U.S. Policy
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – which sets policies for the military and authorizes funding passed.
The bill advanced the House 377 to 48.
“As a conferee on the FY2020 NDAA Conference Committee, I was proud to... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a contract to BAE Systems to develop cyber tools preventing electronic file vulnerabilities that could potentially lead to cyberattacks.
The development initiative would be part of DARPA's Safe Documents (SafeDocs) program, which... Read More »
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently espoused the benefits of legislation designed to protect military bases from extreme weather events by requiring potential disaster preparation and severe environmental condition changes.
The Requiring Every American Defense Installation to Nullify Environmental... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to advance a bipartisan bill that strengthens the security of inland waters.
Under the Inland Waters Security Review Act, the Department of Homeland Security secretary would be required to conduct an inland waters threat analysis that includes... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Monday the Emerging Transportation Security Threats Act of 2019 (H.R. 3318).
The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. John Joyce (R-PA), creates a task force to analyze emerging threats to transportation security. It also requires the Transportation Security... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently sent a letter to Mark Esper, the secretary of defense, expressing concern over the national security risks posed by U.S. reliance on foreign-manufactured pharmaceutical products.
The letter is in response to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Monday legislation designed to bolster efforts to detect fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
The DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019, which was passed by a 393-1 margin, requires the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to... Read More »
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), and the City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department recently received new S-70i FIREHAWK helicopters built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, and United Rotorcraft, a division of Air... Read More »
A group of Republican congressmen recently urged the U.S. State Department to designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs).
“Think about this: a Mexican state that shares a 230-mile border with the U.S. holds the same State Department travel warning as Iran and... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is calling upon Congress to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea following statements from North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations that the country has no plans to denuclearize.
“Today’s announcement confirms North Korea never had... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) take steps to ensure screening technologies continue to meet requirements after they are installed at airports.
The TSA is responsible for security operations at approximately 440 TSA-regulated... Read More »
The U.S. Army has earmarked a five-year contract worth up to $109 million for FLIR Systems to provide 350 Kobra robots for the Common Robotic System-Heavy (CRS-H) program.
“We are pleased to be selected for the U.S. Army’s CRS-H program and deliver lifesaving robotic technology to our... Read More »
New York State’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Counter Terrorism conducted more than 1,000 counterterrorism exercises throughout the state this year.
In these exercises, counterterrorism experts went undercover as customers to assess the ability of businesses... Read More »
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation last week designed to provide volunteer firefighters and first responders with affordable housing opportunities.
Sens. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said the... Read More »
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) pressed Department of Defense leaders for information on U.S. cyberattack deterrence and efforts against emerging threats during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“Let me focus on a particular issue of deterrence that I’ve been doing a lot of work on,... Read More »
The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded about $376 million in grants to reinforce public safety efforts across the United States.
“Crime and violence hold families, friends, and neighborhoods hostage. They also rip those communities apart,” Principal Deputy... Read More »
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) recently espoused the work of the Reagan Institute’s Reagan Task Force, which recently released a report outlining recommendations to strengthen America’s National Security Innovation Base (NSIB).
“The Reagan Task Force’s report is the product of a year’s worth... Read More »
The constantly changing nature of the influenza virus makes it an annual effort of scientists, manufacturers, and the medical community to devise and disseminate vaccines to combat the disease.
What if those efforts could be streamlined to develop a universal flu vaccine that could attack any... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) blasted a proposal by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that would require all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to be photographed upon entry and/or departure from U.S. airports.
“The Department of Homeland Security should immediately withdraw plans to... Read More »
A bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week that seeks to protect people’s personal data online.
The Data Care Act would require websites, apps, and other online providers to take steps to protect users’ personal information and prevent the misuse of users’ data.
“People have a... Read More »
U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) conducted 11 days of exercises and demonstrations in August in Sweetgrass, Mont.
The field test simulated illegal border crossings and evaluated portable, surveillance technologies that provide... Read More »
Provost Marshal Office (PMO) Marines recently conducted an active shooter training initiative at Camp Foster as a means of ensuring readiness and reliability in the event of such a scenario unfolding.
“The training we do ensures that we do not become complacent,” Cpl. Jonathan Cosgrove, a... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) commended Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai’s call for Congress to repeal the mandate to auction T-Band spectrum.
Markey was among several senators who introduced a bill that would repeal a provision of the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced a bill to improve border security through enhanced detection technology at land ports of entry.
The Securing America’s Ports Act seeks to increase the scanning rates of vehicles entering the United States by land with... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking industry input regarding 5G technology development to address the creation and issuance of formal Requests for Prototype Proposals related to testing and experimentation projects.
In addition to the notice, "Intent to Announce - Request for Prototype... Read More »
A partnership between the emergency management directors of 14 counties, the Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and citizenAID will provide nearly 1,000 Public Safety Drop Kits to first responders throughout Central Ohio.
The kits, made by Columbus-based citizenAID,... Read More »
Zachary Clark, a Brooklyn resident, recently appeared in a Manhattan federal court on charges of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and distributing bomb-making instructions.
The charges have a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued Congress a recommendation regarding climate resilience, maintaining a strategic investment approach for high priority projects could aid the resource targeting process.
The GAO’s position is Congress should consider establishing a federal... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) released a statement last week supporting the creation of an interagency task force tasked with addressing the high rate of missing and murdered Native American women and girls.
Native American women in certain tribal communities are 10 times more likely to be murdered... Read More »
A group of New Mexico federal and state elected officials recently met in Santa Fe to address potential action to decrease violent crime and domestic terrorism risks in the state.
Officials said U.S. Reps. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM) joined New... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency’s Buffalo Field Office has experienced a 30 percent increase in narcotic seizures in 2019 over fiscal year 2018.
“The employees in the Buffalo Field Office work vigilantly throughout the year to protect our borders,” Richard... Read More »
Members of the Michigan congressional delegation are urging the new Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett to select Selfridge Air National Guard Base to host the Air National Guard’s next F-35A operational base.
In a letter to Barrett, 14 members of Congress from Michigan highlighted the... Read More »
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) has earmarked $4.5 million in grants to aid efforts to address the opioid crisis on the local level.
“Since day one, the Trump Administration’s whole-of-government approach has aimed to accomplish one overarching goal: prevent... Read More »
A group of 39 Democratic senators recently sent a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging the panels to better fund election security.
The senators requested funding for election security grants and for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in the... Read More »
The U.S. Senate approved legislation that would formally charter a National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium (NCPC).
The consortium would include the University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, the University of Arkansas, the University of Memphis, and... Read More »
