Defense

Port security card system will work, officials tell senators

Homeland Security plans to begin issuing cards at the Port of Wilmington in Delaware Oct. 16, followed by 11 other ports in November.

Defense

Judge rejects request to halt NASA background checks

Ruling in suit filed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists says questionnaire is “relatively nonintrusive.”

Defense

Lawmakers to Pentagon: Plan for climate change

Defense authorization measure would require military planners to assess the risks projected changes pose for missions, and plan accordingly.

Defense

House backs expansion of law governing wartime contractors

Measure would broaden the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, and create FBI unit to investigate criminal action by contractors in war zones.

Defense

Senate OKs Defense spending bill

Lawmakers add $794 million aimed at keeping 6,000 National Guard troops along the southwest border in fiscal 2008.

Defense

Lawmakers to scrutinize troubled port worker ID program

Progress in issuing security cards has been slow and the project has been too expensive, legislators say.

Defense

Senate backs $3 billion border security add-on to Defense bill

Amendment includes funding to hire thousands of border security agents, build hundreds of miles of fences and other barriers, and buy surveillance equipment.

Defense

Homeland Security issues contract for presidential transition planning help

Nonprofit group will organize a bipartisan advisory panel and develop a plan to prepare for the next administration.

Defense

House backs stronger requirements for contract building guards

Measure would prohibit the Federal Protective Service from hiring companies owned or operated by convicted felons.

Defense

House appropriator to apply pressure for Iraq changes

Committee chairman wants the White House to establish a goal to end U.S. military involvement, ensure that troops receive adequate rest between deployments and begin a "broad scale diplomatic offensive."

Defense

Legislators explore gray areas in security contractor oversight

Panel members question Blackwater executive's claim that companies already are covered under a variety of statutes.

Defense

Senate ends debate on authorization bill, but not on Iraq

Measure kept free of mandated timelines for troop withdrawals, but anti-war Democrats may try to attach those to the Defense spending bill.

Defense

Senate moves to restrict Defense personnel overhaul

Chamber votes to repeal the Pentagon’s authority to implement controversial labor relations reforms.

Defense

Survey finds gap between perceived and actual IT security

DHS cyber security "czar" says each person must take "reasonable precautions" to protect their corner of cyberspace.

Defense

Opening of DHS satellite office delayed amid criticism

Department official says operations will not begin until questions from a House lawmaker have been addressed.

Oversight

Pending procurement reform provisions concern industry

Contractor representatives say certain legislative language could make doing business with government burdensome.

Defense

Panel criticizes State Department for failure to rein in Blackwater

House committee says Blackwater has reported more shooting incidents than two other protective services contractors combined.

Defense

ADVICE+DISSENT: Intelligence File Making a List

Deciding who might be a terrorist is more of an art than a science.

Defense

Forward Observer: Just Your Money

The price tag for the war on terror from Sept. 11, 2001, through the fiscal year ended Sunday, will likely top $800 billion.

Defense

DHS traveler screening system under fire from privacy advocates

The department has been using the system for several years to perform risk assessments on the 120 million people who seek to enter the United States annually.