News
GAO offers Defense Department risk enhancement recommendations
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued Wednesday a series of recommendations to the Department of Defense (DOD), as a means of resolving ongoing data access issues with suppliers. GAO officials said while the DOD relies on a network of suppliers to provide the materials and equipment... Read More »
NATO funds research into real-time detection of explosive materials in mass transit hubs
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme will support efforts led by researchers in Serbia and Italy to leverage laser spectroscopy to detect explosive materials and prevent terrorist attacks on public transportation. Launched on Thursday in... Read More »
Senate bill would bar unilateral withdrawal of US troops from South Korea
President Donald Trump would be barred from unilaterally withdrawing nearly 30,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in South Korea under a measure introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday. U.S Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced an amendment to the... Read More »
Sen. Donnelly laments outsourcing of American national defense manufacturing jobs
Amid ongoing debate on the annual national defense spending bill in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) highlighted the importance of policies that support domestic manufacturing and penalize manufacturers that ship jobs overseas on Wednesday. Donnelly, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed... Read More »
Floridians more concerned about Zika virus than other states
When the mosquito-borne Zika virus scare occurred in the United States in 2016, Florida took the threat more seriously than other states, according to a new study. Floridians were nearly twice as likely as non-Floridians to take steps to protect themselves from Zika, a study by the Annenberg... Read More »
Nuclear experts weigh global nonproliferation dynamic
Top nuclear experts maintain the global nonproliferation regime is not faring well in today’s current policy climate, according to a recent Simson Center hosted discussion on The Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) at Fifty. Susan Burk, former special representative of the President for Nuclear... Read More »
CBP, TSA initiate advanced cargo screening effort
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced this week the initiation of an effort designed to require the submission of advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from a foreign location. Although the Air Cargo... Read More »
House bill would enhance accountability for gun dealers engaging in illegal sales practices
Firearms dealers that engage in illegal sales practices would face stronger oversight from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and stiffer penalties under a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday. U.S. Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Gwen... Read More »
EcoHealth Alliance to collaborate with Microsoft’s AI for Earth on pandemic prevention
EcoHealth Alliance has teamed up with Microsoft’s AI for Earth program to develop new tools to detect and prevent outbreaks of new and emerging diseases in an effort to bring about an end to the Pandemic Era. Under the partnership, EcoHealth Alliance will receive a grant and will have access... Read More »
DHS S&T ‘Watchtower’ app enhances situational awareness of first responders
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has made a number of improvements to its Watchtower mobile application, which connects to wearable technology that tracks the location and vital signs of first responders on a mission. Released in February,... Read More »
Raytheon awarded $129.9 million weapons contract by US Army
The U.S. Army recently awarded a $129.9 million contract to Raytheon Company to produce anti-tank military assault weapons. It is a modification to Raytheon's existing $320 million contract with the Army for the continued production of the tube-launched, optically-tracked, wireless-guided TOW... Read More »
Milestone aircraft delivered to Air Force
Touting the achievement as a testament to the effort’s continued progress and momentum, the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin recently delivered the 300th production aircraft to the Air Force. Pentagon officials said the 300th aircraft, a U.S. Air Force F-35A, was delivered to... Read More »
Senate bill would prohibit preemptive strike against North Korea without congressional approval
Ahead of the summit between the United States and North Korea in Singapore, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced a measure that would prohibit war with North Korea without congressional authorization. The amendment to the John S. McCain National Defense... Read More »
Bipartisan group of senators raise concerns about Chinese efforts to undermine democracy
Amid China’s growing influence around the world, a bipartisan group of senators raised concerns on Monday about Chinese efforts to undermine democratic institutions, weaken U.S. relationships abroad and interfere with financial markets. The letter was sent to U.S. Secretary of State Mike... Read More »
ICE targeted-operation in New Jersey results in 91 foreign national arrests
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led a five-day operation in New Jersey last week that resulted in the detention of 91 foreign nationals suspected of being criminal aliens, illegally re-entering the country or violating other immigration laws, the agency announced Monday. The... Read More »
Homeland Security launches new training course to counter online terrorist activities
The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Task Force has launched an online training course designed to educate social media companies about how terrorists may seek to exploit their platforms. The training course, called “Countering Terrorists Exploitation... Read More »
SECURE Act funding supports CDC efforts to recruit physicians to respond to disease outbreaks
Officers in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), a program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have for seven decades tackled some of the most pressing public health challenges in the United States and abroad. However, student loans might deter many potential EIS officers, who... Read More »
Operation results in intercepted human smuggling effort
Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents recently joined forces with the Government of Mexico to interrupt a human smuggling effort resulting in 24 arrests. Officials said agents assigned to the Laredo Sector Intelligence Unit received information regarding a large assembly at a residence in Nuevo... Read More »
New technology targets Zika, Lassa fever and Ebola through single-dose vaccines
Researchers are espousing the benefits of an effort in delivering new single-dose vaccines that fully protect against infectious diseases such as Zika, Lassa fever, and Ebola. GeoVax scientists said they have developed a flexible “Plug and Play” technology platform recently presented at ASM... Read More »
House bill would permanently authorize Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership to prevent terrorism, extremism in West Africa
The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP), which was created in 2005 to help West African nations counter terrorism and extremism, would be permanently authorized under a bill introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives. The Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership... Read More »
DHS launches national tour to educate small businesses about opportunities, challenges
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program will embark on a national tour this month to educate small businesses about funding opportunities through SBIR and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Sponsored by the Small... Read More »
Sandia Labs to test bomb squad teams in “Robot Rodeo” competition
Civilian and military bomb squad teams from across the country will take part in Sandia Labs’ 12th annual Western National Robot Rodeo this week, a competition that uses simulated scenarios to test the ability of first responders to use robots to complete hazardous tasks. Ten bomb squad teams... Read More »
DHS increases efforts to protect “soft targets” from attacks
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing efforts toward securing “soft targets” from attacks, including places like music festivals, houses of worship or shopping centers, where there is often minimal security. DHS has released a new report called the DHS Soft Target and... Read More »
Researchers examines silent malaria, halting spread
University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have determined treating silent malaria cases could help stop the spread of the disease to others. Officials said silent malaria cases are circumstances in which individuals are infected with malaria parasites without... Read More »
Amendment to increase defense programs domestic content
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently introduced an amendment to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019, increasing the Buy American requirements to 100 percent domestic content. Murphy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the revision... Read More »
Terror assessment highlights vulnerability of existing US-Mexico smuggling routes, efforts to secure World Cup in Russia
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Terror Threat Snapshot for June highlights growing concerns about terrorists gaining access to existing smuggling routes between the United States and Mexico. Rear Admiral Brian Hendrickson, director of the U.S. Southern Command Network Engagement... Read More »
DHS names winner of ‘Hidden Signals Challenge’ to develop early warning biothreat systems
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently named the “Pandemic Pulse” intuitive dashboard developed by the Computational Epidemiology Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital as the $150,000 grand prize winner of the Hidden Signals Challenge. Launched in October by the DHS Science &... Read More »
Air Force to shift cyber responsibilities to Air Combat Command
Cyber responsibilities within the U.S. Air Force will move from Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) to Air Combat Command (ACC), the Air Force announced. The realignment designates ACC as the lead Air Force command responsible for organizing, training and equipping Air Forces to conduct cyber... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions unveils plans for $50 million expansion of Baltimore facility
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. plans to undertake a three-year, $50 million project that will expand the contract development and manufacturing capacity of the company’s Camden fill/finish facility in Baltimore. Slated for completion in 2021, the expansion project also aims to address... Read More »
House committee advances opioid anti-trafficking legislation
Reps. Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Peter King (R-NY) recently praised the efforts of the House Committee on Homeland Security in advancing legislation designed to address opioid trafficking. The congressmen said passage of their Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act allows the Department... Read More »
Boeing, Kittyhawk form partnership in unmanned aircraft system development
Boeing and the San Francisco, California-based company Kittyhawk will collaborate to offer a unified approach to the safe operation of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Boeing officials said the company’s investment in Kittyhawk's technology would support the development of a UAS... Read More »
Subcommittee releases draft fiscal year 2019 NDAA totaling $674 billion in spending
A draft of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released Wednesday outlines $68 billion in spending for the global war on terror, $144 for military personnel and pay, and $245.9 billion for operation and maintenance, including key readiness programs. The U.S.... Read More »
House approves bill establishing $50 mln grant program to combat transnational gangs
A bill that would authorize $50 million in federal grants for state and local governments to combat gang activity through 2021 cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday with bipartisan support. U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA) introduced the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant... Read More »
Nipah virus outbreak holds potential to escalate into ‘international incident’
With the death toll from the ongoing Nipah virus outbreak in India rising to at least 17, EcoHealth Alliance officials have warned that the outbreak could become an international incident if it spreads to neighboring states. The outbreak is centered in the Indian state of Kerala. Five nearby... Read More »