U.S. Policy
Efforts to enhance vetting of travelers to the United States, to intercept ISIS fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq, and to remain vigilant of “homegrown violent extremists” highlighted a Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday.
Key developments... Read More »
The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Department of Justice (DoJ) initiated a regulatory process on Tuesday to determine if bump stocks are illegal under federal prohibitions on machineguns.
The ATF has submitted an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of... Read More »
Businesses would have to adhere to new customer notification requirements for data breaches under a bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday, and corporate employees could face new criminal penalties for deliberately concealing breaches.
Democratic members of the Senate Commerce, Science and... Read More »
Efforts to modernize the Douglas Port of Entry in southeastern Arizona advanced on Friday with the General Services Administration (GSA) awarding a contract to Tuscon-based architectural firm Line and Space to conduct a feasibility study.
The feasibility study will aim to evaluate and identify... Read More »
With U.S. adversaries making steady gains in space capabilities in the decades following the first Gulf War, military leaders called for swifter action to secure U.S. space dominance and for reforms to procurement processes on Saturday.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Gen. John... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Director Elaine Duke testified before a House committee on Thursday that the Diversity Visa Lottery Program is “rife with fraud,” backing a bill that would eliminate the program.
During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Duke said that... Read More »
Romania agreed to purchase Raytheon Co.’s Patriot integrated air and missile defense system from the U.S. Army on Wednesday, a move that sets the stage for contract negotiations between Raytheon and the U.S. government.
Under the letter of offer and acceptance that the Romanian government... Read More »
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) team recently led three days of training on countering a potential nuclear threat for more than 70 local, state, and federal responders in Hawaii.
RAP held the event at the request of the state of... Read More »
A provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) used by the intelligence community to gather intelligence on terrorists located outside the United States would be amended under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
The FISA Amendments Reauthorization... Read More »
Witnesses testified before a House subcommittee on Wednesday about the impact that two bills would have on efforts to eliminate access to banks by terrorist organizations, human traffickers, and drug cartels.
The Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit and Terrorism and Illicit Finance... Read More »
Top executives of the government’s national security agencies offered troubling assessments of the growing threats from terrorism, both internationally and domestically, during a congressional hearing on Thursday.
“Today, the magnitude of the threat we face from terrorism is equal to, and in... Read More »
At an American Security Today ceremony earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) found its efforts lauded, taking away four awards for current projects.
The annual ASTOR Homeland Security Awards recognizes physical, IT, and port... Read More »
Effective Jan. 1, 2018, Terry Wallace has been appointed director of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and president of Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS), which operates the laboratory for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
Norman J. Pattiz and Barbara E. Rusinko,... Read More »
A Canadian national and resident pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of computer hacking and other criminal offenses related to helping Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to access webmail accounts.
Karim Baratov, also known as Kay, Karim Taloverov, and Karim Akehmet Tokbergenov, was charged... Read More »
Programs that work to secure railroads, buses, public areas of airports and other “soft targets” for terrorist attacks would be revamped and restored under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday.
The Surface Transportation and Public Area Security Act of 2017 seeks to... Read More »
Following North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile test on Monday, lawmakers called for action on legislation that would require a strategy to confront the nuclear threat and step-up sanctions on North Korea.
U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Forces... Read More »
Researchers at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) were recently recognized for developing testing methods for low-volatility agent permeation (LVAP) in clothing and protective gear, and for pioneering a system to use 3D printing to produce tactical gear.
The researchers were recognized... Read More »
A congressional proposal to cut the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) by 44 percent would lead to 67 million additional malaria cases in the next four years, according to a recent mathematical model’s estimates.
PMI was launched in 2005 with a goal to reduce malaria by 50 percent in 15... Read More »
President Donald Trump recently signed into law the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act, which allows emergency medical responders to administer controlled substances under the supervision of a physician.
U.S. Representatives Richard Hudson (R-NC) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC)... Read More »
More than $98 million in grants announced by the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday will help 179 law enforcement agencies across the nation hire 802 additional police officers in the coming years.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the funds would be awarded to state, local, and... Read More »
A visa program that allowed a terrorist who killed eight people on New York City bike path to enter the country would be eliminated under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday.
Sayfullo Saipov immigrated to the United States from Uzbekistan through the Diversity Immigrant... Read More »
In response to reports that Russia targeted voting systems in 21 states during the 2016 elections, leaders of the Congressional Task Force on Election Security called on House appropriators to fund state efforts to secure voting infrastructure on Monday.
Approximately $400 million remains... Read More »
After the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) was successfully used to coordinate multi-agency responses to recent hurricanes, additional training sessions have been held for federal, state, and local officials, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday.
ATAK, which was... Read More »
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee raised questions and requested additional information on Friday about the Equifax data breach that exposed the personal information of 145.5 million Americans earlier this year.
In a letter to Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., the interim CEO of... Read More »
With 10,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions at electric utilities, and cyber threats to the energy grid and critical infrastructure growing daily, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) recently called for action to reinforce the nation’s cybersecurity.
Cantwell delivered her remarks to energy... Read More »
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking partners for a range of city initiatives designed to facilitate the growth of New York City's cybersecurity industry.
The plan is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Cyber NYC initiative and... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Automated Indicator Sharing (AIS) was recently the focus of a House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure hearing that examined how effectively cyber threat information sharing practices are advancing national security.... Read More »
Following a career in counterterrorism and diplomacy that spanned more than two decades, Nicholas Rasmussen recently announced his resignation from his position as director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) at the end of the year.
NCTC Deputy Director Russ Travers will serve as... Read More »
According to recent analysis by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the compound annual growth rate of defense spending will likely increase in 58 of 71 nations between 2017-2021 as the global defense environment becomes increasingly complex.
PwC Global Defense Perspectives 2017 analyzes defense... Read More »
The National Security Council’s release of a new charter for the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP) drew praise from U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) on Wednesday for bolstering transparency and for bringing diverse stakeholders into the conversation.
Cybersecurity Advisor Rob Joyce... Read More »
Companies would be required to take minimum steps to prevent data breaches that expose the personal information of customers and to make timely notifications when breaches occur, under a bill introduced in the Senate on Tuesday.
The Consumer Privacy Protection Act of 2017 would establish... Read More »
In a move that would head-off the potential closure of the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) at Fort Detrick, the House of Representatives approved a mandatory study of the facility and the nation’s biodefense vulnerabilities on Tuesday.
The House approved the... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released Tuesday a pair of Joint Technical Alerts detailing tools and infrastructure used by the North Korean government to conduct malicious cyber activity.
The activity noted in the alerts is part of a... Read More »
During a visit to Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) headquarters in Glynco, Georgia, on Tuesday, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke received an operation briefing, observed training programs, and toured a port of entry training simulator.
FLETC trains most of the... Read More »
Questions were raised by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday about reports that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discontinued funding for research on gun violence under the Trump Administration.
In a letter to NIH Director Francis Collins, U.S. Reps. Frank... Read More »
