Countermeasures
U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) introduced a bill to fund research into ways of detecting “deepfakes.”
Deepfakes are online videos that are manipulated to realistically mimic a person’s identity. This legislation would seek to raise awareness of deepfakes... Read More »
The Senate Banking Committee advanced legislation to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program for seven years.
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Program was established following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The program – created after Congress passed the Terrorism Risk... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have begun to recognize eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus as an emergent threat, as an especially deadly year in the United States winds to a close.
As of Nov. 12, there were 36 confirmed cases of EEE across eight states,... Read More »
Department of Defense (DoD) officials said the agency has earmarked nearly $49 million for university research endeavors through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).
“These awards provide research infrastructure to enable the most creative scientific minds in the... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) a recommendation to enhance the agency’s security training program coordination efforts.
After conducting a review of the TSA’s approach, the GAO has recommended the TSA Administrator... Read More »
China is rapidly gaining on the United States when it comes to creating technology that mitigates disease threats and developing pharmaceuticals faster, and it’s a phenomenon driven by a philosophy that the state, military, and the private sector are one in the same.
That was the testimony of... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations held a hearing on a report on a Chinese program that captures U.S. Intellectual property.
Through its “talent recruitment plans” launched in the 1990s, China began recruiting U.S.-based scientists and researchers and providing... Read More »
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation to protect 5G and next-generation wireless communications systems in the United States.
The bill -- the Secure 5G and Beyond Act – was introduced by Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
The bill would require the Trump... Read More »
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), send a letter Tuesday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address a shortfall in funding efforts meant to support state and local data sharing and cybersecurity.
The... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a recommendation regarding creating a federal transportation security national strategy governing document.
GAO officials said after researching the issue, it has recommended DHS should, in... Read More »
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released findings regarding Iran’s military capability, providing details on that nation’s defense and military goals, strategy, plans, and intentions.
“As Tehran expands its capabilities and role as both an unconventional and conventional threat... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) were honored by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) for their leadership in supporting global health research and development (R&D).
The two were honored at GHTC’s 2019 Innovating for Impact Awards, which recognizes U.S.... Read More »
A group of Democratic and Independent U.S. senators recently urged the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to increase funding for election security grants and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).
The EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring accessible,... Read More »
Austin, Texas-based Factom, Inc. has secured $197,292 in funding from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to enhance blockchain security system development.
DHS officials said they envision agencies using the technology to create and verify... Read More »
Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) recently introduced legislation they said would facilitate information sharing from the federal government to the private sector regarding supply chain vulnerabilities.
The Network Security Information Sharing Act addresses the need for greater... Read More »
Researchers at Colorado State University were awarded a $1.2 million subcontract from the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle for immunology research to accelerate progress in tuberculosis vaccine development.
The institute is part of the National Institutes of Health, which gave a... Read More »
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week issued final guidance for developing smallpox treatment studies, providing clarity to drug manufacturers.
“Despite recent advances in developing an effective treatment for smallpox, drug developers still face challenges in bringing... Read More »
Federal regulatory updates to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program that go into effect on Nov. 21 could receive some additional muscle to knock out bad actors if recently introduced federal legislation is enacted.
“I still have concerns about fraud and abuse in the program that can only be... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate was introduced to improve the hiring and retention of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and officers.
U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and John Hoeven (R-ND) said the CBP Hiring and Retention Innovation Act, S. 2813, creates a Customs and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate awarded $199,984 to Digital Bazaar, a company based in Blacksburg, Va., to develop blockchain security technology.
The award was made by S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP). The Phase 1 award... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) awarded a $6 million contract to Burlingame, Calif.-based Inflammatix Inc. to develop a new testing technology that reads gene expression patterns in the immune system.
The innovative technology, known as host-response testing,... Read More »
An online platform launched earlier this year crowdsources intelligence to predict the outcomes of disease outbreak.
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security implemented its publicly available disease prediction policy dashboard 10 months ago, and officials hope forecasting efforts might... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) released the Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report this week, showcasing the effects recent federal investments have had in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
Since 2013, the annual number of antibiotic resistant infections in the... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations to the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding efforts to sustain its growing F-35 aircraft fleet.
The GAO said the F-35 fighter plays a key role in the nation’s defense. As of October, the United States and... Read More »
The European Commission granted marketing authorization to Merck for a vaccine to immunize adults against Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) caused by the Zaire Ebola virus.
The vaccine, called ERVEBO, can be marketed in the 28 countries that are members of the European Union, as well as European... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed the Federal Advance Contracts Enhancement (FACE) Act, which requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to more effectively manage its advance contracts for goods and services.
Specifically, the legislation requires federal preparedness actions to be... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded Transmute Industries, an Austin, Texas-based company, a $198,642 Phase 1 award to develop a proof-of-concept application for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The application must support... Read More »
Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced last week the Stadiums Operating under New Guidance (SONG) Act, which empowers the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue temporary flight restrictions for stadium concerts and other events.
“Whether... Read More »
A group of public safety organizations recently agreed to work together to enhance global emergency communications systems that serve nearly 1 billion people.
Under the agreement, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, Canada (APCO Canada), the European Emergency Number... Read More »
Looking for ways to diagnose and treat infectious diseases in regions with limits health care and laboratories can yield some interesting results, but researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are working on the development of a lab-on-a-smartphone to help expand the currently... Read More »
A bill advanced out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee seeks to reauthorize and increase funding for the northern United States border’s Operation Stonegarden program for the next five years, injecting $110 million into border security operations.
U.S. Sen. Jon... Read More »
A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently extended praise to the FBI for stopping an attempted synagogue bombing in Colorado.
Reps. Marc Veasey (D-TX), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Kay Granger (R-TX), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), and Brian Fitzpatrick... Read More »
Lockheed Martin recently demonstrated its ATHENA laser weapon system for the U.S. Air Force at the government test range at Fort Sill, Okla.
ATHENA, which stands for Advanced Test High Energy Asset, is a high-energy, transportable laser system designed to provide a cost-effective, anti-drone... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is embarking on a road tour to meet with small businesses.
The National SBIR 2019 Road Tour will begin with stops in Miami, Fla., and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“We are continually seeking new... Read More »
The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) briefed the United Nations Security Council on issues related to Syria’s chemical weapons last week.
The UN officials expressed their support for the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the work of the... Read More »
