Threats
Congress passes REAL ID Modernization Act
The U.S. Congress has passed the REAL ID Modernization Act, which updates identification requirements set 15 years ago by the 9/11 Commission. “This new law marks another important step toward meeting the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to close dangerous vulnerabilities to terrorist... Read More »
Bill to help local governments thwart cyberthreats signed into law
A provision to encourage local governments to adopt the .gov domain for websites and email accounts was signed into law as a part of the year-end omnibus funding bill. The provision was originally introduced as the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act. It directs the Department of Homeland of... Read More »
Lockheed Martin touts F-35 aircraft delivery initiatives
Lockheed Martin personnel are touting the company's ability to produce and deliver F-35 aircraft amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm recently delivered the 123rd F-35 aircraft of the year. In 2020, 74 F-35s were delivered to the U.S. military, 31 to international partner nations, and 18 to... Read More »
Yuma Sector Border Patrol names new chief patrol agent
Chris T. Clem has been named Yuma Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent, bringing 25 years of Border Patrol experience to the post. Authorities noted Clem’s career includes a variety of leadership roles involving serving as senior patrol agent, supervisory border patrol agent, field operations... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration submits 2021 stockpile stewardship, management plan to Congress
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) delivered its 2021 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) to Congress this week, laying out a specific path to producing 80 plutonium pits annually and delivering first-time production units for various programs. The... Read More »Novavax begins enrolling up to 30,000 volunteers for Phase Three trial of COVID-19 vaccine
In an effort funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Novavax, Inc. has begun enrolling volunteers for a phase three trial of NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Volunteers can be... Read More »International law enforcement officials take down VPN used by cybercriminals
Law enforcement officials in the United States and worldwide have taken down a virtual private network (VPN) called “Operation Nova” that had been allegedly assisting cybercriminals. United States Attorney Matthew Schneider said the investigation revealed three domains— INSORG.ORG;... Read More »
Rep. Maloney, Sen. Markey applaud inclusion of funding for gun violence research
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) applauded the inclusion of $25 million in the 2021 budget federal gun violence prevention research. It builds on $25 million in funding inlude3d in the budget last year for research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.... Read More »
ICE notes operational successes in 2020 annual report
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials noted operational successes within its fiscal year 2020 annual report, focusing on immigration laws enforcement and customs and immigration violation investigations. “The men and women who represent ICE have risen to the challenges presented... Read More »
Northrop Grumman secures Navy vehicles contract
Navy officials said the service branch has awarded a $57 million award potentially worth up to $250 million to Northrop Grumman to produce Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles. The initial 19 vehicles could result in an additional 84 target vehicles, bringing the GQM-163A... Read More »
Soligenix wins $1.5M NIAID award to support COVID-19, Ebola vaccine development
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $1.5 million grant to Soligenix, Inc. last week to aid manufacture, formulation, and characterization of COVID-19 and ebola virus disease vaccine candidates. All will be pursued in conjunction with the CoVaccine HT... Read More »
University of Colorado researchers developing new compound to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a chemical compound capable of working with natural bodily processes to break through antibiotic resistant bacteria and have published the results in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Although attentions for many scientists have... Read More »
US Justice Department sues Walmart over opioids
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it had filed suit against Walmart for its part in the opioid epidemic. According to the complaint filed in federal court, the DOJ alleges that Walmart Inc. unlawfully dispensed opioids from its pharmacies across the country, resulting in... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Warner applaud inclusion of Intelligence Authorization Act in COVID-19 relief bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA) commended the inclusion of the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2021 as part of the COVID-19 relief package. The bill, approved by the Senate on July 23, would authorize funding, provide legal authorities, and enhance Congressional... Read More »
DHS issues warning on risks of businesses using data services from China-association firms
The Department of Homeland Security issued a business advisory warning to American businesses about the risks of using data services and equipment from firms associated with China. This advisory cites the increasing risk of government-sponsored data theft due to newly enacted laws in China that... Read More »
Sen. Peters launches investigation into Trump administration’s COVID-19 preparation, response
The top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), announced a pending examination of the Trump Administration’s planning, coordination, and execution of preparation and response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic. This... Read More »
Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act would broaden free access to coronavirus testing
Under the Expanding COVID-19 Testing Capacity Act, introduced this week by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the federal government would be required to manufacture and expand the number of institutions to which it distributes diagnostic tests to increase access to free COVID-19 testing. Based... Read More »
U.S. to purchase additional 100M doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, pursue new Merck therapeutic
The federal government announced Wednesday that it would purchase an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be delivered next year. Coordinated through the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD), Pfizer will have to meet several... Read More »
FDA approves Ebolavirus treatment Ebanga
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a treatment for the Zaire Ebolavirus infection in adults and children. The treatment is called Ebanga, a human monoclonal antibody that blocks the virus's binding to the cell receptor, thus preventing its entry into the cell. Zaire... Read More »
Senators applaud DHS for combatting vaccine fraud
A group of U.S. Senators is commending the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their efforts to protect against counterfeit vaccines and personal protective equipment through Operation Stolen Promise 2.0. “In April U.S. Immigration and Customs... Read More »
Artificial intelligence measure included in must-pass government funding deal
A group of lawmakers recently touted the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Act, which was included in the must-pass government funding deal and set to become law. Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Rob Portman (R-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said the... Read More »
Immigration and Customs Enforcement seizes fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine websites
In the wake of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland seized two fraudulent COVID-19 websites. The domain names, mordernatx.com and regeneronmedicals.com, purported to be the websites of... Read More »
More than $107M awarded by NIH in broad effort to find radical COVID-19 testing, surveillance ideas
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded more than $107 million to support new, non-traditional means of plugging gaps in COVID-19 testing and surveillance, as well as to develop platforms for future outbreaks. The awards were given under a program... Read More »
Congress passes $900B COVID-19 relief package, including $73B for HHS federal response efforts
Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package Monday, which includes legislation that will provide more than $73 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for federal response efforts. While much attention has been put on the $600 direct stimulus payment and $300 per... Read More »
Sens. Portman, Peters to work on cybersecurity legislation in light of hack
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH), who will lead the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the new Congress, plan to hold hearings and develop comprehensive cybersecurity legislation in 2021. The lawmakers also issued a statement on the recent... Read More »
House Services Committee leaders urge sound cybersecurity policy following hack
The House Armed Services Committee leaders are sounding the alarm for the need for a sound cybersecurity policy following the breach of the SolarWinds breach that has impacted several federal agencies. SolarWinds is a provider of IT infrastructure management software, which is used by several... Read More »
DHS S&T initiative targets Positioning, Navigation, and Timing resilience
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has published the PNT Conformance Framework to bolster Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) resilience. PNT services that include the Global Positioning System (GPS) serve a national function enabling... Read More »
CBP publishes 2021-2026 forward strategy
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agency's recently published Strategy 2021-2026 introduces new mission and vision statements describing commitment to a safer and more prosperous nation. The document also addresses mission priorities describing the core in a succinct... Read More »
Congress advances legislation to address shoreline erosion on Great Lakes to president’s desk
After securing U.S. House support last week, the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act, which is meant to reduce risks of flooding, rising water levels, and shoreline erosion along the Great Lakes, is headed for final review by the president. Introduced by U.S. Sens.... Read More »
COVAX initiative secures deals for nearly 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines
On behalf of 190 participating economies, the global COVAX initiative has secured access to nearly 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine candidates and plans to begin dispensing those doses early next year to protect vulnerable groups. While most of the vaccine candidates involved are still under... Read More »
DARPA rolls out Reefense program to protect military installation from coastal storm damage
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has established a new initiative designed to protect military installations from coastal storm damage and flooding. DARPA’s new Reefense program seeks to develop biological and engineered reef-mimicking structures to mitigate wave and... Read More »
DARPA, JPEO-CBRND funds target COVID-19 treatment development
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) have earmarked $37.6 million for COVID-19 treatment development. A research team representing scientists from The Wistar Institute,... Read More »
Hologic to speed development of combo SARS-CoV-2/Flu test under expanded federal partnership
Thanks to an expansion of a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Hologic, Inc. will accelerate the development of the Aptima SARS-CoV-2/Flu assay, dangling the promise of a test capable of differentiating between the pair. Specifically, the test... Read More »
FDA working to finalize EUA for Moderna COVID-19 vaccine following advisory committee vote
A Moderna, Inc. vaccine is on track to become the second COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in the United States, following this week's positive endorsement from the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). The VRBPAC, an advisory committee for the U.S. Food... Read More »