Policy
August Terror Snapshot highlights Islamic terror threats in United States, Europe
The August Terror Threat Snapshot, released by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), found a steady influence of Islamic-driven terrorism in the United States and Europe. The report showed that there have been 157 cases of terrorism in the United States spurred by the... Read More »
Rhode Island fire departments receive nearly $107,000 in FEMA grants
The Rhode Island fire departments recently received $106,668 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program for the purchase of needed equipment and gear. The Central Falls Fire Department was awarded $59,048. It will use the funds to... Read More »
Air Force releases flight plan for next generation ISR dominance
The U.S. Air Force recently released its Next Generation Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Dominance Flight Plan, which is a strategy for maintaining and enhancing competitive advantage in the rapidly changing digital era through 2028. “We need to balance our ISR portfolio... Read More »
Alliance for Biosecurity joins U.S. Chamber in call for Congress to pass preparedness funding
Two national organizations that represent biopharmaceutical and business interests have penned a letter to each member of the U.S. House of Representatives urging lawmakers to approve the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018, H.R. 6378, before critical public... Read More »
Measure seeks to bolster cyber incident response measures
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced Wednesday legislation designed to enhance cyber hunt and cyber incident response teams working to prevent attacks on federal and private sector entities. Portman and Hassan said the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act works to... Read More »
Cybersecurity Summit targets defense strategies
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently hosted a Cybersecurity Summit, with the goal of establishing a vision for a defense strategy to protect the nation’s infrastructure. Officials said the effort in New York City united industry and top federal personnel, resulting in a series of... Read More »
Sens. Cotton, Hatch seek reinstatement of repeat offender penalties
U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced Wednesday the Restoring the Armed Career Criminal Act which seeks to reinstate and enhance penalties against repeat offenders. The initial Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA), which passed in 1984, required a mandatory minimum 15-year... Read More »
U.S. senators outline federal efforts to avert financial chaos from potential bio attack
The global spread of a deadly disease outbreak during a biological attack would impact far more than U.S. government financial resources, former federal lawmakers say, and could crash the coffers of local and state budgets just as severely. “We know unequivocally that terrorists have the... Read More »
Senators introduce bill to block 3D-printed gun blueprint publication
A group of legislators introduced Tuesday a bill designed to block the online publication of blueprints used to make fully functioning 3D-printed guns. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) joined 20 of their Senate colleagues in crafting the measure, which would make it illegal for... Read More »
Bipartisan Senate effort seeks to improve cybercrime prevention, bolster US election infrastructure
Following recommendations made by the Attorney General’s recent Cyber Digital Task Force report, a group of U.S. senators introduced Tuesday a pair of bills intended to safeguard the U.S. election infrastructure from future cybercrimes. The bills, the International Cybercrime Prevention Act... Read More »
TSA to install new scanners at Philadelphia International
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced it will install a computed tomography scanner (CT) at the Philadelphia International Airport. The technology allows for 360-degree views of baggage contents and can automatically detect explosives, including liquids. In the... Read More »
Sen. Young, Rep. Banks highlight Fort Wayne as optimal site for F-16 transition
U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) sent correspondence this week to Heather Wilson, Secretary of the Air Force, expressing their support of transitioning Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base from a stock of A-10 fighters to F-16s. Fort Wayne hosts the 122nd Fighter Wing. At this... Read More »
Congressional Valley Fever Task Force introduces legislative support for research, treatment
U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ), co-chairs of the Congressional Valley Fever Task Force, joined three other task force members this week to introduce legislation seeking to advance research and treatment of the fungal disease. There are currently more cases of Valley... Read More »
Grants earmarked for Massachusetts fire departments
Eighteen Massachusetts fire departments are slated to receive $4.8 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants. Officials said 17 of the departments received funding through FEMA's Assistance to Firefighter Grants (AFG) program, which provides resources for firefighters and... Read More »
Gen. Brown Jr. assumes command of PACAF
Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was welcomed last week as the 35th commander of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The PACAF includes 46,000 airmen and covers more than 100 million square miles, extending from the nation’s west coast to the east coast of Africa and from the Arctic to the... Read More »
Defense act authorizes Air Force test facilities
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, which authorizes the Air Force Test Center’s top military construction priorities. The projects prioritized included a Joint Simulation Environment (JSE)... Read More »
House advances measure to reduce US service members’ reliance on Russian energy
The U.S. House voted this week to advance a legislative provision seeking to reduce reliance on Russian energy for troops serving in Europe, while also authorizing funding for military members and their families. The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019... Read More »
Bill targets international tourism, national security
Reps. Tom Rice (R-SC) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) recently introduced legislation designed to enhance international tourism to America while improving national security. The Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act would also reform outdated visa laws, create jobs, and rename the Visa... Read More »
Rep. Royce seeks compliance with chemical weapons measure
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) forwarded correspondence last week urging the Trump Administration to hold Russia accountable for its likely use of chemical weapons in recent attacks on civilians in the United Kingdom. In his letter, Royce noted the Administration missed... Read More »
Border patrol creates Incident Management Team for Rio Grande Valley
The U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV) recently established an Incident Management Team, which will work with the Emergency Operation Center during natural disasters or wide-scale emergencies. The team, comprised of Border Patrol personnel from across the RGV, met last week to... Read More »
KBR acquires $36.5 million missile systems contract
KBRwyle, a subsidiary of professional services and technology provider KBR, Inc., has been awarded a $36.5 million Air Force Installation Contracting Agency (AFICA) missiles system contract. Officials said KBRwyle would provide sustainment engineering support to the 414th Supply Chain Management... Read More »
Report tracks nuclear, radioactive material trafficking
An updated database released this week has identified more than 170 incidents of nuclear and radioactive material trafficking across 14 countries in 2017. Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) officials said the Global Incidents and Trafficking Database, produced for NTI by the Center for... Read More »
Puerto Rican airport installs new federal inspection station
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently installed a new Federal Inspection Station at Puerto Rico’s Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport. The $6 million station uses advanced technology and allows passengers to move through a single point of control, speeding up entry to the... Read More »
ICE’s Eagle’s Shield operation leads to 132 arrests on East Coast
Officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 132 individuals on criminal and civil violations at the conclusion of Operation Eagle’s Shield last week. Eagle’s Shield, which ran from July 9 to July 20, was an... Read More »
BITMAP bill advances House committee
The House Homeland Security Committee has advanced the Biometric Identification Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Authorization Act of 2018 to help better identify national security threats. The legislation was introduced by Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and was co-sponsored by Rep.... Read More »
Measure targets weapons of mass destruction
A bill introduced by Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) designed to enhance efforts to protect the nation from evolving threats has unanimously advanced the House Homeland Security Committee. Donovan said the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act strengthens national security by ensuring the... Read More »
JFK Airport terminal installs 3-D scanner to improve explosives detection
The American Airlines Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport recently installed a computed tomography (CT) checkpoint scanner that provides 3-D imaging for detecting explosives. The scanner is similar to those used to scan checked baggage. It provides clear, 3-D images that can be... Read More »
Bipartisan effort supports intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in elections
Following President Donald Trump’s assertions of doubt on the accuracy of the American intelligence community’s findings on Russian election interference, a bipartisan effort in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution this week reaffirming support for those findings. At a joint... Read More »
Bipartisan Senate effort seeks greater election safeguards
A Senate effort that has garnered support from both sides of the aisle looks to bolster the security of U.S. elections in the wake of the intelligence community’s conclusions of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. The Secure Elections Act seeks to fund the creation and... Read More »
NTI leadership, staff play key role at nuclear materials management conference
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) officials will be participating in several discussion panels presented at the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management’s (INMM) 59th annual meeting this week in Baltimore, Md. NTI Vice President Corey Hinderstein provided opening remarks at the first plenary... Read More »
House, Senate committees conclude conference on 2019 National Defense Authorization Act
The House and Senate Armed Services Committees released details of the conference report authorizing funding for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. Lawmakers said the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year... Read More »
Canadian company receives $200,000 contract for cybersecurity platform
Plurilock Security Solutions recently received a $200,000 contract award from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). The funds will develop an identity management platform to improve the security of smart devices, sensors and other devices, such as... Read More »
United States to provide $200 mln to Ukrainian forces for training, equipment
As Ukraine continues to battle with Russian-backed rebels in its eastern expanse, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last week that it would provide $200 million for training, equipment, and advisory efforts. The new funds continue a long-standing defense relationship between the... Read More »
African nations develop Ebola readiness plans as risk grows
For nine nations adjoining the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed that the threat of a dangerous Ebola spread is high at the regional level. An outbreak of the disease has stricken the Congo since May, and though the WHO has resisted calling for... Read More »