The Government Accountability Office released a report Tuesday stating that 22 out of the 24 agencies it reviewed did not properly identify information technology roles within the Office of Personnel Management’s GS-2210 occupational series.

GAO reviewed 24 federal agencies that assigned IT, cybersecurity and cyber-related roles in compliance with the 2015 Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act, which requires these agencies to identify critical IT positions by 2019 and submit a preliminary report to OPM by August 2018. The agencies under review cited information systems security manager, IT project manager and systems security analyst as the top three roles of critical importance.

The government watchdog found that 22 of those agencies assigned a non-IT work code to 15,779 or around 19 percent of their IT roles under the OPM 2210 series. Six of the 24 agencies reported that some of their vacant positions still do not have work role codes despite the OPM’s August 2018 deadline.

“By assigning work roles that are inconsistent with the IT, cybersecurity, and cyber-related positions, the agencies are diminishing the reliability of the information they need to improve workforce planning,” the report stated.

The U.S. Air Force’s 20th Intelligence Squadron has started efforts to establish a network that will help address warfighter concerns.

The unit has begun to gather individuals of different expertise from various USAF commands and teams to develop ideas and projects at the Spark Hub facility in Offutt Air Force Base as part of the Soaring Buffalo network, the service branch said Tuesday.

Additionally, members from the Air Force Global Strike Command, 595th Strategic Communications Squadron and 20th IS targeteers have developed a dashboard that assists warfighters in decision-making functions.

The network has teamed up with academic institutions and firms to secure training in the areas of analytics and data visualization.

The Spark Hub facility leverages intelligence, warfighter systems and commercial internet connectivity to create services and platforms at a rapid pace through the use of DevOps methods. 

Senior Navy officials said the service is making changes to take advantage of previous updates in authorities by Congress for rapid acquisitions across the military, National Defense Magazine reported Monday. Congress allowed the U.S. Navy to accelerate how it develops, buys and fields new technologies through the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act. 

Rear Adm. James Kilby, director of warfare integration at the office of the chief of naval operations, said the Navy created two paths to leverage its new rapid acquisition authorities. The service is working on faster prototyping, experimentation and demonstration projects and the maritime accelerated capability office as part of its high priority initiatives.

Commander Todd Philips, of the Navy appropriations matters office, said the Navy faced “a lot of initial bumps and bruises” implementing the accelerated acquisition process. However, he noted the service is “at a much better place” following the 2018 update on the process, which sets initiatives that are designated as “accelerated” to receive immediate funding.

Rear Adm. Douglas Small, program executive officer for integrated warfare systems, said the Navy is assigning program managers and executive officers to speed up the process to manage acquisition authorities and speed up processes.

“Just removing entire layers of oversight and really empowering people to be able to go off and deliver is going to… speed up a lot throughout the system,” he said.

Amid the efforts to buy and field technologies faster, Kilby called on industry to reach out to the Navy to help in the changes. He added the Navy is shifting millions of dollars in research and development funding towards fast-tracking acquisition priorities.

The U.S. Marine Corps wants to make a decision on testing and fielding its anti-drone Marine Air Defense Integrated System by the end of the year, USNI News reported Monday.

MADIS is a platform designed to detect and neutralize drones from adversaries by integrating radars, optics, jammers and passive detection sensors. The system is set to have a “kinetic kill option” potentially through the installation of a small drone intended to combat other small drones. The Marine Corps is considering a version of MADIS capable of integrating with joint light tactical vehicles to provide mobile anti-drone defense.

Don Kelley, a program manager working under USMC’s program executive office for land systems, said the service’s “systems-of-systems” approach for MADIS will accelerate testing operations by incorporating the previous evaluation of its components. The strategy will let the PEO develop multiple MADIS variants to handle threats that will emerge over time.

The program office is working with the Marine Corps and the Department of Defense testing community to accelerate assessment activities for MADIS.

The U.S. government will begin initial production for ground-launched cruise missile components after announcing its intent to revoke participation from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, Reuters reported Monday. The INF Treaty requires participating countries to destroy ground-based ballistic and cruise missile systems with range capabilities of up to 310.6 to 3,000 miles. 

“We will commence fabrication activities on components to support developmental testing of these systems – activities that until Feb. 2 would have been inconsistent with our obligations under the Treaty,” said Michelle Baldanza, spokeswoman at the Department of Defense. 

The planned withdrawal follows Russia’s alleged violation of the treaty through its Novator 9M729 missile. The United Nations urged both countries to maintain the treaty to prevent potential instability.

2019 Wash100 Award winner Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Cory Gardner R-Colo., with Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas and fellow 2019 Wash100 Award winner, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill., introduced a bipartisan bill to establish standards guiding the use of devices for the internet of things, The Hill reported Monday.

The legislation would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to recommend security requirements and other guidelines to help the federal government address cyber vulnerabilities in specified devices. The Office of Management and Budget would also establish standards on purchasing devices in the sector. Both agencies would reassess their policies every five years.

“As the government continues to purchase and use more and more internet-connected devices, we must ensure that these devices are secure,” Kelly said.

The Wash100 award, now in its sixth year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2019 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2019.

The U.S. Air Force resumed acceptance of Boeing-made KC-46 Pegasus tanker aircraft after a nearly month-long delivery halt caused by debris found in one of the units, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Rose Riley, a representative of the Air Force Air Mobility Command, said in a statement that the service branch will continue to accept deliveries as Boeing inspects each aircraft as part of a corrective action plan. Officials said the issue is attributed to the site where the aircraft undergoes construction and not to the unit itself.

Boeing is responsible for delivery of 19 KC-46 low-rate production units to the Air Force under a $2.81B contract modification.