The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is urging the public to be cautious of emails that look similar to National Cyber Awareness System notifications and contain malicious threats. CISA said Tuesday that the email phishing scam deploys a spoofed email address and tricks users into downloading malware through attachments that mimic Department of Homeland Security alerts.

The agency is calling on users to verify unsolicited emails, links and attachments and report suspicious emails to authorities such as information technology helpdesk personnel and email service providers. CISA noted that it never sends NCAS email alerts that contain attachments.

A new unit is helping the U.S. Army utilize rapid deployment of communications to modernize its tactical network, C4ISRNet reported Wednesday. The Expeditionary Signal Battalion-Enhanced is being deployed worldwide to provide comms systems support to other units in the field. 

The Army launched the ESB-E pilot to introduce more mobile and agile kits to signal brigades in 2018. The unit supports military intelligence, chemical and engineering battalions as well as air defense artillery branches.

ESB-E utilizes commercial products to quickly set up communications, including basebands from DTech, PacStar and Klas, a Tampa Microwave and L3-built satellite terminal dishes. Col. Greg Coile, project manager for tactical networks at Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, said the pilot unit will operate through September. After its completion, the Army plans to select units that will permanently use the ESB-E capabilities by 2021. 

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced a bill to further encourage cybersecurity information sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and state and local government bodies. The State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act would provide for cybersecurity training, tools, policies and collaborative support to state and local governments, Portman’s office said Tuesday.

DHS’ National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center would serve a central role in providing support for the non-federal governments under the bill. NCCIC functions to coordinate and organize federal cybersecurity efforts and cyber incident response.

“This bill will help strengthen coordination between federal cybersecurity professionals and state and local governments to address emerging threats and help keep Americans’ information safe,” Peters said.

Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said that U.S. “innovation edge” will retain the nation’s status as a global technological leader, Nextgov reported Wednesday. Krebs told attendees at a Chertoff Group event in Washington that CISA seeks to work with the Energy Department in protecting critical systems as the U.S. continues to compete with Russia and China in tech leadership.

Dimitri Kusnezov, DOE’s deputy undersecretary for artificial intelligence and technology, said the department secretary is “fully invested in both AI and supercomputing” as DOE launches new projects in exascale technology. The government has been working to mitigate the interference of Chinese technology, specifically Huawei-developed products, to U.S. efforts such as the planned 5G rollout.

NASA administrator and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient Jim Bridenstine said the private sector may reach the moon ahead of the agency’s plan to return astronauts to the lunar surface over the next five years, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. He expects commercial missions to make successful landings before the government’s target schedule for 2024.

Companies would demonstrate landers and other capabilities on the moon to secure competitive advantage as NASA aims to use commercial services to support the lunar mission, Bridenstine said at the 2019 Paris Air Show. “We’re seeing a resurgence of interest in the moon… like we’ve never seen before,” the official said.  

NASA plans to provide up to $30 billion over the next five years for the moon mission. SpaceX and Blue Origin expressed interest in investing in lunar exploration and in competing for contracts from the space agency. 

The General Services Administration’s 18F and DigitalGov teams developed and launched a website to help federal agencies comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act and navigate the PRA clearance process, FedScoop reported Wednesday.

The PRA Guide “aims to give federal employees confidence working with the PRA — and through this, lower the barriers to working effectively with the public,” according to an introduction to the site posted on DigitalGov. The Office of Management and Budget’s office of information and regulatory affairs, which is responsible for PRA clearances, reviewed and approved the content in the guide that was developed with the help of the 10x fund.

PRA is a law enacted in 1980 to govern how agencies collect data from the public and seeks to facilitate the decision-making process based on quality data and protect personal information. The website offers information on the types of clearances and the PRA approval process, such as developing the information collection request and publishing a 60-day request for comment in the Federal Register.

The Air Force Materiel Command has unveiled a new course that seeks to equip students with knowledge and expertise in procurement efforts.

Students will be given an opportunity to visit AFMC facilities and evaluate acquisition strategies and weapons through the Advanced Acquisition Course, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday.

Additionally, the students will audit the Air Force Weapons School’s acacemic blocks to validate how they will complement a materiel-focused curriculum.

“Auditing Core I and II will allow our students to get a quick introduction to most of the communities out there, and allow them to start thinking about how their individual experiences and expertise can integrate into the Weapons School itself and with operating communities,” said Col. Steve Smith, Advanced Acquisition Course commandant at AFMC.

The course will also feature visits to Capitol Hill, Air Force Rapid Capability Office and AFWERX.