News
OPCW, Iranian Government organizes training course on toxic chemical agents for emergency first responders
A group of 24 first responders representing 15 Asian Member States to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) recently convened in Tehran, Iran for a training course on emergency assistance and protection against chemical weapons. The course, which was organized by the Organization for the... Read More »
TSA seeing record numbers of air travel passengers during summer season
The number of passengers that will fly during the summer season is expected to surpass more than 2.5 million people per day, the highest number in years, according to recent estimates from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). According to the TSA, the week of June 25 - July 1, 2017... Read More »
Congress eyes reauthorization of firefighter grants
Both Republican and Democrat members of the House appeared poised during a Wednesday hearing to reauthorize key FEMA programs providing matching grants for local firefighters, though the level of funding is still up in the air. Members of both parties appeared convinced the grants, known as the... Read More »
Large-scale U.S. botulism outbreak could be disastrous, expert says
Botulinum toxin, produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, is the most potent biological toxin known to exist on Earth. The toxin causes botulism, a severe muscle-paralyzing, potentially fatal disease, characteristics that increase its likelihood as a potential bioweapon. And while the U.S.... Read More »
Bipartisan letter requests boost to cybersecurity education for JROTC
A bipartisan group of Congress members recently sent a public letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis urging him to direct military departments to incorporate cybersecurity education into the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) curricula for high school students. The letter was... Read More »
Gov. McAuliffe makes Virginia first state to opt-in to FirstNet public safety broadband network
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) signed a letter this week, accepting the plan laid out by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T to build a wireless public safety broadband network throughout Virginia, making it the first state in the country to do so. As part of the agreement,... Read More »
New Mexico Department of Health expands project to map Zika-carrying mosquitoes
The New Mexico Department of Health recently awarded a second contract to researchers from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) to expand a previous project map that shows the geographic distribution of mosquitoes that could potentially carry the Zika virus. According to a release by NMSU,... Read More »
WHO: Lassa fever outbreak response remains ongoing, mitigation measures to continue
An outbreak of the acute viral hemorrhagic fever illness called Lassa fever has recently been reported by officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) in multiple West African nations including Nigeria. As of last month, a total of 501 suspected cases have been reported, 104 of which... Read More »OPCW, Spanish Government hosts training course on toxic chemical agents for emergency medical first responders
Medical first responders engaged in emergent chemical incident simulations last month during a training course designed to educate first responders in emergency medical situations involving toxic chemical contamination held in Madrid, Spain and hosted by the Organization for the Prohibition of... Read More »
DOD has identified an infrastructure manager, working to clarify position’s roles and responsibilities, according to GAO
According to a recent update conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Defense (DOD) has identified an infrastructure manager for the chemical and biological defense program (CBDP) and is in the process of developing the position’s roles and responsibilities.... Read More »
Cantwell reiterates call for Trump Administration to conduct cyber vulnerability assessment in wake of reported nuclear facility cyberattack
In response to a recently reported cyberattack that targeted the nation’s nuclear facilities, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released a statement condemning the attack while reiterating a previous call for a cybersecurity assessment by the Trump Administration. “The disturbing reports of... Read More »
Health and Human Services Secretary Price appoints Fitzgerald to lead CDC, ATSDR
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price recently appointed Brenda Fitzgerald as the 17th Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and as the Administrator of the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Fitzgerald joins the CDC after serving as... Read More »
OPCW hosts training seminar on scheduled chemical agent transfer regime
Representatives of customs agencies from member states to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) recently convened at the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to consider improvements to the CWC’s transfer regime during a three-day training seminar. In... Read More »
United States enters into customs mutual assistance agreements with Bolivia, Georgia
The United States recently entered into a customs mutual assistance agreement (CMAA) with Bolivia and Georgia, which fosters collaborative efforts in security and facilities trade between the U.S. and both nations. CMAAs work to provide the legal framework for the exchange of information and... Read More »
Los Alamos National Laboratory to host hazmat challenge to test first responder skills
The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is set to host 10 hazardous materials response teams from Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Nebraska for the 21st annual Hazmat Challenge, pitting each team against one another in a series of graded, timed exercises from July 10 to 14. The event, held... Read More »
Trauma readiness bill advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee
A bill that establishes a grant program for military-civilian partnerships in trauma care to allow both the military and private citizens to benefit from each other’s expertise was recently advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill, titled the MISSION ZERO Act, was... Read More »
Air Force announces 2016 Nuclear Deterrence Operations, Nuclear and Missile Operations awards winners
Officials with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) recently named the 2016 winners of the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award and the Nuclear and Missile Operations Award. The Nuclear Deterrence Operations Award is given to those who accomplish outstanding achievements in nuclear deterrence operations,... Read More »
Recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially declared over, according to WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the most-recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has officially concluded after 42 days. According to WHO, the 42-day mark represents two incubation cycles of the virus after the last confirmed... Read More »Two amendments to FAA Reauthorization Act pass through Senate Committee
Two amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2017 that aim to improve transparency and security of the nation’s airspace were recently approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Both amendments were authored by U.S. Sen. Ron... Read More »California CBP agents seize more than 700 pounds of narcotics, captures 13 fugitives from justice over series of incidents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at ports of entry along the California border with Mexico recently seized more than 700 pounds of illicit narcotics, captured 13 fugitives from justice, and apprehended two would-be illegal undocumented immigrants over a series of... Read More »California Border Patrol agents seize more than 74 pounds of narcotics, arrest two in separate incidents
California-based Border Patrol agents recently seized more than 40 pounds of heroin and 34 pounds of fentanyl over separate incidents. The first event occurred as agents encountered a 46-year old man driving a 2014 Nissan Versa sedan near the Border Patrol checkpoint along Interstate 5 in San... Read More »
Smiths Detection’s IONSCAN 600 passes key certification test
Smiths Detection’s IONSCAN 600 explosives trace detection system recently passed certification testing by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The certification test is the first of a three-step testing sequence required by the TSA’s overall qualification process and is... Read More »
OPCW Director-General meets with senior government officials, victims of chemical weapons in official visit to Iran
During an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on July 2-3, Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü reiterated the need to protect and strengthen the global norm against the use of chemical weapons and paid homage to the victims of... Read More »
OPCW report confirms use of chemical weapons in April 4 attack in Khan Shaykhun area in Syria
After the completion of a fact-finding mission (FFM) from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the organization recently confirmed the use of sarin gas on April 4 in the Khan Shaykhun area, Idlib Province in the Syrian Arab Republic. OPCW’s final report was... Read More »
Bill to protect nation’s food systems against agro-terrorism, disease outbreaks signed into law
A bill that aims to strengthen the nation’s preparedness of its food, agriculture, and veterinary systems against terrorism and other high-risk events through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was recently signed into law by President Trump. The bill was introduced by U.S. Rep.... Read More »
Latin American, Caribbean State Parties meet at OPCW headquarters to discuss the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
Latin American and Caribbean State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) recently convened at a meeting at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ headquarters in The Hague to commemorate the CWC’s 20th anniversary and discuss the full implementation of the... Read More »House Democrats announce new task force to protect election infrastructure from cyber attacks
In the wake of mounting reports that actors within the Russian government worked to compromise the 2016 President election, a group of Democratic House leaders recently announced a new task force that aims to ensure the health and security of the nation’s election systems. Developed by House... Read More »New DNA vaccine shown to induce immune response against one of four Dengue virus serotypes
A new DNA vaccine candidate was shown to induce persistent humoral and cellular immune responses and provided protection from the DV1 dengue virus serotype among inoculated mice, according to a recent study conducted by Capital Medical University in Beijing and the Beijing Institute for Brain... Read More »
DHS expedited chemical security approval program fully implemented, but lacking participation, according to GAO
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has fully implemented its chemical facility anti-terrorism standards (CFATS) expedited approval program, but participation to date has been limited, according to a recent report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Each facility... Read More »
Bipartisan bill to mitigate threats from cyberattacks introduced in House, Senate
Following the international WannaCry ransomware attack, which has reportedly infected approximately 300,000 computer systems in more than 150 nations, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that aims to combat cyberattacks and cybercrime against U.S. computer networks. The Promoting... Read More »
Banking task force issues best practices for banks to mitigate cyber threats
The United States Secret Service and the Bankers Electronic Task Force, a group of state bank regulators, recently issued a series of industry best practices for managing risks related to cyber threats. The recommendations were made after recent reports of a new international ransomware... Read More »
Cantwell calls for strengthening energy systems cybersecurity in wake of new international ransomware attacks
In the wake of reports that a new ransomware attack has affected computer systems in multiple countries, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, called for strengthening cybersecurity for the nation’s energy systems before a major... Read More »
Compound identified shown to inhibit viral replication of SARS, MERS coronaviruses
According to a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a new antiviral drug was shown to inhibit a variety of coronaviruses, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which could provide a way to develop new drug... Read More »
Rep. Torres introduces bill to strengthen coordination amongst port landlords, tenants in wake of recent cyber attack
In the wake of a massive cyberattack that led to the closure of the largest terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, U.S. Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) said she would be reintroducing a bill that aims to improve coordination between port landlords and tenants to address various cyber-related threats. ... Read More »