Category: IA News

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Leon Rodriguez addressed the House and Senate last week on the subject of the Syrian refugee crisis and its impact on the security of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Rodriguez’s written remarks were delivered to the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security […]

On November 17, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report following their review of the proposed Interagency Rotation Program included in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Interagency Rotation Program included in the 2013 NDAA called for national security personnel to be assigned to work at another agency for professional development purposes […]

Earlier this week Amb. William Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, testified before the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Brownfield spoke on U.S. counternarcotics assistance to Mexico, including the Merida Initiative. In his remarks, Brownfield discussed the U.S. role in the Merida Initiative, a comprehensive […]

FBI Cyber Division Section IV Chief Gerald Bessette was recently interviewed about actions agencies should take before and after a cyber breach. During the interview, Bessette discussed the Cyber Division’s place within the FBI, trends in cyber intrusions and breeches, and the differences between cyber investigations and traditional probes. Bessette spoke about the Cyber Division’s […]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has released a memorandum on the implementation of a cybersecurity strategy for the federal civilian government. The Cybersecurity Strategy and Implementation Plan (CSIP) is the result of the Cybersecurity Sprint initiated by Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott. The Cybersecurity Sprint was a 30-day review of the federal […]

In late October, the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) issued the Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems to help U.S. communities better withstand and recover from natural disasters and other hazards.  The guide was developed by NIST with the help of specialists from multiple levels of community and government agencies, […]

On October 27, the Senate passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) of 2015 in a 74-to-21 vote. CISA was passed by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March before moving to the Senate, and will now be reconciled with legislation passed by the House of Representatives. The bill creates additional incentives to increase voluntary sharing of […]

Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their testimony on the progress made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. The testimony is based on previous GAO reports that were issued between 2012 and 2015, and audits the progress FEMA has made in national preparedness, disaster response and recovery, […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to expand on its Enhanced Cybersecurity Services (ECS) program. The ECS program was launched in 2011, and involves cybersecurity organizations from across the federal government. The ECS, which was expanded in 2013, is a voluntary information sharing program that shares sensitive and classified cyber threat indicators from across […]

In September the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the updated National Preparedness Goal. The National Preparedness Goal defines what it means for the whole community to be prepared for all types of disasters and emergencies, including natural disasters, disease pandemics, chemical spills and other manmade hazards, terrorist attacks, and cyber attacks. The National Preparedness […]