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An effort similar to the Manhattan Project — in which American-led R&D produced the first nuclear weapons during World War II — is needed now in defense against the growing global threats posed by infectious diseases and bioterrorism, sources said Thursday during a Blue Ribbon Study Panel on... Read More »
The House this week advanced a measure introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), following similar successful efforts in the Senate, and raising the potential to prosecute the possession of biological toxins.
The Effective Prosecution of Possession of Biological Toxins and Agents Act of... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) proposed legislation to give the District of Columbia home-rule authority over the D.C. National Guard.
This bill -- filed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020 -- would give the D.C. mayor the same authority that... Read More »
With a focus on biological threats to the United States and a new, public-private effort to counter them, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense will host its first public meeting in New York City this week.
Their main topic of discussion will be ‘A Manhattan Project for Biodefense’ -- a... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is holding a competition where teams use robots to navigate and search dark, dangerous, and unpredictable underground tunnels.
The Virtual Tunnel Circuit competition features nine teams vying for prizes totaling $500,000. The competition... Read More »
Following the release of a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Representatives Lee Zeldin (R-NY-1), Eliot Engel (D-NY-16), Peter King (R-NY-2), and Al Green (D-TX-09) recently urged the advancement of a bill that would preserve the T-Band spectrum for use by emergency... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published guidance for first responders and emergency managers on how to respond in the first minutes of a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or “dirty bomb.”
The guidance was developed by the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)... Read More »
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories recently discovered a vulnerability in a standard open-source software for genomic analysis DNA-based medical diagnostics.
Such a vulnerability leaves the software open to cyberattacks.
Researchers found a weak spot while studying the software’s... Read More »
The Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Association (DARPA) established a program to deliver powerful new defenses against public health and national security threats.
The program -- called the PReemptive Expression of Protective Alleles and Response Elements (PREPARE) –... Read More »
The healthcare community needs to address antimicrobial resistance, or future generations will be at risk, a leading health expert said at the first-ever joint meeting of G20 Finance and Health Ministers in Osaka, Japan last week.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi,... Read More »
Dr. Asha George understands firsthand the threats biological agents can cause. George, who is executive director of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, served in Operation Desert Storm. She knows what it’s like to be standing on the battlefield wondering whether antimicrobial resistant... Read More »
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 »
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 »
The program that reimburses state, counties and local jurisdictions for up to 50 percent of the cost of body armor vests purchased for law enforcement officers was included this week will get funded via a House appropriations bill.
The U.S. House approved the Bulletproof Vest Partnership program... Read More »
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing (PAHPA) Innovation Act, S. 1379, became law on Monday with the president’s signature, prompting accolades from national stakeholders, company executives and federal lawmakers.
The far-reaching law ensures the United States will be better... Read More »
A bill was introduced in the U.S. House to authorize funds for the U.S. Coast Guard through fiscal year 2021.
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3409) includes funds to promote the U.S. maritime industry and offshore renewable energy development, authorization of funding to build... Read More »
New legislation advanced last week by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee would allot $75 million annually for grants to nonprofits and faith-based organizations specifically dedicated helping them secure their facilities.
The Protecting Faith-based and Nonprofit... Read More »
Delta Air Lines, in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), will install facial recognition at three airports over the next month.
The technology will be installed at boarding gates and will be used for international flights. It can save approximately nine minutes of boarding... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate aims to promote stronger cybersecurity coordination between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state and local governments.
The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act encourages national cybersecurity watchdogs to share... Read More »
Highlighting the success of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in disaster response, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently encouraged federal departments to partner with his state’s Northern Plains UAS Test Site in the fight against wildfires.
Specifically, he wanted to see the site’s knowledge... Read More »
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) introduced legislation last week that would make it illegal to distribute online blueprints and instructions that detail how to automatically program a 3D printer to produce or manufacture a firearm.
The 3D... Read More »
International leaders and organizations are unprepared for a global catastrophic biological event, according to a report from Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security, the Center for Global Development, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Leaders and organizations... Read More »
The House Committee has advanced legislation designed to enhance Internet of Things (IoT) devices security and aid in preventing attacks on information technology infrastructure on Oversight and Reform.
The Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which was introduced by Reps. Will Hurd... Read More »
A new study suggests that comprehensive health system planning can stymie the effects of a deliberate release of smallpox in a city, a nightmare scenario for public health officials.
The research, which was published today in the online journal PLOS One, said that if a health system response is... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three different bills that are designed to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “It’s... Read More »
A bill introduced in the Senate would require shell companies to disclose their true owners to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
The Improving Laundering Laws and Increasing Comprehensive Information Tracking of Criminal Activity in Shell Holdings (ILLICIT CASH) Act would help law enforcement... Read More »
A resolution was passed in the U.S. Senate that will designate October 28, 2019, as "Honoring the Nation's First Responders Day."
An estimated 4.6 million career and volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and paramedic workers serve communities all across the nation,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took into custody more than 144,278 migrants along the southwest border in May, the highest total in 13 years.
It marked a 32 percent increase over April when 109,474 were taken into custody. This year over 530,000 have already been apprehended, and the... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) introduced Wednesday legislation that would increase research and data on domestic terrorism.
The Domestic Terrorism Documentation and Analysis of Threats in America (DATA) Act would require Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Justice Department, and the... Read More »
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risks spreading to Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, according to testimony by public health experts on Tuesday before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The outbreak in the DRC began in August 2018 and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with Azimuth1 to develop a navigation app called QuickRoute, specially designed for first responders.
The app warns users about hazards along the route and takes into account factors like traffic... Read More »
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, the Alliance for Biosecurity, and the Trust for America’s Health on Wednesday applauded the overdue reauthorization of the nation’s all-hazards preparedness and response law addressing public health threats, whether naturally occurring or... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is urging Trump Administration officials to address potential security concerns related to China using wearable technology products to catalog American’s personal data.
“Chinese smartwatches and other devices can stockpile data about a user’s health, finances,... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing (PAHPA) Innovation Act of 2019, which now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature to make it law.
S. 1379, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) on May... Read More »
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) recently introduced legislation designed to enhance U.S.- Ukraine cooperation and address effective deterrence from Russian aggression.
The U.S.-Ukraine Security Cooperation Enhancement Act provides specific lethal military assistance including... Read More »
