U.S. Policy
While addressing the recent Commander’s Training Symposium (CTS), Navy Vice Adm. Richard Brown urged leaders to transition readiness into lethality, reinvigorate mission command and drive toward a culture of excellence.
“Driving to a culture of excellence is not a top-down management... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science Technology Directorate (S&T) and the Office of SAFETY Act Implementation (OSAI) have helped develop guidelines to aid building owners with operations evaluations.
The entities have partnered with the National Institute of Building Sciences... Read More »
More than 80 local, state, and territorial health
officials met Wednesday with Congress members with the goal of advocating for
public health funding.
The officials told Congress members that investing in public
health agencies is critical to protect and promote health. Federal... Read More »
Following last week’s terrorist attack on two New Zealand
mosques where the shooter live-streamed it on social media, U.S. Rep. Bennie
Thompson (D-MS) is calling on the CEOs of four major social media companies to immediately
remove violent terrorist content.
The request was sent to the CEOs... Read More »
Air and Marine Operations (AMO) personnel are being credited with intercepting an international cocaine smuggling attempt in which the narcotics were valued at over $76 million.
Authorities said officers patrolling the Eastern Pacific ocean aboard a P-3 aircraft detected suspects transporting... Read More »
Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen delivered Monday the 2019
State of Homeland Security Address, which included operational challenges, the ever-changing
security landscape and the department’s strategic plan.
The address also
included the department’s major... Read More »
A recent Senate Defense Appropriations Committee hearing explored the importance of updating the nation’s nuclear forces, developing pilot training programs and advancing the Arctic mission.
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) reviewed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget with Air Force (USAF) Secretary... Read More »
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the topic of a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee this week, highlighting successes and failures in the fight against it.
Foremost, it was shown that the outbreak not only... Read More »
U.S. Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) recently swore in Donald R. Kusser as port director for
the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
In this role,
Kusser is responsible for managing all operational and administrative aspects
of port security and trade facilitation, including air cargo,... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Committee
on Homeland Security, is requesting a briefing by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and Justice Department on the threat of domestic terrorism.
“Recent high-profile acts of violence and attempted violence
have... Read More »
Members of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on
Biodefense praised the passage of legislation that incorporates its
recommendation to direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct a
detailed analysis of the Trump Administration's budget for biodefense as part
of the annual budget... Read More »
New relief and border support efforts could be available to Florida and Puerto Rican communities hit by hurricanes last year if a new bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) gains traction.
The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Border Security and Disaster Relief Act of 2019... Read More »
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate last week would prohibit
commercial users of facial recognition technology (FR) from collecting and
sharing consumer data without their consent.
The Commercial Facial Recognition Privacy Act of 2019 was
co-sponsored by Sens. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Brian... Read More »
Several states are grappling with how to handle current public health threats around the re-emergence of measles just as they also continue efforts to end the ongoing tuberculosis (TB) epidemic.
Both threats came up during discussions at the March 14 hearing, entitled the “Review of the Ebola... Read More »
The United States is struggling to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other partners in fighting what has become the world’s second-largest Ebola outbreak, federal public health officials on Thursday told members of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations to aid agencies in identifying critical workforce needs and categorize IT and cyber-related positions.
The analysis, which resulted in 28 recommendations, stemmed from having a qualified, well-trained... Read More »
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, introduced Wednesday a pair of measures designed to address small cybersecurity threats.
The SBA Cyber Awareness Act would require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to develop a cyber... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently crafted legislation designed to enhance Internet-connected devices cybersecurity.
The Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 is being introduced in the Senate by Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Cory Gardner(R-CO), co-chairs of the Senate... Read More »
Reps. Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently introduced a bill reclassifying 9-1-1 dispatchers in the Office of Management and Budget Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) catalog to ensure classification standards place public safety first.
The 911 Supporting... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) warned this week that President Donald Trump’s 2020 budget proposal not only neglects but actively undermines investments necessary to maintain immediate and long-term responses to infectious disease threats.
The organization lauded the $58... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force will see a $10
billion budget increase in fiscal year 2020 under the White House spending plan
unveiled this week.
With the proposed increase, the Air
Force’s budget would rise to $165 billion in fiscal year 2020, which begins
Oct. 1, 2019. It includes funding for new... Read More »
Citing ongoing violence, deteriorating security, and humanitarian crisis circumstances, a group of lawmakers recently requested that the Trump Administration designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) joined Dick Durbin... Read More »
Several U.S. senators are asking federal security officials
to review the Trump Administration’s compliance with security clearance
policies and procedures.
This request comes following reports that President Donald
Trump ignored objections from White House Counsel Donald McGahn and Chief... Read More »
As a means of targeting gangs and violent crime, a pair of North Carolina lawmakers are advocating additional funding for the Middle District of the state's U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Richard Burr (R-NC) recently forwarded correspondence to Jim Crowell, director of... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers in Laredo, Texas, recently intercepted an alleged cocaine smuggling effort yielding a $109,000 forfeiture.
The March 5 seizure at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge stemmed from a CBP officer referring a... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill to support the U.S. government’s efforts to reduce violent extremism and address global fragility.
The Global Fragility Act requires the Secretary of State, Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure designed to combat Russian influence while creating economic opportunities at home and abroad.
Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) said the European... Read More »
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently introduced the Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act, which she said is designed to quicken the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hiring process.
McSally said the bill eliminates the polygraph test, which officials said is a requirement in the CBP hiring... Read More »
A bill designed to help law enforcement and financial
institutions identify and report suspected human traffickers was approved by
the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week.
The End Banking for Human Traffickers Act, sponsored by U.S.
Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Bill Keating (D-MA),... Read More »
Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced Wednesday a measure designed to repeal a pair of Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq and end Gulf and Iraq war authorizations.
Specifically, the legislation will repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs.
“There is no... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency's Chicago Field Office (CFO) set a record number of seizures during fiscal year 2018.
CBP authorities said in fiscal year 2018, the CFO intercepted more than 24,000 packages of narcotics while weighing more than 30,000 pounds in mail... Read More »
House Minority
Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), co-chairman of the Congressional Valley Fever Task
Force, held a Valley Fever roundtable on Wednesday, hosting scientists
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National
Institutes of Health (NIH), doctors, patient... Read More »
The Israel – U.S. Binational Industrial Research and
Development (BIRD) Foundation is seeking proposals for advanced technologies related
to homeland security.
The BIRD Foundation is seeking proposals in six areas:
Advanced first responder technologies; Border protection, including... Read More »
Baltimore County personnel are espousing the benefits of a new, purpose-built cell site designed to deliver increased coverage and capacity to first responders across the state.
Officials said public safety communications is receiving a critical upgrade with the cell site launch of a new,... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a bill
last week that would expand federal background checks for gun purchases and
transfers.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 was approved
by a vote of 240-190 with only 8 Republicans supporting it. It now moves to the
Senate for action.... Read More »
