Countermeasures
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kevin McAleenan recently announced DHS has created a Homeland Security Advisory Council subcommittee to focus on threats faced by religious institutions and places of worship.
The subcommittee will be comprised of academics, emergency and... Read More »
Tapestry Solutions, a subsidiary of Boeing, got a 10-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide weapon planning software (WPS) for the U.S. military and allied forces.
The software is designed to help military officials plan missions, including routes, threats, and points for weapons... Read More »
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently reintroduced The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act, which is designed to strengthen Taiwan’s world standing in response to increased Chinese... Read More »
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a legislative amendment prohibiting the Department of Defense from procuring firefighting foam containing per and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS).
The revision served as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal... Read More »
A team of researchers from the University at Buffalo and Temple University recently found that depriving a specific fungus’ access to iron can be the key to combatting it.
Candida albicans, like many fungi, relies on iron to survive. It is abundant in the mouth and relies heavily on saliva --... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers made three narcotics seizures last week.
The first seizure occurred May 20 at the Calexico East port of entry between Calexico, Calif., and Mexicali, Mexico.
A canine team detected 64 pounds of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of... Read More »
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing last week that examined the use of facial recognition technology and the need for oversight on how it is used on the public.
Facial recognition technology – which analyzes faces to identify individuals -- is growing in use by the... Read More »
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture recently determined Kansas State University researchers are tackling the nation’s most prominent zoonotic diseases.
Citing "8 Zoonotic Diseases Shared Between Animals... Read More »
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents recently joined Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and Mexico’s Federal Police Force to thwart an illicit scouting network on the border.
The four-day operation yielded the seizure of more than 250 pounds of narcotics, assault weapons, and... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted the first test to locate Zika antibodies in human blood to be marketed.
The ZIKV Detect 2.0 IgM Capture ELISA is the first Zika diagnostic test that has been authorized for marketing in the United States. Until now, 18 other active tests... Read More »
Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) recently sent a letter to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials expressing concern over a plan to divert personnel to the nation’s southern border.
The TSA plans to divert 40 air marshals to the southern border to work with... Read More »
The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was approved out of the Senate Armed Services Committee, authorizes full funding for two projects at the Fort Drum military base in Upstate New York.
The NDAA includes funding for a new railhead and a new Unmanned Aerial... Read More »
Although the technology is still undergoing tests, Air Force officials are touting the benefits of the Space Fence system, which detected the breakup field from an India anti-satellite test.
The event occurred during a recent scheduled endurance exercise of the new space surveillance radar,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Smart Cities Internet of Things Innovation (SCITI) Labs program is entering its second phase.
“SCITI Labs and the commercial-first approach allow DHS to integrate and apply new prototype technologies from... Read More »
Researchers from McMaster University have created a new means of storing anti-viral vaccines for travel to remote regions.
The method is cheaper and safer than traditional means, according to the research team, relying on light, compact doses. It can store vaccines for several weeks at a time,... Read More »
A California federal grand jury indicted Wednesday Mark Steven Domingo for planning to bomb a rally in Long Beach in late April.
The former U.S. Army infantryman was charged with providing material support to terrorists and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.
Domingo expressed in... Read More »
The Raytheon Company tested an advanced warhead for the new DeepStrike surface-to-surface missile this week.
The weapon is slated for its first flight test later this year.
"This test, on the heels of our successful preliminary design review for DeepStrike, shows how quickly we are moving to... Read More »
The House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee recently conducted a hearing to examine animal pest disease prevention and response, determining U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Congressional coordination is needed.
“The livestock industry faces pest and disease... Read More »
A group of lawmakers introduced this week legislation designed to address the short-term, medium-term, and long-term challenges to detecting, treating, and eventually eliminating Valley Fever.
Valley Fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by the fungus Coccidioides and... Read More »
In an assessment of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a planned Defense Department upgrade to a new system known as OCX, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found efforts will most likely continue to be delayed.
The upgrade has already faced around five years of delays, but... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently conducted a successful test of its Burn Saver technology.
“Burn Saver is a device S&T developed to give first responders an early warning when they are in a thermal environment that may cause... Read More »
Legislation that would increase immunization rates across the country to prevent future outbreaks of contagious diseases was introduced in Congress this week.
The Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act will give the Center for Disease... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force is working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies through research in computational intelligence, reasoning, decision-making, autonomy, and relevant societal implications.
The agreement with MIT includes... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently created an education module
to help clinicians recognize the early signs of and diagnose Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF).
The bite of an infected tick spreads RMSF. Symptoms include headache, fever, and sometimes a rash.... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently awarded a contract to a team led by Battelle, an Ohio-based research and development company.
Battelle has successfully demonstrated a brain-computer interface. This technology will be used to help DARPA’s Next-Generation... Read More »
Vector-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, Zika and West Nile virus are on notice, with the formation of a new coalition known as the Vector-Borne Disease Network, whose sole goal is to address the challenges of such diseases.
The Network is being guided by the Entomological Society of America... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said on Monday it received marketing authorization for its oral typhoid vaccine Vivotif in five European Union nations including France, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Typhoid fever is a potentially severe and life-threatening infection caused by the... Read More »
Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) recently joined a group of House colleagues in introducing the Afghan Allies Protection Act, which officials said demonstrates support for the thousands Afghan and Iraqi allies.
Since 2002, the government has employed thousands of Afghan and Iraqi allies to serve alongside... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently supported a bill designed to prohibit expending funds which could lead to war with Iran without express approval from Congress.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has joined Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Rand Paul (R-KY) as well as several other colleagues in advocating for the... Read More »
A disease once eliminated in the United States may no longer be stoppable through current vaccination policies around the world, according to a study of measles published in BMC Medicine.
Current vaccination policies are lacking, and the effects could be seen through various countries and... Read More »
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Co., recently conducted a test flight of its HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The aircraft is based on the UH-60M Black Hawk and is customized for U.S. Air Force rescue missions. The U.S. Air Force plans to replace its HH-60G Pave Hawk... Read More »
A bill that would implement a behavioral threat assessment process across federal, state, and local governments to protect communities continues to gain traction among lawmakers.
The Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act of 2019 -- sponsored by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) – has... Read More »
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced last week a measure designed to modernize the Department of Defense (DoD) workforce by establishing a recruitment element and military career tracks for digital engineering.
The Armed Forces Digital Advantage Act stems from the... Read More »
In an effort to create smarter research and development efforts in limited markets, the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) science division has launched the online Health Produce Profile Directory.
The focus is on neglected diseases and global health threats like antimicrobial resistance.... Read More »
The bipartisan Jake Laird Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week during National Police Week and Mental Health Awareness Month.
The bill enables local law enforcement to temporarily remove and retain firearms with probable cause from individuals who are determined to... Read More »
