International Policy
Merck has started the submission of a rolling Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an investigational vaccine to combat the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus, the company recently announced.
The V920 vaccine, scientifically known as rVSV-ZEBOV, falls under... Read More »
The next five years of focus for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will be decided at the 23rd session of the Conference of the States Parties and fourth Review Conference beginning today.
For the next two weeks, member states will discuss budgets, programs,... Read More »
U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein recently returned from a two-day visit to Colombia where he pledged to accelerate joint training activities with the Colombian Air Force.
Colombia has worked closely with the United States for decades on security and regional concerns. ... Read More »
A bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation to ensure Congressional oversight of U.S. policy on Yemen and demand accountability from Saudi Arabia for the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Saudi Arabia Accountability and Yemen Act of 2018 would suspend weapons... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first single-use fingerstick tests for Ebola virus detection, complete with a portable reader system more easily used outside of labs.
While this is the second fingerstick test made... Read More »
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently announced the development of three new technologies designed to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as part of its Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program.
The three technologies -- a semi-autonomous robot for detection of mines... Read More »
Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department attended the Fifth Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Ministerial Meeting in Indonesia this week to reaffirm U.S. support for the initiative and commit additional funding.
GHSA, which launched in 2014, is a worldwide effort to... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase its support of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
The GHSA, launched following the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2013, is focused on pandemic prevention. It helps... Read More »
INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters served as the backdrop for the recent Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats conference, which was designed to address chemical terrorism and related factors.
“This Congress comes at a pivotal time in the international security... Read More »
In the wake of recent developments in Saudi Arabia, several lawmakers are seeking suspension of civil nuclear cooperation talks with that nation's government.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) has forwarded correspondence to President Donald Trump requesting... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently hosted the first North American International Forum to Advance First Responder Innovation (IFAFRI) Industry Stakeholder Summit.
IFAFRI’s goal is to advance the development of innovative yet... Read More »
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) member states said they are working in concert with the United Nations (UN) to achieve international peace and security through economic and technological development.
OPCW officials said during the recently conducted third edition of... Read More »
The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) effort to place its Hawk Mk127 fleet among the most advanced in the world is nearing completion, with an assist from BAE Systems Australia.
BAE Systems Australia has inducted the final aircraft into its Williamtown maintenance facility as part of the... Read More »
Continued attacks by rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is keeping health officials from combatting the spread of an Ebola outbreak in the affected areas.
With support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health has been trying to contain the outbreak, which is... Read More »
Five SM-2 surface-to-air missiles built by Raytheon Co. recently completed five test flights successfully in exercises conducted at sea by the Republic of Korea Navy.
The SM-2 missile allows navies to defend against aircraft and anti-ship missiles as far away as 90 nautical miles and an altitude... Read More »
The West and Russia have increasingly different interpretations of strategic stability, according to a survey of U.S., Russian, and European experts conducted by the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
These differences increase the risk of miscalculation, nuclear competition, and escalation.... Read More »
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) launched last week its Global Policing Goals and is encouraging the international law enforcement community to support them.
The Global Policing Goals serve as a framework for the international community to collectively address the... Read More »
Federal law enforcement officials have unveiled a series of initiatives targeting transnational organized crime.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the effort stems from an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, which Sessions defined as... Read More »
Both state and industry representatives from 25 nations gathered in Qatar earlier this month as part of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and collectively agreed to increase cooperation in the future.
“All chemical industries regardless of the size and scale need... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen recently hosted the second day of the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America, which focused on improving personal safety and security in the region.
Discussions included combating organized crime and gangs,... Read More »
A range of global security issues, including terrorism, were discussed during a recent meeting between U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.
Sessions and Stock touched on several joint initiatives, including a project to strengthen the capacity of law... Read More »
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the October Terror Threat Snapshot last week, highlighting that 159 homegrown Jihadist cases in 30 states have been uncovered since 2013.
The cases included plots to attack the country, overseas travel,... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) commended President Donald Trump for signing into law a bill to help Americans who are victimized by acts of terrorism while abroad get justice.
Trump signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 (S. 2946), which will improve access to justice in... Read More »
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is seeking information regarding how the nation’s military plans to counter Syria’s future use of chemical weapons.
Ernst, who chairs the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities for the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently forwarded correspondence to... Read More »
The United Nations set forth a goal of eliminating a global tuberculosis epidemic by 2030, as well as to treat 40 million people infected by the disease by 2022 and push forward infection prevention measures in the same timeframe.
A meeting held by the body’s General Assembly this week marked... Read More »
The United States announced during the United Nations General Assembly in New York Tuesday the AMR Challenge, the “most ambitious global initiative” for combating antibiotic resistance (AMR).
Led by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »
During the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Sept. 25, Alex Azar, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary, will call on world leaders to address the evolving threat of antibiotic resistance.
Failure to prepare for and reverse antibiotic resistance could lead to... Read More »
Researchers from Harvard University urged government officials this week to develop new measures to detect and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, like dengue fever, in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In a report published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the researchers --... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Mike Conaway (R-TX) introduced a bill to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to submit a report to Congress on Iran’s use of assets received from sanctions relief.
The bill, the Iran Payments Accountability Act of 2018 (H.R. 6774), states that... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation this week that demands a U.S. strategy to bolster Taiwan’s diplomatic standing around the world.
The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI)... Read More »
Japan Customs, one of the first agencies in the world to announce a live Advanced Cargo Information (ACI) program, will use an application developed by Rockwell Collins for enhancing national security in preparation for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
ACI provides electronic cargo information... Read More »
NATO announced this week that a new effort to provide air-to-ground precision-guided munitions to Allies has completed its first delivery.
Officials said NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) received the first lot of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), which were acquired through a... Read More »
For the first time since he took office as the United States Secretary of Defense, James Mattis traveled to South America to solidify the Department's strong defense ties with Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia.
"These relationships are critical to a collaborative, prosperous and secure... Read More »
As the World Health Organization (WHO) and health agencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) seek to clamp down quickly on a new Ebola outbreak in the country, they can now count on the expertise of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well.
The CDC has... Read More »
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced last week that tests of cases in the country’s North Kivu province by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) revealed Ebola in patients.
Though the news came just over a week after the Ministry of Health... Read More »
