Homeland Security to Host National Cyber Security Summit Later this Month
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Homeland Security to Host National Cyber Security Summit Later this Month


Homeland Security to Host National Cyber Security Summit Later this MonthThe Department of Homeland Security will hold a National Cybersecurity Summit at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City, N.Y. on July 31.

Officials from the National Security Agency, FBI and the departments of Energy, Treasury and Defense will participate in the event along with experts from the academe and CEOs representing the telecom, financial and energy industries to discuss future initiatives to develop a collective defense model, DHS said Wednesday.

The event will include panel discussions, keynote addresses and breakout sessions aimed at launching DHS initiatives in advancing cyber security and risk management operations for critical infrastructure.

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen noted that the DHS and private sector share a responsibility on cyber security which she said is “ too big for anyone acting alone.”

According to Christopher Krebs, undersecretary for the national protection and programs directorate, both the government and industry need to move beyond sharing information on cyber threats and “advance efforts to manage risk in a prioritized manner.”

DISA Launches Network Modernization Effort for DoD Personnel in Hawaii
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DISA Launches Network Modernization Effort for DoD Personnel in Hawaii


DISA Launches Network Modernization Effort for DoD Personnel in HawaiiThe Defense Information Systems Agency has started modernizing the information and communications network of the Defense Department in Hawaii through a new program.

DISA said Wednesday the Pacific Enterprise Services-Hawaii initiative consists of three contracts that allow DoD personnel in the state to replace aging voice and data services with internet protocol technology.

U.S. Army Maj. Ernesto Gumbs, deputy program manager of PES-HI, said the modernization program will help meet DoD telecommunications requirements and provide cost savings to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command customers in the long run.

The program succeeds the 12-year Joint Hawaiian Information Transfer System contract, which authorized the installation of 3,100 point-to-point intra-Hawaii transmission circuits to enable DoD telecommunication services, among other things.

 

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Trump Administration Supports Bill to Prevent UAS Threats
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Trump Administration Supports Bill to Prevent UAS Threats


Trump Administration Supports Bill to Prevent UAS ThreatsThe Trump administration has expressed support for a Senate bill that would authorize the departments of Homeland Security and Justice to develop, test and deploy technology aimed at countering unmanned aircraft systems that pose safety risks to the public.

The Preventing Emerging Threats Act of 2018 also proposes measures to further commercial drone market development, protect privacy and civil liberties and increase the safety of national airspace operations, the White House said Tuesday.

Current law prohibits the federal government from using detection, tracking and mitigation platforms designed to thwart drone threats.

The White House calls for the creation of a legal framework meant to safeguard people from those who use UAS for nefarious purposes such as terrorism, espionage, illicit surveillance, illegal aircraft and law enforcement interference, contraband delivery in prisons or the smuggling of drugs and other harmful materials along U.S. borders.

The administration is willing to work with Congress to address the legislation’s objectives.

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New Data Lab Report Shows Federal Contract Spending Trends Over Time
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New Data Lab Report Shows Federal Contract Spending Trends Over Time


New Data Lab Report Shows Federal Contract Spending Trends Over TimeA new data visualization posted in the Data Lab, which is the brainchild of the team behind the Department of Education’s USASpending.gov, seeks to present changing federal contract spending trends over the years, FedScoop reported Wednesday.

The team also conducted research on how congressional appropriations affect federal contract spending.

According to the report, federal contract spending slumped by 27 percent in 2015 from its 2010 peak, after which it recovered slightly in the years that followed. Data of the last 10 years also showed that spending spiked every September, which is one week before the end of the government’s fiscal year, accounting for 6 to 8 percent of the annual spending in a fiscal year.

As to the impact of congressional appropriations on federal contract spending, the team found out that it does not matter whether a new appropriations bill has been passed or whether a continuing resolution has to be approved to provide for state funds.

There have been some reports of an increase in federal contract spending a week after a CR has been passed, the data showed. “If agencies are unable to issue new contracts because adequate funds are not available under [CRs], needs accumulate, and then are satisfied once funding is available,” a recent Government Accountability Office report read.

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Report: Gen. Paul Nakasone Instructs NSA, Cybercom to Coordinate 2018 Midterm Election Cybersecurity Efforts
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Report: Gen. Paul Nakasone Instructs NSA, Cybercom to Coordinate 2018 Midterm Election Cybersecurity Efforts


Report: Gen. Paul Nakasone Instructs NSA, Cybercom to Coordinate 2018 Midterm Election Cybersecurity Efforts
Paul Nakasone

Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, has instructed both organizations to exchange information and coordinate efforts to deter foreign interference in November midterm elections, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Nakasone, a two-time Wash100 recipient, announced this directive to NSA staff as Russian President Vladimir Putin continued to deny allegations that his country influenced the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“Nakasone and the heads of the other three-letter agencies are doing what they can in their own lanes, absent an overall approach directed by the president,” said Michael Hayden, a former NSA director.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats on Friday warned about cybersecurity threats to the country’s critical infrastructure.

That same day, special counsel Robert Mueller III named the 12 Russian military officers who have been indicted for hacking Democratic National Committee emails during the previous election campaign.

GSA Awards $2B Air Travel Contracts for 2019 City Pair Program
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GSA Awards $2B Air Travel Contracts for 2019 City Pair Program


GSA Awards $2B Air Travel Contracts for 2019 City Pair ProgramThe General Services Administration has awarded air travel contracts worth a total of $2.2 billion to eight carriers for the City Pair Program in 2019, providing a 49 percent discount on airfare rates for every federal government official air travel.

GSA said Wednesday the effort will help the government save $2.4 million in taxpayer money next year.

The agency selected carriers for the program on the basis of the availability of their non-stop service, flights and jet service, total number of flights, average elapsed flight time and service price.

 Implementation of the discount will start on Oct. 1.

The value of the 2019 air travel contracts is an increase from that of the 2018 contracts’, which totaled $2.1 billion.

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Trump Selects Peace Corps Official Steven Dillingham to Lead Census Bureau
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Trump Selects Peace Corps Official Steven Dillingham to Lead Census Bureau


Trump Selects Peace Corps Official Steven Dillingham to Lead Census BureauPresident Donald Trump intends to nominate Steven Dillingham, director of strategic information, research and planning at the Peace Corps, to serve as the Census Bureau’s next director.

The nomination is for a five-year term that would end Dec. 31, 2021, the White House announced Wednesday.

Dillingham previously directed the bureaus of Justice Statistics and Transportation Statistics, as well as led research and planning efforts in the Department of Justice‘s Trustee Program and the Office of Personnel Management.

Before joining the government, he was the deputy director of the National District Attorneys Association and administrator of the American Prosecutors Research Institute.

He is also a senior certified professional under the Society for Human Resource Management.

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Report: Michael Barry Stepping Down as NSC Intell Chief
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Report: Michael Barry Stepping Down as NSC Intell Chief


Report: Michael Barry Stepping Down as NSC Intell ChiefMichael Barry, senior director for intelligence programs at the National Security Council, is reportedly leaving his post at NSC, the Daily Beast reported Tuesday.

A source said Barry will return to the CIA; his move is the latest in a string of departures at NSC as National Security Adviser John Bolton picks his own staff for the council.

Barry is a CIA veteran who was tapped by former national security adviser H.R. McMaster last fall to succeed Ezra Cohen-Watnick for the senior role, which serves as a liaison between the White House and intelligence agencies.

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CMMI Director Adam Boehler Appointed as HHS Senior Adviser
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CMMI Director Adam Boehler Appointed as HHS Senior Adviser


CMMI Director Adam Boehler Appointed as HHS Senior Adviser
Adam Boehler

Adam Boehler, director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Deparment of Health and Human Services, will assume the additional role of senior adviser for value-based transformation and innovation.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced on Wednesday Boehler’s appointment as the former’s fourth picked senior adviser, joining Jim Parker, Dan Best and Brett Giroir.

The four advisers will work to support Azar’s efforts to combat the opioid crisis; reduce costs of prescription drugs; manage the cost and availability of health insurance; and transform the value of the country’s healthcare system.

Boehler has been leading CMMI since April, and is the founder of healthcare firms Landmark Health and Avalon Healthcare Solutions.

Margaret Weichert: White House to Prioritize Cyber, Security Clearance Reforms in Gov’t Reorganization
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Margaret Weichert: White House to Prioritize Cyber, Security Clearance Reforms in Gov’t Reorganization


Margaret Weichert: White House to Prioritize Cyber, Security Clearance Reforms in Gov't Reorganization
Margaret Weichert

Margaret Weichert, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, said at a Senate panel hearing Wednesday the Trump administration will start its government reorganization effort with transferring authority of security clearances and standardizing cyber jobs, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

She told Senate Homeland Security Committee members the White House has begun to review skill gaps in the federal cyber workforce as part of a push to systematize job categories for that area.

The report noted the panel’s Democrat members contested that the Trump administration has not provided reasons for planning to implement a governmentwide reform, the reform noted.

Weichert explained at the meeting that the plan is in early stages and that the White House would disclose the data that led to the proposals once finalized.

White House officials developed 32 reorganization proposals, which include merging departments of the Education and Labor and establishing a public-private partnership office that would oversee customer service.

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