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Report: DoD Inches Closer to Issuing 3rd Draft JEDI Cloud Solicitation
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Report: DoD Inches Closer to Issuing 3rd Draft JEDI Cloud Solicitation


Report: DoD Inches Closer to Issuing 3rd Draft JEDI Cloud SolicitationThe Defense Department is expected to issue this week the third draft solicitation for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud procurement program, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.

Dana Deasy, chief information officer at DoD, assumed responsibility for the JEDI cloud effort early this month and told the Senate and House Armed Services Committees that the Pentagon expects to complete work on the third draft request for proposals for the program, sources told the station.

Sources said the release of the new draft RFP could be delayed as the negotiated deal on the fiscal 2019 defense spending bill sets some requirements for DoD with regard to JEDI and other cloud migration efforts.

One of those requirements is a report that details the Pentagon’s acquisition strategy for the JEDI cloud program and its connection to the MilCloud 2.0 initiative.

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CIO Dana Deasy Issues DoD’s Action Plan to Protect Public-Facing Web Services
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CIO Dana Deasy Issues DoD’s Action Plan to Protect Public-Facing Web Services


CIO Dana Deasy Issues DoD’s Action Plan to Protect Public-Facing Web Services
Dana Deasy

The Defense Department has announced plans to release by Aug. 17 a task order to facilitate the implementation of cybersecurity practices included in a binding operational directive from the Department of Homeland Security.

Dana Deasy, chief information officer at DoD, wrote a letter dated July 20 to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to provide details about the Pentagon’s action plan to implement those cyber measures by the end of this year in order to safeguard public-facing email services and websites.

DoD will also issue a “roll out plan” by Dec. 31 for the implementation of the HTTP Strict Transport Security mechanism for all public-facing websites.

The letter was in response to Wyden’s call in May for DoD to advance the adoption of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure encryption through HSTS on all public web services.

Deasy also offered details about DoD’s implementation plan for the public trust public key infrastructure, Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance and STARTTLS encryption protocol.

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House Committee Approves Bill that Seeks to Codify DHS Cybersecurity Program
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House Committee Approves Bill that Seeks to Codify DHS Cybersecurity Program


House Committee Approves Bill that Seeks to Codify DHS Cybersecurity Program
John Ratcliffe

The House Homeland Security Committee passed a measure that will codify an important cybersecurity program at the Department of Homeland Security, The Hill reported Tuesday.

The proposed legislation, filed by Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, would permit the DHS Secretary to formalize the structure and organization of the Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation program at the DHS, which seeks to secure federal networks from the threat of cyber dangers.

The proposed Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act was approved a few weeks after the Office of Management and Budget reported that 75 percent of federal networks are susceptible to cyberattacks.

DHS first introduced the CDM program in 2012 to help keep federal.gov networks free from threats of cyberattack. The department decided to roll out the program in four phases, with the first phase dealing with identifying the quality of protective software that federal agencies use.

Earlier this year, the government awarded a potential six-year, $621 million contract to Booz Allen Hamilton to commence activity on the next three CDM phases.

The bill would also mandate the DHS to inform Congress of whether the four-phase plan is the best approach to execute CDM, as per the amendment added by Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., during the committee’s deliberation of the measure.

GAO: IRS Needs to Implement Changes to Taxpayer Authentication Efforts
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GAO: IRS Needs to Implement Changes to Taxpayer Authentication Efforts


GAO: IRS Needs to Implement Changes to Taxpayer Authentication EffortsThe Government Accountability Office stated in a recent report that the Internal Revenue Service has failed in keeping taxpayer identities protected and suggested that the latter should double down on its taxpayer authentication efforts.

The GAO said Monday that even though the IRS was able to save $10.5 billion in fraudulent tax refunds in 2016, people who use false identities were still able to get their hands on at least $1.6 billion during the same year.

As such, the agency made recommendations to IRS to help it effectively avoid instances of tax fraud.

The recommendations include: requiring the Identity Assurance Office to determine the amount of resources needed for measures in the agency’s Identity Assurance Strategy and Roadmap; creating a uniform policy and timeline for performing risk assessments for telephone, in-person and correspondence channels for authentication; and updating mechanisms to check for data quality in the Account Management Services in line with federal standards for internal control.

The GAO also called on the IRS to implement changes to its systems as a whole.

Fiscal 2019 Defense Spending Compromise Drops USAF’s JSTARS Recap Program
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Fiscal 2019 Defense Spending Compromise Drops USAF’s JSTARS Recap Program


Fiscal 2019 Defense Spending Compromise Drops USAF’s JSTARS Recap ProgramThe negotiated deal on the fiscal 2019 defense spending bill has supported the U.S. Air Force’s plan to cancel the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalization program in favor of the Advanced Battle Management System, Defense News reported Tuesday.

The conference report on the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act states that the service would need for the ABMS program’s “increment 2” to achieve operational status before it can retire any of its E-8C JSTARS planes.

The Air Force uses JSTARS aircraft to perform command-and-control and ground surveillance missions.

The fiscal 2019 NDAA would authorize $120 million in additional funds to procure MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in support of the ABMS initiative and $30 million to advance development work on a Northrop Grumman-built radar system for ground moving targets.

The report said congressional negotiators also set a number of requirements for the Air Force with regard to ABMS and existing JSTARS fleet, including quarterly reports on the ABMS program’s progress and a plan to sustain the current fleet of JSTARS aircraft.

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Congress Wants DoD to Prioritize Machine Learning, AI Tech Programs
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Congress Wants DoD to Prioritize Machine Learning, AI Tech Programs


Congress Wants DoD to Prioritize Machine Learning, AI Tech Programs

A fiscal 2019 defense budget deal unveiled by House and Senate negotiators Monday calls for the Defense Department to implement artificial intelligence and machine learning programs, C4ISRNET reported Tuesday.

Lawmakers wants the Pentagon to form a commission that would examine the potential applications of AI technology for national security and defense efforts.

DoD and Commerce Department secretaries and congressional defense committee members would appoint 15 individuals to serve on the commission and meet on a regular basis until October 2020.

The group would be tasked to submit a report that assesses the competitiveness of domestic and foreign milestones in AI, the availability of workforce and education incentives meant to harness the potential of people who are pursuing AI and machine learning technology jobs and the lucrativeness of investments in research to encourage AI technology development.

The new defense bill would also mandate the Defense Secretary to appoint an official to work with the private sector to help DoD develop and implement such technology.

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Defense Bill Conference Committee Backs EW, Cyber Strategies
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Defense Bill Conference Committee Backs EW, Cyber Strategies


Defense Bill Conference Committee Backs EW, Cyber StrategiesThe committee tasked to harmonize the House and Senate versions of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act has included multiple provisions on cybersecurity and electronic warfare in the NDAA conference report, MeriTalk reported Tuesday.

One provision makes it a matter of national policy to use “offensive cyber capabilities” and “all instruments of national power” when it comes to deterring or responding to cyberattacks aimed at the U.S., while another affirms the Defense Secretary’s authority “to conduct military activities and operations in cyberspace.”

Elsewhere, the report describes a provision prohibiting government agencies from doing business “with an entity that uses telecommunications equipment or services produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation”–a toned-down version of an earlier proposal, which extends the prohibition to private companies.

Although the release of the report marks a milestone in the passage of the defense budget, a harmonized bill would still have to be voted on by the Senate and the House, with the latter expected to do so this week.

The president would then sign the final version into law.

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Jake Leinenkugel Appointed to Lead New VA Commission
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Jake Leinenkugel Appointed to Lead New VA Commission


Jake Leinenkugel Appointed to Lead New VA Commission
Jake Leinenkugel

President Trump has appointed Jake Leinenkugel, formerly a White House senior adviser, to lead a Department of Veterans Affairs commission that will work to review mental healthcare programs for people who have served in the military.

VA said Tuesday Leinenkugel will oversee efforts of the Creating Options for Veterans’ Expedited Recovery commission to evaluate an evidence-based therapy model as well as complementary and integrated services for veterans suffering from mental health conditions.

COVER is scheduled to meet July 24 and 25 in Washington, D.C..

Leinenkugel helped create the department’s ChooseVA branding campaign and launched National Veterans and Military Families Month.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran previously served as president of Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. business for 26 years.

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Stratcom Chief Gen. John Hyten to Oversee Nuclear Command, Control, Comms Systems
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Stratcom Chief Gen. John Hyten to Oversee Nuclear Command, Control, Comms Systems


Stratcom Chief Gen. John Hyten to Oversee Nuclear Command, Control, Comms Systems
John Hyten

The Defense Department has directed the U.S. Strategic Command to solely oversee the country’s nuclear command, control and communications platforms and operations following a review ordered by Defense Secretary James Mattis, SpaceNews reported Monday.

Mattis authorized the months-long assessment due to concerns that NC3 lacked an integrated governance structure.

Maj. Meghan Liemburg-Archer, a spokeswoman for Stratcom, told SpaceNews in an email that Gen. John Hyten, commander of Stratcom, has been named by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to lead the NC3 enterprise “with increased responsibilities for operations, requirements and systems engineering and integration.”

Hyten and Mattis are both two-time Wash100 recipients.

The report said the office of the defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment will manage the procurement and resources related to NC3 systems that include radars and warning satellites; ground stations, aircraft and communications satellites; control centers for nuclear platforms; and mobile and fixed command posts.

Navy Asks Lawmakers for $64M Budget for Readiness, Safety Reforms
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Navy Asks Lawmakers for $64M Budget for Readiness, Safety Reforms


Navy Asks Lawmakers for $64M Budget for Readiness, Safety ReformsThe U.S. Navy has asked Congress to add $64 million to its 2018 fiscal year budget to commence action on a series of reforms after deadly collisions involving two warships last year, USNI News reported Monday.

Seventeen sailors perished from two separate collisions involving the USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain last year. Reviews of the incidents identified more than 100 areas that the Navy should address to foster readiness and safety measures,Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran said. 

Among the reform items mentioned in the Defense Department reprogramming request are:

  • $22.6 million to create the Mariner Skills Training Program in Newport, R.I.; San Diego and Norfolk, Va.
  • $16.2 million for additional enlisted pay and benefits to boost training programs
  • $8.5 million to fast-track the deployment of the Next Generation Surface Search Radar
  • $7.18 million to boost the Navy’s Manpower Requirement System
  • $4 million for budget and accounting modernization
  • $2.3 million to create the U.S. 2nd Fleet
  • $1.8 million to facilitate the design review for a Naval Sea Systems Command ship control system
  • $1.3 million for the update of Automatic Identification Systems laptops
  • $0.3 million for the use of the U.S. Naval Academy Yard Patrol craft for Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps

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