Countermeasures
After 20 years, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute have identified how a surface protein of malaria -- TRAP -- interacts with proteins on the surface of human cells, offering a new vaccine target.
The human surface protein in question is a receptor known as an integrin. In their... Read More »
The RAND Corporation recently released a study that explores modern political warfare and offers recommendations for how the U.S. government and its allies can counter these types of actions by adversaries.
Political warfare refers to measures that do not fit the definition of conventional... Read More »
Thirteen market-ready cybersecurity technologies will be demonstrated by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) researchers at partners from April 16-20 at the 2018 RSA Conference in San Francisco.
S&T will demonstrate new cybersecurity technologies like AI-Analyst,... Read More »
Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Homeland Security called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday to abandon plans to include social media scraping in an “extreme vetting” initiative for visa applicants.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the... Read More »
The F-35B Lightning II aircraft recently arrived at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for a two-day visit to inform CENTCOM leadership about the capabilities and limitations of the F-35B platform.
The aircraft is fully operational and ready for combat. It will... Read More »
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit, presented by the Defense Strategies Institute, will provide an open forum for the discussion of initiatives in action that strengthen U.S. border protection and advance the development of intelligence capabilities.
The summit, titled “Enhancing... Read More »
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit presented by the Defense Strategies Institute will take place on April 18-19 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Designed for members of the Department of Homeland Security as well as other security critical organizations, the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) seized control of Backpage.com and indicted seven individuals on Friday amid allegations that the online classifieds website has facilitated human sex trafficking for years.
After leading a two-year investigation into Backpage.com, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman... Read More »
A suspected chemical weapons attack by the Asaad regime last week has been condemned by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also called out Russia and Iran for backing Asaad.
“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless chemical attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and... Read More »
Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) recently introduced a bill designed to strengthen civil defense preparedness in Hawaii and across the country.
Gabbard and Hanabusa said the Civil Defense Preparedness Act of 2018 would expand existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS)... Read More »
A new blood test published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine claims the ability to predict TB’s onset up to two years prior to its development in people living with active TB.
While other tests currently exist that track TB progression, professor Gerhard Walzl,... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) teams from across the country recently underwent classroom and field training as part of the Radiological Assistance Program Training for Emergency Response (RAPTER) in Las Vegas.
“RAP team members are often... Read More »
Rhode Island will receive $3 million in support from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to update elections equipment, reinforce cybersecurity measures and enhance overall election security, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) announced on Friday
The funds are part of the $380 million in... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics revealed there was a 37 percent border migration increase overall during the month of March when compared to February, but a 203 percent increase compared to March 2017.
Officials said a total of 37,393 individuals were apprehended between ports of... Read More »
In a report published in a recent issue of the journal Cell, researchers argued that a refocus of anti-influenza efforts may be needed, with the protein neuraminidase cited as a potentially important point for decreasing flu severity and infection alike.
Historically, flu vaccines have been... Read More »
INTERPOL and Frontex held a meeting recently to support efforts to expand their respective Dial-Doc and Quick Check Cards programs, which are designed to improve travel document checks at border points and fight travel document fraud.
The meeting was the first meeting of the working group and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted an exhibit focusing on how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills can contribute to national defense at the USA Science & Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., last week.
The... Read More »
Following a recent visit to Ukraine, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Wednesday for continued U.S. support after witnessing Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine first-hand.
Portman, the co-chairman of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, visited Ukrainian military positions and was briefed by... Read More »
In response to reports that foreign actors may have placed surveillance equipment around Washington, D.C., that mimics cellular towers, Democratic leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on Wednesday.
The cell-site... Read More »
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit presented by the Defense Strategies Institute will take place on April 18-19 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Designed for members of the Department of Homeland Security as well as other security critical organizations, the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said its flagship Trusted Traveler Program, Global Entry, has eclipsed the five million member milestone.
CBP personnel said Global Entry provides expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.
As of... Read More »
The explosion of a newly identified coronavirus led to the deaths of nearly 25,000 piglets between 2016-2017 in China and experts have linked the deadly virus to horseshoe bats.
While the virus does not appear to infect people, it has been devastating to swine herds. In turn, the researchers --... Read More »
As part of a simulation last year, digital disaster services volunteers from Whatcom County, Washington, and the Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, practiced discerning fact from fiction online to keep responders informed during the hypothetical eruption of Mt. Baker, an active volcano... Read More »
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, launched Wednesday a two-month promotional tour of Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Peru to raise awareness of the Black Hawk’s aerial firefighting capabilities.
Many of the Black Hawk helicopters delivered to the region’s militaries and... Read More »
Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee formally called for a congressional review of election security on Wednesday for the third time since January.
In a letter to U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chairman of the committee, U.S. Reps. Eddie Bernice... Read More »
President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to the southern border on Wednesday was lauded by the leader of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee as an important step to keep the country safe.
Citing legal loopholes, asylum fraud, immigration court backlogs and... Read More »
The Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) was recently touted as a key component in delivering command and control, troop transport, mortar, medical evacuation, and medical treatment to the battlefield.
Under the Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) formation, officials said the AMPV,... Read More »
Focused on the growing threat of antimicrobial drug resistance among their targets, infection specialists have joined researchers from India and France in an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program meant to limit use of antimicrobial drug therapies in hospitals.
Currently, there exists no... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led an enforcement action, called Operation Disarray, last week that led to hundreds of interactions and arrests of individuals involved in the online sale of opiates.
The operation, the first of its kind to occur at the same time in all 50 states, was... Read More »
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a Cyber Brief this week on cybersecurity issues related to space activities as part of its Digital and Cyberspace Policy program.
“New government actors, companies, goals, and technologies are expanding and transforming space activities,” the... Read More »
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said the agency is working to address instances of germs with unusual antibiotic resistance genes in the United States.
A CDC Vital Signs report referenced health departments working with the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Lab... Read More »
Lessons learned during the 2017 hurricane season will highlight Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 2018 National Level Exercise, which will bring government agencies, the private sector, non-profits, and individuals together from April 30 to May 11.
The biennial national exercise... Read More »
Yale University researchers have developed a new RNA therapy as a means of combating the West Nile Virus.
Study details published in Cell Host & Microbe showed how the approach, delivered through the nose of mice infected with the virus, reduced the virus in the brain, allowing the immune system... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved Leukine for use in adult and pediatric patients afflicted with Acute Radiation Syndrome, adding a third medical countermeasure to the nation’s stock for radiological and nuclear emergencies.
The drug counters myelosuppression -- a... Read More »
MITRE, a public interest research and development company, recently announced that it is seeking commercial cybersecurity vendors to participate in an evaluation of endpoint detection and response (EDR) products based on MITRE’s ATT&CK knowledge base.
ATT&CK is a globally accessible knowledge... Read More »
