Countermeasures
Army officials said Lockheed Martin is slated to begin supporting formal integration and testing of the branch's combat vehicle protection system to keep soldiers safer and more secure from threats.
Lockheed Martin would provide its Modular Active Protection System (MAPS) base kit, which... Read More »
Following the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use listing of the AstraZeneca/University of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine this week, the COVAX initiative announced it intends the bulk of the first deliveries to occur in March.
COVAX is finalizing the first and second quarter allocations of... Read More »
A new report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses the status of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, sequencing, and the three emerging variant strains, establishing four policy recommendations to identify and manage them.
“Staying Ahead of the Variants: Policy Recommendations to... Read More »
Leading health and public health organizations in the United States are seeking $4.5 billion in additional annual funding for states, localities, tribes, and territories to support public health infrastructure and workforce.
Representatives from 316 organizations sent a letter to Congressional... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is urging the Secretary of Defense to review the modular pressure mobile containment systems that can offer a Military Treatment Facility (MTF) or hospital the capability to treat patients with COVID-19 symptoms.
In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel said on Feb. 19 that the agency would begin the initial phase of a program designed to restore safe and orderly southwest border processing.
Authorities indicated DHS would begin processing those who had been forced to remain in Mexico under... Read More »
A joint document recently released by the Nuclear Innovation Alliance (NIA) and Partnership for Global Security (PGS) defines a comprehensive domestic strategy to advance nuclear power development.
“Clean energy technologies, including advanced nuclear energy, are essential to meet mid-century... Read More »
Another four COVID-19 therapeutics for those with mild to moderate symptoms moved further up the pipeline this week, with the announcement of enrollment for Phase 2/3 testing in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) ACTIV-2 trial.
ACTIV, or the Accelerating COVID-19... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) formally approved emergency authorization for AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, allowing two versions of it to be distributed through the global COVAX program.
AstraZeneca-SKBio is producing the two vaccines in the Republic of Korea and the Serum Institute of... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and David McKinley (R-WV) introduced a bill to address shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies.
The Protecting Providers Everywhere (PPE) in America Act would boost domestic PPE and testing supply production. It would also promote a... Read More »
Republican members of the House Committee on Homeland Security are urging Biden administration officials not to roll back border security or immigration enforcement policies.
In a letter to President Biden, the committee members warn of a surge in encounters at the border at a time when U.S.... Read More »
BAE Systems has been awarded a $184 million contract option via the Marine Corps, covering production, fielding, and support costs for the Amphibious Combat Vehicles personnel carrier (ACV-P) variant.
The firm was awarded the initial full-rate production contract option in December for the... Read More »
U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials said a recently launched digital resource center seeks to aid business leaders and associations in wholly navigating varied COVID-19 vaccine questions.
Authorities noted the COVID-19 Vaccines Digital Resource Center contains state-specific information, guidance... Read More »
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security introduced a new website last week known as the COVID-19 Testing Toolkit to provide essential information on available tests, testing services, how they work, and how accurate they are for any interested organizations.
“For a lot of organizations,... Read More »
The United States Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) will purchase another 100 million doses each of the COVID-19 vaccines offered by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. by the end of July.
President Joe Biden announced the deals last week, in a speech delivered at the... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. on Friday announced a new contract development and manufacturing company (CDMO) agreement with Canadian-based Providence Therapeutics, which is producing a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine similar to the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus shots already being... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN) is working to establish a Cybersecurity Training Center in Indiana.
Pence met with Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Dale Lyles to discuss the idea of establishing a training center at Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex (MUTC) operated by the... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced legislation to address shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies.
The Protecting Providers Everywhere (PPE) in America Act would boost domestic PPE and testing supply production. It would also... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract to develop an advanced technology weapon concept.
The effort would increase the engagement range and weapon effectiveness of domestic forces against... Read More »
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) reintroduced Wednesday the Set Testing and Objectives Plan (STOP) COVID-19 Act, which he said would address state COVID-19 vaccine distribution, reporting, and transparency standards.
The bill would also create a program for cities and counties to increase testing, contact... Read More »
New legislation from U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) attempts to guarantee maximized use of the Defense Production Act (DPA) during emergency response and to increase domestic production of critical medical supplies.
The Public Health Emergency (PHE) Production Act,... Read More »
Through a letter of intent released this week, AstraZeneca and IDT Biologika pledged to increase COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in Europe and guarantee long-term supply capacity.
While the details are still up in the air, both companies also intend to invest in drug substance capacity.... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Jackie Speier (D-CA) are urging the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines to adopt new security clearance guidelines to prevent individuals involved in extremist groups from accessing classified information.
Specifically, Wexton and Speier are... Read More »
The U.S. Army announced that it will continue its relationship with Skydio, the leading U.S. drone manufacturer.
Specifically, the Army will continue with the Skydio X2D SRR system to complete the remaining integration and documentation requirements within the Other Transaction Agreement... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reopened the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) biometrics comment period.
“As a testament to CBP’s steadfast commitment to privacy principles and transparency, CBP reopened the comment... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) are requesting a leader be named in the U.S response to the SolarWinds cyber breach that impacted numerous federal agencies and thousands of private sector entities.
The senators forwarded correspondence to the Director of National... Read More »
A collection of four United States representatives reintroduced the Saracini Enhanced Aviation Safety Act this week in a bipartisan effort to require the installation of secondary cockpit barriers on passenger aircraft to prevent future events like those witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001.
The bill is... Read More »
Under a new emergency use authorization (EUA) issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the monoclonal antibodies bamlanivimab and etesevimab can be used together for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19.
Specifically, they can be used by adults and pediatric... Read More »
Frustrated by ongoing cyber threats from the United States and abroad, members of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee said Wednesday they are developing new legislation that would expand the powers of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, currently an operational component... Read More »
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb joined the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction Monday to announce the state’s new plan to expand access to the opioid reversal agent naloxone.
Working with Overdose Lifeline, Inc., the state will... Read More »
U.S. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) introduced a bill that seeks to limit Iran’s influence in the Middle East.
The Iranian Arms Transfer Prevention Act of 2021 (H.R. 857) requires the United States to impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the transfer of conventional... Read More »
AppCensus, a start-up from El Cerrito, Calif., won a $198,600 award from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop testing and validation services for digital contact tracing applications.
The phase 1 award was made under S&T’s... Read More »
Lockheed Martin officials said the aerospace company has contracted with ABL Space Systems to supply a rocket and associated launch services for Lockheed Martin's first UK vertical satellite launch.
The UK Pathfinder Launch is slated to be the first vertical small satellite launch from UK soil... Read More »
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) has introduced a pair of bills designed to strengthen border security and protection.
“America is the most compassionate nation in the world, but our immigration system is broken," Johnson, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, said. "Reforming that system is a... Read More »
Following preliminary data that showed the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to have minimal effect in preventing mild to moderate cases of a South African variant, the global COVAX initiative has nevertheless stressed the need to assess its efficacy against more severe illness.
Preliminary... Read More »
