News
GAO issues fighter pilot squadron requirement recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps reevaluate fighter pilot squadron requirements. Officials said the GAO’s assessment and recommendation stems from the Air Force, Navy Marine Corps having gaps between the actual numbers of fighter... Read More »
Raytheon Company contracted to demonstrate software for in-field information gathering
A mobile, laptop-based intelligence program created by the Raytheon Company has become the focus of the U.S. Army, in an effort to give soldiers greater battlefield information collection and access. The program is commercially available currently, but the Army wishes to see the FoXTEN system... Read More »
WHO concerned by reports of suspected chemical attacks in Syria
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in a press release Wednesday that it is “deeply alarmed” by reports of suspected toxic chemical attacks in Douma city in East Ghouta, Syria. An estimated 500 patients presented to health facilities showing signs and symptoms consistent with... Read More »
Senators call for support for COPS hiring grants in fiscal year 2019 budget
A bipartisan group of 41 senators called for at least $225.5 million in funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program in the fiscal year 2019 federal budget on Wednesday. Hiring grants administered through the COPS program can be used by state, local and tribal law... Read More »
House advances bill to crack down on human trafficking through financial system
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation on Tuesday that would help financial institutions and law enforcers identify human traffickers using the financial system. The End Banking for Human Traffickers Act, H.R. 2219, would add the secretary of the treasury to the President's... Read More »
United States removes travel restrictions placed on Chad
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the Republic of Chad has raised its security standards to meet baseline U.S. national security requirements and that the United States would remove travel restrictions placed on the country, effective April 13. As a result of the removal, Chad... Read More »
OPCW to address Douma chemical weapons allegations
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will embark upon a mission to Douma, as a means of addressing chemical weapon allegations. Officials said the OPCW Technical Secretariat has requested the Syrian Arab Republic make the necessary arrangements for such a deployment.... Read More »
DHHS undertakes largest moving exercise for patients with highly infectious diseases
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is putting its capabilities for transferring patients with highly infectious diseases to the test this week with the largest patient movement exercise in the department’s history. It is a nationwide test that will be conducted by more... Read More »
Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force highlights importance of speed, innovation
Gen. Stephen Wilson, vice chief of staff of the Air Force, spoke this week at the 2018 Future of War Conference in Washington, D.C., where he emphasized the importance of speed, connectivity, and innovation for future war. Wilson said that the Air Force must be able to quickly collect and... Read More »
Monthly terror threat assessment underscores fight against ISIS, homegrown terrorists
With the Iraqi government reclaiming control of more territory from ISIS, the focus has shifted to processing more than 19,000 individuals being held on terror-related charges, according to the April Terror Threat Snapshot released by the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday. The... Read More »
Senate bill would establish privacy bill of rights for American consumers
As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified on Capitol Hill on Tuesday about the company’s policies related to user data, a bill was introduced in the U.S. Senate to establish a privacy bill of rights to protect the personal information of America’s online consumers. U.S. Sens. Edward Markey... Read More »
Researchers working to improve U.S. biosurveillance system
Researchers at the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the University of New Mexico (UNM) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are working to improve the U.S. biosurveillance system that warns authorities of disease outbreaks by mimicking the human immune system. The CDC... Read More »
Santa Teresa border wall work underway
Officials said construction for a border wall replacement in Santa Teresa with new bollard style wall is underway. The existing barrier will be replaced with an 18- to 30-foot high bollard-style wall, officials noted, referencing the contract, which Customs and Border Protection (CBP) awarded to... Read More »
Scientists decipher how malaria protein interacts with human hosts
After 20 years, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute have identified how a surface protein of malaria -- TRAP -- interacts with proteins on the surface of human cells, offering a new vaccine target. The human surface protein in question is a receptor known as an integrin. In their... Read More »
RAND study examines how U.S. can improve tactics to counter political warfare
The RAND Corporation recently released a study that explores modern political warfare and offers recommendations for how the U.S. government and its allies can counter these types of actions by adversaries. Political warfare refers to measures that do not fit the definition of conventional... Read More »
DHS S&T to demonstrate new cybersecurity technologies at 2018 RSA Conference
Thirteen market-ready cybersecurity technologies will be demonstrated by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) researchers at partners from April 16-20 at the 2018 RSA Conference in San Francisco. S&T will demonstrate new cybersecurity technologies like AI-Analyst,... Read More »
Lawmakers oppose inclusion of social media ‘scraping’ in ICE extreme vetting initiative
Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Homeland Security called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday to abandon plans to include social media scraping in an “extreme vetting” initiative for visa applicants. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the... Read More »
F-35B Lightning II aircraft arrives at U.S. Central Command
The F-35B Lightning II aircraft recently arrived at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on MacDill Air Force Base in Florida for a two-day visit to inform CENTCOM leadership about the capabilities and limitations of the F-35B platform. The aircraft is fully operational and ready for combat. It will... Read More »
DSI’s Border Security Summit to discuss border protection, advance intelligence capabilities
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit, presented by the Defense Strategies Institute, will provide an open forum for the discussion of initiatives in action that strengthen U.S. border protection and advance the development of intelligence capabilities. The summit, titled “Enhancing... Read More »
DSI Event: Border Security Summit on April 18-19 in Alexandria, Va.
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit presented by the Defense Strategies Institute will take place on April 18-19 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Designed for members of the Department of Homeland Security as well as other security critical organizations, the... Read More »
DoJ seizes control of Backpage.com, hands down indictments related to sex trafficking
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) seized control of Backpage.com and indicted seven individuals on Friday amid allegations that the online classifieds website has facilitated human sex trafficking for years. After leading a two-year investigation into Backpage.com, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman... Read More »
Syria chemical attack condemned by President Trump, Sen. McCain
A suspected chemical weapons attack by the Asaad regime last week has been condemned by U.S. President Donald Trump, who also called out Russia and Iran for backing Asaad. “Many dead, including women and children, in mindless chemical attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and... Read More »
Measure seek to bolster civil defense preparedness
Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) recently introduced a bill designed to strengthen civil defense preparedness in Hawaii and across the country. Gabbard and Hanabusa said the Civil Defense Preparedness Act of 2018 would expand existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS)... Read More »
New blood test can predict TB onset up to two years before signs
A new blood test published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine claims the ability to predict TB’s onset up to two years prior to its development in people living with active TB. While other tests currently exist that track TB progression, professor Gerhard Walzl,... Read More »
Radiological Assistance Program teams participate in emergency response training session
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Radiological Assistance Program (RAP) teams from across the country recently underwent classroom and field training as part of the Radiological Assistance Program Training for Emergency Response (RAPTER) in Las Vegas. “RAP team members are often... Read More »
Delaware to receive $3 million to enhance election security
Rhode Island will receive $3 million in support from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to update elections equipment, reinforce cybersecurity measures and enhance overall election security, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) announced on Friday The funds are part of the $380 million in... Read More »
Border migration rose in March, according to CBP
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics revealed there was a 37 percent border migration increase overall during the month of March when compared to February, but a 203 percent increase compared to March 2017. Officials said a total of 37,393 individuals were apprehended between ports of... Read More »
Researchers claim focus on different protein could improve flu vaccines
In a report published in a recent issue of the journal Cell, researchers argued that a refocus of anti-influenza efforts may be needed, with the protein neuraminidase cited as a potentially important point for decreasing flu severity and infection alike. Historically, flu vaccines have been... Read More »
Internal, Frontex meeting aims to improve travel document checks
INTERPOL and Frontex held a meeting recently to support efforts to expand their respective Dial-Doc and Quick Check Cards programs, which are designed to improve travel document checks at border points and fight travel document fraud. The meeting was the first meeting of the working group and... Read More »
Homeland Security Department hosts exhibit at USA Science & Engineering Festival
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted an exhibit focusing on how science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills can contribute to national defense at the USA Science & Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., last week. The... Read More »
Sen. Portman highlights need for continued U.S. support following trip to Ukraine
Following a recent visit to Ukraine, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) called on Wednesday for continued U.S. support after witnessing Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine first-hand. Portman, the co-chairman of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, visited Ukrainian military positions and was briefed by... Read More »
Lawmakers call on FCC to investigate fake cell towers in Washington, D.C.
In response to reports that foreign actors may have placed surveillance equipment around Washington, D.C., that mimics cellular towers, Democratic leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on Wednesday. The cell-site... Read More »
DSI Event: Border Security Summit on April 18-19 in Alexandria, Va.
The 2018 Border Security & Intelligence Summit presented by the Defense Strategies Institute will take place on April 18-19 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Designed for members of the Department of Homeland Security as well as other security critical organizations, the... Read More »
Global Entry endeavor reaches milestone
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said its flagship Trusted Traveler Program, Global Entry, has eclipsed the five million member milestone. CBP personnel said Global Entry provides expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. As of... Read More »