News
Probe examines dengue Ethiopian risk factors
Recently released study findings are lending new insight concerning the dengue virus impact in Ethiopia. Dengue is a mosquito-borne RNA virus representing one of the most serious and rapidly spreading arboviral diseases in the world. Details published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases... Read More »Additional visas available to foreign workers
Homeland Security officials have increased the number of temporary non-agricultural worker visas as a means of aiding American businesses. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen said an additional 15,000 H-2B temporary visas would be available for Fiscal Year 2018, in addition to the... Read More »
Secretary Nielsen tours southwest border, commits to building 150 miles of border wall
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen visited multiple locations along the nation’s southwest border on Thursday, meeting with elected officials, local residents and representatives of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. National Guard. Nielsen was joined by... Read More »
RAND Corporation tapped to oversee collaborative effort to generate data on gun violence, identify solutions
The RAND Corporation has been selected to oversee a five-year effort supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) to use data to better understand gun violence patterns and to find solutions. LJAF has pledged $20 million to the collaborative effort, called the National Collaborative... Read More »
New bill would strengthen evacuation routes as hurricane season begins
Legislators in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives marked the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season Friday by introducing legislation that would dedicate $1 billion to improve the capacity and resilience of the nation’s evacuation routes. The Enhancing the Strength and... Read More »
Cost estimates for nuclear bomb refurbishment program need improvement, GAO says
A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) estimates to refurbish components of nuclear bombs were cost-effective and followed best practices, but the process could use improvements. NNSA estimated that the cost to... Read More »
Heat wave expected to heighten illicit border activity
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are anticipating forecasted record heat will heighten illicit border activity along the Rio Grande Valley. CBP officials said the Rio Grande Valley has experienced a 67 percent increase in the disruption of stash houses and a 33 percent rise in the... Read More »
DHS S&T announces winners of competition to design biothreat warning system
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced the winner of a biothreat competition, which called for the design of an early warning system that uses existing data sources to reveal emerging biothreats. DHS S&T issued the $300,000 Hidden... Read More »
CSIS symposium focuses on lessons learned from Ebola, putting global health policy into practice
A recent Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) symposium focused on the global response to the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa and strategies since to put health security policies into practice. The symposium was part of the Commission on Strengthening America’s Health... Read More »
Booz Allen to compete on NAVAIR PASS contract
Information technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. (Booz Allen) has been awarded a spot on the Program and Systems Support (PASS) professional services contract by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Corporate Business Office (CBO), the company announced on Tuesday. Valued... Read More »
Rockwell Collins showcases new tactical combat targeting, communications system
Rockwell Collins, Inc. recently showcased “FasTAK,” the company’s new tactical combat targeting and communications system, at the Canadian Association of Defense and Security Industries’ trade show. Integrating hardware like laser range finders, tactical computers, video downlink... Read More »
GAO recommends better nationwide collaboration among first responders in emergencies
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently recommended that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) facilitate better collaboration among first responders during emergencies. After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf region in 2005, Congress passed a law... Read More »
Raytheon ranks fourth on Cybersecurity 500
In a worldwide ranking of the most innovative cybersecurity companies, Raytheon, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, ranked fourth. The rankings, called the Cybersecurity 500, is conducted by Cybersecurity Ventures, a cybersecurity research and publishing company. Raytheon's high ranking was... Read More »
IDSA presents priorities at World Health Assembly
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) presented and joined statements reflecting various aspects of its priorities at the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva last week. In one statement, IDSA expressed its support for recommendations on the global strategy and plan of action on... Read More »Haspel highlights her priorities as CIA director during swearing-in ceremony
At her swearing-in ceremony last week, CIA Director Gina Haspel highlighted the need for the agency to bolster its foreign language proficiency, build stronger partnerships and deploy more field officers. Haspel, the first woman to lead the CIA in the agency’s 70-year history, was joined by... Read More »
FLIR Systems offering three new radar, thermal products for use by military, border patrol
FLIR Systems, Inc. introduced last week three new radar and thermal imaging systems that can be used by militaries and government border patrol agencies to detect objects on land and in the air, including microdrones. The FLIR Ranger R8SS-3D and R8SS radars can provide mid-range detection... Read More »
Senate bill would give police fast access to cell phone location data in missing persons cases
Cellular service providers would be required to provide limited cell phone data to police departments in emergency situations like missing persons cases under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on May 24. The Kelsey Smith Act is named for an 18-year-old woman who was abducted and murdered in... Read More »
Agency seeks national security solutions
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is requesting input on concepts for advanced research, development, and demonstration of systems for military missions regarding national security. The agency’s Tactical Technology Office will host a Virtual Proposers Day June 6-7 to... Read More »Research develop framework to identify microorganisms with high pandemic potential
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security recently developed a framework to help identify microorganisms that are most likely to cause a global pandemic to inform future preparedness and response efforts. The report from the researchers, "The Characteristics of Pandemic... Read More »
CBP Laredo Field Office makes plans to ease border crossing during busy summer travel season
With peak summer travel season approaching, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laredo Field Office will open additional traffic lanes and has encouraged travelers to secure tourist permits ahead of time and to enroll in trusted traveler programs to help reduce wait times. CBP has also... Read More »
Senate committee approves NDAA with more than 30 amendments from Sen. Cruz
Highlighting the importance of “peace through strength,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced more than 30 amendments to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2019 during U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee markup, which concluded on May 24. In total,... Read More »
DARPA kicking off four-year effort to leverage gene tuning to mitigate threats
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to host an informational event on June 13 for those interested in participating in a new program that seeks to temporarily leverage the human body’s natural genetic responses to counter biological, chemical, and radiological threats.... Read More »
DHS seeks to better secure federal assets from cybersecurity threats
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to enhance its approach to securing the federal government’s High Value Assets (HVAs) from cybersecurity threats. DHS has worked for the past several years with federal agencies to identify, prioritize, and assess the cybersecurity needs of the... Read More »
Operation yields human trafficking arrests
A three-week Border Patrol operation west of Yuma, Arizona, between April and May yielded the arrests of 170 human trafficking suspects. Special Operations Detachment (SOD) and Intelligence Border Patrol agents detected the suspects near the Imperial Sand Dunes. Operation Sandman apprehended a... Read More »
Homeland Security Department awards $3 million to small businesses for research projects
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program recently announced that it awarded $2.94 million across 20 competitive research contracts to 19 small businesses in 10 states. Each of the Phase I awardees will... Read More »
FBI seizes control of key server used in massive Russian botnet cyberattacks
A Russian botnet that has infected about a half million routers used in homes and business around the world with malware was disrupted on Thursday by the FBI’s seizure of a key server. Referred to by federal officials and cybersecurity experts as “VPNFilter,” the botnet has attacked... Read More »
Sen. Portman calls for continued “maximum pressure campaign” against North Korea
In response to reports that President Donald Trump had canceled the planned June 12 summit with North Korea, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Thursday to maintain pressure by continuing talks, engaging the international community and upholding tougher sanctions. Portman, a member of the... Read More »
GAO finds mixed results in HHS performance standards for infectious disease funding
A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) review has found that most states meet performance standards for infectious disease threats related to safety and coordination of first responders, but states reported mixed results regarding electronic lab reporting, epidemiology capacity, and... Read More »
BAE technology for incident response sees growth
A growing number of local law enforcement, private security, and public safety organizations are using new technology from BAE Systems to enhance public safety incident response. BAE Systems’ Geospatial eXploitation Products OpsView product increases the safety of infrastructure by offering... Read More »
Researchers develop portable malaria screening instrument
A team of USC Viterbi School of Engineering researchers recently announced the development of a new prototype for a portable instrument capable of early-stage malaria detection. Details of the portable optical diagnostics system (PODS) prototype featured in ACS Sensors outline the process of... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Nelson applaud committee advancement of emergency preparedness bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) praised on Wednesday the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ (HELP) advancement of the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (PAHPAIA). The bill, S. 2852, would reauthorize various Pandemic... Read More »
EU-U.S. Joint Ministerial Meeting highlights counterrorism, information sharing, security among
The European Union (EU)-U.S. Joint Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs held in Bulgaria on Tuesday and Wednesday allowed leaders to discuss joint efforts to combat terrorism, information sharing, efforts to prevent radicalization, aviation security, and chemical, biological,... Read More »
CBP-National Guard lead first joint aviation mission near southern border
In the first joint U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. National Guard mission near the southern border, three Missouri Guard aviators and a CBP agent provided aerial reconnaissance support for CBP agents on the ground in the Tucson area on May 17. The first aviation mission of... Read More »
DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate fosters launch of new cyber defense technology
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced the launch of new technology, the Autonomic Intelligent Cyber Sensor (AICS), through its Transition to Practice (TTP) Program. This is the 20th technology that has been developed and commercialized... Read More »