Policy
Mississippi senators commend selection of their home state for nextgen polar icebreaker
U.S. senators from Mississippi praised the announcement on Tuesday that Pascagoula, Miss.-based shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc. was awarded a major contract to build the next generation of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers. A United States presence in the polar regions is vital given the... Read More »
Former State Department employee pleads guilty to conspiracy
A former employee of the U.S. Department of State pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal officials charged Candace Marie Claiborne with lying to law enforcement and background investigators and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of... Read More »
LAX to add Guardian Active Shooter Detection System to Automated People Mover Facility
The Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is adding a program that detects gunshots for its new Automated People Mover Facility, interfacing it with the facility’s video, access control, notification, and critical emergency management systems. The program is part of a joint effort by Shooter Detection... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven lauds Super Corridor establishment
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) is praising the collaboration of Grand Sky and the Harris Corporation, resulting in a new Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Super Corridor in the Red River Valley. The endeavor will enable small and large unmanned aircraft to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their... Read More »
Northeastern US residents will need REAL ID cards to board aircraft in 2020
The Transportation Security Administration is reminding residents of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that they will need REAL ID cards to board airline flights beginning Oct. 1, 2020. REAL ID driver’s licenses and identification cards have a small gold star in the upper right corner.... Read More »
Interpol deploys team to Sri Lanka to help investigate bombing
Interpol is sending a team to Sri Lanka to help national authorities investigate the Easter bomb attacks that left nearly 300 dead and approximately 500 injured. Interpol will deploy its Incident Response Team (IRT), which includes specialists with expertise in crime scene examination,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin secures electronic warfare system contract
Lockheed Martin recently secured a $20 million Navy contract to provide what officials are deeming the next generation electronic warfare system. Engineering and technical services work will be performed at the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence in Syracuse, New York, and Manassas,... Read More »
Report examines Central American human smuggling
A new report has re-examined the role transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) play in Central American human smuggling. The report was undertaken by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) analysis, operated by the RAND Corporation on behalf of the Department of Homeland... Read More »
Senators introduce bill to end wrongful detentions by Turkish government
A bill to address the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens and diplomatic staff by the Government of Turkey was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week. The Defending United States Citizens and Diplomatic Staff from Political Prosecutions Act of 2019 (S. 1075) was co-sponsored by Sens. Thom... Read More »
Acting Homeland Security secretary offers McAllen trip assessment
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan recently offered an assessment of his McAllen, Texas, trip to gain insight regarding challenges faced at the U.S. Southern Border. The effort involved observing the potential strategic and operational obstacles encountered by law enforcement... Read More »
HSI New York hosts inaugural Cyber Crime Symposium
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York last week gathered prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement agencies together to promote greater cooperation in cybercrime cases at the first Cyber Crime Symposium. HSI would like the event to mark the first of an annual series. They are trying... Read More »
Two airports set passenger TSA records
LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport both set records Thursday for the number of passengers screened at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. At LaGuardia, 59,698 people passed through the checkpoints and onto their departing gates. Newark saw 78,811... Read More »
Solicitation begins for implementation feedback on National Biodefense Strategy
As the U.S. government seeks to build its National Biodefense Strategy, more than 200 heavy hitters from federal, state and local agencies, national stakeholder organizations, academia and the private sector informed its future implementation during the April 17 Biodefense Summit held in... Read More »
Counter-drone firm secures government contract
The Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency has awarded a contract to Citadel Defense Company to counter drones increasingly threatening to U.S. forces around the world. The over $1 million contract is supportive of USSOCOM requirements and represents the company's sixth government... Read More »
Coalition launched to create AI aerospace systems
Sandia National Laboratories recently launched Autonomy New Mexico, an academic research coalition tasked with creating artificially intelligent aerospace systems. The coalition held its first meeting last week at the University of New Mexico to propose new ideas and discuss shared... Read More »
Canadian man given life sentence for attack on Bishop Airport police officer
A Canadian man was sentenced to life in prison last week a June 21, 2017, attack on a Bishop Airport police officer from Flint, Michigan. Amor Ftouhi of Quebec, Canada was charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and with two other offenses linked to his... Read More »
Air Force seeking greater technology breakthroughs
Air Force officials maintain the recently unveiled Science and Technology Strategy places concentration on maximizing and expanding technological advantages in the era of the peer-to-peer threat. “This strategy isn’t just a list of technologies,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven details North Dakota Guardsmen, Reservists initiatives
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently met with North Dakota National Guard and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Air Force and Army ROTC personnel to outline missions and benefits strengthening efforts. Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, provided specifics on securing... Read More »
Two reports address mental health, safety of law enforcement officers
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) published two reports this week focused on federal, state, local and tribal police officers’ mental health and safety. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act: Report to Congress includes 22... Read More »
Sen. Collins meets with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard leaders over funding
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins met with leaders from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) Metal Trades Council (MTC) to discuss the Trump Administration’s proposal to divert funds, appropriated by Congress, from military construction projects. The PNSY was among the military installations that were... Read More »
Task force will work to enhance safety of religious communities
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson have been named co-chairmen of the new Community Safety and Security Task Force designed to enhance the safety and resilience of religious communities. The task force will make recommendations on how to... Read More »
OPCW officials visit United States
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) officials recently visited the United States, touring Colorado's Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP). The group included the OPCW Director-General H.E. Fernando Arias, Chairperson of the Executive Council H.E.... Read More »
Legislation would require FBI to inform Congress when it investigates a candidate
Legislation introduced in the House this week would close a loophole in current law and require the FBI director to notify the House and Senate Intelligence Committee when a counterintelligence investigation is opened about a candidate for federal office. The requirement also would apply into... Read More »
San Antonio secures terrorism preparedness grant
The City of San Antonio has secured a $3.25 million grant through the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to address terrorism preparedness efforts. The $1.75 million funding increase from FEMA’s Urban Area Security Initiative would bolster initiatives... Read More »
DHS to award $1.7B in grants for emergency preparedness
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will award eight preparedness grant programs totaling more than $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2019. The grants will provide funding to states and local governments, as well as transportation authorities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector,... Read More »
Laredo CBP personnel prepping for holiday travel
With Holy Week (Semana Santa) soon approaching, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officials said Laredo Field Office (LFO) holiday preparation is continuing. “Our CBP officers and agriculture specialists are the nation’s frontline of defense against all... Read More »
Social media protection plan inquiry launched
Homeland Security Subcommittee lawmakers are seeking insight regarding investments Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism members are making to prevent terrorists and extremists platform exploitation. Rep. Max Rose (D-NY), chair of the Homeland Subcommittee on Intelligence and... Read More »
Maine National Guard battalion deploys
The 286th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of the Maine Army National Guard, which will be taking part in Operation Atlantic Resolve, deployed Saturday. As part of the operation, U.S. forces have been rotating through Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014. American forces train with... Read More »
Bill would give Congress oversight of transfer of nuclear information
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would ensure that Congress has the authority to review all materials related to the transfer or nuclear technologies and information. These transfers are known as Part 810 agreement whereby the U.S. government authorizes persons or companies... Read More »
Lawmakers visit hurricane-damaged military bases
House Armed Services Committee Readiness Subcommittee Chairman Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) is joining congressional colleagues in touring military bases damaged by Hurricane Florence. Garamendi will be accompanied by Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Maj.... Read More »
Legislation would establish cybersecurity grant program
Recently introduced bicameral legislation would create a grant program, authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to allow state, local, and tribal governments to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. The program would allow governments to develop, revise or implement cyber... Read More »
Senate Democrats ask Shanahan about deployment of troops to border
Senate Democrats are asking Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to clarify statements made by Department of Defense (DOD) officials about the deployment of military personnel to the southwest border. In their letter to Shanahan, the senators are seeking assurances that this deployment... Read More »
TSA forms Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials have established the Surface Transportation Security Advisory Committee (STSAC), which will be responsible for providing recommendations on surface transportation security matters. The committee operates in accordance with provisions of the... Read More »
GAO offers Marine Corps recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued three recommendations to the Marine Corps regarding the branch's efforts to track training funds and link them to mission readiness. The GAO analysis stemmed from a congressional report maintaining the Corps' budget estimates haven't... Read More »