//
ICT Supply Chain Task Force Continues Info Sharing, Cybersecurity Studies Under Term Extension
Published on
ICT Supply Chain Task Force Continues Info Sharing, Cybersecurity Studies Under Term Extension

A task force on ensuring the security of the information and communications technology (ICT) supply chain is continuing its initiatives as part of a six-month extension to the group’s charter.

The ICT Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) Task Force is co-chaired by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center (NRMC) and the IT and Communications Sector Coordinating Councils (SCC), NRMC said Thursday.

The SCRM task force operates as a public-private partnership that includes industry representatives and subject-matter experts that work to drive the discussion on risks to ICT production.

As part of the extension, the SCRM task force will handle the efforts of working groups focused on information sharing, small and mid-sized businesses, product use acceleration and lessons learned from prior cyber attacks to the software supply chain.

The task force secured the extension in Jan. 2020.

//
DIU’s Michael Brown: DOD Needs Spending Flexibility to Remain Ahead on Emerging Tech
Published on
DIU’s Michael Brown: DOD Needs Spending Flexibility to Remain Ahead on Emerging Tech

Michael Brown, the director of the Defense Innovation Unit, has said the Department of Defense needs shorter budget cycles to keep up with China, DOD News reported Friday.

Brown said at a Hudson Institute event that China’s development systems enable the nation to accelerate efforts in areas like 5G, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and autonomy. The DOD also needs to have more flexibility on spending authorities, he added.

"It's a completely mismatched system for what the competition with China calls for," said Brown. "You can learn a lot by adapting to what the private sector has already perfected."

China is progressing in efforts to integrate activities between the government, academia and industry, according to Brown.

//
Dr. John J. McGowen Becomes a Director for Guidehouse; Scott McIntyre Quoted
Published on
Dr. John J. McGowen Becomes a Director for Guidehouse; Scott McIntyre Quoted

John J. McGowen, Ph.D., has been named a director for Guidehouse, the consulting service provider announced on Monday. McGowen previously worked as deputy director for science management and executive officer at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and US Department of Health and Human Services.

“We are excited to have Dr. McGowan joining our team of healthcare experts. His leadership in government reinvention and process improvement drives really innovative operational systems, and we look forward to applying his outlook and expertise to our work with clients on widespread industry transformation,” remarked multiple Wash100 Award Recipient and Guidehouse CEO Scott McIntyre. 

Dr. McGowan has worked in the NIH for 34 years and served in multiple positions. During his time at NIH, Dr. McGowen aligned offices and capabilities to meet NIH’s mission and address growing health threats, including HIV/AIDs, SARS, bioterrorism, and COVID-19. During the COVID-19 emergency response efforts, he worked alongside NIAID director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in developing policies to combat the virus' spread. 

Dr. McGowen is an expert in NIH extramural operations and at managing complex issues. He incorporated innovative technology, automation initiatives, data-driven processes, NIH Big Data to Knowledge efforts, Clinical Research Management System, and high-performance computing into complex research programs at NIAID. 

Guidehouse will expect Dr. McGowen to use his years of healthcare-related experience to remodel mission-driven healthcare across the public, provider, payer, life sciences, and state and local government organizations. The emphasis will be to proactively address emerging issues in scientific research and the general sector. 

Dr. McGowan will support Guidehouse’s health plan to identify and deliver cooperation between public and commercial healthcare organizations. “Dr. McGowan will be instrumental in helping create solutions for the critical spaces where science, health, management, and leadership overlap,” concluded Alicia Harkness, Guidehouse partner and health segment leader.

/
Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost Named TRANSCOM Commander
Published on

Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost Named TRANSCOM Commander

Jacqueline Van Ovost Commander TRANSCOM

U.S. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost has been appointed to serve as commander at the U.S. Transportation Command.  Van Ovost is currently assigned to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois as commander of the Air Mobility Command, the Department of Defense said Saturday.

Prior to her current role, Van Ovost held the position of deputy commander at the Air Mobility Command and served as director of staff at USAF.

She served as vice director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and performed duties at the Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate as deputy director for politico-military affairs. She also spent time at the Air Force Expeditionary Center as vice commander.

Van Ovost logged 4,200 mission hours as a command pilot aboard various aircraft such as the C-32A, KC-135R, F-15B and T-38A air vehicles.

/
Rep. Adam Smith: House Armed Services Committee Sets Sights on IT Improvement, Acquisition Process
Published on
Rep. Adam Smith: House Armed Services Committee Sets Sights on IT Improvement, Acquisition Process

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he wants the committee to focus on finding new ways for the Pentagon to improve its information technology systems and tech procurement process, FedScoop reported Friday.

Smith said Friday during a virtual Brookings Institute event the House panel will be “scrubbing” older weapons platforms to help pay for new IT and command-and-control systems.

“Our C2 systems have got to become more durable, more resilient and also more replaceable,” he said. He also noted that he wants Congress and the Department of Defense to focus on “outcomes, not process,” especially in the areas of emerging technology and networks.

Smith, and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., ranking member of the House committee, initiated the Defense Critical Supply Chain Task Force to examine vulnerabilities and threats facing the defense supply chain.

//
Gen. Paul Nakasone on CYBERCOM’s Response to SolarWinds Breach, ‘Defend Forward’ Concept
Published on
Gen. Paul Nakasone on CYBERCOM’s Response to SolarWinds Breach, ‘Defend Forward’ Concept

Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said CYBERCOM continues to play a “key role” in the U.S. government’s ongoing response to the SolarWinds hack, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Nakasone, also director of the National Security Agency (NSA), highlighted in his keynote speech at the CYBERCOM Annual Legal Conference Thursday the support the command has extended to the FBI, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

He discussed the command’s “defend forward” concept that involves “executing operations outside U.S. military networks” and “persistent engagement” approach that “focuses on an aggressor’s confidence and capabilities by countering and contesting campaigns short of armed conflict."

He also mentioned in his speech the cyber threats posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and the importance of partnerships with the U.S. private sector and foreign allies.

/
Anne Neuberger: White House Working on Industrial Control System Security Plan
Published on
Anne Neuberger: White House Working on Industrial Control System Security Plan

Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, said the White House is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), energy sector and other organizations on a plan to protect industrial control systems from cyber threats, Nextgov reported Friday.

Neuberger said the plan will initially focus on operational technology that runs on systems that power gas, pipeline, water, electricity and chemical systems.

“Because of the difference in mission impact, risks, threats and culture, a deliberate and specific OT cybersecurity approach is required to secure our industrial infrastructure,” she said Friday at a SANS Institute-hosted virtual summit. 

Neuberger said an upcoming executive order in response to the SolarWinds cyber breach will include standards meant to improve software transparency.

“Today, as a network owner, if we're trying to buy a technology, network management software, we have no way to know the cybersecurity practices that were used in building that network management software or the level of risk we're introducing to our networks by buying a particular software versus a competitor one,” Neuberger said of the forthcoming EO. “That's what we need to change, because if we have that visibility, whether it's a software bill of materials … or other areas, then we can make decisions that put money on cybersecurity and say we value it.”

/
DHS Informs COVID-19 Response via Lessons Learned From Past Outbreaks; Lloyd Hough Quoted
Published on
DHS Informs COVID-19 Response via Lessons Learned From Past Outbreaks; Lloyd Hough Quoted

Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate is using research experiences from previous disease outbreaks to inform COVID-19 response. S&T tackles COVID-19 with lessons learned from the Ebola virus, anthrax bacteria and other issues that have caused disease outbreaks, DHS said Thursday.

The Hazard Awareness and Characterization Technology Center (HACiTC) handles the technical aspects of S&T's Probabilistic Analysis for National Threats Hazards and Risks or PANTHR program.

Lloyd Hough, head of HAC-TC, said his team learned how to address knowledge gaps on diseases and identify research priorities, from past experiences. He also emphasized the importance of risk assessments.

“S&T’s risk assessment activities, conducted through the PANTHR program, consider the risk posed by a variety of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents that could potentially be used by terrorists to harm the U.S.,” Hough said.

HAC-TC also supports DHS laboratories including the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center. NBACC continuous to monitor outbreaks occurring across the globe, and learn more about coronavirus.

//
AIT and MT Selected as 2020 Pavilion Partners of the Year
Published on
AIT and MT Selected as 2020 Pavilion Partners of the Year

Pavilion Data Systems, announced Thursday that Alliance Integrated Technology (AIT) and Meadowgate Technologies (MT) are its partners for enterprise and federal sectors, respectfully. 

The enterprise winners AIT and Pavilion used an innovative solution that increased its throughput by 5x. Simultaneously, the companies cut volumetric capture and rendering times in half. The effect of these products accelerated high-quality content releases platforms that attracted and helped retain creative talent for clients such as Sony Innovation Studios. 

“Volumetric capture brings a new paradigm of size and requires the highest performance in render speeds, and our clients needed a storage solution that could meet the performance requirements of GPU-based rendering,” stated Billy Russell, vice president and chief technical officer of Alliance Integrated Technology.

“The Pavilion HyperParallel Data Platform is the only storage solution with the performance/density to address the current and future needs for volumetric capture and GPU-based rendering. Pavilion's HyperParallel Flash Array, with support for the latest in high-speed Ethernet protocols such as RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE) with direct to both Microsoft and Linux hosts, delivered the performance they needed,” added Russell. 

“Pavilion Partners are an integral part of our ability to deliver universally unmatched storage solutions to customers across the globe,” said Chris McBride, Pavilion chief revenue officer. 

“AIT is one of those special partners where they are directly aligned with our mission and add the design, integration, and services value required to deliver the best solution to meet our mutual customer’s needs. It is Pavilion’s honor to recognize AIT as our Enterprise Partner of the Year,” concluded McBride. 

The federal winners MT and Pavilion safeguarded American lives and property through advanced analytics technology. 

Meadowgate Technologies commented, “the Pavilion HyperParallel Data Platform enabled us to provide solutions that surprised our very demanding customers in terms of what they could now perform. We thrive on shattering our customers’ expectations.”

“We are honored to select Meadowgate as our Federal Partner of the year in recognition of deployments meeting the most stringent performance requirements. Meadowgate has a long-standing reputation for helping our country’s federal agencies safeguard our nation’s security through best of breed technical solutions,” remarked Michael Tanner, regional vice president and head of the federal business for Pavilion Data Systems.

/
Navy’s Project Overmatch Program Office Takes Charge of Multiple Networks, Information Systems
Published on
Navy’s Project Overmatch Program Office Takes Charge of Multiple Networks, Information Systems

A newly established office at the U.S. Navy has received authority over network and information systems previously owned by other naval organizations, in support of a large-scale connectivity plan, C4ISRnet reported Friday.

The direct report program manager for Project Overmatch now has authority over all the Navy’s communications-related research, development, procurement and sustainment efforts.

Project Overmatch aims to establish a unified network capability across the Navy’s and U.S. Marine Corps’s operations, as part of the larger Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept. The military wants to implement JADC2 as an integrated network of sensors that help commanders make decisions.

Systems transferred to Project Overmatch were previously handled by Naval Sea Systems, Naval Air Systems and Naval Information Warfare Systems commands.

1 … 1,140 1,141 1,142 1,143 1,144 … 2,607