Countermeasures
In observance of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently called upon more people to consider careers in cybersecurity as part of a push to fill more than 209,000 unfulfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States.
“We are focused on... Read More »
Though the state of Michigan first established a Cyber Civilian Corps back in 2013, a new law signed last week will allow those volunteers to service a broader range of entities in need of crisis assistance.
The bill was appropriately dubbed the Cyber Civilian Corps Act by its introducers, state... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced that the six companies tasked with building prototypes for a southern border wall completed construction in San Diego, California.
CBP will now test and evaluate the eight prototypes over a 30 to 60-day period to determine which... Read More »
The malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasite needs two proteins to infect red blood cells and exit the cells after it multiplies, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The researchers... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently began implementing enhanced screening procedures for carry-on items at the Orlando International Airport (MCO).
TSA personnel will now require travelers passing through standard screening lanes to remove electronics larger than a cell... Read More »
An outbreak of pneumonic plague in Madagascar and Seychelles carries a moderate risk of spread to neighboring Indian Ocean islands, which is mitigated by the naturally short incubation period of the virus and the institution of exit screening measures at ports of entry, according to a recent update... Read More »
A bill that aims to strengthen American security at airports in Cuba and on commercial flights between the two countries was recently introduced to the Senate by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
The Cuban Airport Security Act would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to... Read More »
CARB-X, a partnership between U.K. and U.S. organizations, has awarded $2.48 million to Amicrobe Inc. for development of a bioengineered antimicrobial designed to help infected tissue.
Presently, the World Health Organization estimates drug-resistant infections kill 700,000 per year. In the... Read More »
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) announced Wednesday that Vice President Mike Pence will visit the Minot Air Force Base in Ward County, North Dakota, today to review the base’s dual-nuclear missions.
Pence will also meet the base’s leadership and address the airmen during the visit Minot, which is... Read More »
A group of 28 Senators led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) to require private sellers to conduct background checks for the sale or transfer of firearms, with certain exceptions.
The requirements of the Background Check Expansion Act would apply to all unlicensed sellers, whether they sell firearms... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at the Falfurrias Checkpoint in Texas recently seized more than 80 pounds of cocaine and 60 pounds of marijuana and rescued 52 undocumented immigrants over four separate incidents.
Beginning on Oct. 20, agents assigned to the checkpoint... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) provided an update on Wednesday regarding the recently confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) emanating from Uganda’s Kween District.
As of Oct. 24, five cases of MVD have been reported. One case has been confirmed through laboratory testing,... Read More »
In an effort to improve international biosafety and security, the Sandia National Laboratories have created a peer mentorship program to pair experts from developed and developing nations.
The program has been dubbed the Biosafety Twinning program. It operates in six-month terms, focusing on... Read More »
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the implementation of updated security measures for refugees entering the United States, including, but not limited to, increased data collection, improved information sharing between agencies, and new training procedures for screeners.
The changes come... Read More »
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) announced this week an agreement to partner on building the National Mutual Aid System (NMAS) with health and safety solutions company Intermedix and spatial analytics company Esri.
The NMAS will replace the IAFC’s Mutual Aid Net tool built... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing Tuesday to examine the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) preparedness for and response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
The hearing follows a recent bipartisan... Read More »
A bipartisan bill that seeks to combat the growing opioid epidemic in the United States was advanced this week by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Authored by U.S. Reps. Niki Tsongas (D-MA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), the International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting... Read More »
A bill that seeks to improve information sharing and cooperation in addressing cybersecurity risks at the nation’s ports was recently unanimously advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Authored by U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA), the Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and... Read More »
Rutgers University has been awarded a $300,000 contract by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the next two years in order to address a deadly fungal infection spreading through hospitals.
Candida auris is a variant of yeast that can enter the bloodstream and is both... Read More »
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and his 10 counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus met Monday at the former Clark Air Base in the Philippines to discuss mutual security challenges and their multilateral defense cooperation.
Mattis... Read More »
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security recently introduced a self-guided exercise scenario to help public health communicators and risk communication researchers prepare for transmission dilemmas they could face during a pandemic.
The SPARS Pandemic scenario book features the outbreak of... Read More »
The National Governors Association (NGA) recently announced the launch of a project aimed at preventing acts of violent extremism in throughout the United States.
Developed through a two-year training and engagement grant provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the project... Read More »
A bill that establishes an interagency task force of federal law enforcement agencies to help eradicate the illicit trade of fentanyl and heroin throughout the United States was recently introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV).
The bill, titled the... Read More »
A bill that seeks to reauthorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) cargo vetting program for the first time in eleven years was recently advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Authored by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ), the... Read More »
During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) prodded federal officials on the nation’s cyberdefenses and the need for a national doctrine for deterrence of cyber attacks.
Witnesses included Christopher Krebs, the senior official undertaking duties of... Read More »
Motorola Solutions recently introduced new integrated software-based communication solutions for first responders, which combine the company’s ASTRO 25 land-mobile radio (LMR) systems and public safety broadband.
“We are introducing new solutions and future concepts that use ASTRO 25 for... Read More »
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke recently met with foreign leaders in the United Kingdom and at a G7 meeting in Italy to advance collaborative efforts to fight terrorism.
Duke first traveled to London where she met with UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd and other top officials from... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced the deployment of facial recognition biometric exit technology at the Miami International Airport for select flights.
“Through our consultations with the airlines and airport stakeholders, and based on the success of several pilots,... Read More »
U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the El Paso Port of Entry in Texas recently made a seizure of 177 pounds of liquid methamphetamine during a single traffic stop.
The incident began as officers encountered a 2009 Ford Econoline van driven by a 38-year old Mexican... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced it is working to contain an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) that has appeared near the Kenyan border in east Uganda.
First detected on Oct. 17 by Uganda’s Ministry of Health, WHO estimated that several hundred individuals may have... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity formally recognized the sustained efforts of U.S. Rep. Charles Albert “Dutch” Ruppersberger, D-Md., to improve how the United States prevents and combats biosecurity threats with its Congressional Biosecurity Champion Award.
Congressman Ruppersberger on Oct. 19... Read More »
A 23-year-old resident of Aurora, Illinois, faces 15 years in prison for attempting to travel to Syria and join the designated foreign terrorist organization known as Jabhat al-Nusrah.
The suburban Chicago man, Abdella Ahmad Tounisi, was arrested at O’Hare International Airport four years ago... Read More »
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) recently sent a letter to Nuance, a health care technology company affected by June’s NotPetya malware outbreak, asking for additional information about the incident.
The outbreak affected Nuance’s ability to provide transcription... Read More »
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Deputy Director-General Hamid Ali Rao highlighted chemical safety and security as a priority area for engagement during a recent official visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for the International Seminar on Advanced Chemical Safety and Security... Read More »
Acting Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Ronald Vitiello recently visited El Paso, Texas, and Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, for an event promoting cross-border relations between the two countries.
On Oct. 19, CBP personnel were in El Paso to discuss the agency’s... Read More »
