Countermeasures
Officials with the New York Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said the amount of methamphetamine and fentanyl seized during 2020 indicates an alarming trend in street drugs and overdose deaths.
According to the DEA, agents seized 214 percent more methamphetamine and 59... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently indicated officers detected twice as many firearms per million passengers screened at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2020 compared to 2019.
“I commend our officers for their commitment to TSA’s security mission by... Read More »
Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Robin Kelly (D-IL) recently reintroduced a bill designed to amend the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, encouraging a victim-centered approach to combat human trafficking.
The Reducing the Demand for Human Trafficking Act targets those who purchase or... Read More »
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease cases are growing in the United States, which released a new report showing annual cases are 10 times higher than what they were reported in 2018.
Some 476,000 people are now being diagnosed and treated for Lyme... Read More »
In new data released by Eli Lilly and Company, a cocktail of neutralizing antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab reduced COVID-19 related hospitalizations and deaths by 70 percent among more than 1,000 high-risk patients.
According to the report, which was based on the BLAZE-1 phase three... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has announced a $36.5 million funding opportunity for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE).
The COE's focus would be Engineering Secure Environments from Targeted Attacks (ESE). DHS is soliciting center lead... Read More »
Boeing and Sikorsky personnel have detailed its advanced helicopter, DEFIANT X, which will be entered into the Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition.
The companies indicated DEFIANT X would be the fastest, most maneuverable, and most survivable assault helicopter in... Read More »
Although well-tolerated, Merck’s two COVID-19 vaccine candidates -- V590 and V591 -- have been discontinued due to immune responses well below those provided by natural infection or other vaccines.
“We are grateful to our collaborators who worked with us on these vaccine candidates and to... Read More »
A recent report from the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science finds that prescription use of opioids has fallen 60 percent since its peak in 2011.
Changes in clinical use, regulatory and reimbursement policies, and progressively more restrictive legislation have led to the reduced use, the... Read More »
The development and deployment of an effective vaccine for COVID-19 could be the turning point in the fight against the deadly pandemic, and companies involved in the process must make specific business and public health considerations simultaneously to help ensure a successful outcome, experts... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions and Humanigen have signed a contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) services agreement to accelerate the manufacturing of the drug lenzilumab.
Lenzilumab is an anti-human granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) monoclonal antibody designed to prevent... Read More »
In a manuscript posted to a preprint server, Moderna Inc. addressed Monday the results of in vitro neutralization studies of sera from people vaccinated against emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2, which produced lesser, though still protective, results.
Specifically, the variants being fretted over... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative applauded the Biden Administration for extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for an additional five years.
The New START agreement was reached in 2011 with Russia to reduce nuclear arms in both countries. The 10-year agreement was... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bill to protect against the influence of foreign actors that seek to sow political division through online disinformation campaigns.
Foreign adversaries — such as Russia, China, and Iran -- continue to exploit existing... Read More »
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) is advocating new federal action countering what he described as violent extremism and domestic terrorism after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack.
Gottheimer is encouraging the Biden Administration to restore the Office of Community Partnerships (OCP) within the... Read More »
Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have reintroduced a measure they said would make efforts to address global corruption a national security priority.
The Combating Global Corruption Act would raise the profile of fighting international corruption noting the violation erodes trust and... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), together with eight Democratic colleagues, introduced legislation last week that would create a Health Force to recruit, train and employ thousands to aid vaccine distribution.
The Health Force would be tasked... Read More »
COVAX announced last week that a new purchase agreement with Pfizer-BioNTech will secure up to 40 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for rollout, offering the potential to deliver at least 2 billion doses of vaccines, equitably, by year’s end.
“Today marks another milestone for COVAX:... Read More »
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is launching an effort to encourage public and private sector organizations to implement best practices to mitigate ransomware risks.
The Reduce the Risk of Ransomware Campaign will raise awareness about the importance of combating... Read More »
President Joe Biden signed executive orders to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase the production and stockpiling of vaccines, medical and testing supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The executive actions also boost public transparency and increase coordination... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said an agreement reached between the United States and the United Kingdom would strengthen supply chain security.
“This arrangement will take U.S.-UK cooperation on supply chain security to the next level,” William A. Ferrara, executive... Read More »
Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) has introduced a measure designed to create a national commission to provide a complete account of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The National Commission on the Insurrectionist Attack Upon the United States Capitol Act would also address preparedness and... Read More »
The Oklahoma Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence (OPCIE) officially opened in Stillwater, Okla., this week, presenting a new lab, genetic biorepository, and science lab to address public health concerns.
The facility is meant to serve as a frontline of defense against future... Read More »
In an attempt to address U.S. global health security staffing and to provide a permanent designated official for coordinating interagency health response, 57 House members supported the reintroduction of the Global Health Security Act this week.
Led by U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), president... Read More »
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) secured commitments from Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken to support the efforts of the Global Engagement Center (GEC) to combat disinformation and propaganda from foreign actors, like Russia and... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) gave the go-ahead to build two additional National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMV).
These vessels will replace aging training vessels at Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Me., and Texas A&M Maritime Academy in... Read More »
Officers in Laredo seized more than $2.8 million worth of methamphetamine at the World Trade Bridge, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO), said Wednesday.
Officers assigned to the cargo facility at the World Trade Bridge encountered a tractor-trailer... Read More »
Chalmers University of Technology researchers have determined that significant genetic transfer between bacteria in our ecosystems and humans may be linked to pathogenic bacteria in humans developing resistance to antibiotics.
"In recent years, we've seen that resistance genes spread to human... Read More »
President Joe Biden has returned the United States to the fold of the World Health Organization (WHO), dispatching his Chief Medical Adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, to address the body and make that return official.
“I am honored to announce that the United States will remain a member of the World... Read More »
In a letter to President Joe Biden this week, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) led 24 other senators in supporting full use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) to ramp up the production and stockpiling of medical, testing and protective equipment for use in the COVID-19... Read More »
A bill designed to strengthen the federal government’s ability to prevent and investigate acts of domestic terrorism was introduced in the House this week.
The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021 (H.R. 350) DTPA would authorize three offices -- one each within the Department of Homeland... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense will investigate the prevalence of white supremacy and extremist ideology in the ranks of the military.
The investigation comes after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers said that several of the insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol have been... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has earmarked $1,542,113 to aid Alerts, Warnings, and Notifications (AWN) guidance development.
The DHS S&T funding allotment via its Long-Range Broad Agency Announcement (LRBAA) program was awarded to Corner... Read More »
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) analysis has determined Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to develop a jam-resistant GPS capability for the military called M-code has been delayed, causing ripple effects.
Per the GAO, modernized satellites are in space, but receiver equipment needed... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award nearly $20 million in funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act to increase data sharing between health information exchanges and immunization information systems.
“These CARES Act funds will... Read More »
