News
Rep. Thompson has questions about contracting process for disaster recovery efforts
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the contracting processes of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster recovery efforts. The report, entitled “Actions Needed to Improve the Use of Post-Disaster Contracts to... Read More »
CBP announces retention incentive for US border patrol agents
In accordance with the Border Patrol comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently unveiled a new retention incentive for GS-12 and GS-13 Border Patrol agents. “Investing in the men and women of the United States Border Patrol continues to be... Read More »
International team gains NIH grant for mass test of anti-malaria drug
The anti-malaria drug primaquine is the focus of an upcoming, mass treatment routine in Thailand and Myanmar in an effort to prevent relapses of the disease. A grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) makes that possible. Researchers from the University of South Florida will receive... Read More »
Mississippi senators commend selection of their home state for nextgen polar icebreaker
U.S. senators from Mississippi praised the announcement on Tuesday that Pascagoula, Miss.-based shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc. was awarded a major contract to build the next generation of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers. A United States presence in the polar regions is vital given the... Read More »
Rapid DNA technology identified victims of California wildfires
Medical examiners used Rapid DNA technology to identify the 85 people killed in last year’s Camp Fire wildfire in Paradise, Calif. The technology is funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). It was developed to quickly analyze DNA to... Read More »
Former State Department employee pleads guilty to conspiracy
A former employee of the U.S. Department of State pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal officials charged Candace Marie Claiborne with lying to law enforcement and background investigators and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of... Read More »
LAX to add Guardian Active Shooter Detection System to Automated People Mover Facility
The Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is adding a program that detects gunshots for its new Automated People Mover Facility, interfacing it with the facility’s video, access control, notification, and critical emergency management systems. The program is part of a joint effort by Shooter Detection... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven lauds Super Corridor establishment
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) is praising the collaboration of Grand Sky and the Harris Corporation, resulting in a new Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Super Corridor in the Red River Valley. The endeavor will enable small and large unmanned aircraft to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their... Read More »
Alabama officials tout Bell Navy helicopter plan
Alabama state officials are espousing the benefits of Bell's plan to assemble the Navy's 407GXi aircraft in Ozark if it wins a competition for the branch's contract. “Bell could have not selected a more ideal location to conduct final assembly of the Navy’s new advanced helicopter trainer... Read More »
Raytheon developing portable device to assess potentially dangerous bacteria
Raytheon, as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Friend or Foe program, is developing a portable biosurveillance device capable of evaluating bacteria and whether or not they could be harmful to people. It is an area the company has identified as currently underdeveloped.... Read More »
Northeastern US residents will need REAL ID cards to board aircraft in 2020
The Transportation Security Administration is reminding residents of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that they will need REAL ID cards to board airline flights beginning Oct. 1, 2020. REAL ID driver’s licenses and identification cards have a small gold star in the upper right corner.... Read More »
Interpol deploys team to Sri Lanka to help investigate bombing
Interpol is sending a team to Sri Lanka to help national authorities investigate the Easter bomb attacks that left nearly 300 dead and approximately 500 injured. Interpol will deploy its Incident Response Team (IRT), which includes specialists with expertise in crime scene examination,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin secures electronic warfare system contract
Lockheed Martin recently secured a $20 million Navy contract to provide what officials are deeming the next generation electronic warfare system. Engineering and technical services work will be performed at the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence in Syracuse, New York, and Manassas,... Read More »
Report examines Central American human smuggling
A new report has re-examined the role transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) play in Central American human smuggling. The report was undertaken by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) analysis, operated by the RAND Corporation on behalf of the Department of Homeland... Read More »
Malawi launches malaria vaccine pilot
Malawi recently launched the world’s first malaria vaccine in a pivotal pilot program. The country is the first of three African nations in which the vaccine will be made available to children up to two years old. Ghana and Kenya will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks. The vaccine,... Read More »
DHS research, development program aimed at 5G technologies
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently launched a research and development project for a Secure and Resilient Mobile Network Infrastructure (SRMNI). DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) are seeking innovative... Read More »
Senators introduce bill to end wrongful detentions by Turkish government
A bill to address the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens and diplomatic staff by the Government of Turkey was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week. The Defending United States Citizens and Diplomatic Staff from Political Prosecutions Act of 2019 (S. 1075) was co-sponsored by Sens. Thom... Read More »
Battelle personnel receive company honors
Two Battelle employees are being recognized by the company for stellar service, garnering Inventor of the Year and CEO Awards, respectively. Senior Research scientist Wesley Pirkle was named Inventor of the Year for significant contributions to several crucial security programs. Ron Townsend,... Read More »
Acting Homeland Security secretary offers McAllen trip assessment
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan recently offered an assessment of his McAllen, Texas, trip to gain insight regarding challenges faced at the U.S. Southern Border. The effort involved observing the potential strategic and operational obstacles encountered by law enforcement... Read More »
HSI New York hosts inaugural Cyber Crime Symposium
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York last week gathered prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement agencies together to promote greater cooperation in cybercrime cases at the first Cyber Crime Symposium. HSI would like the event to mark the first of an annual series. They are trying... Read More »
Two airports set passenger TSA records
LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport both set records Thursday for the number of passengers screened at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. At LaGuardia, 59,698 people passed through the checkpoints and onto their departing gates. Newark saw 78,811... Read More »
FDA approves first generic naloxone nasal spray to treat opioid addiction
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted last week its final approval of Narcan, a medication designed to stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Narcan, developed by Teva Pharmaceuticals, is the first generic naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray. “In the wake of the... Read More »
Solicitation begins for implementation feedback on National Biodefense Strategy
As the U.S. government seeks to build its National Biodefense Strategy, more than 200 heavy hitters from federal, state and local agencies, national stakeholder organizations, academia and the private sector informed its future implementation during the April 17 Biodefense Summit held in... Read More »
Counter-drone firm secures government contract
The Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency has awarded a contract to Citadel Defense Company to counter drones increasingly threatening to U.S. forces around the world. The over $1 million contract is supportive of USSOCOM requirements and represents the company's sixth government... Read More »
Marine Corps planning transition to Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle
The Marine Corps has initiated plans to replace its Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) with the more mobile, networked, transportable and lethal Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV) late in the next decade. “The ARV will be an advanced combat vehicle system, capable of fighting for information that... Read More »Coalition launched to create AI aerospace systems
Sandia National Laboratories recently launched Autonomy New Mexico, an academic research coalition tasked with creating artificially intelligent aerospace systems. The coalition held its first meeting last week at the University of New Mexico to propose new ideas and discuss shared... Read More »
Canadian man given life sentence for attack on Bishop Airport police officer
A Canadian man was sentenced to life in prison last week a June 21, 2017, attack on a Bishop Airport police officer from Flint, Michigan. Amor Ftouhi of Quebec, Canada was charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and with two other offenses linked to his... Read More »
NIH calls for renewed focus on measles vaccinations following outbreaks
Due to declines in measles vaccinations in recent years, there have been outbreaks of the disease all over the world, and medical experts say it could rebound in full force if not addressed. Experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National... Read More »
Air Force seeking greater technology breakthroughs
Air Force officials maintain the recently unveiled Science and Technology Strategy places concentration on maximizing and expanding technological advantages in the era of the peer-to-peer threat. “This strategy isn’t just a list of technologies,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven details North Dakota Guardsmen, Reservists initiatives
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently met with North Dakota National Guard and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Air Force and Army ROTC personnel to outline missions and benefits strengthening efforts. Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, provided specifics on securing... Read More »
Two reports address mental health, safety of law enforcement officers
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) published two reports this week focused on federal, state, local and tribal police officers’ mental health and safety. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act: Report to Congress includes 22... Read More »
New study suggests mass drug administrations to protect against malaria
A new study published in eLife concludes that the path to fighting malaria at a community level could be through widespread deployment of antimalarial drugs. Importantly, researchers theorize this would not only protect those who take the drugs but even those untreated, as the drugs would help... Read More »
Sen. Collins meets with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard leaders over funding
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins met with leaders from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) Metal Trades Council (MTC) to discuss the Trump Administration’s proposal to divert funds, appropriated by Congress, from military construction projects. The PNSY was among the military installations that were... Read More »