NASA and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency have agreed to collaborate on space exploration and human spaceflight missions under a new arrangement.

The agreement allows the two agencies to conduct research in space biology, physical sciences and human research at UAE’s Mars Scientific City, NASA said Thursday.

The IA also includes training UAE astronauts, as well as allowing the Middle Eastern nation to access the International Space Station and participate in lunar exploration operations.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine explained that the partnership comes as the American space agency plans to relaunch crewed missions to the moon for long-term exploration and utilization.

He added that UAE is expanding its capabilities on Earth and in space with initiatives such as the Emirates Mars Mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2020.

The IA follows a framework agreement that the two agencies signed in 2016 to collaborate on ground-based and sub-orbital research, research and flight activities in low-Earth orbit and human and robotic exploration on the moon, among other things.

Frank Konieczny, chief technology officer of the U.S. Air Force, has said the service could reform its cyber acquisition process based on results from the Kessel Run Experimentation Lab, FCW reported Wednesday.

Konieczny explained during the Dell Digital Transformation Summit that the Air Force seeks to obtain an authority to operate within three or four weeks instead of six years.

He added that the service plans to revive programming as a career to sustain agile software development in the long run.

Standardization should be implemented across the code so that work turned over to new programmers will be easily understood, according to Konieczny. This will help speed up the delivery of products,

A preliminary investigation has shown that the mysterious substance found on envelopes addressed to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson is castor seeds, The Hill reported Wednesday.

Defense Department spokesperson Dana White revealed the results of the initial analysis to The Hill via a statement, noting, however, that the FBI is still conducting further tests.

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency detected the suspicious substance while screening mail at a remote facility on Monday. The Wall Street Journal reports that the envelopes tested positive for the poison ricin following an on-site test.

Ricin can be produced using castor seeds, but the seeds on their own would only be dangerous if swallowed.

Undersecretary Chris Krebs of the Department of Homeland Security has said that his agency is prepared to fend off any attempts by foreign adversaries to meddle in U.S. elections, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

Krebs made the remarks at a recent panel on election cybersecurity, where National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina also talked about cyber operations being carried out by China on social media with the goal of affecting American popular opinion.

Evanina noted, however, that officials have yet to find proof of any attempt by the Chinese to infiltrate U.S. election infrastructure, despite President Trump’s earlier claims to the contrary.

Speaking at the United Nations on Sept. 26, President Trump accused China of attempting to interfere in the 2018 U.S. midterms elections, saying that the Chinese “do not want me or us to win because I am the first ever to challenge China on trade.”

Trump afterward said he had “plenty” of evidence to back up his statements.

Katie Wheelbarger, principal deputy assistant secretary for international security affairs at the Defense Department, has said the U.S. will announce in the next few days that it is ready to use defensive and offensive cyber capabilities in support of NATO if asked, Reuters reported Wednesday.

“It sends a message primarily aimed at Russia,” Wheelbarger told reporters.

U.K. and Baltic security officials say intelligence shows that Russian cyber attacks are targeting telecommunications and energy infrastructure in Europe.

Wheelbarger noted that the move is part of a U.K. government-led campaign to boost the alliance’s cyber capabilities.
 

The departments of Homeland Security and Energy have announced in a meeting with the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council the launch of a program that aims to protect pipelines and other critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

Chrisopher Krebs, undersecretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate, said Wednesday that the collaborative effort between NPPD, the Transportation Security Administration and DOE will provide a better understanding of the threat landscape and plan more targeted and prioritized risk management activities.

He explained that the program incorporates NPPD’s cybersecurity resources with DOE’s energy sector expertise and TSA’s assessments of pipeline security to address the risks in the oil and natural gas industry.

Krebs also noted that DHS’ National Risk Management Center will help secure future infrastructure, as well as provide an opportunity to work with industry to manage long-term strategy risk across critical infrastructure sectors.

TSA Administrator David Pekoske also noted that the meeting and future discussions will build upon the measures in the updated Pipeline Security Guidelines and the agency’s collaboration with the NRMC to minimize the consequences of an attack to America’s pipelines.