The Department of Defense intends to work with a group of contractors from Silicon Valley to share and handle the large volume of data the agency collects from its missions, C4ISRNet reported Sunday. Officials from the Defense Innovation Unit said sharing data across multiple contractors would help DoD avoid relying on a single system to store information, which may lead to issues on data usage rights. 

“It’s that if they make that data accessible to everyone, they lose a significant advantage over keeping the department locked into using their system, and they’re worried about being able to recoup their investment,” said Josh Marcuse, executive director on the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board.

Marcuse believes allowing a single company to manage all data for DoD could lead to vendor lock requiring the agency to only work with the company that locked in the first contract and access potentially filtered data. 

“It makes it that much harder for the department to improve the quality of the products and services that it provides the war fighter,” Marcuse said. 

He suggested that DoD seek a new business model to enter multiple deals with different contractors and reduce concerns with data rights and vendor lock.

Lisa Hershman, acting chief management officer of the Department of Defense, said in an interview the department is on the track to reach $6B in savings for fiscal year 2019, ABC News reported Saturday. Hershman noted that the DoD’s streamlining efforts for its projects and business strategies has enabled the department to save $4.7B in 2017 and 2018.

The Pentagon expects to experience changes in key areas such as acquisitions, contracting, healthcare, information technology and the defense supply chain under Hershman’s tenure. According to the CMO, her office encourages the department’s agencies to make their own assessments and identify areas of improvement. One of the efforts that resulted in less tedious work for the DoD include the modernization of the Defense Travel Service used by the department’s civilians and military personnel.

The initiative reforming DoD’s internal operations follows the department’s first-ever audit which reviewed over 144 projects and pointed to certain areas that need to be refined.

Christopher Krebs, director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said it could take weeks for the agency to become fully operational again, FCW reported Friday. Krebs noted the newly created DHS agency’s initial contingency plan can only aid operations for one to two weeks amid the shutdown which resulted in a lapse of funding.

According to a DHS official, much of CISA’s work covering threat intelligence, technical support and vulnerability assessments were halted during the shutdown. Krebs told CISA staff that it will prioritize the processing of personnel’s compensation as well as efforts such as election security assistance and cybersecurity programs once the shutdown ends. He added that the CISA heads consulted program managers and regional offices on steps to be taken regarding the agency’s three crucial programs that were impacted by the shutdown.

On Friday, the White House announced that it will reopen parts of the government that were continuing operations without funding on a temporary basis.

Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, said the service branch may purchase a new variant of the F-15 aircraft if budget requirements are met, Defense News reported Saturday.

He told the news outlet that the potential variant, dubbed F-15X, will not use funds allotted for the F-35 program. The defense budget for fiscal year 2020, while still not finalized, has been proposed for $750M.

The Boeing-made F-15X would feature a new airframe and boosted capacities for radar, electronic warfare and missile count, the report noted.

Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., reintroduced a bill aiming to boost the country’s internet security while maintaining diplomacy and online freedom. The Cyber Diplomacy Act would appoint a special ambassador to lead cyber diplomacy initiatives with the Department of State, and establish cyber policy built on democratic principles, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Thursday.

The bill would also task the country’s United Nations ambassador to move forward with international cyberspace policy, and encourage collaboration with foreign governments. Lastly, the bipartisan legislation would direct the Department of State to include internet freedom assessments in annual human rights reports.

“The United States must lead the way in promoting a secure and free Internet and reject China and Russia’s authoritarian attempts to impose state control over the global cyber commons,” McCaul said. “I am proud to sponsor the Cyber Diplomacy Act which elevates the State Department’s role in setting international cyber policy and strengthens our diplomatic tools,” he added.

The first two Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft have been delivered to McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas five years after the installation was selected as the first Main Operating Base, McConnell AFB said Friday.

The base commenced construction of facilities such as an air traffic control tower, a fuselage trainer, technical training dormitories and aircraft maintenance hangars in preparation for the delivery. The projects resulted in jobs for local residents and $267M for Kansas’ economy. Additionally, McConnell AFB personnel worked with Boeing on technical orders for three years in the lead-up to the refueling tanker’s delivery.

Following KC-46A’s landing, the Air Force will conduct familiarization and initial operational assessments for the aircraft. The 931st Air Refueling Wing and 22nd ARW marshalled the aircraft to the Kansas base, which serves as USAF’s main air refueling center.