Countermeasures
A Pandemic Influenza Plan released last week outlines areas of focus over the next decade and concludes that seasonal flu preparedness efforts must be stepped up in response to “the continually changing nature” of influenza viruses.
The Pandemic Influenza Plan was first undertaken in 2005,... Read More »
Raytheon Company’s advanced Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Block IA, an offensive and defensive missile system, aced its final land-based test this week after engaging and destroying a subsonic target from a test site in southern New Mexico.
With this success, the SM-6 Block IA will now move to... Read More »
Legislation from U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that supports the nation’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terror attacks and emergencies cleared the House Homeland Security Committee last week as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act.
Donovan, who serves as... Read More »
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Hungary conducted a 36-hour, international exercise this week to test the global emergency response to a nuclear power plant accident, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
The exercise involved 82 IAEA Member States and 11 international... Read More »
The first nationwide high-speed network for first responders edged closer to launching this week with the release of individual state plans by AT&T and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to help expedite the network’s buildout.
Officials will have up to 45 days to review plans... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations agents stationed at the El Paso Port of Entry in Texas recently made a seizure of 36.7 pounds of crystal methamphetamine during a single traffic stop.
The incident began as agents encountered a 1998 Ford pickup truck at the... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic recently announced that a request for proposal from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will be issued for the procurement of lyophilized Imvamune, a freeze dried version of the company’s smallpox vaccine.
The vaccine is currently stockpiled for... Read More »
A newly-developed Ebola virus disease (EVD) vaccine was found to be well-tolerated with no safety concerns, according to a Phase 1 randomized clinical trial conducted by a team of researchers led by the Canadian Immunization Research Network.
The vaccine used in the trial, the vesicular... Read More »
Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently met with senior Chinese government officials during an official OPCW visit to China to deliver a lecture of chemical weapons destruction and the threat of chemical weapons use by non-state... Read More »
A bacterium called Wolbachia may prevent mosquitoes from transmitting deadly flaviviruses such as dengue fever and Zika virus, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Indiana University-Bloomington (IU).
According to the study, which was published in a recent issue of the... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will soon be demonstrating new computed tomography (CT) scanners at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and the Logan International Airport in Boston over the course of the month.
The technology will strengthen threat detection... Read More »
As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) locks in its budget priorities, on the potential chopping block is the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)—a potentially devastating public health concern, one expert says.
That center, which aided governmental response... Read More »
Three amendments, authored by U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), were included in the recently-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Act of 2017 by the U.S. House of Representatives, each of which addresses a specific challenge in disaster response, oversight and... Read More »
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to a checkpoint inspection site along Interstate 15 in Temecula, California recently seized more than 100 pounds of alleged cocaine in a single incident.
The situation began as officers encountered a 2000 Infinity QX4 SUV driven by an unnamed 46-year old man.... Read More »
In the wake of a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which found that Zika infection during any trimester of a pregnancy can lead to severe birth defects, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) called on public health leaders to... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (R-FL) recently sent a letter to U.S. Army Acting Secretary Robert Spencer seeking assurances that the vaccine will be affordable for U.S. patients as they need it.
The request was made prior to the U.S. Army granting commercial exclusivity of a taxpayer-funded Zika virus... Read More »
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is transforming and centralizing infectious disease response and biodefense research with the creation of the Global Center for Health Security.
Such efforts are part of the brave new world of public health which, for years, has been plagued with... Read More »
During a meeting of the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program, various scientists and experts from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partner countries recently examined opportunities for cooperation to address emerging security-related challenges.
Organized in conjunction with... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed along various ports of entry in southern California recently seized more than 540 pounds of illicit narcotics over a series of incidents throughout the weekend.
In total, agents seized more than 372 pounds of methamphetamine, 120 pounds... Read More »
Beginning this week, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be assessing new checkpoint screening technology at a designated TSA PreCheck lane at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
The assessment is part of a proof-of-concept demonstration to evaluate both... Read More »
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an organization within the U.S. Department of Commerce, recently awarded $38.5 million for 33 different research and development projects that seek to advance broadband communication technologies for first responders.
The grants are... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology recently held a hearing to assess cybersecurity risks within wireless technologies and the networks to which they connect.
U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who chairs the subcommittee, said the... Read More »
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector in Texas recently rescued 59 undocumented immigrants over the course of three incidents.
The first incident occurred on June 2, when a tractor-trailer approached agents at the Highway 35 Checkpoint. After a brief round of questioning, the... Read More »
A Latvian man was recently extradited from Poland to face charges in Minneapolis regarding his involvement in a “scareware” hacking scheme, which targeted the website of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and caused millions of dollars in losses.
Peteris Sahurovs, known by the hacker pseudonyms... Read More »
In a public letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), a group of Democratic House members requested that the committee hold a hearing regarding the country’s ability to be prepared for and respond to various biological threats.
The group, which... Read More »
Smiths Detection, a manufacturer of threat detection and screening technologies for military and homeland security applications, recently received explosives detection system (EDS) cabin baggage (CB) approvals for three of its scanners from the European Union (EU).
After its HI-SCAN 6040aTiX... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted fast track designation for Aeolus Pharmaceuticals’ treatment to prevent respiratory failure among patients at risk for radiation pneumonitis following a radiological incident which often leads to acute radiation syndrome (Lung-ARS).
... Read More »
The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, the Battle Memorial Institute, and Priority Designs recently partnered to produce an improved protective mask against biological agents for soldiers in the field.
The new... Read More »
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) with the Newark Field Office in New Jersey recently conducted an immigration enforcement operation from June 5 to 9, which resulted in the arrest of 113 criminal targets throughout its jurisdiction.
Each... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently held an international counterterrorism meeting in Athens, Greece to discuss regional and global trends on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and the threats they pose to their home countries.
The meeting was held under... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently installed the latest checkpoint screening technology at six different Minnesota airports over the past five weeks.
Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT), an advanced body-scanning system, scans passengers for metallic and non-metallic items... Read More »
A Tulane University-lead study recently revealed how a small protein found within the Ebola virus may be responsible for the virus’ ability to spread rapidly from person-to-person.
Ebola-infected patients are known to produce large quantities of a compound known as delta peptide. The... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at various ports of entry in the San Diego and Imperial Counties in California recently seized more than 830 pounds of narcotics over multiple incidents.
In total, CBP seized 388 pounds of methamphetamine, 250 pounds of marijuana, 162... Read More »
A 27-year old Virginia man, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, was convicted by a federal jury on Wednesday of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to court evidence,... Read More »
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, IATA Director-General Alexandre de Juniac said cracks were beginning to show in the natural partnership on security between governments and airlines.
Specifically, de Juniac was... Read More »
