News
North Carolina man sentenced to 15 years for assisting ISIS
North Carolina resident Erick Jamal Hendricks was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Hendricks was convicted last year of trying to recruit people on social media to train and conduct terrorist... Read More »
Senate bill would create national strategy for threat assessment
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this week seeks to create a task force to provide recommendations for a national strategy on threat assessment and management. The Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act of 2019 (S. 265) would provide resources, training, and assistance in... Read More »
Bill seeks to enhance cybersecurity, homeland protection
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced last week a measure designed to prevent cyberattacks on federal agencies and the private sector while also bolstering homeland protection. The senators said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cyber Hunt and Incident Response... Read More »
Medical University of South Carolina launches online Ebola training program
In an effort to raise health care workers’ awareness of and safety around Ebola, the Medical University of South Carolina has launched a new online training program. The simulation seeks to train health care workers about the potential tolls the disease could take on a population and warns... Read More »
More than 140 pounds of narcotics seized from car at San Diego port of entry
U.S. Border Patrol agents at the San Clemente Station in the San Diego Sector seized more than 140 pounds of narcotics, valued at more than $2.25 million hidden inside a car on Jan. 24. Agents conducted a vehicle stop on a 2016 Nissan Versa, and the driver consented to a search by a Border... Read More »
US to pull out of INF Treaty, Feinstein says doing so jeopardizes national security
The United States is backing out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) with Russia citing Russia’s failure to comply with the treaty. The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 in the waning days of the former Soviet Union by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General... Read More »
DoD funds earmarked for counterterrorism decision making
The Department of Defense's (DoD) Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) has committed nearly $3 million to an effort addressing key terrorism-related datasets and counterterrorism decision making. The funds are allocated to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and... Read More »
S&T turns to social science projects to combat human trafficking
Recognizing that human trafficking is a crime often hidden from the public eye, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced two new social science, data-driven projects to tackle the crime this week. “Applying social science-based... Read More »
Bill would halt purchase of ballistic missiles unless conditions are met
A group of U.S. senators recently introduced the Prevention of Arms Race Act of 2019. The bill would prevent funding for the purchase, flight-testing or deployment of ballistic missiles or ground-launched missiles with a range of between 310.7 and 3,417.5 miles until the Trump Administration... Read More »
Sen. Portman introduces E-Verify Act
U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) today introduced a bill requiring employers to use an electronic employment verification to help combat illegal immigration. The current E-Verify program is an optional program for most employers. The bill, the E-Verify Act, would require all employers to use... Read More »
Lawmakers seek revisions to the DOD climate change report
Three lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the Department of Defense (DOD), requesting climate change report regions and impacts on national security. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) and Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA) have urged... Read More »
Intelligence agencies meet to assess worldwide threats
Personnel representing several government entities delivered a worldwide threats assessment during recent open and closed Congressional committee sessions. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Director Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, joined Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, as well as the... Read More »
Sen. Warren, Rep. Smith seek to bind US from using nuclear weapons first
Calling the United States nuclear strategy outdated, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) introduced Wednesday bicameral legislation that would keep the nation from ever being the first to use nuclear weapons. The No First Use Act would undo existing policy, which... Read More »
FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act advances House
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Tuesday the FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE) to provide an annual report on its activities for the next five years. The reports would be... Read More »
Justice Department launches campaign to disrupt North Korean-based malware
The U.S. Justice Department launched a campaign to disrupt the Joanap botnet – a global network of infected computers under the control of North Korean hackers that are used to facilitate cyberattacks. This effort follows charges in which a North Korean citizen, Park Jin Hyok, backed by the... Read More »
Perspecta Labs assists DARPA with simulated cyberattack on Plum Island
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) recently conducted an exercise on Plum Island, N.Y. to test grid recovery following a staged cyberattack on a U.S. power grid. The Liberty Eclipse Phase II exercise is the fourth and largest simulated cyberattack that DARPA has conducted... Read More »
Bill targets Chinese technology threats
A group of lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday designed to address Chinese technology threats. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) said Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Susan Collins (R-ME) joined their efforts to create an Office of... Read More »
Counterterrorism measure advances House
House legislators recently advanced a measure designed to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coordinates its counterterrorism efforts to limit duplication, inefficiency, and waste. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) authored the Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2019, which is the first... Read More »
International study yields model to better predict, dissect infectious diseases
An international effort has created a new model for the identification and study of hosts critical to the spread of infectious diseases. Such hosts are known as superspreaders, but their superpower is their role in epidemics. Not every infected person has the same potential to damage. Take the... Read More »
Lockheed Martin awarded contract to develop electronic warfare systems
The U.S. Army recently awarded Lockheed Martin an $18 million Prototype Project Agreement to design, develop and test a cyber/electronic warfare podded system for the “Air Large” component of the army’s Multi-Function Electronic Warfare family of systems program. The agreement is part of... Read More »
Sen Markey, Rep. Lieu reintroduce bill to require Congressional approval for nuclear strike
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) reintroduced legislation to prevent the president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional approval. Their bill, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2019 (H.R.669/S.200), was also introduced in the 115th... Read More »
Marine rifle squads benefit from upgraded night vision devices
Marines Corps personnel are espousing the benefits of an updated helmet-mounted night vision system designed to enhance the infantry’s lethality and situational awareness in reduced visibility. Marine Corps Systems Command accelerated the acquisition of about 1,300 Squad Binocular Night Vision... Read More »
Boeing lands $2.4B Poseidon aircraft contract
Boeing has secured a $2.4 billion Navy contract to produce the next 19 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The agreement calls for 10 aircraft to be added to the current inventory of P-8As in the Navy’s fleet, in addition to all five jets currently under contract for Norway and the four aircraft remaining... Read More »
Collaboration of US university researchers developing new Zika test
Scientists may have a new means of detecting and helping tailor therapies to meet the Zika virus’s onslaught. The technology in question utilizes optofluidic chips -- a combination of small biological samples used for detection purposes (microfluidics) and integrated optics, which use lasers... Read More »
CBP officers seize nearly $1M in currency
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, seized $988,550 in unreported currency Friday. The funds were discovered during a physical examination of a 2010 Nissan Maxima driven by a 20-year-old female U.S. citizen.... Read More »
Senate advances bill to bolster US-Israel alliance
The U.S. Senate advanced a bill this week that includes several measures to bolster the U.S.-Israel strategic alliance. The Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019 (S. 1) would authorize security assistance to Israel over a 10-year period, reauthorize the United... Read More »
Michigan residents charged with conspiracy to support ISIS militants
FBI agents in Lansing, Mich., arrested and charged three people with conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) last week. A criminal complaint, issued through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that one of the... Read More »
Ebola treatment deemed safe, easy to administer
National Institutes of Health (NIH) early-stage clinical trial findings maintain the investigational Ebola treatment mAb114 is safe, well-tolerated, and easy to administer. Trial results published in The Lancet outlined the manner in which 18 healthy adults received mAb114 as part of a May 2018... Read More »
Sen. Tester tapped to lead group to find border security solution
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester will lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers tasked with crafting border security legislation following the agreement last Friday to end the 35-day government shutdown temporarily. President Donald Trump agreed to end the shutdown last Friday for three weeks while negotiations... Read More »
Rep. Hill introduces bill top provide protections for banks
U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) introduced legislation last week designed to provide protections for financial institutions and banks against regulatory agency backlash when cooperating with a federal or state law enforcement agency investigation. Rep. Hill first introduced the bill -- the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection to enforce no-fly zone during Super Bowl
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enforce temporary flight restrictions around Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during Super Bowl Sunday. The restrictions will be in effect from 3 p.m.... Read More »
Federal government resources available to support first responders during fourth generation agent incident
A federal interagency working group convened by the White House National Security Council last week released new resources to help first responders prepare for and respond to an emergency incident involving fourth generation agents — also known as chemical warfare agents. “These resources... Read More »
World Economic Forum highlights advancements, risks in global response to emerging pathogens
Medical breakthroughs and advances in public health systems have enabled countries to contain the effects of infectious diseases, but these gains are tempered by insecurities from forces in economics, globalization, and synthetic biology. That was the takeaway from The Global Risks Report... Read More »
Reps. McCaul, Engel introduce Cyber Diplomacy Act
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) introduced last week the Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2019 (H.R. 739), which they said seeks to globally ensure the Internet is kept open, reliable and secure. The legislators introduced H.R. 739 to ensure American leadership on the world stage in... Read More »