Policy
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 »
Refueling tanker completes testing requirements
Boeing and Air Force personnel said the KC-46 refueling tanker program completed all flight testing required for first delivery represents a major milestone. Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager, said the program completion reflects a significant achievement for... Read More »
ICE using beta analytics tool to track human traffickers, transnational criminals
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Services (ICE) has been utilizing a data analytics platform called Igloo to quickly sift through large volumes of data to track the movements of human traffickers and transnational criminal organizations, the agency announced on Monday. Developed by the U.S.... Read More »
US Marine fighters in Pacific use Raytheon technology for precision landing
U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighters aboard the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship in the Pacific Ocean are using Raytheon Company's technology to guide them. Specifically, the fighters are using Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business's Joint Precision Approach and... Read More »
House E&C committee members unveil national all-hazards defense bill; set markup for Wed
A comprehensive update to the nation’s soon-to-expire pandemic and all-hazards law has been unveiled in the U.S. House where Energy and Commerce Committee members have painstakingly produced a bipartisan reauthorization to bolster America’s defense against chemical, biological, radiological or... Read More »
GAO encourages TSA to better track public flights between US, Cuba
Assessing the security efforts of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in regards to Cuba-bound U.S. flights, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined that more could have been done to track and inspect these flights. Their investigation, which was carried out in... Read More »
Lockheed Martin, DARPA test aid systems integration
Lockheed Martin and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) personnel recently executed a series of flight tests designed to demonstrate seamless weapons systems integration. The effort, which involved using Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works development program and executed at the Naval... Read More »
ESSM Block 2 variant undergoes successful guided test flight
A variant of the Raytheon, Co. Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) scored a direct hit on an aerial target in a guided flight test after being launched from the U.S. Navy’s self-defense test ship off the coast of southern California on Sunday. The ESSM Block 2 intermediate-range, surface-to-air... Read More »
Army Future Command to be headquartered in Austin
The U.S. Army announced the selection of Austin, Texas, as the headquarters for the new Army Future Command on Friday, marking the most significant reorganization of the Army since the early 1970s. The Futures Command, which began operating on July 1, will evaluate emerging threats, operational... Read More »
ICE arrests 18 alien smugglers at US border
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations along with U.S. Border Patrol arrested 18 smugglers at the country’s southern border. Law enforcement officials seized cash, vehicles and more than 1,000 lbs. of marijuana from these alien smugglers. “We... Read More »
DHS to provide small business owners with info on national security research, funding opportunity development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) will engage small businesses focusing on research and development on a National Road Tour scheduled this week. Sponsored by the Small Business Administration, stops are scheduled on Tuesday in Portland, on... Read More »
Sen. Wicker highlights need to expand scholarships for cybersecurity degree programs
Following a hearing on strategies to strengthen U.S. cybersecurity capabilities on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) highlighted legislation he previously introduced to expand scholarship opportunities for students studying cybersecurity. The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and... Read More »
NTI receives grant to create Global Health Security Index
Several organizations, including the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) biosecurity program, received a grant last week to create a Global Health Security (GHS) Index. The GHS Index will assess countries’ capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to high consequence biological events. This... Read More »
Sen. Donnelly named to defense bill committee
Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) has been named to the conference committee charged with the responsibility of negotiating a final national defense bill. The Senate passed the measure, which officials said included several provisions Donnelly led or supported to reinforce Indiana’s role in national... Read More »