Countermeasures
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 »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday issued a final rule that restricts both the use and distribution of Bacillus bacteria detection devices, which are prescribed to preliminarily identify and diagnose cases of anthrax and other infectious diseases.
“The FDA plays a critical... Read More »
A $96.8 million computed tomography (CT) systems contract from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was awarded last week to Smiths Detection, Inc.
The contract will cover the next five years, over which 300 CT systems and their affiliated equipment will be deployed at various... Read More »
A Mississippi-based ambulance company is espousing the benefits of partnering with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to enhance communication and coverage.
AAA Ambulance Service in Hattiesburg, Miss., subscribed to FirstNet to aid in connecting its 24-hour emergency and... Read More »
Marine Corps Logistics Base personnel in Barstow, Calif., recently conducted a training exercise designed to enhance both man-made and natural emergency preparedness.
The Exercise Haber Rail effort involved a simulated rail tanker car carrying thousands of cubic feet of chlorine gas... Read More »
A mission by agents of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) seized more than three tons of drugs from a vessel off the coast of Central America last week.
The drugs, estimated to be worth $17 million, were plucked from a moderately-sized, open-bed fishing... Read More »
The U.S.
Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
is asking Sevier County, Tenn., residents who were affected by the November
2016 Chimney Tops 2 Fire to participate in a survey.
The goal of the
survey is to identify the factors that influenced people to... Read More »
A group of Republican U.S. senators sent a letter to the
leaders of the Senate Budget Committee expressing their support for the $750
billion defense request in President Donald Trump’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget.
The senators – including Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dan
Sullivan (R-AK), Marsha... Read More »
Auburn University has secured $564,988 in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds to develop projects designed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of canines trained to detect explosives.
The funding allotment was provided through the DHS Science and Technology Directorate... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) recently led other agencies in conducting an active shooter drill at the airport's Terminal 4.
The CBP's Office of Field Operations at LAX joined forces with other federal and local law enforcement... Read More »
Rising temperatures brought on by climate change could expose as many as a billion more people to disease-carrying mosquitoes, according to a new study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
As temperatures rise across the globe, the territory of these mosquitoes expands, as well as the... Read More »
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a public health
disaster emergency for the state following the widespread flooding and flash flooding
that began March 13.
The declaration authorizes the Iowa Department of
Public Health to take the necessary actions to protect the public’s health. It
also... Read More »
Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced legislation to
create a cybersecurity advisory committee to help fight cyberattacks.
The Cybersecurity Advisory Committee (CSAC) would
be comprised of cybersecurity professionals from every major business sector
that are responsible for protecting... Read More »
Air Force officials have selected Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., to house the first operational B-21 Raider bomber and its formal training unit.
Officials also noted Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and Dyess AFB, Texas, will receive B-21s as they become available.
"These three bomber bases are well... Read More »
The Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) office at the Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking artificial intelligence (AI) industry input regarding incorporating artificial intelligence into its Skyborg unmanned combat vehicle.
SDPE office is seeking to develop Skyborg, a... Read More »
As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to deal with the most recent Ebola epidemic, a study from the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal shows that lack of trust might be a contributing factor.
Violent episodes have complicated matters in the DRC, but one bad turn tends to foster... Read More »
