News
Defense department conducts demonstrations of MALD-X missile
The U.S. Department of Defense, along with the U.S. Air Force and Navy, completed a series of flight demonstrations last week of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD-X) missile. The MALD-X missile is an air-launched decoy that mimics "friendly" aircraft to confuse enemy defensive systems. ... Read More »
Joint law enforcement operation leads to arrest of largest dark net fentanyl vendor in the US
Operation Darkness Falls, a joint operation targeting fentanyl and other drug distributors over the dark net, has resulted in several arrests associated to such bad actor behavior, including the most recent arrest of MH4Life, the fourth most prolific dark net fentanyl vendor in the world and the... Read More »
Border Patrol names new deputy chief
U.S. Border Patrol recently named Scott Luck as the agency’s new deputy chief. Luck has been chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Directorate at the Border Patrol Headquarters in Washington, D.C., since 2014 and has served as the acting deputy chief since April 2017. “I am deeply... Read More »
NATO initiative bolsters munitions stockpiles
NATO announced this week that a new effort to provide air-to-ground precision-guided munitions to Allies has completed its first delivery. Officials said NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) received the first lot of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs), which were acquired through a... Read More »
Central African field researchers call for greater health care infrastructure investments
In an article written for the New England Journal of Medicine, field researchers from Central Africa pointed to rapid development as fueling disease outbreaks, due to a growing need for a robust, matching health care infrastructure. While on the whole, such growth has been beneficial to the... Read More »
Global security expert Chris Deeney joins Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
The strategy and national security development underway at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will now be lead by Chris Deeney, who joined the organization as its chief science and technology officer for national security matters. A noted researcher and innovator in scientific... Read More »
New initiative offers enhanced cyber defense
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component is aiding private business and academic partners transition from a reactive cyber defense approach to one that is collaborative, proactive and timely. Officials said the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) could eliminate some of the manual... Read More »
Engility distributes cybersecurity scholarships to four veterans
In partnership with the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, Engility Holdings, Inc. awarded four scholarships for its CyberWarrior program this summer. The awarded veterans come from various branches of the United States military -- Army, Air Force, and Navy -- and are currently located in... Read More »
UTA researcher Mark Pellegrino receives $1.8 million grant for immune response research
A University of Texas--Arlington (UTA) researcher recently won a national grant award to continue his research on “superbugs” through mitochondria, discovering their defense mechanisms as well as new ways to boost immunity and improve infection resistance. Over the next five years, UTA... Read More »
Cruz amendment would allow schools to use grants for safety measures
An amendment to the Defense-Labor-HHS appropriations bill would allow communities to utilize Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants to reinforce school safety infrastructure and technology. “Americans have become all too familiar with the horror of school shootings,” U.S. Sen. Ted... Read More »
AECOM using Lockheed’s GridStar on Fort Carson battery energy storage project
AECOM, a Los Angeles-based operational infrastructure firm, has begun construction of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at Fort Carson, Colorado, using Lockheed Martin’s GridStar Lithium energy storage system. The 4.25 MW/8.5 MWh system is designed to reduce Fort Carson's energy costs... Read More »
PSE&G gets SAFETY Act liability protections for anti-terrorism program
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) obtained SAFETY Act liability protections from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the deployment of security measures designed to detect, deter, and recover from acts of terrorism. The New Jersey-based company is the first public utility... Read More »
Simulated smallpox pandemic reveals global preparedness, response challenges
Experts determined during a recently completed hypothetical bioterrorism scenario, which imagines a smallpox outbreak originating in Fiji, that ample preparedness and response capabilities dictate whether a local outbreak is containable or more likely to become a global pandemic. “Smallpox is... Read More »
Indiana man sentenced 15 years for role in terrorist plot
An Indiana man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in a planned terrorist attack as well as distributing information on explosives. Authorities said Marlonn Hicks, 31, of Crown Point, Indiana, has also been handed down three years of supervised release following his sentence... Read More »
ECDC finds most listeria outbreaks go undetected, touts new detection method
In an article published in Eurosurveillance, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) determined that while listeria outbreaks are clustering with many cases going undetected, implementing a whole genome sequencing method could speed up the detection process. In a study... Read More »
Researchers progress toward countering antibiotic resistance in bacteria
Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have modeled the workings of a bacterial pump mechanism that aids in the resistance to antibiotics. These pumps spit out antibiotics before they can do any harm to the offending bacteria. The pump... Read More »
Southwest Airlines partners with CBP for canine training
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently entered into a public-private partnership with Southwest Airlines Co. as part of the Donations Acceptance Program. The program seeks tangible solutions to trade- and travel-enforcement challenges in both infrastructure and intellectual property... Read More »
DataRobot receives DHS award for improvements to Global Travel Assessment System
DataRobot received Monday a $200,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to begin testing a machine learning platform for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Global Travel Assessment System. DataRobot, based in Tysons Corner, Va.,... Read More »
Providence Fire Department receives $1 mln grant for safety, training
The Providence Fire Department in Rhode Island recently received a nearly $1 million federal grant award earmarked for the department’s safety and training, according to an announcement made by state and federal lawmakers last week. Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined... Read More »
Chagas disease spreading beyond Latin America
Over the last 40 years, the parasite-driven disease Chagas has breached the borders of what was once its traditional territory, spreading from Latin America into the United States and Europe, according to a new report from the American Heart Association (AHA). There are an estimated 300,000... Read More »
FirstNet buildout progresses with AT&T active deployment of Band 14 spectrum
AT&T has been actively deploying Band 14 spectrum as part of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) build, bringing a much-needed technology upgrade to the public safety network. Band 14 is nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government for FirstNet that will... Read More »
DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites on track
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) review of its Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program showed that it is on track to fulfill its mission of servicing at least 20 commercial and government spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit (GEO). There are... Read More »
Boeing to acquire Millennium Space Systems
Boeing announced last week that it will acquire Millenium Space Systems as a means of expanding its satellite and space portfolio, talent, and capabilities. Boeing said the El Segundo, California-based provider of flight-proven small-satellite solutions had developed high-performance satellites... Read More »
CBP intercepts cans of baby formula filled with prohibited pork at Dulles Airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport recently discovered pork sausage links concealed in an El Salvadoran woman’s baby formula cans. Swine meat from El Salvador is not allowed to enter the United States because of the... Read More »
NIAID begin combined Zika-Dengue vaccine trial
A new trial underway from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is currently working towards a universal vaccine that would target both Zika and Dengue viruses. The trial will consist of 28 non-pregnant adults between 18... Read More »
More than $100,000 in federal assistance directed to firefighters in New York
Funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance in Firefighters Grant (AFG) program is bringing more than $100,000 to fire departments in two New York counties. The Richville Volunteer Fire Department in St. Lawrence County and the Whitesboro Fire Department in Oneida County... Read More »
Defense contractor to develop a business travel prototype
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently selected defense contractor SAP Concur to develop a business travel system prototype to replace the aging Defense Travel System. Annually, the DoD spends $9 billion on travel. Approximately 70 percent of all department travel vouchers is temporary duty... Read More »
Johns Hopkins hosts pandemic simulation exercise for congressional staffers
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Global Health Council, NTI Bio, and PATH hosted a simulation exercise for congressional staffers to demonstrate the need for congressional support and action to prevent infectious disease threats. The exercise, called Clade X: A Global Health... Read More »
CEPI awards $36 million Lassa virus vaccine contract to Profectus BioSciences, Emergent BioSolutions
Profectus BioSciences, Inc. and Emergent BioSolutions Inc. acquired a contract for up to $36 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this week to drive the creation of a Lassa virus vaccine. The three parties are operating under a Framework Partnering Agreement... Read More »
Aerial transport aids border security effort
Tucson Sector Border Patrol personnel recently touted the benefits of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters toward the effort to bolster border security. Officials said the detail was deployed last month to assist in Operation Guardian Support, aiding transport capabilities in remote areas of southern... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security holds three-day exercise covering election security
With concerns over security for the midterms persisting, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted a three-day exercise meant to help various agencies identify ways to improve cybersecurity, preparedness, identification, response, and recovery during elections. The program, called... Read More »
NTI, Georgetown global health center stress importance of emergency readiness, response
Experts in the fields of biological weapons and related security, along with government officials from around the world, gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, this week for the 2018 Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of Experts. Their attentions were focused on evolving global preparedness and... Read More »
Small-business cybersecurity bill becomes law
President Donald Trump recently signed into law the NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act, which requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and provide resources to protect small businesses’ digital assets from cybersecurity threats. According to the bill,... Read More »
Rep. Denham hosts meeting to fight human trafficking
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) hosted Wednesday a roundtable with local community leaders, law enforcement officials, and the leaders of Uber, among others, to discuss how to combat human trafficking. The meeting, held at the Modesto Police Department in California, gave attendees an opportunity... Read More »