the Armed Services Committee pushed back on those plans.
The senators, who included U.S. Sens.... Read More »
With their recent introduction of the Drone Evaluation to Eliminate Cyber Threats Act of 2024 (DETECT Act), U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) seek to direct the development of cybersecurity guidelines for the federal government’s use of drones.
“Drones and unmanned systems... Read More »
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, traveled to Las Vegas, Nev., this week as part of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) review of operations underway for Super Bowl LVIII, in conjunction with local and state law enforcement and the National Football League (NFL).
The... Read More »
Overcoming its first hurdle, the Improving Federal Building Security Act (S.3613) passed out of committee this week, putting its ideas of timely improvements for federal buildings into consideration by the full Senate.
Earlier, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) issued recommendations on... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to hire 50 artificial intelligence experts this year as part of a unique initiative meant to create a new team focused on ensuring responsible use of AI.
Dubbed a hiring sprint, the effort will yield what the DHS is calling its AI Corps.... Read More »
A legislative effort to repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA) and bring the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in line with other agencies on disaster aid recently advanced unanimously through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced charges against nearly 200 people over the last several weeks as part of a nationwide crackdown on drug-trafficking organizations.
Arrests were made from seven different field offices: Los Angeles, Columbia, Anchorage, Pittsburgh, Baltimore,... Read More »
The U.S. Army received its first production related to the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) from Northrop Grumman Corporation in December 2023, setting up a key piece of its current air and missile defense modernization strategy.
Northrop Grumman delivered an Integrated Collaborative... Read More »
In all, seven awards were recently announced under the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) program, bringing $192.5 million to bear for the creation of domestic, critical chemical manufacturing capabilities.
Each award was given as a contract, and... Read More »
Despite legal obligations, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has delayed expanding its PreCheck program to underserved areas and reportedly opened itself to security breaches, earning the ire of two senators this week.
United States Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Thune (R-SD)... Read More »
In a recent vote, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Competition Act advanced its way out of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, leaving the Senate to consider its push to prepare federal employees for cybersecurity threats.
“By ensuring our nation has a... Read More »
After an initial five-year buildout, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board recently voted to invest further into the public safety broadband network, expanding and fully transitioning it to a fully 5G network.
“The FirstNet Authority is making a major investment in... Read More »
Updates are coming to the H-1B visa program, under a final rule recently released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that sought to beef up integrity measures for registration, emphasize a beneficiary-centric selection process and provide new codifications.
H-1B... Read More »
In a bid to protect firefighters from fire-related hazards, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened applications for the 2023 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program this week, dangling $324 million for safety measures.
“As a former firefighter, I know the hazards and... Read More »
BAE Systems will continue production first begun in 2017, thanks to a new $418 million contract with the United States Army for sets of M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzers and M992A3 ammunition carriers.
That contract will run through 2025, ultimately supplying the military with the most current... Read More »
The U.S. Justice Department recently concluded a series of nearly 200 arrests across the country as part of a large-scale operation against drug-trafficking organizations.
The cases spanned four districts and 10 states, as part of a calculated approach by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices – and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Kennedy (R-LA) recently introduced the Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt Response and Recovery Act to overhaul how emergency response is handled.
Specifically, the bill would repeal a section of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently opened an application period for its Emergency Manager Exchange (EMX) program, giving state, local, Tribal and territorial governments to send emergency managers to FEMA offices.
Participants will work for six months stints, networking,... Read More »
Seeking to keep adversaries’ hands off sensitive American genetic data, a bipartisan and bicameral group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act of 2024 and took aim at certain biotechnology companies’ practices.
“Every... Read More »
A new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)-U is scheduled to launch this spring, marking the last of four planned National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites.
The satellite arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week, following its... Read More »
Eying ways to improve cybersecurity among healthcare operations nationwide, the U.S. Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released new voluntary performance goals and a new gateway website this week.
“We have a responsibility to help... Read More »
