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Legislation leveraging AI to handle pandemic preparedness introduced
On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced legislation that would use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to handle pandemic preparedness and response. The co-chairs of the Senate AI Caucus said the legislation would establish a program called MedShield and would... Read More »
House passes legislation to bolster wildfire tech
On Thursday, the U.S. House passed legislation designed to combat wildfires across the country. The Wildfire Tech Demonstration, Evaluation, Modernization, and Optimization (DEMO) Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) would allow private entities to partner with... Read More »
HHS boosts Mpox global vaccine supply through donations
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would donate more than a million doses of the mpox vaccine, boosting both domestic and international supply. The JYNNEOS mpox vaccine received regulatory approval from the World Health Organization last week.... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation accelerating microchip manufacturing projects passes House
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and his Senate colleagues applauded the passage of legislation designed to accelerate the U.S. microchip manufacturing permitting process in the House of Representatives. The Building Chips in America Act would streamline federal permitting process for... Read More »
Senate committee passes terrorist watchlist reform legislation
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee passed legislation that would provide some reforms to the terrorism watchlist and traveler screening processes. The legislation, the Enhanced Oversight and Accountability in Screening Act, introduced by U.S.... Read More »
Legislation would reduce reliance on China for critical minerals
The U.S. Senate recently passed bipartisan legislation that would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign nations for critical minerals. The bipartisan Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act would establish a presidential task force tasked with determining how to address national... Read More »
DOJ awards $600M in grants to hire more law enforcement officers
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Offices) announced it had awarded more than $600 million in grants to law enforcement agencies across the country. The funding will be used for a variety of efforts, from hiring new law... Read More »
Legislation introduced to recruit, retain firefighters
U.S. Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Mike Carey (R-OH) announced they had introduced bipartisan legislation to recruit and retain firefighters across the country. The Enhancing SAFER Grants for Local Firefighters Act would enhance existing federal grant programs used by local fire departments,... Read More »
California early warning system notified millions ahead of 4.7 magnitude earthquake
On Friday, an earthquake early warning system worked, officials said, notifying millions of Californians of a 4.7 magnitude earthquake up to 20 seconds before the shaking started. Officials said that at 7:28 a.m. on Sept. 13, an earthquake centered 4.4 miles north of Malibu was felt across... Read More »
Report finds port security threat in Chinese tech, equipment
On Friday, a joint investigation found a rising threat to U.S. economic and homeland security in the Chinese Communist Party’s dominance in U.S. port infrastructure. According to a report from House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN), Subcommittee on... Read More »
TSA proposes REAL ID enforcement flexibilities
On Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) proposed new rules that would provide federal agencies with the flexibility to enforce REAL ID regulations. The proposed rule would ensure that federal agencies, including TSA, can enforce REAL ID requirements starting May 7, 2025.... Read More »
Legislation introduced to increase communications from FEMA to states, localities receiving counter-terrorism grants
On Wednesday, U.S. Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) introduced legislation designed to improve communication from FEMA to states and localities receiving counter-terrorism grants. The bill, the “Enhancing Stakeholder Support and Outreach for Preparedness Grants Act,”... Read More »
House passes legislation countering Chinese influence on higher education
On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, MD (R-TN) applauded the House’s passage of legislation that seeks to counter the influence of China on American higher education. Green, the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said U.S. Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-TX) bill, “DHS Restrictions... Read More »
Homeland Security Republicans applaud bills addressing national security, fentanyl activity
On Monday, Republicans on the House Committee on Homeland Security applauded the passage of three bills countering Chinese influence on homeland security and the fentanyl crisis out of committee. U.S. Rep. Mark Green, MD (R-TN) said the committee had advanced three bills out of committee that... Read More »
U.S. Secret Service partners with law enforcement on EBT fraud, card skimming outreach operation
On Thursday, the U.S. Secret Service announced it had joined forces with state and local law enforcement to conduct a payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer fraud operation in Birmingham, Ala. Secret Service personnel, as well as Birmingham Police Department officers, and members... Read More »
Treasury Department’s FinCEN holds events to combat fentanyl financing
On Thursday, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) held its latest event focused on addressing financial crimes threats stemming from the fentanyl trade. Part of the Promoting Regional Outreach to Educate Communities to the Threat of Fentanyl (PROTECT)... Read More »
DHS seeking information to boost port cybersecurity
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) issued a Request for Information from commercial port operators to help research maritime cybersecurity. The Directorate’s Maritime Port Resiliency and Security Research Testbed project is... Read More »
KBR acquires LinQuest to expand digital, national security, intelligence capabilities
Science, technology and engineering solutions provider KBR announced Tuesday it had acquired LinQuest Corporation. The acquisition will allow KBR to strengthen its capabilities across space, air dominance and connected battlespace missions, the company said. LinQuest, a provider of advanced... Read More »
DHS strengthens Maritime cybersecurity through partnership with Japan
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had strengthened maritime cybersecurity through a partnership with its counterpart in Japan. From Aug. 21-22, DHS and the Government of Japan conducted a tabletop exercise that simulated a major cyber incident impacting... Read More »
Army awards Javelin contract to Raytheon, Lockheed Martin
On Thursday, the U.S. Army announced it had awarded the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) contract to Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The $1.3 billion contract is the largest single-year Javelin production contract covers Javelin missiles and associated equipment and services. The joint venture contract... Read More »
Rep. Moolenaar, Sen. Rubio ask DoD to blacklist China-linked battery company
U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) asked the U.S. Department of Defense to immediately place CATL on the list of companies operating in the United States that have ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s Military-Civilian Fusion Strategy. In a letter to U.S.... Read More »
US DoD announces cooperative agreement on STEM education, outreach programs
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it had awarded Research Triangle Institute a $190 million agreement to provide STEM education and outreach to communities across the country. The award, the Defense Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Consortium (DSEC)... Read More »
DOD convenes climate summit to strengthen regional security collaboration
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Defense hosted the Climate and Defense Summit of the Americas to gather senior leaders in the Western Hemisphere to address defense and security challenges posed by climate change. Officials said the summit, held at the U.S. Naval Academy on Aug. 22 and 23,... Read More »
DHS announces nearly $724M in preparedness grants
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it had allocated nearly $724 million to federal preparedness grants. The allocations include $454.4 million in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant program, an increase of nearly $150 million over last year’s allocations. The... Read More »
DoD awards $13M in grants for Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program
On August 7, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it had awarded seven more Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program awards to seven more firms. The awards brings the number of awards to date up to 13 for a total of $23 million. Awardees included Modular Genetics, Battelle and... Read More »
Senator requests information from TSA on surveillance
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) requested information from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asking for information on whether or not security systems have been improperly surveilling American citizens. Paul, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and... Read More »
Committee passes Healthcare Cybersecurity Act
On August 12, U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) applauded the passage of legislation to protect health care and the public health sectors’ cybersecurity through the U.S. Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee earlier this month. Young and U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the... Read More »
DoD awards more than $46M in research grants
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced it had awarded more than $46 million in grants to support basic research in national security topics. The DoD awarded 19 grants to university-based faculty teams under its Minerva Research Initiative. The grants are three- to five-year awards... Read More »
DHS S&T looks for solutions to reduce risks to power infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced Friday that it was looking for Software Artifact Dependency Graph (ADG) Generation capabilities to understand risks within the software that power cyber and physical infrastructure. The solicitation... Read More »
DOD, LLNL and NNSA partnering on biodefense supercomputer
The U.S. Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration said earlier this month that they will partner with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to work on a biodefense supercomputing system. On Thursday, the DoD said it was working with NNSA to increase the computing... Read More »
Smiths Detection moves forward in partnership with SeeTrue
On Thursday, Smiths Detection, a business within Smiths Group, announced it was accelerating its partnership with AI-based threat detection software provider, SeeTrue. Smiths Detection said it had successfully integrated and tested SeeTrue’s technology into its advanced CT security checkpoint... Read More »
DHS S&T requests research and development project proposals
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced it was inviting the scientific and technical communities to propose research and development projects that will support national security. The program, the Long Range Broad Agency... Read More »
Legislation strengthening cybersecurity measures introduced
On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and James Lankford (R-OK) introduce legislation they said will strengthen federal cybersecurity by forcing federal contractors to adhere to cybersecurity guidelines. The legislation, the Federal Contractor Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reduction Act of... Read More »
U.S. Air Force reaches price agreement with Boeing for prototype program
On Friday, the U.S. Air Force announced it had reached a price agreement with Boeing for the E-7A Wedgetail weapon system rapid prototype program. At a total contract value of $2.5 million, the agreement paves the way for the delivery of two operationally representative prototypes of the E-7A... Read More »