News
FEMA’s 12th annual National Preparedness Report reveals challenges of rising costs, climate change-related disasters
Climate change is causing increased frequency and severity of disasters across the country, leading to rising costs that represent a collective challenge for all levels of government, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) latest National Preparedness Report. “As the... Read More »
GAO warns some federal agencies fail to meet requirements for cybersecurity incident response
Over the years, federal agencies worked to improve their abilities to detect, analyze and handle cybersecurity incidents, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), but some have failed to meet requirements surrounding the tracking of incidents. Responses to ransomware... Read More »
RTX wins $8M DARPA contract to improve Department of Defense supply chain resilience
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded an $8 million contract to address systemic risk surrounding procurement and delivery of supplies to aerospace and defense company RTX and its Raytheon BBN Technologies unit this week. "DARPA has emphasized that supply demand... Read More »
U.S. Senate Republicans press Biden administration for details on Iran sanctions waiver
Led by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), a group of 25 Republican senators wrote to secretaries within the Biden administration and pressed them for answers to the lack of a unified strategy on Iran, the country’s long-time adversary in the Middle East. Particularly grating to the lawmakers was the... Read More »
U.S. Senate bill proposes increased foreign gift reporting requirements among academia
A group of seven U.S. senators introduced the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, S.3362, last week to heighten oversight of foreign gift reporting at American colleges and universities. Envisioned by lawmakers as a way... Read More »
Law enforcement organizations call for FEND Off Fentanyl Act’s inclusion in National Defense Authorization Act
In letters to Congressional leadership last week, groups including the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Association of Police Officers (NAPO), and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) called for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)’s FEND Off Fentanyl Act (S. 1271) to be... Read More »
Bicameral Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act seeks to strengthen U.S. cyber system through training programs
Last week, a new bill introduced in both chambers of Congress – the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Expansion Act – proposed improving U.S. cyber defenses and its cybersecurity workforce through two new federal training programs. “There is a crippling shortage of cybersecurity workers that... Read More »
University of Illinois wins $3.15M DHS S&T award for next generation 9-1-1 interoperability testing
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded $3.15 million to the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute at the University of Illinois to develop Next Generation 911 interoperability testing. NG911 systems allow for interconnection among... Read More »
Traveler Privacy Protection Act would ban collection of biometric data by TSA
Under legislation recently proposed by a collection of six senators – the Traveler Privacy Protection Act – the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be banned from using facial recognition technology and collecting facial biometric data at airports in the United States.... Read More »
Senators push for National Defense Authorization Act to get tough on outbound investment screening
In a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, a group of federal lawmakers this week urged strong language be added to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to keep sensitive technologies from American adversaries. “There is... Read More »
DHS S&T awarded patent for HExCAT hazardous modeling system
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) earned a U.S. patent this week for its Homeland Explosive Consequence Assessment Tool (HExCAT), which offers a unique modeling system for emergency managers. “With the HExCAT, response planners are now... Read More »
Sen. Brown urges passage of legislation sanctioning wide-reaching illicit fentanyl supply chain
While the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act has made it into the National Defense bill, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) this week publicly pressed for its enactment and called on the Biden administration for more resources to counter illicit drugs. FEND Off... Read More »
White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience to create federal Supply Chain Resilience Center
As a means to protect the U.S. supply chain, the inaugural meeting of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience recently saw the announcement of a new Supply Chain Resilience Center (SCRC) to analyze vulnerabilities and collaborate with the private sector. Primarily, the new... Read More »
U.S., U.K. security agencies release joint guidelines for secure AI development
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released joint guidelines for secure AI system development. These guidelines were targeted at developers of any systems that use... Read More »
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare returns from nearly 10-week deployment securing maritime borders
After 73 days on patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Legare returned to Virginia last week, concluding a mission that took it from oil discharge response to interdictions of unlawful migrant vessels. In ranging from the Windward Passage to the South Florida Straits, the vessel covered more than... Read More »
Boeing eyes production after delivering final MH-139A Grey Wolf test aircraft to U.S. Air Force
Boeing expects to provide its first low rate production aircraft of the MH-139A Grey Wolf sometime next year, following delivery of its sixth and final test craft to the U.S. Air Force last month. With its research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) phase completed, the company can now... Read More »
Department of Defense holds workshop to better understand manufacturing needs, technology opportunities
Assembling its Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII) and stakeholders last month, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) held a Chicago-based workshop on its efforts to modernize and how the manufacturing innovation ecosystem could support it. "OSD ManTech, through the MIIs, spearheads... Read More »
Federal legislation would reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders
In introducing the Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services (SAVES) Act this week, U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Norma Torres (D-CA) sought to reclassify 9-1-1 dispatchers as first responders. Otherwise, the bill would not change anything about these dispatchers’ work or the... Read More »
Raytheon successfully completes live-fire test of Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor
On a project for the United States Army, Raytheon completed a live-fire engagement with its 360-degree Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) this week, proving the radar’s developmental progress. With its operational capability up for assessment by year’s end, the system is in... Read More »
Infectious Diseases Society of America awards excellence designation to 14 institutions
A total of 14 organizations earned the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s (IDSA) Antimicrobial Stewardship Centers of Excellence designation last week, for programs advancing science to better fight antimicrobial resistance. The program emphasized these institutions’ abilities to... Read More »
DHS updating language to improve access for limited English speakers
Working with interagency partners, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week upgraded its language access plan, promoting improved access to its programs and activities for those with limited English proficiency. Helming the effort was the DHS Office of Civil Rights and... Read More »
Sen. Cotton introduces No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act to hit Iran with new sanctions
Seeking to halt aerial development, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), echoed by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) in the House, introduced the No ICBMS or Drones for Iran Act last week, brandishing the legislative threat of additional sanctions for the long-time American adversary. The bill was... Read More »
House intelligence committee report calls for reauthorization, reform of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702
Without action from Congress, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will soon expire, and in a report released last week by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, lawmakers called for its swift reformation and reauthorization. Section 702 authorizes... Read More »
U.S. Department of Defense awards $39.9M to Calumet Electronics to enhance printed circuit board supply chain
Calumet Electronics Corporation of Michigan earned a $39.9 million award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) this week as part of efforts to improve production capabilities for High-Density Build-Up (HDBU) substrates. Pulled from the Defense Production Act Investment (DPAI)... Read More »
IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act advanced by Senate to boost human trafficking victim support
The U.S. Senate advanced with unanimous consent legislation this week that seeks to combat human trafficking and expand support for its victims. The IMPACTT Human Trafficking Act (S.670) is now under consideration in the U.S. House. “The federal government must increase support for... Read More »
CISA releases first Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence to guide federal AI approach
Following up on President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence last month, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its first roadmap detailing a federal approach to developing and implementing AI... Read More »
Lockheed Martin opens $16.5M engineering facility for missile defense products in Alabama
A new facility for Lockheed Martin opened this week in north Alabama, offering the company greater capabilities for engineering in missile defense and putting the finishing touch on a $16.5 million investment into its future. "Lockheed Martin is committed to North Alabama and this facility is... Read More »
Federal NCARS Act introduced to push national resilience strategy against natural disasters
A group of federal lawmakers recently introduced the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security (NCARS) Act to create a national resilience strategy in the face of increasingly prevalent natural disasters spurred on by climate change. Backed by U.S. Reps. Maria Elvira... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Lankford and Rosen lead letter to UN urging designation of Hamas as terrorist organization
In a letter to the United Nations, several United States senators this week pressed for the international body to designate the Hamas organization of Palestine as a terrorist organization following terrorist attacks on Israel in October that left hundreds dead, others kidnapped, and kicked off a... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security expands analytic, reporting capabilities with new office
In a move meant to bolster the Department of Homeland Security’s statistical reporting and analysis capabilities while improving data transparency, DHS Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) last week. The new office will primarily report on... Read More »
FDA approves world’s first Chikungunya vaccine
Valneva SE won approval for the world’s first Chikungunya vaccine – IXCHIQ – last week from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is a major milestone for a viral disease that has plagued humanity for decades, thanks to the bites of mosquito carriers. Although originally found... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee advances measure targeting alleged Chinese infiltration of universities
Through advancement of the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (H.R. 1516), this week the House Homeland Security Committee took aim at American funds going to universities connected to Chinese entities of concern. Authored by Homeland Security... Read More »
DARPA’s SIGMA+ program working to detect threats to New York, New Jersey
Building on past collaboration between DARPA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey focused on threat detection, DARPA’s SIGMA+ program is actively pursuing an automated, networked, and mobile system for continuous city-scale monitoring. This monitoring will focus on chemical,... Read More »
DOJ announces indictment in PG&E bombings
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the indictment of a San Jose engineer for his attack on energy facilities in California. According to court documents, Peter Karasev, 36, was indicted Oct. 19 for attacking two PG&E transformers in San Jose on Dec. 8, 2022 and Jan. 5,... Read More »