Countermeasures
The chair and executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commended four Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) officers Monday for their actions following an explosion in a passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT).
“Thanks to the quick response of these... Read More »
Topics related to terrorism financing and cybersecurity issues highlighted at the recent Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum, a multinational gathering that drew government, diplomatic, intelligence and industry leaders from 53 countries.
Hosted by U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC), the... Read More »
The House of Representatives approved legislation on Monday that would recalibrate the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity and infrastructure security functions by establishing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), a standalone organization.
Under the Cybersecurity... Read More »
The Canadian Department of National Defense awarded today an $8 million contract for delivery of the anthrax combating drug Anthrasil to Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
The news comes on the heels of Health Canada’s approval of Anthrasil under new regulations. With that approval, it is marked for... Read More »
Thanks to cooperative efforts from Ugandan and Kenyan authorities working with international health organizations, an outbreak of Marburg virus disease has been contained in Uganda just a few weeks after its detection.
The reversal of fortunes has been praised by the World Health Organization,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced its end-of-year immigration enforcement numbers for New England for fiscal year 2017 (FY17).
“CBP officers at the ports of entry throughout New England are committed to enforcing the border security laws of our nation, which... Read More »
The recent Chemical Biological Defense Science and Technology Conference featured presentations from 70 U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) researchers on topics ranging from protective armor coatings to battlefield sensing to pharmaceutical-based agents.
Organized by the... Read More »
The Fingerprints unit of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) recently held the first INTERPOL Fingerprint and Face Symposium, which brought together approximately 125 experts on fingerprint examination and facial recognition from 58 countries in Lyon, France.
Speakers at... Read More »
A self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel that was allegedly smuggling 3,800 pounds of cocaine was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) last month near Corpus Christi, Texas.
During a multi-day operation, AMO crew used a P-3 Long Range Tracker... Read More »
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the FBI testified before a Senate panel on Friday about evolving international terrorist threats and the impact of $582.8 million in proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs.
U.S. Sen. Claire... Read More »
Plants serve a variety of purposes ranging from food and medicine to clothing and furniture. And now they have a new use – in the Department of Defense (DOD).
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a plan to use plants to gather intelligence information.... Read More »
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has discovered one of the natural factors aiding the spread of dengue globally: common fungus.
Apparently, the fungus lives in the gut of certain mosquitoes, and its presence there helps dengue virus to survive in the... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) recently launched a pilot program to collect and share biographic information on pedestrians leaving the United States for Mexico at the San Ysidro-El Chaparral Port of Entry.
The Joint Pedestrian Land... Read More »
The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) defined a Phase II program of work to increase the scope of its activities at its fifth plenary meeting recently held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Phase II aims to emphasize the importance of verification ahead of the... Read More »
A new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consolidate the efforts to thwart and counter WMD attacks, the department announced on Thursday.
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the creation of the CWMD Office, which will... Read More »
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal to begin consolidation of chemical, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) functions this month does not reflect recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in August 2016.
Congress directed DHS to review its weapons... Read More »
A witness at a House subcommittee hearing on Thursday identified drone delivery of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons as one of the newest threats to homeland security, as lawmakers examined a proposal to reorganize and enhance U.S. defenses against weapons of mass destruction.
The... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of rapidly spreading cases of Diphtheria in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have taken shelter.
Already, six have died and more than 110 suspected cases have been linked to the disease by health partners in-country. A mix... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported on Wednesday significant increases in seizures of cocaine and unreported currency at eight South Texas ports of entry in fiscal year (FY) 2017 as compared to FY2016.
CBP officers at the eight ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio that... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) requested information this week about how many government agencies have complied with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive to identify Kaspersky Labs software on government computers and to plan for its removal.
DHS Binding Operational Directive (BOD)... Read More »
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) launched a program this week to improve information sharing with financial institutions.
The FinCEN Exchange program will include regular briefings with financial institutions to share information on... Read More »
Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday would add chip technology to Medicare identification cards to better protect seniors and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
Under the Medicare Common Access Card (CAC) Act, Medicare cards would use the same chip technology that... Read More »
Bipartisan leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Tuesday to lead the investigation into sonic attacks on personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
The State Department... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales recently arrested two individuals with “Trusted Traveler” status after finding drugs in their vehicles.
The two individuals were enrolled in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program,... Read More »
Encouraging results have stemmed from human testing of a Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) developed Zika vaccine.
In three separate trials, a Zika purified inactivated virus was introduced into 67 otherwise healthy adults. All were able to tolerate it with no adverse effects, and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released Tuesday its end-of-year immigration enforcement statistics, which showed historically low border apprehension numbers but an increase in removals.
We have clearly seen the successful results of the President’s commitment to supporting the... Read More »
Efforts to enhance vetting of travelers to the United States, to intercept ISIS fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq, and to remain vigilant of “homegrown violent extremists” highlighted a Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
Key developments... Read More »
The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Department of Justice (DoJ) initiated a regulatory process on Tuesday to determine if bump stocks are illegal under federal prohibitions on machineguns.
The ATF has submitted an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of... Read More »
With billions of dollars flowing into a focus on artificial intelligence, China poses both a military and commercial threat to the United States where artificial intelligence is concerned, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
While the exact amounts invested remain hazy, experts dub... Read More »
Mass amounts of marijuana and cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $1.3 million were recently intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry in two separate seizures.
On Saturday, CBP officers found 53 pounds of cocaine hidden on a... Read More »
An investigational vaccine developed by scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Technology (WRAIR) successfully triggered an immune response among adult participants of clinical trials, according to a study published on Monday.
The Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV)... Read More »
Despite gains made by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in foreign airport assessments and air carrier inspections, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found “considerable regional variation” in compliance with security standards and recommended practices.... Read More »
Businesses would have to adhere to new customer notification requirements for data breaches under a bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday, and corporate employees could face new criminal penalties for deliberately concealing breaches.
Democratic members of the Senate Commerce, Science and... Read More »
Nigeria, which has been stricken by outbreaks of yellow fever, received aid from the International Coordinating Group (ICC) last week in the form of 1.4 million vaccines.
Distribution of those vaccines will be aided by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to support the... Read More »
During a 24-hour period last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a total of 12,215 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $9.1 million at ports of entry along the California border with Mexico.
The officers seized 11,895 pounds of marijuana, 227 pounds of... Read More »
