Policy
FCC issues proposal for new alert system intended to protect law enforcement officers, public
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently released a proposal to add an alert option to the nation’s Emergency Alert System (EAS) that aims to protect law enforcement officers by allowing them to notify the public of various threats to officers and provide information on wanted... Read More »
Sen. Tillis addresses border concerns regarding MS-13 gang, illegal immigration
In a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang and its role in proliferating illegal immigration along the country’s southern border, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) addressed the fact that lawmakers need to tune out both the far left and far right of the... Read More »
Democratic senators send letter demanding analysis of Russian cyber capabilities on US energy infrastructure
A group of Democratic members of the U.S. Senate recently sent a public letter to President Trump, urging the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct a thorough analysis of Russian cyber capabilities on the nation’s energy infrastructure. The letter specifically called for directing the... Read More »
Infectious Disease Society of America urges Congress to retain funding levels for NIH, Fogarty Center
In preparation for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins’ testimony before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Appropriations, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released a public statement urging... Read More »
House Armed Services Committee subcommittee passes FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act mark
Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities (ETC) recently passed their subcommittee mark for the FY2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes provisions for cybersecurity, counterterrorism initiatives, and defense... Read More »
OPCW Director-General addresses US defense officials during visit to United States
Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently gave a speech to key U.S. State Department officials in a commemorative event to mark the Chemical Weapons Convention’s (CWC) 20th anniversary during his visit to the United States. ... Read More »President will consider bill to protect nation’s food supply, agriculture sector from agroterrorism
Efforts to protect the nation’s agriculture sector and food supply against terrorist attacks and high-risk events would be ratched up under a bill that the House approved on Monday. The Securing Our Agriculture and Food Act, H.R. 1238, would direct the U.S. Department of Homeland Security... Read More »
Updated Pandemic Influenza Plan highlights need for seasonal flu preparedness
A Pandemic Influenza Plan released last week outlines areas of focus over the next decade and concludes that seasonal flu preparedness efforts must be stepped up in response to “the continually changing nature” of influenza viruses. The Pandemic Influenza Plan was first undertaken in 2005,... Read More »
Rep. Donovan’s PREPARE Act passes House Homeland Security Committee
Legislation from U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that supports the nation’s efforts to prepare for and respond to terror attacks and emergencies cleared the House Homeland Security Committee last week as part of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act. Donovan, who serves as... Read More »
IAEA, Hungary conduct exercise to gauge global response to a nuclear emergency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Hungary conducted a 36-hour, international exercise this week to test the global emergency response to a nuclear power plant accident, such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. The exercise involved 82 IAEA Member States and 11 international... Read More »
Sen. Murray inquires about effects of proposed budget cuts to FEMA emergency preparedness grant programs
In response to President Trump’s proposed FY2018 budget, which calls for approximately $847 million in cuts to grant programs administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote a public letter that strongly urged against any cuts to the programs.... Read More »
OPCW Director-General visits china, discusses chemical weapons destruction
Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently met with senior Chinese government officials during an official OPCW visit to China to deliver a lecture of chemical weapons destruction and the threat of chemical weapons use by non-state... Read More »
Proposed cost-saving plan to close DHS national laboratory could yield catastrophic results, expert says
As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) locks in its budget priorities, on the potential chopping block is the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC)—a potentially devastating public health concern, one expert says. That center, which aided governmental response... Read More »
Payne, Jr. authors three amendments included in Homeland Security reauthorization bill
Three amendments, authored by U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), were included in the recently-passed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Authorization Act of 2017 by the U.S. House of Representatives, each of which addresses a specific challenge in disaster response, oversight and... Read More »Norway organizes NATO discussions on strengthening scientific cooperation among member states
During a meeting of the Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program, various scientists and experts from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) partner countries recently examined opportunities for cooperation to address emerging security-related challenges. Organized in conjunction with... Read More »
Subcommittee hearing examines vulnerabilities within wireless technology, wireless networks
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology recently held a hearing to assess cybersecurity risks within wireless technologies and the networks to which they connect. U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who chairs the subcommittee, said the... Read More »
Democrats urge against cuts to biological threat preparedness programs
In a public letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), a group of Democratic House members requested that the committee hold a hearing regarding the country’s ability to be prepared for and respond to various biological threats. The group, which... Read More »
OPCW Confidentiality Commission elects new chair, discusses review and dispute procedures
The Commission for the Settlement of Disputes Related to Confidentiality, a subsidiary of the Conference of State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), recently named Alireza Jahangiri as its new chairperson during a recent meeting at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical... Read More »
Interpol holds meeting on mitigating threats of foreign terrorist fighters, transnational terrorism
The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) recently held an international counterterrorism meeting in Athens, Greece to discuss regional and global trends on foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and the threats they pose to their home countries. The meeting was held under... Read More »
Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee examines healthcare cybersecurity in wake of international ransomware attacks
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently held a hearing assessing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) role in cybersecurity in the nation’s healthcare sector. The goal of the discussion centered on two HHS reports... Read More »
Bill to provide Congressional oversight of military cyber operations introduced in House
A bill that aims to strengthen Congressional oversight of sensitive military cyber operations and cyber weapons was recently introduced in the House by U.S. Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA), Mac Thornberry (R-TX), James Langevin (D-RI), and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). In describing the bill, Smith said the... Read More »
National League of Cities criticizes concealed carry reciprocity bill
In the wake of reports that a large number of U.S. House and Senate members cosponsored a bill to extend concealed carry reciprocity to any locale in the United States, Yucel Ors, Program Director of Public Safety and Crime Prevention at the National League of Cities, released a public statement... Read More »
Jury convicts 27-year old U.S. citizen of providing material support to ISIS
A 27-year old Virginia man, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, was convicted by a federal jury on Wednesday of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of Justice. According to court evidence,... Read More »
Personal electronic device ban must change, IATA director-general says
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Cancun, Mexico, IATA Director-General Alexandre de Juniac said cracks were beginning to show in the natural partnership on security between governments and airlines. Specifically, de Juniac was... Read More »
Senate GOP members introduce bill to permanently instate intelligence-gathering program
A group of 14 Republican members of the U.S. Senate recently filed a bill to make Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Security Act (FISA) permanent before it is set to expire later this year. Specifically, Section 702 applies to surveilling communications of non-U.S. persons located outside... Read More »
Bill to waive polygraph exams for open CBP positions advances House
A bill that would waive the required pre-employment polygraph examination for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) candidates under certain circumstances was recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ), the Anti-Border Corruption... Read More »
Sandia National Labs assist in development of nuclear warhead verification method
Researchers from the Sandia National Laboratories recently developed a new method for verifying attributes of a nuclear warhead, which could help address issues of conducting verification measurements while also protecting sensitive design elements. The method, described as Confirmation using... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee opposes Trump’s budget cuts to local first responders at hearing
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee from both parties expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed budget that would cut funding for training and deployment for local security programs by as much as 30 percent next year, even while the overall funding for the... Read More »
IATA adopts safety resolution to enhance aviation security
A resolution that reaffirms the airline industry’s commitment to keep air travel secure and promote greater public-private collaboration was recently adopted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at its 73rd Annual General Meeting. The resolution was used to highlight the... Read More »
Asian States Parties emphasize push to implement Chemical Weapons Convention provisions at regional OPCW meeting
At a commemoration ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), more than 40 participants gathered from 29 Asian States Parties to offer robust cooperation practices to implement provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). ... Read More »
Anti-Sanctuary City bill may violate Tenth Amendment, according to National League of Cities
In the wake of the introduction of the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act, which gives local police officers the ability to enforce federal immigration laws on undocumented immigrants, the National League of Cities (NLC) released a public statement coming out strongly against the legislation. ... Read More »
OPCW holds training exercise on chemical decontamination, rescue operations in Buenos Aires
A training exercise designed to teach participants on the use of individual protective equipment, chemical containment, rescue operations, forensic techniques, and decontamination procedures was recently held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and hosted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical... Read More »Sen. Hoeven provides update on drone applications in North Dakota
Speaking at the third annual Drone Focus Conference in Fargo, North Dakota last week, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) said that his state was positioned to take the lead on new developments in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) applications. Hoeven said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)... Read More »Sens. Blumenthal, Markey request information regarding airline bag fees, TSA screening procedures
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Edward Markey (D-MA) recently sent a public letter to Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly requesting information regarding airline bag fees and their impact on screening procedures within the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The letter... Read More »