Countermeasures
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 »
The Air Force is committed to rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, which was damaged last fall when Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle.
Speaking at a symposium last week at Florida State University-Panama City, John Henderson, assistant secretary of the Air Force for... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials are touting the benefits of ReVector, a new program from the agency's Biological Technologies Office, in combating mosquito disease transmission.
ReVector seeks to actively repel mosquitoes by engineering the skin microbiome to alter... Read More »
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) recently introduced a measure designed to reauthorize the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program permanently.
S. 1231 is a federal grant program that helps state and local law enforcement agencies purchase lifesaving bulletproof vests for... Read More »
Ke Du, a professor and researcher from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), created a microfluidic device based on CRISPR gene-editing technology to detect and monitor indicators of Ebola.
The small, automated device tracks nucleic acid markers indicative of the virus. Once approached... Read More »
The recently introduced Faith-Based Community Center Protection Act would allow Homeland Security Grant Program funds to be used to safeguard faith-based community centers and houses of worship.
If the bill becomes law, the Homeland Security Grant Program would be provided with $75 million in... Read More »
Legislation that seeks to limit the transfer of F-35 aircraft to Turkey was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
The Protecting NATO Skies Act of 2019 was introduced by Mike Turner (R-OH), John Garamendi (D-CA), and Paul Cook (R-CA). It is a companion bill to legislation... Read More »
Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jon Tester (D-MT) reintroduced last week a bill designed to ensure injured first responders do not have to pay taxes on injury-related compensation.
The Putting First Responders First Act would clarify the current tax code and stems from the circumstance of the... Read More »
Reps. French Hill (R-AR), Max Rose (D-NY), Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently introduced legislation designed to implore the Chinese government to honor its commitment of making fentanyl illegal while providing tools to address traffickers.
The Fentanyl Sanctions Act... Read More »
Building on two years of recommendations surrounding modernization efforts of the U.S. Army, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found areas in which they believe the Army could improve to avoid costly failures.
Their report, which covers near and long-term modernization efforts,... Read More »
The most common mosquito-borne viral disease -- Dengue -- will now be preventable in endemic regions, thanks to the approval of the first dengue vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dengvaxia, as it is called, blocks all dengue virus serotypes in ages 9 through 16, providing a... Read More »
Five Democratic senators recently sponsored a bill that would preserve the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).
The treaty, enacted in February 2011, reduces by 74 percent the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads from the original treaty’s limit of 6,000. It is the final... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Jim Langevin (D-RI) came out in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order designed to bolster the country’s cybersecurity education.
The executive order says the government “must enhance the workforce mobility of America’s cybersecurity... Read More »
