News
Health experts speak on planning for global pandemics
At a recent gathering of students, academics, and government officials at Georgetown University, a group of world health experts spoke on the need for the incoming Trump Administration to plan for an inevitable pandemic. The event was organized by the Center for Global Health Science and... Read More »Deal reached to reauthorize, reform Department of Homeland Security
A group of committee chairman with jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently submitted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a plan to regularly reauthorize, reform and improve the department in the 115th Congress. DHS was established in 2002 in the wake of the... Read More »GAO report: Border Patrol must improve oversight of post-apprehension consequences
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on U.S. Border Patrol’s Consequence Delivery System (CDS), a process that identifies what practices are most effective and efficient to deter illegal border activity, and how useful the system is for assessing department... Read More »
Collins questions Pompeo on cybersecurity initiatives during confirmation hearing
During a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on the nomination of Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) to be the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) asked Pompeo a series of questions on cybersecurity and the danger it poses to national... Read More »
Case study published on first locally acquired Zika infection
Physicians at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine published a case study this week on the first locally-transmitted case of Zika virus. The study, titled Cutaneous Eruption in a U.S. Woman with a Locally Acquired Zika Virus Infection, focused on the skin rash associated with the... Read More »
CBP officers arrest Mexican national for weapons smuggling attempt
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Port of Nogales in Arizona arrested a 21-year-old man from Nogales, Sonora, Mexico on Jan. 9 for attempting to smuggle a large weapons cache into Mexico through the port. During routine outbound operations, officers selected the... Read More »Bill to block grant funding to sanctuary cities introduced in House, Senate
Reps. Diane Black (R-TN) and Sam Graves (R-MO) introduced this week the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which aims to block any grant funding to cities or localities that ignore federal law by withholding information on illegal immigrants from U.S.... Read More »
King, Risch introduce bill to defend energy grid from potential cyber attacks
U.S. Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Jim Risch (R-ID) this week reintroduced the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, which seeks to examine solutions to defend the U.S. energy grid by replacing vulnerable computer-connected operating systems with analog and human-operated systems. The bill received... Read More »
Stefanik selected to chair House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was recently selected to chair the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities in the 115th Congress. The subcommittee is tasked with overseeing counter-terrorism initiatives as well as counter proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,... Read More »
CBP opens new general aviation processing facility at airport in Puerto Rico
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently opened a new general aviation processing facility for the PAZOS Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in Carolina, Puerto Rico. CBP said the new general aviation facility (GAF) was built in compliance with... Read More »
Two cybersecurity innovation bills from Rep. Ratcliffe passed by House
Two bills introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) were passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to help spur collaborative efforts between the private sector and the federal government in cybersecurity initiatives. The Support for Rapid Innovation Act of 2017 will aim to... Read More »Deming Border Patrol agents apprehend wanted murder suspect
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Deming Station in New Mexico recently apprehended a Mexican national who is wanted by Mexican authorities on homicide charges. The incident occurred on Jan. 3 as border agents spotted several individuals entering the United States through camera... Read More »GAO report: HHS needs better communication on state-level personnel reassignments in a public health emergency
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report regarding communication and coordination of personnel reassignments in public health emergencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and... Read More »Houston Airport System steps up emergency response with mobile, high-tech command vehicle
In order to stay one step ahead of potential emergencies, the Houston Airport System has begun utilizing a new 40-foot mobile incident command vehicle equipped with cutting-edge technology to improve public safety. The three airports in the Houston area form one of the largest airport systems in... Read More »
LALN releases report on global impacts of a nuclear terrorist attack
According to a recently report by the Latin American and Caribbean Leadership Network (LALN), with support of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), detonation of a “small and primitive” nuclear bomb may result in tens of thousands of people dead, a years-long decline in international trade and... Read More »
McCaul releases January terror threat snapshot
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a January terror threat “snapshot” release that the overall terror threat environment worsened throughout 2016, even as law enforcement increased their efforts to combat it. “This year terror... Read More »
Warner requests information on security of Washington Metro online communications systems
On the second anniversary of the L’Enfant Plaza smoke incident, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a public letter to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), containing questions related to communications issues that hindered emergency response operations at the scene of the... Read More »
HHS works to shape youth into future leaders to strengthen nation’s health security
Federal advisory committees to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) voted on Monday to approve plans aimed at developing young people into the next generation of leaders that will support national preparedness and health emergency response efforts. The Office of the Assistant... Read More »
DHS to designate elections infrastructure as critical infrastructure subsector
In response to a series of reports that the Russian government interfered with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson publicly released last week plans to designate election systems as a critical infrastructure subsector. “By... Read More »
Leidos awarded $202 mln subcontract to support Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization
Leidos, a Reston, Virginia-based technology company, was recently awarded a subcontract worth approximately $202 million to support the Joint Improvised Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) for analytical operations, intelligence, and various training services under prime contractor CACI. JIDO has... Read More »
Border Patrol agents collaborate to rescue 44 undocumented migrants from South Texas stash house
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector and Rio Grande Valley Sector recently cooperated in the rescue of 44 undocumented immigrants from a South Texas stash house. After receiving a tip that undocumented migrants were being housed in a home south of Donna, Texas, Border Patrol agents... Read More »U.S. nuclear engineer pleads guilty to violation of Atomic Energy Act
Szuhsiung Ho, a naturalized U.S. citizen and nuclear engineer, recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy to unlawfully engage in the production or development of special nuclear materials outside of the United States, without the required authorization from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which... Read More »
CSIS releases final report on cybersecurity recommendations for Trump administration
The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ (CSIS) Cyber Policy Task Force released this week its final report titled From Awareness to Action - A Cybersecurity Agenda for the 45th President, which offered a series of recommendations on policy and resources for the President-elect.... Read More »
CBP arrests two, seizes more than 30 pounds of narcotics days before Christmas holiday
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stationed at the Port of Nogales apprehended two individuals over separate incidents attempting to smuggle a combined 32 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin, worth approximately $224,000, through the port on Dec. 23. While conducting routine sweeps... Read More »
Rafael Peralta completes demonstrations for Navy reviewers
Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), a Navy destroyer, recently returned to the Bath Iron Works shipyard after successfully completing a week-long series of acceptance trials for the Navy’s Board of Inspections and Survey. The board recommended DDG 115 join the U.S. Navy fleet based on the performance... Read More »
FLIR Systems introduces five new thermal imaging cameras at CES
FLIR Systems, Inc. recently launched five new thermal imaging cameras at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The cameras include two new third generation FLIR ONE thermal camera attachments for smartphones, two dual-sensor thermal cameras from drones, and one ruggedized compact thermal... Read More »
Safariland selects Honeywell’s Spectra Shield technology for new protective vests geared toward female officers
Safariland, a company specializing in body armor, recently selected Honeywell’s Spectra Shield and Gold Shield ballistic composite materials to produce a thin, lightweight vest specifically designed for female law enforcement officers. Safariland selected Honeywell’s Spectra Shield 5000... Read More »
DARPA-backed unmanned aerial vehicle sets world endurance record
A small, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), produced with funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), recently completed an endurance flight of approximately 56 hours and landed with half its fuel still on board, suggesting the aircraft is capable of setting additional records... Read More »King expresses concern about report stating Trump will look to weaken intelligence agency
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) criticized a recent report in the Wall Street Journal that suggested President-elect Donald Trump will move to weaken the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). “Congress created the DNI based on the careful study of intelligence coordination failures... Read More »
Collins, Tester introduce bill to protect first responders’ pension plans
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced legislation this week that will seek to protect the pensions of first responders who have been injured on the job. “We count on federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other public safety employees when tragedy... Read More »CDC highlights important contributions made in fight against Zika virus in 2016
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released its Morbidity and Mortality Report, which highlights 10 critical contributions the agency has made in the fight against the spread of Zika virus in 2016. CDC highlighted new public health surveillance and infection... Read More »
ICE names Marlon Miller as agent in charge of Philadelphia HSI office
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently named Marlon Miller as the new special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office for three states. Miller’s office will be based in Philadelphia and will have jurisdiction over operations in the states of... Read More »
Soligenix, Emergent Biosolutions extend development agreement for RiVax drug substance protein antigen
Soligenix Inc. recently extended its development agreement with Emergent Biosolutions to implement a commercially viable production technology for a vaccine candidate being developed to protect against ricin exposure called RiVax. Soligenix is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on... Read More »
NNSA conducts scheduled proficiency flight of the aerial measuring system
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in conjunction with the Deputy Under Secretary for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation Jay Tilden, recently conducted a scheduled aerial measuring system (AMS) proficiency flight in order to evaluate the roles and responsibilities for... Read More »