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DOE Details Gaps in Capability to Mitigate Effects of Cyber Attacks on US Electric Grid
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DOE Details Gaps in Capability to Mitigate Effects of Cyber Attacks on US Electric Grid


DOE Details Gaps in Capability to Mitigate Effects of Cyber Attacks on US Electric GridThe Energy Department has released a report that assesses the risk of cyber threats to the U.S. power grid.

DOE said Wednesday the report “Assessment of Electricity Disruption Incident Response Capabilities” was prepared in accordance with President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to build up the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure and federal networks.

The report details and classifies gaps in capabilities and assets in seven categories and those include cyber-related situational awareness and incident impact analysis; integration of cybersecurity into state energy assurance planning; electric cyber workforce; data sharing between public and private sectors; and supply chain and trusted partners.

DOE noted that the U.S. is well-prepared to handle disruptions to electricity and its efforts to protect the electric grid from cyber threats fall within planning; incident response; exercises and training; and information sharing.

The analysis also cited factors that may affect the power industry’s capability to respond to power outages caused by cyber incidents, including no-notice events that preclude the electricity subsector from initiating pre-emptive measures and unpredictable system responses.

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John Sherman on Microsoft Azure’s Addition to Intell Community’s IT Modernization Effort
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John Sherman on Microsoft Azure’s Addition to Intell Community’s IT Modernization Effort


John Sherman on Microsoft Azure’s Addition to Intell Community’s IT Modernization Effort
John Sherman

John Sherman, chief information officer of the Intelligence Community, has said the inclusion of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in the IC Information Technology Enterprise reflects his office’s efforts to search for alternative technologies in support of the community’s requirements, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

ICITE is a program that seeks to facilitate IT consolidation and modernization across IC.

“One of the things I’ve got clear guidance on is we will always be looking for new technologies, new industry capabilities on cloud computing,” Sherman said in an interview on the station’s Ask the CIO program.

“One of the priorities we have in the IC is to move to artificial intelligence and machine learning, and this cloud computing foundation is absolutely critical in getting us there,” he added.

Sherman said he believes the community’s adoption of Microsoft Azure in addition to the National Security Agency’s GovCloud and Amazon Web Services’ cloud platform would help IC speed up the decision-making process in support of counterterrorism efforts and other operations.

Microsoft and IC signed a six-year agreement in May to expand the use of the company’s cloud platform and other technology offerings by 17 agencies within the community.

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Col. Greg Griffin: Joint Regional Security Stack Could Support DoD-Military Data Exchange
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Col. Greg Griffin: Joint Regional Security Stack Could Support DoD-Military Data Exchange


Col. Greg Griffin: Joint Regional Security Stack Could Support DoD-Military Data ExchangeU.S. Army Col. Greg Griffin has said he predicts the Defense Department‘s Joint Regional Security Stack would help DoD components share information with military services and combatant commands within a common platform.

JRSS is designed to increase the visibility of network activity, simplify data exchange process and secure networks across the department, the Defense Information Systems Agency said Wednesday.

Griffin, JRSS program manager, told audience at a recent Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association-hosted forum in Maryland he believes the DoD community can manage actions and predict outcomes through the JRSS infrastructure.

He added platform could facilitate sharing of tips and cues if deployed with a standard suite of equipment, syntaxes and procedures.

DISA noted that 14 unclassified operational stacks are currently in operational status. The agency expects a total of 20 stacks deployed within the continental U.S., Europe as well as the Central Command and Pacific Command areas of responsibility by the conclusion of fiscal 2019.

Twenty-five are needed to help secure the Pentagon’s classified network, DISA added.

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OMB’s Risk Report Calls for Cyber Threat Framework Implementation, IT Capability Standardization
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OMB’s Risk Report Calls for Cyber Threat Framework Implementation, IT Capability Standardization


OMB’s Risk Report Calls for Cyber Threat Framework Implementation, IT Capability StandardizationThe Office of Management and Budget has released a new report that details four key measures needed to address cybersecurity threats across the federal government.

OMB said in the risk report that federal agencies should increase their cyber threat awareness through the implementation of the Cyber Threat Framework as well as enhance asset management by standardizing information technology and cyber capabilities.

The two other core actions call for the consolidation of security operations centers to facilitate incident detection and response operations and efforts to promote accountability through risk assessments and governance processes, according to the Federal Cybersecurity Risk Determination Report and Plan.

OMB teamed up with the Department of Homeland Security to evaluate the risk management performance of 96 agencies across 76 metrics and found that 74 percent of them have cyber programs that are classified as “high risk” or “at risk.”

OMB and DHS also found that agencies lack the capability to assess how threat actors gain access to their data and information systems.

OMB issued the risk report in compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive order on cybersecurity.

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Peter O’Rourke Named VA Acting Secretary in Series of Leadership Moves
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Peter O’Rourke Named VA Acting Secretary in Series of Leadership Moves


Peter O’Rourke Named VA Acting Secretary in Series of Leadership Moves
Peter O’Rourke

Peter O’Rourke, chief of staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs, has been appointed to serve as VA secretary on an acting basis.

He will replace Robert Wilkie, interim VA secretary who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the department, VA said Wednesday.

Wilkie will return to the Defense Department to continue his role as defense undersecretary for personnel and readiness.

O’Rourke previously served as executive director for VA’s office of accountability and whistleblower protection and senior adviser to the VA secretary.

He held leadership roles at Calibre Systems, Blackland Group and Accenture and served as executive board member of the Association of the U.S. Army.

He served in the U.S. Air Force as a logistics readiness officer and as an enlisted airman in the U.S. Navy.

VA announced that Jacquelyn Hayes-Byrd, deputy chief of staff, will take over as acting chief of staff.

Thomas Bowman will retire on June 15 as VA’s deputy secretary but will continue to serve as an expert consultant to the department’s interim secretary, VA added.

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DOC and DHS Publish Report on Automated Cyberattack Threat Mitigation
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DOC and DHS Publish Report on Automated Cyberattack Threat Mitigation


DOC and DHS Publish Report on Automated Cyberattack Threat MitigationThe Commerce Department and the Department of Homeland Security recently published a report about measures that can be taken to mitigate the threat posed by automated and distributed cyberattacks to the country’s internet and communications network. The report is pursuant to instructions from President Trump, which are detailed in Executive Order 13800, NIST.gov reported.

The report itemizes threat-mitigating actions that align to five complementary and mutually-reinforcing goals, which include identifying a pathway toward a technology marketplace that is adaptable, sustainable and secure; as well as promoting cyber infrastructure innovation that would make dynamic adaptation to evolving threats possible.

The report also recommends that the DOC and DHS design, in consultation with appropriate stakeholders, a road map ensuring that the actions that need to be taken are prioritized in accordance with the agenda of the Trump Administration.

Commenting on the report, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said, “Ensuring that our government and economy are safe from cyberattacks remains a top priority, and having clear information about these continuing threats will help us better prepare to keep Americans, and their information, safe from our adversaries.”

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DoD Renames USPACOM as Indo-Pacific Command; James Mattis Comments
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DoD Renames USPACOM as Indo-Pacific Command; James Mattis Comments


DoD Renames USPACOM as Indo-Pacific Command; James Mattis Comments
James Mattis

The Defense Department has renamed the U.S. Pacific Command to emphasize the combatant command’s missions in the Indian Ocean region, DoD news reported Wednesday.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command aims to strengthen military relations with allies and provide security for diplomats working to negotiate in the region.

“Over many decades, this command has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstance and today carries that legacy forward as America focuses west,” said Defense Secretary James Mattis, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

Mattis announced USPACOM’s new name during a change-of-command ceremony held Wednesday at Joint Base Pear Harbor-Hickam.

U.S. Navy Adm. Philip Davidson, former head of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, took helm of Indo-Pacific Command.

Davidson was nominated by President Trump in April and succeeded Adm. Harry Harris Jr.

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Will Roper: Air Force Should Consider Licensing Arrangements to 3D-Print Components
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Will Roper: Air Force Should Consider Licensing Arrangements to 3D-Print Components


Will Roper: Air Force Should Consider Licensing Arrangements to 3D-Print Components
Will Roper

Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at the U.S. Air Force, has said a licensing arrangement could allow the service branch to harness three-dimensional printing technology in components production, Defense One reported Tuesday.

The report noted that manufacturers own the intellectual property data on weapons and legal worries can hinder the service branch from reproducing components with additive manufacturing techniques.Will Roper: Air Force Should Consider Licensing Arrangements to 3D-Print Components

“If we had kind of a licensing or fee agreement with them, we should be able to print that part and they get a kickback or a royalty and off we go,” Roper told Defense One in an interview.

“It’s that kind of creative thinking that we need to do.”

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Air Force Materiel Command’s Fiscal 2017 Savings Hit $2.5B
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Air Force Materiel Command’s Fiscal 2017 Savings Hit $2.5B


Air Force Materiel Command's Fiscal 2017 Savings Hit $2.5BThe Air Force Materiel Command saved more than $2.5 billion over the last fiscal year, which addressed its cost savings and avoidance objective under the 2017 AFMC Strategic Plan.

All five AFMC centers implemented initiatives during FY 2017 to reduce expenses and increase operational efficiency, the command said Tuesday.

“Air Force leadership looks to AFMC as the service’s cost conscience,” said Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, AFMC commander.

” It’s a responsibility we take very seriously and a goal we are constantly striving to work toward.”

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s program to manage jet fuel consumption resulted in a cost avoidance of nearly $1.9 million.

The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center’s contracting agency posted $6.5 million in cost avoidance through the implementation of contracted transient alert services across nine major commands.

The Air Force Research Laboratory achieved cost avoidance of $17 million with the use of agile business processes.

The Air Force Test Center saved $375,000 following the development of a yaw test method designed to eliminate damaged balances and prevent testing delays.

The Air Force Sustainment Center reported $21.4 million in cost avoidance via its process of qualifying parts and certifying additional suppliers of aircraft parts.

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Lt. Gen. Austin Miller Named NATO Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Commander
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Lt. Gen. Austin Miller Named NATO Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Commander


Lt. Gen. Austin Miller Named NATO Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Commander
Austin Miller

Lt. Gen. Austin Miller, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, has been promoted to the rank of general and assigned to lead the Resolute Support Mission of NATO and the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump’s nomination of Miller for the new appointment and assignments was announced by Defense Secretary James Mattis, the Defense Department said Tuesday.

Miller is currently based at the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Joint Special Operations Command Forward in Fort Bragg, N.C.

He was previously with the U.S. Army‘s Maneuver Center of Excellence as a commanding general after his service as a special assistant to the USSOCOM deputy commanding general and the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization’s director.

His military career includes deployments to combat operations such as in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Battle of Mogadishu and assignments across USSOCOM.

Miller instructed students at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning after his assignments to several command posts of the 2nd Infantry Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment.

He served as a platoon leader of the 82nd Airborne Division after completing the Ranger School course.

Miller was first commissioned as an infantry officer after his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy.

He completed programs at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Marine Corps War College and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

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