U.S. Policy
A group of lawmakers recently implored the Trump Administration to release $250 million in authorized military security assistance for Ukraine.
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) have forwarded correspondence to... Read More »
Legislation to modernize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation (CDM) program was introduced in the House this week.
The Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act, introduced by Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), seeks to... Read More »
The U.S. Army’s Project Manager Soldier Weapons awarded Textron Systems a contract to deliver automatic rifles.
Textron Systems, a subsidiary of Textron Inc., will deliver 43 6.8mm CT Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) Automatic Rifles and 53 NGSW-Rifles. Further, it will provide the Army... Read More »
Planck Aerosystems, Inc. has secured a $200,000 Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) award to test its small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) in operational settings.
The award is part of S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) in partnership with... Read More »
A recent groundbreaking ceremony was held for the site of the Waterloo Fire Station in Jessup, Md., a nearly six-acre plot that will serve as the first new fire station in the eastern part of Howard County in 25 years and will improve the area’s emergency response services.
The fire station... Read More »
Two cooperative research and development agreements, between the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the First Responder Network Authority and more than 75 industry partners, have made emergency service communication easier.
Network towers generally can support approximately 600... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is launching a pilot program in St. Louis to integrate smart cities technology into the public safety infrastructure.
The pilot program will take place at T-REX, the downtown St. Louis technology innovation... Read More »
The State of Wyoming Office of Homeland Security recently welcomed the first member of its Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integration Team (FIT).
“We are excited to explore this opportunity for partnership with FEMA,” Lynn Budd, director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security... Read More »
Fire departments in Middletown, Manchester, Bristol, and Southington, Conn., have been awarded more than $595,000 in Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG).
“These grants represent the hard work and sacrifice of our firefighters and first responders in Middletown, Manchester, Bristol,... Read More »
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said a funding allotment of $125,000 would assist efforts to update old equipment at Virginia-area police and fire departments.
Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) said the effort would aid departments in Augusta County, Halifax County and the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) worked alongside colleagues in the United Kingdom and Canada in June to test the latest iteration of the Science Advisory Guide for Emergencies (SAGE).
SAGE is a supplemental tool that maintains scientific... Read More »
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) recently visited Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of his Results Tour, where he met with the officers overseeing the F-35 Hybrid Product Support Integrator Organization and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC).
NASIC is using World War II-era... Read More »
The City of Baltimore received Monday a $937,700 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve the city’s preparedness for disasters and catastrophes.
The funding was awarded through the DHS Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, which seeks to expand... Read More »
Raytheon has secured a $190 million low-rate Navy contract to produce ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles) Block 2 units featuring a guidance system with dual mode active and semi-active radar.
“ESSM plays a critical role in protecting Navy sailors worldwide and our international partners share... Read More »
Delaware’s Division of Public Health (DPH) is seeking volunteers to participate in an emergency preparedness exercise on Sept. 28.
The exercise will be held at two Delaware Technical Community College campuses and will be used to evaluate the state’s ability to set up locations to... Read More »
As a means of extending the performance of its current A-10 aircraft fleet, the Air Force recently awarded a contract to replace wings on over 100 planes.
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ), a former A-10 pilot and the first female to command a squadron of A-10’s in combat, said the effort would... Read More »
The U.S. Marines are participating in a military exchange with Indonesian Marines to train and learn from each other.
The 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment is participating with the Indonesian Korps Marinir (KORMAR). The soldiers are training in Eastern Java, Indonesia, and Marine Corps Base... Read More »
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Congress and the Trump Administration must address the expiration of the UN arms embargo on Iran.
The UN arms embargo on Iran and the travel ban on Qasem Soleimani, the chief of Iran's Quds force, are set to... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities said a Los Angeles / Long Beach Seaport law enforcement collaboration recently resulted in the seizure of 52,601 illegal firearms parts.
The shipment, which violated the Chinese Arms Embargo, was intercepted with the aid of the Machinery Center of... Read More »
The Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) recently announced that the New York City area would receive $178.8 million in federal funding to help prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism.
The funding includes an $11.09 million Nonprofit Security Grant... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is continuing its efforts to incorporate the U.S. Virgin Islands into the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) to expedite the cargo importation process.
At a meeting in Washington D.C. last week, CBP officials updated the U.S. Virgin Islands trade... Read More »
Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Gary Peters (D-MI) requested Wednesday that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) review the Border Patrol’s interior immigration checkpoints usage and Fourth Amendment compliance.
In correspondence to GAO personnel, the senators sought... Read More »
A group of 18 U.S. senators recently urged the Senate Armed Services Committee to include three nuclear weapons provisions in the final National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020.
The provisions were included in the House-passed version of the bill.
The first provision would ban... Read More »
Legislation recently introduced in the House would change the penal code structure to prosecute domestic terrorism crimes the same way as international terrorism crimes.
The change would allow federal law enforcement officers and prosecutors to charge those committing acts of domestic terrorism... Read More »
Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) recently urged the Trump administration to protect the lives of the Afghan translators who worked with the U.S. or the Taliban will kill them. Moulton’s warning comes as the administration is negotiating a potential peace deal with the Taliban.
There are nearly 20,000... Read More »
Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) is urging national passage red flag laws, which will allow state law enforcement to seize weapons from individuals perceived as a danger to themselves or others.
Brooks said the effort is in the wake of the latest round of mass shootings across the country. She noted... Read More »
Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Pete Stauber (R-MN) introduced last week a measure designed to enhance the nation’s fire station infrastructure.
The Fire Station Infrastructure Safety Act provides data on the age and conditions of every fire station in the country, which the legislators maintain... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) recently introduced legislation to significantly increase U.S. efforts in prevention, research, and technology development to help end the global tuberculosis epidemic.
The End Tuberculosis Now Act of 2019 would alter the existing Foreign... Read More »
The local commuter designated lane is returning to the Laredo Port of Entry, with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) maintaining the benefits of the restored feature.
CBP officials said restoring the lane aids motorists not requiring benefits at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge, which is... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority passed an $82 million budget for Fiscal Year 2020, which includes funding for future investments in the nationwide public safety broadband network.
“The FirstNet Authority is an organization solely focused on public safety’s critical communications needs... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) released a draft of a bill Wednesday that would make domestic terrorism a federal crime.
Domestic terrorism is defined in the criminal code but is not a distinct federal crime with specific punishments. This makes it more challenging to track domestic terror acts,... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) is asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to investigate federal criminal and hate crime charges people who doused police officers with buckets of water.
In July, police officers in New York City were drenched with buckets of water and one officer was hit on the head... Read More »
North Dakota officials are touting the benefits of a new, $32 million Army National Guard Readiness Center, which will house, support and train guard personnel.
“The North Dakota National Guard is always ready, always there,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), a member of the Senate Defense... Read More »
The Strategies to Address Antibiotic Resistance (STAAR) Act was reintroduced to the Senate this week, raising the issue of what to do in the face of growing antibiotic resistance.
The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in an attempt to increase data collection,... Read More »
Legislation introduced Monday would provide evidence-based solutions to gun violence nationwide.
The Gun Safety Board and Research Act establishes a board responsible for conducting research aimed at reducing gun violence and evaluating federal and state policy proposals to identify gaps in gun... Read More »
