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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) outdated BioWatch Program, launched in 2003 as an early warning system for potential bioterrorist attacks in the United States, is being replaced, a federal expert told members of the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense on Nov. 14 during a report... Read More »
In an international effort to reduce global catastrophic risks associated with technological advancements, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has established a multi-year project that will develop and promote actions that limit the potential misuse of biotechnology.
Launched last month, the NTI... Read More »
There was a changing of the guard at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) last week, under which Boston’s Area Port Director, Clint Lamm, was officially made the organization’s Preclearance Director.
That new role puts Lamm in command of 600 law enforcement officers and agriculture... Read More »
President Donald Trump on Nov. 16 signed into law a bill that creates the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which establishes a new agency within the Department of Homeland Security to lead the federal government’s civilian response to cyber threats.
The CISA will be a... Read More »
Barnard Construction Company has received a $172 million Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Army Corps of Engineers base contract to build 14 miles of Arizona Primary Pedestrian Replacement Wall.
The total contract value, which includes up to 32 miles and options, is $324 million, with work... Read More »
A study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined that the most serious outbreaks of norovirus could be tracked to a particular genotype of the virus.
The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, tracked nearly 3,800 outbreaks in the United States... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration recently unveil new Automated Screening Lanes (ASLs) at San Francisco International Airport’s (SFO) Terminal 3.
ASLs moves passengers faster and more efficiently through security checkpoints. The technology does this in several ways. United Airlines... Read More »
Against the backdrop of a spreading Ebola outbreak in Congo, where a worsening war has stymied U.S. aid amid increasing security concerns, the Trump administration is trying to wrap its arms around what is and isn’t working in biodefense against man-made, accidental, naturally occurring... Read More »
Law enforcement officials said a New York man has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the... Read More »
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized $512,000 worth of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl in four separate instances at Arizona’s Port of Nogales over the holiday weekend.
On Nov. 9, a Mexican woman was pulled from a tourist bus at the Mariposa Crossing, after which a... Read More »
Rapidly evolving wearables and 3D printed devices are among the inexpensive and portable diagnostic tools on the market today, some of which can detect and diagnose disease in less than an hour for biosurveillance.
However, developing these devices on a much greater scale for biosecurity... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) El Paso Field Office officials are advising travelers of potential border processing delays in the wake of recent personnel adjustments related to the caravan.
CBP officials said a large number of officers from the El Paso, Santa Teresa, and Tornillo ports of... Read More »
A workshop hosted by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America assembled in Baltimore, Md., this week to address the overuse of antimicrobials and to determine the best course for combating drug-resistant bacteria.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Research Workshop was based on the genuine... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security urging funding to strengthen security at places of worship.
The senators asked the committee to maintain the... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation this week to create the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The bill, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act (H.R. 3359), would reorganize DHS’... Read More »
A survey commissioned by the public education and advocacy group Research!America has determined Americans deem antibiotic resistance as a public health problem with a myriad of treatment implications.
Research!America officials said 65 percent of survey respondents consider antibiotic... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first single-use fingerstick tests for Ebola virus detection, complete with a portable reader system more easily used outside of labs.
While this is the second fingerstick test made... Read More »
Operational Fires (OpFires), a joint program between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army, will soon launch with a goal of developing and demonstrating an innovative, mobile ground-launched system.
The system allows hypersonic boost glide weapons to penetrate... Read More »
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently announced the development of three new technologies designed to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as part of its Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program.
The three technologies -- a semi-autonomous robot for detection of mines... Read More »
Two universities have received a combined $1,272,320 from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to improve cybersecurity control investment decisions.
The University of California, San Diego was awarded $1,045,015 earmarked development of threat... Read More »
With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, InDevR is seeking to improve potency testing for its VaxArray platform in regards to measles and rubella vaccines.
The result, they hope, will be a quicker delivery of vaccines to market and lower production costs, which has proven to be... Read More »
David P. Higgerson, director of field operations at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Laredo Field Office recently was awarded the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Silver Medal 2018 from the Department of Homeland Security.
The award honors exceptional individual service or... Read More »
Massachusetts State Police, the US Coast Guard, Massachusetts National Guard, local police and fire departments, and federal public safety officials all participated in the largest homeland security training exercise ever conducted in the state last week.
The training exercise is designed to... Read More »
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released this week the latest Terror Threat Snapshot, which highlights threats the nation, the West and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.
The report highlighted that five senior members of the... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories is pushing U.S. development of autonomous hypersonic aircraft, using a unique wind tunnel and advanced laser diagnostic technology to get there.
The goal is to advance aircraft past five times the speed of sound. It is a top national defense priority, and as such, a... Read More »
Officials from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department attended the Fifth Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Ministerial Meeting in Indonesia this week to reaffirm U.S. support for the initiative and commit additional funding.
GHSA, which launched in 2014, is a worldwide effort to... Read More »
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is funding a broad research effort designed to assess elements surrounding the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
Officials said the CDC recently awarded contracts to Amy Pruden and Marc Edwards, professors in the Charles Edward Via, Jr. Department of... Read More »
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Calexico Station recently used a new vehicle immobilization device known as the Grappler to stop a smuggling vehicle.
Authorities said the immobilization effort, the first recorded within the United States Border Patrol using the device,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced it would be expanding and relocating its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Global Entry Enrollment Center.
The center’s improvements will double the number of applicants processed by allowing CBP officers to conduct up to 10... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase its support of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).
The GHSA, launched following the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2013, is focused on pandemic prevention. It helps... Read More »
A study published in Nature Medicine this week revealed that nearly half of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed patients each year could potentially be cured with treatments shorter than those recommended.
Specifically, the study examined three TB trials previously thought to disprove the efficacy of... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is assisting the Departments of Defense and Energy in updating 10-year nuclear arsenal cost estimates and reporting them to Congress.
GAO officials said an essential element of the effort involves capturing fundamental programmatic changes in nuclear... Read More »
The possibility of early prenatal screening for and enhanced understanding of the link between Zika infection and fetal abnormalities may have grown, with a University of Southern California (USC) discovery of birth defect-associated biomarkers.
Publishing their findings in the Journal of... Read More »
Raytheon is pressing forward on a GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) in time for the launch of GPS III next month, and initial test data indicates huge successes against cybersecurity threats and data corruption.
In all tests so far, the system has blocked the broadcast of... Read More »
The Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently released its annual reports outlining its efforts to maintain the U.S. nuclear stockpile and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
“The Trump Administration’s 2018 Nuclear Posture Review sets a clear... Read More »
