Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill
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Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill

 

Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill
John Ratcliffe

Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas has introduced a bill to keep the Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation program of the Department of Homeland Security up-to-date.

The proposed Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act aims to give CDM a boost in the hopes that it can keep up with emerging cyber technologies and guard against potential cybersecurity threats, Ratcliffe’s office said Wednesday.

“CDM is a critical component of our national cyber security strategy,” Ratcliffe said, and explained that the bill is meant to extend the program’s lifespan, maintain concurrence with technologies in the private sector and prevent system obsolescence issues in government agencies.

The proposed legislation also includes the development of procedures and policies for the reporting of enterprise cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential incidents identified from CDM-gathered data.

Ratcliffe stated that “cybersecurity is national security” and noted the need to address threats to the national digital border through risk-based approaches via programs such as the CDM.

 

DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight Tests
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DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight Tests


DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight TestsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tested the teaming ability of small air and ground systems when performing different tasks in simulated urban areas without human intervention.

DARPA said Wednesday industry and university researchers updated software and  commercial sensors in small quadcopters that were demonstrated through phase 2 of flight tests under the agency’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy program.

The autonomous drones were able to fly in between buildings and through narrow areas during the demonstration.

“Unmanned systems equipped with FLA algorithms need no remote pilot, no GPS guidance, no communications link, and no pre-programmed map of the area – the onboard software, lightweight processor, and low-cost sensors do all the work autonomously in real time,” said John-Charles Lede, program manager at DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Researchers completed the first phase of flight tests last year.

DARPA launched the FLA applied research program in 2015 with the goal to leverage autonomy algorithms to manage lightweight quadcopters with short operational lifespans and limited computer processing capability onboard.

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White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce Challenges
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White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce Challenges

White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce ChallengesPresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday with the aim of establishing a council and an advisory board to help address “urgent” challenges that U.S. workforce faces.

The National Council for the American Worker will introduce a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of labor matters such as skills development in today’s young employees and the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education programs, the White House said Thursday.

The group will also implement efforts to increase the number of apprenticeships and incentivize companies that train and re-train workers. It also seeks to provide a means to increase transparency regarding education, employment statistics and job training programs.

Additionally, the council will consider recommendations from the American Workers Policy Board on how to drive education and training initiatives throughout the country.

In a separate statement, the White House said more than 20 companies and trade groups have pledged to create opportunities for students and workers over the next five years.

These employers and associations vowed to introduce apprenticeship, work-based learning, on-the-job training, reskilling and continuing education programs.

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USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021
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USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021


USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency hosted a sourcing summit to gain professional insight in support of its goal to save $2 billion by 2021.

The third annual Enterprise Sourcing Summit took place Tuesday to Wednesday at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and welcomed over 100 professionals in the area of category management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base said Thursday.

The agency has been pursuing the enterprise sourcing effort for five years and is on track with its savings goal.

Nicole Shatto, a procurement analyst for strategic sourcing at AFICA’s operating office at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, said that her site has saved about $35 million through the use of enterprise sourcing tools.

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Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments
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Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments


Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments
Scott Berrier

The U.S. Army has initiated a new strategy aiming to address electronic warfare and cyber threats, C4ISRNet reported Thursday.

The strategy consists of four initiatives to organize, educate, equip and develop a doctrine for the Army signals intelligence force.

At a Capitol Hill event Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier said that the effort works to provide signals intelligence support to address information needs in large-scale combat operations.

The strategy also supports the Army’s capacity to gather intelligence for use against adversarial nations including China and Russia, he added.

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Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber Procurements
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Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber Procurements


Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber ProcurementsA technology trade association has called on House and Senate conferees to retain in the final fiscal 2019 defense policy bill a provision that would restrict the use of “lowest price technically acceptable” contracting method in government-wide procurements of information technology and cyber security platforms.

BSA | The Software Alliance wrote in a Wednesday letter to House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the use of LPTA hampers investment in cyber security.

“When it comes to more complex acquisitions involving multiple technical variables or functions, such as innovative information technology or cyber security services, LPTA’s priority of price over value leads to acquisition outcomes that actually prevent the government from getting the most for its money,” Craig Albright, vice president at the BSA | The Software Alliance, wrote.

The trade group said the Defense Department has initiated efforts to limit LPTA use through its Better Buying Power program and that Congress should support the measure in order for other agencies to follow suit and ensure the security of IT systems.

Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Mark Meadows, R-N.C., proposed the provision, Section 886, in the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019.

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Report: Grant Schneider Named Federal Chief Information Security Officer
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Report: Grant Schneider Named Federal Chief Information Security Officer


Report: Grant Schneider Named Federal Chief Information Security Officer
Grant Schneider

Grant Schneider, acting federal chief information security officer, has been named permanent federal CISO at the Office of Management and Budget, Nextgov reported Thursday.

He will serve as chairman of the CISO Council, oversee the executive branch’s cyber strategy and will continue to serve as senior director for cyber security at the National Security Council.

“Schneider brings extensive cyber security experience well aligned to lead efforts in securing government systems from cyber attacks,” said Margaret Weichert, chief management official at OMB.

Schneider served as former deputy CISO and then appointed interim CISO in January 2017 after Gregory Touhill stepped down from his post as the first federal CISO.

He previously held the roles of director for government cybersecurity at NSC, senior adviser to the Office of Personnel Management director and federal cybersecurity adviser at OMB.

He spent two decades at the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he served in various roles such as chief information officer and head of information technology operations group.

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New Congressional Measure Aims to Expand CFIUS Authority Over Foreign Investment Deals
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New Congressional Measure Aims to Expand CFIUS Authority Over Foreign Investment Deals


New Congressional Measure Aims to Expand CFIUS Authority Over Foreign Investment DealsHouse and Senate negotiators have agreed on a new measure that would strengthen the U.S. export-control process and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. in order to address national security concerns associated with Chinese deals and other overseas transactions, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The provision would authorize CFIUS to assess foreign investment deals through venture capital funds, transactions that seek to obscure ownership through the use of shell companies and real-estate agreements near sensitive U.S. sites.

The measure would also strengthen export controls through evaluation of foreign joint-venture deals that involve sensitive technology platforms.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., first proposed in November 2017 the measure, which gained bipartisan support from lawmakers such as Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said he expects the chamber to decide next week on the defense spending bill containing the CFIUS provision.

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Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: U.S. Weapons Sales to Allies Reached $47B Over 6 Months
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Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: U.S. Weapons Sales to Allies Reached $47B Over 6 Months


Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: U.S. Weapons Sales to Allies Reached $47B Over 6 Months
Charles Hooper

Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and a 2018 Wash100 recipient, has said the U.S. has approved a total of $46.9 billion in foreign military sales for the first half of fiscal year 2018, Defense News reported Thursday.

The amount exceeds the $41.9 billion worth of FMS deals recorded during FY 2017.

Hooper told Defense News in an interview the White House’s efforts to facilitate arms sales to U.S. partners and allies have helped drive defense exports.

The Trump administration implemented in April a new conventional arms transfer policy in a push to sustain the defense industrial base.

NASA Partners With French Aerospace Research Center on Sonic Boom Site Prediction
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NASA Partners With French Aerospace Research Center on Sonic Boom Site Prediction


NASA Partners With French Aerospace Research Center on Sonic Boom Site PredictionNASA and France’s national aerospace research center, ONERA, will collaborate on a study to predict the landfall location of sonic booms from aircraft flights.

The research agreement, signed at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., will support efforts meant to develop supersonic over-land passenger flights, NASA said Wednesday. Supersonic travel has been cited as a way to vastly reduce international travel time.

The partnership is NASA and ONERA’s 12th collaboration, establishing common verification cases and a forum for the exchange of technical data and insights.

Efforts are intended to facilitate the development of new technologies to mitigate the effects of sonic booms during air transportation.

NASA is currently testing the X-59 supersonic aircraft at Langley Research Center in Virginia.

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