Policy
Firm lands Arizona border wall contract
Barnard Construction Company has received a $172 million Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Army Corps of Engineers base contract to build 14 miles of Arizona Primary Pedestrian Replacement Wall. The total contract value, which includes up to 32 miles and options, is $324 million, with work... Read More »
Automated screening lanes come to San Francisco airport
The Transportation Security Administration recently unveil new Automated Screening Lanes (ASLs) at San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) Terminal 3. ASLs moves passengers faster and more efficiently through security checkpoints. The technology does this in several ways. United Airlines... Read More »
Senate bill demands accountability from Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi murder
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 »
National Security Council official frames nation’s biodefense plan for Blue Ribbon Panel members
Against the backdrop of a spreading Ebola outbreak in Congo, where a worsening war has stymied U.S. aid amid increasing security concerns, the Trump administration is trying to wrap its arms around what is and isn’t working in biodefense against man-made, accidental, naturally occurring... Read More »
Man pleads guilty in attempting to provide material support to ISIS
Law enforcement officials said a New York man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the... Read More »
Arizona officers seize $512,000 of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl over Veteran’s Day weekend
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized $512,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl in four separate instances at Arizona’s Port of Nogales over the holiday weekend. On Nov. 9, a Mexican woman was pulled from a tourist bus at the Mariposa Crossing, after which a... Read More »
Bill ensures availability of reliable global positioning systems
The National Timing Resilience and Security Act of 2017, which directs the Secretary of Transportation to work with the Secretary of Homeland Security and Commandant of the Coast Guard to establish, sustain and operate of a land-based, alternative timing system to Global Positioning System (GPS)... Read More »
Coast Guard reauthorization bill to combat maritime drug trafficking
The U.S. Senate passed a bill that includes new authorities for the U.S. Coast Guard to combat maritime drug trafficking and smuggling at the border. The Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018 (S.140) includes provisions related to maritime border security. It would further... Read More »
Experts call for increased funding for diagnostics, biosurveillance across government agencies
Rapidly evolving wearables and 3D printed devices are among the inexpensive and portable diagnostic tools on the market today, some of which can detect and diagnose disease in less than an hour for biosurveillance. However, developing these devices on a much greater scale for biosecurity... Read More »
CBP expects extended El Paso processing times
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) El Paso Field Office officials are advising travelers of potential border processing delays in the wake of recent personnel adjustments related to the caravan. CBP officials said a large number of officers from the El Paso, Santa Teresa, and Tornillo ports of... Read More »
Healthcare professionals gather to explore research against drug-resistant bacteria
A workshop hosted by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America assembled in Baltimore, Md., this week to address the overuse of antimicrobials and to determine the best course for combating drug-resistant bacteria. The Antimicrobial Stewardship Research Workshop was based on the genuine... Read More »
Senators urge Homeland Security subcommittee to strength security at places of worship
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security urging funding to strengthen security at places of worship. The senators asked the committee to maintain the... Read More »
Congress passes bill to create new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation this week to create the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act (H.R. 3359), would reorganize DHS’... Read More »
Survey examines antibiotic resistance concerns
A survey commissioned by the public education and advocacy group Research!America has determined Americans deem antibiotic resistance as a public health problem with a myriad of treatment implications. Research!America officials said 65 percent of survey respondents consider antibiotic... Read More »
FDA approves combination Ebola fingerstick test with battery-operated reader
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 »NATO scientists develop new bomb-detecting devices
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 »
Laredo director of field operations wins DHS Secretary’s Award
David P. Higgerson, director of field operations at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laredo Field Office recently was awarded the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Silver Medal 2018 from the Department of Homeland Security. The award honors exceptional individual service or... Read More »
Massachusetts first responders participate in largest ever security training exercise
Massachusetts State Police, the US Coast Guard, Massachusetts National Guard, local police and fire departments, and federal public safety officials all participated in the largest homeland security training exercise ever conducted in the state last week. The training exercise is designed to... Read More »
Trump proclaims November as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month
President Donald Trump recently proclaimed November as Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month to keep infrastructure and communities safe and to build awareness and appreciation of critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure is defined as infrastructure that is vital to... Read More »
November threat report reveals ‘Taliban 5’ appointed to terrorist organization’s political office in Qatar
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released this week the latest Terror Threat Snapshot, which highlights threats the nation, the West and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists. The report highlighted that five senior members of the... Read More »
HHS officials reaffirm support for Global Health Security Agenda
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 »
New device aids smuggling vehicle stop
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Calexico Station recently used a new vehicle immobilization device known as the Grappler to stop a smuggling vehicle. Authorities said the immobilization effort, the first recorded within the United States Border Patrol using the device,... Read More »
CBP expanding its Los Angeles Global Entry Enrollment Center
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced it would be expanding and relocating its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Global Entry Enrollment Center. The center’s improvements will double the number of applicants processed by allowing CBP officers to conduct up to 10... Read More »
Infectious Disease Society of America urges support for Global Health Security Agenda
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 »
BMT curriculum changes target readiness, core values
Air Force officials announced recent changes to the Basic Military Training (BMT) curriculum focus on readiness and lethality, Airmanship, fitness, and the warrior ethos. The modifications, which began Sept. 4, will transform trainees into more “combat ready Airmen.” “The future of BMT... Read More »
GAO makes recommendations to DOD on inspections of ammunition storage sites
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made several recommendations to the Department of Defense on how security inspections of locations that store Security Risk Category (SRC I) ammunition are done in accordance with policy. The DOD maintains stockpiles of SRC I ammunition—which... Read More »
GAO assisting nuclear arsenal budget estimate prep
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is assisting the Departments of Defense and Energy in updating 10-year nuclear arsenal cost estimates and reporting them to Congress. GAO officials said an essential element of the effort involves capturing fundamental programmatic changes in nuclear... Read More »
New technology better detects drones
A camera combined with machine learning is assisting Sandia National Laboratories and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) create more precise drone detection capability than possible with visuals alone. Acoustic, radio or thermal detection of drones... Read More »
Tyndall AFB to resume missions after Hurricane Michael damage
After a month-long recovery from Hurricane Michael, Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Fla., will resume operations with many key missions returning, following a U.S. Air Force announcement made last week. Among the units that will resume operations at Tyndall AFB are the 601st Air Force... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration releases annual Stockpile Stewardship, Nuclear Nonproliferation report
The Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently released its annual reports outlining its efforts to maintain the U.S. nuclear stockpile and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. “The Trump Administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review sets a clear... Read More »
Raytheon awarded $191M contract for advanced radars
The Ku-band radio frequency radar (KuRFS) developed by Raytheon is front and center in a new, $191 million contract awarded to them by the U.S. Army. KuRFS has already seen deployment with “sense and warn” capabilities in several areas, from rocket detection to swarming unmanned aircraft... Read More »
Triad National Security takes over management of national laboratory
Triad National Security (Triad) recently began the management and operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In June, Triad signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The contract took effect Thursday and expires... Read More »
DHS unveils virtual training program for critical school safety situations
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has introduced a new training platform to help teachers, staff, first responders, and local law enforcement prepare for response plans to critical incidents at schools. The virtual training platform is called the... Read More »
Conference addresses chemical terrorism
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 »