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Terry Benedict: Columbia-Class Submarines on Track for Patrol in 2031
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Terry Benedict: Columbia-Class Submarines on Track for Patrol in 2031


Terry Benedict: Columbia-Class Submarines on Track for Patrol in 2031Vice Adm. Terry Benedict, director of the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs, has announced that the USS Columbia ballistic missile submarine will be launched in 2028 and deployed for its first patrol in 2031, USNI News reported Monday.

The service aims to produce and launch 12 Columbia-class underwater vessels to replace 14 Ohio-class nuclear-deterrent ships for patrol operations.

Benedict noted that General Dynamics Electric Boat is preparing to produce the USS Columbia’s hull and assemble its components such as the advanced nuclear power plant from Naval Reactors.

The SSP director added the vessel’s hull and components are leveraging the current line of attack submarines from GDEB and Huntington Ingalls Industries.

The Columbia-class ships will be equipped with 16 nuclear-armed Trident II D5 missiles, which are planned for use past their intended service life.

The USS Columbia is expected to reach the end of its service life in 2084.

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Reports: White House Cyber Leader Rob Joyce to Rejoin NSA
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Reports: White House Cyber Leader Rob Joyce to Rejoin NSA


Reports: White House Cyber Leader Rob Joyce to Rejoin NSA
Rob Joyce

Rob Joyce, the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator, will step down from his position to rejoin the National Security Agency, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said at a media roundtable during the RSA Conference that National Security Adviser John Bolton would appoint Joyce’s successor.

The Washington Post reported Joyce joined the National Security Council after a more than two-decade career at NSA.

“Serving as the White House’s cybersecurity coordinator for the last 14-months has been a tremendous opportunity to work on some of our nation’s most important cyber challenges,” Joyce was quoted as saying.

“I look forward to continuing to serve our nation at the agency I’ve called home for the last 27 years.”

News of his planned departure came less than a week after Tom Bossert resigned as White House homeland security adviser. Bossert oversaw Joyce’s cybersecurity work under the Trump administration.

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DOE Invests Funds on Energy Cybersecurity RD&D Effort
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DOE Invests Funds on Energy Cybersecurity RD&D Effort


DOE Invests Funds on Energy Cybersecurity RD&D EffortThe Department of Energy has invested a $25 million funding opportunity announcement to finance a new effort aiming to strengthen cybersecurity capacities in the energy sector.

The DOE said Monday its Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability’s Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery Systems program seeks to push research, development and demonstration that may be applied to improve cyber resiliency of energy systems.

“Energy cybersecurity is a national priority that demands the next wave of advanced technologies to create more secure and resilient systems needed for America’s future prosperity, vitality and energy independence,” said Rick Perry, secretary of energy.

Projects under the program will revolve around the areas of cyber-resilient architecture redesign; cybersecurity for the electric and oil and natural gas environment; communications; cloud-based technologies; and cybersecurity enhancement in the energy sector.

Interested applicants have up to June 18, 2018 to submit proposals that must include demonstrations and transition method suggestions on the subject technologies.

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Senate Bill Would Update President’s Use-of-Force Authority to Combat Terrorism Abroad
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Senate Bill Would Update President’s Use-of-Force Authority to Combat Terrorism Abroad


Senate Bill Would Update President's Use-of-Force Authority to Combat Terrorism AbroadA bipartisan group of senators has proposed legislation to provide the U.S. president with a new authorization regarding the use of military force abroad as part of the country’s fight against non-state terrorist groups.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee aims to discuss and vote on the AUMF proposal next week, according to a press release published Monday on Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R-Ariz.) website.

Congress has not updated the current legal authority that was passed by lawmakers shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks.

The bill would authorize the president to enforce “all necessary and appropriate force” in the U.S. fight against al-Qaida, Taliban and Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

Senators also proposed establishing a process for Congress to review the AUMF on a quadrennial basis through the legislation.

Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) led the introduction of the bill.

Flake sponsored the bill with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).

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Mike Pence: National Space Council Drafts Space Traffic Management Policy
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Mike Pence: National Space Council Drafts Space Traffic Management Policy


Mike Pence: National Space Council Drafts Space Traffic Management PolicyThe National Space Council has formed a new policy that seeks to advance space traffic management and calls for the Commerce Department to provide space situational awareness support for use in public and commercial sectors.

Vice President Mike Pence announced the proposed policy Monday at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Pence said the Commerce Department will offer space situational awareness based on the Pentagon’s space catalog in support of military efforts to defend and safeguard space assets that are critical to national security.

The proposed policy aims to incite collaboration between the government and commercial space sector in the development of safety standards, technical guidelines and data-sharing platforms designed to prevent satellite collisions and reduce space debris.

Pence noted that the council will soon submit the policy to the White House for President Donald Trump’s approval.

He mentioned the National Space Strategy and the president’s signing of a bill that would authorize approximately $21 billion in fiscal 2018 funds for NASA’s human space exploration missions.

The White House unveiled in March the National Space Strategy that seeks to advance industry partnerships and regulatory reforms in an effort to help the U.S. maintain its competitive edge in space technology and services.

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Preston Werntz Appointed Chief Data Officer at DHS Cyber & Comms Office
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Preston Werntz Appointed Chief Data Officer at DHS Cyber & Comms Office


Preston Werntz Appointed Chief Data Officer at DHS Cyber & Comms Office
Preston Werntz

The Department of Homeland Security has named Preston Werntz, former head of the technology services section at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, as chief data officer in DHS’ Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, Federal Times reported Saturday.

At NCCIC, Werntz oversaw Automated Indicator Sharing program and led a working group that built a cyber and physical situational awareness system for federal departments and agencies to exchange data.

He joined DHS in May 2009 after he previously worked as a vice president at Newbrook Solutions for nearly five years and systems architect at ManTech’s information systems and technology business nearly eight years.

FCW reported Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary of the DHS CS&C, told staff members in an email that Werntz aims to transform the department’s information collection, analysis and management processes.

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Report: US Launches Tomahawk, JASSM-ER Cruise Missiles to Target Syria’s Chemical Weapons Facilities
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Report: US Launches Tomahawk, JASSM-ER Cruise Missiles to Target Syria’s Chemical Weapons Facilities


Report: US Launches Tomahawk, JASSM-ER Cruise Missiles to Target Syria’s Chemical Weapons FacilitiesThe U.S. collaborated with the U.K. and France to launch a series of missiles to zero in on facilities linked to Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons, The Drive reported Saturday.

Dana White, a spokesperson for the Defense Department, said in a briefing the operation does not aim to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime or take part in the country’s civil war and the move “does not represent a change in US policy.”

A total of 105 standoff missiles were launched and U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, said those weapons all hit their targets.

The U.S. military launched 76 missiles to home in on the Barzah Research Center in Damascus and those include 19 Lockheed Martin-built Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range air-launched missiles and 57 Raytheon-made Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.

The U.S. Air Force deployed its B-1B bombers and fighter jets to fire the missiles, while the U.S. Navy used its USS Higgins and Laboon Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Monterey Ticonderoga-class cruiser and USS John Warner Virginia-class submarine to launch missiles and engage targets.

The U.K. government fielded its Tornado GR4 combat aircraft and France deployed its Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets to launch the cruise missiles in support of the operation.

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NGA Hosts GEOINT Research Grant Competition
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NGA Hosts GEOINT Research Grant Competition


NGA Hosts GEOINT Research Grant CompetitionThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has announced it is hosting a research competition under the NGA Academic Research Program.

The agency said Friday it will provide academic grants each valued at $200,000 yearly for eligible geospatial intelligence researchers in nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions, university research centers and hospitals.

The NARP effort seeks to support progressive research projects on technologies that may contribute to NGA’s GEOINT mission.

“NARP is one leg of NGA’s connection to academia,” said Ken Feichtl, NARP program manager.

“It links our research mission to innovative thoughts that may one day transition into real world intelligence issue solutions,” he added.

Interested applicants may submit their white papers to the agency for evaluation and research classification leading to the program’s next awarding in July 2018.

NARP awards grants continuously on a triannual basis.

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Pentagon Eyes New Joint Office to Advance AI Development; Michael Griffin Comments
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Pentagon Eyes New Joint Office to Advance AI Development; Michael Griffin Comments


Pentagon Eyes New Joint Office to Advance AI Development; Michael Griffin Comments
Michael Griffin

The Defense Department plans to deliver by summer a report to Congress that would detail its plans for the establishment of a joint office to oversee artificial technology development and acquisition work between the military and intelligence community, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Michael Griffin, defense undersecretary for research and engineering, said at an event Friday at the Hudson Institute that the joint artificial intelligence center would enable service branches and intelligence agencies to advance the government’s AI programs through the combination of their efforts.

Griffin, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, told the audience that the proposed JAIC will speed up AI tools development by eliminating silos across military and IC agencies in an effort to ensure the country’s technological edge in machine learning.

The plan to set up a new joint office comes as China makes technological advances in AI.

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Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force to Prioritize Funding for Combat Aircraft Production, Sustainment
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Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force to Prioritize Funding for Combat Aircraft Production, Sustainment


Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force to Prioritize Funding for Combat Aircraft Production, SustainmentSenior officials at the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force have informed House Armed Services Committee members of the service branches’ programs to buy combat aircraft and weapons systems, DoD News reported Friday.

Vice Adm. Paul Grosklags, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, said at an HASC hearing Friday the Marine Corps’ aviation priorities cover F-35 and CH-53K production and H-1 modernization, F/A-18 maintenance and unmanned expeditionary platform development efforts.

Grosklags added the Navy aims to extend the service life of its Hornet fleet, build an MQ-25 unmanned air system and procure updated F-18 Block III systems and MQ-4C unmanned aerial vehicles as well as F-35, E-2, P-8 and CMV-22 aircraft.

Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy for the Air Force’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, told committee members at the meeting the military service will continue to invest money to produce, sustain and modernize F-35s; develop the B-21 bomber and increase the power projection capacity of KC-46 tankers.

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