Policy
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 The Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act would also reform outdated visa laws, create jobs, and rename the Visa...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 »
Lockheed Martin lands $450 million combatant contract
The U.S. government recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $450 million contract to design and plan construction of four Multi-Mission Surface Combatants (MMSC) for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The awarded Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) agreement will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine... Read More »
Border Patrol operations, TRICAMEX fly over Rio Grande Valley
Air and Marine Operations agents recently flew over the Rio Grande Sector as part of the Border Patrol Missing Migrant Program. The agents, from the McAllen Air Brach, conducted a familiarization flight for Central America’s Northern Triangle and Mexico (TRICAMEX). TRICAMEX, comprised of the... Read More »
Attorney General releases Cyber-Digital Task Force report
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday the publication of a comprehensive assessment of cyber threats to the United States along with the ways in which the U.S. Department of Justice combats those threats. “The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate,... Read More »
U.S. Secret Service releases new operational guide to combat targeted school violence
The U.S. Secret Service released last week a new operational guide meant to help schools better prepare for dangerous situations and act as a tool to help end the current widespread nature of targeted violence in U.S. schools. The guide, Enhancing School Safety Using A Threat Assessment Model,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin to invest $5 million in job training
Lockheed Martin recently announced that it would invest $5 million in vocational and trade programs and create 8,000 new apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years. Programs will give new employees experience and help mid-career employees keep their skills current. The investment... Read More »
DHS to sponsor National Cybersecurity Summit in New York
New York City will host to a National Security Summit at the end of this month, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which will sponsor the event. The meeting will gather federal employees of numerous agencies together with academics and private sector CEOs through a... Read More »
Bipartisan measure seeks to aid genocide prevention
House members advanced this week legislation designed to aid in preventing acts of genocide and mass atrocity crimes. The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY), a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, enhances commitment to and... Read More »
House Appropriations Committee releases fiscal year 2019 homeland security funding bill
The fiscal year 2019 homeland security funding bill released by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Thursday outlines $51.4 billion in discretionary funding, $6.7 billion in major disaster relief and $5 billion for physical barriers and technology along the border. The bill prioritizes... Read More »
House bill would protect against growing threat of drone attacks on US soil
Federal agencies would be given new authorities to protect communities and buildings from threats posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Steve Chabot (R-OH) introduced the... Read More »
Senate panel probes use of trade protections under ENFORCE Act
Citing the practice of countries illegally importing goods by transhipping them through other countries, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Wednesday to use existing tools to crack down on illegal trade. Portman urged CBP Administrator Kevin... Read More »
Rep. Ratcliffe introduces bill to modernize DHS’s continuous diagnostics mitigation program
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) introduced legislation in the House this week to modernize the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation (CDM) program. Specifically, the Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act will codify CDM at the DHS. “CDM is... Read More »
Lockheed Martin, ThalesRaytheonSystems announce partnership on NATO Alliance ballistic missile defense capabilities
Lockheed Martin and ThalesRaytheonSystems signed a joint venture on Tuesday to provide territorial ballistic missile defense (BMD) command and control capability to the NATO Alliance. The agreement establishes a team of industry representatives from NATO member countries to advance low-risk... Read More »
Sen. Rubio warns Russia will interfere in US elections again without strong deterrents in place
Calling for support of legislation to quell foreign meddling in elections, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said on Tuesday that Russian meddling will continue unless action is taken to deter it. Rubio and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced the Defending Elections from Threats by... Read More »
US Army to use Raytheon’s Coyote unmanned aircraft system
The U.S. Army will use Raytheon Company's unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to counter the threat of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles in the skies above the battlefield. The Army will use Raytheon’s Coyote unmanned aircraft system as well as its Ku band radio frequency system (KRFS) radar toward... Read More »
Sens. Feinstein, Markey introduce legislation to crack down on gun dealer accountability
In the wake of an increasing spate of mass shooting events in the United States, Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA) have introduced new legislation filled with clear enforcement methods and stricter accountability measures for the nation’s gun dealers. The legislation, the... Read More »