U.S. government
HHS, Emergent BioSolutions enter into contract for anthrax vaccine development
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recently moved forward with the development of the anthrax vaccine NuThrax. ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Emergent... Read More »
Legislation introduced to cut funding for Palestinian terrorist attacks
A group of Republican U.S. senators recently introduced the Taylor Force Act to require the secretary of state to certify that the Palestinian Authority has ended its policy of funding terrorists and their families. The bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC),... Read More »Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., signs multi-year contract for next-gen anthrax vaccine candidate
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., announced on Friday that it has signed a multi-year contract for the advanced development and delivery of NuThrax (vaccine adsorbed with CPG 7909 adjuvant), the company’s next-generation anthrax vaccine candidate. The contract, signed with the Biomedical Advanced... Read More »
House passes McCaul’s first responder grant bill
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act, H.R. 5859, on Thursday, to provide assistance to first responders in communities across the country. The bill, introduced by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and passed with bipartisan support, authorizes... Read More »McCaul’s counterterrorism strategy aims to take U.S. into digital age of security
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) unveiled a counterterrorism strategy on Tuesday that he said takes U.S. policies into the digital age of security, as threats from violent extremists continue to evolve with technology. McCaul’s plan was released just days after... Read More »Rubio introduces legislation to stop terrorists from returning to the battlefield
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Keep Terrorists Off the Battlefield Act on Monday to bar the president from setting terrorists free from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo). The legislation would also prevent the president from closing the detention facility entirely.... Read More »
GAO: NNSA should evaluate surveillance program in assessing nuclear weapons stockpile
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a study on Wednesday evaluating the role of the enhanced surveillance program in assessing the condition of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The GAO report found that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security... Read More »First responders train with new technology at N.Y.’s largest emergency response exercise
More than 100 first responders gathered in New York this week for the state’s largest emergency response training exercise featuring realistic scenarios inspired by terrorist threats in the United States and abroad and utilizing the newest communications technology for law enforcement. The... 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 »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 »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 »
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 »