Policy
Legislation to enhance DoD support for small business research programs reintroduced
U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) recently reintroduced legislation that would the DoD to identify programs supporting small business research into future budgets and plans. The legislation, the DOD Entrepreneurial Innovation Act, would require the DoD to identify the Small Business Research (SBIR)... Read More »
FBI Operation results in 19 arrests, drug and asset seizures
In partnership with local, state and federal authorities, the FBI in Pittsburgh announced it had arrested 19 fugitives during the FBI’s five-day nationwide initiative - Operation Summer Heat. Officials said that from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10, FBI Pittsburgh, along with the U.S. Marshals Service, the... Read More »
Governors in 15 states launch public health alliance
Governors in 15 states announced the launch of the Governors Public Health Alliance designed to protect the health of people across the United States. The initiative will help states and territories to coordinate and address health threats across state lines, officials said. It will serve as a... Read More »
Senators prepare to advance ROTOR Act out of committee
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced a bipartisan agreement on the ROTOR Act they said will help advance it out of committee. Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Cantwell, the committee’s ranking member, said the text of the Rotorcraft Operations... Read More »
CISA issues emergency directive after identifying cyber threat targeting federal networks
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued an emergency directive after identifying a significant cyber threat targeting federal networks utilizing certain F5 devices and software. F5 disclosed that a nation-state threat actor had long-term persistent access to,... Read More »
Sen. Cassidy expresses concern over Cisco cyberattack
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, (R-LA), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee chairman, recently sent a letter to Cisco Systems CEO and chairman Chuck Robbins expressing concerns over recent cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Cisco is the world’s largest network infrastructure... Read More »
Texas delegation pushes to reinstate cross-border threat screening center at Texas A&M University
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and other members of the Texas Congressional delegation urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reinstate the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense Center of Excellence at Texas A&M University. The CBTS at Texas A&M assists state... Read More »
DOJ files largest-ever forfeiture action against $15B in bitcoin currently in U.S. custody
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the founder and chair of Prince Holding Group, Chen Zhi, has been indicted on wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering for his part in the group’s forced-labor scam compounds across Cambodia. Prince Group’s operations allegedly held individuals... Read More »
CBP, DHS award $4.5B in Smart Wall construction contracts
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security recently awarded 10 construction contracts totaling approximately $4.5 billion to add 230 miles of Smart Wall border security systems and nearly 400 miles of new technology along the southwest border. The Smart Wall... Read More »
DHS to purchase new Coast Guard icebreakers in deal with Finland
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced it will purchase new icebreaker ships from Finland. In a joint appearance with President Donald Trump, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the deal is critical for protecting America’s interests in the Arctic. Trump signed the deal with... Read More »
DHS condemns increasing harassment, escalating threats against ICE law enforcement
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is asking the media and politicians to tone down the rhetoric regarding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) law enforcement. In recent weeks, there has been a more than 1,000 percent increase in assaults against ICE, and online threats to... Read More »
Bipartisan bill would restore critical cybersecurity protections
Legislation from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters D-MI) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) would renew critical cybersecurity provisions that expired on Sept. 30. Peters, the ranking member of the House Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Rounds said the bill, Protecting America from Cyber... Read More »
Legislation introduced to safeguard personal information
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced legislation this week that would repeal a federal mandate for states to share citizens’ personal data. The Safeguarding Personal Information Act of 2025 would effectively eliminate... Read More »
Secret Service, partners investigate skimming in Boston
The U.S. Secret Service, in partnership with local and state law enforcement from the Boston area, recently conducted a three-day outreach operation between Sept. 23-25 to combat illegal payment card skimming and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud. Law enforcement visited 700 businesses... Read More »
DHS says border patrol apprehensions lowest in more than five decades
A report out from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said their preliminary enforcement numbers for September show the lowest number of border apprehensions since 1970. DHS said U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions at the Southwest Border for... Read More »
Treasury sanctions illicit fentanyl network affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently sanctioned 12 Mexico-based companies and eight Mexican nationals affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Chapitos faction for supplying illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals to the cartel. The U.S.... Read More »
FBI: Operation arrests 8,600 in three months for violent crime
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its law enforcement partners made more than 8,600 arrests this summer as part of an initiative to crack down on violent crime, the agency said. Operation Summer Heat targeted violent crime across the country and resulted in 8,629 arrests, FBI director... Read More »
South Carolina National Guard Brigadier General selected for leadership role at Army Cyber Center
The U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence has named Brigadier General Linda J. Riedel of the South Carolina National Guard to serve as its deputy commanding general. Officials said Riedle is expected to begin serving as the DCG in addition to her Brigadier General role, in January 2026. A... Read More »
New York outlines impact of DHS cuts to counterterrorism funding
Deep cuts in funding from the federal government to the state of New York will negatively impact that state’s ability to carry out counterterrorism and response training. Earlier this month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the impact of the cuts, more than $187 million, would jeopardize... Read More »
U.S. Treasury targets those in connection with Iran’s Ministry of Defense
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently identified 17 people and 21 entities that were involved in networks that facilitate the acquisition of sensitive goods and technology for Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. They also... Read More »
U.S., Bahrain sign agreement on secure travel
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem this week signed an Enhanced Border Security Partnership with General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Minister of the Interior for Bahrain. The agreement strengthens the relationship between the U.S. and Bahrain, officials said, and... Read More »
Federal operation targets immigration fraud
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted Operation Twin Shield, an effort to conduct fraud detection and deterrence activities in Minneapolis-St. Paul and surrounding areas, on Sept. 19-28. The... Read More »
FEMA awards $3.5B to help states with emergency preparedness
In an effort to move disaster relief from Washington, D.C. to the states, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would return nearly $3.5 billion to local communities. Noem said FEMA is shifting from D.C.-centric bureaucracy to a... Read More »
Department of War awards $33.5M in defense grants to expand solid rocket motor industry
The Department of War recently awarded two companies $33.5 million in Defense Production Act Title III grants to expand the solid rocket motor industrial base. The grants also aim to boost supply chain resiliency and increase domestic production in strategic priority areas. "To meet the... Read More »
New York to award cybersecurity grants to local governments
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state would make more than $13.9 million in Infrastructure Act Grant funding available to eligible entities to apply for multi-factor authentication tokens. Hochul said New York is accepting request for applications for the tokens, and that the RFA was... Read More »
DHS Secretary Noem supports creation of U.S. Coast Guard secretary
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem publicly endorsed a letter delivered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth supporting the creation of a secretary of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has duties as both a federal law enforcement agency and a branch of the U.S. military.... Read More »
Legislation addresses submarine cable infrastructure in national marine sanctuaries
Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would safeguard the U.S. submarine cable infrastructure. The Undersea Cable Protection Act would amend the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to prohibit the commerce secretary from requiring authorization for the installation, continued presence,... Read More »
House committee probes online platforms’ policies in wake of Kirk assassination
U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and August Pfluger (R-TX) are requesting information about detecting and reporting extremist content from online platforms Discord, Twitch, Reddit and GitHub. Garbarino, the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and Pfluger, chair of the subcommittee... Read More »
Tribes selected for Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information
The Justice Department recently selected six federally recognized tribes to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information. TAP provides training, the means to access and exchange data with national crime information systems, and software and biometric/biographic... Read More »
Sen. Peters urges Congress to extend expiring cybersecurity protections
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters spoke on the Senate floor Friday to advocate for the extension of cybersecurity protections that are set to expire on Oct. 1. Peters, the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 has... Read More »
Coast Guard campaign seizes 75,000 pounds of cocaine
Since launching Operation Pacific Viper in early August, the U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 75,000 pounds of cocaine. Operation Pacific Viper is the Coast Guard’s counter-drug operation in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the site of illicit narcotics transported from South America. It is... Read More »
Governors’ association joins local leaders in urging Congress to preserve state, local cyber security grants
On Wednesday, the National Governor’s Association joined local and state leaders to sign a letter pushing for the preservation of cyber security grants. The letter, sent to Congressional leaders, asks Congress to reauthorize the State and local Cyber Security Grant Program that provides local... Read More »
GAO report: Cybersecurity organizations in DOD have opportunities to consolidate
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office has found that some organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense overlap and could benefit from consolidation. In a study of more than 440 organizations within the DOD that conduct cybersecurity operations, the GAO found that... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection names Houlton Sector chief patrol agent
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently named Derrick W. Stamper as chief patrol agent of the Houlton Sector, effective Sept. 1. Stamper began his career as a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office sheriff’s deputy in Christiansburg, Va. He joined the U.S. Border Patrol in 2008 as a... Read More »