Policy
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 »
GAO: NNSA should evaluate surveillance program in assessing nuclear weapons stockpile
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study on Wednesday evaluating the role of the enhanced surveillance program in assessing the condition of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The GAO report found that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security... Read More »GAO report questions DHS CBRNE program consolidation proposal
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a study regarding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE) program consolidation proposal. The GAO report found that DHS’s documentation related to... Read More »INTERPOL secretary general discusses combating terrorism with Central African Police Chiefs Committee
Secretary General of INTERPOL Jürgen Stock recently spoke at a meeting of security ministers from countries in the Central African Police Chiefs Committee (CAPCCO). Stock said that regional law enforcement cooperation is directly connected with security efforts across the continent and beyond.... Read More »Donovan introduces bill to add flexibility to Transit Security Grant Program
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act, H.R.5943, on Thursday to improve the ability of transit agencies to prevent and respond to terror attacks. Donovan said that his bill will give flexibility to the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP),... Read More »
NTI, WINS holding workshop on radiological security in Berlin
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), along with the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), is holding a one-day workshop entitled “Radiological Security: Increasing Transparency and Voluntary Reporting” this week in Berlin. The workshop serves as a key component to continued progress... Read More »
Rice calls for hearing to investigate airport preparedness and response measures
U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) called for a hearing on Wednesday to investigate emergency preparedness and response procedures at multiple American airports in the wake of incidents in New York and Los Angeles. Rice’s call to action follows an Aug. 14 incident at John F. Kennedy International... Read More »
Rubio, Menendez introduce companion bill to Katko’s Cuban airport security legislation
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) applauded U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Wednesday for introducing the Cuban Airport Security Act in the Senate. “I welcome the support of Senators Rubio and Menendez on the issue of the safety and security of Americans traveling to... Read More »
Royce introduces bill to end cash payments to Iran
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act, H.R. 5931, on Tuesday as a measure to ensure that no future cash payments are made to the Iranian regime. “The Obama administration forked over a massive cash ransom to Iran, emboldening the world’s... Read More »GAO report: DoD should identify National Guard’s cyber capabilities and address challenges
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday that found that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) needs to identify the National Guard’s cyber capabilities and address challenges in its exercises. The GAO report said that DoD doesn’t have the visibility of... Read More »
European Commission proposes EU certification system for airport security equipment
The European Commission (EC) proposed the establishment of a single European Union (EU) certification procedure for aviation security screening equipment on Wednesday to enhance the competitiveness of the EU security industry. The EU certificate would allow security equipment approved in one... Read More »
INTERPOL holds cybercrime training sessions for Latin America and Caribbean countries
INTERPOL recently conducted a series of cybercrime training sessions in Latin America and the Caribbean seeking to enhance regional law enforcement capacity to respond to and prevent cyberthreats. The training efforts served as an important part of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Capacity Building... Read More »
Report: Iran may not be in compliance with nuclear deal
The Institute for Science and International Security recently released a report that found that Iran was not in compliance with the original conditions of the Iran Nuclear Deal, agreed to in July 2015. The report said that the Obama administration, along with the other P5+1 nations, secretly... Read More »
McCaul releases terror threat snapshot for the month of September
Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a terror threat snapshot for the month of September on Thursday. “We are confronting a lethal enemy in Islamist terrorists targeting the U.S. and our allies,” McCaul said. “Eliminating senior terrorist... Read More »Katko expresses concern over resumed commercial air travel to Cuba
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) expressed concern on Wednesday about resumed commercial flights to Cuba. “Recent tragedies have shown us that insider threats to aviation are real, and it is clear that the U.S. government currently lacks sufficient information to ensure that Cuban airports are not... Read More »
OPCW confirms successful removal of remaining chemical weapons precursors from Libya
Director General for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Üzümcü recently confirmed that the remaining chemical weapons stocks left in Libya have been successfully removed from the country. The operation was facilitated in part by the OPCW in response to... Read More »RAND’s Gerstein: U.S. needs biodefense strategy to protect against terror threats
The U.S. government has become “somewhat complacent” in preparing for potential bioterrorist attacks and needs to implement a national biodefense strategy, Daniel Gerstein, a senior policy researcher at the nonpartisan RAND Corporation, recently told Homeland Preparedness News. The anthrax... Read More »
Bill calling for new national biodefense strategy awaits Senate floor action
Legislation that would require the United States to develop a national biodefense strategy to help prevent and respond to a bioterrorist attack or public health emergency is awaiting Senate floor action. The Biodefense Strategy Act of 2016, S. 2967, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002... Read More »AEI: More federal funds for human intelligence efforts needed to thwart terrorists
More federal counterterrorism funding should be directed to local law enforcement agencies for human intelligence initiatives in urban areas where the risk of a terrorist attack is high, according to Matt Mayer, a homeland security expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), recently told... Read More »
FirstNet applauds FCC action in planning for Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) commended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday for moving forward with two separate items regarding the implementation of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. The FCC unanimously voted to release a notice of proposed... Read More »Poliquin: Challenges to protecting Maine northern border highlight need for tough security
U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) recently said that the challenges of protecting the state’s wild and rugged 611-mile border with Canada highlight the need for a tougher stance on border security from the U.S. administration. “It would be very easy for someone to slip in or out of the... Read More »