The Department of Veterans Affairs has released an application programming interface that would help veterans manage health data via mobile devices.

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The VA said Friday its Health API is designed to work with the next iterations of Blue Button, the department’s service made to ease data access for veterans.

The new Health API would also work to facilitate health system data exchanges in support of veterans, and aid clinician-focused apps.

The department unveiled the Health API at the White House Executive Forum on Healthcare Data Interoperability.

The API also complies with the Argonaut Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, a standard aimed at making APIs more interoperable to address modern needs.

The U.S. Navy plans to implement the use of unmanned systems in mine warfare to keep pace with enemy developments, National Defense Magazine reported Thursday.

Stephen Olson, deputy branch head for mine warfare with the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, said the branch is shifting from the traditional fleet approach to one that includes stronger mine countermeasures. During the National Defense Industrial Association’s Expeditionary Warfare Conference, he said the strategic change will primarily involve the use of littoral combat ships.

“Unmanned surface, underwater [and] airborne platforms are going to play a key role in the future MCM force,” Olson said.

The deputy branch head added that these platforms would provide sensor support to detect and neutralize mines, and shorten time needed for clearance.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate awarded two organizations a total of $1.1M to support the Data Privacy research and development project, DHS said Thursday.

The Data Privacy effort aims to mitigate privacy risks on critical data transmitted through mobile computing, connected sensor platforms, automated systems and other digital services.

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DHS S&T awarded $750K to the Regents of the University of Colorado to develop a detection and tracking system for unmanned aerial systems called DronePD. The directorate also earmarked $399.9K for Galois, a Portland, Ore.-based tech firm, to develop the FIDes Utility and Risk Assistant which will deliver risk and utility profile support for the Framework for Information Disclosure with Ethical Security platform. FIDes is a scalable control system that handles the technical disclosure of sensitive information from datasets.

“Support for these initiatives demonstrates how S&T is fostering responsible innovation to protect the nation’s people, infrastructure and assets while also protecting privacy,” said Mary McGinley, director of S&T’s Physical and Cyber Security Division.

The U.S. Army continues to assess the M1A2 Abrams battle tank’s systems engineering plan across 200 miles of rugged road within Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, DVIDShub.net reported Thursday.

The SEPv3 configuration includes updates on the tank’s armor, fire control electronics, engine, drivetrain and tracks. The service branch is also testing the tank’s ability to support hubcaps and road arms produced through 3D printing.

Greg Duda, test lead for the Abrams tank, said the team has been conducting tests for the past two and a half years.

The General Services Administration plans to integrate mobile devices into its DevSecOps activities in 2019 as the agency expects potential productivity boosts, Fedscoop reported Thursday.

David Shive, the agency’s chief information officer, said during the VMware Public Sector Innovation Summit that mobility is essential due to the growth of mobile device use among citizens. Referencing real-time analytics, he pointed out that almost half of 300k consumers used mobile devices to access federal websites during his speech.

Shive also said that GSA has the capacity to help other federal agencies transition into a mobile-enabled organization. The DevSecOps approach integrates security, engineering and operational activities to develop new technologies.

The U.S. Cyber Command is set to deploy a Northrop Grumman-built, next generation cyber weapon system designed to serve as the Department of Defense’s single platform to plan and launch offensive and defensive cyber operations, Fifth Domain reported Thursday. Senior defense officials expect the CYBERCOM’s Unified Platform to launch this spring. The system is designed to provide the infrastructure, information sharing, data analytics, mission planning and command tools to support the military’s cyber missions. 

Susan Thornton, a director for information dominance programs with the Air Force, said the project is “about three and a half years ahead of what it would have delivered under a more traditional acquisition approach.” 

Northrop built the Unified Platform under a $54M contract and is expected to deploy the system in March 2019. The Air Force utilizes rapid acquisition funds and prototyping to speed up the development and deployment of the platform. Thornton said additional services are also providing funding and helping the Air Force and CYBERCOM explore how the system can help the entire defense community. 

The U.S. military started field testing all F-35 aircraft variants and expects to finish this summer, Reuters reported Friday.

The combat condition tests are intended to assess the operational capacity of F-35 weapon systems. Bloomberg government reported that the field testing of the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft will last for a year, following a 15-month delay caused by extended flight and software tests. In a statement, the Department of Defense said it will use the field testing phase’s data as basis for what would lead to the aircraft’s full production.