News
New policy will return some immigrants to Mexico during processing
The United States has invoked Section 235 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced last week, which states that anyone entering the United States from Mexico, either illegally or without proper documentation, can be returned to Mexico... Read More »
Blue Ribbon panel lauds Congress for passage of farm bill with provisions to protect food supply
The Farm Bill, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump last week, includes recommendations proposed by the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense to protect the nation’s food and agriculture sector from biological attacks and outbreaks. Among the provisions in the Agricultural... Read More »
Congress passes cyber defense bills
A pair of cyber security bills introduced by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) advanced the Senate last week and will now head to the president’s desk for signature. Both bills aim to strengthen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cyber defenses, establishing both... Read More »
Energy Department warns against Chinese hackers
A group of Chinese cyber actors, known publicly as APT 10, is conducting a campaign of cyber-enabled theft targeting global managed service providers, cloud service providers, and their clients, the U.S. Government reported. The Department of Energy (DOE) recently said APT 10, which is... Read More »
University of Hawaii Zika vaccine candidate holds promise for pregnant women
A vaccine candidate for the Zika virus shows that it is effective in guarding against the infection in non-human primates and is a promising candidate to protect pregnant women as well, scientists at the University of Hawaii announced this month. Since the Zika outbreak of 2015 and 2016 in... Read More »
Belgian researchers develop Zika vaccine
Scientists at Belgium’s KU Leuven Rega Institute recently developed a new vaccine that should prevent Zika virus from causing microcephaly and other serious conditions in unborn babies. The new research and subsequent vaccine are based on the yellow fever vaccine, a closely related virus... Read More »
Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act garners Senate approval
The Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act has garnered Senate approval with lawmakers asserting the measure bolsters efforts to prevent terrorists from using vehicles to execute attacks. The measure directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide a report to Congress regarding efforts... Read More »
GAO makes recommendations for how TSA manages pipeline security
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released 10 recommendations to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator regarding pipeline security efforts. The nation’s interstate pipeline system, which spans more than 2.7 million miles, is used to transport... Read More »
Legislative package introduced in House to bolster US cybersecurity
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced a legislative package this week that provides Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel with the resources to combat global cyber security threat. The legislative package – called the SECURE Technology Act – combines three bills previously... Read More »
Argentum receives BARDA grant to advance research into radiation exposure treatment, technology
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Argentum Medical — a company whose invention is widely-used by the military to treat wounds and burns — $8.4 million to continue research on their product to determine its efficacy on radiological injuries after... Read More »
S&T Smart City IoT Innovation Labs developing smarter technologies for first responders, industry
With an eye on enhancing public safety in an increasingly interconnected era, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has created Smart City IoT Innovation (SCITI) Labs to collaborate and develop new and existing technologies. To date, these... Read More »
GAO offers cybersecurity recommendations to Homeland Security, Management and Budget
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a series of cybersecurity enhancement recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The GAO maintains until agencies more effectively implement the government's approach and... Read More »
Lockheed Martin awarded $585M contract
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) recently awarded Lockheed Martin a $585 million contract to design, develop and deliver Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-H) in Oahu, Hawaii. HDR-H radar will counter evolving threats by optimizing the defensive capability of the Ballistic Missile Defense... Read More »
Senate advances bill to increase use of unmanned maritime systems
The U.S. Senate advanced bipartisan legislation to increase the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) use of unmanned maritime systems. Unmanned maritime systems are remotely piloted or autonomously operated underwater vehicles that collect data. The bill, the Commercial... Read More »
First responders to receive INTERPOL drone guidelines
INTERPOL officials said the organization has established global drone use guidelines earmarked for first responders investigating device-based criminal incidents. Officials said drones and other technologies are more frequently being used to execute a range of crimes via surveillance,... Read More »
New technology targets hazmat safety, security
A pair of firms have secured federal funding to develop an integrated technology designed to enhance hazardous materials safety and security transporters via first responders, hazmat inspectors and transporters. Officials representing Spill Center, a hazardous materials support and claims... Read More »
U.S. senators request firefighters be included in PFAS exposure study
As many communities struggle with the widespread problem of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of 23 U.S. senators has requested leading federal agencies include firefighters in a PFAS health impact study. The nationwide study, led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »
Denver launches enhanced imaging technology to improve security
Denver International Airport, in partnership with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), recently became the first airport in the nation to operate next generation Enhanced Advanced Imaging Technology for checkpoint security screening. The technology uses Advanced Imaging Technology,... Read More »
Health Canada approves Emergent BioSolutions’ new anthrax vaccine
Health Canada, the federal drug approval arm for Canada, has approved a vaccine for anthrax developed by Emergent BioSolutions Inc., the global life sciences company announced on Monday. The vaccine, BioThrax, is designed to immunize people from infectious disease caused by spores of the... Read More »
Republican lawmakers introduce bill to put financial pressure on Iran
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) introduced a bill that would counter Iranian money laundering and financing of terrorism. The Blocking Iranian Illicit Finance Act would protect the global financial system from Iranian illicit finance and impose... Read More »
Center urges Congress put on hold new Authorization for Use of Military Force
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is urging Congress to reevaluate oversight of the nation's wars before considering passing a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) decree. CAP recently released an analysis detailing the organization's position, noting the 17 years the AUMF has... Read More »
OPCW works with Qatari first responders to plan for 2022 FIFA World Cup
The international Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently helped Qatari first responders plan and prepare chemical emergency response for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The assistance was provided at the first International Workshop on Chemical Emergency Planning and... Read More »
GAO recommends DOD assess effectiveness of depot workforce
The Department of Defense (DOD) is struggling with a variety of workforce challenges that contributed to delays in the maintenance of some weapon systems, according to a recent United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) evaluation. DOD maintenance depots employ around 80,000... Read More »
BARDA division helps fund Biobeat wearable health monitor in strategy to move diagnostics into individual hands
Pointing to the wealth of data potential locked in the wrist watch-style health monitors developed by Israeli company Biobeat Technologies Ltd., the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) is fronting nearly... Read More »
Researchers identify drug targets for Ebola, Dengue, Zika viruses
In a significant step forward for treatment, scientists from the Gladstone Institutes and the Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have identified ways Ebola, Dengue and Zika viruses utilize the body’s cells, as well as a possible way Zika causes microcephaly in... Read More »
FirstNet welcomes new board, sets strategic direction
The First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority closed out their first operating year with the installation of new members to the board and the development of an enhanced strategic direction for the organization, marking significant progress for the authority’s public safety goal. “This has... Read More »GAO examines long-range emerging threats
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released last week a report examining long-range emerging national security threats, with federal agencies identifying 26 potential harms within four categories. The category breakdown is comprised of adversaries' political and military advancements,... Read More »
MTI examines effectiveness of ‘See Something, Say Something’ programs
The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University recently examined the global effectiveness of “See Something, Say Something” programs in preventing terrorist attacks on public surface transportation and discovered the programs prevent between 10 percent and 14 percent of... Read More »
Nuclear Threat Initiative receives grant to counter global biological risks
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) will expand its efforts to counter global catastrophic biological risks over the next three years thanks to a $1.9 million grant from the Open Philanthropy Project. To expand its efforts, NTI hired Jaime Yassif as senior fellow to serve in its biosecurity... Read More »
Reps. Chabot, Connolly sponsor global health security bill
U.S. Reps. Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) introduced legislation Thursday that seeks to reaffirm U.S. commitment to promoting global health security. The Global Health Security Act would codify how the United States prepares for and responds to public health threats. Typically,... Read More »
New Ebola diagnosis test seeks to revolutionize outbreak control
A new diagnostic test could hold the key to identifying Ebola infections in less than 30 minutes, streamlining detection and potential management of outbreaks in even the most low-resource areas. The test is based on a protein detection technology known as SERS. It’s portable, works with... Read More »Lawmakers oppose border wall funding near Arizona bombing range
A group of lawmakers is opposing a proposal to use Department of Defense funds to build border wall barriers along the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Arizona. Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) maintain assessing further upgrades of the... Read More »
Technology will help first responders monitor patient vitals in chaotic situations
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the Department of Energy (DOE) Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed VitalTag, technology that can assist medical first responders in monitoring the vital signs of victims in a mass... Read More »
GAO recommends improvements for DHS Office of Emergency Communications
A review of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the office could improve upon its communication methods with stakeholders. The OEC offers a range of services and assistance to first... Read More »