New York: Governor Hochul Announces $10.5 Million Awarded Through Federal Homeland Security Program

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced $10.5 million has been awarded through the federal FY 2023 and FY 2024 State Homeland Security Program to enhance the preparedness and response capabilities of 80 cities, towns, villages and counties statewide. Bomb squads, hazardous Read More …

New Joint Task Force Established to Lead SOUTHCOM Counter-Narcotics Operations

MIAMI, Fla. – U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the establishment of a new Joint Task Force (JTF) under II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF) today to synchronize and augment counter-narcotics efforts across the Western Hemisphere. The JTF will integrate the Read More …

TSA plans two major IT services contracts worth over $150M

The Transportation Security Administration has outlined two upcoming contract opportunities with a combined value of more than $150 million. Both efforts, published Friday in the Department of Homeland Security’s Acquisition Planning Forecast System, aim to strengthen the agency’s enterprise technology Read More …

TSA: Harmonizing global standards for travelers

International travelers will have noticed that security screening at U.S. and European airports is not the same. While both TSA and ECAC have rigorous security screening standards, the approach can be quite different. TSA and ECAC, for instance, have different Read More …

Mexico: Former Jalisco cartel member details use of explosive drones by elite unit ‘Fuerzas Especiales Mencho’

In a recent interview, a former member of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) described the recruitment and training process, as well as the operations within one of the cartel’s elite units that serves Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as Read More …

RFI: Eventual short-term FEMA contract to standardize, strengthen security systems

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Office of the Chief Security Officer (OCSO) intends to issue a short-term, two-year competitive Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) or other contract vehicle under a FEMA Security Enterprise Services and National Maintenance Acquisition (SESNMA) contract, Read More …

Pennsylvania: 50 pounds of ‘improvised’ explosives found at ‘bomb-making laboratory’ inside Philadelphia home

A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged after authorities discovered “improvised explosive devices in a makeshift laboratory” at his Philadelphia home, officials announced on Wednesday. The man, identified as Evgenii Sadrislamov, and his mother were escorted outside of the home Read More …

National Robot Rodeo ropes in emerging EOD technologies

Military and civilian explosive ordnance disposal experts tried out the latest Explosive Ordnance Disposal technologies and robotics in the 2024 National Robot Rodeo competition, Aug. 26-30. The week-long event, managed by the United States Bomb Technician Association, brought EOD bomb Read More …

NCITE Publishes New Research on Combating Terrorist Use of Explosives

The terrorist threat in the U.S. has many faces: anti-government extremists, violent white supremacists, homegrown jihadists, and a long list of others. To respond, national security researchers and practitioners need a thorough and current understanding of one weapon that unites Read More …

DHS report details AI’s potential to amplify biological, chemical threats

Artificial intelligence has the potential to unlock secrets to the development of weapons of mass destruction, particularly chemical and biological threats, to malicious actors, according to a Department of Homeland Security report publicly released last week. The full report, which Read More …

DHS S&T Releases Market Survey Report for Non-Detonable Training Aids for Explosive Detection Canines

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has released a new market survey report to help emergency responders identify non-detonable training aids for explosive detection canines. Non-detonable training aids emulate the scent of explosives, Read More …

DHS Publishes Guidelines and Report to Secure Critical Infrastructure and Weapons of Mass Destruction from AI-Related Threats

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) marked the 180-day mark of President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14110, “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” by unveiling new resources to address threats posed by Read More …

Texas: Austin HSEM Launches Regional Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program

Austin’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is launching a new program in the capital area. The Bomb-Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP) is a federal bombing prevention program with over 300 participants trained across cities in Texas. Austin HSEM’s Read More …

DHS Announces $1.8 Billion in Preparedness Grants

WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced more than $1.8 billion in funding for eight Fiscal Year 2024 preparedness grant programs. These grant programs provide critical funding to help state, local, tribal, and territorial officials prepare for, Read More …

DHS: Applications Open for FY24 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grants

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Administered by the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) and Read More …

Louisiana: DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, City of New Orleans Hosts Readiness Event

In partnership with the City of New Orleans, with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD), is hosting a multiday readiness event from Monday, March 18, through Friday, March 22. The purpose of this Read More …

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency wants to use AI to scan for fentanyl at the border

In his State of the Union address last week, President Joe Biden urged Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration bill “with the toughest set of border security reforms we’ve ever seen.” The bill would have, among other things, funded “100 Read More …

Montana: TSA hosting recruitment event at Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport

BOZEMAN, Montana – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will host a recruitment event Wednesday, January 31 in Bozeman, Montana, to hire full- and part-time federal Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) to work at Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport (BZN). Entry-level TSOs will be Read More …

Malicious Actors Threaten U.S. Synagogues, Schools, Hospitals, and Other Institutions With Bomb Threats

FBI, DHS, and NCTC are warning the public of ongoing bomb threats by malicious actors targeting synagogues, Jewish community centers, schools, hospitals, airports, government buildings, and other public institutions in the United States. These actors threaten to detonate supposedly hidden Read More …

TSA Seeks to Purchase Explosive Detection Systems

The Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration plans to issue an indefinite-delivery contract for the procurement and installation of Type 1 and Type 2 explosive detection systems. TSA expects to release a solicitation by March 4 and award the Read More …