Joint military training aids amphibious preparedness
Marine Corps personnel recently joined the Army and Navy in a joint training initiative designed to increase combat operational readiness in amphibious and prepositioning operations. Marines with the 2nd Transportation Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics... Read More »
BAE Systems secures Marine Corps ACV contract
The Marine Corps has awarded a $67 million contract modification to BAE Systems and Iveco Defence Vehicles to develop variants for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) Family of Vehicles program. The effort would enhance battlefield situational awareness and firepower, with the contract calling... Read More »
Senate bill would establish national campaign for vaccine awareness, support vaccine research
New legislation, recently introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), seeks to increase vaccination rates through a campaign of awareness, grants, and research support. Primarily, under the VACCINES Act, the Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »
Agencies working with communities to fight wildfires
Three government agencies are partnering with national and international first responders to address the problem of fires in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). The WUI is an area between the undeveloped land and urban areas. Fires in the WUI spread quickly and cover acres. Homes in the WUI are... Read More »
Fort Drum in New York gets missile defense site designation from DoD
The U.S. Department of Defense designated Fort Drum in Jefferson County, N.Y., as an East Coast Missile Defense Site. U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) commended the choice. “I am proud to announce that after years of leading the effort on behalf of Fort Drum on the House Armed Services... Read More »
Lockheed Martin secures Army missile contract
Lockheed Martin has secured a two-year $561.8 million contract to produce Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles for the Army and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. “The new-build ATACMS rounds under this contract will include sensor technology that provides the recently qualified... Read More »
GAO offers TSA testing, vulnerability update
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is acting upon GAO recommendations offered to enhance airport screening tests while also addressing vulnerabilities. In order to test screening at airports, TSA personnel regularly covert tests to... Read More »
NIH begins clinical trial to analyze safety, efficiency of new drug for resistant TB
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched a large clinical trial to investigate the drug delamanid, understanding its safety and efficacy in regards to multidrug-resistant strains of tuberculosis (TB). Throughout the study, MDR-TB will be compared to the older isoniazid in... Read More »
Bill would cover firefighters under federal workers’ compensation
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate Tuesday would amend the Federal Employee Compensation Act to make it easier for firefighters who were injured or became ill as a result of their service to be covered by federal workers’ compensation. Currently, federal law does not recognize certain... Read More »
New report finds cybersecurity lacking across multiple federal agencies
A new report from U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE) details the failure of eight federal agencies, over the course of two administrations, to address vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure. The senators, who serve as the chairman and ranking member of the Permanent... Read More »
Bill addresses federal law enforcement weapons theft
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) introduced a measure designed to create minimum standards preventing federal law enforcement officers’ service weapons from becoming lost and stolen. The Federal Law Enforcement and Public Protection Act stems from the fact in recent years in the Bay Area and... Read More »
BAE Systems secures $90M Navy contract
Engineering and integrations systems firm BAE Systems has secured a five-year, $90 million contract to modernize and maintain C5ISR systems embedded within vehicles, watercraft, and specialized communications platforms. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity pact spans five years while... Read More »
WHO says bipartisanship, funding only ways to fight Ebola outbreak
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could continue indefinitely without proper funding and an end to in-country fighting, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In a speech to Member States in Geneva, WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus... Read More »
Defense bill includes $1.7B for tanks
The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes $1.7 billion in funding to upgrade 165 Abrams tanks and a $249 million for upgrading Stryker Vehicles, a $78 million increase from last fiscal year. The bill also increases the Abrams tanks’ rate of production in Lima,... Read More »