News
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 »
Blighter Surveillance Systems makes appointments to protect infrastructure in Middle East petrochemical markets
Blighter Surveillance Systems, Ltd., made two appointments on Wednesday to assist the company in targeting the oil, gas and petrochemical markets with its Blighter B400 Series e-scan doppler radar and long-range thermal camera surveillance solution. The Blighter B400 doppler radar delivers... Read More »
CBP officers arrest five individuals at the Port of Nogales for narcotics smuggling
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stationed at the Port of Nogales arrested five individuals attempting to enter the U.S. with approximately two pounds of methamphetamine and heroin hidden within in their bodies on July 30. The incident began when officers at the Dennis DeConcini... Read More »Cyber reforms needed to strengthen software bug discovery and disclosure: New America report
In order to stem massive data breaches and strengthen cyber security, U.S. policymakers should reform laws to help make it easier for researchers to identify and address software bugs, according to a recent report from New America’s Open Technology Institute. The report, “Bugs in the... Read More »
CDC exercises contract option with Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., for supply of vaccinia immune globulin for SNS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exercised a contract option with Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., on Tuesday valued at $11.6 million over a 12-month period for the supply of vaccinia immune globulin (VIGIV) to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The U.S. Food and... Read More »Feinstein urges clarification on no-first-use nuclear weapons policy
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urged President Barack Obama to clarify that the United States would only use nuclear options in response to an attack and reject a policy of first-use in a letter sent on Tuesday. “The only moral purpose for nuclear weapons is to deter their use by other... Read More »Hologic receives $4.1 million from HHS for the development of a Zika virus blood screening test
Hologic, Inc., entered into an agreement on Tuesday worth $4.1 million with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistance Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) to advance the development of a blood screening test that will detect Zika virus. The one... Read More »INTERPOL urges nations to adapt to changes in fight against terrorism
Secretary general of Interpol Jürgen Stock recently urged agencies across the globe to adapt to the evolving and expanding nature of transnational terrorist organizations. At a meeting on countering the cross-border movement of terrorism, Stock said that effective information sharing, capacity... Read More »Homeland Security awards security grant money for eight Nassau County Jewish organizations
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) FY2016 non-profit security grant program (NSGP) awarded eight different Jewish organizations in New York’s fourth congressional district a total of approximately $575,000 for various security enhancements on Tuesday. The district is... Read More »
SIGA Technologies receives approval to complete enrollment for TPOXX study
SIGA Technologies, Inc., received approval on Tuesday from its data safety monitoring board (DSMB) to complete enrollment in the second and final cohort of healthy subjects for the Phase III clinical study of TPOXX for the treatment of orthopoxvirus infections. The approval was based on a study... Read More »Thompson urges action by DHS to strengthen cybersecurity efforts for voting systems
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) called for action by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity efforts against foreign actors who attempt to exploit cyber vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting systems. “The Department of Homeland... Read More »
CBP uncovers methamphetamine concealed within hollowed-out candle
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field operations officers stationed at the Ontario air cargo facility at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) uncovered 1.6 pounds of crystal methamphetamine concealed within a hollowed-out candle last Wednesday. The express parcel originated from... Read More »
Carper urges action on cybersecurity vulnerabilities across U.S. election system
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) called for action on Monday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in voting machines and other information technology used in election systems across the U.S. “Election security is critical and a cyberattack... Read More »Lockheed Martin, U.S. Air Force deliver third SBIRS satellite to Cape Canaveral
Lockheed Martin, along with the U.S. Air Force, delivered the third Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) satellite to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Thursday, ahead of its intended October launch date. “SBIRS GEO satellites are our nation’s missile... Read More »Rubio renews push to protect military members from Zika virus
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) renewed his push on Thursday to reintroduce legislation that would provide additional protections from the Zika virus to U.S. military men and women, including those serving in high-risk areas. “At the start of June, I introduced an amendment to the 2017 National... Read More »
Study finds huge gap in international biosafety regulations threatens security
A major gap in international standards for biosafety in laboratories handling contagious pathogens potentially increases the risk that an accident could result in a disease outbreak that threatens global security, according to a recent study by the UPMC Center for Health Security. The year-long... Read More »
Battelle, Ohio State make joint hire to enhance collaboration for defense commercialization
Research teams from Battelle and the Ohio State University jointly hired Zachary Mears on Wednesday to enhance collaboration and position institutions for defense technology commercialization. Mears will be on staff as an assistant vice president for national security and research programs at... Read More »LLNL researchers develop material to protect soldiers from biological and chemical agents in the field
A team of researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recently developed a flexible material that is both highly breathable and protective from various biological agents that soldiers may come into contact with. The material is the first key component of a new type of... Read More »
FireChat’s off-the-grid messaging app fosters communication during emergencies
A disaster strikes a congested city, cell phone networks are overwhelmed and internet access is spotty. Nearly everyone has a mobile device in their pocket, but few can use them to communicate. San Francisco-based start-up OpenGarden, Inc., has a solution to this type of crisis with its FireChat... Read More »