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David Trachtenberg Confirmed as DoD Policy Deputy Undersecretary
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David Trachtenberg Confirmed as DoD Policy Deputy Undersecretary


David Trachtenberg Confirmed as DoD Policy Deputy Undersecretary
David Trachtenberg

The Senate voted 79-19 Tuesday to confirm David Trachtenberg, former president and CEO of Shortwaver Consulting, as the Defense Department‘s principal deputy undersecretary for policy, Defense News reported Tuesday.

He will also serve as undersecretary of defense for policy on an acting basis as DoD awaits a decision on former Lockheed Martin executive John Rood’s nomination to the post.

The report said Trachtenberg supports efforts to increase the department’s missile defense capacity and strategy to counter threats from Russia.

The more than 30-year public and private sector veteran previously served as a division manager and vice president at CACI International and SVP for homeland security and corporate support at National Security Research.

He also held the roles of principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security policy, acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for forces policy and senior professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee.

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Report: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Asks DoD Over Cyber Risks Linked to Foreign Govt Source Code Reviews
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Report: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Asks DoD Over Cyber Risks Linked to Foreign Govt Source Code Reviews


Report: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Asks DoD Over Cyber Risks Linked to Foreign Govt Source Code ReviewsSen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) has asked the Defense Department to provide information on how it handles security risks associated with DoD’s software platforms that have undergone foreign government reviews, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Shaheen’s Tuesday letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis came weeks after the news agency reported earlier this month that a Russian defense agency was permitted to assess the source code of Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s ArcSight software.

ArcSight is a cyber defense tool that DoD uses to safeguard its computer systems from cyber threats.

“I understand that individual businesses must make decisions weighing the risk of intellectual property disclosure against the opportunity of accessing significant overseas markets,” wrote Shaheen, a Senate Armed Services Committee member.

“However, when such products undergird [Defense Department] cyber defenses, our national security may be at stake in these decisions,” she added.

A spokeswoman for HPE said such source code reviews have occurred in Russia for years and that the company ensures the security of its products through close monitoring of such reviews and prohibiting any source code from leaving the premises, according to the Oct. 2 report.

HPE sold ArcSight to U.K.-based software firm Micro Focus International last year.

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F-35 Gets Clearance to Lift Off From UK Aircraft Carrier
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F-35 Gets Clearance to Lift Off From UK Aircraft Carrier


F-35 Gets Clearance to Lift Off From UK Aircraft CarrierThe Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter aircraft has received clearance to launch from the U.K. navy’s aircraft carrier – HMS Queen Elizabeth – after an integrated test force completed a series of ski-ramp trials.

Harriett Baldwin, U.K. defense minister, made the announcement before the House of Commons defense select committee, the British government said in a news release published Tuesday.

The U.K. has 12 F-35s that are in the testing phase in the U.S. in preparation for test flights aboard the aircraft carrier in 2018 and is expected to receive two additional fighter jets by the end of 2017.

The country’s defense ministry also announced that the 617 squadron at Royal Air Force base in Marham, England, will be the country’s first operational F-35 unit.

The British government expects its fleet of F-35s with the Block 3F software to achieve initial operating capability by December 2018.

House-Senate Conference Committee to Begin Negotiations on Fiscal 2018 NDAA Reconciliation
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House-Senate Conference Committee to Begin Negotiations on Fiscal 2018 NDAA Reconciliation

House-Senate Conference Committee to Begin Negotiations on Fiscal 2018 NDAA ReconciliationHouse and Senate conference members will begin to reconcile two versions of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act after the upper chamber voted Tuesday to start formal negotiations on the bill, the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.

The Senate designated Armed Services Committee members to lead the negotiations on the measure less than a week after the House voted and named 73 lawmakers to serve on the NDAA conference committee.

Both NDAA versions have proposed defense spending hikes for fiscal 2018 but both chambers need to achieve a compromise on several differences, including the total number of Littoral Combat Ships and F-35 fighter jets that should be acquired.

Inside Defense also reported that conference members will also need to reach a compromise on the topline budget and House’s proposal to form a new space corps within the U.S. Air Force.

Congress should come up with a reconciled FY 2018 defense policy bill before the current continuing resolution expires on Dec. 8, the report added.

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AFRL, Harvard Develop Stretchable Electronics Manufacturing Process
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AFRL, Harvard Develop Stretchable Electronics Manufacturing Process


AFRL, Harvard Develop Stretchable Electronics Manufacturing ProcessThe U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have jointly developed a new three-dimensional printing process to manufacture stretchable and flexible electronics.

Hybrid 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that combines conductive material with material substrate to form stretchable and wearable electronics, the Air Force said Tuesday.

In a recent demonstration, 3D printed flexible silver-infused thermoplastic polyurethane was integrated with microcontroller chips and LED lights.

The resulting devices were able to function while enduring an above 30 percent stretch from its base size.

Dan Berrigan, a scientist at the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, stated that the newly developed process holds potential for Air Force applications such as movement, temperature, fatigue and hydration monitoring from skin-worn electronics.

Succeeding phases of the development will focus on making a stretchable power source for the devices.

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VA Presents Draft Proposal for Replacement of Veteran Care Access Rules
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VA Presents Draft Proposal for Replacement of Veteran Care Access Rules


VA Presents Draft Proposal for Replacement of Veteran Care Access RulesThe Department of Veterans Affairs has presented a draft proposal to the House and Senate veterans affairs committees of a potential legislation that seeks to build on veterans’ access to healthcare services.

VA said Monday the proposed Veterans Coordinated Access & Rewarding Experiences Act is meant to replace the current “30-day/40-mile” rule under the Choice Program.

“We want veterans to work with their VA physicians to make informed decisions that are best for their clinical needs, whether in the VA or in the community, and this bill does just that while strengthening VA services at the same time,” said VA Secretary David Shulkin.

VA Presents Draft Proposal for Replacement of Veteran Care Access Rules
David Shulkin

The proposal aims to simplify eligibility requirements, facilitate a high-performing network, consolidate clinical and administrative processes, implement new veterans’ care coordination support and modernize community care programs.

VA noted that the wait-time and distance eligibility criteria of the Choice Program will be eliminated with CARE Act criteria that work to give veterans and their physicians leeway in deciding how and where to avail healthcare services, update VA medical facilities and staffing and provide veterans with walk-in clinic options for minor health concerns.

The draft includes a proposal on new workforce tools for VA’s medical staff, enhancements to the Community Care program’s financial management process as well as provisions that would fortify the department’s capacity to collaborate with other federal agencies and streamline authority for real property management.

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NIST Develops Method to Test Body Armor Materials
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NIST Develops Method to Test Body Armor Materials


NIST Develops Method to Test Body Armor MaterialsThe National Institute of Standards has formulated a new process to test fibers used in body armor that could help develop lighter materials for future protective apparel.

NIST said Monday the new research explores factors that lead to the deterioration of ballistics fibers inside body armor over time.

The Justice Department asked NIST to study ballistics fibers after an effort to deploy softer body armor with new material failed in 2003 and resulted to the death of a police officer.

The new vests showed improved quality over previous armor, but tests revealed that the new material’s mechanical properties began to deteriorate after months of normal use.

NIST researchers Gale Holmes and Christopher Soles developed a technique — dubbed positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy — to characterize materials’ ability to protect from gunfire, especially after being worn in the field.

The PALS method works to provide a molecular-level view of the structure of materials to show if the folding of fibers result to vulnerabilities.

Holmes said researchers used PALS to characterize changes in the fibers that cannot be seen through other techniques.

Soles noted that the new method is the first tool that could help determine why some materials break after folding while some stay durable.

The research results may serve as a “design cue” for entities that seek to create alternatives to the current body armor or help make existing protective vests more comfortable, NIST said.

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DHS Convenes Govt Council for Election Systems Security
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DHS Convenes Govt Council for Election Systems Security


DHS Convenes Govt Council for Election Systems SecurityThe Department of Homeland Security has convened a new government council for election infrastructure security in cooperation with the Election Assistance Commission, the National Association of Secretaries of State and election officials across U.S.

DHS said Saturday the Government Coordinating Council for the Election Infrastructure Subsector is comprised of three members from the federal government and 24 representatives from state and local governments.

The department uses the GCC structure for each critical infrastructure sector to help coordinate the security efforts of government and private sector entities.

The GCC framework is designed to implement a mechanism for threat information sharing between the federal government and council members.

DHS identified election infrastructure as a subsector of the Government Facilities critical infrastructure sector in January to prioritize cybersecurity assistance to state and local election officials and to show that election systems are entitled to critical infrastructure protections from the U.S. government.

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DoD Eyes FedRAMP-Based Process for Acquisition of Mobile App Security Services
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DoD Eyes FedRAMP-Based Process for Acquisition of Mobile App Security Services


DoD Eyes FedRAMP-Based Process for Acquisition of Mobile App Security ServicesThe Defense Department plans to roll out a new process for its acquisition of mobile application security services based on the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program model, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

John Zangardi, acting DoD chief information officer, signed the mobile application security requirements memorandum which was designed to establish a baseline standard for applications as well as advocate reciprocity throughout the military.

“The [National Information Assurance Partnership] developed the baseline set of security requirements for organizations engaged in locally evaluating mobile applications … These requirements are achievable, testable, and repeatable and provide a basis for technical evaluation and risk determination by Authorization Officials,” said Zangardi in the memo.

Zangardi directed DoD agencies and service branches to utilize the “Requirements for Vetting Mobile Applications from the Protection Profile for Application Software” NIAP profile and tasked the Defense Information Systems Agency to create a portal for the new process within the next 90 days.

DoD service branches and agencies will also assess applications from the mobile application portal and other commercial stores prior to its development and acquisition to determine potential security threats.

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ONC to Host Server Vulnerability Discovery Challenge
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ONC to Host Server Vulnerability Discovery Challenge


ONC to Host Server Vulnerability Discovery ChallengeThe Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has introduced a prize competition that aims to determine potential vulnerabilities from the implementation of open source Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources servers.

Steven Posnack, director of ONC’s standards and technology office, wrote in a blog post published Oct. 10 the agency seeks participants who can leverage current industry standards and best practices to create FHIR-compliant servers as part of the Secure API Server Showdown Challenge.

ONC plans to award a total of $50,000 in prizes to winners of the challenge that will the Server Build Stage and the Vulnerability Discovery Stage.

Phase 1 will involve the development and submission of FHIR servers for evaluation based on a technical judging criteria and the participants’ availability to take part in Stage 2.

The second stage of the challenge will comprise teams for the Discovery Track that will work to determine potential vulnerabilities from FHIR servers and the Server Track that will review submissions from the Discovery teams.

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