News
Terror snapshot shows “homegrown” Islamist extremism in US continues to be cause for concern
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the October Terror Threat Snapshot last week, highlighting that 159 homegrown Jihadist cases in 30 states have been uncovered since 2013. The cases included plots to attack the country, overseas travel,... Read More »
Raytheon, Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace to compete for payload provider role on US Air Force project
Defense contractors Raytheon and Northrop Grumman/Ball Aerospace will compete for the right to be mission payload providers on the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning satellite system. The next-gen system replaced the traditional Space Based Infrared... Read More »
University of Montana awarded $10M flu vaccine contract by NIH
The University of Montana is responsible for the creation of a new universal flu vaccine, under a five-year, $10 million contract awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award was granted to Jay Evans, director of UM’s Center for Translational Medicine, who will be joined by... Read More »
Connecticut launches school-safety programs
Connecticut recently launched three school safety programs -- Start With Hello, Say Something, and SOS Signs of Suicide -- designed to increase school safety. The programs will help train students, educators, and school administrators identify, assess, intervene, and get help for those... Read More »
Sen. Rubio applauds bill to improve justice for American victims of terrorism abroad
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) commended President Donald Trump for signing into law a bill to help Americans who are victimized by acts of terrorism while abroad get justice. Trump signed into law the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 (S. 2946), which will improve access to justice in... Read More »
Sen. Ernst seeking Syrian chemical weapons counter
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is seeking information regarding how the nation’s military plans to counter Syria’s future use of chemical weapons. Ernst, who chairs the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities for the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently forwarded correspondence to... Read More »
Justice Department awards more than $30M to national crime combating effort
The U.S. Justice Department awarded this week $28 million in grants to Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) to support violent crime reduction efforts. An additional $3 million was awarded to PSN for training and victim services as well as the development and implementation of crime reduction... Read More »
International researchers explore rapid infectious disease test through use of glowing paper strips, blood
Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands and Keio University in Japan are currently exploring infectious disease test alternatives through the use of a special glowing paper strip, a drop of blood, and a digital camera. The study, published in the journal... Read More »
Wildfire management bill advances through committee
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently advanced the Wildfire Management Technology Advancement Act, which would better reduce the risks from wildfires, increase the effectiveness of wildfire response and increase the use of technology to keep firefighters and communities... Read More »
Homeland Security, Energy Department officials meet to discuss energy security
Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council this week to discuss how industry and government can work strategically to secure pipelines and other critical infrastructure. The meeting was led by Transportation Security... Read More »
DHS funds earmarked for cyberattack prevention
Israel-based Morphisec has received $200,000 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop technology solutions to prevent financial institution cyberattacks. Morphisec will work to extend, deploy, test, and evaluate a Moving Target Defense... Read More »
Text messages viable for rapid information gathering during outbreaks, study finds
A study conducted by New York University confirmed that text messages are a rapid means of information spread amidst public health crises, representing an invaluable means of data sourcing. "Sourcing data from individuals directly, such as through mobile phones, has the potential to provide... Read More »
Massachusetts General Hospital to hold Ebola treatment clinical trial
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced this week that it would take part in an experimental treatment for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) currently being pursued by international cooperation. Their involvement focuses on ZMapp, a treatment that utilizes three antibodies as part of its... Read More »
Facial recognition identifies third imposter at Dulles
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) facial recognition technology identified its third impostor at Washington Dulles International Airport in 40 days Monday. The technology reported a mismatch between the photo embedded in a passport chip and a woman who presented a U.S. passport of a... Read More »
DHS conducting research on threat detection of homemade explosives
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is researching the detection and prevention of homemade explosives at various labs and test facilities across the country. DHS reports that there are approximately 3,000 improvised explosive device (IED) incidents in... Read More »
FirstNet Authority names acting CEO
The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) recently named Edward Parkinson acting CEO of FirstNet Authority. Parkinson was a staff member on the House Homeland Security Committee... Read More »
Texas A&M picked to lead consortium on cross-border screening defense
Texas A&M University was selected to lead a consortium of U.S. academic institutions, among others, for a new Center of Excellence (COE) for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS). The project will be funded by a $3.85 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland... Read More »
DHHS, Genentech target influenza, other health security threats
The U.S. Department of Human and Human Services (DHHS) has contracted with the company Genentech in managing and sharing the cost to develop a portfolio of medical treatments designed to counter the spread of influenza and other health security threats. DHHS, operating through its Biomedical... Read More »
DOD awards technology R&D contract to BAE Systems
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) selected BAE Systems this week for a new research and development contract to address current and future technology needs among the military. In so doing, DOD has also put Bae Systems in the running for future contract task orders -- one of 15 companies to... Read More »
Senate advances legislation for strengthening earthquake safety programs, preparation
Earthquake preparedness in the United States stands to benefit from the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act, a bill recently advanced by the Senate that would aid preparation and protection efforts through infrastructure improvements and risk assessments. The... Read More »
DHHS sponsors Siga Technologies effort to create intravenous version of smallpox drug
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is sponsoring Siga Technologies on its development of an intravenous formulation of TPOXX -- a smallpox antiviral medication of which DHHS is currently purchasing additional doses. “We want to save as many lives as possible after a... Read More »
Legislation funds DOD for fiscal year 2019
The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act and Continuing Appropriations Act will provide funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) for fiscal year 2019. The act, which became law Friday, provides $686 billion for the DOD and $30 billion for the Department of... Read More »
Justice Department holds roundtable to discuss cybersecurity, data breach prevention
The Justice Department’s Criminal Division held a roundtable discussion last week on challenges related to cybersecurity and data breach investigations. The goal of the roundtable was to work with the private sector on how to improve cooperation with law enforcement and better prosecute and... Read More »
Boeing lands $9.2B Air Force contract
Boeing has secured a $9.2 billion Air Force contract to produce T-X aircraft, which officials said would replace the Air Education and Training Command's 57-year-old fleet of T-38C Talons. The agreement calls for Boeing to deliver 351 T-X aircraft, 46 simulators and associated ground equipment,... Read More »
Nonprofit GARDP, Novartis company partner to accelerate drug treatment for children
Two institutions are taking up the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) call for more affordable, improved and adapted antibiotic formulations for children in low and middle-income countries, with an agreement focused on enhancing generic antibiotics and access. The participants are the... Read More »
DARPA selects participants for competition to advance understanding of underground operations
Whether for search and rescue or warfare operations, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced last week their efforts to advance current understanding of underground environments, and the formation of a competition of nine teams to do so. The recently selected teams... Read More »
CBP swears in new director of Nogales Port
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Nogales Port Director Michael Humphries was recently sworn into office during a formal ceremony held at the Mariposa crossing in Arizona. Humphries will ensure customs and agriculture inspections are in-line with U.S. laws and regulations and will... Read More »
House approves bill to promote use of more bomb-sniffing dogs
A bill that promotes the use of dogs to detect explosives was included in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The legislation, called the Domestic Explosive Detection Canine Capacity Building Act (H.R. 4577), ensures... Read More »
GAO report gives clear assessment of DOD laboratory oversight post-anthrax scare
In 2015 it was discovered that a U.S. laboratory spent more than a decade inadvertently sending the bacteria that causes anthrax to 194 laboratories worldwide. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has recently released its findings regarding how effective the U.S. Department of Defense has... Read More »
Military radio garners Type-1 NSA certification
Rockwell Collins’ military ground radio achieved a major milestone recently as the National Security Agency (NSA) issued the company’s device a Type-1 certification. Officials said certification for the AN/PRC-162(V)1 RT-2048(C)U validates that the radio provides protected handling of... Read More »
Report examines nuclear weapons, cyberattack vulnerability
A recently released Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) report suggests nuclear weapons and related systems are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks and implores nuclear-armed states to take measures to prevent attacks. “Nuclear Weapons in the New CyberAge: A Report of the Cyber-Nuclear Weapons... Read More »
UN holds first high-level meeting to address global TB threat
The United Nations set forth a goal of eliminating a global tuberculosis epidemic by 2030, as well as to treat 40 million people infected by the disease by 2022 and push forward infection prevention measures in the same timeframe. A meeting held by the body’s General Assembly this week marked... Read More »
ICE operation yields arrest of 98 criminal aliens, immigration violators
During a 10-day enforcement operation this month, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) reported the arrest of 98 criminal aliens and immigration violators in North Texas and Oklahoma. Sixty-seven of those arrested had criminal... Read More »
House aviation bill reauthorizes FAA, TSA
The U.S. House advanced bipartisan resolution H.R. 302 Thursday that reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for five years while also reauthorizing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for three years. “Better protecting Americans requires a holistic approach to security... Read More »