Threats
HHS establishes temporary COVID-19 treatment center in Tucson
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Tucson Medical Center (TMC) began administering monoclonal antibody therapeutic treatments last week. The treatments were given at a temporary COVID-19 infusion center in Tucson. It is just the second federally supported infusion center... Read More »
DARPA division explores innovative night-vision goggle technology
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office (DSO) is exploring the development of next-generation night-vision goggle (NVG) technology. The Enhanced Night Vision in eyeglass form (ENVision) program allows the DSO seeks to create lightweight NVGs offering a... Read More »
DEA seizes more than 30 pounds of suspected heroin, hundreds of fentanyl pills at Bronx pill mill
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced efforts that resulted in the seizure of approximately $2 million worth of suspected heroin and fentanyl pills and five arrests. Officials noted the actions occurred following an investigation into a large-scale narcotics organization operating in the... Read More »
BARDA DRIVe, NIOSH request expert input on development challenge for better mask designs
Both Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) DRIVe and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) put out a call this week for comments on potential evaluation criteria and testing protocols for an improved mask design challenge. Input will help... Read More »
Bayer agrees to support CureVac development, supply of COVID-19 vaccine candidate
A collaboration and services agreement united Bayer and CureVac N.V. this week in support of CureVac’s new class mRNA-based medicines, particularly its COVID-19 vaccine candidate CVnCoV. Under the agreement, Bayer will support development, supply, and key territory operations through its... Read More »
NIH director: COVID-19 herd immunity requires more vaccinated Americans
At least 80 percent to 85 percent of Americans should receive the COVID-19 vaccine for the country to reach herd immunity, said National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins in a Jan. 6 interview with the Washington Post. “Herd immunity requires the majority of a population to be... Read More »
Study reveals that COVID-19 survivors have immune cells to fight re-infection
A new report from the LaJolla Institute for Immunology has revealed that almost all survivors of COVID-19 have the immune cells necessary to fight re-infection. Based on analyses of blood samples from 188 COVID-19 patients, the findings suggest that the immune system learns to fight specific... Read More »
Lockheed Martin awarded $1.28B Pentagon F-35 contract
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $1.28 billion sustainable contract from the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office. This Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) supports operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet through June 30, 2021. "This contract ensures F-35s remain ready to fly and... Read More »
CISA, NASCAR target Daytona 500 fan safety
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and NASCAR officials recently joined Daytona International Speedway personnel, first responders, and law enforcement officials in conducting a Daytona 500 fan safety tabletop exercise. The exercise serves as an example of the planning and... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic to supply IMVANEX smallpox vaccine to three European governments this year
Under a $13.5 million contract, Bavarian Nordic A/S announced this week that it would provide supplies of its IMVANEX smallpox vaccine to three European governments in the first half of 2021. “We are pleased to expand our sales of smallpox vaccines to other countries,” Paul Chaplin,... Read More »
CDC to provide $22B in support for expanded response efforts to COVID-19 pandemic
Before Jan. 19, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release more than $22 billion in funding to support states, localities, and territories grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic through a mix of expanded testing and vaccination distribution efforts. "This funding is... Read More »
TSA provides update on air travel during holidays in New England
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 470,000 people at New England’s six largest airports from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3. The average number of passengers screened during the 2020 holiday travel period was about 27,600 a day at New England’s top six airports, including... Read More »
National Security Council launches task force to investigate Solar Winds cyberattack
The National Security Council staff has launched a task force to coordinate the investigation and remediation of the recent Solar Winds cyberattack involving federal government networks. The task force -- called the Cyber Unified Coordination Group (UCG) -- is composed of representatives from... Read More »
IDSA president, HIV Medicine Association chair call on US government to immediately address impediments to COVID-19 vaccine access
Dr. Barbara Alexander, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and Dr. Rajesh Gandhi, chair of the HIV Medicine Association, called this week for swift action to overcome the hurdles slowing COVID-19 vaccine access and efforts to counter the raging pandemic. “To address... Read More »
NIAID begins phase 2/3 clinical trial of two antibody therapies for mild or moderate COVID-19 cases
ACTIV-2, a study sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has begun phase 2/3 trials to evaluate two monoclonal antibody therapies that could help those with mild or moderate cases of COVID-19. The twin antibodies are known as BRII-196 and BRII-198, both... Read More »
DHS conducts tests that show facial recognition technologies could work with masks
Tests conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) showed promising results that facial recognition technologies can accurately identify individuals wearing protective face masks. The tests were conducted as part of S&T’s 2020 Biometric... Read More »
Reps. Spanberger, Katko introduce bill to better prepare for pandemics, other threats
U.S. Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and John Katko (R-NY) introduced a bill to enhance the nation’s readiness to prepare for and respond to public safety and national security threats – including pandemics. Their bill -- the Analyzing Disaster Vulnerabilities and Applicable National... Read More »
TSA report shows dramatic changes in checkpoint operations due to COVID-19 pandemic
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) report assessing the 2020 calendar year detailed the implementation of modifications across more than 440 federalized airports nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020, the agency screened a total of approximately 324... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories names McGill new deputy labs director
Laura McGill has been named Sandia National Laboratories deputy labs director and will lead its nuclear deterrence programs to support safety, security, and reliability excellence. “I’m honored to join Sandia Labs and the tradition of serving the national security mission,” McGill said.... Read More »
UAB researcher creates at-home immunity monitoring technology for COVID-19
While many antibody tests today fail to identify neutralizing antibodies, Dr. Benjamin Larimer, a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has developed a diagnostic capable of accurately and quickly identifying these antibodies and showing people’s potential immunity to... Read More »
South Carolina starts tracking number of times naloxone administered
A South Carolina law that went into effect Jan. 1 requires emergency rooms and other healthcare facilities to report to the state health department each time an opioid antidote like naloxone is administered to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The law aims to help the state get a bigger... Read More »
Bill designed to reduce military training accidents signed into law
Legislation designed to reduce military training accidents was signed into law last week. The bill’s sponsor, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), attached the measure to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It requires the Department of Defense to examine emergency response... Read More »
Reps. Fitzpatrick, Gottheimer introduce bill to restrict online terrorism
U.S. Reps Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill requiring the regular disclosure of the presence of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations on social media websites. Further, the bill, the Online Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R.9043), would impose financial and... Read More »
DHS report details alien border encounters
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have released the Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement Lifecycle Report, an analysis of enforcement outcomes for aliens encountered at the Southwest Border. The report covers Fiscal Years 2014 through 2019. The Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS)... Read More »
Huntington Ingalls Industries acquires SIS autonomy business
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS), indicating the acquisition expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities with unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions. “We are excited to welcome the SIS autonomy business employees... Read More »
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine first to gain WHO emergency use validation
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued emergency use validation for the Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty mRNA vaccine last week, ending 2020 by issuing the first such validation for a COVID-19 vaccine. The global organization’s declaration will allow countries to expedite their regulatory... Read More »
Anti-Defamation League partners with CSI to improve security for Jewish communities in NYC
The American Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism is partnering with the Community Security Initiative (CSI) to focus on the security needs of the Jewish communities of greater New York City. The initiative responds to a series of violent attacks in the Jewish communities of Jersey... Read More »
Marine’s to equip rifles with suppressors to enhance lethality, protect soldiers
The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is equipping infantry, reconnaissance, and special operation units with suppressors for use on the M27, M4, and M4A1 rifles. Small arms suppressors are designed to reduce a weapon’s noise, flash, and recoil – and they only take seconds to attach and... Read More »
ICE No Safe Haven Plus initiative yields nationwide arrests
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said the nationwide Operation No Safe Haven Plus resulted in 18 foreign nationals sought for human rights violations or human smuggling and trafficking activity being arrested. “These arrests are a critical piece of our ongoing mission to... Read More »
Laredo CBP officers seize $2.5M worth of narcotics at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge
Laredo Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers noted the seizure of methamphetamine totaling over $2.5 million in street value at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge. “While drug trafficking organizations employ a variety of methods to smuggle their illicit... Read More »
Rep. Jim Clyburn to continue leading Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis in 117th Congress
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced this week that the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis will continue into the new year and the 117th Congress, still under the leadership of Chairman and Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC). The subcommittee has been running since April 23, 2020. In the months... Read More »
Phase 3 clinical trial data confirms efficacy of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
A peer-reviewed report chronicling the phase three trial data of mRNA-1273, Moderna, Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, was released in the New England Journal of Medicine last week and confirmed its 94.1 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19. Distribution of the vaccine has already begun in the... Read More »
US signs Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
The nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have all signed the Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) with the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. In 2019, more than 71 percent of migrants apprehended at the U.S. Southwest border came from El Salvador,... Read More »
CEPI invests in 11th COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Bio E from India
CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is collaborating with an India-based pharmaceutical company to develop a COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate. The partnership is with Biological E Limited, or Bio E, a Hyderabad-based vaccine and pharmaceutical company. CEPI will... Read More »