News
Measures seek to extend border from American shores
Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently introduced a pair of bills authorizing two programs that are part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to extend the border far from American shores. McSally said the bills would codify the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM),... Read More »
DHS must take action to comply with Workforce Assessment Act, GAO says
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently testified on the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified, categorized, and assigned employment codes to its cybersecurity positions and identified its cybersecurity workforce areas of critical need. The... Read More »
Treasury Department imposes sanctions on Mexican heroin traffickers
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed new sanctions this week on eight Mexican individuals and eight Mexican companies linked to the Ruelas Torres drug trafficking organization (Ruelas Torres DTO). The Treasury Department took this action... Read More »
Rep. Lynch calls on State Department to step-up counter-propaganda efforts
Citing Russian efforts to meddle in U.S. elections, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) called on the State Department on Tuesday to use $120 million allocated by Congress to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation since 2016. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) hasn’t... Read More »
Senate committee approves DHS reauthorization bill
The first-ever Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reauthorization bill cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The Department of Homeland Security Reauthorization Act, H.R. 2825, would establish a framework for regular DHS... Read More »
DSI’s DoD Information Warfare Symposium to explore efforts to ease congested information battlespace
The Department of Defense (DoD) Information Warfare Symposium, which will be held March 28-29 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Va., will create an open space for dialogue regarding current and future efforts to converge the use of cyber, electronic warfare, and information... Read More »
University researchers eye potential Ebola combatant in new antibody delivery method
Researchers from the University of Guelph have turned to an antibody-based therapy they say could both help prevent and treat otherwise deadly Ebola infections. The method in question is a new way of delivering antibodies, discovered by professor Sarah Wootton of the university’s Department of... Read More »
TSA tests new passenger screening technology
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently joined the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority in testing new passenger screening technology designed to detect suicide vests and other metallic and non-metallic concealed weapons. Officials said the effort involves... Read More »
Experts analyze Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review
Nuclear experts recently met on Capitol Hill for a panel discussion on the Trump Administration’s recently released Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). The panel compared the NPR to past U.S. nuclear policy and expressed concerns about the future of the nuclear relationship between the United... Read More »
Lockheed Martin announces Henosis prototype for U.S. Air Force Unified Platform contract
The Cyber Solutions division of Lockheed Martin announced plans to compete for the U.S. Air Force’s Unified Platform contract by revealing details about the Henosis prototype, a joint integrated mission system, at the company’s Media Day. The Henosis prototype would function as a command and... Read More »
Sen. Rubio highlights steps to curb gun violence on Senate floor, highlights importance of bipartisanship
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took to the U.S. Senate floor on Tuesday to outline steps that he’s taken or supported to curb gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead on Feb. 14. Rubio co-sponsored the... Read More »
Terror Threat Snapshot highlights ongoing efforts to combat ISIS
A Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday notes that State Department has designated seven ISIS-affiliated groups to its Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and that ISIS fighters returning to their home countries continue to pose security threats.... Read More »
DSI Event: DoD Information Warfare Symposium on March 28-29 in Alexandria, Va.
The DoD Information Warfare Symposium presented by the Defense Strategies Institute will take place on March 28-29 at the Mary M. Gates Learning Center in Alexandria, Virginia. Designed for members of the Department of Defense, federal government, private industry, academia, and other stakeholders,... Read More »
Yellow Fever may be contagious for longer than previously suspected
Brazilian researchers have determined that Yellow Fever may have been underestimated, with a patient who survived the disease still showing signs of it nearly a month after infection. Previously, scientists operated on the idea that yellow fever had a transmissibility period that roughly... Read More »
Gun safety bill aims to help states better enforce existing gun laws
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday would require federal authorities to alert state officials when attempted gun purchases are denied because individuals don’t have legal rights to possess a firearm in an effort to better enforce existing gun laws. Currently, federal... Read More »
CBP, ICE report record number of Intellectual Property Rights seizures for fiscal year 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized a record number of shipments of goods that violated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in fiscal year (FY) 2017, CBP announced Monday. The two agencies seized 34,143 shipments of goods that... Read More »
Science and Technology Directorate seeks feedback on first responder technology integration guide
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) requested feedback on Monday on its Next Generation First Responder Integration Handbook, which it released in February. The handbook serves as a guide for industry and public safety agencies on the development,... Read More »
Bipartisan bill aims to shore up school security through increased federal support for training, school security infrastructure
The Department of Justice (DoJ) would be able to award grants that support training that helps students, teachers and law enforcers recognize early warning signs of violence and intervene under a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Amy... Read More »
Senators raise concerns about Vietnam-era helicopters patrolling nuclear sites
A bipartisan coalition of senators raised questions on Monday about the use of Vietnam-era Huey helicopters to patrol intercontinental ballistic missile sites across the country, noting that replacement helicopters for a handful of Air Force bases were recently delayed. In a letter to Air Force... Read More »
Raytheon, NOAA recognized for developing unmanned aerial vehicle to gather data in hurricanes
Aviation Week magazine named Raytheon Corp. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the recipients of its Laureate award on Friday for the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can gather life-saving data during hurricanes in near real-time. The Raytheon... Read More »
Smallpox re-emergence is real possibility world must prepare for, disease expert warns
Advances in medicine have meant many lives saved over the years, but it also has led to weakened immune systems that would leave people vulnerable to the resurrection of an older, incredibly deadly disease: smallpox. Professor Raina MacIntyre of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) is... Read More »U.S. ASPR to headline political group’s seminar at European Parliament on CBRN
Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will present the keynote address during a March 7 seminar in Brussels for members of the European Parliament and will discuss “CBRN — An Invisible Risk. Is... Read More »
DARPA Biostasis program aims to slow biochemical reactions to improve treatment outcomes for brain injuries, infections
To improve outcomes for service members who suffer traumatic brain injuries, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has created a program that aims to slow down biochemical reactions inside cells to extend the length of time that life-saving treatment can be rendered. DARPA’s... Read More »
NNSA, INTERPOL host training session radiological and nuclear investigations
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently hosted a workshop on radiological and nuclear investigations with representatives from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus region law enforcement agencies in Tbilisi,... Read More »
Study shows United States unprepared for potential pediatric pandemic
Researchers at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) recently published a study that found that the United States is unprepared for the surge in pediatric patients that an infectious disease pandemic could cause. The paper, which was published in the American Journal of Disaster Medicine,... Read More »
Nevada lawmakers call on DHS to reconfigure risk assessment, urban security funding formula for Las Vegas
Citing the Las Vegas mass shooting that left 58 concert goers dead in October, Nevada lawmakers called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconfigure the funding formula for its Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program on Friday. In a letter to Homeland Security Kirstjen... Read More »
Sen. King calls for national doctrine of cyber deterrence
Warning that the United States is engaged in or at the brink of cyber war, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-ME) called for a national doctrine of cyber deterrence during two separate hearings on Thursday. King spoke about the importance of a national cybersecurity policy during a Senate Armed Services... Read More »
WHO advises increased attention to community, hygiene to combat Nigerian Lassa outbreak
Lassa Fever has broken out in Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with 1081 suspected cases spread across 18 states. Among these, 72 deaths have been confirmed as linked to the fever, though as many as 90 may have actually died from it. Four of the dead were health care... Read More »Senate bill would expand extreme risk protection orders for guns
A bipartisan bill announced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would enable law enforcers and family members to petition courts to temporarily restrict access to firearms for those who are deemed an imminent threat to themselves or others. U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham... Read More »
CBP Officers at Del Rio Port of Entry seize $247K in methamphetamine
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry recently seized methamphetamine valued at approximately $247,000. “This seizure is a great example of teamwork exhibited by our CBP officers,” Mucia C. Dovalina, port director for... Read More »
Molecular diagnostic test for Zika in Brazil not always reliable, study finds
A study from scientists at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin found that almost two-thirds of all molecular diagnostic tests for the Zika virus in Brazil showed false-positive or false-negative results. Almost all cases of Zika-associated malformations in newborns have been reported from... Read More »
DHS seeks submissions for demonstrations of first responder technology
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) Directorate plans to hold a Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Operational Experimentation (OpEX) in December to evaluate first responder technology solutions. The DHS S&T Directorate issued a request for information (RFI)... Read More »
‘It’s all about preparedness,’ U.S. Congresswoman Brooks says
U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) this week maintained her laser focus on improving the preparedness of the United States to respond to a pandemic or chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats via formation of the new bipartisan Congressional Biodefense Caucus. Rep. Brooks and... Read More »NIAID releases strategy for universal influenza vaccine
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) laid out a point by point note of the necessities for a universal flu vaccine this week, publishing their strategy in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. For such a vaccine to be successful, the organization saw four main goals... Read More »