Countermeasures
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 »
The Reporting Offside Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) application, used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations to report small boats, has expanded its capabilities to new sites in Michigan and Minnesota.
In Michigan, the app now reaches four sites in the Sault Ste. Marie area: the... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DOD) recently awarded Texas Biomedical Research Institute a $2 million grant through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program to develop a Zika Virus vaccine.
Zika is a mosquito-borne disease that can result in birth defects such as microcephaly.
"If... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is urging Trump Administration officials to address potential security concerns related to China using wearable technology products to catalog American’s personal data.
“Chinese smartwatches and other devices can stockpile data about a user’s health, finances,... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing (PAHPA) Innovation Act of 2019, which now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature to make it law.
S. 1379, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) on May... Read More »
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley Jr. took advantage of a recent speaking engagement to lend insight regarding Russia’s and China’s nuclear weapons capabilities and modernization.
Ashley shared the information while addressing the Hudson Institute in... Read More »
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) recently introduced legislation designed to enhance U.S.- Ukraine cooperation and address effective deterrence from Russian aggression.
The U.S.-Ukraine Security Cooperation Enhancement Act provides specific lethal military assistance including... Read More »
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Air Force recently collaborated to address the national aircrew shortage.
The partners will work to reduce barriers for entering the pilot career field, increase the number of pilots, leverage technology to improve pilot training to meet the... Read More »
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan signed last week a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Guatemalan Ministry of Government to address factors driving irregular migration from Guatemala and combat human smuggling.
The MOC is an agreement between the Department of Homeland... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a 10-year, $535 million contract to Emergent BioSolutions Inc. for the supply of Vaccinia Immune Globulin Intravenous (VIGIV) into the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile in support of smallpox preparedness.
VIGIV is the only... Read More »
Department of Justice authorities are crediting Operation Dark Gold,
the first nationwide undercover operation targeting darknet vendors, with yielding a series of illegal drug dealing indictments.
Authorities said Sean Shaughnessy, 51, of Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, was charged by a federal... Read More »
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) personnel are espousing the benefits of the recently completed Joint Innovation Battle Lab (JIBL), an exercise targeting integration of operations, intelligence, and technology.
“Our technology is cutting-edge and we’re excited to showcase it,” Matt Avery,... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has joined forces with vaccine safety organization Brighton Collaboration on a new project dedicated to assessing the safety of CEPI-funded vaccine candidates.
The project has been dubbed the Safety Platform for Emergency vACcines... Read More »
An experimental new drug from Gilead Sciences, Inc. has proven effective in treating lethal doses of Nipah virus in four African green monkeys, following testing with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Nipah virus, an emerging pathogen mainly found in Bangladesh and India, is... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. representatives recently introduced legislation that addresses academic espionage at institutions of higher education.
The bipartisan Securing American Science and Technology Act of 2019 would standardize how federal agencies deal with academic espionage.
“There... Read More »
There have been 971 cases of measles in the United States thus far in 2019, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This is the highest number of cases in the United States since 1992 when 963 cases were reported for the whole year. The CDC has been... Read More »
Air Force and Navy personnel have announced the transfer of responsibility for future narrowband satellite communications, which officials said develops an integrated space enterprise architecture.
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer recently... Read More »
West Virginia’s Preston County will receive a new, purpose-built cell site as part of the state’s FirstNet network expansion, increasing first responders coverage, capacity, and capability.
FirstNet is the nationwide, wireless communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders... Read More »
Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) stated at the 72nd World Health Assembly this week that continued breakdowns in communication, data, and planning are hindering an effective response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
That outbreak, which has... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently changed its performance management systems for uniformed TSA officers to improve how performance is measured and recognized as well as to simplify the process.
The changes were based on feedback from transportation security officer... Read More »
A multi-state operational exercise on how to respond to a 7.7 magnitude earthquake near Memphis will feature the participation of federal, local and international authorities, including the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).
The Federal Emergency Management... Read More »
The United States’ ability to manage health emergencies has steadily improved over the last six years, according to a nationwide index of health security.
The 2019 National Health Security Preparedness Index, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), analyzes 129 different... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel said the newly created Border Patrol Processing Coordinator position would prove valuable in freeing agents for critical law enforcement operations.
“I am committed to providing the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol the resources they need to... Read More »
A collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), TDA Research Inc and Avon Protection Systems has yielded a new filtration system for first responders.
The new system is lower maintenance and, according to its creators, able to reduce... Read More »
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 »
