Briefly noted

FAA selects avionics manufacturers for nextgen technology

Acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Robert Sturgell announced that the agency has signed a $9 million agreement with two companies to accelerate the testing and installation of NextGen technology. Teams led by Honeywell and Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS) will help the FAA test and develop technology that will be used on an airport’s airfield to detect and alert pilots of potential safety issues.

Who will be the next DHS secretary?

With Election Day upon us, the parlor game of who might get “the big jobs” of the new president’s cabinet is underway. As a longstanding Washington tradition, there are lots of names being floated around to fill these big chairs. There has already been coverage by Politico, CQ, as well as other media outlets on some of the prospective names but none of these positions has as much personal and professional interest to our readers as who will selected as the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Biometrics, interoperability technology help identify criminal aliens

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office became the first of several law enforcement agencies that will receive additional identity information about non U.S. citizens they arrest, through a new, automated fingerprint-based process that will help identify criminal aliens.