News
Michigan delegation pushes for Fort Custer to be named midcourse missile defense site
Members of Michigan’s congressional delegation recently advocated for the Missile Defense Agency to name the Michigan National Guard Fort Custer Training Center in Augusta as a ground-based midcourse missile defense site. The lawmakers made the plea in a letter to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen.... Read More »
Major US cities sue Defense Department over gun background check reporting failures
San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense (DoD) for its failure to report dishonorable discharges and criminal conviction information to the national criminal background check system for gun sales. The military is required to... Read More »
WSU students develop new technology in support of National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation mission
Washington State University (WSU) students taking part in a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) internship program that promotes the development of equipment for nonproliferation research and training recently developed new technology that addresses safeguards research engineering... Read More »
ICE deports former drug-trafficking leader to face charges in Colombia
A former leader of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia drug-trafficking ring was deported to Columbia on Tuesday after spending eight years in federal custody for conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine in the United States. Hebert Veloza Garcia, 50, was deported to his native Columbia to... Read More »
Dark web gun sellers make illegal firearms sales to undercover GAO agents
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) made two firearms purchases on the dark web without disclosing required background information during a recent review of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ability to regulate online firearm sales. The GAO review was... Read More »
Senators encourage bill giving CBP additional resources to stop flow of fentanyl
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would have more access to portable chemical screening devices to stem the flow of fentanyl across the nation’s borders under a bill that recently gained Senate approval. The International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming... Read More »
NIAID report establishes push toward Zika prevention, remaining questions
Though scientists have been working steadily toward understanding and prevention of Zika since 2016, a recent report published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases makes it clear that many questions remain. For one thing, scientists cannot yet say that another Zika pandemic will not re-emerge,... Read More »GAO finds TSA successfully enhanced oversight of other transaction agreements
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) awarded 1,039 other transaction agreements (OTAs) from 2012 to 2016 and improved oversight of those agreements over that time, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) review. OTAs are not subject to federal contract laws.... Read More »
CBP enforcement program has led to the seizure of thousands of pounds of cocaine along Miami River
As part of an enforcement program aiming to disrupt illicit trafficking along the Miami River, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have seized thousands of pounds of cocaine and six vessels over the last three years, CBP said in a recent press release. This summer, CBP officers... Read More »
OPCW completes first training course for analytical chemists working in customs services
Ten analytical chemists who work in laboratories that support or have plans to support customs services around the world recently completed an Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) training course in the Netherlands. The inaugural training course, which was held from Dec.... Read More »
Senators introduce bill to enhance election security
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to improve election security and protect against foreign interference in U.S. elections. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), James Lankford (R-OK), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lindsey Graham... Read More »
FEMA would place greater emphasis on pre-disaster planning under approved House bill
The House of Representatives approved legislation last week that would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to place a greater emphasis on pre-disaster planning and mitigation. The bill, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA), was approved as part of a larger emergency... Read More »
Joint report finds 94 percent all aliens in custody found to be unlawfully present
As part of their required by executive order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have released a quarterly Alien Incarceration Report, in which they found 94 percent of confirmed aliens in custody are unlawfully present. Additionally, they determined that... Read More »
Senate bill would extend authorities of Counterterrorism Advisory Board for four years
Authorities of the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB), which coordinates the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) various intelligence, operational and policy-making functions, would be extended for four years under bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate last week. Established... Read More »
Boatright named Chief Patrol Agent of the Big Bend Sector
Acting Chief of the United States Border Patrol Carla Provost recently announced that Robert L. Boatright was named the new Chief Patrol Agent of the Big Bend Sector. “I am looking forward to working with the Border Patrol Agents and professional support staff of the Big Bend Sector as well... Read More »
Many state bioterrorism countermeasures are lagging, report finds
Waning U.S. federal and state funding for public health over the last 15 years has left many states ill-prepared to respond to acts of bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters, according to a recent report by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). The annual report,... Read More »
CBP announces measures to streamline processing of holiday travelers at Laredo Port of Entry
The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Office of Field Operations at the Laredo Port of Entry announced measures being taken to accommodate an expected influx of travelers during the holiday season on Wednesday. Travelers are encouraged to apply for I-94 tourist permits online ahead of time. The... Read More »
Homeland Security Department develops simulator to test explosive vulnerabilities of new generation commercial aircraft
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) program recently developed a reusable Aircraft Explosive Testing Simulator to support the testing of explosive vulnerabilities in new generation commercial aircraft. S&T’s Commercial Aircraft Vulnerability and... Read More »
Engility Holdings to provide chemical, biological defense expertise under new DoD contract
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently granted Engility Holdings Inc. a position on the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) Joint Enterprise Research Development Acquisition and Procurement Omnibus contract. JPEO-CBD manages the military’s... Read More »
Soligenix biopharmaceutical company identifies biomarkers for ricin toxin vaccine
Operating under the requirements of the FDA “Animal Rule,” the biopharmaceutical company Soligenix, Inc. has identified biomarkers for ricin toxin vaccine (RiVax) testing. Though RiVax was originally invented at the University of Texas Southwestern, Soligenix has seen a number of... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee chair calls on DHS to address terrorists’ abuse of encryption technology
Citing widely available encryption technologies that can be used by terrorists, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently renewed his call for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to convene an advisory panel to help better understand the challenges at hand. McCaul, the chairman of the... Read More »
US Customs and Border Protection intercepts vessel carrying 1500 pounds of marijuana off Texas coast
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) marine unit along with its Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RECOM) partners recently intercepted a vessel carrying 1500 pounds of marijuana off the Texas coast near Corpus Christi. The AMO crew was patrolling the maritime... Read More »
CBP busts at Port of Nogales yield $2 million in drugs, four arrests
Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales seized heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine valued at more than $2 million in three separate incidents on Saturday. The incidents led to the arrests of three U.S. citizens and one Mexican national. Their cases were... Read More »
Researchers identify antibody that kills Dengue virus
Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia and China’s ZhuJiang Hospital recently led a study that identified an antibody that binds to and kills all four types of dengue virus, which could lead to improved vaccines and drug therapies. The researchers also exposed the... Read More »
Sandia Labs unveils quantitative computer modeling to predict performance of solder joints in nuclear weapons
Sandia National Laboratories announced on Tuesday that it has developed computer models that can provide both qualitative and quantitative data on how the hundreds of solder joints in a nuclear weapon will perform over time. Sandia Labs has been using computational modeling to predict the... Read More »
University of Oregon researchers investigating ways of deactivating mosquito desire to blood feed
A nine-member team of scientists from the University of Oregon is now looking into the ability to genetically deactivate mosquito bites--and disease spreading that results--from mosquito desires for blood. The team has already made the important step: isolation and sorting of 902 genes linked... Read More »
Seven inspectors join OPCW Inspectorate Division after completion of intensive training course
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomed Monday seven inspectors to its staff during a graduation ceremony held at OPCW headquarters in the Hague, Netherlands. The recruits, who previously worked as chemical production technologists and analytical chemist... Read More »
Near-freezing temperatures kill 10 immigrants in Texas
Near-freezing temperatures led to the deaths of what border patrol agents have labeled an unusually high number of immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley last week. In all, 10 were killed in the cold snap, though they were scattered throughout the valley. Of them, eight were found near Falfurrias,... Read More »
Pilot project fixes cybersecurity vulnerabilities in first responder mobile apps
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced that a pilot project it launched remediated potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mobile applications used by public-safety professionals. The pilot testing project, titled “Securing... Read More »
Federal jury convicts former police officer of attempting to aid ISIS
A former police officer from Fairfax, Virginia, accused of providing ISIS members with gift card codes that could be used to communicate with potential recruits was convicted on Monday of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization. Nicholas Young, 38, was working as a... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection officers seize over $1 million of meth at Eagle Pass
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized approximately 62 pounds of alleged methamphetamine estimated to be worth more than $1 million at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry. “Our CBP officers maintain constant vigilance in protecting the United States,” Port Director for the... Read More »
House Republicans call for report on alleged leaks of information related to Russian election meddling
A group of Republican lawmakers raised questions on Monday about allegations that members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) improperly communicated information about the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. In a letter to leaders of the... Read More »
Scientists create device to test effects of biological, chemical effects on the brain
A new chip designed by scientists by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory could revolutionize the way testing is handled for biological and chemical agents, disease and pharmaceutical drugs. Called “brain-on-a-chip,” the device allows scientists to simulate the central nervous system... Read More »
House bill would support local, state efforts to modernize 9-1-1 call centers
Additional federal funding, technical support, and training would be made available to ease state and local governments’ transition to next-generation technology in 9-1-1 call centers under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday. The Next Generation (NG) 9-1-1 Act of... Read More »