News
Heinrich, Allison highlight new security enhancement measure at Albuquerque International Sunport
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), along with the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Office of Law Enforcement and Federal Air Marshal Service Director Roderick Allison, highlighted a new security enhancement measure at the Albuquerque International Sunport on Friday. Heinrich led... Read More »FirstNet applauds FCC action in planning for Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) commended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday for moving forward with two separate items regarding the implementation of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. The FCC unanimously voted to release a notice of proposed... Read More »Poliquin: Challenges to protecting Maine northern border highlight need for tough security
U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) recently said that the challenges of protecting the state’s wild and rugged 611-mile border with Canada highlight the need for a tougher stance on border security from the U.S. administration. “It would be very easy for someone to slip in or out of the... Read More »
TSA issues new labor-management guidelines
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released new labor-management relationship guidelines between the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the agency on Thursday. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger sent the new guidelines to all employees in the middle of ongoing... Read More »NIAID researchers develop system to replicate norovirus in intestinal cells
Researchers supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently developed a novel system to grow norovirus in intestinal cells, which could bring about new therapeutic drugs and vaccines to combat the virus. Intestinal cells are the natural site of norovirus... Read More »
Johns Hopkins Medicine opens multidisciplinary Zika virus center
Johns Hopkins Medicine formally opened the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Zika Center on Tuesday, becoming the first known multidisciplinary Zika virus center in the world. The center is composed of providers and related staff from departments and divisions at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins... Read More »DARPA develops pocket-sized, affordable, networked radiation sensor
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently developed and demonstrated a network of smartphone-sized mobile devices that can detect trace amounts of radioactive materials. DARPA said that the new SIGMA devices, paired with larger detectors along major roadways and bridges,... Read More »HHS enters into agreement with DiaSorin Group for the development of rapid Zika virus test
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) entered into a $2.6 million agreement on Monday with the DiaSorin Group to further the development of a Zika virus test that may help diagnose the virus more quickly.... Read More »
Hoeven continues push to secure beyond-line-of-sight operations for North Dakota test site
U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) continued his push on Tuesday to further North Dakota’s role in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) development and integration into the national airspace at the Unmanned Aerial Systems Summit and Expo in Grand Forks, N.D. “What we’re seeing in Grand Forks are the... Read More »
IAFC names John Sinclair new president and board chairman
Chief John Sinclair of the Kittitas Valley Fire Rescue in Washington was recently installed as president and chairman of the board of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Sinclair will head the 18-member board of directors and serve as the association’s primary spokesperson on... Read More »UTMB researchers identify possible Sudan ebolavirus treatment
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) released a study on Monday showing the successful treatment of monkeys infected with Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) several days after infection. Scientists have known about SUDV and Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) since 1976, with EBOV being the... Read More »
Woman sentenced for conspiring to export defense technology to People’s Republic of China
A California woman was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison on Friday for conspiring to illegally export fighter jet engines, along with unmanned aerial vehicles and related technical data, to the People’s Republic of China. The investigation was handled by U.S. Immigration and Customs... Read More »
Raytheon awarded contract for air surveillance radar system for U.S. Navy
Raytheon Company was awarded a $92,069,954 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract on Friday by the U.S. Navy for the development of the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR). Raytheon’s EASR consists of two configuration variants - a rotating phased array configuration and a three-face... Read More »Thompson urges review of DHS use of privately-operated prisons
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent a letter on Friday to Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) John Roth calling for a review of the department’s use of privately-operated prisons. Thompson’s letter comes after the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that it would... Read More »
NRECA receives grant to advance new cybersecurity solution for utilities
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded funding on Thursday to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to advance the React cybersecurity solution for utilities that monitors IT networks for near real-time detection of possible cyber intrusions. React will aim to develop... Read More »
McCaul to tour Maine-Canada border, host town hall
U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) will join Mark Morgan, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, for a full-day tour of Maine’s northern border this week. After his tour, McCaul will attend a town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin (R-ME). “Understanding... Read More »INTERPOL holds border management training course for ASEAN countries
INTERPOL held a training course last week under the framework of the EU—ASEAN Migration and Border Management Program II to enhance border security. The course was hosted by the Royal Brunei Police Force and focused on topics such as integrated border management, illegal immigration, human... Read More »FirstNet awards grants to eight agencies under Band 14 spectrum program
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) awarded funds on Thursday to eight agencies for its Band 14 Incumbent Spectrum Relocation Grant program. The program aims to provide financial assistance to eligible public safety agencies for relocating their current radios and systems from Band... Read More »Oakland County urges residents take caution against spread of West Nile virus
The Oakland County Health Division urged residents on Wednesday to protect themselves against mosquito bites and the threat of West Nile virus during upcoming summer events, including the Woodward Dream Cruise, Arts Beats & Eats, and other outdoor activities. The recommendation comes after... Read More »
Bipartisan group of senators urge funding for 16 aircraft for Navy
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday urged the leaders of the Armed Services Committees to recognize the national security importance of the F/A-18 Super Hornet and authorize the 16 aircraft requested by the Navy prior to the submission of the annual defense funding bill. “The... Read More »
IAFC, Esri enter partnership for GIS technology for first responders
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) announced a partnership on Tuesday with Esri to geo-enable the association’s programs and applications in order to support the growing demands of first responders around the world. Esri specializes in geographic information system (GIS)... Read More »
Johnson discusses election systems cybersecurity efforts with state election officials
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson hosted a conference call on Monday with members of the National Association of Secretaries of State, along with other election officials, to discuss cybersecurity in election systems infrastructure. Officials within the Department of Homeland... Read More »NIAID researchers explore link between Ebola virus survival and malaria-causing parasite
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), released a study on Tuesday with evidence showing that people who were infected with the Ebola virus were 20 percent more likely to survive the virus if they were co-infected with the... Read More »
RAND Corp. releases study on social media habits of ISIS sympathizers on Twitter
Opponents of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are six times greater in number on Twitter compared to actual ISIS supporters, according to a study released by the RAND Corporation of Tuesday, but those sympathetic to the group’s causes are more active on social media. Through the... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic details advances in first half of 2016
Bavarian Nordic A/S released a summary of its progress for the first half of 2016 on Wednesday. “I am very pleased with the progress of the company this year,” Paul Chaplin, president and chief executive officer of Bavarian Nordic, said. “We have successfully built on our relationships... Read More »Raytheon details plans for new missile defense system
Raytheon Company released a comprehensive plan to the U.S. Army on Monday for the next generation of air and missile defense radar. The plan was released as part of a process to specifically define the requirements for a future lower tier air and missile defense sensor (LTAMDS).... Read More »European Parliament working to strengthen management of borders and travel security
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved plans on Friday set forth on July 6 to set up an EU border control system that brings together the European Union’s border agency, Frontex, and national border management authorities. The plan calls for national authorities to continue the... Read More »
Ceragon unveils new wireless platform with improved security for public safety
Ceragon Networks recently released a new wireless backhaul platform with enhanced security features that seeks to overcome what can at times be a major obstacle for public safety forces - access to a reliable and secure communications network. Ceragon’s FibeAir IP-20 Assured Platform is geared... Read More »
Purdue research team details new smart phone forensic data strategy
A research team led by Purdue University professors Dongyan Xu and Xiangyu Zhang detailed the findings of their RetroScope technology during the USENIX Security Symposium over the weekend. RetroScope, developed in the last nine months, builds upon the research team’s earlier work in smart... Read More »
ECDC releases opinion on whole genome sequencing
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), along with member states, released an opinion this week on whole genome sequencing (WGS) for public health surveillance. Whole genome sequencing is a laboratory process that determines the complete DNA sequence of an organism’s... Read More »
CDC issues travel warnings for those traveling to Zika-affected areas
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level 2 travel notice on Thursday for people traveling to destinations that have been affected by Zika virus. Zika virus has spread rapidly in South America and Caribbean countries, with transmission of the virus typically... Read More »
FDA approves sBLA for Biothrax manufacture at Emergent BioSolutions’ Building 55
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Emergent BioSolutions, Inc.’s supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the manufacture of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) at the company’s large-scale Building 55 manufacturing facility in Lansing,... Read More »
House Energy and Commerce Committee members seek information regarding CDC’s LRN capabilities
U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee members continued their oversight in examining the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Laboratory Response Network (LRN) on Thursday by requesting information regarding the network’s capabilities. The group included U.S. Reps. Fred... Read More »Ayotte releases Guantanamo Bay detainees report
U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) released an unclassified report on Wednesday summarizing the terrorist activities and affiliations of the 107 Guantanamo Bay detainees who were detained there as of Nov. 25, 2015. "The Obama administration promised transparency, but this new report shows why... Read More »