Vice President Mike Pence tells reporters on Jan. 7 that as part of ongoing border wall negotiations with Democrats in Congress, the Trump administration is considering adding $631 million to the approximately $44 million request by the Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2019 for detection technology at ports of entry. DHS didn’t respond to a query for additional information. Pence says the additional funding for non-intrusive inspection technology would improve the detection of narcotics and human trafficking.
Black Sage
says it provided its UASX counter unmanned aircraft system for multiple NCAA football games last season at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho, to detect and identify drone activity. Boise-based Black Sage says the UASCX counter-UAS system can alert law enforcement of a drone before it is airborne, do classification to reduce false alarms, locate the operator, and provide forensic data storage. The Boise State Broncos play at the stadium.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology branch has launched a $250,000 prize competition seeking new concepts for escape respirators that provide oxygen and protect users against aerosolized chemical, biological and radiological hazards. “Through this challenge, we are reaching out to the scientific community for innovative compact design solutions that will eventually help people evacuate from toxic or smoke-filled environments,” says William Bryan, acting director of S&T. Once Phase I of the challenge is complete, up to three finalists will be selected to receive $50,000 each to build a functioning prototype. Proposals are due by May 30 (http://www.repiratorchallenge.org).
Battelle has selected Dr. George Korch as the new lab director for the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center at Fort Detrick, Md. Korch has served as commander of the Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick and helped stand up NBACC as part of the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.