News
Georgia lawmakers push for 16th Armored Brigade Combat Team to be based at Fort Stewart
U.S. Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), David Perdue (R-GA) and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) is urging the U.S. Army to station the new 16th Armored Brigade Combat Team at Fort Stewart in Georgia’s Liberty and Bryan counties. In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of the Army Mark Esper on Tuesday, the... Read More »
Senate bill seeks to enhance UAS defense systems in national airspace
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice would be given new authorities to protect critical facilities from threats posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS) under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this week. The Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018 would... Read More »
House bill would create National Office for Cyberspace to bolster government’s cyber defenses
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in response to plans to eliminate a White House cybersecurity coordinator position would create a National Office for Cyberspace to better coordinate cyber defense efforts across the federal government. The Executive Cyberspace Coordination... Read More »
Hill introduces bill to allow cooperation between financial institutions, law enforcement
Rep. French Hill (R-AR), recently introduced the Cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies and Watch Act, which seeks to protect financial institutions that maintain a customer account at the request of a federal or state law enforcement agency “As a former community banker, I have dealt with... Read More »
Passport impostor intercepted at Dulles International airport
The suspicions of a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer regarding a Liberian man’s effort to enter the country resulted in exposing a fraudulent passport admission. Officials said the 25-year-old man arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport on a flight from Brussels, Belgium,... Read More »
Los Alamos researchers map how Ebola, Zika attack host cells
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) recently used computer modeling to map the process by which the Ebola and Zika viruses infiltrate host cells. The researchers, who published their work in the journal Biomolecules, aimed to understand the specific structure-function... Read More »
House bill would require DHS to develop comprehensive school safety strategy
The U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be required to draft a comprehensive strategy to enhance school security and to clarify allowable uses of schools safety grants, under a bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul... Read More »
ICE doubles ongoing worksite investigations from fiscal year 2017 to 2018
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has already doubled the number of ongoing worksite cases from fiscal year 2017 to fiscal year 2018, the agency announced on Thursday. From October to early May, HSI recorded 3,510 worksite investigations,... Read More »
NATO leading development of microwave imaging system to detect explosives, weapons
Experts from NATO member-countries will collaborate on the development of a microwave imaging system that will be able to detect explosive devices and firearms in mass transportation hubs, NATO announced on Monday. Experts from France’s Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches... Read More »
Initiatives seek to counter potential drone security threats
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is working to develop initiatives designed to address potential threats posed by drones. While drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), possess the potential to technology to... Read More »
Senators raise concerns about Trump’s decision to freeze Syria stabilization funds
A group of U.S. Senators recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing concerns about his recent decision to freeze $200 million in funding for stabilization efforts in Syria, including a possible ISIS resurgence and increased foreign influence in the region. “Providing... Read More »
Senate bill would require data collection for all immigration law stops, searches
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be required to establish a formal record-keeping process to document stops and searches under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Friday. The Department of Homeland Security Accountability and... Read More »
Committee releases summary of report on Russian ‘meddling’ in 2016 election
Russia-linked cyber attacks targeted 18 state election systems, conducted malicious access attempts on six state voting-related websites, and gained access to “restricted elements of election infrastructure” in a handful of states during the 2016 elections, according to a U.S. Senate Select... Read More »
Senators call for formal data collection processes before expanding biometric exit system
After the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would initiate formal rulemaking for its biometric exit program, a bipartisan pair of senators called on Friday for the agency to establish formal processes and procedures for collecting passenger data before expanding the... Read More »
Raytheon dedicates missile systems facility
Raytheon Company officials recently dedicated new facilities at Raytheon Missile Systems as part of a large-scale expansion and modernization project to increase capacity and capability of the firm’s Tucson, Arizona, operations. “Our expansion supports the nation's military, the security of... Read More »
Homeland Security Department reissues National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen reissued last week the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin pertaining to the terror threat to the U.S. homeland. Nielsen decided to extend the NTAS Bulletin after considering the current threat environment as well as input from... Read More »
Committee approves fiscal year 2018 NDAA with key Arizona funding priorities
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee approved a national defense spending bill for fiscal year 2019 on Thursday that supports a number of military priorities in Arizona, including $163 million for new A-10 wings and $15 million for a new Aerospace Ground Equipment facility at Davis-Monthan... Read More »
ICE deports Italian national convicted of trafficking assault weapon components
An Italian national sentenced to 11 months in prison for trafficking assault rifle components and night vision goggles into the United States was deported to Italy on Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers. Giovanni Zannoni,... Read More »
American Hospital Association highlights barriers to disaster health response system
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has called on the federal government to provide sufficient funding and guidance to establish a disaster health response system, and for all 50 states to put required licensing arrangements into place, to ensure public health amid “complicated threats.”... Read More »
Clade X: Simulated pandemic to put political leaders, public on notice
The upcoming Clade X exercise hosted by the Center for Health Security, which is part of the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will show the world how United States presidential advisors would handle policy decisions for an unfolding mock pandemic crisis. “The... Read More »
Bill encourages artificial intelligence advancement
Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) are supporting a measure seeking to direct attention to maintaining the nation’s artificial intelligence (AI) competitiveness in support of national security and economic interests. Ernst, Cortez Masto said the bill establishes the... Read More »
Researchers develop machine learning tool to flag potentially dangerous bacteria
Researchers recently developed a machine learning tool that can identify whether emerging strains of the bacterium Salmonella may cause dangerous bloodstream infections rather than food poisoning. The tool speeds up the process for identifying the genetic changes that cause new invasive types of... Read More »
DARPA plans demonstration flights for airborne launch, retrieval system for reusable UAS
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to conduct demonstration flights next year for full-scale technology capable of the airborne launch and recovery of multiple unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Entering its third and final phase, DARPA’s “Gremlins” program would... Read More »
Rhode Island Airport to receive $7 million for post-9/11 security upgrades
The Rhode Island Airport Corp. (RIAC) will receive nearly $7 million in reimbursements from the federal government for security enhancements made to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick in response to the 9/11 terror attacks, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) announced on Wednesday. RIAC installed in-line... Read More »
Researchers find mass vaccinations unviable prevention option amidst new Ebola outbreaks
As the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declared a new Ebola outbreak in the Kongo on Tuesday, researchers from the University of Kent announced their findings that mass vaccination is not a viable option to prevent or contain Ebola outbreaks. The team of researchers concluded that... Read More »
3D printing could lead to security threats, labor market disruption
The technology known as 3D printing could disrupt labor markets and exacerbate security threats from violent actors, a new RAND Corporation paper suggests. To the latter point, 3D printing could benefit military adversaries, violent extremists, and even street criminals, who could produce their... Read More »
Firm lands contract to design reconnaissance technology
Intelleuron, LLC has garnered a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate contract to design, develop and test intelligent reconnaissance technology. Officials said the $199,977 award involves working with small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) in support of... Read More »
Sen. Murphy calls on Defense Department to ban use of foreign-made drones
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary James Mattis asking him to consider a ban on DoD use of foreign-made drones until the completion of further threat-assessments. The DoD previously deemed drones manufactured in China a potential... Read More »
National Guard troops arrive at Laredo Sector Border Patrol
Operation Guardian Support brought 180 U.S. National Guard troops to the Laredo Sector Border Patrol on Tuesday to serve as pilots, aerial observers, intelligence analysts, communication specialists, camera operators, mechanics and additional non-enforcement roles. Additional National Guard... Read More »
Moniz calls termination of Iran nuclear deal “major strategic mistake”
Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz called President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday “a major strategic mistake” that would impair U.S. ability to deter an Iranian nuclear program as well as its ability to prevent nuclear proliferation... Read More »
Reps. McSally, Donovan applaud Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw from Iran Nuclear Deal
President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal on Tuesday was applauded by U.S. Reps. Martha McSally (R-AZ) and Dan Donovan (R-NY), who argued that the agreement was “deeply flawed” and “prioritized Iran’s interests over American security.” In... Read More »
Wisconsin first responders to conduct “Dark Sky” power outage training
The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs is conducting a training exercise from May 15-17 in the state simulating a long-term mass power outage. The training exercise, known as Dark Sky, will take place in Brown, Calumet, Dane, Fond du Lac, Milwaukee, Outagamie, and Winnebago Counties. It is... Read More »
Firm to provide combat-ready equipment to Marines
A professional services and technology firm has been awarded a contract to provide combat-ready equipment to Marines worldwide. KBR, Inc. officials said the contract calls for a modification by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to provide prepositioning and logistics support services for the USMC... Read More »
AI finds patterns among gut bacteria that signal cholera risk
Machine-based algorithms in use by an international team of researchers have found a way to predict people’s susceptibility to cholera through gut bacteria. Out of trillions of bacteria swimming around the gut, the artificial intelligence (AI) determined a hundred microbes that establish... Read More »