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Annual FISMA Report Shows Decline in Cyber Incidents; Suzette Kent Quoted
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Annual FISMA Report Shows Decline in Cyber Incidents; Suzette Kent Quoted
Suzette Kent
Suzette Kent

A Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) report submitted by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Congress shows an 8 percent drop in cybersecurity incidents reported by agencies in fiscal year 2019.

The number of agencies that secured an overall rating of “managing risk” in the risk management assessment process rose from 62 in FY 2018 to 72 in FY 2019, according to the FISMA report.

FedScoop reported that only three of the 28,581 cyber incidents in FY 2019 were tagged as “major” and occurred at agencies within the Department of Homeland Security with low, negligible or minimal impact.

“This FISMA report reflects improvements in areas of focus under the President’s Management Agenda and Federal Agency elements of the National Cybersecurity Strategy,” Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement. “It shows Agencies are making significant progress in managing risk and also highlights that focused efforts to secure government mobile devices have been especially important in today’s expanded telework environment.”

The report attributed the cyber improvements to DHS directives and programs as well as updated policies concerning Trusted Internet Connections, high value assets and identity credential and access management.

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AFGSC to Host Virtual Opening of STRIKEWERX Hub
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AFGSC to Host Virtual Opening of STRIKEWERX Hub
STRIKEWERX
STRIKEWERX

The Air Force Global Strike Command is slated to inaugurate a collaborative hub in a virtual ribbon-cutting event on Thursday. The STRIKEWERX facility will allow businesses, academia and the military to collaborate and engage with one another in efforts to address the command's needs, the U.S. Strategic Command said Monday.

The inauguration will feature a video tour of the facility and a keynote speech from Gen. Tim Ray, commander of AFGSC. The command rescheduled the hub's opening from its initial date in April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NTIA Requests for Inputs on 5G Security Implementation
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NTIA Requests for Inputs on 5G Security Implementation
5G
5G

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has issued a request for comments to seek inputs in line with the creation of an implementation plan for the government's national 5G security strategy.

NTIA said Friday that it aims to obtain information on various approaches that can speed up the development and fielding of 5G technologies in the U.S. The agency is seeking comments on domestic 5G rollouts, assessment of new technologies, research, development and testing efforts.

NTIA also requests for information on potential gaps and factors that may affect the development of 5G security. The government published the National Strategy to Secure 5G plan to evaluate cybersecurity and economic risks and market the development of secure 5G technologies worldwide.

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DHS S&T Issues Updated Chemical Properties Database for Law Enforcement Ops
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DHS S&T Issues Updated Chemical Properties Database for Law Enforcement Ops
DHS S&T Issues Updated Chemical Properties Database for Law Enforcement Ops

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has released the latest version of its Chemical Agents Reactions Database (CARD) designed to help law enforcement authorities identify harmful chemicals.

DHS said Tuesday the latest CARD comes as part of the S&T Chemical Security Analysis Center’s (CSAC) efforts to collate data such as molecular structure, toxicity and boiling point levels to provide insight into how “chemicals of interest” are produced.

The CARD platform is hosted on a Department of Defense (DoD) server and is accessible to state and local agencies as well as authorized personnel at DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

To date, the centralized database has information on over 1,000 chemicals and 2,000 chemical synthetic methods.

“If law enforcement were to discover a table full of labeled chemicals in a clandestine laboratory, they would put these names as a list in CARD to find out what the suspects are making – illicit drugs, poisons, or warfare agents,” said David Morton, a senior chemist at CSAC.

S&T launched the first iteration of CARD in 2009 and modified the platform in 2018 in partnership with the FBI. CSAC plans to issue another CARD update in the second half of fiscal year 2020.

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Rona Bunn Named Full-Time CIO at International Trade Administration
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Rona Bunn Named Full-Time CIO at International Trade Administration
Rona Bunn
Rona Bunn

Rona Bunn, acting chief information officer of the International Trade Administration, has been appointed to assume her role on a full-time basis, G2Xchange FedCiv reported Tuesday.

She holds over two decades of technical leadership experience, having formerly served as chief of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) automation staff. Her career also includes private sector work with BAE Systems as a business operations principal and with SkyeTech Solutions as president and CEO.

Bunn is also a certified public accountant and has taken up multiple business consulting pursuits. She is an awardee of the Women of Color in STEM Technology All-star in recognition of science, technology, engineering and math advocacy.

ITA operates as part of the Department of Commerce.

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Norfolk Naval Shipyard Uses Drones to Support Disaster Recovery
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Norfolk Naval Shipyard Uses Drones to Support Disaster Recovery
Norfolk Naval Shipyard Uses Drones to Support Disaster Recovery

Norfolk Naval Shipyard deployed drones to help personnel from different units inspect and recover from damages caused by a storm in April 2020. The storm damaged multiple buildings and required the shipyard to assess areas, such as those with broken windows, for repairs, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

Curt Hart, nuclear engineering and planning manager at NNSY, led the damage assessments and succeeding repairs. The drones captured site images that allowed engineers to conclude that an affected building had weakening window fasteners.

“This saved time and money, eliminated the need for personnel to perform high-risk work and provided better support for the fleet by getting the critical shop resources located inside the building back in action quicker,” said Rob Hale, head of the site's refueling secretary branch.

Now, NNSY may use the same drone-driven approach to inspect rooftops, cramped areas and crane booms instead of deploying personnel for these types of work.

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NIST Develops Formula to Accelerate Comms Frequency Sharing
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NIST Develops Formula to Accelerate Comms Frequency Sharing
NIST Develops Formula to Accelerate Comms Frequency Sharing

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created a mathematical formula designed to boost the efficiency of frequency sharing in wireless communication networks. NIST said Tuesday that its new formula uses machine learning to select a frequency channel through input from previous engagements in network environments.

Operators may input the formula into transmitter software for use in operational networks. The formula rapidly identifies subchannels that are most suitable for concurrent operation with unlicensed band networks. The agency discussed its new creation at a recent virtual conference.

“This could potentially make communications in the unlicensed bands much more efficient," said Jason Coder, an engineer at NIST.

The formula has been tested via simulation to work with wi-fi networks in indoor environments.

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Glenn Fine to Resign From DoD IG Office
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Glenn Fine to Resign From DoD IG Office
Glenn Fine
Glenn Fine

Glenn Fine, former principal deputy inspector general at the Department of Defense (DoD), is slated to depart from the DoD Office of the IG (OIG) on June 1, Politico reported Tuesday. 

Fine, who joined the Pentagon OIG in 2015, announced his intent to resign this week in an email to employees. Previously, Fine was selected to head a panel created to manage the Trump administration's COVID-19 relief efforts, according to the report.

Prior to his most recent role, Fine served as IG at the Department of Justice (DOJ) from 2000 to 2011. He also served as special counsel at the DOJ OIG and spent time as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. He was a partner at Dechert LLP before joining DOJ OIG.

Fine's resignation comes after President Trump announced plans to nominate Jason Abend, a senior policy adviser at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as permanent DoD IG last month.

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John Polowczyk, FEMA Supply Chain Task Force Lead, to Speak at Potomac Officers Club’s Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event
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John Polowczyk, FEMA Supply Chain Task Force Lead, to Speak at Potomac Officers Club’s Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event
John Polowczyk
John Polowczyk

Navy Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, supply chain task force lead at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will serve as a keynote speaker at Potomac Officers Club’s Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event on Thursday, June 11th. 

Click here to register for the Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event.

Polowczyk was appointed to run a White House supply chain task force in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also serves as vice director for Logistics, J4 with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Polowczyk recently spoke at the COVID-19 task force briefing, where he stated that the government will continue to expand the emergency stockpile of critical supplies and medicines managed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

He noted that federal officials will enact a provision that would shield companies from antitrust regulations to help the country from running out of medical supplies in a pandemic. Under the voluntary agreement, the government would develop a plan for future large-scale acquisitions with suppliers, manufacturers and distributors.

Legislation in Congress would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the amount of personal protective equipment it buys from American companies to create incentives to build domestic production.

“The shortage in personal protective equipment during this pandemic underscores the urgent need to shore up our domestic supply chain in case of national emergencies,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., one of the bill’s authors. “The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed severe inadequacies in our PPE supply chain which need to be addressed immediately."

Potomac Officers Club’s Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event, Polowczyk will address the unprecedented global demand surge in personal protective equipment to supply-side challenges amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Polowczyk will be joined by Darrell Williams, director of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Stuart Jones, director of Supply Chain Management at LMI to further discuss the implications inherent with the global pandemic. 

Register here to join Potomac Officers Club for  its Supply Chain Resilience and COVID-19 Virtual Event on June 11th to learn about the speakers’ perspectives on the state of public-private collaboration and how coordination at the strategic and tactical levels can strengthen supply chain response to future challenges.

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Chenega Security International Secures $11.3M Contract to Support JBMHH Defense Operations; Tim Lamb Quoted
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Chenega Security International Secures $11.3M Contract to Support JBMHH Defense Operations; Tim Lamb Quoted
Tim Lamb
Tim Lamb

Chenega Security International, a Chenega Corporation subsidiary, has received a potential 5-year, $11.3 million contract from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, the company reported on Friday. 

“We’re proud to support the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall communities and support the force protection mission of the Military District of Washington” Timothy Lamb, president of Chenega’s security strategic business unit, told ExecutiveBiz Friday.

Under the contract, Chenega Security International will provide operations management and support of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (JBMHH) Base Defense Operations Center and Visitor Control Center.

In addition, the company will support force protection efforts. Chenega Security International will provide situational awareness and threat analysis of joint areas of interest throughout the national capital region. 

Chenega will also enhance the base defense plan by conducting identity proofing and vetting for individuals requesting or requiring access to the installation. Chenega Corporation’s security strategic business unit subsidiaries have provided physical security and emergency management services for global U.S. Government customers.

About Chenega Corporation

Chenega Corporation has the dual mission to succeed in business to create financial resources for distribution to shareholders, and create and support comprehensive cultural and societal programs and community activities to assist its shareholders, descendants and family members in their journey to economic and social self-determination and self-sufficiency.

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