The U.S. Air Force has started a zero-base budget review program in support of efforts to boost military readiness for the current threat environment.

The service branch said Friday fiscal year 2018’s budget will keep funding for programs such as the B-21 Raider, KC-46 Pegasus, F-35 Lightning II and other military programs to continue the previous year’s focus on readiness.

“We’ll look at each and every program and requirement to see if it’s increasing our lethality for the future threat environment as we prepare for [fiscal year 2020] and the Future Years Defense Plan,” said Matthew Donovan, under secretary of the Air Force.

Donovan also noted the fiscal 2019 President’s budget request aligns with objectives of the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy.

The fiscal 2019 request for the Air Force focuses on modernization, nuclear deterrence, people, readiness and space capacities that can help the service branch mitigate challenges in the joint environment.

The Government Accountability Office has urged the Defense Department and the Federal Aviation Administration to mitigate security risks associated with the installation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out avionics on military aircraft.

GAO said Thursday individuals can use “readily available” public information to track military aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out.

The aircraft tracking technology also faces electronic warfare and cybersecurity threats, according to the report.

FAA directed all aircraft owners, including DoD, to equip their aircraft with ADS-B Out technology by Jan. 1, 2020 as part of the agency’s NextGen initiative that aims to upgrade the existing ground-based air transportation system into a satellite-powered system.

The ADS-B implementation involves the elimination of certain radars, which could pose a homeland security risk since the North American Aerospace Defense Command uses data from FAA radars to monitor air traffic, GAO added.

DoD and FAA may not have enough time to plan and carry out required actions before January 2020 if they do not launch efforts to address security risks related to ADS-B Out, the congressional watchdog noted.

Auditors also found that DoD has fully implemented only two of the eight recommendations in the department’s 2007 NextGen memorandum, while four others are partially implemented and two have yet to be executed.

DoD has formed a joint program office and designated a service branch to lead ADS-B Out implementation in line with the 2007 memorandum.

The department has partially confirmed ADS-B Out requirements, created a directive, released an implementation plan and integrated NextGen into its planning, budgeting and programming activities.

DoD has yet to provide periodic and recurring NextGen progress reports to the deputy secretary of defense as well as incorporate the requirements of DoD units into plans and policies for NextGen joint planning and development.

GAO called on DoD and FAA to approve one or more efforts to address ADS-B security risks and recommended DOD to take steps to achieve consistent long-term planning and implementation of NextGen.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate John Gibson, current deputy chief management officer of the Defense Department, as DoD CMO.

The White House said Thursday Gibson led rocket engine and space launch systems manufacturer XCOR Aerospace as president and CEO before he was appointed to his current position.

He previously held leadership roles at Beechcraft‘s global mission support, special mission aircraft and government and defense businesses.

Gibson first joined DoD in 2006 as deputy undersecretary for management reform and helped identify methods for the department to manage defense programs.

He also managed the U.S. Air Force‘s annual budget as assistant secretary of financial management.

The Defense Department has released new guidance for the continuation of military operations and other activities amid a government shutdown.

The document published Thursday states that the shutdown will not affect government contractors that provide services under a fully funded contract the department awarded prior to the expiration of federal funding.

New contracts such as task orders, contract renewals and exercise of options that do not support “excepted activities” may not be carried out under the shutdown.

“In cases where additional funding is required and/or oversight, engagement, or inspection by federal employees who have been furloughed is critical to successful performance under the contract and the contract is not required to support an excepted activity, the issuance of stop work order or the termination of the contract may be required,” according to the document.

Defense Secretary James Mattis wrote in a Friday memo that DoD will continue to carry out daily operations worldwide during a government shutdown, DoD News reported Saturday.

The shutdown resulted after Congress failed to pass another stopgap bill Friday.

“Ships and submarines will remain at sea, our aircraft will continue to fly and our warfighters will continue to pursue terrorists throughout the Middle East, Africa and South Asia,” Mattis noted.

“While training for reservists must be curtailed, active forces will stay at their posts adapting their training to achieve the least negative impact on our readiness to fight,” he added.

Chiefs from the NATO Military Committee have discussed efforts to address security and stability challenges in the southern part of Europe during a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, DoD News reported Wednesday.

Czech Army General Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO military committee, said the chiefs and representatives from partner nations conversed about the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, operations against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq and Syria as well as the situations in Georgia and Ukraine.

“We discussed the strategic, operational and political context in and around Afghanistan, as well as our main effort to train, assist and advise the Afghan security forces and institutions,” said Pavel.

“We deliberated how NATO could adapt our current activity within our training and capacity-building initiative in Iraq, upon request by the Iraqi authorities and taking into consideration the importance of local ownership and buy-in.”

U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO supreme allied commander for Europe, noted alliance members have responded to the situation in Georgia and Ukraine and performed activities such as the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force and Baltic Air Policing enhanced air policing and ongoing maritime operations.