John Zangardi, chief information officer at the Department of Homeland Security, said he considers turning DHS’ new headquarters in southeast Washington, D.C., into a 5G facility, FCW reported Tuesday.

“I’ve talked to industry about this, and one of my goals is to take our campus at St. Elizabeth’s and turn it into a 5G campus. That would reduce the number of devices” employees need, Zangardi said Tuesday during a panel discussion at a Northern Virginia Technology Council event.

He said he believes 5G is one of the “coolest” emerging technology platforms that could offer potential benefits to border security, airport and law enforcement missions.

Aaron Weis, the newly appointed chief information officer of the U.S. Navy, has said he will leverage his nearly three decades of private sector experience and his time as a senior adviser to the Department of Defense’s CIO to oversee the service branch’s information technology efforts, Fifth Domain reported Tuesday.

“Being able to operate at OSD … to shepherd the development of the digital modernization strategy that came out of DoD CIO, as well as the enterprise cloud strategy — lot of that is timely and I think it’s relevant context for what we’re going to have to face and deal with here at [the] Navy,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.

Weis mentioned how industry helps promote accountability with regard to cyber and IT performance and the Navy’s need for a guiding strategy.

“I think it’s accountability along with the ability to move the levers around funding and operational elements along with a guiding vision strategy that we need to be able to apply here,” Weis said.

As Navy CIO, Weis will be responsible for four directorates: chief information security officer, chief digital officer, chief technology officer and chief digital strategy officer.

Hughes Network Systems announced on Tuesday that TMC has named the Hughes HT2000L Multi-Path Terminal as winner of its 2019 TMC Labs INTERNET TELEPHONY Innovation Award.

“The future of business is hyper-connected. Virtually all distributed enterprises – such as quick service restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations – span urban, suburban and remote locations that all require secure, reliable and scalable Internet connections,” said Dan Rasmussen, SVP of North America Enterprise for Hughes. “The HT2000L meets that need with a single, plug-and-play device that delivers broadband speeds as either a satellite modem, an LTE modem or both.”

The HT2000L provides connectivity for both satellite and LTE services in a single hardware terminal; either operates as the primary network path or as back-up, with automatic failover switching between the two paths.

“Hughes is honored to be recognized for this innovation in multi-path networking and performance optimization technology,” Rasmussen added. “Our commitment to going the extra mile to deliver value to our customers inspires us to innovate industry-defining solutions.”

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet, the world’s largest satellite network with over 1.4 million residential and business customers across North and South America.

A group within Air Force Research Laboratory has been recognized for a portable technology that allows users to secure doors during gunfights. The team, consisting of members from AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing, is the recipient of a 2019 Defense Innovation Award, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Monday.

“We’ve been hard at work to mature this technology so it can transition out of the labs and into the real world where it can hopefully help people and maybe even save lives,” said John McIntire, team lead and research psychologist.

The portable, quickly deployable locks work to fit most common door types without the need for permanent installation, McIntire noted. Security workers at Wright-Patterson AFB have received their own door locks. Schools have also used the technology for tests at active shooter drills.

“We’ve worked closely with a local elementary and middle school as we developed and tested our systems,” the team lead said.

McIntire’s team will physically receive the award at the Defense TechConnect Fall Summit and Expo that will take place Oct. 8 to 10 in National Harbor, Md.