News
NIH holding contest to develop diagnostic tools to detect antimicrobial resistant bacteria
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released plans to hold a contest to develop new, innovative laboratory diagnostic tools that detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The contest, called the Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostic Challenge, will award prizes totaling $20 million over... Read More »Laredo Sector Border Patrol Canine Unit welcomes four new members to the program
The Laredo Sector Border Patrol Canine Unit held a graduation on Friday to welcome four new Border Patrol agents to the program. “We all remember the events of Sept. 11, Sunday marks the 15th anniversary of this tragic day,” Anthony S. Good, division chief of the Laredo Sector Canine... Read More »
INTERPOL secretary general discusses combating terrorism with Central African Police Chiefs Committee
Secretary General of INTERPOL Jürgen Stock recently spoke at a meeting of security ministers from countries in the Central African Police Chiefs Committee (CAPCCO). Stock said that regional law enforcement cooperation is directly connected with security efforts across the continent and beyond.... Read More »Bechtel-owned pilot plant successfully processes chemical weapons
Bechtel, a global engineering, construction and project management company, applauded efforts by the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant on Thursday to successfully process chemical weapons previously held in the U.S. chemical stockpile. The pilot plant was built by and operated under... Read More »CMS finalizes new rule to strengthen emergency preparedness for facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid
The Centers for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule on Thursday to establish consistent emergency preparedness requirements for health care providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid. The new rule stems from recent natural and man-made disasters that have affected the... Read More »Donovan introduces bill to add flexibility to Transit Security Grant Program
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced the Transit Security Grant Program Flexibility Act, H.R.5943, on Thursday to improve the ability of transit agencies to prevent and respond to terror attacks. Donovan said that his bill will give flexibility to the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP),... Read More »
Higgins holds Northern Border Caucus meeting to help reduce delays at U.S.-Canada border crossings
U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) formally requested on Thursday at a Northern Border Caucus meeting with Canadian Ambassador David MacNaughton that Canadian officials increase border staffing to reduce delays. Prior to the caucus meeting, Higgins and MacNaughton briefly discussed traffic issues... Read More »
GAO report highlights TSA’s need to utilize complete data to improve screener training at airports
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Wednesday that found that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) should ensure testing data is complete and fully utilized to improve screener training and operations. The TSA uses a variety of programs to train and... Read More »
NTI, WINS holding workshop on radiological security in Berlin
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), along with the World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS), is holding a one-day workshop entitled “Radiological Security: Increasing Transparency and Voluntary Reporting” this week in Berlin. The workshop serves as a key component to continued progress... Read More »
Rice calls for hearing to investigate airport preparedness and response measures
U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) called for a hearing on Wednesday to investigate emergency preparedness and response procedures at multiple American airports in the wake of incidents in New York and Los Angeles. Rice’s call to action follows an Aug. 14 incident at John F. Kennedy International... Read More »
Rubio, Menendez introduce companion bill to Katko’s Cuban airport security legislation
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) applauded U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) on Wednesday for introducing the Cuban Airport Security Act in the Senate. “I welcome the support of Senators Rubio and Menendez on the issue of the safety and security of Americans traveling to... Read More »
Royce introduces bill to end cash payments to Iran
U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act, H.R. 5931, on Tuesday as a measure to ensure that no future cash payments are made to the Iranian regime. “The Obama administration forked over a massive cash ransom to Iran, emboldening the world’s... Read More »GAO report: DoD should identify National Guard’s cyber capabilities and address challenges
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday that found that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) needs to identify the National Guard’s cyber capabilities and address challenges in its exercises. The GAO report said that DoD doesn’t have the visibility of... Read More »
European Commission proposes EU certification system for airport security equipment
The European Commission (EC) proposed the establishment of a single European Union (EU) certification procedure for aviation security screening equipment on Wednesday to enhance the competitiveness of the EU security industry. The EU certificate would allow security equipment approved in one... Read More »
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announces positive data for delayed Ebola virus disease treatment
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., released positive results on Wednesday from a proof-of-concept study of its broad spectrum antiviral, BCX4430, for the delayed treatment of Ebola virus infection in rhesus macaques. The study sought to assess the effects of different dosing regimes of BCX4430... Read More »
Aeolus Pharmaceuticals confirms efficacy of sulfur mustard gas exposure treatment
Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., recently released data confirming the efficacy of AEOL 10150 as a medical countermeasure against sulfur mustard gas inhalation. Research for the study was conducted by Dr. Brian Day, vice chair of research at National Jewish Health, in collaboration with the U.S.... Read More »Congressional delegation discusses military readiness
A bipartisan coalition of congressional members met on Thursday to discuss overall military readiness and highlights of the delegation’s trip to California at a press conference in Oceanside. The group included U.S. Reps. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Mike Turner (R-OH), Darrell Issa (R-CA) and... Read More »
INTERPOL holds cybercrime training sessions for Latin America and Caribbean countries
INTERPOL recently conducted a series of cybercrime training sessions in Latin America and the Caribbean seeking to enhance regional law enforcement capacity to respond to and prevent cyberthreats. The training efforts served as an important part of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Capacity Building... Read More »
Sandia Labs wins award for excellence in technology for XTK software
Sandia National Laboratories recently won the 2016 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology for their efforts in the development of the x-ray toolkit (XTK) image processing and analysis software. The XTK was developed in the wake of the 2013 Boston bombing incident that... Read More »Report: Iran may not be in compliance with nuclear deal
The Institute for Science and International Security recently released a report that found that Iran was not in compliance with the original conditions of the Iran Nuclear Deal, agreed to in July 2015. The report said that the Obama administration, along with the other P5+1 nations, secretly... Read More »
McCaul releases terror threat snapshot for the month of September
Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) released a terror threat snapshot for the month of September on Thursday. “We are confronting a lethal enemy in Islamist terrorists targeting the U.S. and our allies,” McCaul said. “Eliminating senior terrorist... Read More »Johnson releases report on opioid epidemic and the effects of non-secure borders
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report on Thursday detailing the senator’s work during the 114th Congress. Included in the report were 18 hearings on America’s non-secure border and the public health... Read More »
HHS awards $19.8 million for development of Zika virus vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently provided Takeda Vaccines, Inc., with a grant to develop a Zika virus vaccine. The grant, worth $19.8 million, will be spaced out over the course of the next 18... Read More »
Katko expresses concern over resumed commercial air travel to Cuba
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) expressed concern on Wednesday about resumed commercial flights to Cuba. “Recent tragedies have shown us that insider threats to aviation are real, and it is clear that the U.S. government currently lacks sufficient information to ensure that Cuban airports are not... Read More »
OPCW confirms successful removal of remaining chemical weapons precursors from Libya
Director General for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ahmet Üzümcü recently confirmed that the remaining chemical weapons stocks left in Libya have been successfully removed from the country. The operation was facilitated in part by the OPCW in response to... Read More »RAND’s Gerstein: U.S. needs biodefense strategy to protect against terror threats
The U.S. government has become “somewhat complacent” in preparing for potential bioterrorist attacks and needs to implement a national biodefense strategy, Daniel Gerstein, a senior policy researcher at the nonpartisan RAND Corporation, recently told Homeland Preparedness News. The anthrax... Read More »
U.S. Navy, Canadian Army sign agreement for international sale of Blackjack UAS
The U.S. Navy recently signed an agreement with the Canadian Department of National Defense for the first international sale of the RQ-21A Blackjack Unmanned Air System (UAS). The Blackjack program will be managed by the Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program... Read More »
Bill calling for new national biodefense strategy awaits Senate floor action
Legislation that would require the United States to develop a national biodefense strategy to help prevent and respond to a bioterrorist attack or public health emergency is awaiting Senate floor action. The Biodefense Strategy Act of 2016, S. 2967, would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002... Read More »AEI: More federal funds for human intelligence efforts needed to thwart terrorists
More federal counterterrorism funding should be directed to local law enforcement agencies for human intelligence initiatives in urban areas where the risk of a terrorist attack is high, according to Matt Mayer, a homeland security expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), recently told... Read More »
Barletta warns California bill would turn state into a sanctuary
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) drew attention on Monday to a pending California state bill that would impede the ability of federal immigration officials to do their jobs by effectively turning the entire state into a sanctuary jurisdiction that won’t comply with immigration laws. The bill,... Read More »Johns Hopkins researchers identify three promising drugs in fight against Zika virus
A collaborative research effort by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and Florida State University recently revealed two classes of compounds already in use in the pharmaceutical industry that might prove useful in the fight against Zika virus.... Read More »
NCATS research team identifies compounds for potential treatment against Zika virus
A research team at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently identified compounds that could be used to inhibit the replication of Zika virus and reduce its ability to kill brain cells. The research team identified two classes of compounds effective against Zika... Read More »
Senate coalition urges action from Obama on financial cybersecurity at upcoming G-20 summit
A coalition of U.S. senators urged President Obama via letter on Monday to prioritize cybersecurity and strategies to counter cyber threats in the financial sector in discussions at the upcoming G-20 summit in September. The coalition included U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Sherrod Brown... Read More »
Warner applauds implementation of new federal drone rule
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) recently welcomed the implementation of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) small drone rule, which went into effect on Monday. The new rule allows for certified commercial pilots to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) weighing up to 55 pounds during the... Read More »