News
House advances opioid detection bill
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 »
California firefighting agencies receive FIREHAWK helicopters
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 »
DHHS awards Sanofi Pasteur $226M for expansion of influenza pandemic preparedness efforts
Per an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Sanofi Pasteur will gain $226 million to increase its domestic pandemic influenza vaccine production capabilities. This money will go to the clinical development and manufacturing of an adjuvanted recombinant pandemic... Read More »
GOP representatives urge State Dept to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations
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 »
Sen. Gardner calls on Congress to sanction North Korea
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 »
GAO recommends passenger-screening technologies continue to meet airports’ detection requirements
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 »
FLIR secures Army heavyweight robot contract
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 »
Chemical industry safety, security guidelines addressed during workshop
Chemical industry officials said the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) would be at the forefront of establishing guidelines promoting safety and security. During the recent second edition of the Workshop on Developing Tools for Chemical Safety and Security at Almaty in... Read More »
First Nipah Virus International Conference focuses global attention on Nipah solutions and threats
A joint effort by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has built The Nipah Virus International Conference for experts and health stakeholders to address the threat of Nipah virus collaboratively. “There are currently no specific drugs or... Read More »
New York State conducts counterterrorism exercises
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 »
FDA launches CURE ID app for healthcare providers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched CURE ID, an online repository that allows the clinical community to report their experiences treating infectious diseases. CURE ID – which can be accessed via smartphone or other mobile devices – is a platform that enables the crowdsourcing of... Read More »
FirstNet board holds year-end meeting, highlights progress and future priorities
The First Responder Network Authority Board recently held its year-end meeting and highlighted FirstNet’s progress and its priorities for the future. FirstNet is a nationwide public safety broadband network with more than 1 million connections by more than 10,000 public safety... Read More »
Bill to provide affordable housing for volunteer firefighters, first responders
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. King presses for cyberattack deterrence strategies
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 »
Gavi to fund global stockpile of Ebola vaccines, malaria vaccine pilots
Thanks to a new program approved by the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, last week, a global emergency stockpile of Ebola vaccines will be funded and opened for use by those in need of outbreak and prevention efforts. Gavi intends to pump $178 million into the program through 2025, with a... Read More »
DOJ awards $376M to jurisdictions to improve public safety
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 »
RAND study examines how technology is used to reduce crime
A new report by the RAND Corp. found that police crime centers that use technology, like remote cameras and analytic tools, may be able to reduce crime. RAND researchers found significant reductions in some types of crimes in Chicago, including robberies and burglaries, using these tools and... Read More »
Rep. Banks praises Reagan Task Force initiative
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 »
CBP engages in traveler privacy protection discussions
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel recently met with privacy experts to discuss how the agency implements the Congressional biometric entry-exit mandate. The meeting is the third session in an ongoing discussion series about CBP measures taken to protect traveler privacy during... Read More »
Field study highlights promising capabilities of typhoid vaccine in children
A new report recently showed that the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) has a more than 81 percent effective rate among vaccinated children in Nepal. The report, provided to the New England Journal of Medicine by the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium (TyVAC), was based on a field study of... Read More »
Nearing development of a universal influenza vaccine, experts caution there’s more to accomplish to combat the flu
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 »
Sen. Markey criticizes proposal by DHS to take travelers pictures at airports
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 »
Senate bill would protect people’s data online
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 »
Agencies test border patrol technologies
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 »
DARPA bolstering development multi-domain mission planning
BAE Systems has secured a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop software enabling semi-autonomous multi-domain mission planning. The endeavor would allow military operators to leverage battlespace resources from across various domains, such as space, air, land,... Read More »
PMO Marines conduct active shooter training
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 »
Climate risks to health continue to grow despite lack of prioritized funding
A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that despite more countries recognizing and prioritizing the dangers of climate change and its potential impacts on health, they are not entirely acting to confront the situation. Of 101 countries surveyed, half have developed a... Read More »
Sen. Markey commends FCC Chair’s call not to auction off T-band spectrum
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 »
Reps. Torres Small, Crenshaw introduce bill to enhance border security
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 »
Raytheon introduces new soldier training simulator
Defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions firm Raytheon introduced its Synthetic Training Environment Soldier Virtual Trainer (STE SVT) at I/ITSEC, the world's largest modeling, simulation, and training event. The technology uses real and virtual weapons to train dismounted... Read More »
DOD seeking 5G development input
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 »
Partnership will provide Central Ohio first responders with safety kits
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 »
Columbia University scientists capture images of how malaria resists drugs
Faced with malaria parasites that are rapidly developing resistance to traditional front-line drugs, scientists from the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons have started to unravel the question of how with a new imaging study. The focus of their photos was PfCRT, a... Read More »
New York man arrested for trying to support ISIS
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 »