U.S. Policy
A new federal grant program would help state and local police departments purchase screening equipment that can rapidly identify fentanyl and other dangerous substances in the field under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday.
Under the Providing Officers with Electronic Resources... Read More »
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testified before a House panel on Thursday about border security, sanctuary cities, immigration law loopholes exploited by transnational gangs, and deployment of the U.S. National Guard to the southern border.
During a U.S. House Homeland... Read More »
Bipartisan members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released a discussion draft on Thursday aimed at improving the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to deliberate bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pandemics in the United States.
The draft... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made a three-point recommendation regarding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week, after finding that their current budget reporting fails to account for how much it actually spends on its acquisitions.
The issue is that DHS... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released details of its annual analysis of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) revised weapon system portfolio and purchasing reform policies.
GOA officials said the agency reports on the programs DOD uses to buy its 86 major weapon systems,... Read More »
A new paper from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) provided recommendations for mitigating risks related to separated plutonium.
As compared to highly enriched uranium (HEU), separated plutonium has not received enough attention as a security risk, NTI Counselor John Carlson said in the... Read More »
With 22,000 unaccompanied minors and 40,000 families arriving at the U.S. border since January, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan testified before a House panel on Wednesday that transnational criminal organizations are “preying on these individuals.”... Read More »
The U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) would be expanded to include a national program that conducts research and provides resources on school violence across the country.
Named for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s mascot, the Eagles Act, S. 2759, would... Read More »
Leadership from the Alliance for Biosecurity urged Congressional lawmakers at a hearing on Thursday to increase funding for programs to protect Americans from biological and chemical threats.
Speaking before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and... Read More »
With the volume of cyber attacks on government computer systems jumping from 5,500 in 2006 to more than 77,000 in 2015, legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday would give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tools to better protect against foreign attacks.
The Federal... Read More »
Despite recent efforts to mitigate cybersecurity risks to networks supporting the nation’s critical infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has “not taken sufficient actions” to accomplish that goal, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued recommendations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the manner in which the agency assesses its grant programming.
In 2012 the GAO identified coordination challenges among Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)... Read More »
A “migrant caravan” from Central America began approaching the southern U.S. border on Monday, prompting Trump administration officials to warn that any violators of immigration law will face prosecution.
The caravan totaled about 1,500 people when it embarked from the Mexico-Guatemala... Read More »
During a roundtable discussion in Montana on Friday, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) highlighted provisions of the federal omnibus spending bill that are designed to bolster homeland security by increasing resources for critical security and local police departments.
Tester, the ranking member of... Read More »
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a markup on Thursday of State Department reauthorization bill that would enhance training and recruitment of diplomats, make embassies more secure, crack down on public corruption, and harden information technology (IT) systems.
Under the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is working to introduce its System of Systems Operational Analytics (SoSOA) program, which aims to improve analytical capabilities for decision-making across the Homeland Security Enterprise.
S&T is currently... Read More »
The 526th Intelligence Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada, recently hosted an Artificial Intelligence and Design Thinking seminar at AFWERX Vegas, which more than 100 Airmen, contractors, and Department of Defense employees attended.
AFWERX Vegas, a branch of DEFENSEWERX, is a... Read More »
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would require President Trump to draft a national strategy to identify and disrupt global financial networks used by transnational criminal organizations to transfer an estimated $870 billion around the world.
Under the Criminal... Read More »
Noting that only an estimated 25 percent of drug shipments coming into the United States by sea are intercepted, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) called on the Navy and Coast Guard to better coordinate interdiction efforts during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday.
King... Read More »
The National Security Agency (NSA) recently hosted researchers from “lablets” taking part in its Science of Security and Privacy (SoS) initiative, which advances the design of trusted systems across disciplines ranging from computer science to behavioral science.
Since its launch in 2012,... Read More »
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart announced Tuesday a major enforcement action targeting for arrest approximately 100 defendants recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Huntington, West Virginia for drug-related charges, including involvement in the Peterson Drug Trafficking Organization... Read More »
U.S. agencies need a more predictable and accessible source of funds to support a rapid response to public health emergencies, including outbreaks of disease and bioterror attacks, U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said Wednesday.
Cole addressed a panel of government officials testifying at a House... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said information sharing has proven beneficial to coastal surveillance initiatives.
Officials said the Integrated Maritime Domain Enterprise - Coastal Surveillance System (IMDE-CSS) has evolved beyond the... Read More »
The U.S. military would take steps to secure access to the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) needed to use many communication and navigational devices and to ward off enemy attempts at jamming or deception, under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The U.S.... Read More »
Sentencing guidelines would be strengthened for new crimes committed by undocumented immigrants who were previously convicted of unlawful entry to the country under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Peter, Ellie and Grayson Victims of Illegal Criminal Entry... Read More »
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the Department of Defense (DOD) has made progress in complying with provisions for managing its defense business systems but still needs to take additional actions.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced Monday legislation to update the authorizations for use of military force (AUMFs) against non-state terrorist groups abroad.
The bill, cosponsored by Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Chris Coons (D-DE, Todd Young (R-IN), and Bill Nelson... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released the first major overhaul of its Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity on Monday, which reflects feedback collected over the last two years.
Also known as the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Defense would be directed to draft a plan outlining specific steps to enhance U.S. military biodefense readiness, response, and research under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 12 in response to evolving threats around the world.
Introduced... Read More »
A group of U.S. Senators recently called on the Trump Administration to take action to stop a “Syria-North Korea sanctions evasion scheme and North Korean efforts to advance Syria’s chemical weapons technology.”
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), David Perdue (R-GA), Cory Gardner... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently released its 2018 Mobile Security Research and Development (R&D) Program Guide, which introduces the program’s technology projects, goals, and objectives.
The Mobile Security R&D Program aims to address... Read More »
In a new nationwide survey released by the Alliance for Biosecurity on Monday, 73 percent of the 1,612 Americans polled said they would support a congressional decision to increase funding to address biosecurity needs and capabilities.
The survey comes as Congress faces a looming Sept. 30... Read More »
The Trump Administration’s decision to target Syrian chemical weapons facilities on Friday has been applauded by Republican lawmakers as a key step in upholding prohibitions on chemical weapons and has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers as “reckless” and potentially illegal.
U.S.... Read More »
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently added to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list Rafael Caro-Quintero, who is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 1985 kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Special Agent Enrique Camarena Salazar aka “Kiki.”
Caro-Quintero... Read More »
A bipartisan group of 41 senators called for at least $225.5 million in funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program in the fiscal year 2019 federal budget on Wednesday.
Hiring grants administered through the COPS program can be used by state, local and tribal law... Read More »
