Policy
Dept. of Treasury takes aim at key al-Nusrah Front leaders
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently took proactive steps to disrupt al-Nusrah Front’s military, recruitment and financing operations. OFAC blocked all property and interests in property of four key al-Nusrah Front leaders —... Read More »
House Democrats request hearing on recent DDoS attack
Democratic members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently urged Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) to call for a hearing on the recent cyber attack that caused outages on many popular U.S. websites. The... Read More »
DHS Secretary Johnson, AG Lynch participate in meeting of G6 interior ministers in Rome
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch participated in the 2016 G6 Meeting of Interior Ministers in Rome, Italy on Oct. 20-21. They discussed security measures in Europe, migration flows, terrorism, cybersecurity and international border... Read More »
Congressmen urge Obama to examine potential Russian violation of INF treaty
U.S. Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) and Devin Nunes (R-CA) this week urged President Barack Obama to examine a potential breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by Russia. The congressmen in a letter also asked Obama to implement additional sanctions on Russia, along with... Read More »ASPR holds six medical countermeasure summits across the country
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently hosted a series of six medical countermeasure summits across the nation. Topics of the summits included tribal planning and preparedness, access and functional... Read More »
DoD launches MD5 National Security Technology Accelerator to address disaster relief challenges
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) recently launched the MD5 National Security Technology Accelerator to create solutions for humanitarian issues and natural disaster relief challenges. The MD5 program was launched by a public-private partnership between the DoD, New York University, Columbia... Read More »House Democrats urge FBI to investigate Trump campaign’s knowledge of email cyber hack
A coalition of House Democrats recently urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to examine the Donald Trump campaign’s claim that they knew about the cyber hack into John Podesta’s emails before they were publicly released. The group included U.S. Reps. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD),... Read More »INTERPOL launches Operational Response Project to address bioterrorism response efforts
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) recently conducted its Operational Response Project in Amman, Jordan, to identify best practices related to command and control, hazard risk assessment, and evidence exploitation. The project brought together 45 Jordanian law enforcement... Read More »Üzümcü meets with Finland’s Stenlund to discuss CWC implementation
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General Ahmet Üzümcü met with Finland’s Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Peter Stenlund at OPCW headquarters in The Hague on Friday to discuss aspects of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The... Read More »Ratcliffe holds first-ever Emergency Management Summit
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) recently hosted the first-ever Emergency Management Summit to help first responders in his district prepare for natural disasters that require federal assistance. The summit featured testimony and potential response plans from local emergency managers, country... Read More »OPCW holds training seminar for Eastern European officials on cross border chemical transfers
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently held a training seminar for customs officials in Eastern Europe to strengthen their ability to uphold the global ban on chemical weapon. The seminar, held in Krakow, Poland on Sept. 27-30, featured 32 participants from such... Read More »
Payne says interoperability for first responders among biggest challenges
U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) recently said that continuing to improve interoperability among first responders and ensuring that they have access to the best equipment and technology are his top goals. Payne, who serves as the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on... Read More »USIC: Russian government may be responsible for email hacks
The U.S. Intelligence Community (USIC) recently publicly indicated that the Russian government may be responsible for hacking the emails of U.S. persons and organizations to compromise election results. USIC said that the trove of emails leaked to sites like WikiLeaks and DCLeaks.com was... Read More »
Senators urge FCC to address impact of stingray technology on communities of color, emergency services
A group of 12 U.S. senators recently sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler urging him to address the potential impacts of stingray technology on communities of color. The concern stems from allegations that state and local law enforcement agencies have... Read More »McCaul releases report on financial revenue infrastructure of ISIS
ISIS continues to fundraise despite having a number of revenue sources cut off, according to a recent report released by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX). The report, titled “Cash to Chaos: Dismantling ISIS’ Financial Infrastructure,” details how... Read More »GAO: Improved procurement of land mobile radios by OMB could enhance interoperability
An improved procurement process of land mobile radios (LMRs) could enhance interoperability and cut overall costs, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). LMRs are generally used by federal agencies in public safety incidents, firefighting and emergency... Read More »
McCaul releases terror threat “snapshot” for October
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on Wednesday released a monthly terror threat “snapshot” report to give insight into potential threats the country and its allies are currently facing. “The recent arrest in Maryland of an ISIS supporter plotting... Read More »Thompson voices support for implementation of Cybersecurity Act of 2015
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) voiced his support on Wednesday for the implementation of the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. Thompson’s support comes in the wake of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) review of the department’s implementation of... Read More »
Gillibrand, Higgins call for new DOE environmental impact statement for radioactive material transport plan
A pair of legislators from New York recently urged the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct a new environmental impact statement on their plan to transport liquid radioactive material through the state. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) said that a new... Read More »House Energy and Commerce Committee, GAO release report on FDA cyber security
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Thursday regarding cybersecurity and control weaknesses at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The report, titled “FDA Needs to Rectify Control Weaknesses That Place Industry and Public Health Data at Risk,” was... Read More »
HHS, Emergent BioSolutions enter into contract for anthrax vaccine development
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently moved forward with the development of the anthrax vaccine NuThrax. ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Emergent... Read More »
Legislation introduced to cut funding for Palestinian terrorist attacks
A group of Republican U.S. senators recently introduced the Taylor Force Act to require the secretary of state to certify that the Palestinian Authority has ended its policy of funding terrorists and their families. The bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC),... Read More »INTERPOL, Europol meet in Singapore to discuss ways to combat cyber crime
A coalition of leaders from law enforcement agencies, the private sector and academic institutions from across the world met in Singapore this week to address the growing threat of cyber crimes. The meeting, titled “Solutions for Attribution,” saw approximately 200 participants from 56... Read More »
House passes six homeland security-related bills
The U.S. House of Representatives passed six bipartisan bills on Tuesday to enhance national security efforts within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “I commend the work of my committee on the passage of these important pieces of legislation which seek to provide necessary... Read More »House passes two Donovan-sponsored homeland security bills
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed two homeland security-related bills introduced by U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) with a bipartisan voice vote. “Your government’s chief responsibility is to protect you and your family from attack,” Donovan said. “Last weekend’s bombings... Read More »
Ernst questions Carter, Dunford on the rise of ISIS in Southeast Asian countries
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) questioned two senior U.S. Department of Defense officials on Thursday about the rise of ISIS in Southeast Asian countries. At a hearing titled “U.S. National Security Challenges and Ongoing Military Operations,” Ernst heard testimony from U.S. Department of... Read More »House passes McCaul’s first responder grant bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, on Thursday, to provide assistance to first responders in communities across the country. The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and passed with bipartisan support, authorizes... Read More »McCaul’s counterterrorism strategy aims to take U.S. into digital age of security
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) unveiled a counterterrorism strategy on Tuesday that he said takes U.S. policies into the digital age of security, as threats from violent extremists continue to evolve with technology. McCaul’s plan was released just days after... Read More »Rubio introduces legislation to stop terrorists from returning to the battlefield
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Keep Terrorists Off the Battlefield Act on Monday to bar the president from setting terrorists free from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo). The legislation would also prevent the president from closing the detention facility entirely.... Read More »
GOP senators urge additional sanctions on North Korea following nuclear test
A coalition of Republican senators urged the president on Monday to enact immediate sanctions on North Korea in the wake of its latest nuclear weapons test. This most recent incident was the fourth nuclear test since 2009 and the second this year. “In the wake of this latest provocation... Read More »
Sanchez amendments adopted in two Homeland Security bills
The House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously approved amendments on Tuesday authored by U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) on two different counterterrorism measures. The first bill, the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, establishes a grant program to help major... Read More »