Countermeasures
One of the largest research contracts ever awarded to the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) was announced by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) this week, to the potential tune of more than $200 million over the next seven years.
Initially, the... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently held a test of emergency response plans in Hershey, Pa., in conjunction with local and state organizations.
The test assessed tactical response and coordination to a complex and coordinated attack.
The exercise was in the... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Center for Global Health was designated as a Collaborating Center for Biosafety and Biosecurity by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
The designation -- the first awarded to a CDC/WHO collaborating... Read More »
The Sept. 14 gas explosion that stoked a fire at a Russian bioweapons facility in Siberia where viruses and bacteria including smallpox, Ebola and anthrax are stored reminded the world that humans are only one catastrophic biological event away from a pandemic that could kill tens of millions of... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Defense to propose a plan and budget to modernize the development of flu vaccines.
The plan must be submitted within 120 days. The goal is to improve preparedness for... Read More »
Proposed funding allocations by the Senate Appropriations Committee address some of the most urgent threats to public and individual, the Infectious Diseases Society of America said.
The bill’s allotment of $168.5 million for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC)... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) intends to provide $14 million and expertise support for the advanced development of an investigational Ebola treatment being pursued by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics of Miami.
Ridgeback is manufacturing the therapeutic drug known as... Read More »
The House of Representatives has advanced a measure sponsored by Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) designed to aid the effort to stop money laundering supporting criminal activity.
The legislation was advanced with unanimous support.
The Advancing Innovation (AI) to Assist Law Enforcement Act... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan recently unveiled the agency’s plan to address terrorism and targeted violence during an event co-hosted by the Heritage Foundation.
The DHS Strategic Framework for Combating Terrorism and Targeted Violence at the Brookings... Read More »
There’s a new word on the street that packs a lot of punch: cyberbiosecurity, which is introducing a host of new multilayered threats to biodefense.
Members of the newly named Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense — formerly the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense — last week sought a... Read More »
Despite the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) recommendations -- since 2013 -- that a single dose of yellow fever vaccine will protect people for a lifetime, new research shows that might not hold true for the youngest among the populace.
The aforementioned WHO recommendation was based on... Read More »
During an address at the Air Force Association’s Air, Space & Cyber conference, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper encouraged military adaptability against potential space threats and cyberattacks.
Esper also said the emergence of Russia and China also expedites the need for adaptable... Read More »
In anticipation of the 2020 elections, federal lawmakers have approved $250 million in support of state and local governments’ efforts to strengthen election security.
The Senate Appropriations Committee recently granted approval to the allotment via an amendment to the Financial Services and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency recently awarded Western Maryland more than $5.6 million through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program.
The bulk of the funding, $5.5 million, was awarded to Frederick County while... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Drug Enforcement (DEA) is initiating an effort to combat the drug abuse epidemic in the South Coast region of Massachusetts.
The DEA is initiating a “360 Strategy” in that region – which is a comprehensive diversion control, law enforcement, and prevention program to... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded Virginia Tech a $7.5 million Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative grant to study information latency, the measure of how quickly or slowly networked devices transmit information.
Virginia Tech will receive the funds over five years.... Read More »
Legislation that would prohibit the U.S. government from procuring drones manufactured by covered foreign entities identified as national security threats was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week.
The American Security Drone Act of 2019 was introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick... Read More »
BAE Systems has secured a $318 million Army contract to upgrade M88 recovery vehicles to an M88A3 configuration designed for single-vehicle recovery of the latest version Abrams tank.
“As the U.S. Army’s primary recovery vehicle, the M88 plays a critical role in the Army’s Armored Brigade... Read More »
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and state forensic lab researchers in Maryland and Vermont have developed a new technique designed to improve drug evidence testing safety.
Lab researchers have demonstrated a process allowing police to test whether a baggie or other package... Read More »
A Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security report commissioned by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) released this week showed the foundations for responding to a high-impact respiratory pathogen pandemic could use some work the world over.
A high-impact respiratory pathogen... Read More »
U.S.-based white supremacists have dramatically increased their coordination and information sharing which has led to a spike in right-wing extremist violence in the United States and Europe over the past decade, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League and five European organizations.... Read More »
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar met with the Republic of Uganda President Yoweri Museveni this week to discuss a multilateral response to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The United States has long had a partnership with Uganda on... Read More »
Opioid vaccines hold the potential to counteract the plague of opioid-affiliated deaths that have swept the United States in recent years, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
While clinical trials have begun, numerous barriers remain to use.
The matter of what exactly is... Read More »
Reps. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) and Daniel Webster (R-FL) introduced legislation Tuesday designed to enhance extreme weather events preparedness by establishing best practices to protect communities while saving taxpayer money.
The PREPARE Act would create an interagency council to provide... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program operators are seeking to meet with Maryland-area small businesses to help address homeland security challenges.
Entities in the research and development domain are encouraged to attend Friday’s session,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) through the U.S. Air Force Space Command recently awarded Iridium Communications a $738.5 million, seven-year, fixed-price contract to provide the agency with unlimited satellite services from its unique Low Earth Orbit constellation.
Iridium will provide... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) inquired about the information security practices of U.S. Customs and Border Protection contractors following a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of thousands of facial images of U.S. travelers.
The June attack led to the theft of at least 100,000 traveler ID... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will add five accelerators to its network to enhance biotechnology innovates with technical and entrepreneurial support.
The new accelerators include Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; the Plug and Play Tech... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at the Air and Marine Operations (AMO), National Air Security Operations Center Corpus Christi (NASOC-CC) recently aided Hurricane Dorian relief efforts in the Bahamas.
From Aug. 29 to Sept. 8, NASOC-CC’s aircrews deployed to Birmingham, Ala., and... Read More »
Raytheon Company officials said the defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions firm is developing a new medium-range, air-launched weapon to combat drones, manned aircraft, and cruise missiles.
The Peregrine missile is half the size and cost of current air-to-air missiles while... Read More »
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, the newly renamed biodefense study panel group, more accurately reflects the earnestness and importance of the five-year-old organization’s mission, group leaders said today.
“We do not simply study the problem,” said Dr. Asha George, executive... Read More »
September is National Preparedness Month, FEMA’s annual campaign to promote disaster and emergency planning. This year’s campaign theme is Prepared Not Scared.
As a former emergency management professional in the state of Texas, I can attest that for most public safety professionals, every... Read More »
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led a contingent of U.S. officials on a tour last week of an Ebola treatment center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The delegation, which toured a facility in Butembo, DRC, observed the detection, infection prevention, and... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office recommends two agencies be more transparent about technology’s capabilities.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are agencies that research, develop, and test... Read More »
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) recently spearheaded a gathering of Nevada education personnel and tech companies to assess cybersecurity threats and legislation to address such circumstances.
“The security of our nation’s cyber infrastructure is put at serious risk without a robust, skilled... Read More »
