News
DHS S&T looking for collaborators on new emergency response technologies
A request for innovators (RFI) has been released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), officially beginning the search for partners on emergency response technology development by 2020. There are three projects on which the department is... Read More »
Customs and Border Patrol releases updated border search of electronic device directive
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently released an update to its directive regarding border searches of electronic devices, which was designed to enhance the transparency, accountability, and oversight of the searches. CBP currently searches the electronic devices of fewer than... Read More »
Supercharged antibiotics show promise in combating rise of superbugs
Researchers at the University of Queensland recently “supercharged” an old antibiotic by modifying its membrane-binding properties to successfully attack deadly antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, or superbugs. Mark Blaskovich and Matt Cooper of the University of Queensland’s... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration sets screening record during holiday season
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened a record number of passengers during the 2017 holiday travel period, Dec. 15, 2017, through Jan. 2, 2018. TSA officers screened 42 million passengers and more than 30.6 million checked bags screened nationwide. Dec. 22 was the busiest day... Read More »
DARPA program aims to predict, prevent cross-species transmission of viral diseases
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) launched a new program last week that aims to predict and prevent cross-species transmission of viral diseases to bolster military readiness. The program, called Preventing Emerging Pathogenic Threats (PREEMPT), will explore how pathogens... Read More »
Terror threat assessment highlights rise in homegrown extremism
Four U.S. citizens were arrested and charged with providing material support to ISIS in December, marking an uptick in the number of cases of homegrown terrorism, according to an assessment released by the House Homeland Security Committee on Friday. The Terror Threat Snapshot indicates that... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection officers seize nearly $300,000 of liquid meth at Texas airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport recently seized more than 65 pounds of liquid methamphetamine with an estimated value of $297,000. The shipment was sent from China to Memphis, Tennessee, and was destined for Fort Worth,... Read More »
NNSA develops modeling capabilities to identify non-nuclear explosives tests
Scientists at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have developed predictive, end-to-end modeling capabilities that can differentiate between conventional high explosives weapons tests and non-nuclear explosives tests that are part of a nuclear weapons program. Developed by the... Read More »
Arkansas National Guard conducts critical infrastructure cybersecurity training
The Arkansas National Guard recently held a cyber training exercise at the Little Rock Air Force Base, which involved uncovering potential cybersecurity susceptibilities in critical infrastructure within a simulated city. Along with members of the state’s Army National Guard and Air National... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven calls for North Dakota to play key role in UAS national security efforts
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) made the case last Thursday that North Dakota should serve a hub for federal efforts to integrate more unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into northern border security. In a meeting with officials from the Department and Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border... Read More »
Treasury Department sanctions five entities linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program
Five businesses tied to Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), which plays a key role in Iran’s ballistic missile program, were sanctioned last week by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The five businesses — Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Sanikhani... Read More »
DePaul University law professor concerned about U.S. biothreat response capabilities
North Korea denies claims made in the Trump administration’s recently released National Security Strategy that it “has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on nuclear, chemical and biological weapons” nor that it has researched “chemical and biological weapons which could be delivered by... Read More »
New scientific paper shows link between Leishmania viruses, parasitic infection
The parasite Leishmania may be getting aided by viruses in its infection of invertebrates, as well as causing significantly worse disease than those without, according to a new evolutionary study. The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, comes from the head of... Read More »
Research sheds light on cholera resistance to last-line antibiotics
An enzyme that makes pandemic cholera resistant to last-line antibiotics acts on a different mechanism than similar proteins in bacteria, researchers at the University of Georgia reported last month. Cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs), which naturally produced by both bacteria and human... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection components intercept human smuggling attempt
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from the Champlain Port of Entry and U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Champlain Station recently intercepted a human smuggling operation. The incident resulted in the arrest of one subject for criminal alien smuggling and two subjects for... Read More »WHO prequalifies first typhoid conjugate vaccine for children under 2
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently prequalified the first typhoid conjugate vaccine on Wednesday that’s been shown to boost immune response typhoid in infants as young as six months old. Prequalification of the typhoid conjugate vaccine, called Typbar-TCV, allows procurement... Read More »
CBP Air and Marine Operations seize $61.7 million in cocaine from Caribbean Sea over three-day stretch
More than 4,735 pounds of cocaine was intercepted in the Caribbean Sea over a three-day period in December as part of Operation Full Court Press, which is being led by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO). Operation Full Court Press is an interagency effort to... Read More »
Suspects charged with drug smuggling, immigration violations after chase near Ajo, Arizona
Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo Station and Pima County Sheriff Department deputies recently arrested two Mexican nationals and one U.S. citizen after a thwarted marijuana smuggling attempt near Ajo, Arizona. Agents following up on a suspicious activity report along State... Read More »
Attorney General Sessions supports review of DEA program targeting Hezbollah drug trafficking
In light of allegations that a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) initiative targeting Hezbollah drug trafficking was improperly handled, Attorney General Jeff Sessions renewed his support of a full review. The initiative, known as Project Cassandra, as launched in 2008 in response to evidence that... Read More »
Tucson man charged with alien smuggling, firearm offenses among other charges
A Tuscon, Arizona man was recently charged in U.S. District Court with the transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury, high-speed flight from a Border Patrol checkpoint, assault on a federal officer and use of a firearm Court documents allege that Roberto Ramirez, 21,... Read More »
Biometric verification prevents Ghanian man’s illegal entry into United States
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers used biometric verification to prevent a Ghanaian man posing as a U.S. citizen from entering the country at Washington Dulles International Airport on New Year’s Day. The man, who had been denied U.S. travel visas in 2013 and 2016 because of fraud,... Read More »
Consortium for Verification Technology highlights nuclear nonproliferation efforts
The Consortium for Verification Technology highlighted how students from partner universities contribute to nuclear nonproliferation research conducted at national laboratories during a recent annual meeting held at the University of Michigan. Through the Consortium for Verification, the... Read More »
Department of Defense program trains veterans to lead digital human trafficking investigations
In recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Department of Defense(DoD) highlighted a program on Tuesday that trains military veterans to help law enforcers identify and curb online child exploitation. Veterans who are wounded, ill or transitioning are trained... Read More »
Researchers use enzyme manipulation to curb spread of Ebola virus
The ability of the Ebola virus to copy itself and spread through hosts can be “switched off” by manipulating a host factor enzyme, according to a recent study by European researchers. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Phillips Universität Marburg in Germany discovered that... Read More »
CTIA releases best practices for local governments to promote resilience, restoration of wireless services during disasters
New best practices recently released by the wireless industry group CTIA outline steps for local governments to help maintain and restore wireless services during natural disasters and emergencies. The guidelines call for better coordination and communication between wireless service providers... Read More »
European anti-terrorism package prioritizes CBRN preparedness, expert says
Experiencing an escalating threat level of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attacks across its region, the European Commission’s related preparedness plan is extremely important, a London-based expert recently told Homeland Preparedness News. “I consider this to be... Read More »
All 50 states, DC opt-in to FirstNet wireless broadband network for first responders
All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories accepted a Radio Access Network (RAN) buildout plan for the FirstNet wireless broadband network for first responders by the time a 90-decision period came to a close on Dec. 28. Congress approved a bill establishing FirstNet in... Read More »Researchers identify cholera hotspots in Uganda to guide control programs
Twenty-two districts in Uganda were recently identified by researchers as cholera “hotspots” that should be targeted by cholera control programs in the country and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health identified the areas as high-risk... Read More »
Joint investigation results in 21 arrests tied to multi-state drug trafficking organization
Twenty-one members of a New York-based drug trafficking organization were indicted Dec. 27 following a 12-month wiretap investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Violent Gang Unit (VGU). The individual face a range of charges, including first-, second-, and third-degree... Read More »
ICE removes MS-13 gang member accused of 8 counts of murder
An alleged MS-13 gang member who was recently removed from the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) will face eight murder charges in El Salvador. Leandro Cruz, 24, was previously convicted of assault and battery in Massachusetts. After... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection officers interrupt alien smuggling incidents in Rio Grande Valley Sector
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported Wednesday that CBP officers in the Rio Grande Valley Sector interrupted four alien smuggling attempts this past weekend, which resulted in failures to yield to law enforcement authorities. “Transnational criminal organizations continue to... Read More »
Lockheed Martin awarded contract to develop low-cost, subsonic cruise missile
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Lockheed Martin a $110 million contract on Wednesday to develop a low-cost, subsonic cruise missile with swarming capabilities, known as the Gray Wolf. Lockheed Martin was awarded a five-year, phase 1 contract to develop and demonstrate the Gray... Read More »
Bill reauthorizing grant programs for local fire, rescue departments heads to President’s desk
The Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs will be reauthorized through fiscal year 2023 under a bill that the U.S. Senate recently approved. The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act would ensure that the nation’s fire and... Read More »
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 »