VA Acting CIO Blackburn Steps Down
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VA Acting CIO Blackburn Steps Down


VA Acting CIO Blackburn Steps DownScott Blackburn, acting chief information officer for the Department of Veteran Affairs, announced his resignation on Tuesday via Twitter.

“This is a bittersweet moment in my career. Today I officially resigned my position at @DeptVetAffairs. It has been the honor of my life. Too many people to thank. Will continue to advocate for #Veterans in other ways. Next stop – time off for a few months :),” Blackburn tweeted.

His resignation comes as the VA transitions to Cerner’s electronic health record system, leading to the sharing of EHR infrastructure and software with the Department of Defense.

In a posted letter, Blackburn offered praise for the agency, saying veteran trust in the VA has increased from 47 percent in 2015 to 69 percent today.

“From leading the MyVA transformation under Secretary McDonald to serving as interim deputy secretary and then acting CIO under Secretary Shulkin, everyone that knows me understands that I have given my heart and soul to VA, always ‘putting veterans first’ and living the ICARE values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence,” Blackburn wrote.

His departure comes weeks after VA Secretary David Shulkin was replaced with White House physician Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson. Blackburn joined the agency in 2014.

“I will remain both VA’s biggest cheerleader and critic from afar. I remain optimistic about the future – as I know that no matter what, VA will continue to be held up by the 360,000 plus dedicated public servants serving Veterans every day so many of which are Veterans themselves; and I know Veterans, Veterans advocates, Veterans Service Organizations, and lawmakers will keep VA leadership in check and accountable,” Blackburn pledged.

Blackburn has served as acting CIO since October 2017, following Rob Thomas’ retirement from the post. In his letter, Blackburn did not give a reason for leaving.

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Rep. Mac Thornberry’s DoD Reform Bill Seeks to Help Department Save at Least $25B
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Rep. Mac Thornberry’s DoD Reform Bill Seeks to Help Department Save at Least $25B


Rep. Mac Thornberry's DoD Reform Bill Seeks to Help Department Save at Least $25B
Mac Thornberry

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) has proposed a bill that aims to eliminate seven agencies within the Defense Department in an effort to achieve over $25 billion in savings, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.

“All of the savings and efficiency have to stay within DoD to get more capability in the hands of the warfighter faster,” Thornberry said Tuesday.

DoD agencies that Thornberry’s proposal aims to shut down are:

  • Defense Human Resources Activity
  • Defense Information Systems Agency
  • Defense Technical Information Center
  • Defense Technology Security Administration
  • Office of Economic Adjustment
  • Test Resource Management Center
  • Washington Headquarters Service

The report said the bill proposes a 25 percent reduction in DoD’s “Fourth Estate” agencies by 2021.

The Fourth Estate is composed of 28 DoD agencies that employ approximately 600,000 contractors and 200,000 civilian employees and are not part of a service branch.

Defense News reported the proposed measure would direct the Pentagon’s chief management officer to have a plan in place by March 1, 2020 and implement the 25 percent cut by Jan. 1, 2021.

The bill would integrate DISA into the Cyber Command and exempt several intelligence and combat-support agencies from the proposed cuts, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Defense Health Agency and the National Security Agency.

Thornberry introduced the bill as a draft language for the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act slated for a full-committe markup in May.

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Betty Sapp: NGA, NRO Plan EnhancedView Contract Management Transition
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Betty Sapp: NGA, NRO Plan EnhancedView Contract Management Transition


Betty Sapp: NGA, NRO Plan EnhancedView Contract Management TransitionBetty Sapp, director of the National Reconnaissance Office, has said she expects NRO to assume responsibility over a commercial satellite imagery acquisition program currently assigned to the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency in September, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

She told the publication both agencies work to ensure a smooth transition of the EnhancedView contract management process.

“We see a real opportunity for synergy in operations, acquisition and delivery timelines,” said Sapp, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

NGA has used the contract to help government customers procure high-resolution satellite imagery products intended for national security and disaster response missions, among other applications.

Sapp added that NRO aims to build technology platforms for agency personnel to collect and exchange space-based intelligence data with other intelligence and military agencies.

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DOE Allocates $105M for Solar Energy R&D Efforts; Rick Perry Comments
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DOE Allocates $105M for Solar Energy R&D Efforts; Rick Perry Comments


DOE Allocates $105M for Solar Energy R&D Efforts; Rick Perry CommentsThe Energy Department has announced it will invest up to $105.5 million in 70 research-and-development efforts that aim to produce solar power technology platforms.

DOE said Tuesday it allocated $46 million for 14 projects that will focus on solar systems integration platforms and $24 million for 21 concentrating solar power R&D projects.

Twenty-eight recipients of up to $27 million will explore photovoltaic cells, modules, and systems, and four awardees of up to $8.5 million will pursue initiatives to help expand the solar industry workforce.

“Investing in all of our abundant energy sources, including solar technologies, will help drive down costs and ensure that the nation leads the world in energy production and innovation,” Energy Secretary Rick Perry said.

DOE has also invested $25 million in R&D funds to strengthen cybersecurity of the energy sector.

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SecAF Heather Wilson: Space Defense an ‘Urgent’ National Priority
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SecAF Heather Wilson: Space Defense an ‘Urgent’ National Priority


SecAF Heather Wilson: Space Defense an 'Urgent' National Priority
Heather Wilson

Heather Wilson, secretary of the U.S. Air Force, has said the service branch is developing concepts and technologies designed to counter adversarial threats to U.S. military space assets and operations.

In a Fox News opinion piece published Monday, Wilson wrote that the government should continue working with its allies to increase collective self-defense in the space domain.

“We must continue to study how our enemies might exploit vulnerabilities and how we will defeat them, just as military planners did before World War II,” said Wilson, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

She noted the U.S. military plans to implement measures to accelerate satellite development and launch efforts, as well as create methods to counter potential threats such as satellite jamming and laser attacks.

According to Wilson, the Air Force manages 90 percent of the country’s space-based military assets and observes potential threats to national interests.

“There is much work to be done to ensure space continues to be open and accessible to the world and that our systems are secure from attack.”

“It is an urgent national priority.”

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NIST Publishes Modified Cybersecurity Framework; Matt Barrett Comments
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NIST Publishes Modified Cybersecurity Framework; Matt Barrett Comments


NIST Publishes Modified Cybersecurity Framework; Matt Barrett CommentsThe National Institute of Standards and Technology has published the modified version of its Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, citing changes that address different cybersecurity issues.

NIST said Monday the Version 1.1 of the Cybersecurity Framework include “authentication and identity,” “self-assessing cybersecurity risk,” “managing cybersecurity within the supply chain” and “vulnerability disclosure.”

Matt Barrett, program manager for the Cybersecurity Framework, stated that the update simplifies the scheme’s previous version.

“It is flexible to meet an individual organization’s business or mission needs, and applies to a wide range of technology environments such as information technology, industrial control systems and the internet of things,” Barrett added.

NIST said the framework is created for industries that provide offerings for national and economic security.

The agency will work to publish a modified companion document called the Roadmap for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity next year to discuss necessary developments, alignments and collaborations to execute the Cybersecurity Framework.

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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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