Countermeasures
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced two bills this week that support homeland security efforts.
The first bill is the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act (H.R. 1313), sponsored by Rep. Peter King (R-NY). It seeks to standardize performance periods for the Transit Security Grant... Read More »
Rhode Island recently launched the nation’s first statewide cybercrime support and recovery hotline, enabling residents to address identity theft, financial fraud, cyberstalking, cyberbullying and other cybercrimes.
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), who helped secure $282,600 in federal funding for... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address the agency's nuclear terrorism deterrence limitations.
GAO officials said the recommendations stem from an examination of the extent to which DHS tracks... Read More »
Though efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have helped many countries hit by the Zika virus since its emergence in 2015, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that its efforts could do with improvement, particularly when tracking funds and planning... Read More »
Bomb squad teams are participating in the 13th annual Robot Rodeo and Capability Exercise at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico starting today.
During the five-day event, 10 military and civilian teams will compete in 12 challenges to test emergency preparedness skills and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are urging Senate committee leaders to hold a markup session on a bill that would discourage Russia and any other foreign actors from disrupting U.S. elections.
The bill, the Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines... Read More »
The U.S. Senate is fast tracking bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the nation’s all-hazards preparedness and response law, according to the Alliance for Biosecurity.
U.S. Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC) and Bob Casey (D-PA) on May 8 sponsored S. 1379, which has been referred to the U.S. Senate... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel from across the nation gathered in Miami recently for the agency's 2019 Region IV All Hazards Preparedness workshop.
The two-day effort, which was slated ahead of this year’s hurricane season, involved dozens of law enforcement personnel, emergency... Read More »
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently instituted a Mission Critical Voice Test Equipment funding opportunity as a means of testing public safety devices.
The effort, which includes an amount of up to $12 million, was launched through the Public Safety Innovation... Read More »
A new study led by Georgia State University states that the timing of hurricanes is a primary force in the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
Such infectious diseases, like West Nile Virus or Zika, bloom with an increased mosquito population. Stagnant water helps drive those populations upward... Read More »
Legislation introduced in the House last week aims to protect U.S. elections against foreign interference and malicious attacks.
The Election Security Act, introduced by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), includes seven provisions.
The bill... Read More »
Senate Democrats blasted the U.S. Department of Defense for its transfer of $1.5 billion to build part of a wall on the southwest border.
“Once again, the Department of Defense has ignored decades of precedent and cooperation with the Congress in carrying out a transfer of funds without... Read More »
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently made final guidance available to government stakeholders on testing to extend the expiration date of stockpiled medical countermeasures (MCMs) used during public health emergency preparedness and response for anthrax exposure.
Stockpiles of... Read More »
A group of House Energy and Commerce Committee members are urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to examine fifth-generation (5G) infrastructure and technology security.
Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR), Communications and Technology Subcommittee... Read More »
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot L. Engel (D-NY) introduced last week a measure designed to retain Russian nuclear forces limits.
The Richard G. Lugar and Ellen O. Tauscher Act to Maintain Limits on Russian Nuclear Forces calls for an extension of New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New... Read More »
The TB Alliance was awarded a grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) last week to aid in the development of two new clinical stage tuberculosis drug candidates.
Development is being undertaken by partners at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Harvard... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico recently signed an umbrella agreement to explore multiple research and technology collaborations among scientists, faculty, and students.
Under the agreement, the organizations will collaborate in areas, including advance materials... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is seeking additional federal funds to fight a superbug called Candida Auris that is spreading throughout New York.
Schumer is urging the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to designate the spreading and multidrug-resistant fungus an official emergency, which... Read More »
An amendment increasing federal funds by $300 million for the Strategic National Stockpile received U.S. House Appropriations Committee approval on Wednesday as part of an almost $190 billion fiscal year 2020 spending bill covering the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS) and... Read More »
Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently joined 17 colleagues in expressing concerns over the expanding mission of active duty service members deployed to the southern border.
The group of legislators forwarded correspondence to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan... Read More »
A new RAND Corporation report maintains a significant gap exists between the nation's strategic and defense policies and funding and personnel resources required to implement those policies successfully.
“Modernizing its nuclear deterrent over the next several decades is likely to consume most... Read More »
In a 14-year study focused on outbreak investigations in Bangladesh, an international team of scientists has gained new insights into the deadly Nipah virus -- in particular, that age and respiratory troubles are substantial factors in its transmission.
The bat-borne paramyxovirus is a staple... Read More »
A bipartisan coalition of 33 senators sent a letter this week urging that $75 million be provided in the 2020 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
The letter was sent to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently urged the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to maintain strong staffing levels at airports and ports of entry between the United States and Canada.
The request, made by members of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus, comes after the Department of... Read More »
It’s not far-fetched to think that Ebola could be used as an agent of bioterrorism, according to researchers working on vaccines and treatments for the virus.
In theory, a terrorist could mass disseminate the hemorrhagic virus by small particle aerosol. It is a possible but unlikely scenario... Read More »
Marine Corps will add the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to its arsenal via a $47.59 million Other Transaction Authority agreement with Raytheon Company.
Marine Corps Systems Command officials said the NSM initiative supports the 2018 National Defense Strategy and Commandant of the Marine Corps... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said agents are continuing to process and receive illegal aliens in unprecedented numbers through the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Sector.
“We’ve exceeded our capacity and we’re doing all we can to house migrants in a humane place and transfer them... Read More »
With an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ongoing, in part due to ongoing incidents of violence hindering the ability to respond effectively, the World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its vaccination strategy and issued new recommendations for the best path... Read More »
Legislation recently introduced in the Senate would expand TSA PreCheck enrollment for people in positions of public trust.
Positions of public trust include law enforcement officers and federal employees holding an active security clearance. These individuals have already passed an extensive... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Doug Collins (R-GA) and Mike Rogers (R-AL) are proposing an amendment to fund the Trump Administration’s request for an additional $4.5 billion for humanitarian response and border operations.
“The crisis at our southern border demands additional resources,” Collins, ranking... Read More »
Top U.S. officials testified on Wednesday during a U.S. House committee hearing that the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are focused on countering a rise in domestic terrorism threats.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Homeland... Read More »
Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) will feature a collection of high-tech, innovative equipment at the 54th annual Sea-Air-Space Exposition.
“This three-day event will showcase some of the Marine Corps’ cutting-edge capabilities and provide an opportunity to share innovative ways to equip... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency's Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program has finalized its review and update of its Minimum Security Criteria (MSC).
The result stems from CBP formally requesting the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory... Read More »
In a first federal collaborative report between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (USDA), a federal list now tracks the most concerning illnesses spread between animals and people in the United States.
These... Read More »
More than 600,000 devices used by more than 7,250 public-safety agencies have connected to the FirstNet communications platform.
FirstNet is intended for public-safety agencies. In more than 600 markets, band 14 spectrum has been deployed, allowing agencies of all sizes in urban, rural and... Read More »
