Thirty-four lawmakers are calling on Defense Secretary and 2020 Wash100 Award winner Mark Esper to identify projects that will be impacted by the reallocation of $7.2 billion in fiscal 2020 funding for border wall construction.

The group, which includes House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Anthony Brown (D-Md.), wrote a letter to Esper asking him to establish a date for obligating funds following the diversion of military construction and drug interdiction funding. They also seek details on contract award dates, performance periods and the potential impact of the funding reallocation on anti-narcotics operations.

“Despite the significant resources appropriated by Congress for border security, the Administration still decided to circumvent Congress and allocate $6.1 billion of Department of Defense funding for border wall construction,” the lawmakers wrote. “These actions come as we continue to face diverse, complex, and pressing security threats around the globe while trying to modernize our military and restore readiness.”

Last year, $3.6 billion was diverted to support the wall’s construction, Federal News Network reported Wednesday. Brown said he hopes that Congress restricts or prohibits the reprogramming of funds for the wall in next year’s defense policy bill.

Maj. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, said the U.S. military and its allies maintain their objective on defeating the Islamic Group.

"In the short term, as we've adjusted some of our activities downrange and in Iraq and Syria, I don't think there's an immediate threat of an immediate resurgence," Grynkewich said in a statement published Wednesday.

He added that mitigating pressure to the Islamic Group may yield a potential threat. Grynkewich also provided updates on the various activities the task force has taken in the assistance of Iraqi and Syrian allied forces.

"I would say [we've made] very good progress, to the point we're able to shift the focus of CJTF-OIR more along the lines of training, advising and assisting the Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces on the Syrian side of the border, and they've shown themselves to be willing partners throughout the last nine months I've been deployed there."

Grynkewich noted the U.S. government has partnered with the Syrian Democratic Forces in securing critical infrastructure that may fall into the hands of their adversaries.

Neil Jacobs, who leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on an acting basis, noted the importance of industry in the agency's mission, Space News reported Wednesday.

He said at a Maryland Space Business Roundtable event that the private sector is now supporting NOAA's core efforts, expanding the sector's original role as a value-added service provider. Jacobs added that NOAA is working to identify more ways to further grow its partnership with industry and academia.

A possible target area for NOAA's public-private engagements is the purchase of commercial weather data including that of GPS radio occultation, the report noted. The agency has also been forming partnerships with Microsoft, Google and Amazon for weather data hosting on the cloud, Jacobs said.

Mac Curtis, president and CEO of Perspecta and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, will be introducing Charles Phalen, director of Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), as the keynote speaker during Potomac Officers Club’s Continuous Vetting/Continuous Evaluation Forum 2020 on Tuesday, Jan. 28th.

Click here to register for POC’s Continuous Vetting/Continuous Evaluation Forum 2020.

Curtis currently leads Perspecta’s workforce of more than 14,000 people who help customers in the defense, intelligence, civilian, health care and state and local markets achieve their missions, transform to digital environments, secure, modernize and optimize their enterprises, and innovate for the future.

Curtis will provide an introduction into the latest priorities and changes coming through continuous vetting and evaluation regarding the current processes and enhancements that top executives from the public and private sectors are working to improve to set the stage for Phalen’s opening keynote address.

Phalen leads both the personnel vetting and critical technology protection missions under DCSA and manages approximately 12,000 federal and contract support worldwide. He will speak about the latest priorities and challenges within evaluation and vetting across all sectors.

The forum will also feature an expert panel of top GovCon executives from across the federal government and industry. Christy Wilder, deputy director of DCSA, Brian Dunbar, assistant director to Special Security Directorate of National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC), and Marc Ryan, director of Corporate Security of Vectrus will appear as panelists.

In today’s security landscape, businesses and government must stay informed on processes and the changes to the continuous vetting and evaluation. Security clearance is pivotal for organizations with sensitive duties so that the agencies can maintain company and government safety and stay successful and competitive in a changing field.

Register here for POC’s Continuous Vetting/Continuous Evaluation Forum on Jan. 28th. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn what the future of security vetting and evaluation will look like for federal agencies.

QTS Realty Trust  has been named the Most Sustainable Company in the Data Center Industry by World Finance Magazine, announced on Thursday. The award will be formally announced in the magazine’s Winter 2020 issue and at an awards ceremony in Davos, Switzerland.

QTS received the award for their effective economic, environmental and social pillars, growing the company’s profit and encouraging business, while meeting sustainable needs. QTS has cut emissions, lowered energy usage, sourced products from fair trade organizations, and by ensured their physical waste is disposed properly and with as little carbon footprint as possible

In addition, Travis Wright, QTS’ Vice President of Energy and Sustainability was recently named to the “Climate 50” by Data Economy Magazine. The Climate 50 is a list of the world’s most influential climate leaders who promote change and debate global warming, climate change, sustainability and renewables across the data center and cloud sectors.

“QTS has fully committed to lead the data center industry in minimizing carbon footprint by utilizing as much renewable fuel, reclaimed water and recycled materials as possible,” Wright said. “We are developing a documented sustainability approach based on repeatable processes across our data centers for energy efficiency measures and renewable energy procurement, all backed by continuous innovation.”

Knowing that transparency is fundamental to accountability, QTS has committed to report on sustainability goals and metrics. The company has recently published its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiatives Report.

“Travis Wright’s inclusion in the Climate 50 is further evidence of QTS clearly establishing itself as a data center leader with their vision, strategy and results being achieved towards a cleaner, more sustainable world,” said João Marques Lima, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Data Economy. “We look forward to monitoring QTS’ environmental, sustainability and goverance goals that they have committed to publicly report on annually.”

About QTS

QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS) is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint spanning more than 6 million square feet of owned mega scale data center space within North America and Europe. Through its software-defined technology platform, QTS is able to deliver secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology companies, enterprises, and government entities.