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Report: Former JPMorgan Exec Dana Deasy Named DoD CIO
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Report: Former JPMorgan Exec Dana Deasy Named DoD CIO


Report: Former JPMorgan Exec Dana Deasy Named DoD CIO
Dana Deasy

Dana Deasy, formerly chief information officer at JPMorgan Chase, will serve as the Defense Department’s new CIO starting early May, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Deasy will oversee cybersecurity, data use and communication efforts as DoD begins to adopt cloud platforms to help accelerate the decision-making process on the battlefield, Dana White, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon, said during a press briefing Thursday.

“He will also bring greater accountability to the department’s information security posture,” White added.

Deasy moved to JPMorgan in 2013 from oil company BP, where he served as CIO and vice president with oversight on global procurement and information technology.

He also held senior IT positions at several companies such as Siemens, General Motors and Tyco.

Deasy will take over the role from Essye Miller, DoD’s deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity who has been serving as the Pentagon’s CIO on an interim basis since December.

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US, UK Troops Participate in Army-Led Multinational Joint Equipment Training Brief
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US, UK Troops Participate in Army-Led Multinational Joint Equipment Training Brief


US, UK Troops Participate in Army-Led Multinational Joint Equipment Training Brief

Some Defense Department personnel joined U.S. and U.K troops have observed demonstrations of unmanned aerial tools during a multinational joint equipment training brief held in Germany.

Civilian members of the U.S. Army‘s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center led the event that featured the Instant Eye, Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System and Puma drones, DoD said Thursday.

The course was meant to prepare service members for the Robotic Complex Breach Concept showcase.

Army Staff Sgt. Brian Logan said that Instant Eye works to detect hazardous exposure such as chemical and biological threats and helps prevent chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear injury through avoidance.

Kenneth Martin, a Puma system operator, said the small unmanned aircraft employs a change-detection software to discern possible hazards through the identification of alterations to routes or roads.

Beler Watts, an LMAMS spokesman, said the direct-fire missile is designed to neutralize enemy targets and soft-shell vehicles and leave a low collateral damage footprint.

Soldiers will demonstrate new air and ground equipment at the upcoming breach concept exercise.

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Dan Coats: US Needs to Stay Competitive as Adversaries Launch Space Tech Devt Efforts
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Dan Coats: US Needs to Stay Competitive as Adversaries Launch Space Tech Devt Efforts


Dan Coats: US Needs to Stay Competitive as Adversaries Launch Space Tech Devt Efforts
Dan Coats

National Intelligence Director Dan Coats has said the U.S. needs to ramp up efforts to maintain its technological edge as several countries develop anti-satellite systems, space-based navigation and surveillance platforms that could potentially challenge U.S. space dominance, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

“We have to up our game if we’re going to stay competitive… We have to become much more agile, more innovative, more creative,” Coats, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, told reporters during a breakfast meeting Wednesday.

He said space has evolved into “an ever more important domain” and that several countries such as Russia and China have initiated efforts to develop space capabilities based on a threat assessment report the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released in February.

“That includes anti-satellite capabilities. We track that very, very carefully,” Coats added.

He noted about the Defense Department‘s role in the establishment of a new space force and that the creation of such a military branch should be based on national security requirements.

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Maj. Gen. Christopher Ballard Named NSA SIGINT Deputy Director
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Maj. Gen. Christopher Ballard Named NSA SIGINT Deputy Director


Maj. Gen. Christopher Ballard Named NSA SIGINT Deputy Director
Christopher Ballard

Maj. Gen. Christopher Ballard, commanding general of the U.S. Army‘s Intelligence and Security Command, has been assigned to the National Security Agency as deputy director for NSA’s signals intelligence directorate.

Gen. Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, announced Ballard’s new assignment in a Defense Department news release published Wednesday.

Ballard will support NSA’s efforts to collect information about foreign powers, organizations or persons using communications systems, radars and weapons systems that pose national security threats to U.S.

Ballard assumed his role as INSCOM leader at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 2016.

He previously served as an intelligence officer and led multiple company, battalion and brigade units.

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Transcom, Pentagon’s CAPE Org Start Mobility Requirements Study
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Transcom, Pentagon’s CAPE Org Start Mobility Requirements Study


Transcom, Pentagon's CAPE Org Start Mobility Requirements StudyThe U.S. Transportation Command and the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation organization have partnered to determine the number of airlift, tanker and sealift platforms needed to support combatant command missions.

The Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study, mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2018, aims to identify fleet requirements necessary to address the National Defense Strategy, Transcom said March 29.

Gen. Darren McDew, commander of Transcom, told House Armed Services committee members at a hearing that there are potential gaps between the needs and capacities for air refueling and organic sealift.

“The combination of an aging fleet, increasing demand and global tanker distribution puts a significant strain on this scarce national resource,” McDew added.

Transcom aims to complete the MCRS-18 study this fall.

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Global Cyber Alliance: 18 of White House Email Domains Fail to Deploy DMARC Security Protocol
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Global Cyber Alliance: 18 of White House Email Domains Fail to Deploy DMARC Security Protocol


Global Cyber Alliance: 18 of White House Email Domains Fail to Deploy DMARC Security ProtocolA new Global Cyber Alliance report says 18 of the 26 email domains managed by the executive office of the president have not begun implementing the Domain Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance protocol.

GCA said Wednesday it also found that seven of the White House email domains have deployed the DMARC protocol at the “none” level, which works to facilitate email monitoring but fails to block spoofed emails.

The report noted that Max.gov is the only White House email domain that has deployed the highest-level DMARC policy that works to block email spoofing and phishing activities.

“The lack of full DMARC deployment across nearly every EOP email address poses a national security risk that must be fixed,” said Philip Reitinger, president and CEO of GCA.

“The EOP domains that have recently deployed DMARC at its lowest setting include WhiteHouse.gov and EOP.gov, two of the most significant government domains,” Reitinger added.

EOP oversees email domains such as WhiteHouse.gov, Budget.gov, OMB.gov, USTR.gov, OSTP.gov and EOP.gov.

The Department of Homeland Security released a directive in October 2017 to help federal agencies protect emails and websites from cyber threats through the adoption of DMARC and other security protocols.

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Report: Trump Orders DoD to Deploy National Guard Troops for Border Security Efforts
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Report: Trump Orders DoD to Deploy National Guard Troops for Border Security Efforts


Report: Trump Orders DoD to Deploy National Guard Troops for Border Security EffortsA senior government official has said that President Donald Trump instructed the departments of the Defense and Homeland Security to coordinate with state governors on the deployment of National Guard troops to help secure the southern border, DoD News reported Wednesday.

DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said at a press briefing held Wednesday at the White House the military would augment Customs and Border Protection operations along the Mexican border.

Nielsen added that DoD has supported DHS in efforts to counter the distribution of illegal narcotic drugs, build infrastructure, conduct persistent surveillance operations training and provide aerial support across the Western Hemisphere.

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Report: DoD Raises Major Weapons Procurement Cost Estimate to $1.92T
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Report: DoD Raises Major Weapons Procurement Cost Estimate to $1.92T


Report: DoD Raises Major Weapons Procurement Cost Estimate to $1.92TThe Defense Department’s cost estimates for the acquisition of major weapons platforms rose from $1.74 trillion to $1.92 trillion in 2017, Defense News reported Tuesday.

The figure represents a 10 percent increase from the previous year’s projections, according to the annual Selected Acquisition Reports on 83 major defense procurement initiatives that DoD issued Tuesday.

The Pentagon’s cost estimates for the F-35 fighter aircraft procurement dropped by approximately $350 million to about $406.1 billion as of December 2017.

The Missile Defense Agency saw a $7.2 billion rise in estimated costs for the Ballistic Missile Defense System due to capability increases such as the addition of 20 ground-based interceptors and silos at Fort Greely in Alaska as well as new radars for Hawaii and the Pacific theater, the report noted.

DoD also increased its projected costs for several U.S. Army programs such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System/GMLRS Alternative Warhead; Joint Light Tactical Vehicle; and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, according to the document.

The estimated program costs for the Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 2 decreased from $12.3 billion to $4.5 billion.

Several U.S. Navy programs also saw increases in cost estimates and those include the Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN 78); Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer (DDG 51); and the P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

Projected costs for the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program declined by 3.4 percent to $57.2 billion, while the service’s Joint Direct Attack Munition rose by nearly 12 percent to $11.4 billion.

DoD also raised its cost estimates for the Air Force’s Next Generation Operational Control System and Military GPS User Equipment increment 1 programs.

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Gen. John Hyten Outlines DoD’s Near-Term Space Program Goals
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Gen. John Hyten Outlines DoD’s Near-Term Space Program Goals


Gen. John Hyten Outlines DoD's Near-Term Space Program Goals
John Hyten

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, has listed three near-term goals that the Defense Department needs to achieve in space programs, Space News reported Tuesday.

Hyten, a 2018 Wash100 inductee, told Space News in an interview that DoD needs to bring down launch costs to less than $100 million.

He added that recent contract awards show a decrease in space launch rates, but they have yet to reach the desired cost level.

The U.S. military also needs to shorten the development timelines for satellites to three to five years, Hyten stated.

The Stratcom commander noted that commercial satellite makers have achieved those short timelines, but the military is “not there yet.”

Hyten said the third goal is to build modular spacecraft that can accommodate the integration of new payloads.

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Trump Eyes Military Support to Border Security Efforts
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Trump Eyes Military Support to Border Security Efforts


Trump Eyes Military Support to Border Security EffortsPresident Donald Trump looks to deploy U.S. troops to help the country’s border with Mexico, DoD News reported Tuesday.

“Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military,” he said Tuesday at a meeting with the presidents of the three Baltic countries.

Trump also told reporters during a follow-on news conference that he is considering withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria, where nearly 2,000 service members help fight against Islamic State militants.

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