Policy
New Sandia National Lab Fellowship named after first female nuclear security lab director
Sandia National Laboratories established this week a new fellowship program, which it named after Jill Hruby, its immediate past director and the first woman to direct a National Nuclear Security Administration laboratory. The Jill Hruby Fellowship Program will provide postdoctoral candidates... Read More »
Representatives urge Secretary Tillerson not to close cybersecurity office
Following reports that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to close the State Department’s Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues (S/CCI), a group of U.S. representatives sent him a letter urging him not to do so. The S/CCI office organizes responses to cyber threats, mitigates... Read More »Hearing addresses technology’s role in mitigating illicit activity along southwest border
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently chaired a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee to examine the role that technology plays in predicting, deterring, and detecting illicit activity along the nation’s southern border with Mexico. The hearing comes as U.S. Customs and Border... Read More »Anti-human trafficking groups applaud Justice Department’s criminal inquiry into Backpage.com
A number of leading anti-human trafficking organizations are applauding a recommendation made by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a criminal inquiry of Backpage.com over concerns that the website is facilitating acts of human trafficking. On... Read More »
Hawaii to receive $6.1 million from CDC to support public health emergency preparedness efforts
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently awarded a total of $6,125,363 to the Hawaii Department of Public Health (DOH) to support its Disease Outbreak Control Division’s Public Health Preparedness Branch to help address a variety of public health threats and emergencies.... Read More »
Bill to improve data collection in officer-involved fatal incidents introduced in Senate
A bill that would require states that receive federal funds for law enforcement programs to properly document all relevant details surrounding an officer-related shooting that result in the death of a civilian was recently introduced to the Senate by U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Chuck Grassley... Read More »
FirstNet agrees to fully explore tribal concerns, execute long-term staffing plan
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), which is charged with establishing a nationwide wireless broadband network for first responders, should more fully address the concerns voiced by tribal stakeholders and proactively develop a long-term staffing plan as the public-safety project... Read More »
House advances first Homeland Security reauthorization bill in department’s history
A bill that reauthorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its agencies for the first time since its inception in 2002 recently advanced the U.S. House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote of 386-41. The legislation’s introduction stems from a memorandum of understanding... Read More »
Savannah River Tritium Facility triples extraction capacity
A National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) tritium extraction facility in South Carolina recently surpassed its own mining records by conducting three extractions in fiscal year 2017. Tritium is a radioactive component that is critical to the U.S. nuclear stockpile. Previously, the... Read More »
No valid evidence supporting TSA’s list of behavioral indicators for dangerous persons, GAO reports
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) does not have valid evidence to support the effectiveness of its list of behavioral indicators for individuals who may post a threat to aviation security, according to a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).... Read More »
FEMA awards Phoenix $1.5 million in terrorism prevention grant funds
The City of Phoenix. Arizona received a boon for its terrorism preparedness efforts last week with the announcement that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be providing them $1,565,000 in grant funds for that purpose. The funds were provided through the 2016 Complex Coordinated... Read More »
Battelle receives $13 million contract to assist CBRNE teams to combat weapons of mass destruction
Battelle recently received a Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) Homeland Defense and Security Technical Area Task (HD TAT) award with a total value of $13,781,575 to support the National Guard Bureau’s (NGB) Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Division initiative. The... Read More »
House committee advances bill to combat international foreign terrorist fighter travel
The House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade recently advanced legislation that aims to establish international border security standards to close security gaps that could potentially allow foreign terrorist fighters to travel internationally. ... Read More »
Hetner to remain as senior advisor for cybersecurity policy at SEC
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced that Christopher R. Hetner will remain as senior advisor for cybersecurity policy to SEC Chairman Jay Clayton. Hetner, who served under previous SEC Chairman Mary Jo White and Acting Chairman Michael Piwowar, will continue his... Read More »
House Appropriations Committee approves FY2018 DHS Appropriations bill
The House Appropriations Committee recently passed the FY2018 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill, which contains a number of provisions for critical programs related to aviation security, border enforcement, natural disaster response, cyberattack mitigation, and illegal... Read More »Iowa set to become fifth state to opt-in to nationwide public safety broadband network
Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) recently announced that the state of Iowa would become the fifth state in the country to opt-in to the nationwide public safety broadband network that is currently being developed by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T. As part of the agreement,... Read More »
House Intel Committee unanimously passes FY2018 Intelligence Authorization Act
By a unanimous voice vote, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence last week sent the FY2018 Intelligence Authorization Act to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. While funding for the bill was slightly lower than in the Trump Administration’s FY2018 budget... Read More »
DHS presents plan to educate nuclear forensic experts for witness testimony to international partners
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) recently participated in the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) workshop in Karlsruhe, Germany, where DHS personnel delivered a presentation on preparing U.S. scientists to serve as expert... Read More »
Rep. McSally introduces bill to reimburse border states that incarcerate ‘criminal illegal aliens’
In response to fiscal concerns raised by a number of sheriffs in Arizona, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently introduced legislation that would reauthorize a program to reimburse state and local governments for incarcerating undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in the United States.... Read More »
OPCW course educates chemists on controlled chemical agent analysis
Fifteen analytical chemists representing Latin American and Caribbean member states to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), recently convened at the Laboratory for the Verification of Chemical Weapons (LAVEMA) in Madrid, Span for a two-week training course on the analysis of controlled chemical... Read More »
Kentucky, Arkansas to opt-in to nationwide public safety broadband network for first responders
The states of Kentucky and Arkansas recently announced that they will become the third and fourth states, respectively, to opt-in to the nationwide public safety broadband network currently being developed by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T. As part of the agreement,... Read More »
Interpol emphasizes importance of actionable intelligence for global police forces ahead of international meeting on defeating ISIS
Prior to an international conference of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Secretary General Jürgen Stock emphasized the need for military successes to be translated into actionable intelligence for global police forces. The information... Read More »
Sen. Tester urges CBP Commissioner to address reports of inoperable communication equipment
Following reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been working with inoperable radios and associated communications equipment, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) sent a letter to Acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, asking if his department was doing enough to ensure that CBP... Read More »
IDSA criticizes repeal of Prevention and Public Health Fund
In response to the recent Senate introduction of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, which would effectively repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund in FY2018, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) came out strongly against the legislation, citing the detrimental effects... Read More »
OPCW, Iranian Government organizes training course on toxic chemical agents for emergency first responders
A group of 24 first responders representing 15 Asian Member States to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) recently convened in Tehran, Iran for a training course on emergency assistance and protection against chemical weapons. The course, which was organized by the Organization for the... Read More »
Congress eyes reauthorization of firefighter grants
Both Republican and Democrat members of the House appeared poised during a Wednesday hearing to reauthorize key FEMA programs providing matching grants for local firefighters, though the level of funding is still up in the air. Members of both parties appeared convinced the grants, known as the... Read More »
Bipartisan letter requests boost to cybersecurity education for JROTC
A bipartisan group of Congress members recently sent a public letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis urging him to direct military departments to incorporate cybersecurity education into the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) curricula for high school students. The letter was... Read More »
OPCW, Spanish Government hosts training course on toxic chemical agents for emergency medical first responders
Medical first responders engaged in emergent chemical incident simulations last month during a training course designed to educate first responders in emergency medical situations involving toxic chemical contamination held in Madrid, Spain and hosted by the Organization for the Prohibition of... Read More »
Cantwell reiterates call for Trump Administration to conduct cyber vulnerability assessment in wake of reported nuclear facility cyberattack
In response to a recently reported cyberattack that targeted the nation’s nuclear facilities, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released a statement condemning the attack while reiterating a previous call for a cybersecurity assessment by the Trump Administration. “The disturbing reports of... Read More »
United States enters into customs mutual assistance agreements with Bolivia, Georgia
The United States recently entered into a customs mutual assistance agreement (CMAA) with Bolivia and Georgia, which fosters collaborative efforts in security and facilities trade between the U.S. and both nations. CMAAs work to provide the legal framework for the exchange of information and... Read More »
Trauma readiness bill advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee
A bill that establishes a grant program for military-civilian partnerships in trauma care to allow both the military and private citizens to benefit from each other’s expertise was recently advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill, titled the MISSION ZERO Act, was... Read More »
Air Force announces 2016 Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Nuclear and Missile Operations awards winners
Officials with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) recently named the 2016 winners of the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award and the Nuclear and Missile Operations Award. The Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award is given to those who accomplish outstanding achievements in nuclear deterrence operations,... Read More »
Two amendments to FAA Reauthorization Act pass through Senate Committee
Two amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2017 that aim to improve transparency and security of the nation’s airspace were recently approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Both amendments were authored by U.S. Sen. Ron... Read More »OPCW Director-General meets with senior government officials, victims of chemical weapons in official visit to Iran
During an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on July 2-3, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü reiterated the need to protect and strengthen the global norm against the use of chemical weapons and paid homage to the victims of... Read More »