Policy
Senate bill would require ATF to create computerized, searchable gun record database
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) would be directed to establish a computerized, searchable database of gun records under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday. The Crime Gun Tracing Modernization Act would strike a current federal prohibition on the creation of a... Read More »Four-day mass casualty training course tests healthcare, first responder capabilities
A four-day training course coordinated by federal and territorial agencies in Puerto Rico last week culminated in a practice scenario that tested the ability of first responders and health care workers to respond to a simulated traffic crash that resulted in the release of chlorine gas. The... Read More »
Africa CDC dispatches 18 volunteers to DRC as Ebola death toll rises
Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dispatched a team of volunteer epidemiologists, physicians, communication experts, injection prevention and control experts and data managers to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As of June 2, the World... Read More »
Navy awards Raytheon contract for over-the-horizon weapons systems
The U.S. Navy has awarded Raytheon Co. and Kongsberg Gruppen a contract to manufacture and deliver a long-range precision missile for littoral combat ships and future frigates over-the-horizon weapons systems. The $14.8 million contract for offensive missiles and a single fire control suite... Read More »
US Marines, British Commandos complete Red Dagger training exercises
U.S. Marines along with members of the British army Commandos concluded their Red Dagger training exercises last week. This year's exercise is the fifth iteration of the bilateral training program, which took place at Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, May 12-25. The exercise featured... Read More »
Additional visas available to foreign workers
Homeland Security officials have increased the number of temporary non-agricultural worker visas as a means of aiding American businesses. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen said an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary visas would be available for Fiscal Year 2018, in addition to the... Read More »
Secretary Nielsen tours southwest border, commits to building 150 miles of border wall
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen visited multiple locations along the nation’s southwest border on Thursday, meeting with elected officials, local residents and representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. National Guard. Nielsen was joined by... Read More »
RAND Corporation tapped to oversee collaborative effort to generate data on gun violence, identify solutions
The RAND Corporation has been selected to oversee a five-year effort supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) to use data to better understand gun violence patterns and to find solutions. LJAF has pledged $20 million to the collaborative effort, called the National Collaborative... Read More »
New bill would strengthen evacuation routes as hurricane season begins
Legislators in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives marked the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season Friday by introducing legislation that would dedicate $1 billion to improve the capacity and resilience of the nation’s evacuation routes. The Enhancing the Strength and... Read More »
Cost estimates for nuclear bomb refurbishment program need improvement, GAO says
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) estimates to refurbish components of nuclear bombs were cost-effective and followed best practices, but the process could use improvements. NNSA estimated that the cost to... Read More »
CSIS symposium focuses on lessons learned from Ebola, putting global health policy into practice
A recent Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) symposium focused on the global response to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and strategies since to put health security policies into practice. The symposium was part of the Commission on Strengthening America’s Health... Read More »
Booz Allen to compete on NAVAIR PASS contract
Information technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (Booz Allen) has been awarded a spot on the Program and Systems Support (PASS) professional services contract by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Corporate Business Office (CBO), the company announced on Tuesday. Valued... Read More »
GAO recommends better nationwide collaboration among first responders in emergencies
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) facilitate better collaboration among first responders during emergencies. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf region in 2005, Congress passed a law... Read More »
Raytheon ranks fourth on Cybersecurity 500
In a worldwide ranking of the most innovative cybersecurity companies, Raytheon, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, ranked fourth. The rankings, called the Cybersecurity 500, is conducted by Cybersecurity Ventures, a cybersecurity research and publishing company. Raytheon's high ranking was... Read More »
Haspel highlights her priorities as CIA director during swearing-in ceremony
At her swearing-in ceremony last week, CIA Director Gina Haspel highlighted the need for the agency to bolster its foreign language proficiency, build stronger partnerships and deploy more field officers. Haspel, the first woman to lead the CIA in the agency’s 70-year history, was joined by... Read More »
FLIR Systems offering three new radar, thermal products for use by military, border patrol
FLIR Systems, Inc. introduced last week three new radar and thermal imaging systems that can be used by militaries and government border patrol agencies to detect objects on land and in the air, including microdrones. The FLIR Ranger R8SS-3D and R8SS radars can provide mid-range detection... Read More »
Senate bill would give police fast access to cell phone location data in missing persons cases
Cellular service providers would be required to provide limited cell phone data to police departments in emergency situations like missing persons cases under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 24. The Kelsey Smith Act is named for an 18-year-old woman who was abducted and murdered in... Read More »
Agency seeks national security solutions
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is requesting input on concepts for advanced research, development, and demonstration of systems for military missions regarding national security. The agency’s Tactical Technology Office will host a Virtual Proposers Day June 6-7 to... Read More »Senate committee approves NDAA with more than 30 amendments from Sen. Cruz
Highlighting the importance of “peace through strength,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced more than 30 amendments to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 during U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee markup, which concluded on May 24. In total,... Read More »
Operation yields human trafficking arrests
A three-week Border Patrol operation west of Yuma, Arizona, between April and May yielded the arrests of 170 human trafficking suspects. Special Operations Detachment (SOD) and Intelligence Border Patrol agents detected the suspects near the Imperial Sand Dunes. Operation Sandman apprehended a... Read More »
Homeland Security Department awards $3 million to small businesses for research projects
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program recently announced that it awarded $2.94 million across 20 competitive research contracts to 19 small businesses in 10 states. Each of the Phase I awardees will... Read More »
FBI seizes control of key server used in massive Russian botnet cyberattacks
A Russian botnet that has infected about a half million routers used in homes and business around the world with malware was disrupted on Thursday by the FBI’s seizure of a key server. Referred to by federal officials and cybersecurity experts as “VPNFilter,” the botnet has attacked... Read More »
Sen. Portman calls for continued “maximum pressure campaign” against North Korea
In response to reports that President Donald Trump had canceled the planned June 12 summit with North Korea, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Thursday to maintain pressure by continuing talks, engaging the international community and upholding tougher sanctions. Portman, a member of the... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Nelson applaud committee advancement of emergency preparedness bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) praised on Wednesday the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ (HELP) advancement of the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPAIA). The bill, S. 2852, would reauthorize various Pandemic... Read More »
EU-U.S. Joint Ministerial Meeting highlights counterrorism, information sharing, security among
The European Union (EU)-U.S. Joint Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs held in Bulgaria on Tuesday and Wednesday allowed leaders to discuss joint efforts to combat terrorism, information sharing, efforts to prevent radicalization, aviation security, and chemical, biological,... Read More »
FEMA awards San Antonio $1.5 million for terrorism preparedness operations
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently awarded the City of San Antonio, Texas $1.5 million in grants to help prevent, protect against, mitigate, and respond to acts of terrorism. “San Antonio is one of the fastest-growing cities... Read More »
ICE arrests 49 foreign nationals in Philadelphia in less than a week
U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 49 foreign nationals in Philadelphia during an operation that extended from May 14 to May 20 that targeted aliens with criminal records, fugitives, re-entrants and other violators of federal immigration laws. Of the 49 individuals... Read More »
Laredo Port of Entry holds three-day active shooter training session
An active shooter response training simulation recently organized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) from the Laredo Port of Entry enabled supervisors to focus on bolstering active shooter preparedness and prevention efforts. Hosted by the Use of Force... Read More »
DHS announces funding for NYC anti-terrorism activities, programs, equipment
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that New York was awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to enhance security preparedness and anti-terror activities through grant programming in fiscal year 2018. New York City will receive $178 million under the... Read More »
FEMA to assist Puerto Rico with mass casualty training exercise
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that it is working with the Government of Puerto Rico to train emergency and healthcare workers to respond to mass casualty incidents. FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is running a four-day training course from May 29 to... Read More »
Senate HELP Committee advances Burr’s bipartisan bill to reauthorize PAHPA
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on May 23 approved 22-1 the pending Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018, S.2852. S. 2852, introduced on May 15 by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), would reauthorize certain programs under... Read More »
Survey examines infectious, emerging disease feedback
Results of a recent survey examined the thoughts of Americans concerning the potential impact infectious and emerging diseases facing other countries will have in the United States. The effort, commissioned by Research!America and the American Society for Microbiology, showed 95 percent of... Read More »
IDSA calls on UN Ambassador Haley to secure ‘concrete commitments’ to end tuberculosis
With tuberculosis killing 1.7 million people in 2016, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) led more than 900 doctors, scientists, and researchers in calling United Nations (UN) Ambassador Nikki Haley to secure “concrete commitments” in this fall’s UN General Assembly High Level... Read More »