Countermeasures
The Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has chosen the Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) to help end influenza and sepsis.
M2D2 is one of eight business incubators in the nation selected to aid startups in... Read More »
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Canadian government recently joined forces to gather female chemists, during the Symposium on Women in Chemistry in Ottawa, Canada.
OPCW officials said the two-day effort involved discussing how the women support each other... Read More »
School districts can now apply for resources to enhance coordination with local police, install metal detectors and other protective measures, and provide additional training to prevent student violence through the School Violence Prevention Program.
The School Violence Prevention Program’s... Read More »
A meeting of the U.S.-Lebanon Joint Military Commission held in Washington, D.C., last week focused on the partnership between the two nations to secure regional security, to counter terrorism and to protect Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security... Read More »
Federal authorities arrested last week more than three dozen darknet vendors across the country, seizing drugs, weapons, and more than $23.6 million in cash and cryptocurrency.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection... Read More »
A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) went on an eight-day mission to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to review its infrastructure to develop a nuclear power program.
The UAE is building its first nuclear power plant at the Barakah site in Abu Dhabi. The IAEA’s... Read More »
The fiscal year 2019 Defense Appropriations Act, which the House advanced last week, includes increased funding for several Arizona military programs and installations.
The package includes $144 million for new A-10 wings which will re-wing between 14-20 planes, Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) said.... Read More »
The Curtiss-Wright Corporation has secured a $28 million government contract to provide valves for the Navy’s Virginia-class submarines.
The global innovative company’s role supports ship construction and spare parts procurement, noting the contract includes FY18 orders for two ship sets of... Read More »
Researchers are exploring the nuances of digital health systems and nanotechnology as a means of transforming a smartphone into a Zika detecting device.
Work of Brigham and Women's Hospital investigators published in ACS Nano details efforts to rapidly and accurately diagnose Zika using mobile... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced last week the Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2019, which marks a roughly 2.5 percent increase over 2018 funding levels.
The bill provides $674.6 billion for the Department of Defense, including $606.5 billion in base discretionary funding... Read More »
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on June 27 passed the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2018 (PAHPRA), sending it to the full committee along with four other public health bills under consideration.
“The mark up of these five important bills... Read More »
A modernization effort for U.S. Army and special operations Chinook helicopters recently achieved a milestone in the wake of the loading of the first engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) helicopter into final assembly this week.
Boeing said the contract to develop the next-generation... Read More »
Organizers of FirstNet, the nationwide public safety communications platform dedicated to America's first responders, said the endeavor has been fervently embraced.
More than 1,000 public safety agencies across 52 states and territories have joined FirstNet, officials noted, nearly doubling the... Read More »
The hectic nature of public health emergencies may hardly leave officials time to reflect on what lessons are being learned on the ground, and in real time.
The Outbreak Observatory aims to change that.
Comprised of experts in public health and biosecurity, the Observatory’s team captures... Read More »
A pair of bills introduced by Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) designed to enhance Department of Homeland Security (DHS) border security efforts garnered House approval Monday.
The Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM) Authorization Act seeks to establish the OBIM as the primary biometric... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) officials are incorporating the organization’s Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) into a three-day gathering designed to galvanize industry professionals.
The ERI, introduced in June 2017, is a multi-year, $1.5 billion investment in... Read More »
Citing significant threats to national security, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA) urged the president on Tuesday to reconsider lifting a ban on Chinese telecommunications company ZTE and to support banning government purchases of Huawei equipment.
The senators noted in a... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved seven bills this week that aim to help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better identify cyber threats, secure the nation’s borders, shore up transportation security and improve reporting systems for suspicious activity.
U.S. Rep.... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has tasked AktiVax, Inc. with developing an auto-injector that allows drugs designed to counter chemical nerve agents to be administered without specialized training.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)... Read More »
New research from BAE Systems finds a gap between the number of skilled cybersecurity professionals and the number of available positions in corporate America.
The BAE study says 50 percent of businesses claim there is a lack of staff with the required security skills and expertise. Further, 40... Read More »
Global security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has been awarded a 364 million contract to produce Army missiles, the company announced Monday.
The production agreement for Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles also applies to a Foreign Military Sales customer.
The service... Read More »
Researchers recently found that preventing the chain of cholera transmission within households in high-burden areas may significantly impact efforts to reduce the number of cases worldwide.
Work by Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators published in Nature Genetics outlined nearly 80... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be directed to secure information and operational technologies used in critical applications to address vulnerabilities under a bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday.
The DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities... Read More »
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office will use Rockwell Collins’ UrgentLink disaster communications network as a backup if primary communication infrastructure fails during natural or man-made disasters.
As a beyond-line-of-sight communications system that operates on the high-frequency... Read More »
Thirteen companies have been selected to take part in a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) Smart Cities Internet of Things Innovation (SCITI) Labs program, which aims to enhance first responder situational and building security.
DHS S&T issued a... Read More »
Health officials in Jefferson County, Colorado, said a rabbit died from tularemia, a rare infectious disease found in animals that can affect humans.
Tularemia is typically spread through the bite of infected ticks and deer flies or through handling infected sick or dead animals, usually... Read More »
Italian researchers maintain different vector control strategies are needed as a means of addressing mosquito-borne pathogens.
Investigators noted new research based on the Italian experience with outbreaks of Chikungunya, a disease borne by the tiger mosquito, in 2007 and 2017, revealed varied... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently expressed optimism regarding efforts to enhance combat vehicle safety and effectiveness.
The agency’s Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program also seeks to improve mobility and survivability of future combat vehicles without... Read More »
A national registry would be created to collect data on the prevalence of cancer in firefighters to better understand how smoke inhalation and other occupational hazards contribute under a bill that cleared Congress on Friday.
The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act of 2017, H.R. 931 would require... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force and Boeing have announced plans for the first Boeing-built KC-46 Tanker, a military version of the 767 commercial aircraft, to be delivered to bases in Oklahoma and Kansas in October.
The announcement drew praise from U.S. Reps. Tom Cole (R-OK) and Frank Lucas (R-OK), whose... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is looking to equip drones with different sensors other than cameras that may be useful in search-and-rescue, surveillance, active shooter response, hostage situations, and other scenarios.
The S&T has launched a... Read More »
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently supported an effort to steer federal funding toward enhanced security at a pivotal intelligence research laboratory.
Schumer and Gillibrand said the Senate version of the FY 2019 National Defense... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has integrated facial biometrics into Global Entry, celebrating the program’s 10 years of expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers.
The pilot program was launched last week at Orlando International Airport.
Global Entry... Read More »
A species of invasive mosquitoes in California is capable of transmitting the Zika virus, and their populations should be highly controlled, researchers from the University of California-Davis have discovered.
Researchers from the University of California-Davis infected three different species... Read More »
A “bug bounty program” competition would be created to reward cyber experts for identifying gaps in the cyber defenses of the nation’s election infrastructure under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday.
The Prevent Election Hacking Act of 2018 would authorize... Read More »
