Policy
Reps. McCaul, Engel introduce bill to support Global Fund to fight AIDs and other diseases
Legislation to provide financial support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The Global Fund was established in 2002 to raise money to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Contributions by the United States... Read More »
U.S. government clears commercial medical product for use on mustard gas injuries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared the first use of a commercially available product to manage blister injuries caused by sulfur mustard, otherwise known as mustard gas. Silverlon, a silver-plated nylon dressing, is used widely to aid in the management of acute skin wounds... Read More »
Consortium awarded contract to train first responders
University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) recently was awarded a contract to train fire intelligence officers and senior leaders within the National Capital Region. The training will be through the Department of Homeland... Read More »
Committee releases election security findings
The Senate Intelligence Committee released last week the first volume of a report exploring the body’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 election. “Over the past two years, the Senate Intelligence Committee has investigated Russia’s relentless efforts to... Read More »
Sen. McSally questions Deputy Defense Secretary nominee on maintaining Arizona’s role in national defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense nominee David Norquist recently fielded a series of questions during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing, including queries about commitment to Arizona’s military modernization. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) pressed Norquist on Arizona’s role in providing... Read More »
Committee advances legislation addressing deepfake threat
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has approved the Deepfake Report Act by a bipartisan voice vote. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said the measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to... Read More »
Ebola outbreak in DRC requires coordinated response to contain disease, witnesses tell Congress
The second longest outbreak of Ebola in history poses little immediate threat to the United States, officials told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday, but that could quickly change if the outbreak is not contained. During a hearing titled, “Confronting Ebola: Addressing a 21st Century Global... Read More »
DHS approves $10.2M funding opportunity to open new center of excellence
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced Tuesday a $10.5 million funding opportunity for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE). COEs are led by U.S. universities that have multiple partners from other universities, commercial interests, DHS, and... Read More »
Senate advances 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund bill
Senate lawmakers have approved a measure making the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent and it will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Sullivan introduce bill to improve Coast Guard infrastructure
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced legislation to reduce the maintenance backlog for the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Shore Infrastructure Improvement Act (S. 2212) would implement recommendations from a recent Government Accountability Office to better manage... Read More »
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency hosts chemical sector security summit
National security experts met last week for a three-day summit in New Orleans hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Chemical Sector Security Council to discuss chemical security. It was the 12th iteration of the Chemical Sector Security Summit, which is... Read More »
US, Guatemalan governments address irregular migration patterns
U.S. and Guatemalan government officials said the nations are making continual progress regarding efforts to craft a regional approach to address irregular migration patterns. Authorities said there has been collaboration on a series of initiatives designed to reduce the flow of irregular... Read More »
Bill would prepare students for cybersecurity careers
Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the Senate would better prepare Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) students for careers in cybersecurity and computer science. The JROTC Cyber Training Act directs the Secretary of Defense to create cooperative research opportunities,... Read More »
Bill to prevent the use of drugs for human trafficking introduced in Senate
Legislation that would crack down on addiction-driven human trafficking was introduced this week in the U.S. Senate. The Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act would seek to prevent the use of drugs to facilitate human trafficking. Human traffickers often... Read More »
DHS reissues terrorism threat report
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have reissued the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin, which maintains a focus on domestic terror threats. DHS began using the report in 2015 as a means of highlight continuing terror threats in America. Officials noted that the... Read More »
Pierson appointed as newly established IC Election Threats Executive
Shelby Pierson has been appointed to serve as the newly established Intelligence Community (IC) Election Threats Executive (ETE). Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Daniel R. Coats said the ETE is responsible for serving as the DNI’s principal adviser on threats to elections and matters... Read More »
Rep. McCaul continues to urge US action to halt Ebola outbreak
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) is stepping up calls for more U.S. action to prevent a global Ebola outbreak, following last week’s announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) designating the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of... Read More »
Legislation seeks to increase transportation cybersecurity
Two bills recently reintroduced in the Senate are seeking to bolster cybersecurity protections in vehicles and airplanes in the age of the Internet of Things. The Security and Privacy in Your Car Act would establish a rating system that informs consumers about how well vehicles protect... Read More »
Senate bill would authorize use of drones to identify illicit drug smuggling
A bill designed to expand the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) by the U.S. Coast Guard to identify and interdict illicit drugs coming into the country was introduced in the Senate last week. The Coast Guard has actionable intelligence on over 80 percent... Read More »
Senate advances bill to make election hacking a federal crime
The U.S. Senate advanced legislation last week that would make it a federal crime to hack voting systems. The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act would give the Department of Justice the ability to investigate and prosecute those who seek to manipulate elections systems equipment.... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven advocates importance of North Dakota’s military missions
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently met with Secretary of Defense nominee Mark Esper to emphasize the importance of North Dakota’s nuclear and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) missions to national defense. Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, also expressed the need to... Read More »
Legislation would establish group to enhance cybersecurity
Bipartisan legislation introduced Wednesday would establish an interagency working group tasked with developing accountability metrics to enhance cybersecurity protocols and protecting federally-funded research and development activities from foreign interference, espionage, and exfiltration.... Read More »
House bill would require FBI to track police officer suicides, suicide attempts
A bill that would require the FBI to collect data on suicides and attempted suicides by police officers was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week. The FBI tracks police and law enforcement personnel deaths in the line of duty, but there is no such effort to track suicides or... Read More »
Amendment bolsters Intelligence Authorization Act
A legislative amendment introduced by Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Will Hurd (R-TX) has been incorporated into the Intelligence Authorization Act as a means of addressing trafficking and smuggling networks. The amendment directs the intelligence community to prioritize efforts to combat... Read More »
DRC Ebola outbreak ruled global health emergency
After nearly a year of battling an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo without success, the World Health Organization (WHO) this week declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The declaration means the outbreak now poses a considerable... Read More »
Colorado representative calls for national strategy to combat opioid deaths
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), chairwoman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Oversight and Investigations panel, said Tuesday that there needs to be a national fentanyl-response strategy to combat a rising number of opioid-related deaths. Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic... Read More »
Legislation would prohibit removal of Huawei from Entity List without Congressional approval
A bill that would prohibit the removal of Chinese telecom company Huawei from the Commerce Department Entity List without an act of Congress was introduced in the U.S. Senate Tuesday. The Entity List identifies entities reasonably believed to be involved in activities contrary to the national... Read More »
DOD releases digital modernization strategy
The Department of Defense (DOD) recently released Digital Modernization Strategy, which replaces the 2014 Resources Management Strategic Plan and outlines the department’s implementation of information technologies. The strategy addresses artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the cloud, and... Read More »
DHS seeking proposals from colleges to serve as terrorism prevention Center of Excellence
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is committing $35 million for a new DHS Center of Excellence for Terrorism Prevention and Counterterrorism Research (TPCR). Colleges and universities in the United States are invited to submit proposals to serve... Read More »
UN-hosted meeting in DRC reaffirms support for Ebola containment
With an outbreak of Ebola continuing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations (UN) hosted Monday a high-level meeting that reaffirmed support for their system-wide approach to combating the disease and reaffirmed support for the government-led response. The disease has... Read More »
New Lyme Disease amendment tells DOD Inspector General to investigate “bioweaponization” of ticks
A new amendment advanced by the House last week will require the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD) to investigate claims that the DOD weaponized Lyme disease in ticks and other insects from 1950 to 1975. The amendment was introduced by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who has... Read More »
Bill aiding officer suicide prevention heads to president’s desk
House and Senate lawmakers have approved a measure restoring grant funding for law enforcement support services, enabling the establishment of suicide-prevention programs and mental health services. The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act was co-sponsored by Sen. Martha McSally... Read More »
Rep. Brooks supports Senate version of National Defense Authorization Act
Rep. Susan W. Brooks (R-IN) recently expressed her support of the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), citing its ability to prioritize national security and provide military readiness funding increases. She had previously voted against the House edition NDAA and... Read More »
Derco to expand workforce with additional US investment in F-35 jets
The U.S. government is planning to invest additional funding in F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, President Donald Trump announced last week during a visit to Derco, a Milwaukee-based aircraft supplier. "From here in Milwaukee, you are supporting magnificent aircraft, and soon you'll support the... Read More »