Policy
Senate committee advances DHS ethical hacker bill to help identify vulnerabilities within networks
A bipartisan bill that would establish a bug bounty program using “white hat” ethical hackers to search for and identify vulnerabilities within U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) networks was recently advanced by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.... Read More »
TSA phasing in new checkpoint procedure for carry-on electronics
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently began implementing new screening procedures at airports across the country that require travelers to place all electronics larger than a mobile phone in bins for X-ray screening at checkpoints. Passengers at various U.S. airports,... Read More »
Security Industry Association endorses Border Security for America Act
The Security Industry Association (SIA) announced Tuesday its endorsement of H.R. 3548, the Border Security for America Act of 2017 (BSAA), which would strengthen tactical infrastructure on the U.S. northern and southern borders. SIA sent a letter to the House Homeland Security Committee last... Read More »
Maryland Lt. Governor visits Smiths Detection to learn about opioid detection, identification technology
Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford visited Smiths Detections, Inc. (SDI) facility near Edgewood, Maryland this week where he was given a demonstration of technologies to detect and identify opioids to help protect first responders from exposure. Smiths Detection develops and manufactures... Read More »
Bipartisan bill to help secure electric grid introduced in House
A bipartisan bill that would require a report from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy and Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the security risks to the national electric grid was recently introduced to the House by U.S. Reps. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elise... Read More »
OPCW oversees effort to destroy more than 39,000 metric tons of chemical weapons in Russia
Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Director-General for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently participated in a ceremony marking the completion of the full destruction of 39,967 metric tons of chemical weapons previously possessed by the Russian Federation. Largely... Read More »
NNSA needs to improve management of its Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation programs, GAO report says
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) needs to improve the management policy and practices of its Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN), according to a recently published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) For its report, GAO was tasked by... Read More »RAND report recommends cooperation between US, Russia, and China to deter proliferation of hypersonic missiles
A new report by the RAND corporation recommends that the United States, Russia, and China cooperate to hinder the proliferation of hypersonic missiles to reduce the risk of strategic missile-based war. All three countries are currently developing hypersonic missile technology. Technologies such... Read More »
TSA has taken steps to enhance foreign airport assessments but issues remain, GAO report says
Since 2011, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken steps to enhance its foreign airport assessments and air carrier inspection including aligning program resources based on risk and resolving airport access issues, according to a recently published report from the U.S.... Read More »
Russia completes destruction of chemical weapons
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, made a statement Wednesday marking the destruction of the remainder of the chemical weapons possessed by the Russian Federation. “The completion of the verified destruction of... Read More »
Bill to reform TSA organization structure, deploy new security technology introduced in Senate
A bipartisan bill to reform the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) organizational structure and to advance new security technologies was recently introduced to the Senate by U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-SD), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill,... Read More »
NASS questions DHS outreach to state election officials during 2016 presidential election cycle
Following reports that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) contacted 21 chief state election officials whose election systems were targeted during the recent presidential election cycle, the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) issued a statement questioning the timing and... Read More »
Qatari officials visit UNMC to discuss biosecurity efforts ahead of 2022 World Cup
Members of the Qatar National Committee for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (NCPW) recently visited with leaders from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to discuss potential collaborative efforts on developing Qatar as a leader in biosecurity ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The... Read More »
President Xi Jinping opens Interpol General Assembly with call for cooperation
The Interpol general assembly met this week in Beijing, China, bringing nearly 1,000 participants from 156 countries together at an event opened with a speech from Chinese President Xi Jinping. “No country can guarantee its absolute security all by itself,” Xi said. “China stands ready to... Read More »
Bill to give full Pell Grants to children of fallen firefighters, EMS and law enforcement officers advanced by Senate
A bill that gives the children of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS workers the maximum Pell grant authorized by federal law was recently advanced by the U.S. Senate. The legislation, titled the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act, was introduced by U.S. Sens. Bob... Read More »
NNSA collaborates with South Africa’s NTP to convert its molybdenum-99 production processes to low-enriched uranium
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in tandem with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation’s NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd (NTP), recently completed conversion of its molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production process from highly-enriched uranium (HEU), which is frequently used for... Read More »
NNSA assists in removal of all highly-enriched uranium from Kazakhstan-based reactor
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in tandem with the Institute for Nuclear Physics (INP) of Almaty, Kazakhstan recently announced that the last remaining stores of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) have been repatriated from the institute’s VVR-K reactor. In total, more than... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers expedited NEXUS membership for Buffalo-Niagara Region
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is offering an expedited NEXUS enrollment process for the Ice Hockey World Juniors Championship, which will be held in Buffalo from Dec. 26, 2017 through Jan. 5, 2018. CBP is offering the expedited enrollment through Oct. 13 to residents of the... Read More »
NATO Council pushes back on UN treaty to legally prohibit, eliminate all nuclear weapons
Following a decision by the United Nations’ (UN) General Assembly to negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons and their eventual elimination, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Council recently pushed back against the move, stating that a total ban would... Read More »
Congress members inquire about NotPetya malware, effects on drug supplies
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently sent public letters to the heads of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the global pharmaceutical company Merck concerning the NotPetya malware and its effects on drug supplies. On June 27, a malware known by a... Read More »
Senate approves reform package for government information technology
The U.S. Senate approved this week a reform package aimed at making government IT spending more efficient and accelerating the government’s transition to modern technology. The Modernizing Government Technology (MGT) Act creates an incentive for the federal government to streamline IT systems... Read More »
Key provisions secured for Ohio-based defense manufacturing in FY2018 NDAA legislation
Two key provisions that will benefit Ohio-based defense manufacturers were recently secured as part of the Senate version of the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In order to better protect aircraft within the 180th Fighter Wing based in Toledo, Ohio, the bill authorized a total... Read More »
Congress members request FCC investigation into Russian interference in 2016 presidential election cycle
In the wake of recent reports that Sputnik, a Russian radio network, allegedly used U.S. airwaves to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election cycle, members of Congress penned a public letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai requesting an investigation... Read More »
Fourteen cases of chikungunya appear in Italy, according to WHO
Fourteen confirmed cases of chikungunya virus have recently been diagnosed in Italy, six of which appeared in Rome with another eight appearing in the coastal region of Anzio, according to a recently published report from the World Health Organization (WHO). The first case was identified on... Read More »House advances appropriations package to fund border wall, increase military funding
The U.S. House of Representatives recently advanced an appropriations bill that would fund President Trump’s wall on the Mexican border and various other security initiatives. The bill includes funding for the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Military Construction and Veterans... Read More »
Sens. Graham, Gillibrand bill to establish commission to investigate cyberattacks during 2016 presidential election cycle
A bipartisan bill was recently introduced in the Senate by U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), aiming to establish a National Commission of the Cybersecurity of United States Election Systems. Based on a similar structure set by the 9/11 Commission, the new... Read More »
House votes to update immigration law in gang crackdown
The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to change immigration law to make membership in a criminal gang both a deportable offense and justification for barring entry in the first place. The bill, entitled the “Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act,” would allow the Department of... Read More »
Reps. Royce, Engel introduce Cyber Diplomacy Act
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) recently introduced the Cyber Diplomacy Act, which would create a U.S. international cyber policy and promote working with other countries on promoting this policy. “The U.S. is increasingly under... Read More »
Rep. Royce sponsors bill to strengthen anti-money laundering system
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) proposed legislation last week to strengthen the anti-money laundering (AML) and countering terrorism financing (CTF) system in the United States. The draft legislation, the Anti-Money Laundering Modernization Act, seeks to modernize the system and update the regulatory... Read More »Bill to streamline DHS intelligence gathering efforts advanced by House
A bill to help streamline and enhance intelligence sharing at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was recently advanced by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, titled the Unify DHS Intelligence Enterprise Act, was authored by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), who serves as... Read More »
House advances Homeland Threat Assessment Act
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced this week a bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis to evaluate the terrorist threat to the homeland for each of the next five fiscal years. “The 9/11 Commission revealed that a “failure of... Read More »
Homeland Security waives legal requirements for California border construction project
Seeking to expedite construction of barriers on the international border with Mexico near Calexico, California, the Department of Homeland Security issued this week a waiver for certain legal regulations. Calling on powers invested in them by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant ... Read More »
House advances amendment to restore funding for National Urban Security Technology Laboratory
Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) announced this week that the U.S. House of Representatives advanced his amendment to restore funding to the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL). NUSTL, which is located in New York City, researches, develops and assesses new technologies for use by law... Read More »
Bill to improve intelligence sharing among DHS, law enforcement unanimously passed by House
A bill that aims to improve intelligence sharing capabilities amongst U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies was recently unanimously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, titled the DHS Data Framework Act, was authored by U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), a... Read More »