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OMB Begins Search for Chief Statistician
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OMB Begins Search for Chief Statistician

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is looking for a chief statistician who will lead the development of plans for improved performance of federal statistical initiatives and activities and evaluation of statistical program performance.

A USAJobs notice posted Monday says the selected candidate within OMB’s statistical policy and science branch will coordinate the federal government’s statistical functions with respect to the collection and dissemination of statistical information and develop government-wide policies and guidelines to ensure the integrity and quality of data.

Other responsibilities are advancing collaborative relationships with other officials within the executive office of the president, coordinating the development of responses to congressional mail and representing the office of information and regulatory affairs in public and interagency forums.

Interested candidates should submit written statements of their accomplishments, education and experience with respect to executive core qualifications and mandatory technical qualifications. OMB will accept applications through June 29.

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Stephen Kitay: Pentagon Examines Initial Results of Survey of Space Industrial Base Amid COVID-19
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Stephen Kitay: Pentagon Examines Initial Results of Survey of Space Industrial Base Amid COVID-19

Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Space Acquisition Council is assessing initial results of a survey about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the space industrial base, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

“We are seeing reports of schedule impacts, strain on supply chains and adjustment to future business plans,” Kitay, a member of the council, said Wednesday at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-hosted podcast.

He said DoD has initiated efforts to support space industry suppliers during the crisis, such as waiving cost penalties for program delays.

“Sustaining the space industrial base is a national security concern,” Kitay said. “We continue to make contract awards, and in some cases have accelerated those awards."

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Cyberspace Solarium Commission Offers New Recommendations in White Paper
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Cyberspace Solarium Commission Offers New Recommendations in White Paper

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission has released a white paper that offers cybersecurity lessons from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and four new recommendations that are classified into two sections.

The first section suggests the passage of an Internet of Things Security Law and an increase in support to nonprofit organizations that assist law enforcement efforts to counter cyber crime and support victims as two new recommendations to advance the digitization of critical services and support the work-from-home economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

The second section recommends the establishment of the Social Media Data and Threat Analysis Center and an increase in nongovernmental capacity to determine and counter foreign influence and disinformation campaigns. Such recommendations seek to address areas related to leadership and coordination, prevention and mitigation efforts, preparedness and response and recovery capacity.

The document states the COVID-19 pandemic and a cyber attack could be both global in nature and demand a “whole-of-nation response effort.”

“Over the past two decades, the United States has experienced a barrage of cyberattacks that have impacted the national economy, American democracy, and peoples’ daily lives,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin), co-chairs of the commission, wrote in the white paper.

“Although not a cyberattack, the COVID-19 pandemic serves as another warning shot, challenging the resiliency of the nation in new ways and underscoring the urgency with which the United States must improve its capacity to prevent, withstand, and respond to crises regardless of their cause."

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NIST Opens Applications for Digital Forensics Exercise
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NIST Opens Applications for Digital Forensics Exercise

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is looking for public and private sector experts to take part in an exercise focused on evaluating the digital forensics community’s capacity to conduct mobile- and computer-based investigations.

NIST said Tuesday the three-month online exercise will deploy a “black box” concept to assess the performance of digital capabilities in processing simulated evidence for real-life cases including homicide and intellectual property theft.

Participants will undergo a two-hour exam and download the digital evidence from NIST’s website. Forensic resources must be processed through one virtual computer and one mobile phone, the agency noted.

According to NIST, participants will be allowed to use “whatever forensic software tools they choose” to answer questions during the test which is aimed at evaluating the reliability of experts' methods for producing results.

“We want to understand the state of the practice,” said Barbara Guttman, head of the digital forensics research program at NIST. “Can experts produce accurate and reliable information when examining data from a digital device?” 

NIST intends to publish anonymized results of the exercise as part of the study.

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GAO: DoD Must Address All Requirements for IP Transition Plan
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GAO: DoD Must Address All Requirements for IP Transition Plan

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has advised the Department of Defense (DoD) to address assessment, cost planning and inventory requirements for DoD's transition to the latest version of internet protocol. DoD still needs to identify potential cyber risks and resource and work requirements related to the department's planned transition to IP version six, GAO said Monday.

The government watchdog found that DoD has only so far complied with one of the four requirements imposed by the Office of Management and Budget for the effort.

The Defense Department has already appointed someone to oversee the transition's planning, but has still not made a complete inventory of IP devices, estimated associated costs and formally analyzed risks, according to GAO.

GAO now recommends DoD's secretary and chief information officer to address the three uncompleted requirements. DoD attempted to pursue IPv6 transition in 2003, 2010 and most recently in 2017.

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DLA Aviation Introduces Supply Chain Forecast Tech
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DLA Aviation Introduces Supply Chain Forecast Tech

Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Aviation has unveiled a supply chain analysis tool that works to help clients and sustainment experts direct root cause actions that may address supply chain disruptions.

The Materiel Supportability Analysis tool is built to visualize various drivers and factors that may cause shortages within a 24-month timeframe, DLA said Tuesday. The drivers are then validated and displayed in the tool as report filters.

“We accomplish this by combining critical Navy data elements with DLA supply chain data and providing the end-users with actionable alerts to address demand or supply chain problems that are contributing to gaps in supportability," said Adam Hardee, chief at DLA Aviation's business process support directorate’s industrial analysis support branch.

DLA Aviation eyes the deployment of the MSA's automated iteration in September. The agency has been using the Center of Parts Activity suite since 1999. The system allows users to trace supply chain components that support three fleet readiness centers and three air logistics facilities.

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Laura Nunley Named DIA’s New Command Senior Enlisted Leader
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Laura Nunley Named DIA’s New Command Senior Enlisted Leader

Master Chief Laura Nunley, command master chief at the Office of Naval Intelligence, has received the assignment to serve as the Defense Intelligence Agency's command senior enlisted leader.

She succeeds Chief Master Sgt. Benjamin Higginbotham of the U.S. Air Force in the role, the Department of Defense said Tuesday following an announcement from the Office of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Nunley will operate from Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., as DIA's new senior enlisted leader.

The naval intelligence expert supported multiple U.S. Navy operations such as those aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and the USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious ship.

She also held roles with Naval Strike and Air Warfare Command and Mobile Integrated Command Facility Europe. Nunley began her duties as ONI's CMC last year.

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State Dept’s COVID-19 Analytics Team Develops Repatriation Data Mgmt Tool
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State Dept’s COVID-19 Analytics Team Develops Repatriation Data Mgmt Tool

The State Department has created a data analytics team that works to provide actionable results from COVID-19 datasets and support the department’s repatriation efforts for Americans impacted by the pandemic overseas, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

The department’s Center for Analytics (CfA) and Office of Crisis Management and Strategy (M/SS) launched the COVID-19 Data Analytics Team (CDAT) to serve as a central COVID-19 data repository in support of the department’s Repatriation Task Force and Coronavirus Global Response Coordination Unit (CGRCU).

Janice deGarmo, acting chief data officer at the State Department and deputy director of M/SS, told the publication that CDAT helped produce the Repatriation Briefing Book that enabled State Department personnel to coordinate with other agencies and identify Americans in need of repatriation.

The Repatriation Briefing Book is comprised of multiple dashboards based on open-source data such as flight schedules and requests. The tool complements CDAT’s Congressional Repatriation Inquiries tool that visualizes updates on congressional repatriation activities.

The State Department has coordinated repatriation efforts for 95,083 Americans encompassing 136 territories and countries to date, according to Nexgov.

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GSA Report Details Agencies’ Obstacles to Digital Transformation
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GSA Report Details Agencies’ Obstacles to Digital Transformation

The General Services Administration’s (GSA) 18F digital consulting arm has released a report aimed at identifying digital modernization approaches that will work on a long-term basis, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Alex Pandel, director of the human services portfolio at 18F, told the publication in an interview that the report, titled “The Best Practices in Digital Transformation”, highlighted technical and infrastructure debts as major obstacles to iteration efforts in modernization programs.

Government hierarchies also prevent teams from independently making decisions for transformation initiatives, she added. According to Pandel, direct feedback and diverse perspectives can help agencies establish cross-functional teams that produce actionable long-term results.

“It takes multiple levels and multiple folks working together,” she said. “The agencies that we worked with, who have been the most successful, after our engagement has ended, are the ones where they really had a strong product leader inside the government … who was running the show and calling the shots and how the product evolved.”

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Rear Adm. Lorin Selby Sworn In as Chief of the Office of Naval Research
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Rear Adm. Lorin Selby Sworn In as Chief of the Office of Naval Research

Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, formerly chief engineer and deputy commander for ship design, integration and naval engineering at the Naval Sea Systems Command, has succeeded Rear Adm. David Hahn as chief of the Office of Naval Research, DVIDS Hub reported Monday.

Selby will manage the Department of the Navy’s $2 billion budget for naval science and technology efforts as part of his new capacity. He will also assume the role of director for innovation, technology, requirements, test and evaluation.

Prior to his appointment, Selby served shipboard tours aboard USS Connecticut, USS Pogy and USS Puffer. He also led over 17K personnel at the Naval Surface Warfare Center as commander.

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