/
Trump Announces U.S. Exit from Iran Nuclear Deal
Published on
Trump Announces U.S. Exit from Iran Nuclear Deal


Trump Announces U.S. Exit from Iran Nuclear DealPresident Donald Trump announced Tuesday the U.S. government’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015.

Trump also signed a memorandum that seeks to reinstate nuclear-related economic sanctions on the Middle Eastern country, according to a transcript of his remarks published Tuesday.

“Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States,” he said.

The president said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, failed to stop the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile development efforts and terrorist activities and resulted in a 40 percent increase in Iran’s military budget.

Trump noted that the U.S. will work with allies to find ways to address Iran’s ballistic missile threats and terrorist activities in the Middle East and worldwide.

/
Rear Adm. John Palmer Named DLA Land and Maritime Commander
Published on
Rear Adm. John Palmer Named DLA Land and Maritime Commander


Rear Adm. John Palmer Named DLA Land and Maritime Commander

U.S. Navy Rear. Adm. John Palmer, director of logistics, fleet supply and ordnance at the U.S. Pacific Fleet will be assigned as commander of the Defense Logistics Agency‘s land and maritime organization, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

His previous shore assignments include positions at the the Naval Supply Systems Command, Navy Personnel Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Defense Distribution Mapping Activity and Defense Distribution Depot in Richmond, Va.

He also served as supply officer for USS Harry S. Truman and USS Boone, principal assistant of logistics for USS George Washington and material division officer and aviation support division officer for USS Guam.

DLA Land and Maritime oversees nearly 2 million supply chain items and serves more than 15,000 clients across the military, civil agencies and other Defense Department components.

The organization awards more than 660,000 contracts each year.

/
NIST Seeks Public Comments on Draft Update to Risk Management Framework
Published on
NIST Seeks Public Comments on Draft Update to Risk Management Framework


NIST Seeks Public Comments on Draft Update to Risk Management FrameworkThe National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a draft version of its update to the Risk Management Framework designed to help federal agencies and companies safeguard their information systems from cyber threats.

NIST said Wednesday the proposed update to the RMF seeks to help organizations determine and respond to privacy risks such as concerns related to the use of personally identifiable information.

“The update provides cross-references so that organizations using the RMF can see where and how the [Cybersecurity Framework] aligns with the current steps in the RMF,” said Ron Ross, one of the authors of the draft NIST Special Publication 800-37 Revision 2.

“Conversely, if you’re using the CSF, you can bring in the RMF and give your organization a robust methodology to manage security and privacy risks,” Ross added.

The draft RMF update seeks to incorporate privacy and security into systems development; link senior leaders to operations; address supply chain-related concerns; and provide organizations with a process to pick controls from the consolidated catalog for privacy and security controls.

NIST will accept public feedback on the draft update to RMF through June 22 with plans to issue the final version in October.

/
NASA Selects 3 Teams for Astrobiology Research Initiative; Mary Voytek Comments
Published on
NASA Selects 3 Teams for Astrobiology Research Initiative; Mary Voytek Comments


NASA Selects 3 Teams for Astrobiology Research Initiative; Mary Voytek CommentsNASA has selected three interdisciplinary research groups to study the formation and future of life in the universe under separate five-year grants worth up to $21 million combined.

The space agency said Thursday it chose the Evolution of Nanomachines in Geospheres and Microbial Ancestors, the Astrobiology Center for Isotopologue Research and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, as members of the NASA Astrobiology Institute.

ENIGMA will study prebiotic molecules and ancestral enzymes to see how the evolution of proteins created life on Earth.

ACIR will assess compounds from planetary environments and metabolic systems to demonstrate how molecular elements show the origins and history of organic compounds.

JPL will use data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to find existing and potential life on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

Mary Voytek, director of the astrobiology program at NASA, said all three groups will complement the existing research of NAI’s teams in astrobiology, as well as initiate developments in scientific studies.

/
Vice Adm. Michael Gilday Nominated Joint Staff Director for Operations
Published on
Vice Adm. Michael Gilday Nominated Joint Staff Director for Operations


Vice Adm. Michael Gilday Nominated Joint Staff Director for Operations
Michael Gilday

President Donald Trump has nominated U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, commander of the Fleet Cyber Command and 10th Fleet, for assignment as director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Defense Secretary James Mattis announced Gilday’s nomination in a press release published Tuesday.

Gilday will succeed U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Dolan and work with the JCS chairman to advise the president and defense secretary on military operations and plans.

Gilday’s deployments at sea include service onboard the USS Chandler (DDG 996), USS Princeton (CG 59), USS Gettysburg (CG 64), USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS Benfold (DDG 65).

He served as director of operations at the U.S. Cyber Command in his last tour.

He also worked as naval aide at the White House, executive assistant to the JSC chairman, director of operations at NATO’s Joint Force Command and chief of staff at Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.

/
House Appropriations Committee Approves Increased VA Budget for 2019
Published on
House Appropriations Committee Approves Increased VA Budget for 2019


House Appropriations Committee Approves Increased VA Budget for 2019The House Appropriations Committee has passed a 2019 funding plan worth $194.5 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is an 8 percent increase from the department’s current budget, Military Times reported Wednesday.

Members of the committee asserted that the proposed VA fund addresses the Trump administration’s concerns and recommendations despite some technical differences with the White House’s requests.

The government’s priorities for the VA include $8.6 billion in mental health care services, $7.4 billion in homeless veterans treatment and $1.2 billion for the development of a new VA electronic health record system.

The committee’s proposal allots $1.7 billion for major and minor VA construction projects, $2 billion for the restoration of existing infrastructure, $76 billion for 2020 appropriations and $85.3 billion in discretionary spending.

“We owe it to those who serve and fight for our freedom every day to ensure they have the necessary tools and support to do their jobs,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen.

The committee’s support for the increased budget provides relief to VA officials as there have been political disagreements over other military and non-military spending.

/
Report: DOT Selects 10 Drone Test Program Winners
Published on
Report: DOT Selects 10 Drone Test Program Winners


Report: DOT Selects 10 Drone Test Program WinnersThe Transportation Department is set to announce Wednesday the 10 winning local, tribal and state government agencies of a pilot program that will allow them to test unmanned aerial systems through partnerships with technology companies, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Sources said Apple, Intel, Amazon, Airbus and Qualcomm are among the companies that submitted applications for the program.

The report said Qualcomm will work with AT&T and Verizon Communications to test network connectivity, while Airbus has expressed interest to perform risk analysis for airspace management.

A U.S. official said approximately 149 applications involving more than 200 companies have been submitted for the program and the winning projects will deal with package delivery, precision agriculture, drone integration into airports, pipeline oversight and environmental monitoring.

/
House Appropriations Bill to Allocate $62.5B in FY 2019 Justice, Commerce, Science Funds
Published on
House Appropriations Bill to Allocate $62.5B in FY 2019 Justice, Commerce, Science Funds


House Appropriations Bill to Allocate $62.5B in FY 2019 Justice, Commerce, Science FundsThe House Appropriations Committee has introduced a bill that would authorize $62.5 billion in discretionary funds for the departments of Justice and Commerce and federal science agencies for fiscal 2019.

The House panel said Tuesday the proposed FY 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill reflects a $2.9 billion increase from the FY 2018 budget level.

The bill would allocate $30.7 billion for DOJ, including $9.3 billion for the FBI and $3 billion for the U.S. Marshals Service.

The measure would provide the Commerce Department with $12.1 billion in funds, including $5.2 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and $985 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

NASA would get $21.5 billion in funds with $5.1 billion for deep space exploration programs and $6.7 billion for the agency’s science programs.

The National Science Foundation would receive $8.2 billion in appropriations under the proposed measure.

/
DHS Supports Blockchain Projects, Standardization Efforts; Douglas Maughan Comments
Published on
DHS Supports Blockchain Projects, Standardization Efforts; Douglas Maughan Comments


DHS Supports Blockchain Projects, Standardization Efforts; Douglas Maughan CommentsThe Department of Homeland Security‘s science and technology directorate has partnered with other DHS components and startup companies to develop blockchain-based technology platforms, GCN reported Tuesday.

S&T also supports the World Wide Web Consortium in efforts to standardize the Verifiable Claims Data Model and Decentralized Identifiers.

“Government must be informed and ensure blockchain technology supports standardized approaches for security, privacy and data exchange,” Douglas Maughan, director of S&T’s cyber security division, told two subcommittees of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee at a hearing Tuesday.

The report noted the directorate collaborates with the Customs and Border Protection to explore the potential uses of blockchain in international travel and shipping processes.

/
National Weather Service Implements Automated Weather Balloon Launch System
Published on
National Weather Service Implements Automated Weather Balloon Launch System


National Weather Service Implements Automated Weather Balloon Launch SystemThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s National Weather Service has adopted a system to automatically launch weather balloons from a facility in Alaska.

NOAA said Monday the service also launched an initiative to demonstrate autolaunchers after completing a nearly two-year field test of the technology in Kodiak.

The agency aims to deploy an autolauncher to Anette within the month and install the system across 10 sites across the state over the next two years.

The system is part of NOAA’s broader plan to remove weather balloon signals from the radio frequency of the new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite satellites.

NWS Director Louis Uccellini said the autolauncher platform will work to help NOAA conduct scientific efforts and deliver services to the public.

NOAA estimates the agency will save $20 million through the use of autolaunchers for weather balloons that support the agency’s modeling and forecasting activities.

1 … 2,024 2,025 2,026 2,027 2,028 … 2,597