Countermeasures
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers introduced legislation on Wednesday to protect critical energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyber attacks.
The Securing Energy Infrastructure Act of 2016 was co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM)... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed two cybersecurity bills on Tuesday that were authored by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX).
“Over the last several years we’ve witnessed evolving cybersecurity threats from nation-states such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, and from criminal... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with the scientific research organization Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, began a multi-country study on Tuesday to evaluate the magnitude of the health risks that Zika virus infection poses on pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants.... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), held a field hearing on Tuesday on how to better understand how transit operators and first responders prevent, prepare for and respond to incidents on mass transit.
The hearing, titled “Protecting Our Passengers: Perspectives on Securing Surface... Read More »
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates one of the busiest networks of aviation, ground, rail and seaport facilities in the nation, is preparing to deliver a new counter-terrorism and personal safety-training program for its employees.
“We always tell people, if you see... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two solicitation notices on Tuesday related to the development and procurement of anthrax vaccines for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), a move that Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., said shows the government’s intent to maintain an... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) voted in favor of H.R. 5293 on Friday to strengthen the military’s ability to combat terrorist threats posed by militant groups like ISIL and al Qaeda.
“A primary duty of the federal government as enumerated in the Constitution is to provide for the common... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) completed its Pre-Approval Inspection (PAI) of Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s Building 55 for the large-scale manufacturing of BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed).
Following the PAI’s conclusion, Emergent BioSolutions received a No Action Indicated... Read More »
The International Association of Fire Chiefs Foundation (IAFCF) selected 10 first responders and safety officers on Friday for the 2016 Hazmat Conference Scholarship Awards.
The scholarships, made possible by a grant from Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., provides each recipient with full conference... Read More »
The Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) Defense Spectrum Organization (DSO) named Alion Science and Technology on Wednesday as an awardee of a five-year, multiple-award contract valued up to $137 million to assist the military’s access to wireless spectrum frequencies.
Alion will... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) released data from a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on Wednesday that shows that approximately 91 percent of known or suspected terrorists passed a background check to purchase a firearm or explosives between Feb. 2004 and Dec. 2015.
The GAO... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (R-FL) urged the president on Wednesday to reevaluate the Relative Risk Score Threat Level applied to the Orlando area so that it qualifies for funding under the Urban Area Security Initiative.
The two senators sent letters to the Obama... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) seeking approval for the manufacture of BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) at the company’s Building 55 was accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week.
“Emergent’s... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began its new Prometheus program on Monday to identify prognostic biomarkers that indicate contagiousness following infection but prior to symptoms appearing in a patient.
Prometheus will seek to discover a minimal set of molecular... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday selected the California Department of Health, in partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is Los Angeles, to serve a region covering Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the Pacific Islands.
With its selection, Cedar-Sinai... Read More »
The House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee held a hearing on Tuesday concerning the U.S. public health response to antibiotic resistant bacteria, otherwise known as “superbugs.”
The hearing was initiated after the discovery of the MCR-1 gene in a Pennsylvania woman who contracted... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug status to Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., on Wednesday for BioThrax (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) for post-exposure prophylaxis of anthrax disease from suspected or confirmed exposure to Bacillus anthraces.
BioThrax is the only... Read More »
Lockheed Martin entered into a partnership with Interset’s insider threat detection solution on Monday.
The decision was announced at the 2016 Gartner Risk and Security Summit conference in National Harbor, MD.
“Insider threats pose one of the highest risks to an organization, and... Read More »
The Los Alamos National Laboratory is holding its annual Robot Rodeo, a competition that tests the abilities of bomb disposal robots from companies throughout the southwest, this week.
“The Robot Rodeo gives bomb-squad teams the opportunity to practice and hone their skills in a lively but... Read More »
The House Homeland Security Committee on Friday unanimously passed legislation authored by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) that enhances U.S. visa screening procedures at posts overseas.
The Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act of 2016, H.R. 5253, seeks to deploy trained law enforcement... Read More »
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), along with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI), unveiled the House Republicans’ blueprint for security at home and abroad on Friday.
The blueprint is part of the House GOP’s “A Better Way” initiative, which outlines ideas to... Read More »
Chimerix’s President and CEO M. Michelle Berrey participated in a panel focused on North Carolina’s role in biodefense preparation at the recent “Medical, Biomedical and Biodefense: Support to the Warfighter Symposium.”
"In the event of a smallpox bioweapon event or accidental release,... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) researchers took to the New York City subway system last month to aid in conducting a series of tests on how a biological agent, such as anthrax, might disperse throughout the rapid transit system as a result of a bioterrorism attack or accidental release.... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday detailing the security gaps in counterterrorism operations with overseas partners.
The report warns that many countries involved with the visa waiver program (VWP) are not holding to the agreements they made to exchange... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a Health Subcommittee markup on Tuesday, discussing the Strengthening Public Health Emergency Response Act, H.R. 3299.
"There is a clear role for the federal government to play in creating medical countermeasures and contributing to our nation's... Read More »
The Alliance for Biosecurity lauded the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday for recommending sustained funding in its FY 2017 appropriations bill for some essential medical countermeasures programs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Collaborative Operations in Denied Environment (CODE) program awarded Phase 2 system integration contracts on Monday to two companies, with six other companies collaborating on the project.
The two awardees included Lockheed Martin... Read More »
The world-class team of global communications industry leaders that make up a company formed to bid on building the first nationwide 4G LTE broadband wireless network to successfully deliver the FirstNet network for public safety in the U.S. was announced this week.
Rivada Mercury’s group of... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently released the June Terror Threat Snapshot, surveying growing threats that face America and its allies in the West.
“We face a challenging threat environment here at home as Islamist extremists abroad have dug into their... Read More »
The European Union (EU) Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee recently approved proposals concerning border security, migration and cooperation with other countries.
More than one million migrants arrived in the EU by sea in 2015, according to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR. This... Read More »
Battelle demonstrated on Friday that its new Resource Effective Bio-Identification System (REBS) can successfully perform all required functions, including the identification of threat agent bioaerosols.
REBS is a cost-effective bioaerosol identification system that provides rapid, flexible... Read More »
Science Applications International Corp. (SIAC) was awarded a five-year, multiple-award, indefinite deliver, indefinite quantity contract worth up to $460 million on Wednesday from the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management (FEDSIM) and U.S. Cyber Command... Read More »
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) trained a group of 31 first responders from Central America and Mexico during a sub-regional exercise held May 16-20.
The exercise trained the attendees on responses to chemical warfare agents and incidents with toxic industrial... Read More »
Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Uzumcu warned that non-state actors are likely developing and using chemical weapons abroad during his keynote speech last week at the 19th International Chemical Weapons Demilitarization Conference in London.... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for FY 2017 by a vote of 371-35.
This year’s IAA focuses resources on ongoing threats of terrorism from groups like ISIS, while also prioritizing long-term threats. The legislation... Read More »
