News
Army research director addresses CBRN defense
Eric Moore, director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Chemical & Biological Center (RDECOM C&B) recently spoke at an industry conference about technology and innovation in development to bolster chemical and biological defense. The CBRN (chemical, biological,... Read More »
Defense Secretary Mattis undertakes first South American trip
For the first time since he took office as the United States Secretary of Defense, James Mattis traveled to South America to solidify the Department's strong defense ties with Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Colombia. "These relationships are critical to a collaborative, prosperous and secure... Read More »CDC joins efforts to contain Ebola outbreak in Republic of the Congo
As the World Health Organization (WHO) and health agencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) seek to clamp down quickly on a new Ebola outbreak in the country, they can now count on the expertise of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well. The CDC has... Read More »
Valley Fever therapies show potential for humans although long way from market
Researchers are still a decade away from seeing a Valley Fever vaccine realized for humans, who are in recent years being infected at a greater degree with the fungal spores that cause the disease. The illness primarily affects people living in the Southwestern United States. Federal officials... Read More »
GAO urges DHS to share more info on chemical facilities with first responders
Warning of the potential danger presented by attackers targeting hazardous chemical facilities, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to share more information with first responders who may need to respond to security incidents.... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee chairman urges Senate action on cybersecurity
Warning that the cyber threats to the United States are not going away, and in fact continue to grow, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) has urged the Senate to take action. To make his case, McCaul pointed to three separate bills the House has already advanced on... Read More »
Rep. Denham concludes trip to Mexican border
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) recently completed a multiday, congressional delegation visit to the California-Mexico border. During the trip, the Congress members visited a U.S. Naval Air Station and tunnel site, a U.S. Border Patrol station, the San Ysidro Port of Entry, and the Otay Mesa Detention... Read More »
Migration over Southwest border decreases 7 percent in July
Migration over the Southwestern border dropped nearly 7 percent in July compared to June, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) rates fell nearly 23 percent while Family Units declined less than 1 percent. “This decrease shows that when there... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions to buy PaxVax and its infectious disease vaccines
Emergent BioSolutions said on Thursday it would expand its reach in the public health threats market by acquiring PaxVax, a company that develops specialty vaccines that protect against infectious diseases, including typhoid fever and cholera. Included in the purchase will be the typhoid fever... Read More »
Five universities selected for defense science initiative
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently selected five university-industry teams for the Defense Enterprise Science Initiative (DESI). The initiative’s goals are to identify technological gaps and apply new discoveries and knowledge on existing capabilities and to accelerate the basic... Read More »
Military construction projects in New York receive nearly $200 million in funding
Five Military Construction projects in upstate New York have received $199.1 million in federal funding from the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). “New York State is home to some of the nation’s top military installations,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY),... Read More »
Facebook tells DHS, election officials how its combatting malicious actors
In a meeting with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS and the nation’s leading election security officials, Facebook officials discussed the company’s actions to remove inauthentic behavior by malicious actors who seek to undermine democratic institutions. On the call -- attended by... Read More »
DHS releases 2017 figures for foreign admissions to the US
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 52,656,022 nonimmigrants visited the country in 2017, and of these, only a small fraction -- 701,900 -- overstayed their original trips. The report based its findings on lack of identifiable evidence of departures, extensions of... Read More »
Lab-created mosquitoes could see pilot deployment in Brazil in anti-disease effort
The University of São Paulo's Biomedical Science Institute has created a line of genetically modified male mosquitoes with defective sperm, which could see deployment in the next year. By deploying these lab creations en masse, scientists are hopeful they could help control outbreaks of dengue... Read More »
Air Force exploring Light Attack Aircraft option
The Air Force has crafted a Light Attack Aircraft plan, which they said is the first step toward working with industry to generate the final RFP expected at the end of the year. A draft request for proposal was shared with Sierra Nevada /Embraer and Textron Aviation following the conclusion of... Read More »
Raytheon facility targets radar testing, integration
Raytheon announced Monday the opening of a new facility designed to solely focus upon radar testing and integration, with an overarching goal of developing manufacturing innovations. The $72 million, 30,000 square-foot facility, based in Andover, Mass., is the primary location for testing and... Read More »
GAO warns CBP border barrier evaluation is proceeding without cost analysis
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently began testing eight barrier design prototypes for the U.S. border wall with Mexico, but the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warns they are doing so without an analysis of cost. Topography, land ownership, and other factors all play a part... Read More »
Ohio State researchers see potential for human Zika vaccine in latest efforts
In a new study conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, an experimental Zika virus vaccine has shown promise in mice with the potential of treating human patients infected with the disease. "In this study, the vaccine was potent, safe and highly effective, at least in the short... Read More »
West Nile virus found in 51 Pennsylvania counties
West Nile virus has been found in 51 Pennsylvania counties as of Aug. 1 after heavy rains and flooding struck the state. More than 150 people have been infected within the commonwealth over the past six years. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued an advisory to alert medical... Read More »Sen. Murphy honors Connecticut drone manufacturer
Connecticut-based drone manufacturer RADeCO, Inc. was featured this week by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer,” recognition he bestows on select U.S. manufacturers. The RADeCO, which stands for RADiation Detection COmpany, manufactures air monitoring... Read More »
Wiretap investigation yields drug, gambling arrests
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said the agency’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit recently helped execute a wiretap investigation leading to 32 drug and gambling arrests. HSI’s New York division worked with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) in... Read More »
Marine Corps’ Beaufort station sees first F-35 search and rescue exercise
Marine Corps units from Air Station Beaufort joined members of the U.S. Navy, Naval Hospital Beaufort, Savannah Coast Guard and local responders on a first-ever search and rescue exercise with F-35 fighters July 27. The exercise, which took place on the Beaufort River, paired pilots and first... Read More »
Democratic Republic of the Congo tests positive for Ebola outbreak
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced last week that tests of cases in the country’s North Kivu province by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) revealed Ebola in patients. Though the news came just over a week after the Ministry of Health... Read More »
African delegations trained on counterterrorism
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently provided counterterrorism training at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Roswell, N.M. to law enforcement delegations from six African nations. The participants were judges, prosecutors, and police officers from Angola,... Read More »
Pennsylvania fire department receives FEMA grant
The Reliance Fire Company No. 1 in Berwick, Pa., recently received a $119,610 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program. Established in 2001, the AFG program provides firefighters and... Read More »
Bill seeks to enhance Russian sanctions
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure designed to bolster Russian sanctions, with the goal of applying economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on the Federation. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) joined Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Menendez... Read More »
Lockheed Martin, WAV4M establish partnership
Lockheed Martin has chosen WAV4M to serve as its exclusive reseller for the Universal Communications Platform (UCP) to address a potential $14 billion critical communications market. “There’s been an ongoing industry debate between traditional land mobile radio versus mission critical... Read More »
DHS S&T organizes First Responder stakeholder summit in Washington, D.C.
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is hosting a summit in Washington, D.C. this week to gather together technology innovators for the first responder industry. The summit will take place on Thursday, Aug. 9, and represents the second... Read More »
August Terror Snapshot highlights Islamic terror threats in United States, Europe
The August Terror Threat Snapshot, released by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), found a steady influence of Islamic-driven terrorism in the United States and Europe. The report showed that there have been 157 cases of terrorism in the United States spurred by the... Read More »
Rhode Island fire departments receive nearly $107,000 in FEMA grants
The Rhode Island fire departments recently received $106,668 through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program for the purchase of needed equipment and gear. The Central Falls Fire Department was awarded $59,048. It will use the funds to... Read More »
Air Force releases flight plan for next generation ISR dominance
The U.S. Air Force recently released its Next Generation Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) Dominance Flight Plan, which is a strategy for maintaining and enhancing competitive advantage in the rapidly changing digital era through 2028. “We need to balance our ISR portfolio... Read More »
Alliance for Biosecurity joins U.S. Chamber in call for Congress to pass preparedness funding
Two national organizations that represent biopharmaceutical and business interests have penned a letter to each member of the U.S. House of Representatives urging lawmakers to approve the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018, H.R. 6378, before critical public... Read More »
Measure seeks to bolster cyber incident response measures
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced Wednesday legislation designed to enhance cyber hunt and cyber incident response teams working to prevent attacks on federal and private sector entities. Portman and Hassan said the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act works to... Read More »
Cybersecurity Summit targets defense strategies
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently hosted a Cybersecurity Summit, with the goal of establishing a vision for a defense strategy to protect the nation’s infrastructure. Officials said the effort in New York City united industry and top federal personnel, resulting in a series of... Read More »