News
U.S. Army picks Textron Systems for weapons contract
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 »
HHS awards 10-year contract to Emergent BioSolutions for smallpox vaccine
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said Tuesday it was awarded a contract for its smallpox vaccine from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) valued at approximately $2 billion over 10 years. The contract... Read More »
Homeland Security grant awarded to North Las Vegas fire department
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has earmarked $203,036 for the North Las Vegas fire department in Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District. “Our emergency responders in North Las Vegas, and Nevada at large, put their lives on the line every day... Read More »
DHS awards $200K to San Diego aerosystems company for final testing of sUAS proficiency
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 »
DRC Ebola outbreak reaches deadly milestone
An Ebola outbreak that has ravaged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August last year and sparked fears of a global health crisis reached a deadly new milestone last week when officials noted 3,000 cases underway and 2,000 deaths. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services... Read More »
Groundbreaking held for Maryland fire station
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 »
Partners set standards for emergency communications
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 »
DHS to test smart cities technology in St. Louis to improve public safety
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 »
Wyoming announces arrival of first FEMA Integration Team member
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 »
CBP opens new consolidated air facility
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel recently joined the agency’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and National Air Security Operations Center - Grand Forks (NASOC-GF) in opening a new air facility. “We have a lot to celebrate here today,” Jonathan Miller, executive director of... Read More »
Federal grants to aid Connecticut fire departments
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 »
Allocation bolsters emergency responder equipment in Virginia counties
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 »
DHS S&T coordinates creation of new Emergency Response Best Practices alongside Canada, UK
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. Portman visits Wright-Patterson during ‘Results Tour’
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 »
Baltimore to receive funding for disaster preparedness
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 secures ESSM Block 2 contract
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 »
Researchers identify human behaviors as critical to countering mosquito-transmitted diseases
Human behavior lies at the heart of fighting mosquito-transmitted diseases, according to a new study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. How humans commute and what their living habits are is key in mosquito mitigation planning, the report says, because, without such considerations,... Read More »
Delaware seeking volunteers to participate in public health exercise
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 »
Intellisense Systems wins award from DHS for flood alert sensors
Intellisense Systems was awarded a grant of $3.2 million from the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop a network of flood inundation sensors. The technology will be used to monitor flood-prone areas in real time to alert first responders, government... Read More »
Air Force awards new contract to replace wings on A-10 aircraft fleet
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 »
Artifical intelligence aids opioid challenges
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officials said the agency is using artificial intelligence (AI) to address the opioid epidemic, one of the nation’s leading health challenges. The recent DIA DoDIIS Worldwide Conference in Florida served as the backdrop for Brian Drake, the DIA’s Science and... Read More »
Australian researchers complete successful test of new TB vaccine
Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney in Australia have created and tested a new vaccine type that provides substantial protection against tuberculosis (TB), following more than five years of work and research. The test was a preclinical run using mouse models... Read More »
U.S. Marines participate in exchange program with Indonesia
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. McCaul urges Congress, Trump Administration to address UN arms embargo of Iran
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 »
CBP, LA law enforcement seize more than 52,000 gun parts from China
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 »
Raytheon to build new Texas facility
Defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions firm Raytheon has committed to building a 200,000-square-foot facility supporting new high-tech jobs at its Space and Airborne Systems headquarters in McKinney, Texas. Once the construction project is completed in late 2020, the facility will... Read More »
Genomics study reveals previously undiscovered 2017 Zika outbreak in Cuba
A genomics study undertaken by Scripps Research recently uncovered a previously undiscovered and underreported outbreak of the Zika virus that hit Cuba in 2017, prompting scientists to call on health, academia, and government organizations to step up efforts to share and coordinate... Read More »
New York City receives nearly $179M from Urban Area Security Initiative
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. Air Force launches Magellan satellite
The U.S. Air Force's Magellan satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was launched into orbit last week from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The GPS III Space Vehicle 02, nicknamed "Magellan" by the Air Force, will be in orbit about 12,550 miles above the earth. Engineers at Lockheed Martin Space's Waterton,... Read More »
CBP provides update on U.S. Virgin Islands cargo automation process
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 »
Lawmakers seek immigration checkpoint reviews
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 »
HHS aids investigational Ebola vaccine production
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has earmarked $23 million to support the manufacturing of an investigational Ebola vaccine as a means of addressing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) virus outbreak. The effort will also meet domestic biodefense goals. The HHS... Read More »
Measles risk grows among Texas cities
A growing lack of vaccination among Texas youth is leaving schools and the cities that house them increasingly at risk to measles outbreaks, according to new findings published by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The findings were published in the journal JAMA... Read More »
Senators urge inclusion of nuclear weapons provisions in 2020 NDAA
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 »