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Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops Head
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Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops Head


Owen West Confirmed as DoD Special Ops HeadThe Senate voted 74-23 Monday to approve Owen West, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former Goldman Sachs partner, as assistant defense secretary for special operations and low intensity conflict, Defense News reported Tuesday.

West was nominated by President Donald Trump in June and recommended by the Senate Armed Services Committee for the position one month later.

He will advise Defense Secretary James Mattis on matters related to the department’s special operations.

During his military career, West held the positions of infantry platoon commander, combat adviser and reconnaissance platoon leader.

He also penned books and articles about military affairs and adventure sports.

West also previously served as director of the Positive Coaching Alliance and Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

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Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019
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Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019


Navy to Deploy Seahawk Helicopter Gunner Seat Replacement by 2019The U.S. Navy plans to field a replacement for the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter’s gunner seat by 2019 to address safety issues associated with the current seating system.

The Naval Air Systems Command’s aircrew systems program office is working with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s AIRWorks rapid prototyping team on the replacement effort, NAVAIR said Monday.

Dave Padula, program manager of the aircrew systems program office, said the existing MH-60S Seahawk gunner seat has directly caused medical groundings, decreased mission performance and chronic back injuries among aircrew.

NAVAIR initially sought new seating systems from industry, but top Navy leaders decided to engage NAWCAD’s AIRWorks team to develop a cost-effective platform that can be deployed as early as possible.

AIRWorks Director Gerald Swift noted that the rapid prototyping team provides seat design, program management, lead systems integration, engineering, test and logistics management support under the replacement project.

The team completed the concept design in August 2016, built the first prototype in September and flew the prototype for three flight hours in November.

AIRWorks created the first prototype to demonstrate that NAVAIR could develop a new seat that could address problems such as inadequate leg clearance, insufficient back support and lack of seat adjustability.

In January 2017, the team brought the prototype on a roadshow to the Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California to gain feedback from more than 150 pilots and aircrew.

The NAVAIR/NAWCAD team currently works to refine the seat design, digitize drawings and create technical data packages to prepare for the flight test of the second prototype in March 2018.

The Navy also formed a 10-person Gunner Seat Fleet Task Force to gather real-time input from the fleet throughout the prototype development process.

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Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare Officers
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Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare Officers


Navy’s Strategic Readiness Review Recommends More Training for Surface Warfare OfficersThe U.S. Navy has released its strategic readiness review report that includes 26 recommendations the service branch should carry out to address readiness and capability shortfalls, Military.com reported Thursday.

The review published Thursday calls for the service branch to restructure career path and provide more training to surface warfare officers to help increase their experience aboard ships.

The 96-page report recommends potential amendments to the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 and calls for the Global Force Management to set the maximum peacetime force.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act requires U.S. combatant commanders to decide on requests for troops, while the Global Force Management works to streamline communications on asset availability between commanders and services.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer launched the 90-day review in response to ship collision incidents in the Pacific.

Gary Roughead, a retired admiral and former chief of naval operations, and Michael Bayer, chairman of the Defense Business Board, led the review, the report added.

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FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE Facilities
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FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE Facilities


FAA Issues Drone Flight Restriction on DOE FacilitiesThe Federal Aviation Administration has moved to restrict operations of unmanned aerial vehicles near Energy Department facilities per request of U.S national security and law enforcement agencies.

FAA said Monday it will use the agency’s authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations section to prohibit drone flights within 400 feet of seven DOE facilities.

The restriction will take effect Dec. 29 and is included in a notice to airmen as well as FAA’s interactive online map and B4UFLY mobile application.

The DOE facilities covered by the restriction are:

  • Hanford Site, Franklin County, WA
  • Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
  • Pantex Site, Panhandle, TX
  • Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken, SC
  • Y-12 National Security Site, Oak Ridge, TN

FAA issued a similar drone flight restriction on 10 Interior Department facilities in October.

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President Trump Details National Security Strategy
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President Trump Details National Security Strategy


President Trump Details National Security StrategyPresident Donald Trump has unveiled a national security strategy that covers military power, homeland defense, trade policy, economic strength and border security, DoD News reported Monday.

Trump said in a speech Monday the whole-of-government strategy seeks to advance national interests through four pillars and those include the need to protect U.S. citizens and the country; economic security; preservation of peace through strength; and advancement of American influence.

He noted that the strategy also covers cyber and space military domains and calls for the advancement of military modernization.

The national security strategy “calls for streamlining acquisition, eliminating bloated bureaucracy, and massively building up our military, which has the fundamental side benefit of creating millions and millions of jobs,” Trump added.

He also cited the threats posed by North Korea, Russia, Iran and China and the country’s campaign against the Islamic State militant organization, the report added.

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DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry Members
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DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry Members


DHS Forms Sector Coordinating Council With Election Industry MembersThe Department of Homeland Security and the Election Assistance Commission convened Wednesday with election stakeholders to organize a coordinating body for sector-specific policies, strategies and activities.

The meeting with election industry representatives as well as local and state election officials worked to launch an industry-led Sector Coordinating Council to be finalized by the new year, DHS said Thursday.

David Wulf, acting deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Infrastructure Protection at DHS, said the SCC framework is designed to facilitate the sharing of threat intelligence between federal government and council partners with the aim to help agencies map the industry’s security landscape and enhance risk management efforts amid evolving threats to the electoral process.

DHS said the introduction of the industry-led council is part of DHS’ election systems security efforts that includes the creation of the Government Coordinating Council for the Election Infrastructure Subsector in October.

The department also included the election infrastructure as a subsector of the existing government facilities critical infrastructure sector in January 2017 in order to give priority to cybersecurity assistance for state and local election officials.

The designation also intended to define globally that election infrastructure is covered under the U.S. government’s protections for critical infrastructure as well as facilitate dialogue on exploration of sensitive vulnerability information between DHS and key stakeholders.

DHS established GCC and SCC in efforts to engage government and the private sector with initiatives for the security and resilience of critical infrastructure sectors set by the Presidential Policy Directive 21-Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience.

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DOE Seeks to Advance US Energy Policy Priorities Through Reorganization
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DOE Seeks to Advance US Energy Policy Priorities Through Reorganization


DOE Seeks to Advance US Energy Policy Priorities Through ReorganizationThe Department of Energy has announced plans to reorganize its operational structure in a push to address DOE’s policy goals in accordance with statutory requirements.

DOE said Friday it also seeks to help advance the White House’s strategies to maintain U.S. energy dominance, protect energy and national security resources, spur innovation and improve environmental management outcomes through a reorganization effort.

The department intends to split the current Office of Under Secretary for Science and Energy into two undersecretary positions.

An undersecretary for science will supervise the department’s research, development and environmental cleanup efforts while an undersecretary for energy will focus on energy policy security and reliability, applied technology and certain department-wide management functions.

DOE added it will transfer elements of the portfolio currently managed by the undersecretary for management and performance to the deputy energy secretary.

The department also plans to establish an office of policy to replace the current the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

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House Panel Asks GAO to Conduct 5 IT Reviews Related to FITARA Implementation
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House Panel Asks GAO to Conduct 5 IT Reviews Related to FITARA Implementation


House Panel Asks GAO to Conduct 5 IT Reviews Related to FITARA ImplementationThe House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has called on the Government Accountability Office to carry out five new reviews related to the agencies’ implementation of the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act.

House panel members told GAO Comptroller General Gene Dodaro in a letter published Wednesday to determine best practices associated with FITARA implementation and assess agencies’ compliance with the law’s portfolio review requirements to ensure the elimination of duplicative systems.

The lawmakers also asked Dodaro to identify the top 15 to 25 critical IT procurements and submit a report on the status of each acquisition.

GAO should also determine the top 10 programs to modernize legacy systems and assess the strategies and challenges associated with IT human capital as well as offer recommendations, according to the letter.

The lawmakers said they will use the reviews to inform the House panel’s FITARA scorecard and further support its oversight efforts over IT modernization following the passage of the Modernizing Government Technology Act.

The MGT Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2018 that President Donald Trump signed Tuesday.

Reps. Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) and Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) signed the letter with Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas), Robin Kelly (D-Illinois), Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina), and Gerald Connolly (D-Virginia).

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James Mattis Cites Iran’s Missile Program, Destabilization Efforts in Middle East
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James Mattis Cites Iran’s Missile Program, Destabilization Efforts in Middle East


James Mattis Cites Iran’s Missile Program, Destabilization Efforts in Middle East
James Mattis

Defense Secretary James Mattis has said Iran has been involved in several destabilization activities in the Middle East that include the country’s ballistic missile support to the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, DoD News reported Saturday.

Mattis told reporters Friday about Iran’s support to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and involvement with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He also commended the presentation of Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, about the Middle Eastern country’s illegal missile weapons program.

“What we are doing in that region is standing by allies and partners, and we’re on one hand exposing, on the other hand helping them build their own capability to reject Iranian influence,” Mattis added.

His remarks came two months after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that President Donald Trump intended to decertify Iran under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act signed in 2015.

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Report: Air Force, Navy Initiate ‘Sixth-Generation’ Fighter Aircraft Concept Devt
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Report: Air Force, Navy Initiate ‘Sixth-Generation’ Fighter Aircraft Concept Devt


Report: Air Force, Navy Initiate 'Sixth-Generation' Fighter Aircraft Concept DevtThe U.S. Air Force and Navy have begun to experiment and plan concepts for a future next-generation fighter aircraft that features capacities beyond the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, Scout Warrior reported Saturday.

The aircraft currently in the earliest stages of conceptual development is projected to emerge in the mid 2030s and the two service branches look to determine technologies and features for potential integration into the future platform.

“We have started experimentation, developmental planning and technology investment,” said Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, told Scout Warrior in an interview.

Navy officials noted the new platform will succeed the service branch’s current fleet of F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft which will be retired in 2035.

Analysts have predicted future sixth-generation aircraft concepts to feature next-generation technologies such as electronically-configured smart skins, maximum sensor connectivity and super cruise capacities, the report noted.

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