The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has unveiled a new program that aims to develop technology that would determine if unfamiliar bacteria contain harmful traits.

DARPA said Wednesday it seeks to build a portable tool that will work to screen unfamiliar bacteria to identify their pathogenicity, or capacity to cause disease, through the Friend or Foe program.

“Our existing biosurveillance strategies don’t work on previously undiscovered bacteria or on bacteria that have been specifically designed to evade detection by current tests,” said Paul Sheehan, a DARPA program manager.

“We need new screening tools that can quickly characterize the threat to enable a rapid response,” Sheehan added.

The Friend or Foe device will aim to detect whether unknown bacteria can survive and establish a niche in its host; cause harm to the host; and protect itself from antibodies or antibiotics.

DARPA envisions the program as a four-year effort that will involve “performer” teams and an independent verification and validation team.

The IV&V team will work with the performer teams to establish a standardized process for simulating different environments and mixtures of known bacteria.

The verification team will also assess the quality of performers’ technologies after tests

A proposers day is scheduled to take place at DARPA’s conference center in Arlington, Virginia, on Feb. 28.

Navy Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command since May 2015, will be nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as ambassador in Australia.

In a press release published Friday, the White House describes Harris as a naval officer who has “extensive knowledge, leadership and geo-political expertise in the Indo-Pacific region.”

He joined the U.S. Navy in 1979 as a flight officer for the branch’s Patron Squadron 44 and logged a total of 4.400 flight hours with maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft platforms such as the P-3 Orion.

His command assignments included leadership of VP-46, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1, Joint Task Force-Guantanamo, the U.S. 6th Fleet, Striking and Support Forces NATO and the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Harris also completed three operational tours at Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 1 in Japan and served as tactical action officer aboard USS Saratoga, as well as director of operations for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the U.S. Southern Command.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Kirk Smith, deputy commanding general of the NATO Special Operations Component Command and Special Operations Joint Task Force in Afghanistan, has been assigned as commander of the Special Operations Command Europe.

He will also serve as director of special operations at the U.S. Europe Command in addition to his new role as SOCEUR chief, the Defense Department said Friday.

Smith supervised all U.S. and NATO special operations forces in Bagram, Afghanistan, over the past year.

He previously served as director of force management and development at U.S. Special Operations Command’s headquarters in Florida.

He joined the military after he graduated in 1989 from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as an instructor or evaluator pilot for the T-37, MH-53J and MH-53M platforms.

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Aquilino has been nominated by President Donald Trump for assignment as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and for promotion to the rank of admiral.

Aquilino currently serves as the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the Fifth Fleet and the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain, the Defense Department said Friday.

He served in multiple fighter squadrons that flew F-14 A/B Tomcat and F-18 C/E/F Hornet aircraft, as well as led the VF-11 Red Rippers, Carrier Air Wing 2 and Carrier Strike Group 2.

His assignments ashore include time as adversary instructor pilot for the A-4, F-5 and F-16N aircraft; operations officer at the Strike Weapons and Tactics School, Atlantic; and special assistant for weapons systems and advanced development at the Office of the Legislative Affairs for the Secretary of Defense.

He also served as director of strategy and policy for the U.S. Joint Forces Command; deputy director for the Joint Force Coordinator of the Joint Staff; commander of CSG-2l; director of maritime operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet; and deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy.

A group of U.S. Army leaders appeared before a Senate Armed Services Committee subpanel Wednesday to testify that the service branch has begun modernization efforts and needs funding to support such initiatives amid threats posed by countries such as Russia and China, Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.

“The Army has reached an inflection point,” Lt. Gen. John Murray, deputy chief of staff at the Army, told lawmakers.

“We can no longer afford to choose between near-term readiness and modernization.”

Army leaders said the service’s modernization plan will focus on six areas that include the need to build up communication networks; restoration of long-range precision fire systems; development of next-generation combat vehicles; soldier lethality; air and missile defense platforms restoration; and introduction of new aircraft designs.

Murray said the military branch has started to form a new futures and modernization command that is expected to reach initial operational capability by June or July and full operational capability by next year.

The service leaders’ testimony coincided with the Senate’s announcement on Wednesday that they struck a bipartisan agreement that would allocate a defense budget of $700 billion in fiscal year 2018 and $716 billion for FY 2019.