Policy
Lawmakers seek revisions to the DOD climate change report
Three lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Department of Defense (DOD), requesting climate change report regions and impacts on national security. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) have urged... Read More »
Intelligence agencies meet to assess worldwide threats
Personnel representing several government entities delivered a worldwide threats assessment during recent open and closed Congressional committee sessions. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, joined Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, as well as the... Read More »
Sen. Warren, Rep. Smith seek to bind US from using nuclear weapons first
Calling the United States nuclear strategy outdated, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced Wednesday bicameral legislation that would keep the nation from ever being the first to use nuclear weapons. The No First Use Act would undo existing policy, which... Read More »
FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act advances House
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Tuesday the FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE) to provide an annual report on its activities for the next five years. The reports would be... Read More »
Justice Department launches campaign to disrupt North Korean-based malware
The U.S. Justice Department launched a campaign to disrupt the Joanap botnet – a global network of infected computers under the control of North Korean hackers that are used to facilitate cyberattacks. This effort follows charges in which a North Korean citizen, Park Jin Hyok, backed by the... Read More »
Bill targets Chinese technology threats
A group of lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday designed to address Chinese technology threats. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) said Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined their efforts to create an Office of... Read More »
Counterterrorism measure advances House
House legislators recently advanced a measure designed to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coordinates its counterterrorism efforts to limit duplication, inefficiency, and waste. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) authored the Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2019, which is the first... Read More »
Lockheed Martin awarded contract to develop electronic warfare systems
The U.S. Army recently awarded Lockheed Martin an $18 million Prototype Project Agreement to design, develop and test a cyber/electronic warfare podded system for the “Air Large” component of the army’s Multi-Function Electronic Warfare family of systems program. The agreement is part of... Read More »
Sen Markey, Rep. Lieu reintroduce bill to require Congressional approval for nuclear strike
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) reintroduced legislation to prevent the president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional approval. Their bill, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2019 (H.R.669/S.200), was also introduced in the 115th... Read More »
Boeing lands $2.4B Poseidon aircraft contract
Boeing has secured a $2.4 billion Navy contract to produce the next 19 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The agreement calls for 10 aircraft to be added to the current inventory of P-8As in the Navy’s fleet, in addition to all five jets currently under contract for Norway and the four aircraft remaining... Read More »
CBP officers seize nearly $1M in currency
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, seized $988,550 in unreported currency Friday. The funds were discovered during a physical examination of a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen.... Read More »
Senate advances bill to bolster US-Israel alliance
The U.S. Senate advanced a bill this week that includes several measures to bolster the U.S.-Israel strategic alliance. The Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 (S. 1) would authorize security assistance to Israel over a 10-year period, reauthorize the United... Read More »
Michigan residents charged with conspiracy to support ISIS militants
FBI agents in Lansing, Mich., arrested and charged three people with conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) last week. A criminal complaint, issued through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that one of the... Read More »
Sen. Tester tapped to lead group to find border security solution
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester will lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers tasked with crafting border security legislation following the agreement last Friday to end the 35-day government shutdown temporarily. President Donald Trump agreed to end the shutdown last Friday for three weeks while negotiations... Read More »
Rep. Hill introduces bill top provide protections for banks
U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) introduced legislation last week designed to provide protections for financial institutions and banks against regulatory agency backlash when cooperating with a federal or state law enforcement agency investigation. Rep. Hill first introduced the bill -- the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection to enforce no-fly zone during Super Bowl
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enforce temporary flight restrictions around Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during Super Bowl Sunday. The restrictions will be in effect from 3 p.m.... Read More »
Federal government resources available to support first responders during fourth generation agent incident
A federal interagency working group convened by the White House National Security Council last week released new resources to help first responders prepare for and respond to an emergency incident involving fourth generation agents — also known as chemical warfare agents. “These resources... Read More »
Reps. McCaul, Engel introduce Cyber Diplomacy Act
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced last week the Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2019 (H.R. 739), which they said seeks to globally ensure the Internet is kept open, reliable and secure. The legislators introduced H.R. 739 to ensure American leadership on the world stage in... Read More »
Project assesses extremist group interactions, behaviors
A group of Sandia National Laboratories researchers, social-behavioral scientists, and computational modelers recently completed a program designed to assess extremist group interactions and behaviors. The purpose of “Mustang,” a two-year effort, stemmed from the goal of informing U.S. and... Read More »
DARPA program aims to improve military readiness
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Biological Technologies Office recently launched a program that assists the Department of Defense with enhancing and sustaining military readiness both by changing how troops train, perform and recover. The Measuring Biological Aptitude (MBA)... Read More »
Security expert says government should shut down federal IT infrastructure
An expert with the Council on Foreign Relations argued that federal government should shut down as much federal IT infrastructure as possible during the shutdown to avoid security risks. In a recent blog post, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations Robert Knake contended that the... Read More »
GAO issues Army modernization recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued four recommendations to the Army as a means of enhancing the branch's modernization goals. GAO officials said the recommendations stem from the Army's aim to maintain its technological edge over potential adversaries by investing in near and... Read More »
Europe, India fund record growth in neglected disease research
In recent years, India and the nations of Europe have poured a record amount of funding into research and development surrounding neglected diseases, reaching more than $3.5 billion in 2017, according to the annual G-FINDER report. The G-FINDER report -- a survey of R&D funding for neglected... Read More »
Nuclear Threat Initiative joins Paris Call for cybersecurity
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has joined 2018 Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace, an organization designed to improve and secure the cyber environment and its critical infrastructure. The Paris Call -- launched on Nov. 12, 2018, by French President Emmanuel Macron -- is... Read More »
Bipartisan NATO support bill advances House
The NATO Support Act, H.R. 676, advanced the House of Representatives Tuesday, which original co-sponsor Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said reaffirms Congressional support in the multinational military alliance. “America’s alliances are a source of strength and security for our country, and among... Read More »
DARPA unveils subterranean environment training initiative
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) officials have unveiled an initiative designed to afford first responders and warfighters an opportunity to test their skill set in subterranean environments. DARPA officials said in April nine teams will participate in the SubT Integration... Read More »
Labs to hold an unmanned aerial systems challenge
The joint U.S.-U.K. Swarm and Search AI Challenge: 2019 Fire Hack challenges research teams to discover ways unmanned aerial systems can be used in search and rescue missions. The challenge is sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), the United Kingdom Defence Science and... Read More »
House advances bill to place new sanctions on Syria
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill this week that would increase international pressure on Syrian President Assad and his backers. Specifically, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act (H.R. 31) would impose new sanctions on human rights abusers and encourage negotiations to end... Read More »
NNSA earmarks $50M to bolster nuclear security
The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has awarded a pair of university consortia grants totaling $50 million as a means of bolstering nuclear security. NNSA officials said the Georgia Institute of Technology-led Consortium for Enabling Technologies &... Read More »
Legislation seeks to offer NATO support
Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) recently joined their colleagues in introducing a measure designed to emphasize Congressional support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The legislators said the NATO Support Act backs the world's longest-standing military... Read More »
Bill introduced to create office in White House to oversee technology threats
A bill introduced in the House would create a new office within the White House to serve as a central coordinator to oversee national security threats posed by technology. The office – called the Office of Critical Technologies & Security – would be tasked with interagency coordination... Read More »
TSA needs to increase speed it reports on new technology, GAO concludes
Despite a requirement for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to justify technology purchases costing more than $30 million at least 30 days before awarding a contract, the TSA did not submit its first justifications until last August, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)... Read More »
GAO makes recommendations to DOD on counterdrug program
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) made recommendations to the U.S. Department of Defense on how to best implement the National Guard’s counterdrug program. Since 1989, the DOD has received billions of dollars to fund the National Guard's participation in a counterdrug program focused... Read More »