Countermeasures
Under legislation recently proposed by a collection of six senators – the Traveler Privacy Protection Act – the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be banned from using facial recognition technology and collecting facial biometric data at airports in the United States.... Read More »
In a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, a group of federal lawmakers this week urged strong language be added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to keep sensitive technologies from American adversaries.
“There is... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) earned a U.S. patent this week for its Homeland Explosive Consequence Assessment Tool (HExCAT), which offers a unique modeling system for emergency managers.
“With the HExCAT, response planners are now... Read More »
While the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act has made it into the National Defense bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this week publicly pressed for its enactment and called on the Biden administration for more resources to counter illicit drugs.
FEND Off... Read More »
As a means to protect the U.S. supply chain, the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience recently saw the announcement of a new Supply Chain Resilience Center (SCRC) to analyze vulnerabilities and collaborate with the private sector.
Primarily, the new... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released joint guidelines for secure AI system development.
These guidelines were targeted at developers of any systems that use... Read More »
After 73 days on patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare returned to Virginia last week, concluding a mission that took it from oil discharge response to interdictions of unlawful migrant vessels.
In ranging from the Windward Passage to the South Florida Straits, the vessel covered more than... Read More »
Boeing expects to provide its first low rate production aircraft of the MH-139A Grey Wolf sometime next year, following delivery of its sixth and final test craft to the U.S. Air Force last month.
With its research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) phase completed, the company can now... Read More »
Assembling its Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII) and stakeholders last month, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) held a Chicago-based workshop on its efforts to modernize and how the manufacturing innovation ecosystem could support it.
"OSD ManTech, through the MIIs, spearheads... Read More »
In introducing the Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act this week, U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Norma Torres (D-CA) sought to reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders.
Otherwise, the bill would not change anything about these dispatchers’ work or the... Read More »
On a project for the United States Army, Raytheon completed a live-fire engagement with its 360-degree Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) this week, proving the radar’s developmental progress.
With its operational capability up for assessment by year’s end, the system is in... Read More »
A total of 14 organizations earned the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s (IDSA) Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence designation last week, for programs advancing science to better fight antimicrobial resistance.
The program emphasized these institutions’ abilities to... Read More »
Working with interagency partners, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week upgraded its language access plan, promoting improved access to its programs and activities for those with limited English proficiency.
Helming the effort was the DHS Office of Civil Rights and... Read More »
Seeking to halt aerial development, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), echoed by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the House, introduced the No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act last week, brandishing the legislative threat of additional sanctions for the long-time American adversary.
The bill was... Read More »
Without action from Congress, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will soon expire, and in a report released last week by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, lawmakers called for its swift reformation and reauthorization.
Section 702 authorizes... Read More »
Calumet Electronics Corporation of Michigan earned a $39.9 million award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) this week as part of efforts to improve production capabilities for High-Density Build-Up (HDBU) substrates.
Pulled from the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI)... Read More »
The U.S. Senate advanced with unanimous consent legislation this week that seeks to combat human trafficking and expand support for its victims.
The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S.670) is now under consideration in the U.S. House.
“The federal government must increase support for... Read More »
Following up on President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence last month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its first roadmap detailing a federal approach to developing and implementing AI... Read More »
A new facility for Lockheed Martin opened this week in north Alabama, offering the company greater capabilities for engineering in missile defense and putting the finishing touch on a $16.5 million investment into its future.
"Lockheed Martin is committed to North Alabama and this facility is... Read More »
A group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security (NCARS) Act to create a national resilience strategy in the face of increasingly prevalent natural disasters spurred on by climate change.
Backed by U.S. Reps. Maria Elvira... Read More »
In a letter to the United Nations, several United States senators this week pressed for the international body to designate the Hamas organization of Palestine as a terrorist organization following terrorist attacks on Israel in October that left hundreds dead, others kidnapped, and kicked off a... Read More »
In a move meant to bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s statistical reporting and analysis capabilities while improving data transparency, DHS Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) last week.
The new office will primarily report on... Read More »
Valneva SE won approval for the world’s first Chikungunya vaccine – IXCHIQ – last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
It is a major milestone for a viral disease that has plagued humanity for decades, thanks to the bites of mosquito carriers. Although originally found... Read More »
Through advancement of the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516), this week the House Homeland Security Committee took aim at American funds going to universities connected to Chinese entities of concern.
Authored by Homeland Security... Read More »
Building on past collaboration between DARPA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey focused on threat detection, DARPA’s SIGMA+ program is actively pursuing an automated, networked, and mobile system for continuous city-scale monitoring.
This monitoring will focus on chemical,... Read More »
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of a San Jose engineer for his attack on energy facilities in California.
According to court documents, Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted Oct. 19 for attacking two PG&E transformers in San Jose on Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5,... Read More »
On Monday, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and James Lankford (R-OK) unveiled a proposal to secure the country’s southern border.
The group said their proposal would address policies that have led to a crisis at the southern border. Drawn from H.R. 2, the proposal would... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it would make nearly 65,000 H-2B visas available in Fiscal Year 2024.
The temporary nonagricultural worker visas will add to the 66,000 H-2B visas mandated by Congress each year. According to DHS, the additional visas represent the... Read More »
The U.S. Secret Service and the Australian Federal Police signed a memorandum of understanding last week creating a new basis for interagency and international collaboration and information sharing on transnational crime.
“The Secret Service is honored to join our partners at the Australian... Read More »
Following missile attacks on Israel by the Houthis of Yemen – also known as Ansarallah – and more intercepted by U.S. military units in the region in recent days, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced a bill last week to redesignate the group as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).
The... Read More »
On the 25th anniversary of the murders of James Byrd Jr. and Matthew Shepard, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division held a virtual forum on the launch of the United Against Hate (UAH) initiative and efforts to fight hate crimes.
“As I see in my daily threat briefings, there has... Read More »
In a letter to the House Appropriation Committee this week, U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) urged leadership to include funding for first responder aid programs in any FY 2024 supplemental appropriations to support those affected by immigration.
“Increased operations... Read More »
A new amendment from U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mark Warner (D-VA) that would bar the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from providing federal funds to drones produced in certain foreign countries was added to an Appropriations Minibus package this week.
This amendment (1349)... Read More »
IperionX Technology, LLC won a $12.7 million contract with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) this week focused on increasing titanium powder production for defense supply chains.
Awarded under the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI) program, this contract will allow IperionX to... Read More »
Working together, U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) introduced a resolution this week to support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) role in promoting nuclear security.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) plays a crucial role in bolstering... Read More »
