U.S. Army awards BAE systems contract to develop missile warning system for aircraft
The U.S. Army recently awarded BAE Systems a contract worth up to $97.9 million to develop a Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) next-generation missile warning system for aircraft. Under the Limited Interim Missile Warning System (LIMWS) contract, the company’s 2-Color Advanced Warning System... Read More »
Sens. Collins, King announce support for “red flag” bill
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) recently announced their support for the Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act. The legislation is designed to encourage states to give law enforcement the authority to prevent individuals who pose a threat to themselves... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation to assist law enforcement identify fentanyl, illegal substances
A new federal grant program would help state and local police departments purchase screening equipment that can rapidly identify fentanyl and other dangerous substances in the field under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. Under the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources... Read More »
House panel probes border security, sanctuary cities, immigration law loopholes
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testified before a House panel on Thursday about border security, sanctuary cities, immigration law loopholes exploited by transnational gangs, and deployment of the U.S. National Guard to the southern border. During a U.S. House Homeland... Read More »
Bipartisan effort to improve bioterrorism, pandemic response drafted in Senate HELP Committee
Bipartisan members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a discussion draft on Thursday aimed at improving the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to deliberate bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pandemics in the United States. The draft... Read More »
GAO recommends closer relationship between DHS, Congress to improve spending oversight
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made a three-point recommendation regarding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week, after finding that their current budget reporting fails to account for how much it actually spends on its acquisitions. The issue is that DHS... Read More »
Imperial Valley border patrol officers intercept three narcotic smuggling attempts worth over $1.2M
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Andrade and Calexico West ports of entry intercepted this past weekend three attempts to smuggle cocaine and methamphetamine valued at more than $1.2 million. At about 5:07 p.m. on April 20, a CBP officer encountered an 81-year-old male... Read More »
GAO analyzes DOD weapon purchasing reforms
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released details of its annual analysis of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) revised weapon system portfolio and purchasing reform policies. GOA officials said the agency reports on the programs DOD uses to buy its 86 major weapon systems,... Read More »
Nuclear Threat Initiative highlights separated plutonium security risks
A new paper from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) provided recommendations for mitigating risks related to separated plutonium. As compared to highly enriched uranium (HEU), separated plutonium has not received enough attention as a security risk, NTI Counselor John Carlson said in the... Read More »
House hearing focuses on border security policies, deployment of National Guard
With 22,000 unaccompanied minors and 40,000 families arriving at the U.S. border since January, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan testified before a House panel on Wednesday that transnational criminal organizations are “preying on these individuals.”... Read More »
Senate bill would expand National Threat Assessment Center to enhance school safety
The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) would be expanded to include a national program that conducts research and provides resources on school violence across the country. Named for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s mascot, the Eagles Act, S. 2759, would... Read More »
Alliance for Biosecurity testifies before House subcommittee on need for long-term funding to counter biological threats
Leadership from the Alliance for Biosecurity urged Congressional lawmakers at a hearing on Thursday to increase funding for programs to protect Americans from biological and chemical threats. Speaking before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and... Read More »
University of Miami study concludes antibody cocktails fail as protection for Zika-vulnerable fetuses
Though found to prevent Zika virus infection in primates, a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies was deemed ineffective in a new study led by the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. Pregnant rhesus macaques were infected, the infection spread to the amniotic fluid and fetal deaths... Read More »
Traffic stop results in alien rescues
A recent inquiry by border patrol agents resulted in 59 illegal aliens being rescued from a tractor-trailer. Border Patrol officials said on April 20, 2018, agents at the checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35, north of Laredo, Texas, observed a tractor-trailer at the primary inspection lane,... Read More »