Policy
Rep. MacArthur sponsors bill to help students report threats to police
U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ) recently introduced the Modern School Threat Reporting Act, which seeks to help schools address school safety concerns. The legislation creates new grants for states to develop a mobile application that allows students and teachers to report threats to local law... Read More »
Utah resident charged with ricin-related threats
A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City recently indicted William Clyde Allen, III, of Logan, Utah, on seven counts in connection with ricin-related threats. While Allen pleaded not guilty, the indictment alleges Allen knowingly used ricin as a weapon, mailed a threat against President Donald... Read More »
INTERPOL outlines global policing goals
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) launched last week its Global Policing Goals and is encouraging the international law enforcement community to support them. The Global Policing Goals serve as a framework for the international community to collectively address the... Read More »
Justice department sets record for violent crime, firearms charges
The U.S. Department of Justice charged the largest number of violent crime and firearm defendants in its history in fiscal year 2018. Citing data from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys (EOUSA), the Justice Department said the number of people criminal felony offenses increased by... Read More »
GAO assesses DOD Afghan defense measures
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the Department of Defense upgrade Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) units' ability to operate and maintain U.S.-purchased equipment. GAO officials said House Report 114-537 included a provision for the agency to review... Read More »
Federal, state and local law enforcement cooperate in South Texas border operation
The South Texas-based Operation Stonegarden has united federal U.S. Border Patrol officers with state and local law enforcement agencies in an effort to enhance the area’s border security. To date, they have rescued more than 120 aliens from stash houses and have seized weapons, drugs and... Read More »
BAE Systems technology successfully shares data
BAE Systems technology successfully demonstrated its ability to provide U.S. intelligence organizations with data from BAE Systems’ Geospatial eXploitation Products (GXP) Platform and access to geospatial imagery. The technology, XTS Guard 5, was equipped with the GXP platform demonstrated... Read More »
Initiative targets transnational organized crime
Federal law enforcement officials have unveiled a series of initiatives targeting transnational organized crime. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the effort stems from an executive order from President Donald Trump to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, which Sessions defined as... Read More »
Lack of vaccinations among US children on the rise, opening deadly possibilities
The opportunity for public health disasters is growing in the United States, fueled by falling vaccination rates reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week. The data revealed that vaccinations are still common among children, but they are not as common as they were, or... Read More »
TSA releases plan for expansion of biometrics tech
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently released a plan to expand the use of biometrics technology to enhance security and increase efficiency. Biometric technology will speed up the passenger experience. The TSA and airlines currently verify traveler identity primarily by... Read More »
Bill targets permanent VCF re-authorization
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure designed to permanently re-authorize funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY),... Read More »
Government, industry reps from 25 nations endorse greater public-private cooperation on chemical weapons
Both state and industry representatives from 25 nations gathered in Qatar earlier this month as part of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and collectively agreed to increase cooperation in the future. “All chemical industries regardless of the size and scale need... Read More »
Facial comparison technology intercepts imposters at US-Mexico Border
When two separate individuals attempted to enter the United States at the Port of San Luis in Arizona earlier this month, it was new facial comparison technology that identified inconsistencies between the passports and the people who stood before Customs and Border Protection (CBP)... Read More »
DHS hosts prosperity, security conference
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen recently hosted the second day of the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America, which focused on improving personal safety and security in the region. Discussions included combating organized crime and gangs,... Read More »
Rep. McCarthy introduces bill to fund up to $23B for border wall
The bill that would fund a roughly $23 billion wall along the southern border was introduced in Congress last week. The Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act of 2018, H.R. 7059, also includes measures to cut off funds to sanctuary cities and facilitates the deportation of immigrant gang... Read More »Measure addresses China, nuclear material acquisition
Department of Energy (DOE) officials said the agency has adopted national security measures designed to prevent China’s diversion of U.S. civil nuclear technology for military or other unauthorized purposes. “The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China’s... Read More »
Former Colombian intelligence officer arrested for fraudulent immigration to US
Javier Alfredo Valle Anaya, a former intelligence agent of a disbanded Colombian intelligence agency, was arrested Oct. 5 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigrating under false pretenses. The former agent was convicted and wanted in Colombia for the 2004 murders of a... Read More »
Ballistic imaging equipment deployed in 22 agencies
Ballistic imaging equipment used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) recently was deployed in 22 state and local law enforcement agencies. NIBIN is the nation’s only crime gun ballistic network. It... Read More »
Democratic senators request info from Trump Administration on Chinese hacking
A group of Democratic U.S. Senators are calling on the Trump Administration to look into reports of Chinese government efforts to secretly manipulate U.S. technology. The request is in response to an Oct. 4 article in Bloomberg Businessweek that said the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA)... Read More »
GAO recommends equipment, personnel, training and management updates to guarantee US Air Force preparedness
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report this week detailing four recommendations to improve the nation’s Air Force, which they noted has declined in readiness for nearly 20 years. A lack of modernization is a critical part of this problematic scenario. The Air... Read More »
Chinese operative charged with espionage, stealing trade secrets
Yanjun Xu, a deputy division director of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS), was extradited to the United States this week and was charged with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and stealing trade secrets from multiple U.S. aerospace and aviation companies. The... Read More »
US, INTERPOL discuss global security initiatives
A range of global security issues, including terrorism, were discussed during a recent meeting between U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock. Sessions and Stock touched on several joint initiatives, including a project to strengthen the capacity of law... Read More »
Verdon appointed to NNSA post
Charles P. Verdon is the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) new Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. Verdon, who was recently sworn to duty by Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, will lead NNSA’s mission to maintain a nuclear deterrent that is modern, robust,... Read More »
DHS releases strategy to protect United States from electromagnetic threats
A new Strategy for Protecting and Preparing the Homeland against Threats from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and Geomagnetic Disturbance (GMD) was released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week. The strategy focuses on DHS efforts to counteract threats to critical... Read More »
Raytheon strike missiles meet US Army requirements
Raytheon Co.’s long-range DeepStrike missile recently met the U.S. Army's Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) requirement. In July in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Raytheon integrated its new launch pod missile container into the Army's M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS launchers. Marines and soldiers assisted... Read More »
Department of Defense faces increasing challenges in weapons cybersecurity
Faced with mounting challenges in protecting its weapon systems from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has stepped up its efforts to address weapon systems cybersecurity. In a new report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that... Read More »
Threats posed by China focus of Senate Homeland Security hearing
Leaders of the U.S. intelligence community focused on security threats posed by China, with little attention paid to Russia, during an annual oversight hearing by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday. FBI Director Christopher Wray and Homeland Security... Read More »
Commission targets global health security
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is working to determine the best method of crafting a 10-year global health security vision to protect national interests, according to a recent CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security meeting. CSIS’s health... Read More »
Lockheed Martin upgrading US Army’s energy storage, resiliency capabilities
Private contractor Lockheed Martin is actively upgrading the U.S. Army’s operational capability through enhanced energy storage developments. Some of the upgrades have included a Lithium-based energy storage system, intelligent microgrids and supporting infrastructure to help them function.... Read More »
IAEA symposium explores ways to effectively communicate during emergencies
Experts in the areas of nuclear and radiological emergencies convened at an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) symposium this week to discuss ways to communicate during such emergencies effectively. "Communication is a challenge that we all face together," Juan Carlos Lentijo, deputy... Read More »
Next Generation 911 plan receives praise from National Emergency Number Association
In a report to Congress, the 911 Implementation Coordination Office addressed the $9.5 billion to $12.7 billion cost necessary to transition the United States into a next generation 911 system (NG911) that increasingly incorporates not just calls, but data as well. The National Emergency Number... Read More »
Disaster preparedness bill signed into law
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 302, which includes the Disaster Recovery Reform Act, the largest reform of the U.S. disaster preparedness and recovery system since Hurricane Katrina. The act reforms the Federal Emergency Management Agency to include predisaster mitigation... Read More »
Terror snapshot shows “homegrown” Islamist extremism in US continues to be cause for concern
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the October Terror Threat Snapshot last week, highlighting that 159 homegrown Jihadist cases in 30 states have been uncovered since 2013. The cases included plots to attack the country, overseas travel,... Read More »
Raytheon, Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace to compete for payload provider role on US Air Force project
Defense contractors Raytheon and Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace will compete for the right to be mission payload providers on the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellite system. The next-gen system replaced the traditional Space Based Infrared... Read More »