Ellen Lord: DoD Warns Military, Contractors Against Chinese, Russian Software
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Ellen Lord: DoD Warns Military, Contractors Against Chinese, Russian Software


Ellen Lord: DoD Warns Military, Contractors Against Chinese, Russian Software
Ellen Lord

Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, has said the Defense Department started distributing to the military and contractors a list of software platforms that should not be purchased, Defense One reported Friday.

This is because such software platforms have failed to meet national security requirements, Lord said.

“What we are doing is making sure that we do not buy software that’s Russian or Chinese provenance,” Lord, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, told reporters Friday at the Pentagon.

“Quite often that’s difficult to tell at first glance because of holding companies,” she added.

Lord noted that Pentagon officials and the intelligence community have started to name “certain companies that do not operate in a way consistent with what we have for defense standard.”

The report said DoD has worked with the Professional Services Council, National Defense Industrial Association, Aerospace Industries Association and other trade groups to inform large and small defense contractors about malicious software amid foreign hacking concerns.

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Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock Named Marine Corps CIO
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Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock Named Marine Corps CIO


Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock Named Marine Corps CIO
Lorna Mahlock

Brig. Gen. Lorna Mahlock, former deputy director of plans, policies, and operations at the U.S. Marine Corps‘ headquarters, has taken a new role as the service branch’s chief information officer, FCW reported Friday.

She will concurrently serve as director of command, control, communications and computers at USMC.

Mahlock succeeds Kenneth Bible, who has held the CIO and C4 deputy director roles on an acting basis after Brig. Gen. Dennis Crall stepped down earlier this year.

She joined USMC through the service branch’s Enlisted Commissioning Education Program in late 1991 after immigrating to the U.S. from Jamaica and has held leadership positions across various levels globally such as  commanding officer of Marine Air Control Group 18 in Okinawa, Japan.

She holds Federal Aviation Administration certifications as a tower local controller and a Marine aviation weapons and tactics instructor.

Lawmakers Back NDAA Proposal to Upgrade Boeing’s Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile
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Lawmakers Back NDAA Proposal to Upgrade Boeing’s Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile


Lawmakers Back NDAA Proposal to Upgrade Boeing's Harpoon Anti-Ship MissileThe House and the Senate have backed a proposal to upgrade Boeing’s Harpoon anti-ship missile to a Block II+ configuration for approximately $26.8 million, according to a conference report on fiscal year 2019’s National Defense Authorization Act, Defense News reported.

The move follows the U.S. Navy‘s launch of six of the ship-sinking missiles during a Rim of the Pacific Exercise between the U.S. and allied nations. That exercise saw the Harpoon launched from the Olympia, making it the first time the missile was deployed from a submarine in 20 years.

The funding, $12 million more than the Navy’s request, will equip the missile with GPS and a datalink enabling operators to change the missile’s target mid-flight.

The Navy expects to receive an initial operational capability certification for Harpoon Block II+ this year, as the company continues to develop a version of the missile with an extended range.

The Harpoon missile can be fired from an F/A-18, a P-8 or from canisters on a ship.

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Fiscal 2019 NDAA Provision Would Establish Cyber Defense Commission
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Fiscal 2019 NDAA Provision Would Establish Cyber Defense Commission


Fiscal 2019 NDAA Provision Would Establish Cyber Defense CommissionThe fiscal 2019 defense authorization bill that came out of a House-Senate conference committee includes language to establish a commission that would create a national cyber doctrine, Defense Systems reported Friday.

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission will consist of 14 members and develop a unified strategic approach to guard U.S. assets against threats in cyberspace.

These members will include the director of national intelligence, deputy director of homeland security, deputy defense secretary, FBI director, five senators and five representatives, the report noted.

The bill would also require the government to review the effectiveness of Defense Innovation Unit Experimental programs and study the feasibility of integrating DIUx into the Defense Department‘s research and engineering enterprise.

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Report: NSA to Transfer ‘Sharkseer’ Cybersecurity Program to DISA
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Report: NSA to Transfer ‘Sharkseer’ Cybersecurity Program to DISA

Report: NSA to Transfer 'Sharkseer' Cybersecurity Program to DISAThe National Security Agency will hand over to the Defense Information Systems Agency a cybersecurity program that helps protect Defense Department networks against malware and zero-day threats, Fifth Domain reported Saturday.

Natalie Pittore, an NSA spokeswoman, told Fifth Domain that the Sharkseer program “better aligns” with DISA’s mission.

A defense budget deal reached by congressional appropriators July 23 contains the transition effort.

Sharkseer uses artificial intelligence to monitor traffic across DoD networks and sift through emails and documents that could pose network security risks. Congress authorized $30 million to start operations of the program back in 2014.

Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said a May statement the program has identified more than two billion cyber incidents across the Pentagon’s classified and unclassified networks, Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said in a May statement.

NASA Selects Five Colleges for STEM Curriculum Development Grant
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NASA Selects Five Colleges for STEM Curriculum Development Grant


NASA Selects Five Colleges for STEM Curriculum Development GrantNASA has awarded five minority-serving colleges a total of $1.4 million to develop their STEM courses under the MUREP Innovations in Space Technology Curriculum program.

The grant, awarded in partnership with the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, provides the winning schools up to $330,000 and partners them with a NASA center or facility to accomplish goals outlined by the MISTC throughout a 15-month period, NASA said Saturday.

Jim Reuter, acting associate administrator for STMD, said the directorate’s partnership with MUREP will help NASA achieve exploration goals, promote STEM education and engage with minority-focused institutions.

The awardees are:

  • Bronx Community College in New York City
  • College of the Desert, in Palm Desert, Calif.
  • Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif.
  • Passaic County Community College in Patterson, N.J.
  • Prince George’s Community College in Upper Marlboro, Md.

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Report: DoD to Train Procurement Managers in Nontraditional Contracting Approach
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Report: DoD to Train Procurement Managers in Nontraditional Contracting Approach


Report: DoD to Train Procurement Managers in Nontraditional Contracting ApproachEllen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Defense Department and a 2018 Wash100 awardee, has said that her office will train DoD procurement managers on how to buy commercial technology platforms through the nontraditional contracting process,  SpaceNews reported Sunday.

She also aims to establish a policy that would help the Pentagon exercise more freedom in prototype experimentation with the use of new congressional authorities, the report noted.

Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition and a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said he predicts the emergence of artificial intelligence technology will challenge the department to accelerate its acquisition efforts.

“For AI we’re going to need software people that are tweaking algorithms with the users,” he told reporters.

“The pace is faster, there is quicker turnover.”

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ODNI Launches New Governance Structure Under Transformation Initiative; Dan Coats Comments
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ODNI Launches New Governance Structure Under Transformation Initiative; Dan Coats Comments


ODNI Launches New Governance Structure Under Transformation Initiative; Dan Coats Comments
Dan Coats

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has established a new organizational structure and implemented new processes as part of a transformation effort unveiled in March.

“Our comprehensive approach to transformation covered many areas, including synchronizing and streamlining processes, better developing our people, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our decisions and aligning our structure to support those outcomes,” DNI Dan Coats, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said in a statement published Wednesday.

ODNI said the transformation initiative calls for national intelligence deputy directors to oversee four new directorates that focus on intelligence integration; facilitation of national security partnerships; resource and capability decisions; and alignment of the intelligence community’s current priority with the future strategy.

The agency’s mission-focused centers will work with the new directorates to offer insight on insider threats, terrorism, cybersecurity and other issues facing the IC through the restructuring effort.

The transformation also reflects ODNI’s updated core values, vision and mission statements.

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GAO: NIST Should Conduct Comprehensive Review of Services to Ensure Stakeholder Relevance
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GAO: NIST Should Conduct Comprehensive Review of Services to Ensure Stakeholder Relevance


GAO: NIST Should Conduct Comprehensive Review of Services to Ensure Stakeholder RelevanceThe Government Accountability Office has called on the National Institute of Standards and Technology to ensure its measurement and documentary standards services line up with and address the needs of industry.

Specifically, the NIST should make it a policy to conduct a “periodic comprehensive management review of the agency’s measurement services to assess gaps and ensure alignment with stakeholders’ needs,” the GAO said in a Congressional report published Thursday.

The report details the findings of a performance audit that the GAO had conducted on the NIST beginning July 2016.

The audit revealed that the NIST determines industry needs for measurement and documentary standards using several methods including individual outreach by NIST’s technicians, collaboration mechanisms such as consortia and the use of feedback tools like surveys.

The GAO pointed out, however, that “these assessments do not comprehensively identify and assess gaps in NIST’s services” or how well they match the requirements of the agency’s clients and partners.

A management review would augment the NIST’s efforts and would provide the agency “with greater confidence that its activities align with stakeholders’ needs,” the GAO reported.

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Rep. Gerry Connolly Introduces Bill to Revamp FedRAMP Certification Process
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Rep. Gerry Connolly Introduces Bill to Revamp FedRAMP Certification Process


Rep. Gerry Connolly Introduces Bill to Revamp FedRAMP Certification Process
Gerry Connolly

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has introduced a bill that would reform the government’s process for authorizing commercial cloud products and services through the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

Connolly’s office said Friday FedRAMP Reform Act of 2018 would also institute agency compliance measures and create new metrics to properly implement such measures.

He noted the bill seeks to clarify the responsibilities of federal and industry stakeholders, establish a process for Congress to evaluate the program’s progress and provide certainty to customers.

Established five years ago, FedRAMP offers a uniform approach for the government to assess, authorize and monitor cloud offerings.

The legislation seeks to reform this process through six steps. First, it would codify FedRAMP by identifying the responsibilities of each federal agency involved with the program.

The Office of Management and Budget will issue guidance to implement FedRAMP principles while the General Services Administration will be in charge of the actual implementation of FedRAMP principles.

Second, OMB will be tasked with ensuring that agencies are in compliance with any requirements related to FedRAMP.

Third, to monitor if FedRAMP is being properly implemented, the FedRAMP Management Office under the GSA will be required to craft metrics concerning time, cost and quality of the assessments. Also, OMB and GSA will be tasked to submit a yearly report to Congress on the status and performance of the FedRAMP PMO.

Fourth, the FedRAMP PMO would be required to automate its procedures.

Fifth, to fast-track certification processes, a Joint Authorization Board’s issuance of an authorization to operate shall be deemed valid.

Finally, for transparency purposes, when an agency issues an ATO, it is required to furnish a copy of said ATO with the FedRAMP PMO.

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