Countermeasures
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded Stranger Labs $197,021 in Phase 1 funding.
The company will develop a method that makes digital credentials verifiable offline so they offer the same convenience of paper-based... Read More »
Legislation that would invest about $1 billion to invest in 5G technology and innovation was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week.
The Utilizing Strategic Allied (USA) Telecommunications Act would encourage competition with Chinese provider Huawei by accelerating the development of an... Read More »
As the U.S. opioid epidemic continues, and with a criminalization order against fentanyl-related substances set to expire, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) took to the Senate floor this week urging legislation to permanently schedule the drugs.
The existing scheduling order against fentanyl --... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) voiced concerns over the U.S. State Departmentʻs plans to address the surge of offensive cyberactivity by Iran.
In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Warner is seeking answers from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on how the State Department plans to defend... Read More »
Citing a deadly year and the threat of domestic terrorism, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) have reintroduced the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2020--legislation to enhance federal abilities to crack down on domestic terror.
The bill would give the federal... Read More »
Seventeen years after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) global epidemic, its shadow lingers in an ongoing outbreak of mysterious pneumonia cases in China, which an international group of researchers says showcase the potential for pathogens to appear suddenly and wreak deadly global... Read More »
The U.S. Navy recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $13.9 million engineering services contract to continue supporting engineering and fielding efforts for the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP).
The contract is part of a five-year agreement that will total $75 million if all... Read More »
U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation awarded $2.3 million to three groups to develop advanced technologies for homeland security.
The BIRD Foundation is an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate... Read More »
CARB-X has awarded $3.2 million to Trellis Bioscience and dangled the possibility of $3.8 million more for the creation of a monoclonal antibody that can disrupt superbugs’ protective coating.
The bacteria that become superbugs have a biofilm coating that protects them from antibiotics. By... Read More »
The Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccination (PREVAC) recently launched a new project called PREVAC-UP, which will evaluate three Ebola vaccine regimens for five years after vaccination.
The study will assess several factors within these treatments: their long-term safety, the durability... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. got the go-ahead from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to pursue its proposed development plan for its chikungunya virus vaccine candidate.
The company has proposed conducting a Phase 3 trial using Serum Neutralizing Antibodies (SNA) to predict clinical benefit of... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) commended the Trump Administration for imposing sanctions on eight senior Iranian officials and key sectors of Iran’s economy, including steel and iron manufacturers.
“Today’s announcement of sanctions against senior Iranian officials and Iran’s... Read More »
A group of Democratic Senators urged the Trump Administration last week to detail the security measures to protect diplomats, service members, personnel, and families serving in the Middle East following the killing of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani.
The Democratic Senators also want to evidence of... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers screened more than 43.8 million passengers and crew members during the holiday travel period, a record and 4 percent higher than during 2018.
The holiday period ran from Dec. 19 to Jan. 5. The busiest day was Dec. 27, when officers screened... Read More »
Federal officials recently joined Yuma, Ariz., city and county leaders in touting border wall construction progress, noting completion of the first 100 miles of the system along the southwest border.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf recently joined by Senator Martha McSally... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) recently sent correspondence to U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, pressing for information regarding the legal basis used for the military operation that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
“During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services... Read More »
DARPA’s Subterranean Challenge Urban Circuit is looking to change the nature of subterranean warfare, and as of last week, 17 teams have qualified to demonstrate breakthroughs and solutions to existing problems.
Operating underground is, by its nature, highly challenging for humans. Both... Read More »
Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, met with officials from Honduras to discuss efforts to discuss several issues related to border security.
Specifically, they discussed plans to stem the flow of illegal immigration, combat transnational criminal... Read More »
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded a $1.4 million grant to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) to ensure standards and reagents are available to low-cost oral cholera vaccine (OCV) manufacturers.
International standardization in the manufacturing and release of OCV will... Read More »
City of Annapolis, Md., personnel recently espoused the benefits of FirstNet, the public safety broadband network designed to enhance public safety communications as a means of protecting residents and visitors.
The Annapolis Police Department (APD), Public Works, the Office of Emergency... Read More »
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Coons (D-DE) recently introduced legislation designed to strengthen the U.S.-Israel strategic alliance.
The United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2020 authorizes $3.3 billion in annual security assistance consistent with the Memorandum... Read More »
El Paso Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the return of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to its Air and Marine Operations aids capability to accomplish its missions.
The CBP’s Air and Marine Operations El Paso Air Branch (AMO El Paso) had not flown the UH-60 Black Hawk since... Read More »
Backed by a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, researchers from the University of Dundee will push the LEADS4TB program to find new treatment options over the next three years.
"We want to improve how we do drug discovery for TB, and identify new candidate drugs to treat... Read More »
Debra Parker is the new special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office based in Seattle.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said Parker, a 25-year veteran of federal law enforcement, would be responsible for supervising special agents conducting... Read More »
Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) recently urged federal financial regulators to strengthen cyber infrastructure against possible attacks on the heels of recent threats from Iran and its allies.
The congressman forwarded correspondence to nine separate financial... Read More »
A new study recently published by researchers at the Zoonotic Bornavirus Consortium (ZooBoCo) theorized that, in the wake of eight new Borna disease virus linked deaths, the disease may have been operating unnoticed for decades behind the scenes.
Borna is a virus that leaps from shrews to... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three bills this week that seek to improve 5G security in the country.
One of the bills is the Secure 5G and Beyond Act of 2019 (H.R. 2881), introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Francis Rooney... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) hosted a Law Enforcement Roundtable in her district at the Milton Community Center to discuss several pressing issues facing police officers.
Among the issues, law enforcement officials spoke about the importance of mental health resources for police departments.... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. House members, in the wake of this week’s U.S. killing of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani and recent domestic acts of anti-Semitic violence, called on the Trump administration to restore millions of dollars in homeland security grants aimed at aiding state and local... Read More »
Two Customs and Border Protection (CBP) locations have been selected to evaluate the operational impact of proposed regulatory changes requiring DNA sample collection from some in CBP custody.
Beginning this month, the Border Patrol is implementing the 90-day pilot program in the Detroit Sector.... Read More »
Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Angus King (I-ME) recently introduced a measure designed to direct the federal government to recognize the importance of the Arctic region to national and economic security interests.
The Arctic Naval Focus Act of 2019, also initiates a... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Angus King (I-ME) recently expressed concern that the Department of Defense will significantly reduce shipbuilding in its fiscal year 2021 budget.
Three years ago, President Donald Trump signed into law a policy of achieving a 355-ship Navy. The current navy... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Rand Paul (R-KY) are urging their Senate colleagues to support their bill that would prevent going to war with Iran.
The Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019 (S.1039) affirms the constitutional role of Congress as the sole branch of government... Read More »
A study created by the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has demonstrated the promise of a new, universal flu vaccine, displaying long-lasting protection against six influenza viruses.
The... Read More »
The non-profit Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) announced this week that $1.4 million will be awarded to the British company Centauri Therapeutics, for a new platform in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria.
The platform is under development but... Read More »
