Policy
Pennsylvania Attorney General Henry, state police announce charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers
Attorney General Michelle Henry along with the Pennsylvania State Police and New Jersey State Police have announced charges against 20 alleged cocaine traffickers who allegedly used firearms to protect their trafficking operation in the greater Philadelphia area. Dozens of search warrants were... Read More »
Legislation introduced to address foreign supply chain threats
Legislation aimed at addressing security threats to the nation’s supply chain was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) Monday. The legislation, the Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act, would improve the effectiveness of the Federal... Read More »
DARPA, U.S. Army join forces to evaluate Cyber Threat Detection technologies
Recently, major military organizations came together to test and evaluate new cyber threat detection technologies, the agencies said Monday. As part of a joint operation with the U.S. Army Cyber Command Technical Warfare Center, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the... Read More »
Bill authorizing new VA facilities advances Senate
Legislation authorizing several new construction projects for the Veterans Affairs medical facilities passed in the U.S. Senate on Friday. The legislation, Fiscal Year 2024 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act, sponsored by U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jon Tester... Read More »
DHS unveils framework for AI deployment in critical infrastructure
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration with industry and the AI supply chain, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its recommendations for the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in critical infrastructure Thursday. The recommendations lays out clear guidance... Read More »
CISA launches Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the agency tasked with cyber defense and the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, recently launched Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (CISR) Month. CISA uses CISR Month to educate and engage the... Read More »
U.S., Canada and Finland to build Artic, polar icebreakers
Building off of landmark agreements signed in July, the governments of the United States, Canada and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to start work on developing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers. The MOU covers the exchange of knowledge, information and resources in... Read More »
Republican senators request policy shift toward Qatar
A coalition of Republican senators is requesting the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of State to reverse American diplomatic policies toward the state of Qatar. Citing Qatar’s hospitality toward Hamas and Hamas’ role in the killing of several U.S. citizens during the... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee panel urges inclusion of military quality of life provisions in National Defense Authorization
Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include their recommendations in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. The panel, led by U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (RNE) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), said erosions... Read More »
DHS, Japan partner for technical research and development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) recently signed a joint statement of intent for collaborative research, development and foreign technical exchanges. Under... Read More »
TSA establishes cyber risk management programs for railroads, pipelines
A new rule proposed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will establish cyber risk management and reporting requirements for pipeline and railroad owners and operators. In a proposed rule published as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the TSA said Wednesday that it would continue... Read More »
Bipartisan efforts seeks to crack down on Iran funding crime in United States
U.S Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced a bipartisan effort to crack down on individuals committing or attempting to commit violent crimes in the United States on behalf of Iran and other foreign adversaries. The Congresswomen said Iran has allegedly paid criminal... Read More »
Sen. Peters applauds Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese individuals in United States
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decided Oct. 17 to offer Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 11,000 Lebanese individuals currently in the United States, a move applauded by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee... Read More »
Air Force launches new initiative to change how projects are funded across the branch
The U.S. Air Force recently launched a new initiative to change how projects are funded and fostered across the service. The Squadron Innovation Fund (SIF) Marketplace is a virtual platform that allows airmen to develop and support innovative ideas that address operational challenges and improve... Read More »
Treasury, CFIUS issues rule on real estate transactions around military bases
The U.S. Treasury Department added nearly 60 military installations across the country to the areas over which the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has jurisdiction. CFIUS, working in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense, issued the final rule that expands... Read More »
CBP officials seize more than $2.1M in cocaine at Eagle Pass Port in Texas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations officers seized more than $2.1 million in cocaine in a single enforcement action on Wednesday at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Eagle Pass, Texas. A CBP officer referred a tractor trailer for secondary inspection at the... Read More »
Bipartisan delegation travels to Middle East amid rising instability concerns
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, recently led a bipartisan delegation to the Middle East amid concerns about rising threats and instability. The Congressional delegation of Cole and U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), John Rutherford (R-FL), Ed Case (D-HI),... Read More »
Commerce secretary appoints members to FirstNet Authority board
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo recently appointed 11 public safety, technology, and business leaders to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) board of directors. FirstNet Authority is an independent entity within the Department of Commerce’s National... Read More »
Lockheed Martin receives $113M naval contract for full rate production of SEWIP systems
Naval Sea Systems Command recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $113 million contract for the production of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 2 AN/SLQ-32(V)6 and AN/SLQ-32C(V)6 systems. The contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy and the Japanese government under... Read More »
Agreement bolsters national security-focused collaboration on offshore wind development
A new agreement signed Tuesday will ensure offshore wind development does not hinder national security. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will make certain the two agencies collaborate so that offshore... Read More »
California Highway Patrol launches San Bernardino operation
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) recently begun operation in San Bernardino. The CHP’s operation will provide the San Bernardino Police Department with additional investigative support, and will target stolen vehicles and sideshow activities. Sideshows are unsanctioned and illegal events... Read More »
Bipartisan senators urge increase in maximum number of authorized H-2B visas
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor, urging the agencies to release the maximum number of Congressionally-authorized H-2B visas for fiscal year 2025. The H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Visa Program allows... Read More »
DOE, NNSA work to mitigate risks of AI, improve national security
A new security memo from the White House on Artificial Intelligence, the first ever released, will galvanize the federal government in its AI National Security mission, officials said. The National Security Memorandum on Artificial Intelligence provides direction on harnessing AI models and... Read More »
Autonomous and networked maritime systems successfully tested by AUKUS
Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (AUKUS) successfully completed tests of several autonomous and networked systems during Autonomous Warrior 24, a three-week series of maritime experiments and exercises, in Australia. "AUKUS partners have long histories of working together on... Read More »
Massachusetts lawmakers urge ATF to stem influx of illegal firearms into the state
Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation recently sent a letter to the heads of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), urging the ATF to increase its work to mitigate the influx of illegal firearms into Massachusetts from other... Read More »
DHS S&T awards Minority Serving Institutions $1.8M for summer research
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) said on Oct. 23 it awarded 19 research teams from Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) $1.78 million in Summer Research Team Program funding for homeland security-related research. Awardees include Hispanic... Read More »
Army awards Raytheon $676M in contracts for TOW weapon system
The U.S. Army has awarded RTX’s Raytheon a $676 million contract to continue manufacturing the TOW weapon system. The tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided TOW system will be in service with the U.S. and allied forces beyond 2050, officials said. The contracts cover two separate... Read More »
DoD, SBA approve first group of investment funds for economic, national security technology
The Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently approved the first group of Small Business Investment Company Licensees and Green Light Approved investment funds under the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology (SBICCT) Initiative. The... Read More »
Advanced Border Coordination Act would enhance law enforcement at southern border
Members of Congress proposed a bipartisan bill Oct. 22 that aims to strengthen law enforcement operations and collaboration at America’s southern border. “For the safety of our communities, we have to restore the rule of law and secure our borders, and DHS [Department of Homeland Security]... Read More »
Homeland Security Committee Republican request hearing on cyberattacks
On Monday, Republican members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security requested a hearing from intelligence agencies about the cyberattack by Salt Typhoon on ISPs like AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies. U.S. Reps. Mark Greene (R-TN), Andrew Garbarina (R-NY), and Laurel Lee (R-FL)... Read More »
Justice Department to implement rule addressing data security
The Justice Department recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement an executive order President Joe Biden issued in February. The order, Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern,... Read More »
McKinsey & Company working for Chinese military, House committee claims
American consulting firm McKinsey & Company is working for the Chinese military and Chinese Communist Party, according to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently shared... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee reports details Chinese Communist Party threats
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security on Oct. 17 released an assessment, detailing recent instances of Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-related espionage in the United States as well as acts of transnational repression. The assessment, China Threat Snapshot, also documents recent legislative... Read More »
U.S. senators warn of IV fluid shortage
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) recently asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take action on the nation’s intravenous fluid shortage. In an Oct. 11 letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the senators urged the department to address... Read More »