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Robins AFB to Host Advanced Battle Management System Initial Components
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Robins AFB to Host Advanced Battle Management System Initial Components


Robins AFB to Host Advanced Battle Management System Initial ComponentsRobins Air Force Base will house the initial components of a new Air Force platform designed to manage information on air and space intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The Advanced Battle Management System is geared to provide increased situational awareness for commanders by integrating battlefield surveillance information, Hill AFB said Thursday.

The Air Force selected Robins AFB for the base’s existing infrastructure and intends to continue using the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System throughout the 2020s as the service transitions to the ABMS.

The ABMS network will consist of a fusion center, supporting activities and Robins-based remotely piloted aircraft equipped with sensors for gathering battlefield information.

Implementation of the ABMS is among USAF’s efforts to increase lethality and resiliency of the service’s force.

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Heather Nauert: Unauthorized Disclosure of Info Could Jeopardize State Dept Operations
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Heather Nauert: Unauthorized Disclosure of Info Could Jeopardize State Dept Operations


Heather Nauert: Unauthorized Disclosure of Info Could Jeopardize State Dept Operations
Heather Nauert

Heather Nauert, a spokesperson for the State Department, reportedly held a meeting to talk about the recent leaks at the agency, Axios reported Thursday.

A source familiar with the public affairs meeting said those leaks involved the release of an article about the plan to retain Brett McGurk, a special envoy appointed under the Obama administration, for another six months and a news story on Palestinian funding.

“The unauthorized release of information, whether it’s classified or not, is always a concern of the State Department,” Nauert told Axios.

“It can jeopardize ongoing operations and negotiations in which the State Department is involved,” she added.

Nauert noted that the diplomatic security bureau serves as the law enforcement and security arm of the State Department with a mission to “provide a secure environment for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy.”

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OMB Selects 3 Federal Departments for Initial Technology Modernization Funding Round
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OMB Selects 3 Federal Departments for Initial Technology Modernization Funding Round


OMB Selects 3 Federal Departments for Initial Technology Modernization Funding RoundThe Office of Management and Budget has awarded the first round of funds totaling $45 million to help federal government organizations modernize information technology systems.

The departments of Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Agriculture have secured initial funding awards under the Technology Modernization Fund, the Office of the Federal CIO said Thursday.

HUD received $20 million to accelerate the migration of its mainframe applications, while USDA landed $10 million to build the farmers.gov customer experience portal.

DOE will use $15 million in efforts migrate the department’s email service to enterprise cloud infrastructure.

“The board believes these projects deliver citizen benefits, meet the specific technology transformation goals defined in the MGT Act, have agency leadership support, and contains effective cost savings strategy that are at the heart of the TMF model,” said Suzette Kent, federal CIO and chairwoman of the TMF board.

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HHS Seeks Input on Public-Private Healthcare Workgroup Structure
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HHS Seeks Input on Public-Private Healthcare Workgroup Structure


HHS Seeks Input on Public-Private Healthcare Workgroup StructureThe Department of Health and Human Services is asking for comments on how to structure a workgroup to facilitate high-level discussions between HHS leaders and outside parties that support innovation or invest in the healthcare sector.

A Federal Register notice posted Thursday says the department plans to create a workgroup to explore technological approaches to address healthcare challenges and drive communication activities meant to encourage industry competition.

HHS intends for the proposed forum to attract healthcare companies; incubators, accelerators and startups; investors, private equity and venture capital firms; lenders and innovators.

The department will accept comments within 30 days following the release of the request for information.

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Report: Russia Eyes Cloud-Based Military Data Storage
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Report: Russia Eyes Cloud-Based Military Data Storage


Report: Russia Eyes Cloud-Based Military Data StorageRussia’s military is developing a cloud-based infrastructure designed to operate with data centers and store confidential information, Defense One reported Friday.

The report said the project is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to increase its armed forces’ capacity to perform missions even when internet connection is lost, damaged or hacked.

Sam Bendett, an associate research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses’ international affairs group, told Defense One in an interview that Moscow invests in domestically produced information technology components to guard data from “potential Western interference.”

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Report: China Compromised Submarine Warfare Data Stored in Navy Contractor’s Computers
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Report: China Compromised Submarine Warfare Data Stored in Navy Contractor’s Computers


Report: China Compromised Submarine Warfare Data Stored in Navy Contractor’s ComputersGovernment hackers in China have breached a U.S. Navy contractor’s computers to steal a collection of sensitive data related to the service branch’s submarines and other undersea weaponry, The Washington Post reported Friday.

U.S. officials said China’s ministry of state security that oversees the Asian country’s foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations performed the breaches between January and February and targeted 614 gigabytes of data associated with the Sea Dragon project.

The threat actors also stole development plans for an anti-ship supersonic missile on U.S. submarines, sensor and signals data, electronic warfare library of the service’s submarine development unit and submarine radio room data stored in computers of a contractor that works for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I.

Officials noted the FBI helps the Navy as the military branch leads the investigation into the cyber incident.

The report said Defense Secretary James Mattis has asked the office of the Defense Department’s inspector general to evaluate contractor-related cyber issues and that DoD’s damage assessment management office has started to review the data breach’s impact.

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DHS S&T Updates Solicitation Portal for R&D Proposals
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DHS S&T Updates Solicitation Portal for R&D Proposals


DHS S&T Updates Solicitation Portal for R&D ProposalsThe Department of Homeland Security‘s science and technology directorate has updated an online portal used to submit and solicit industry proposals.

DHS said Thursday the modernized Long Range Broad Agency Announcement website offers information on criteria for R&D project evaluation and a list of requirements that align with the S&T Industry Guide and the department’s component priorities. 

“LRBAA is a great way for industry to understand our technology needs and the process improvements will make it easier for us to fund technology that solves pressing homeland security challenges,” said William Bryan, DHS acting undersecretary for science and technology.

The S&T directorate also moved to shorten the period for interested parties to receive a notice of interest from 60 days to 10 days.

DHS added the new process will allow proposers to demonstrate a working prototype through a video and communicate with an S&T program manager.

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House OKs Fiscal 2019 Spending Package for Military & VA, Energy, Legislative Branch
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House OKs Fiscal 2019 Spending Package for Military & VA, Energy, Legislative Branch


House OKs Fiscal 2019 Spending Package for Military & VA, Energy, Legislative BranchThe House on Friday voted 235-179 to pass a package of three appropriations bills for fiscal year 2019, The Hill reported Friday.

The House Appropriations Committee said Friday the “minibus” legislation would authorize $145.4 billion in FY 2019 discretionary funds for military construction and veterans affairs; energy and water; and legislative branch.

“These bills provide funding to rebuild our military infrastructure, support military families, improve nuclear security, support our nation’s energy and water infrastructure and assure the smooth and safe operations of the Legislative Branch,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said in a statement.

The House military construction measure includes $921 million in additional off-budget spending.

The report said the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed the military construction and energy and water appropriations bills and is scheduled this week to mark up the legislative branch measure.

 

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Andrew Katsaros Named FTC Acting Inspector General
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Andrew Katsaros Named FTC Acting Inspector General

Andrew Katsaros Named FTC Acting Inspector GeneralAndrew Katsaros, a government audit veteran and a certified public accountant, has joined the Federal Trade Commission as acting inspector general.

He succeeds Roslyn Mazer, who stepped down as FTC IG after more than three years in the job, the commission said Friday.

Katsaros previously served as assistant IG at the Commerce Department‘s Office of Audit and Evaluation and assistant director for audit and review at the Justice Department‘s Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

His federal career also includes service in the Defense Department‘s Office of Inspector General and at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

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USAF Shifts Cyber Function to Air Combat Command; Heather Wilson Comments
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USAF Shifts Cyber Function to Air Combat Command; Heather Wilson Comments


USAF Shifts Cyber Function to Air Combat Command; Heather Wilson Comments
Heather Wilson

The U.S. Air Force has transferred cyber responsibilities from the Air Force Space Command to the Air Combat Command as part of a mission realignment initiative.

ACC will now serve as the military branch’s lead command responsible for helping Air Forces manage cyber missions and operations, USAF said Thursday.

AFSPC will concentrate on efforts to help the military branch maintain space superiority and integrate space technology into multidomain operations.

“This move will drive faster decisions as we fight by realigning the cyber operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions under the same command,” said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

Wilson added the National Defense Strategy calls for the U.S. military to invest in data collection and exploitation programs and the realignment will help the service branch address that objective.

Both ACC and AFSPC have coordinated over the past 21 months to realign the two commands’ functions and present ready forces.

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