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Senate Committee Releases Federal Cybersecurity Report
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Senate Committee Releases Federal Cybersecurity Report

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has issued a 47-page report outlining a list of recommendations to improve the cybersecurity posture of federal agencies. 

The Senate panel’s Federal Cybersecurity report recommends that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) direct agencies to adopt a risk-based budgeting framework for information technology investments.

The Senate committee called for the U.S. government to take a “centrally coordinated approach” to cybersecurity to ensure accountability and urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to give Congress a plan to update the EINSTEIN system.

The panel has recommended that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) expand shared services offerings to agencies.

Congress should amend the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 to reflect cyber best practices, direct federal agencies and contractors to inform CISA of cyber incidents and formalize the role of CISA as the operational federal cybersecurity lead, according to the report.

The Senate panel also listed some of its findings. The average information security maturity letter grade assigned by inspectors general to federal agencies was a C-.

The committee found that of the eight agencies reviewed, DHS was the only agency to adopt an “effective cybersecurity regime” in 2020. The panel also identified cyber weaknesses among agencies, including the use of systems without authorization to operate, failure to immediately roll out security patches and other vulnerability remediation controls and inability to protect personally identifiable information.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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NSF Invests $50M in STEM-Focused Inclusion Alliances; Sylvia Butterfield Quoted
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NSF Invests $50M in STEM-Focused Inclusion Alliances; Sylvia Butterfield Quoted

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will use $50 million to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in historically underrepresented communities.

NSF said Tuesday it will invest these funds in five new alliances that aim to involve underrepresented communities in STEM education through the NSF INCLUDES National Network.

The agency's INCLUDES network consists of 3,000 academic, public and private partners working to promote STEM across the U.S.

"Creating pathways to success for a STEM workforce reflective of the U.S. population is of national importance to ensuring America's competitiveness in a global research landscape," said Sylvia Butterfield, acting assistant director for NSF's Education and Human Resources Directorate.

The newly formed alliances will focus on food, energy and water systems, STEM inclusion of students with disabilities, identity-inclusive computing education, partnerships launching underrepresented students and Latino representation.

Institutions involved include the University of California Berkeley, University of Arizona, San Diego State University, Phoenix College, Northeastern University, Auburn University and Duke University.

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NSA & CISA Jointly Provide Guidance on Kubernetes Security
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NSA & CISA Jointly Provide Guidance on Kubernetes Security

The National Security Agency (NSA) partnered with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to provide guidance on Kubernetes, an open-source automation system used for containerized applications. 

The agencies' Kubernetes Hardening Guidance report tackles threats to Kubernetes and offers risk reduction practices, NSA said Tuesday. Cyber attackers target Kubernetes environments to steal data and computational power or disrupt applications.

The report advises organizations to scan containers for vulnerabilities, separate networks and apply defensive measures such as strong authentication and firewalls.

The agencies also recommend that system administrators periodically review Kubernetes settings and inspect for vulnerabilities. The new guidance aligns with NSA's mission to protect national security systems and the defense industrial base.

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DARPA Pursues Machine Learning Program to Boost the Adaptability of Defense Systems; John-Francis Mergen Quoted
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DARPA Pursues Machine Learning Program to Boost the Adaptability of Defense Systems; John-Francis Mergen Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched an effort to help systems adapt to unexpected events via machine learning. The effort additionally seeks technologies that help human or artificial intelligence operators understand these adaptive changes.

DARPA said Tuesday its Learning Introspective Control program will use ML-based introspection technologies to boost the adaptability of control laws that govern a system.

“With LINC, we want to provide physical systems with the ability to figure out what is still feasible, alert the operator and then help them operate in that new space,” said John-Francis Mergen, program manager at DARPA.

The program's initial research area will aim to overcome the limits of ML technology that make it hard for systems to adapt. Researchers will develop a technology that detects external changes and correspondingly applies adaptive settings via actuators and mounted sensors.

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USSPACECOM Commander James Dickinson: Space, Naval Operators Must Cooperate in Defending US Communications
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USSPACECOM Commander James Dickinson: Space, Naval Operators Must Cooperate in Defending US Communications

U.S. Space Command chief Army Gen. James Dickinson has called on space and naval operators to cooperate in defending communications on their respective domains.

Dickinson pointed out that his USSPACECOM and the U.S. Navy could learn lessons from each other to improve how they carry out their similar strategic-level missions, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

The general told attendees of the 2021 Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Maryland that the space and naval organizations could integrate how they operate, develop systems, refine tactics and procedures, define requirements and plan conflicts when it comes to defending U.S. lines of communications.

"I think the opportunity for further integration between the Navy and U.S. Space Command is quite frankly boundless — or infinite," he told attendees of the 2021 Sea-Air-Space Exposition in Maryland.

Dickinson's statement comes amid what he described as significant attempts by adversaries to contest the U.S.' ability to operate freely in both space and oceans.

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BAE Systems Accelerates Development of Military Applications With Advanced Electronics; Chris Rappa Quoted
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BAE Systems Accelerates Development of Military Applications With Advanced Electronics; Chris Rappa Quoted

BAE Systems announced on Wednesday that the company has entered into a strategic business agreement with Intel to enable BAE Systems to develop and more quickly field next-generation defense applications based on Intel’s most advanced technology.

The agreement will specifically allow for BAE Systems’ FAST Labs to receive early access to select Intel technologies. 

“Early access to Intel’s developing technology can speed the timetable of producing defense applications and maintain our country’s technological edge,” said Chris Rappa, director at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs. “Closing the development gap – potentially by years in some cases – will deliver a critical advantage to our country.”

In addition, Frank Ferrante, senior director of Military Aerospace and Defense Division at Intel, expressed his enthusiasm for the agreement with BAE Systems and the improvements the two companies hope to make towards protecting national security, critical infrastructure, and vital information. 

This announcement comes on the heels of other new collaborations between BAE Systems and Intel, including on Intel’s recently launched Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology and on the SHIP-Digital program, which will extend Intel’s wideband radio frequency signal processing platform to the most size, weight, and power-constrained defense applications.

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Acting U.S. Navy Undersecretary James Geurts Announces Retirement
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Acting U.S. Navy Undersecretary James Geurts Announces Retirement

James Geurts, current acting undersecretary for the U.S. Navy and a previous Wash100 Award recipient, announced on Wednesday through a handwritten letter on Geurts’ LinkedIn that he will be retiring from his post at the end of August and will retire from government service. 

“It would have been hard for me to imagine when I began as an ROTC freshman in 1983, the incredible opportunities and experiences that would unfold over the next 38 years of my service,” Geurts said in the note. 

As of his retirement announcement this morning, the replacement for Navy undersecretary has not been announced. Geurts has been acting in the role since Feb. 2021 after serving as the assistant secretary for Research, Development and Acquisition for the Navy from Dec. 2017 until Jan. 2021. 

“I have been truly blessed by the great teammates, bosses, mentors, international colleagues, and industry partners with whom I have had the good fortune to work with in my career as an Air Force officer, [senior executive service] and appointee,” Geurts added.

At the end of August, this portion of “Hondo” Geurts’ incredibly successful career will come to a close, but he will continue to be recognized for his significant contributions. The 2020 Wash100 Award winner was recognized for his visionary leadership and drive to push the military service’s approaches to acquire technology and innovate with industry. 

During his time with the Navy, Geurts oversaw a wide range of programs, including the service’s pursuit of unmanned technology, its Naval Expeditions accelerator program as well as the work for the new Constellation-class frigate and the Ford-class aircraft carrier program. 

Before his appointment to the Navy, Geurts served as acquisition executive at the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and earned accolades such as the USSOCOM Medal for his accomplishments while serving in that role. Geurts began his career at the U.S. Air Force as an acquisition official with leadership positions in weapon systems engineering and program management.

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Air Force Establishes New Division Overseeing Nuclear Infrastructure Modernization Work
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Air Force Establishes New Division Overseeing Nuclear Infrastructure Modernization Work

The U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center has stood up a new division to centralize efforts to modernize the military service's multi-billion-dollar nuclear infrastructure portfolio.

The nuclear enterprise division will oversee construction and renovation work for the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent and Weapons Generation Facilities programs, the Air Force said Tuesday.

The CFN division will be led by AFCEC's Col. Chris Stoppel and will work to ensure a more stringent oversight and management of the center's high-visibility and complex programs.

"[Having] one integrated office… will ensure [Air Force Global Strike Command] installations receive an integrated look from engineers in every stage of each project," explained James Hunsicker, a site activation task force lead within AFGSC.

Stoppel noted that CFN will provide an integrated focus, improved resource management and better transparency between partners to restructure the nuclear enterprise.

The CFN division was an initiative between AFCEC and AFGSC, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center's Detachment 10.

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Navy Test-Fires Northrop-Made Anti-Radiation Extended-Range Missile; Captain A.C. Dutko Quoted
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Navy Test-Fires Northrop-Made Anti-Radiation Extended-Range Missile; Captain A.C. Dutko Quoted

The U.S. Navy flew a Super Hornet jet to test-fire a Northrop Grumman-made anti-radiation missile designed to strike targets at extended ranges.

The AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM-ER) underwent a long-range live-fire test at the Point Mugu Sea Range on July 19, Northrop said Monday.

“The AARGM-ER was successfully launched from the F/A-18 aircraft and met the key test objectives of a first missile live-fire event," said Captain A.C. Dutko, program manager for Direct Time Sensitive Strike at the Navy.

The test demonstrated the missile's ability to traverse long ranges. AARGM-ER is designed to launch from F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler and all three versions of the F-35 aircraft.

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NASA Deploys Imager to Study Sun’s Corona; Amy Winebarger Quoted
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NASA Deploys Imager to Study Sun’s Corona; Amy Winebarger Quoted

NASA has launched a spacecraft designed to help researchers study the soft X-ray emissions and growth of the Sun's corona.

The space agency said Monday its Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) solar imager launched on July 30th from White Sands Missile Range. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center developed the spacecraft.

MaGIXS uses an X-ray spectrometer, a telescope and a high-powered camera to observe the corona's x-rays in detail.

“Our knowledge of the corona’s heating mechanisms is limited, partly because we’ve not yet been able to make detailed observations and measurements of the temperature distribution of the solar plasma in the region,” said Amy Winebarger, a heliophysicist who serves as principal investigator for the MaGIXS mission.

NASA expects the spacecraft's data to help scientists determine the reasons and frequencies of the corona's heat. The corona is a layer of plasma that makes up the outermost portion of the solar atmosphere.

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