Policy
CBP, Coast Guard seize nearly $55M worth of cocaine
In a joint operation with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP/AMO) intercepted a low profile vessel last month which led to more than 2 tons of cocaine seized. The estimated street value of the cocaine seized is approximately $54,938,000. Its... Read More »
House advances bill to improve border security
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill this week to improve border security and prevent potential terrorists and dangerous criminals from entering the country. The Biometric Identification Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Authorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 6439) would fully authorize... Read More »
Report highlights growing terror threats
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released Tuesday its latest report documenting terror threats from Islamist terrorists, noting the efforts are growing. McCaul presented the September Terror Threat Snapshot as part of an ongoing effort to highlight... Read More »
GAO issues recommendations for Coast Guard polar icebreakers
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued recommendations regarding the U.S. Coast Guard’s and Navy’s plan to invest up to $9.8 billion to build and maintain three heavy polar icebreakers. The ships would be used to conduct missions in the Arctic and Antarctic, and a... Read More »
House advances bill to codify DHS continuous diagnostics, mitigation program
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill this week to codify the continuous diagnostics and mitigation (CDM) program at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The bill, the Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act (H.R. 6443), would require the development of... Read More »
MS-13 gang arrests yield assault, drug charges
Law enforcement officials said the arrests of more than 20 individuals associated with the California-based Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang on assault and drug charges also yielded a cache of weapons. Officials said the recent arrests in Mendota and Los Angeles, California, were issued on the... Read More »
Small Vessel Reporting System being replaced by new CBP ROAM App
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) is is no longer in service, leaving boaters to turn to the new Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) app. While float plans will no longer be accepted, existing SVRS numbers are still valid. They can be entered... Read More »
Ceremony commemorates change of NATO command in Afghanistan
A ceremony at mission headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, recently commemorated the change in command from General John ''Mick'' Nicholson to General Austin Scott Miller. Miller will oversee NATO’s and its operational partners’ efforts to develop effective and sustainable Afghan security... Read More »
Navy awards Lockheed Martin $500 million eCASS contract
Lockheed Martin recently won a $500 million, seven-year contract from the U.S. Navy to build more than 200 electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems (eCASS) to maximize aircraft readiness. eCASS provides maintenance and repair capabilities for all naval aircraft, ship and submarine... Read More »
US Customs and Border Protection establishes air, marine facility in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico now hosts a new, $4.7 million marine unit facility of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s air and marine operations (AMO). Located on nearly an acre of land, the facility plays host to a new 41-foot SAFE Boat, filled with safety equipment and electronic packages to enhance... Read More »
Justice Department, CBP produce fentanyl safety video for first responders
The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) produced a new video for first responders to help them protect themselves from the presence of fentanyl on the job. The video, called “Fentanyl: The Real Deal” is a companion training video to its Fentanyl Safety... Read More »
Soldier pleads guilty to attempting to provide material support to ISIS
An Army soldier recently plead guilty to four federal counts of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Federal officials said Ikaika Erik Kang, 35, a Sergeant First Class stationed at Schofield... Read More »
Raytheon appoints new president
The Raytheon Company’s Space and Airborne Systems will soon be led by vice president Roy Azevedo, following the retirement of Richard Yuse at year’s end. Azevedo has been with the company for nearly 30 years and will begin learning his new role in the meanwhile, beginning Sept. 1. Yuse, who... Read More »
Rockwell Collins app to assist Japan Customs ahead of 2020 Olympic Games
Japan Customs, one of the first agencies in the world to announce a live Advanced Cargo Information (ACI) program, will use an application developed by Rockwell Collins for enhancing national security in preparation for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo. ACI provides electronic cargo information... Read More »
CBP to test facial recognition ID technology at Anzalduas Bridge in Texas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will run a facial comparison technical demonstration for vehicle travelers this week at the Anzalduas International Bridge Port of Entry in McAllen, Texas. The system will use a camera to take a picture of travelers entering and departing the United... Read More »
Government invests more than $20 mln in terror prevention
The U.S. government has invested more than $20 million since 2010 in terrorism prevention and intervention measures and in understanding how radicalization leads to violence. The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the National Institute of... Read More »
Survey shows benefits of active shooter training, simulations
An Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) survey has determined active shooter training and simulations are essential to ensuring staff is equipped to respond effectively during an act of violence. Findings published online in the Journal of Emergency Nursing showed out of 202 emergency nurses and... Read More »
Lawmakers seek cybersecurity reforms
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and MITRE Corporation as a means of encouraging cybersecurity reforms. The letters stem from an investigation last year into the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program. Signees include... Read More »
Senators concerned election system not prepared for foreign threats
Four Senate Intelligence Committee members recently sent a letter to Tom Burt, president and CEO of Election Systems & Software (ES&S), urging the company to arrange independent testing of its election systems. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Kamala Harris (D-CA), James Lankford (R-OK), and Mark... Read More »
Sens. Gardner, Coons sponsor bill to impose sanction on “cyber attackers”
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced Monday legislation to deter and respond to state-sponsored malicious cyber activity against the United States. The Cyber Deterrence and Response Act requires the administration to impose sanctions against all entities and persons... Read More »
DHS announces $345 mln in preparedness grants
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced it has allocated $345 million for six fiscal year 2018 competitive preparedness grant programs. In June, more than $1.3 billion in noncompetitive grant funding was announced. Preparedness grants are used to support the National... Read More »
Facebook and Microsoft meet with DHS, election officials to combat election tampering
Facebook and Microsoft met with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) to explain recent actions they’ve taken to combat foreign threats. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of... Read More »
Defense Appropriations Act gains Senate approval
Senate lawmakers have passed the 2019 Defense Appropriations Act, which officials said gives American troops a raise while strengthening the military and boosting national security. Officials said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spearheaded... Read More »
Biometric technology aids apprehension of imposter at Dulles airport
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at Washington Dulles International Airport recently used facial comparison biometric technology to foil an imposter’s effort to pose as a French citizen. Officials said a 26-year-old man traveling from Sao Paulo, Brazil, presented a French passport... Read More »
Modernization of US guided missile cruiser underway with $146.3M contract
Over the next 15 months, BAE Systems will conduct modernization efforts of the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, as part of a $146.3 million contract awarded by the U.S. Navy. Repairs and alterations will take place at a shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia beginning January 2019. The hope is to... Read More »
FEMA reimbursement efforts continue one year after Hurricane Irma
Nearly a year after the destruction of Hurricane Irma, FEMA has awarded nearly $3 billion in disaster assistance to Florida recovery efforts, with the most recent case being more than $2.7 million earmarked for the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. Around 777,000 households have received... Read More »
Defense amendment addresses foreign propaganda
An amendment to the fiscal year 2019 Defense Appropriations bill would transfer $40 million to the U.S. Department of State for the Global Engagement Center (GEC) to expose and counter foreign influence and propaganda. The $40 million was allotted for fiscal year 2018 and has yet to be... Read More »
Defense department conducts demonstrations of MALD-X missile
The U.S. Department of Defense, along with the U.S. Air Force and Navy, completed a series of flight demonstrations last week of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD-X) missile. The MALD-X missile is an air-launched decoy that mimics "friendly" aircraft to confuse enemy defensive systems. ... Read More »
Joint law enforcement operation leads to arrest of largest dark net fentanyl vendor in the US
Operation Darkness Falls, a joint operation targeting fentanyl and other drug distributors over the dark net, has resulted in several arrests associated to such bad actor behavior, including the most recent arrest of MH4Life, the fourth most prolific dark net fentanyl vendor in the world and the... Read More »
Border Patrol names new deputy chief
U.S. Border Patrol recently named Scott Luck as the agency’s new deputy chief. Luck has been chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Directorate at the Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, D.C., since 2014 and has served as the acting deputy chief since April 2017. “I am deeply... Read More »
NATO initiative bolsters munitions stockpiles
NATO announced this week that a new effort to provide air-to-ground precision-guided munitions to Allies has completed its first delivery. Officials said NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) received the first lot of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), which were acquired through a... Read More »
Global security expert Chris Deeney joins Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
The strategy and national security development underway at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will now be lead by Chris Deeney, who joined the organization as its chief science and technology officer for national security matters. A noted researcher and innovator in scientific... Read More »
Cruz amendment would allow schools to use grants for safety measures
An amendment to the Defense-Labor-HHS appropriations bill would allow communities to utilize Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants to reinforce school safety infrastructure and technology. “Americans have become all too familiar with the horror of school shootings,” U.S. Sen. Ted... Read More »
AECOM using Lockheed’s GridStar on Fort Carson battery energy storage project
AECOM, a Los Angeles-based operational infrastructure firm, has begun construction of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Fort Carson, Colorado, using Lockheed Martin’s GridStar Lithium energy storage system. The 4.25 MW/8.5 MWh system is designed to reduce Fort Carson's energy costs... Read More »