A new assessment report shows the Pentagon is advancing missile defense for the U.S., with the military now capable of deterring certain attacks from North Korea or Iran, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

The annual report from Robert Behler, director of operational testing at the Department of Defense, highlights the improved capability of DoD’s $180B network of ground- and sea-based missile interceptors, sensors and communications. Behler said the system can protect the U.S. mainland or troops abroad from “a small number” of intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missile threats.

DoD has increased its defense system with 44 ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California and a new set of Army radar, Thaad missile batteries and Aegis-class anti-missile vessels. Boeing manages the system that uses Raytheon-built interceptor missiles that the Missile Defense Agency plans to test in March.

DoD wants to build a more extensive defense system in the future, which might include new space-based interceptors, low-orbit early-warning and missile-tracking satellites, laser-firing drones and F-35s.

Lt. Gen. Brian Beaudreault, the U.S. Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, announced the USMC is requesting $14B for modernization and $13.8B for near-term readiness efforts, USNI News reported Thursday. Each appropriation accounts for 30 percent of the service branch’s total budget for fiscal year 2020.

According to Beaudreault, the $14B modernization funding would help USMC integrate its naval operations through updated platforms such as unmanned systems, M27 weapons, improved night vision goggles, F-35 aircraft, G/ATOR radars and medium-range air defense systems. Other goals include investing in systems designed for an information warfare environment; updating the USMC and U.S. Navy’s amphibious warships; and modernizing surface and aerial connectors to help maneuvering and sustainment functions.

Beaudreault also noted that the $13.8B funding would help readiness efforts such as depot maintenance, parts availability and in-service repairs. He said the Marine Corps is slated to achieve its readiness requirements this year.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released data reflecting a loss of $2.3B in small business revenue due to the government shutdown, NextGov reported Thursday. The shutdown has affected 41,000 small businesses across the country over the shutdown’s first 34 days.

Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the Chamber of Commerce, told reporters that an additional $29B could be lost if the shutdown prolongs.

David Berteau, head of the Professional Services Council, said that over one-third of small businesses do not possess funds to sustain operations amid the shutdown. The shutdown forces small businesses to either cut their workforces or cease operations, he added.

Terry Carpenter, the Defense Information Systems Agency’s National Background Investigation Service program executive officer, announced that DISA wants data sources and algorithms to help implement artificial intelligence in security clearance processing, FCW reported Thursday. Carpenter added that DISA is seeking to collate data sources into a single enterprise architecture to deliver data to the entire NBIS system.

Additionally, DISA is developing a DevSecOps model to be deployed throughout the NBIS, which is comprised of different systems in multiple clouds and the data center. The agency plans to pilot the project in June.

Former Homeland Security officials requested the Trump administration to end the ongoing partial government shutdown as it may soon put national security at risk and create other issues lasting years, The Hill reported Thursday.

Jeh Johnson, former Homeland Security secretary under the Obama administration, described the shutdown as “a security crisis” that’s causing stress, hardship and anxiety across federal agencies. He added that the prolonged closure of agencies might push employees to quit their jobs and lead to lasting damage to an agency’s recruitment efforts, particularly DHS. 

“I fear the damage done to our security will be for months, if not years,” Johnson said. 

Peter Neffenger, a former Transportation Security Administration head, said many federal workers are receiving low salaries because of the shutdown. Other former federal officials warned that the situation could negatively affect how the U.S. responds to future crises, such as natural disasters.

“It’s having a long-term, extremely detrimental effect on the nation’s preparedness to respond to disaster and acts of terrorism in the United States,” said Tim Manning, a former deputy administrator at Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

The U.S. Air Force’s 412th Electronic Warfare Group began working on a facility to contain the Joint Simulation Environment designed for testing fifth-plus generation aircraft and related systems, the service branch said Thursday.

The 72,139-square foot modeling and simulation facility will be installed at Edwards Air Force Base in California to house developmental assessments supporting open-air testing operations. The Air Force also plans to construct another 50,967-square foot facility at Nellis AFB in Nevada to help personnel and engineers conduct operational testing activities. The two JSEs will be fitted with similar hardware and software enabling both facilities to integrate their technological features.

Humberto Blanco, project manager for the JSE effort, said the simulation tool will help the Air Force test aircraft such as the F-35 and F-22 without being hampered by natural events and service operations.

The 412th EWG is looking for over 100 new hires to commence engineering and software-related work to support the two facilities.

Bruce Jette, assistant secretary of the U.S. Army for acquisition, technology and logistics, has said the new intellectual property management policy seeks to strike a balance between efforts to promote industry innovation and long-term sustainment considerations.

The policy “discourages a one-size-fits-all attitude and requires that we consider the unique needs of each weapon system and its components as we develop the IP strategy,” Jette wrote in an article published Thursday.

He discussed the policy’s four principles: efforts to advance open communication with industry; development of a customized IP strategy; negotiation of custom data and licenses; and negotiation for competitive prices at an early stage.

“This new policy is the first step in a cultural change within the Army,” Jette said.

He noted that the service branch plans to release early this year a detailed guidance for the policy’s implementation.

Army Secretary Mark Esper, a 2019 Wash100 winner, approved the IP management policy in December.
 

A new Congressional Budget Office report says the implementation of plans to modernize and maintain U.S. nuclear forces as stated in the Nuclear Posture Review and the fiscal 2019 budget requests of the departments of Defense and Energy would cost $494B from 2019 through 2028.

CBO said the figure reflects a 23 percent increase from its 2017 estimate – $400B – over the 10-year period.

The agency projects that approximately 39 percent, or $37B, of the $94B estimated increase would occur between 2019 and 2026, driven by new weapons and modernization programs and plans for nuclear command-and-control platforms.

Of the total projected costs, $432B would fund several programs including strategic nuclear delivery systems and weapons; tactical nuclear weapons and delivery platforms; DoD’s command, control, communications and early-warning tools; and DOE’s nuclear weapons laboratories and supporting initiatives.

CBO said the remaining $62B of the total estimated cost accounts for its projected additional costs based on historical cost growth.
 

The U.S. Air Force began reorganizing and unifying its headquarters’ information technology, cyber and intelligence operations, Federal News Network reported Wednesday. USAF’s new approach would combine the three technical areas into one organization, merging the branch’s deputy chief of staff offices for information dominance and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Matt Donovan, undersecretary of the Air Force, said the service branch intends to nominate Lt. Gen. VeraLinn Jamieson as the prospective leader of the combined organization. Jamieson is USAF’s current deputy chief of staff for ISR.

The service branch first disclosed the combined organization’s preliminary plans in August when Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, discussed USAF’s need for tighter integration in information domain decision making, the report noted.