News
California bolsters emergency preparedness
As a means of addressing this year’s fire season, California officials are highlighting efforts to bolster preparedness with a series of actions to prepare for wildfires and other natural disasters. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order increasing the number of seasonal firefighters... Read More »
New cheap, portable TB test to begin manufacturing soon
A new test for tuberculosis will soon be available for research use, and its creators -- Advanced Biological Laboratories (ABL) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) -- say that it will be smaller, more portable and more affordable than its contemporaries. Known as... Read More »
Senate committee advances bill to authorize appropriations for Coast Guard
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation advanced a bill that would authorize appropriations for the U.S. Coast Guard operations through Fiscal Year 2021. The bill, among other things, will help the Coast Guard recruit and retain a workforce through a number of... Read More »
Rep. Herrera Beutler receives Alliance for Biosecurity ‘champion’ award
U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) was awarded Wednesday the 2019 Congressional Biosecurity Champion Award from the Alliance for Biosecurity. The annual award recognizes Congressional members that work to improve the country’s capabilities to prevent and combat chemical, biological,... Read More »
Legislation explores benefits of US-Israel cybersecurity center
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced this week a bill requiring the State Department to investigate potential benefits of establishing a U.S.-Israel cybersecurity center. According to the legislators, the U.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Act would aid in... Read More »
Bill to bolster firefighter safety
Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced Wednesday a measure designed to ensure fire station infrastructure nationwide enables firefighters to perform their duties efficiently and safely. The Fire Station Infrastructure Safety Act directs the U.S. Fire Administration to... Read More »
New Senate bill seeks improvements to federal cybersecurity
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced cybersecurity legislation this week, seeking to improve the work of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) program. Their solution is the Advancing Cybersecurity Continuing... Read More »
U.S. employment-based immigration visas bring highly skilled, educated workers to America
Every fiscal year — from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 — the United States government says it makes available to qualified applicants roughly 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas in efforts to bring much-needed, highly skilled labor and foreign investment dollars to America. It’s a critical... Read More »
U.S. government exercises option for more doses of Emergent BioSolutions’ AV7909 anthrax vaccine
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) exercised its first $261 million contract option with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to procure its next-generation anthrax vaccine known as AV7909 for delivery into the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) over 12 months, the company... Read More »
Coast Guard to conduct active shooter drill
As a means of simulating a full-scale response to a large-scale attack, the Coast Guard and local officials slated an active shooter drill at the Port of New Orleans Cruise Terminal on Wednesday. The effort will involve coordination between the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation,... Read More »
GAO issues nuclear security program recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) five recommendations as a means of addressing nuclear security program concerns. The IAEA executes its nuclear security program under its Division of Nuclear Security through four subprograms,... Read More »
Raytheon, DARPA conclude design review of hypersonic Tactical Boost Glide system
A new weapon has moved closer to readiness, following completion of a successful baseline design review by defense contractor Raytheon Company and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The Tactical Boost Glide system, as it is known, is a boost glide weapon -- meaning it uses a... Read More »
Sens. Van Hollen, Rubio urge measures to protect U.S. elections from foreign interference
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are encouraging the leadership of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee to include the DETER Act in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report. The Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing... Read More »
Sens. Markey, Lee seek report on biometric identification technology
Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) recently called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide Congress with the status of an overdue biometric identification technology report. Under the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018, DHS was required to... Read More »
Lawmakers urge investment for Valley Fever drug, vaccine development
Legislators have requested Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include Valley Fever in the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) spearheaded a recent effort to forward correspondence to HHS Secretary Alex Azar... Read More »
DARPA contracts Battelle for development of quick WMD-exposure test
Global research and development company Battelle officially signed onto the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA’s) Epigenetic Characterization and Observation (ECHO) program this week, to develop a quick and mobile means of identifying those touched by weapons of mass destruction... Read More »
Reps. McCaul, Engel introduce bill to support Global Fund to fight AIDs and other diseases
Legislation to provide financial support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The Global Fund was established in 2002 to raise money to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Contributions by the United States... Read More »
SIGA awarded contract from U.S. Department of Defense to expand use of smallpox drug
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded SIGA Technologies a contract valued at up to $19.5 million, with an initial award of $12.4 million, to advance work that could provide a label expansion for TPOXX, a drug used to treat smallpox. This multi-year contract, which was announced this... Read More »
U.S. government clears commercial medical product for use on mustard gas injuries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently cleared the first use of a commercially available product to manage blister injuries caused by sulfur mustard, otherwise known as mustard gas. Silverlon, a silver-plated nylon dressing, is used widely to aid in the management of acute skin wounds... Read More »
CEPI partners with Valneva to develop Chikungunya vaccine
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is partnering with biotech company Valneva to fund the development of a single-dose vaccine for the disease Chikungunya. Chikungunya is spread by the bites of infected female Aedes mosquitoes. It causes fever, severe joint pain, muscle... Read More »
Consortium awarded contract to train first responders
University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) recently was awarded a contract to train fire intelligence officers and senior leaders within the National Capital Region. The training will be through the Department of Homeland... Read More »
GAO offers cybersecurity suggestions for federal agencies
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a series of recommendations to federal agencies as a means of assisting with methods of addressing accompanying challenges. The GAO outlined 57 recommendations to the 23 agencies and one to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in... Read More »
Committee releases election security findings
The Senate Intelligence Committee released last week the first volume of a report exploring the body’s investigation into Russia’s attempts to interfere with the 2016 election. “Over the past two years, the Senate Intelligence Committee has investigated Russia’s relentless efforts to... Read More »
CDC trap attracts, captures female mosquitos, helping fight spread of chikungunya
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently developed the Autocidal Gravid Ovitrap (AGP trap) intending to slow down the growth of the mosquito population. The AGP trap is meant to attract and capture female mosquitoes looking to lay eggs and grow mosquito populations.... Read More »
Sen. McSally questions Deputy Defense Secretary nominee on maintaining Arizona’s role in national defense
Deputy Secretary of Defense nominee David Norquist recently fielded a series of questions during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing, including queries about commitment to Arizona’s military modernization. Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) pressed Norquist on Arizona’s role in providing... Read More »
Committee advances legislation addressing deepfake threat
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has approved the Deepfake Report Act by a bipartisan voice vote. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), co-founder and co-chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said the measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to... Read More »
Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial shows promise for MERS CoV vaccine candidate
A study conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Clinical Trials Center reveals that a new vaccine for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) may be viable for human use. Developed by GeneOne Life Science Inc. and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, the vaccine... Read More »
More than 150 nuclear incidents identified outside regulations in 2018
In 2018, there were 156 incidents in 23 countries where nuclear and other radioactive materials were found outside of regulatory control, according to the updated annual edition of the Global Incidents and Trafficking Database. The database is produced by the James Martin Center for... Read More »
World Bank to invest $300M to combat Ebola outbreak in Congo
The World Bank Group is investing $300 million to support the global response to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The investment follows a declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the current Ebola outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of... Read More »
Ebola outbreak in DRC requires coordinated response to contain disease, witnesses tell Congress
The second longest outbreak of Ebola in history poses little immediate threat to the United States, officials told a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday, but that could quickly change if the outbreak is not contained. During a hearing titled, “Confronting Ebola: Addressing a 21st Century Global... Read More »
Lawrence Livermore data analyst brings dirty bomb preparedness to life
Thanks to the efforts of data analyst and visualization technologist Ryan Chen, of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a new model gives emergency responders a means of simulating and testing a situation no one ever wants to witness firsthand: the explosion of a radiological dispersal... Read More »
DHS approves $10.2M funding opportunity to open new center of excellence
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced Tuesday a $10.5 million funding opportunity for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE). COEs are led by U.S. universities that have multiple partners from other universities, commercial interests, DHS, and... Read More »
Senate advances 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund bill
Senate lawmakers have approved a measure making the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent and it will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Sullivan introduce bill to improve Coast Guard infrastructure
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced legislation to reduce the maintenance backlog for the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Shore Infrastructure Improvement Act (S. 2212) would implement recommendations from a recent Government Accountability Office to better manage... Read More »