Policy
Washington State lawmakers call for temporary canine teams at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
As the spring tourism season looms, members of Washington State’s congressional delegation called on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Monday to deploy five temporary passenger screening canine teams to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). In a letter to TSA... Read More »
Sen. Feinstein calls for investigation of Cambridge Analytica’s use of a private voter information
In response to reports that Cambridge Analytica exploited the private information of more than 50 million Facebook users during the 2016 presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) called for an official investigation by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. Feinstein,... Read More »
Lawmakers support cybersecurity funding initiative
A trio of lawmakers recently requested funds for the Department of Homeland Security’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program, which provides cybersecurity network enhancement. Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Will Hurd (R-TX) recently forwarded correspondence... Read More »
International effort takes down secure criminal communications network
Cooperation between international law enforcement agencies has led to the downfall of an encrypted network the FBI says was used by drug traffickers and criminal organization leaders for secure communications. Phantom Secure was, until recently, a Canada-based service that bought and stripped... Read More »
OPCW, Qatar committee hosts chemical safety and security management seminar Asian Region member states
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) of Qatar recently held a chemical safety and security seminar in Doha, Qatar, for OPCW Member States in the Asian Region. Fifty-three participants from government, the... Read More »Senators lead efforts to crack down on fentanyl distribution
Federal penalties for distributing fentanyl would be stepped up to curb the nationwide opioid epidemic under a forthcoming bill that was previewed on Friday by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Under the bill, lower amounts of fentanyl would be required to trigger... Read More »
Bipartisan senators call for government to increase counter-propaganda efforts
Amid reports that the U.S. State Department has not designated $120 million in funds appropriated by Congress to counter disinformation and propaganda from foreign governments, a group of six bipartisan senators pushed for an explanation on Friday. The lawmakers also wrote they are “gravely... Read More »
DARPA announces program to improve understanding of gray zone activities
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced a new program that seeks to develop software that would help decision-makers better understand gray-zone action, subtle conflicts that fall somewhere between peace and conventional warfare. This gray zone conflict is not... Read More »
GAO statement describes progress, challenges in securing Southwest border
A recent statement from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) describes the progress the U.S. Border Patrol has made and the challenges it has faced in securing the Southwest Border. The statement addresses DHS efforts to deploy and measure the effectiveness of surveillance technologies.... Read More »
House panel considers Trump’s $33.25 billion border security funding request
During a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on the president’s $33.25 billion funding request for border security on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) warned about consequences of a “piecemeal” approach to border security and blasted “partisan politics.” President Donald... Read More »
Bipartisan resolution condemns Russian chemical weapons attack in United Kingdom
A resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday condemns Russia’s recent chemical weapons attacks in the United Kingdom and calls for the United States to take “additional measures” to ensure that there are consequences for the use of chemical weapons. U.K.... Read More »
South Asian first responders undergo chemical emergency training
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) first responders recently expanded their chemical incidents training acumen in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The training was jointly run by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Bangladesh National Authority for... Read More »
GAO recommends that CBP finalize a plan to improve, maintain Automated Commercial Environment
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommended the creation of a finalized interagency approach to the post-core management of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the information system used for import processing. The study recommended that the Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
Sen. Markey introduces legislation to make Massachusetts firearm licensing standards a national model
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced on Wednesday legislation that would incentivize states to adopt gun licensing standards similar to those in Massachusetts, which has the lowest gun death rate in the nation. Markey’s legislation, the Making America Safe and Secure (MASS) Act, would... Read More »
Military leaders highlight progress in cyber domain during U.S. Senate hearing
As cyber threats to military networks become more persistent and sophisticated, military leaders provided an update to a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday about recent efforts to bolster the military’s cybersecurity capabilities. In testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee,... Read More »
House panel considers bills addressing energy supply emergencies, cyber threats to energy sector
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy considered four bills on Wednesday that address energy supply emergencies and cybersecurity threats to the electric grid, pipelines, and other areas of the energy sector. During its third hearing on efforts to modernize the U.S.... Read More »
Florida border patrol agents apprehend gang member
Florida Border Patrol agents recently arrested a gang member with an extensive criminal history during an immigration inspection at a Fort Lauderdale bus station. Officials said agents identified a suspicious passenger while conducting inspections and learned the man was from Honduras and not in... Read More »
DHS Science and Technology Directorate developing air surveillance standards
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced this week that it is working to create standards for air surveillance, known as DHS (Interim) Strategic Air Surveillance Requirements, or (I)SASR. DHS S&T is working with the Federal Aviation... Read More »
Indictment returned for alleged Chicago-area fentanyl importers
Two Chicago men were indicted on federal drug charges on March 7 for allegedly conspiring with others to ship a fentanyl derivative from China to 19 addresses in the Chicago area. Sanchez Lackland, 35, of Hazel Crest, Illinois, and Jermol Mixon, 35, of Orland Park, Illinois, were both charged... Read More »
Homeland security officials call for immigration reform to address border security
Homeland Security Director Kirstjen Nielsen noted that a border wall is only “one of the tools” required to secure the border following an operational briefing on border wall prototypes with President Donald Trump in San Diego on Tuesday. Nielsen and Trump were joined by acting Border... Read More »
House Speaker favors rebuilding military
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) maintains the nation’s military needs to be rebuilt. “Almost a decade under the Obama administration, during which the military was simply not a top priority, left major gaps in the readiness of our Armed Forces,” Ryan said. “Funding for modernizing the... Read More »
Four individuals arrested, charged with trafficking counterfeit FDA-regulated goods
Four individuals were arrested recently and charged with the alleged sale of counterfeit male enhancement pills, weight loss pills, condoms, and cosmetics. Carlos Enrique Velázquez-Gines, Mayra Evelise Gines-Otero, Noriam Ivette Flores-Deleon, and Vanessa Marrero-Hernández were charged with... Read More »
Bipartisan bill would reform DEA’s opioid production quota process
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday would direct the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to consider opioid diversion, public health, and overdose deaths when setting opioid production quotas to help address the nationwide opioid epidemic. The DEA currently... Read More »
DHS announces formation of Executive Steering Committee to lead department-wide school security initiatives
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the formation of an Executive Steering Committee on Monday that will oversee the department’s school security efforts, ensure that funding and resources are best leveraged, and support state and local efforts. DHS also highlighted year-round... Read More »
OPCW Director-General meets with Belgian officials in Brussels
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, recently traveled to Brussels, Belgium where he met with Belgian leaders The Director-General briefed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of... Read More »
DHS S&T provided evaluations, technology and analytics for Super Bowl
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently described its role in providing security for 52nd Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this February. DHS S&T efforts enabled liability protections for providers of security technologies, analytics for... Read More »
DIA Director Ashley discusses threats posed by North Korea, China, Russia before Senate panel
In testimony before a Senate panel on March 6, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Robert P. Ashley, Jr. discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, China’s military modernization program and Russia’s goal to exert a “sphere of influence” over the United States. Ashley... Read More »
Joint operation in Arizona result in narcotics, weapons trafficking arrests
A joint operation led by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently resulted in more than 60 pounds of narcotics and five AK-47s being seized in three separate traffic stops on Interstate 10 in Arizona. The arrests were the result of Operation... Read More »
Measure combating vehicular terrorism advances
The House Committee on Homeland Security has approved a bill designed to improve vigilance in the wake of growing terrorist attacks using vehicles. The Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act, authored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), received an amendment from Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that aided committee... Read More »
CBP discovers destructive Khapra beetle in passenger baggage at Dulles, BWI Airports
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport (Dulles) and Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) recently intercepted Khapra beetles, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, in passenger... Read More »
Alabama man pleads guilty to attempting to support ISIS
An Alabama man, who allegedly distributed ISIS propaganda, researched how to produce explosive materials, and met with an undercover agent posing as a member of ISIS, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide services and personnel to a terrorist organization on Thursday. Aziz Ihab... Read More »
Senators call on President Trump to advance national cyber deterrence doctrine
Bipartisan members of the Senate Armed Service Committee urged President Donald Trump to advance a national cyber deterrence strategy on Thursday, noting that lack of clearly articulated consequence has served as “an open invitation” for cyber attacks against the United States. The group,... Read More »
Measures seek to extend border from American shores
Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently introduced a pair of bills authorizing two programs that are part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to extend the border far from American shores. McSally said the bills would codify the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM),... Read More »
DHS must take action to comply with Workforce Assessment Act, GAO says
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently testified on the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified, categorized, and assigned employment codes to its cybersecurity positions and identified its cybersecurity workforce areas of critical need. The... Read More »