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Report: Commerce Department, ZTE Agree to $1.4B Settlement to Pause Ban
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Report: Commerce Department, ZTE Agree to $1.4B Settlement to Pause Ban


Report: Commerce Department, ZTE Agree to $1.4B Settlement to Pause BanThe Commerce Department plans to allow ZTE to resume business with the U.S., through the payment of an additional $1 billion fine and $400 million in escrow for future infractions under revisions to a 2017 settlement agreement, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The amendment includes the replacement of the company’s whole board of directors and senior executives and a dormant 10-year denial order that can be activated for offenses within the company’s 10-year probationary period, the DOC said Thursday.

In April, the DOC imposed a seven-year ban on ZTE  for failing to comply with the 2017 agreement, which called for the dismissal of four senior employees and penalties to 35 others after the company illegally shipped products with U.S.-made components to Iran and North Korea.

Sources told Reuters that the DOC considered including in the 2017 agreement the $361 million the company has paid, which would allow the U.S. to collect up to $1.7 billion in penalties.

The new agreement also covers compliance monitoring by U.S. representatives, without prior coordination with the Chinese government, in order to verify how the company ships U.S.-built parts.

Among ZTE’s U.S-based suppliers are Acacia Communications, Broadcom, Intel, Oclaro and Qualcomm, a senior official at ZTE told the news agency.

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USMC, USAF to Conduct MQ-9 Qualification Training for Marine Operators
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USMC, USAF to Conduct MQ-9 Qualification Training for Marine Operators


USMC, USAF to Conduct MQ-9 Qualification Training for Marine OperatorsThe Marine Corps and the Air Force will partner to train the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron to be qualified operators of the General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper, USNI News reported Thursday.

The effort intends to establish a UAV operations base in preparation for the 2020s when Marines will begin deploying UAV units from ships.

USMC is beginning to develop MUX, a future Marine Air-Ground Task Force UAV that would be deployed from amphibious ships and expeditionary sites.

The MUX will be sized similarly to the Reaper and used for missions involving command and control, electronic warfare and early warning, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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Suzette Kent: Automation, Data Analysts Could Help Federal Govt Meet Data Cross-Agency Priority Goal
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Suzette Kent: Automation, Data Analysts Could Help Federal Govt Meet Data Cross-Agency Priority Goal


Suzette Kent: Automation, Data Analysts Could Help Federal Govt Meet Data Cross-Agency Priority Goal
Suzette Kent

Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer, has said federal agencies need automation tools to quickly process large amounts of data and meet the data cross-agency priority goal of the President’s Management Agenda, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

“But using technology, and with the right discipline around data, we can process that in seconds. But it has to be structured, and we have to understand it,” Kent said Wednesday at a Data Coalition event in Washington, D.C.

Kent noted that the data CAP goal establishes benchmarks to build up cyber standards and will drive agencies to implement a security framework that is focused on data protection while ensuring data transparency and privacy.

The CAP goal also calls for agencies to hire more data analysts in addition to cyber professionals.

“We have to evolve roles for data scientists, data labelers, model builders, deep learning development, inquiry designers,” Kent said.

“As we move down this path that’s wholly data-driven, we need different types of capabilities in our workforce,” she added.

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NATO Plans to Establish Joint Force Commands in Virginia, Germany; Jens Stoltenberg Comments
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NATO Plans to Establish Joint Force Commands in Virginia, Germany; Jens Stoltenberg Comments


NATO Plans to Establish Joint Force Commands in Virginia, Germany; Jens Stoltenberg Comments
Jens Stoltenberg

NATO will move to create two joint force commands after defense ministers from the international alliance’s member states gave their approval, DoD News reported Thursday.

The alliance intends to establish a new command in Norfolk, Va., to support maritime security efforts in the Atlantic region and form another command in Ulm, Germany.

“These headquarters will be essential for Alliance reinforcements across the Atlantic and across Europe,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Thursday.

He said defense ministers have also agreed on a framework to integrate cybersecurity into the alliance’s missions.

NATO allies have worked to increase defense spending over the past four years and the majority of member countries have pledged to spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on military programs through 2024, according to Stoltenberg.

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Energy Department Launches Three-Part Competition to Boost Local Solar Industry
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Energy Department Launches Three-Part Competition to Boost Local Solar Industry


Energy Department Launches Three-Part Competition to Boost Local Solar IndustryThe Energy Department has initiated a three-part competition that seeks to boost the production of solar systems in the U.S.

DOE said Thursday participants of the American-Made Solar Prize contest will be required to provide systems that can address critical challenges related to American solar innovation, develop a proof of concept and assess a prototype with a chosen partner.

The department will award $50,000 to selected participants that will present ideas addressing a critical need in the U.S solar industry, $200,000 for advanced proofs of concept and $500,000 for the development and assessment of prototypes.

“The Administration is fully committed to strengthening America’s manufacturing competitiveness,” said Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Perry added the Solar Prize will leverage research resources, entrepreneurial support systems and competitive American innovation to develop solar innovations for private investment.

DOE will accept applications through Oct. 5, 2018.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will jointly facilitate the competition with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

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Senate Committee Proposes Additional $110M to Accelerate Blackjack LEO Satellite Program
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Senate Committee Proposes Additional $110M to Accelerate Blackjack LEO Satellite Program


Senate Committee Proposes Additional $110M to Accelerate Blackjack LEO Satellite Program

The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed adding $110 million to the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act in a push to accelerate a satellite development program under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

The Blackjack program aims to develop a constellation of small military satellites in low-earth orbit, which, according to a report by the SASC, “would have profound implications for the resiliency and survivability of critical space missions.”

The same SASC report instructs DARPA, the U.S. Air Force and the Missile Defense Agency to determine if the Blackjack satellite network can meet the MDA’s requirement for a space-based ballistic missile detection system.

The Pentagon originally requested $15 million for Blackjack but the recommended additional funding raises the program’s total allocation to $125 million.

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Marine Corps to Employ New SATCOM System for On-The-Move Communications
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Marine Corps to Employ New SATCOM System for On-The-Move Communications


Marine Corps to Employ New SATCOM System for On-The-Move CommunicationsThe U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command seeks to use a new narrowband satellite communication system that builds on commercial cellphone technology to provide increased mobile communication access for marines.

USMC said Tuesday it will be the first service branch to widely employ the Mobile User Objective System, which works to operate with AN/PRC-117G radios used by marines for the past six years.

The system is mainly intended to provide on-the-move communications access for warfighters. It consists of space-based and ground-based components and a software-controlled radio terminal geared to operate on the MUOS-unique waveform.

The radios will receive new antenna kits for three different operational configurations and firmware updates to accommodate the MUOS waveform.

The three additional antenna kits will include a directional antenna with emphasis on data performance at halt; a dismounted antenna designed to provide voice and data access for moving users; and a vehicular kit that augments the radios to accommodate MUOS.

MUOS will enter its initial fielding stage in the final quarter of 2018 and is expected to achieve operational status in early 2019.

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House Panel Unveils $674.6B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019
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House Panel Unveils $674.6B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019


House Panel Unveils $674.6B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019The House Appropriations Committee has introduced a bill that would authorize $606.5 billion in base discretionary funds for the Defense Department and $68.1 billion in overseas contingency operations funds for fiscal year 2019.

The committee said Wednesday the FY 2019 defense policy bill reflects a $17.1 billion increase from the enacted FY 2018 discretionary funding.

The proposed measure would allocate a total budget of $145.7 billion to procure new weapons systems and other equipment to support military readiness efforts.

The proposed equipment procurement budget includes $22.7 billion in funds for the acquisition of 12 ships for the U.S. Navy; $9.4 billion for 93 F-35 fighter jets; $2.3 billion for 15 KC-46 tanker planes; $1.9 billion for 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft; $1.7 billion for five space launch services; and $1.5 billion to support upgrade work on 85 Abrams tanks.

The committee’s proposed legislation also includes the following appropriations:

  • $144 billion for military personnel and salary
  • $245.9 billion for operation and maintenance
  • $92.4 billion for research and development
  • $34.4 billion for military family and defense health programs

The defense subcommittee is scheduled to consider the bill Thursday.

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NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss New Alliance Initiatives
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NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss New Alliance Initiatives


NATO Defense Ministers to Discuss New Alliance InitiativesNATO defense ministers will gather at a summit in Brussels in July to discuss new initiatives meant to increase force readiness of alliance members, DoD News reported Wednesday.

One of the initiatives include establishing two joint force commands in Norfolk, Va., for transatlantic operations and Ulm, Germany, for European logistics efforts.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the formation of two new commands would help increase the alliance’s command structure by about 1,200.

Defense ministers also plan to discuss defense spending and burden-sharing, NATO’s responsibilities in war against violent extremism, the support capacity of the alliance for Jordan and Tunisia and plans to expand the partnership between NATO and the European Union.

“Military mobility could become a flagship for our cooperation, and we are working together to eliminate obstacles–whether legal, customs or infrastructure–to ensure our forces can move across Europe when necessary,” Stoltenberg added.

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Trump Approves VA Mission Act; Peter O’Rourke Comments
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Trump Approves VA Mission Act; Peter O’Rourke Comments


Trump Approves VA Mission Act; Peter O’Rourke CommentsPresident Donald Trump has approved a bill that will allow veterans to seek healthcare services from the private sector if a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital fails to accommodate to their needs, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.

The VA Mission Act extends the VA’s caregiver program to all veterans as it initially only catered to former warfighters recognized after the 9/11 incident.

The new law also aims to support the renovation of VA facilities, as well as an initiative that intends to monitor controlled substance prescriptions of VA providers to avoid opioid addiction among veterans.

Acting VA Secretary Peter O’Rourke said in a statement that the department will work to implement the new law to modernize its services and further meet the healthcare needs of veterans.

O’Rourke also commended Trump, the chairmen and members of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and other entities responsible for the passage of the bill.

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