Countermeasures
A recent report from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) lays out present problems in global access to antibiotics.
The majority of the world’s annual 5.7 million antibiotic-treatable deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. The mortality burden from... Read More »
Recently
introduced bicameral legislation would create a grant program, authorized by
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to allow state, local, and tribal governments
to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses.
The program would
allow governments to develop, revise or implement cyber... Read More »
Senate Democrats are
asking Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to clarify statements made
by Department of Defense (DOD) officials about the deployment of military
personnel to the southwest border.
In their letter to
Shanahan, the senators are seeking assurances that this deployment... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials have established the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee (STSAC), which will be responsible for providing recommendations on surface transportation security matters.
The committee operates in accordance with provisions of the... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued three recommendations to the Marine Corps regarding the branch's efforts to track training funds and link them to mission readiness.
The GAO analysis stemmed from a congressional report maintaining the Corps' budget estimates haven't... Read More »
Veronica Daigle, principal deputy assistant secretary for Readiness for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), recently visited the Pennsylvania National Guard’s (PNG) training center at Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG) as part of her tour of schools and ranges where soldiers and airmen from National... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced
legislation this week to encourage state, local, and tribal governments to
strengthen their defenses against cybersecurity threats.
The State Cyber Resiliency Act would authorize the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to run a... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recommends that military recruits entering basic training continue to be inoculated with a vaccine for the adenovirus, a DNA virus considered to be a major cause of febrile illness.
While adenoviruses are usually spread through coughing, sneezing or after... Read More »
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) forwarded correspondence last week to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin seeking specific Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) designations.
In his letter, Rubio, chairman of the... Read More »
As a means of protecting controlled unclassified information throughout the supply chain, Defense Industrial Base Sector Coordinating Council (DIB SCC) officials have established a Supply Chain Cybersecurity Industry Task Force.
Founding members of Task Force are BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed... Read More »
INTERPOL took center stage in recent discussions between G7 Interior Ministers, who determined that increased cooperation and data sharing with the international police organization is critical to increased law enforcement efforts throughout the world.
“INTERPOL has the experience and the... Read More »
The
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently launched a public
awareness campaign to educate travelers on the agency’s new identification
requirements.
Starting Oct. 1,
2020, anyone who flies will be required to present a REAL ID-compliant driver’s
license, or another... Read More »
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), reintroduced
legislation last week that would reduce foreign aid to El Salvador, Guatemala,
and Honduras by $30,000 for each of its unaccompanied alien children placed in
U.S. federal custody.
The Unaccompanied Alien Children Assistance
Control Act is designed to... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said they are expediting efforts to develop an African Swine Fever vaccine and diagnostic initiatives.
African Swine Fever is a viral disease capable of wreaking havoc in a pig’s body, causing... Read More »
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel have reached an agreement designed to bolster public health and safety protection efforts.
The collaboration would maximize inspection and detection capabilities as a means of preventing illegal and... Read More »
A new, investigational and universal influenza vaccine candidate reached an important milestone this week, beginning its first human trial under the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
That test will examine its safety and tolerability, along with its ability to do... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently
issued three recommendations for the director of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) in regards to determining security measures for radioactive
material.
The GAO is required to review NRC's security requirements
for high-risk... Read More »
A bipartisan group of senators
introduced a bill that would prohibit the United States from expending funds
which could lead to war with Iran without express approval from Congress.
The Prevention of
Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019 underscores that Article 1, Section
8 of the... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is constantly working to identify screening issues, but while covert tests have improved, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) attests that operations could be bettered, especially since one new process used by TSA is not working... Read More »
Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) recently introduced a measure designed to enhance the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) to reflect the daily work of 9-1-1 dispatchers.
The Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act, also known as the 9-1-1 SAVES Act,... Read More »
Applied science and technology development company Battelle has deemed the recent three-week testing of its Common Analytical Laboratory System (CALS) with users a success.
CALS, described as three variants of mobile laboratories providing on-site analytical capabilities to any incident... Read More »
A new, $22 million grant-driven project will lead an international consortium of scientists to develop antibody-based means of combating Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), Andes virus (ANDV), Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and the Puumula virus (PUUV) over the next five years.
The effort,... Read More »
The House Congressional Joint Strike Fighter Caucus
recently sent a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the House Armed
Service Committee and the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee urging them
to support the F-35 Lightning II program.
The F-35 is a stealth military aircraft.... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) spoke out
about his support of a bill that would bar aliens associated with a criminal
gang and convicted of a crime from entering the United States.
Singh’s Law was introduced earlier
this year by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is joining Israeli Police in espousing the benefits of a new 3-D crime scene investigation tool.
Officials said 3D-Hawk can turn a crash or crime scene into an interactive 3D model within minutes, based... Read More »
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) forwarded correspondence Tuesday to Secretary of Energy Rick Perry seeking clarity regarding the nation's nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
In the letter, Rubio and Menendez expressed concern and sought clarification about the... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking proposals for the fourth swarm sprint in its OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) program.
“With OFFSET, we are expanding the tactics available to warfighters, leveraging advances in autonomous systems to address complex... Read More »
A pair of studies conducted by scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, Thailand, Bangladesh, Namibia and Norway suggest that combining data of parasite genetics and human movement could improve efforts at tracking and fighting malaria transmission.
"Countries and regional blocs are... Read More »
The number of nonimmigrant visa (NIV) applications issue by U.S.
State Department consular officers decreased in fiscal
year 2017 to 880,000 after increasing annually from fiscal years 2012 through
2016, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.
Applications... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Doug Jones (D-AL)
introduced a bill to create pilot scholarship programs for qualified members of
the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).
The Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited (CAVU) Act is named
after the renowned pilots' acronym to describe ideal... Read More »
Raytheon Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation officials said the firms are partnering to pursue a contract focusing on consolidating and modernizing the nation's surveillance and air traffic control radars.
The effort involves the Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR)... Read More »
Department of Defense (DOD) and Republic of Korea (ROK) officials met recently to discuss efforts supporting denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and ROK Minister of National Defense Jeong Keyong-doo said the session was on the heels... Read More »
A training exercise known as Balikatan is underway in the Philippines this week, assembling forces from the Philippines, United States and Australia to address a multi-faceted range of operations.
Balikatan, which marks the partnership between the Philippines and United States specifically, is... Read More »
The National
Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)
recently named Amy Pate as its new executive director.
Pate is a political
scientist with a doctorate in government and politics specializing in
international relations and comparative politics. She will... Read More »
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) was appointed to
serve as a commissioner on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, or the Helsinki Commission.
The Helsinki Commission, founded in 1976, was
created to advance democracy and human rights through military, economic, and
environmental... Read More »
