Countermeasures
Several units of reserve Marines conducted simulated
training during Night Watch, a Marine Air Command and Control System exercise, last
month.
During the simulation, the reservists trained in a scenario that
involved degraded communication. This situation could happen during a
cybersecurity... Read More »
Several groups, including the National Sheriff’s
Association, voiced their support for a bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton
(R-AR) that would bar aliens associated with a criminal gang and convicted of a
crime from entering the United States.
The bill, called Singh's law, says aliens... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently petitioned the Justice Department to implement information from requisite agencies via the Fix NICS Act, which requires steps to assess progress in database correction.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Dianne... Read More »
Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) introduced last week a measure designed to streamline and amend the overtime payment process, enabling border patrol personnel greater compensation flexibility.
The Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Amendment Act of 2019... Read More »
In a letter released this week, more than 400 physicians and scientists called on Congress to increase the nation’s funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The United States is the largest contributor to the fund to date, comprising a third of total funding.... Read More »
A bill introduced
in the U.S. House last week would aim to improve employee morale at the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS), which ranked last among the 17 major Federal
agencies for morale in 2018, according to the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.
Since being in
2003, DHS has... Read More »
The United States is not as prepared as it could be in key areas of public health disaster management, according to a recently issued report by Trust for America’s Health.
In Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, the report’s authors... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions announced today
that the company has signed a deal with the U.S. Department of State to
establish a supply chain for certain medical countermeasures that address
chemical warfare agents.
The five-year, indefinite-delivery,
indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract includes five... Read More »
Lockheed Martin officials are preparing a pair of Sikorsky-built HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters (CRH) for flight tests at the facility's West Palm Beach site in Florida.
“Having these initial HH-60W helicopters in West Palm Beach for flight test is an exciting time for the Sikorsky team,”... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently assessed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to enhance the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, offering input on progress and challenges.
The GAO recommended the department identify high-risk chemical... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and biopharmaceutical company CureVac AG recently announced a partnership worth up to $34 million for the development of a vaccine-boosting creation known as The RNA Printer.
The RNA Printer is a mobile, automated printing facility for... Read More »
Several federal government agencies, including the
Department of Homeland Security, introduced a program this week called the
Opioid Detection Challenge, a $1.55 million competition to develop opioid
detection technologies.
The Opioid Detection Challenge calls upon innovators
to submit plans... Read More »
The U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command Life
Cycle Management Command recently placed a $75 million order with Oshkosh
Defense, a tactical wheeled vehicles and life cycle sustainment services
company.
The order is for 354 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles
(FMTV) A1P2 trucks and... Read More »
Recognizing the potential for public health emergencies to be exacerbated by lack of cooperation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have created a joint task force to make... Read More »
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) recently reintroduced a measure designed to bolster the financial support for a universal influenza vaccine protecting against multiple strains and offering longer protection.
The Flu Vaccine Act targets a total investment of $1 billion,... Read More »
Amer Sinan Alhaggagi was
recently sentenced to 188 months in jail for providing support to ISIS and
identity theft charges.
“Alhaggagi wanted to
carry out deadly terrorist attacks in the United States in the name of ISIS,”
said Assistant Attorney General John Demers said. ... Read More »
The Department of
Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has extended the
deadline for submitting first-responder technologies for assessment in the Next
Generation First Responder – Birmingham Shaken Fury Operational Experimentation
(OpEx).
The original
deadline was... Read More »
Federal lawmakers are focused on deterring domestic terrorism, which now ranks alongside — or possibly even eclipses — the prevention of global extremist threats against the nation, said U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
“What’s on our minds a lot now is... Read More »
Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) has introduced the Mass Violence Prevention (MVP) Act, which is designed to prevent firearm violence by improving response to threats and reducing illegal firearm street sales.
“It’s cruel to advance legislation that ignores the factors contributing to gun violence... Read More »
A total of 50 full-time and part-time positions with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will see applicants fast-tracked during a one-day event at the Boston Logan International Airport in March.
The move, undertaken in advance of increased travel generally seen during the summer... Read More »
A bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives that would allow assets seized from Mexican drug lords,
including Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera, to be used to secure the
southern border.
The Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to
Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act would set... Read More »
RGNext recently signed a $502-million, 10-year contract to operate
the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, which tests missiles
on islands in the 750,000-square-mile Pacific Ocean range.
The company will maintain systems such as radar, telemetry and optical sensors on... Read More »
A bipartisan group of senators recently sent a letter to Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urging them to ban the use of inverters made by the Chinese-owned company, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, citing cybersecurity concerns.
“Huawei has recently... Read More »
Savannah, Georgia-based Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers recently thwarted a narcotics smuggling effort resulting in the seizure of cocaine valued at $19 million.
Officers working at the Savannah seaport last November encountered a Cartagena,... Read More »
Secretary of
Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen met Feb. 20 with Northern Triangle
security ministers in El Salvador to discuss the ongoing humanitarian and
security crisis caused by the formation of migrant caravans and irregular
migration.
During the
meeting, the officials agreed to a plan... Read More »
The Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII) has secured a $10 million Department of Defense (DoD) award to lead the digital future of manufacturing.
Officials said the agreement includes an option of $20 million more over the upcoming five years and is part of a new... Read More »
A vaccine contract potentially worth as much as $31 million was recently awarded to the University of Tokyo (UTokyo) by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), to counteract the bat-borne Nipah virus.
Nipah is a highly virulent disease, with a fatality rate that, according... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories officials are espousing the benefits of an automated robotic system that has resulted in 700,000 Multiple Launch Rocket System submunitions being demilitarized.
The automated system, considered the most complex, automated robotic demilitarization system Sandia has... Read More »
The U.S. Army
recently awarded BAE Systems a $74.7 million contract to design, construct and
commission the Recrystallization and Slurry Coating Formulation facility at the
Holston Army Ammunition Plant (HSAAP) in Tennessee.
BAE Systems has
been the plant’s operating contractor since... Read More »
As the political situation in Venezuela
deteriorates and a humanitarian crisis blooms, health experts warn that
epidemics could push beyond the nation’s borders and potentially bring a
hemisphere-wide health emergency.
Such were the conclusions of a review published
in a recent edition of The... Read More »
Researchers have developed a new tool and updated guidance to help first responders and emergency managers determine how best to decontaminate a massive number of people after chemical exposure.
The updated guidance on chemical decontamination, called Primary Response Incident Scene Management... Read More »
Leaders representing the General Royal Marines and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Command recently met to discuss future bilateral training opportunities.
Commandant General Royal Marines Maj. Gen. Charlie R. Stickland and Commanding General of MARFORCOM Lt. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis said the meeting... Read More »
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) is lending full support to the Committee on Oversight and Reform’s effort to continue oversight of the U.S. / Saudi Arabia civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
Committee officials recently released a report calling for increased Congressional direction in the... Read More »
With President Donald Trump’s stated intention to use an emergency declaration to shift funds from other projects for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) has written the Acting Secretary of Defense demanding a list of projects put at risk by the effort.
A number of military... Read More »
The Cyber Innovation Lab on the University of Central
Florida campus held its grand opening last week.
The lab, a collaboration between the university and Lockheed
Martin, will address the need for cybersecurity experts.
By 2026, security analyst positions will increase 28... Read More »
