Countermeasures
U.S. Reps. Tom Graves (R-GA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced legislation that seeks to provide American more tools to defend themselves online from cyberthreats.
The Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act (ACDC) makes changes to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to allow use of limited... Read More »
The House Committee has advanced legislation designed to enhance Internet of Things (IoT) devices security and aid in preventing attacks on information technology infrastructure on Oversight and Reform.
The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which was introduced by Reps. Will Hurd... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued an urgent funding request to Congress this week, stating that the immigration surge at the southern border threatens to deplete existing budgets.
Though the Trump Administration requested $4.5... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign recently partnered with the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l, the world’s largest airline pilot union, to fight human trafficking.
The partnership also includes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill to make it harder for suspected terrorists to purchase firearms.
The Terror Intelligence Improvement Act would also provide more authority for law enforcement agencies to go after suspected terrorists while safeguarding Second Amendment... Read More »
A new study suggests that comprehensive health system planning can stymie the effects of a deliberate release of smallpox in a city, a nightmare scenario for public health officials.
The research, which was published today in the online journal PLOS One, said that if a health system response is... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has received its allotment of fiscal year 2020 funding via the House Appropriations Committee’s approval of the Homeland Security bill.
“I am proud to have drafted this smart, effective and humane Homeland Security funding bill,” Rep. Lucille... Read More »
A new case of Ebola has popped up in Uganda, in the first incident of international cross-over since an outbreak began in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) back in August 2018.
While governmental and international agencies have worked hard to keep the disease from spreading... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed companion legislation Tuesday to the Senate’s bipartisan Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act.
The act, reintroduced in February, authorizes the DHS’s National Protection and Programs Directorate to create... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three different bills that are designed to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “It’s... Read More »
House lawmakers recently advanced a measure designed to ensure federal support to protect the safety of non-profits at risk of terrorism, including synagogues, mosques, churches and other places of worship.
The Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2019 authorizes a... Read More »
The latest dengue research reveals that within approximately 60 years, the risk of the virus dengue will grow to such an extent that it will put at risk more than 6 billion people, due to population growth, climate change, and increased urbanization.
The virus is one spread by mosquitoes, and... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently announced that Kenneth Cuccinelli has been named acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
USCIS administers the immigration system, adjudicating more than 8.7 million requests for immigration... Read More »
A bill introduced in the Senate would require shell companies to disclose their true owners to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
The Improving Laundering Laws and Increasing Comprehensive Information Tracking of Criminal Activity in Shell Holdings (ILLICIT CASH) Act would help law enforcement... Read More »
A collection of the world’s chemical emergency response trainers recently spent a week in the Czech Republic teaching responders how to address crises with chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals.
The training was co-organized by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical... Read More »
California’s Camp Pendleton hosted the annual Wildland Fire School last week, during which firefighters safely cleared out overgrown grasslands using prescribed fire.
The technique eliminates fuels from training areas and prevents future large-scale wildland fires. It also allowed firefighters... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took into custody more than 144,278 migrants along the southwest border in May, the highest total in 13 years.
It marked a 32 percent increase over April when 109,474 were taken into custody. This year over 530,000 have already been apprehended, and the... Read More »
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) recently assessed the Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) roles and missions completed last year, determining the agency faces challenges in several key areas.
In 2017, the Committee initiated a study of the DIA as part of oversight... Read More »
The recently introduced Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act -- S. 1712 -- proposes to alter Medicare reimbursement for antibiotics, promote their use and encourage new developments.
Introduced by U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Bob Casey... Read More »
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, last month flight tested its Black Hawk helicopter with full-authority, fly-by-wire flight controls.
The technology completely removes mechanical flight controls from the aircraft. Its development is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced 22 separate Joint Resolutions of Disapproval outlining Congress’ role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.
Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rand Paul (R-KY), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and... Read More »
Tucson Sector Border Patrol Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the unit is facing increased challenges in the wake of greater human smuggling and narcotics activity.
“Alien smuggling is a lucrative business,” Roy Villareal, Tucson Sector Border Patrol chief, said. “It is... Read More »
Under a new partnering agreement with Themis Bioscience, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) will provide up to $21 million for the company’s phase 3-ready Chikungunya vaccine.
CEPI seeks to hasten regulatory approval of the vaccine by providing a large portion of the... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation recently was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate that aims to advance the research and development of treatments for drug-resistant infections.
The Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2019 would allow Medicare to offer... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) introduced Wednesday legislation that would increase research and data on domestic terrorism.
The Domestic Terrorism Documentation and Analysis of Threats in America (DATA) Act would require Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department, and the... Read More »
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risks spreading to Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, according to testimony by public health experts on Tuesday before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The outbreak in the DRC began in August 2018 and... Read More »
Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) introduced a measure Tuesday addressing the nation’s asylum laws, establishing reforms focusing on the Southern border crisis straining Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resources, among others.
Hurd said the Asylum Reform Act of 2019 would overhaul outdated laws... Read More »
Three South Dakota entities recently joined forces to combat what they said is the ever-increasing issue of cybercrime, aided by a new Sioux Falls cyber intelligence analyst.
The state Department of Public Safety and the Sioux Falls Police Department will provide funding for the post, which will... Read More »
The capabilities of first responder network FirstNet were proven in a recent exercise in a remote part of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, where the network was relied on for emergency communications during a search and rescue exercise.
FirstNet cooperated with the Virginia Communications Cache,... Read More »
New research from scientists at the Universities of Surrey and Cambridge has investigated a relatively undefined concept in disease research -- vulnerability -- and assessed it for both Ebola and Lassa fever.
Vulnerability is the assessment of a country’s ability or lack thereof to resist or... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with Azimuth1 to develop a navigation app called QuickRoute, specially designed for first responders.
The app warns users about hazards along the route and takes into account factors like traffic... Read More »
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, the Alliance for Biosecurity, and the Trust for America’s Health on Wednesday applauded the overdue reauthorization of the nation’s all-hazards preparedness and response law addressing public health threats, whether naturally occurring or... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Emergent BioSolutions Inc. approval to change the storage conditions and manufacturing facility for its oral cholera vaccine, Vaxchora.
Specifically, the FDA's approval of the Prior Approval Supplement (PAS) submitted by the company... Read More »
Attorney General William P. Barr recently noted 10 cities have joined the new National Public Safety Partnership (PSP), which officials said is designed to reduce violent crime.
“The Public Safety Partnership is a successful program that directs federal law enforcement resources to the cities... Read More »
Raytheon Company recently secured a two-year contract for the Air Force Mentor Protégé program to aid Infinity Technology Services (ITS) in bolstering its cybersecurity services outlay.
“Encouraging small business is a good thing for the government, as well as Raytheon, and ITS brings a... Read More »
