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Civilian/News
Kimberly Reed Nominated Export-Import Bank President
by Jane Edwards
Published on June 21, 2018
Kimberly Reed Nominated Export-Import Bank President


Kimberly Reed Nominated Export-Import Bank President
Kimberly Reed

Kimberly Reed, former president of the International Food Information Council Foundation, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve a four-year term as president of the Export-Import Bank.

Prior to the foundation, Reed worked at the Treasury Department, where she led the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund and served as senior adviser to former Treasury secretaries Henry Paulson and John Snow, the White House announced Wednesday.

She previously served as counsel to three House committees and vice president for financial markets policy relations at Lehman Brothers.

Reed is the first elected female chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association and currently sits on the boards of the American Swiss Foundation and Alzheimer’s Association.

Reuters reported that Boeing issued a statement Wednesday about the trade bank’s role in economic growth after the White House announced Reed’s nomination.

“Restoring the Export-Import Bank to full strength with a board quorum is the best thing Washington can do right now to grow our economy through exports, shrink our trade deficits and level the playing field so American workers can win,” Tim Keating, executive VP of government operations at Boeing, said in a statement.

Civilian/News
WSJ: White House Eyes Merger of Labor, Education Departments
by Monica Jackson
Published on June 21, 2018
WSJ: White House Eyes Merger of Labor, Education Departments


WSJ: White House Eyes Merger of Labor, Education DepartmentsThe White House could unveil on Thursday a proposal to merge the departments of Labor and Education as part of governmentwide reorganization efforts, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Both federal departments have collaborated on employee training programs since the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in 2014.

Alexander Acosta is the current DOL secretary while Betsy DeVos serves as ED secretary.

Republican lawmakers had proposed the formation of a “Department of Education and Employment” during the Bill Clinton administration, the report noted.

News/Space
National Space Council Advisers Hold Inaugural Meeting
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on June 21, 2018
National Space Council Advisers Hold Inaugural Meeting


National Space Council Advisers Hold Inaugural MeetingA group tasked with advising the National Space Council on government and commercial aerospace matters convened Tuesday at NASA‘s headquarters, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

James Ellis, chairman of the Users’ Advisory Group, said UAG intends to form subcommittees that will focus on six areas that include national security space; technology and innovation; economic development and industrial base; outreach and education, space policy and international engagement; and exploration and discovery.

“There are no red lines or issues that off the table,” Ellis was quoted as saying.

“If we think they need to be addressed, they are open to us.”

Vice President Mike Pence has told UAG members that the government will seek the group’s recommendations to advance public and private space enterprises.

NASA formed the group in late 2017 to represent the interest, perspectives and expertise of non-federal aerospace organizations.

Government Technology/News
USMC Implements Use of New Night Vision Goggles
by Nichols Martin
Published on June 20, 2018
USMC Implements Use of New Night Vision Goggles


USMC Implements Use of New Night Vision Goggles

The U.S. Marine Corps has commenced fielding of a new situational awareness tool for Marines in night-time operations.

The Binocular Night Vision Goggle II is a helmet-mounted binocular designed to boost night perception and magnify ambient light through the use of white phosphor image intensification technology, USMC said Tuesday.

The binocular also features a clip-on thermal imager that produces thermal overlay for clearer imagery, and a binocular night vision device that uses ambient light to provide detailed visuals of objects in the dark.

These functions work together to help Marines detect buried explosives, locate hidden objects and perceive depths.

The Marine Corps Systems Command started deploying the BNVG II for reconnaissance and explosive disposal operations this spring and plans to fully field the binoculars in the second quarter of 2019.

Government Technology/News
DARPA Program Seeks to Automate Molecule Discovery Via Software Devt
by Jane Edwards
Published on June 20, 2018
DARPA Program Seeks to Automate Molecule Discovery Via Software Devt


DARPA Program Seeks to Automate Molecule Discovery Via Software DevtThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has supported the development of software tools and other devices designed to accelerate the design and synthesis of new molecules for defense and military applications through a four-year program.

The Make-It program works to facilitate the creation of synthetic routes used to develop new molecules through software platforms that are based on machine learning, DARPA said Tuesday.

“Make-It is not only freeing chemists to expend brain power in other areas such as molecular discovery and innovation, it is opening chemical synthesis and discovery to a much broader community of scientific researchers who will benefit from faster development of new molecules,” said Anne Fischer, program manager in DARPA’s defense sciences office.

“We’re essentially coding the chemical synthesis process. … Because the routes are implemented with software-based instructions, any Make-It synthesis device should produce chemicals with precisely the same make-up every time,” Fischer added.

The Make-It program is now in its third year and focuses on rapid reaction screening; automated synthesis or production; and automated molecule design areas.

Some of the organizations involved in the research initiative include SRI International, Grzybowski Scientific Inventions, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Boston University and the University of Glasgow.

Civilian/News
Erica Navarro Named USDA Budget, Program Analysis Director
by Joanna Crews
Published on June 20, 2018
Erica Navarro Named USDA Budget, Program Analysis Director


Erica Navarro Named USDA Budget, Program Analysis Director
Erica Navarro

Erica Navarro, who is presently serving as budget service director and deputy assistant secretary for management and planning at the Education Department, has been selected to become the next director of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis at the Agriculture Department.

Navarro, who holds a master of business administration degree in finance from the Yale School of Management, will be responsible for overseeing policy analysis and program reviews, as well as the implementation of the agency’s budget, legislative and regulatory functions, USDA said Tuesday.

Navarro’s career in government began at the Office of Management and Budget, where she served as program examiner for international economic affairs.

She later held positions at the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the U.S. Agency for International Development before moving to the General Services Administration, where she served as budget director until her transfer to the Education Department.

USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, commenting on Navarro’s latest appointment, said that “Erica has a sterling track record and excellent credentials, and I am confident she will focus that talent serving America’s farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers.”

Legislation/News
Report: Senators Introduce Bill to Reduce Global Supply Chain National Security Risks
by Joanna Crews
Published on June 20, 2018
Report: Senators Introduce Bill to Reduce Global Supply Chain National Security Risks


Report: Senators Introduce Bill to Reduce Global Supply Chain National Security RisksSenators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) have introduced the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, meant to mitigate and address risks from the global procurement network, The Hill reported Tuesday.

The bipartisan bill would create the Federal Acquisition Security Council, which would coordinate with industry to assess supply chain threats and help guide federal strategies on risk management, the report detailed.

“We can’t simply respond to supply chain threats piecemeal, we’ve got to have a system in place to assess these risks across the government,” McCaskill said in a statement.

Lankford said the bill establishes criteria on how each federal agency identifies risk, to protect government information technology systems from security threats.

The Senate sanctioned China’s ZTE in an annual defense policy bill passed Monday. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security banned products by Russian-based Kaspersky Lab last year.

DoD/News
James Geurts: Navy Eyes Spring 2019 Release of 30-Year Ship Repair, Modernization Plan
by Jane Edwards
Published on June 20, 2018
James Geurts: Navy Eyes Spring 2019 Release of 30-Year Ship Repair, Modernization Plan


James Geurts: Navy Eyes Spring 2019 Release of 30-Year Ship Repair, Modernization Plan
James Geurts

James Geurts, assistant U.S. Navy secretary for research, development and acquisition, has said he intends to issue the 30-year plan for ship repair and modernization efforts in the spring of 2019 in an effort to help the maintenance sector plan its infrastructure and workforce investments, USNI News reported Tuesday.

Geurts said Tuesday the Naval Sea Systems Command will work on the report that would be released alongside the three-decade plan for shipbuilding efforts.

He noted that he expects the ship repair plan to “inform the industrial base” and take a look at the availability of capabilities and resources at repair yards and public shipyards.

Geurts cited that NAVSEA submitted to Congress an optimization plan for public shipyards to help shape the infrastructure improvement initiative in the next two decades.

“This is just trying to bring all that together so we can really look at what the demand is and then understand the infrastructure, people, budgeting, all that,” he added.

Awards/News
DOE Backs 27 Research Projects to Update Climate, Weather Prediction Models
by Joanna Crews
Published on June 20, 2018
DOE Backs 27 Research Projects to Update Climate, Weather Prediction Models


DOE Backs 27 Research Projects to Update Climate, Weather Prediction ModelsThe Energy Department will award up to $15 million in total funds to 27 atmospheric and ecological research projects that aim to modernize Earth system models designed for climate and weather forecasting.

DOE said Tuesday it chose the projects through a competitive peer review process under the Atmospheric System Research and the Environmental System Science programs.

“By helping us to better understand our environment, these investments in science will help us maintain a strong energy infrastructure and reliable energy supplies while also ensuring that America remains at the forefront of energy sciences and technology,” said Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

The projects seek to address uncertainty in Earth system models for ecological dynamics and disturbance, cloud-aerosol interactions and extreme weather.

DOE noted such models run on supercomputers and simulate environmental processes governing behaviors of atmosphere, cryosphere, oceans, terrestrial ecosystems and human infrastructure.

These simulations work to help researchers predict storms, wildfires and changes in sea ice and permafrost.

DoD/News
Senate’s Fiscal 2019 Defense Bill Proposes Additional DoD Cross-Functional Teams
by Monica Jackson
Published on June 20, 2018
Senate’s Fiscal 2019 Defense Bill Proposes Additional DoD Cross-Functional Teams


Senate's Fiscal 2019 Defense Bill Proposes Additional DoD Cross-Functional TeamsThe Senate’s version of fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act includes language that would establish additional cross-functional teams to help the Defense Department address specific organizational challenges, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.

The provision calls for the formation of CFTs that will focus on electronic warfare, security clearances and lethality of close-combat units.

A February 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office stated that DoD created only one CFT to help address the department’s backlog of security clearance applications, as required by the FY 2017 NDAA.

The upper chamber wants DoD to form a CFT consisting of representatives from different defense and military groups to develop EW methods.

Senators also urged the department to update business policies and procedures before it transfers background check investigation responsibilities to the Defense Security Service.

The bill would also order Defense Secretary James Mattis to designate an existing task force on close-combat lethality as a CFT.

The Senate-approved FY 2019 NDAA allocates $639 billion in defense base budget and $69 billion in additional war spending.

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