Policy
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 »
PSE&G gets SAFETY Act liability protections for anti-terrorism program
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) obtained SAFETY Act liability protections from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the deployment of security measures designed to detect, deter, and recover from acts of terrorism. The New Jersey-based company is the first public utility... Read More »
Indiana man sentenced 15 years for role in terrorist plot
An Indiana man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a planned terrorist attack as well as distributing information on explosives. Authorities said Marlonn Hicks, 31, of Crown Point, Indiana, has also been handed down three years of supervised release following his sentence... Read More »
Southwest Airlines partners with CBP for canine training
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently entered into a public-private partnership with Southwest Airlines Co. as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. The program seeks tangible solutions to trade- and travel-enforcement challenges in both infrastructure and intellectual property... Read More »
Providence Fire Department receives $1 mln grant for safety, training
The Providence Fire Department in Rhode Island recently received a nearly $1 million federal grant award earmarked for the department’s safety and training, according to an announcement made by state and federal lawmakers last week. Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined... Read More »
Democrats urge tech companies to bar access to 3D gun plans
Following an announcement this month that a company called Defense Distributed would begin publishing blueprints for 3D printable firearms online, a group of Democratic senators are urging tech companies to ban publication of firearm blueprints on their platforms. While the opponents in court... Read More »
Chagas disease spreading beyond Latin America
Over the last 40 years, the parasite-driven disease Chagas has breached the borders of what was once its traditional territory, spreading from Latin America into the United States and Europe, according to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA). There are an estimated 300,000... Read More »
FirstNet buildout progresses with AT&T active deployment of Band 14 spectrum
AT&T has been actively deploying Band 14 spectrum as part of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) build, bringing a much-needed technology upgrade to the public safety network. Band 14 is nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government for FirstNet that will... Read More »
DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites on track
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) review of its Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program showed that it is on track to fulfill its mission of servicing at least 20 commercial and government spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). There are... Read More »
CBP intercepts cans of baby formula filled with prohibited pork at Dulles Airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport recently discovered pork sausage links concealed in an El Salvadoran woman’s baby formula cans. Swine meat from El Salvador is not allowed to enter the United States because of the... Read More »
More than $100,000 in federal assistance directed to firefighters in New York
Funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance in Firefighters Grant (AFG) program is bringing more than $100,000 to fire departments in two New York counties. The Richville Volunteer Fire Department in St. Lawrence County and the Whitesboro Fire Department in Oneida County... Read More »
Defense contractor to develop a business travel prototype
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently selected defense contractor SAP Concur to develop a business travel system prototype to replace the aging Defense Travel System. Annually, the DoD spends $9 billion on travel. Approximately 70 percent of all department travel vouchers is temporary duty... Read More »
Johns Hopkins hosts pandemic simulation exercise for congressional staffers
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Global Health Council, NTI Bio, and PATH hosted a simulation exercise for congressional staffers to demonstrate the need for congressional support and action to prevent infectious disease threats. The exercise, called Clade X: A Global Health... Read More »
Aerial transport aids border security effort
Tucson Sector Border Patrol personnel recently touted the benefits of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters toward the effort to bolster border security. Officials said the detail was deployed last month to assist in Operation Guardian Support, aiding transport capabilities in remote areas of southern... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security holds three-day exercise covering election security
With concerns over security for the midterms persisting, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted a three-day exercise meant to help various agencies identify ways to improve cybersecurity, preparedness, identification, response, and recovery during elections. The program, called... Read More »
Small-business cybersecurity bill becomes law
President Donald Trump recently signed into law the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, which requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and provide resources to protect small businesses’ digital assets from cybersecurity threats. According to the bill,... Read More »
Rep. Denham hosts meeting to fight human trafficking
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) hosted Wednesday a roundtable with local community leaders, law enforcement officials, and the leaders of Uber, among others, to discuss how to combat human trafficking. The meeting, held at the Modesto Police Department in California, gave attendees an opportunity... Read More »
Proposed law changes target drone use
Last month the Uniform Law Commission (ULC) considered a proposed nationwide law change reflecting the impact of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. A ULC committee considered the Tort Law Relating to Drones Act for adoption by state governments. The effort, which provoked controversy across... Read More »
GAO report determines most visas denied in 2017 not due to executive action
Though President Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2017 to restrict the issuance of visas and instigate changes to nonimmigrant visa (NIV) screening and vetting, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently found that 90 percent of visas remained unaffected by this change. Of the... Read More »
FirstNet board approves $84 million budget
The First Responder Network Authority’s board of directors, an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce, recently approved an $81 million budget for operations in fiscal year 2019. The budget will be used for the focus on the deployment of the nationwide public safety... Read More »DHS develops software tool to help fight human smuggling
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate has developed new technology that will assist federal agents in investigating human smuggling. The data analytics software program, called Igloo, is already in use by select units of U.S. Immigration and Customs... Read More »
Lockheed Martin to develop hypersonic weapon prototype for US Air Force
The U.S. Air Force awarded this week a contract to Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control for the development of a second hypersonic weapon prototype. The weapon’s review, testing, and production readiness support will all be provided by Lockheed Martin, as part of the Air Force’s... Read More »
StratCom commander emphasizes need for advanced information, intelligence
Gen. John Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command (StratCom), recently spoke at the 2018 Department of Defense Intelligence Information System Worldwide Conference on integrated command relationships and the role of information and intelligence to combatant commands. Without intelligence... Read More »