Countermeasures
At a roundtable with local firefighters and Kittitas and Yakima County officials in Washington, United States Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), drove home the need for -- and her efforts to secure -- additional federal wildfire disaster prevention and mitigation funding.
Kittitas County has experienced... Read More »
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas indicted 10 alleged MS-13 gang members with a series of crimes.
The alleged crimes, according to the Department of Justice, include racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering, related... Read More »
In an effort to improve school safety at the state and local levels, United States Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) last week introduced the Security to Avoid Violence in Educational Settings (SAVES) Act, which would create a new federal grant program.
The Department of Justice would be in charge of a... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released Preparing Critical Infrastructure for Post-Quantum Cryptography, a guide which provides critical infrastructure and government network owners with essential updates.
The analysis also provides operators with an overview of... Read More »
Leaders from the House Committees on Energy & Commerce and Homeland Security joined forces in a letter this week to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), pressing for urgent action to close vulnerabilities in the oversight of radiological material purchases.
Spurring the letter was a covert... Read More »
At a ceremony hosted by United States Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), the arrival of all 20 of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Global Hawk Block 30 aircraft to Grand Sky, North Dakota was cheered, as it marks the next step in the Sky Range hypersonic missile testing program.
Sky Range seeks to... Read More »
The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a $107.7 million contract to modernize the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71).
Authorities noted the extended dry-docking selected restricted availability (EDSRA) pact calls for BAE Systems to execute the modernization work at its Norfolk, Virginia... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) have joined eight colleagues in expressing concerns regarding a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State determination that "terrorist-linked" individuals are no longer barred from entering the United States.
The... Read More »
The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense announced Tuesday that it had received a $5.2 million grant from Open Philanthropy to strengthen efforts to improve preparation for biological incidents, ranging from pandemics and zoonotic diseases to biological terrorism and warfare.
The private... Read More »
Moderna, Inc. announced this week that it has finished its submission to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) for its BA.4/BA.5 Omicron-focused bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine.
The candidate, or mRNA-1273.222, would be formulated as a... Read More »
Volt Athletics, Inc., based in Seattle, Wash., has secured a $199,730 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) award to develop its Artificial Intelligence (AI) software system.
“DHS recognizes that wellness is a complex issue and is engaging the private... Read More »
Amid a monkeypox outbreak that continues to grow internationally, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) exercised an option on an existing contract this week to acquire additional intravenous (IV) doses of the TPOXX smallpox treatment.
TPOXX is a U.S. Food and Drug... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Gary Peters (D-MI) recently announced funding for their respective states to aid faith-based and other nonprofit organizations in securing their facilities against terrorist attacks and acts of hate.
Portman, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has advanced to the second phase of its No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program, selecting Serco Inc. for design elements.
The NOMARS initiative targets building and demonstrating a new medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) capable of going... Read More »
The Calexico Port of Entry gained a new port director this week, with the United States Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) appointment of Roque Caza, previously the director of the CBP Counter Network Division (CND).
Calexico is the third busiest of six land border crossings under the... Read More »
In a letter to leadership at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) revealed nine whistleblowers had disclosed concerns of mislabeling and unauthorized manufacturing of... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking proposals to enhance microelectronics manufacturing efforts.
DARPA’s Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing (NGMM) seeks to create a new, domestic-based center for research and development and 3DHI microsystems... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) recently introduced two pieces of legislation to combat gun violence by establishing gun manufacturer accountability.
The Firearm Industry Fairness Act would tax firearm manufacturers producing semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines at a rate of 20... Read More »
At the first summit of its kind in 15 years, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and various national law enforcement organizations gathered in Alexandria, Va., Aug. 17-18, 2022, to network and improve information sharing on national and public security.
“In the 20 years since 9/11,... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said a Maryland couple faces CBP trusted traveler status revocation after failing to declare nearly $100,000 in designer brand consumer goods purchased overseas.
Both individuals were Global Entry trusted traveler members. Global Entry is the... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic reached an agreement last week with pharmaceutical contract manufacturer Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM), making arrangements backed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create the first U.S. fill and finish line for the JYNNEOS vaccine.
JYNNEOS... Read More »
With signature from President Joe Biden, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act became law last week, authorizing $270 million over five years to continue the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) and to fund a new police training program.
The legislation seeks to... Read More »
Textron Aviation has delivered two Beechcraft King Air 260 aircraft to the U.S. Forest Service, with the aircraft manufacturing noting the aircraft would perform wildfire mapping missions.
“We are honored the U.S. Forest Service has added the King Air 260 to its fleet,” Textron Aviation... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Angus King (I-ME) recently applauded the passage of their legislation (S. 3451) that cuts "bureaucratic red tape" for certain computer-related projects, such as the development of semiconductors, which was signed as Public Law 117-173 on... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has detailed final allocations of $550 million for seven Fiscal Year 2022 competitive preparedness grant programs.
“As the threats to the homeland evolve, so too must the grant programs intended to prepare communities for those threats,”
DHS... Read More »
During some COVID-19 surges, U.S. hospitals were hampered in terms of staff, supplies, or space to care for patients that exceeded their normal operating capacity, though health care coalitions helped fill some gaps.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a review of eight... Read More »
With no signs the monkeypox health emergency is set to lessen, a group of 14 U.S. senators wrote to congressional leadership this week in search of additional funding for a public health response in any future legislative package.
“Monkeypox is a serious threat to public health, and we need to... Read More »
The Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may soon be capable of providing hazard and evacuation alerts directly to vehicles’ infotainment screens.
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently released its first department-wide social media policy detailing how DoD military and civilian personnel should use official social media accounts.
"It's long overdue," Office of the Secretary of Defense Director of Digital Media Andy Oare said.... Read More »
Though border crossing attempts remain high, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported in its July 2022 operational update that encounters at the Southwest border decreased by 4 percent, trending down for two months.
In terms of individuals encountered, the figures went up by 1 percent,... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) officials have collaborated to offer a competition to expeditiously aid critical mineral resources assessment initiatives.
The AI for Critical Mineral Assessment Competition stems from the nation's dependence on... Read More »
In coordination with state and local partners this August, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced successfully identified and located 84 minors victimized by sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as 37 children who had been actively missing.
Dubbed Operation Cross... Read More »
Roche Diagnostics announced a new test for its line-up this week to offer additional means for decision-making and treatment options surrounding SARS-CoV-2, particularly in at-risk patient groups.
The Elecsys IGRA SARS-CoV-2 test focuses on the T-cell response to offer a potentially better... Read More »
Defense, aerospace, and security firm BAE Systems has secured an $88 million Marine Corps contract to build multiple ACV-30 Production Representative Test Vehicles (PRTVs).
“We are committed to equipping the Marine Corps with the best technology available to provide them with a decisive... Read More »
Utilizing money from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) put up more than $3 billion in funding last week for two grant programs meant to help communities improve resilience to climate change and extreme weather.
“Climate change is... Read More »
