David McKeown, the Department of Defense's (DOD) equivalent of a chief information security officer, said DOD is looking to establish a portfolio management office that specializes in zero-trust cybersecurity, C4ISRnet reported Thursday.

The office's creation would help DOD centralize and manage efforts to implement a zero-trust architecture, which strictly imposes requirements before one is able to access the defense network.

McKeown told Congress Wednesday that the office would consolidate network and cybersecurity talent from across DOD to support zero-trust adoption.

The DOD cybersecurity official also told Congress about a new identity, credential and access management tool made by the Defense Information Systems Agency. DOD plans to use this ICAM tool as part of the zero-trust adoption effort.

The Department of Energy (DOE) will invest $162 million in a pair of new funding opportunities that aim to reduce the carbon emissions of everyday land vehicles. DOE said Thursday it will finance two initiatives that aim to develop electric vehicles, corresponding infrastructure and low-emission technologies for on- and off-road vehicles.

These efforts include the third iteration of the SuperTruck program, which aims to deliver electric freight trucks. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will allot $100 million across four years for SuperTruck 3.

Jennifer Granholm, secretary of energy, said the funding triples down on the progress made under the first two SuperTruck initiatives, which had America's biggest truck producers significantly improve fuel efficiency.

The second funding opportunity, titled “Low Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Technologies Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment," brings $62.75 million to projects aiming to reduce the emissions of land vehicles, both on and off-road. The opportunity will also focus on infrastructure development for electric vehicles.

“Getting to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 means we must aggressively cut down the largest source of emissions: the transportation sector," Granholm said.

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE: BAH), the parent company of management and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, will host a conference call at 8 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 21, 2021, to discuss the financial results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year of Fiscal 2021 (ending March 31, 2021). A news release containing the results will be issued before the call.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

For more than 100 years, military government and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by its most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA) have issued a joint advisory after authorities determined that Russian Foreign Intelligence Service actors are using five network vulnerabilities to potentially infiltrate U.S. and allied government systems. 

Cybersecurity professionals should conduct network checks to identify indicators of compromise and implement measures to defend against Russian exploitations, the three agencies said Thursday.

NSA, CISA and FBI listed the publicly known vulnerabilities Russia's SVR actors are exploiting and urged companies to help the federal government respond to foreign cyber threats.

The agencies released the cybersecurity warning the same day President Biden imposed a string of sanctions on Russia over malicious cyber activities and election interference attempts.

The U.S. determined that SVR was responsible for the SolarWinds hack that affected many federal and private-sector entities, according to the White House.

If you're interested in cybersecurity, check out GovCon Wire's Defense Cybersecurity Forum coming up on May 12. Click here to learn more.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will reestablish a federal advisory committee by the end of June 2021 that will focus on improving the security of 5G networks. 

The Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council will also review vulnerabilities related to software and cloud services and come up with mitigation strategies, FCC said Thursday.

Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chairwoman of FCC, said the revitalization of the council marks the commission’s efforts to improve the security and resiliency of the country’s communications networks against current and future challenges.

“The damage from recent supply chain attacks, like the SolarWinds software breach, demonstrates our need for a coordinated, multifaceted, and strategic approach to protecting our networks from all threats,” Rosenworcel added.

FCC will accept nominations for membership by June 1, according to a public notice published Thursday. The council is expected to hold its first meeting in September.

To register for this virtual forum, visit the GovConWire Events page.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, has worked with the U.S. Air Force to demonstrate the performance of HH-60W Jolly Green II, a new combat search and rescue helicopter that was transported to Eglin Air Force Base in Nov. 2019 to undergo various tests.

USAF said Thursday that Jolly Green II's developmental test program, which the team completed on Tuesday, was also intended to optimize the configurations of the test aircraft's weapon system.

In addition to aircraft performance, Sikorsky and the Air Force evaluated the helicopter's cabin and communications systems, data links and defensive technologies. Jolly Green II also underwent environmental tests, aerial refueling and rescue hoist and live-fire activities as part of its developmental tests.

The maiden flight of the HH-60W in May 2019 kicked off the testing efforts. It logged over 1,100 flight test hours across six evaluations.

The follow-on testing will be held at Nellis AFB in Nevada in 2022. It will be overseen by the Combat Search and Rescue Combined Test Force. Jolly Green II is planned for delivery to Air Force rescue units following its modification to prepare for operational use.