Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to the Senate to permanently end the implementation of a government shutdown. The End Government Shutdowns Act would create an automatic continuing resolution to keep federal agencies operating when lawmakers failed to meet budget negotiation deadlines, according to a Senate statement released Friday.

The bill came from Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. 

“Shutdowns inevitably costs taxpayers more money once the government reopens,” Rob Portman said. “We should end government shutdowns for good.” He added the bill would provide lawmakers more time to settle a government budget and give federal workers and their families more stability. 

“When the government shuts down, Americans are deprived of essential services and their tax dollars are needlessly wasted,” Chuck Grassley said.

Portman has been introducing the same bill since he entered the Senate in 2010.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai requesting a briefing on the disclosure of data by wireless carriers, E&C said Friday.

Rep. Pallone urged Pai to identify and discuss actions taken by the FCC to resolve the issue of wireless carriers disclosing the real-time location data of consumers without authorization. Pallone said that unless the government immediately addresses this issue, the privacy and security of wireless phone service subscribers such as military personnel, domestic violence victims, law enforcement staff and government officials will be compromised.

The letter cites the Communications Act of 1996, which mandates wireless carriers and related vendors to protect the information of their customers and obtain consent before sharing such information to other parties. Some wireless carriers have announced their commitment to end unauthorized disclosure in June after Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and the media brought the issue to light in May.

The U.S. Navy plans to resume deployment of its Littoral Combat Ships this fall following a delay in 2018 due to challenges in manning and advanced training, USNI News reported Monday. 

Vice Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said the service branch intends to return three LCS before fiscal year 2019 ends in September. USS Montgomery and USS Gabrielle Giffords would deploy from San Diego to the Western Pacific, while the third ship USS Detroit would go to the East Coast from Florida, according to the official. 

“We are very excited about that because the naval component commanders are screaming for LCSs because they know what they’re going to bring to the fight,” Brown said. 

He noted the ships would only focus on anti-surface warfare missions, including partner-building exercises, fisheries patrols and other activities supporting a small surface combatant. The Navy plans to deploy another LCS by early 2020. The Naval Surface Force Pacific released a report in August showing the service was facing challenges in assigning crews to operate and support the ships and that those sailors appeared not fully training for the 2019 deployments.

The Navy has yet to announce plans to address the issues. 

The U.S. Air Force has moved its Kessel Run Experimentation Laboratory to a new, bigger facility in Boston, C4ISRNet reported Monday. The software laboratory’s new facility features a 30K-square-foot workspace with big screen computers, small conference rooms and long tables.

Adam Furtado, who directs Kessel Run, told C4ISRNet that the open facility would bring workers from the same area to collaborate, and reduce the need for emails and phone calls. Furtado intends to boost the personnel count by leveraging the Air Force’s approval to add 50 more workers.

“We want to get to a point where we’re at a capacity based model where you give me x dollars, that’s x number of product teams where I can deliver this much value and move the needle in this many spaces incrementally forever,” he noted.

Kessel Run plans to hire new employees during a two-day recruitment event to take place on Jan. 23 to 24.

The Department of Defense has concluded the opt-in enrollment of a new military retirement system with over half a million servicemen registered in total. The Blended Retirement System fuses traditional pension with a thrift savings plan, allowing members to receive retirement benefits before reaching 20 years in service, the DoD said Monday.

The department allotted $300M to cover TSP accounts of BRS-enrolled members in the program’s first year. Over 400,000 existing members registered under the program, and more than 150,000 new servicemen automatically enrolled upon enlistment. The DoD advised servicemen to undergo BRS training and financial counseling before deciding to register or not. Some members with special cases are given extensions to register after the opt-in period due to law-based provisions.

The Department of Defense has released a report assessing China’s military and non-military expansion efforts worldwide and their implications for the U.S.

DoD said in the report released Monday that China has expanded through Digital Silk Road and One Belt, One Road initiatives; military access and engagement; economic presence; and technology acquisition.

According to the report, the Asian country’s growing activities worldwide present implications for the U.S. and China across military access, logistics, force posture and training areas.

The document states that DoD has responded to the implications of China’s growing global activities in accordance with the National Defense Strategy while backing a whole-of-government measure.

The report also outlines DoD’s interagency programs such as efforts to align NDS with the National Security Strategy; continuous aerial and maritime operations in areas covered by international law; and collaboration with Congress and executive branch to safeguard the country’s national security innovation base.