Policy
Federal lawmakers call for fleet leveling to balance active duty Air Force National Guard and Reserve fighters
A group of 49 federal lawmakers – both bipartisan and bicameral – wrote to U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall this week calling for the use of fleet leveling to balance fighters across active duty squadrons and allow for production capacity to catch up to demand. This attempt to... Read More »
New bill would block American genetic data from access by companies tied to foreign adversaries
With the introduction of the Safeguarding American Genetic Data Act of 2023 last week, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) sought to prevent biotechnology companies with ties to foreign adversaries from accessing American genetic data and personal health information. “Every day, Americans get blood... Read More »
BAE Systems, U.S. Department of Commerce research non-binding preliminary agreement for new national security project
The Biden administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce, reached a non-binding preliminary agreement with BAE Systems Electronic Systems to provide approximately $35 million in federal incentives for its new Microelectronics Center in Nashua, N.H. By the end of the project, the... Read More »
U.S. Marines place $211M order of Amphibious Combat Vehicles from BAE Systems
An ongoing contract between BAE Systems and the U.S. Marine Corps was modified this week to include an additional $211 million of Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs). As a result, 40 full-rate production ACV Personnel (ACV-P) variants will be procured, and the extra funding will cover both... Read More »
Funding for 9/11 health care included in FY24 National Defense Authorization Act
Among the items that were included in the final version of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) last week was $676 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), providing millions in coverage support for responders to the 9/11 aftermath. The... Read More »
Republican senators introduce Iran China Accountability Act
U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), together with seven Republican colleagues, reintroduced the Iran China Accountability Act this week in a push to weaken Iran’s relationship with communist China and ensure that the United States not move forward with any nuclear agreement without congressional... Read More »
CISA sets physical security performance goals for faith-based organizations
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this week released a new set of physical security performance goals for faith-based organizations. Partially in response to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians,... Read More »
Congress advances TRANQ Research Act in bid to understand, counter synthetic opioids
Opioids have remained a major focus for Congress in recent years, given the scope of their spread across the United States, and this came to a head once more this week with the House’s passage of the TRANQ Research Act (H.R.1734), which now heads to President Joe Biden. If approved, the bill... Read More »
FEMA’s 12th annual National Preparedness Report reveals challenges of rising costs, climate change-related disasters
Climate change is causing increased frequency and severity of disasters across the country, leading to rising costs that represent a collective challenge for all levels of government, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) latest National Preparedness Report. “As the... Read More »
GAO warns some federal agencies fail to meet requirements for cybersecurity incident response
Over the years, federal agencies worked to improve their abilities to detect, analyze and handle cybersecurity incidents, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), but some have failed to meet requirements surrounding the tracking of incidents. Responses to ransomware... Read More »
RTX wins $8M DARPA contract to improve Department of Defense supply chain resilience
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded an $8 million contract to address systemic risk surrounding procurement and delivery of supplies to aerospace and defense company RTX and its Raytheon BBN Technologies unit this week. "DARPA has emphasized that supply demand... Read More »
U.S. Senate Republicans press Biden administration for details on Iran sanctions waiver
Led by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a group of 25 Republican senators wrote to secretaries within the Biden administration and pressed them for answers to the lack of a unified strategy on Iran, the country’s long-time adversary in the Middle East. Particularly grating to the lawmakers was the... Read More »
U.S. Senate bill proposes increased foreign gift reporting requirements among academia
A group of seven U.S. senators introduced the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, S.3362, last week to heighten oversight of foreign gift reporting at American colleges and universities. Envisioned by lawmakers as a way... Read More »
Law enforcement organizations call for FEND Off Fentanyl Act’s inclusion in National Defense Authorization Act
In letters to Congressional leadership last week, groups including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) called for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act (S. 1271) to be... Read More »
Bicameral Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act seeks to strengthen U.S. cyber system through training programs
Last week, a new bill introduced in both chambers of Congress – the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act – proposed improving U.S. cyber defenses and its cybersecurity workforce through two new federal training programs. “There is a crippling shortage of cybersecurity workers that... Read More »
Traveler Privacy Protection Act would ban collection of biometric data by TSA
Under legislation recently proposed by a collection of six senators – the Traveler Privacy Protection Act – the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be banned from using facial recognition technology and collecting facial biometric data at airports in the United States.... Read More »
Senators push for National Defense Authorization Act to get tough on outbound investment screening
In a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, a group of federal lawmakers this week urged strong language be added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to keep sensitive technologies from American adversaries. “There is... Read More »
Sen. Brown urges passage of legislation sanctioning wide-reaching illicit fentanyl supply chain
While the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act has made it into the National Defense bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this week publicly pressed for its enactment and called on the Biden administration for more resources to counter illicit drugs. FEND Off... Read More »
White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience to create federal Supply Chain Resilience Center
As a means to protect the U.S. supply chain, the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience recently saw the announcement of a new Supply Chain Resilience Center (SCRC) to analyze vulnerabilities and collaborate with the private sector. Primarily, the new... Read More »
U.S., U.K. security agencies release joint guidelines for secure AI development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released joint guidelines for secure AI system development. These guidelines were targeted at developers of any systems that use... Read More »
Department of Defense holds workshop to better understand manufacturing needs, technology opportunities
Assembling its Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII) and stakeholders last month, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) held a Chicago-based workshop on its efforts to modernize and how the manufacturing innovation ecosystem could support it. "OSD ManTech, through the MIIs, spearheads... Read More »
Federal legislation would reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders
In introducing the Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act this week, U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Norma Torres (D-CA) sought to reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders. Otherwise, the bill would not change anything about these dispatchers’ work or the... Read More »
DHS updating language to improve access for limited English speakers
Working with interagency partners, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week upgraded its language access plan, promoting improved access to its programs and activities for those with limited English proficiency. Helming the effort was the DHS Office of Civil Rights and... Read More »
Sen. Cotton introduces No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act to hit Iran with new sanctions
Seeking to halt aerial development, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), echoed by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the House, introduced the No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act last week, brandishing the legislative threat of additional sanctions for the long-time American adversary. The bill was... Read More »
House intelligence committee report calls for reauthorization, reform of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702
Without action from Congress, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will soon expire, and in a report released last week by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, lawmakers called for its swift reformation and reauthorization. Section 702 authorizes... Read More »
U.S. Department of Defense awards $39.9M to Calumet Electronics to enhance printed circuit board supply chain
Calumet Electronics Corporation of Michigan earned a $39.9 million award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) this week as part of efforts to improve production capabilities for High-Density Build-Up (HDBU) substrates. Pulled from the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI)... Read More »
IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act advanced by Senate to boost human trafficking victim support
The U.S. Senate advanced with unanimous consent legislation this week that seeks to combat human trafficking and expand support for its victims. The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S.670) is now under consideration in the U.S. House. “The federal government must increase support for... Read More »
CISA releases first Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence to guide federal AI approach
Following up on President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence last month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its first roadmap detailing a federal approach to developing and implementing AI... Read More »
Federal NCARS Act introduced to push national resilience strategy against natural disasters
A group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security (NCARS) Act to create a national resilience strategy in the face of increasingly prevalent natural disasters spurred on by climate change. Backed by U.S. Reps. Maria Elvira... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Lankford and Rosen lead letter to UN urging designation of Hamas as terrorist organization
In a letter to the United Nations, several United States senators this week pressed for the international body to designate the Hamas organization of Palestine as a terrorist organization following terrorist attacks on Israel in October that left hundreds dead, others kidnapped, and kicked off a... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security expands analytic, reporting capabilities with new office
In a move meant to bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s statistical reporting and analysis capabilities while improving data transparency, DHS Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) last week. The new office will primarily report on... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee advances measure targeting alleged Chinese infiltration of universities
Through advancement of the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516), this week the House Homeland Security Committee took aim at American funds going to universities connected to Chinese entities of concern. Authored by Homeland Security... Read More »
DOJ announces indictment in PG&E bombings
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of a San Jose engineer for his attack on energy facilities in California. According to court documents, Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted Oct. 19 for attacking two PG&E transformers in San Jose on Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5,... Read More »
Senate Republicans introduce proposal to secure Southern border
On Monday, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and James Lankford (R-OK) unveiled a proposal to secure the country’s southern border. The group said their proposal would address policies that have led to a crisis at the southern border. Drawn from H.R. 2, the proposal would... Read More »