To counter the continually growing and changing threat of violent extremism, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has developed a free and publicly accessible research findings dashboard that hosts more than 1,500 catalogued terrorism prevention and countering violent extremism research documents.
In a disaster, thousands of Americans may require immediate medical specialty care, surpassing the care available in the community. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response awarded grants to demonstrate how a new Regional Disaster Health Response System could meet these needs.
After hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the National Science Foundation funded research to investigate the broad impacts of these disasters. Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychological science, medicine, and public health at the University of California, Irvine, studied the details of why people chose to evacuate or stay put as Hurricane Irma approached.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will work with MediWound Ltd. to develop a new treatment for skin injuries caused by sulfur mustard, a potential terrorism threat. Currently, there are no U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved treatments for skin injuries caused by exposure to sulfur mustard.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen released a statement on the National Cyber Strategy: “The Trump administration has taken bold steps to strengthen our security and prosperity in cyberspace in the face of growing threats and competition. Today’s National Cyber Strategy – the first in fifteen years – strengthens the government’s commitment to work in partnership with industry to combat those threats and secure our critical infrastructure.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen met with the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) to discuss her priorities for the Department. The group discussed a range of homeland security issues and Secretary Nielsen swore in eight new members to the HSAC: Jayson P. Ahern, Stewart A. Baker, Frank J. Cilluffo, Mark J. Dannels, Carol DiBattiste, Cathy Lanier, Wendy Smith-Reeve, and Chad Sweet.
A new web-based tool can help security professionals for commercial office buildings perform assessments based on the Best Practices for Anti-Terrorism Security (BPATS) for commercial office buildings. With best practices developed by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, in partnership with the National Institute of Building Sciences, building owners seeking protections under the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act can use the tool when developing their application packages.
President Donald Trump has released a National Biodefense Strategy and signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum that will strengthen the nation’s defenses against biological threats to health and safety. The implementation of these actions will promote a more efficient, coordinated, and accountable biodefense enterprise.
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed by a voice vote the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018 (H.R. 6198). Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen established the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office in December 2017. If enacted into law, this legislation would permanently establish the office and grant it new authorities to protect the American people against evolving WMD threats.
As Hurricane Florence makes landfall, the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and its federal partners remain in close coordination to help ensure that emergency officials effectively address the needs of at-risk populations as part of disaster response. Emergency responders and officials should consider adopting, as circumstances and resources allow, practices to help make sure all segments of the community are served.
