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Air Force’s F-35A to Undergo Cold Weather Tests
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Air Force’s F-35A to Undergo Cold Weather Tests


Air Force's F-35A to Undergo Cold Weather TestsThe U.S. Air Force will conduct a series of tests to evaluate if the conventional takeoff-and-landing variant of Lockheed Martin-built F-35 aircraft can withstand harsh weather conditions in Alaska.

The service branch said Friday it aims to demonstrate the F35A‘s capacity to land at a runway condition reading scale of 7 and validate a Norwegian drag-chute as part of cold weather tests at Eielson AF Base.

“The 354th Civil Engineer Squadron and 354th Operations Support Squadron try to keep our runway at an RCR of 12 or better during the harsh winters, but often are below that,” said Capt. Daniel Campbell, director of mission support for the 354th Fighter Wing F-35 Program Integration Office.

“We need the lower RCR certification to ensure the F-35A can operate throughout our winters,” Campbell added.

The Air Force awarded contracts to multiple companies to support projects such as construction of a propulsion maintenance hangar and maintenance field training detachment facilities in preparation for the arrival of F-35A units at Eielson.

A pair of F-35As along with nearly 3,500 airmen, contractor personnel and their families are scheduled to arrive at the military base by 2020.

Navy Decommissions USS Ponce Afloat Forward Staging Base
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Navy Decommissions USS Ponce Afloat Forward Staging Base

Navy Decommissions USS Ponce Afloat Forward Staging BaseThe U.S. Navy has decommissioned its afloat forward staging base USS Ponce after more than 46 years of naval service.

The military branch said Saturday it commissioned USS Ponce in 1971 as the final amphibious transport dock ship of the Austin class and refurbished the vessel into an AFSB platform in 2012 to support various missions of U.S. and allied forces.

The ship, nicknamed “Proud Lion,” was originally scheduled for decommissioning six years ago.

Ponce AFSB crew supported the U.S. 5th Fleet and Central Command’s mine countermeasures operations as well as international efforts that involved launch, recovery and sustainment of other vessels, aircraft and riverine boats.

The ship completed 27 deployments across the Arabian Gulf, North Atlantic, Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Mediterranean regions.

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DHS, NASS Aim to Facilitate Election Security Comms Through New Council
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DHS, NASS Aim to Facilitate Election Security Comms Through New Council


DHS, NASS Aim to Facilitate Election Security Comms Through New CouncilThe Department of Homeland Security met in Georgia with members of the National Association of Secretaries of State and other election executives to discuss the creation of a new council that seeks to facilitate communications between states and DHS in the event of a future cyber attack, the Washington Examiner reported Sunday.

The plan to establish a new government coordinating council came months after DHS designated election systems as critical infrastructure in January in response to Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

“The other importance of the coordinating council actually being formed, is that there is so much activity on the federal level regarding legislation, I think this will give us, hopefully, a venue to help us inform members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that states are taking an active role and we are doing a lot to prepare ourselves for the 2018 elections and beyond,” said Connie Lawson, NASS president and Indiana secretary of state.

Lawson said attendees also tackled the need to establish a chain of communication, objectives and deliverables for the proposed council at this weekend’s meeting, which was also attended by Elections Assistance Council representatives.

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OPM: Global Satisfaction Index in 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Reached 64%
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OPM: Global Satisfaction Index in 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Reached 64%


OPM: Global Satisfaction Index in 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey Reached 64%The Office of Personnel Management has conducted the 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey and found that this year’s global satisfaction index rose by 3 percentage points to 64, up from 61 percent in 2016.

OPM said Thursday it polled 486,105 federal employees from approximately 80 agencies for the 2017 FEVS report and found that government-wide employee engagement reached a score of 67 percent, an increase of 2 percentage points over the previous year.

The overall new inclusion quotient score that evaluates employee diversity and collaboration in agencies reached 60 percent, the highest score since OPM conducted the survey in 2013.

“FEVS results point the way to stronger workplaces,” said Kathy McGettigan, acting OPM director.

“The ongoing actions of federal leadership and employees are key to building on the positive gains we have made over the last few years, while addressing areas in need of improvement,” she added.

The agency noted that nearly 100 percent across FEVS items stayed the same or reflected a hike over last year and among the areas that showed the largest increases include organizational satisfaction, management communication and supervisory relationships.

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Rex Tillerson: Trump to Decertify Iran Under US Nuclear Agreement Review Law
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Rex Tillerson: Trump to Decertify Iran Under US Nuclear Agreement Review Law


Rex Tillerson: Trump to Decertify Iran Under US Nuclear Agreement Review LawSecretary of State Rex Tillerson has said President Donald Trump will decertify Iran under a 2015 U.S. law that directs the president to certify that the Middle Eastern country is in compliance with the Iran nuclear deal every 90 days, Defense News reported Friday.

“The intent is that we will stay in [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] – but the president is going to decertify under [the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act],” Tillerson said in a conference call.

JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, is a multinational agreement signed in July 2015 that allows the country to advance its nuclear energy initiative provided that it is used solely for peaceful purposes.

Tillerson noted that Trump expressed dissatisfaction with JCPOA’s sanctions relief terms despite his previous move to certify Iran’s technical compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

Defense One also reported that the White House’s plan to decertify Iran under INARA would result in a 60-day review of that law by lawmakers and possible reimposition of lifted sanctions on Iran under JCPOA.

“Our posture on compliance is completely different than the previous administration’s,” Tillerson told reporters during the conference call Thursday.

The White House, for instance, seeks to direct Iran to provide inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency immediate access to any nuclear site in the country, the report added.

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Report: NASA Mulls Cooperation on Future Russian Lunar Missions
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Report: NASA Mulls Cooperation on Future Russian Lunar Missions


Report: NASA Mulls Cooperation on Future Russian Lunar Missions
NASA photo

Jim Green, director of NASA‘s planetary science division, has said that the space agency is in talks with Russian officials about potential cooperation on Russia’s future lunar missions, Space News reported Friday.

Russia aims to launch a series of missions to the moon from 2019 through 2024, including the Luna-25 lander, Luna-26 orbiter, Luna-27 sample return mission and the Luna-28 exploration project.

Green did not disclose the details of the possible cooperation, but it could likely involve the integration of NASA-funded scientists or instruments on the missions, the report noted.

NASA plans to host a conference in January at the Ames Research Center in California to discuss science priorities for future moon lander missions.

Green noted he anticipates European, Russian and other international officials to attend the conference.

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Reports: Classified Data Not Compromised in 2016 Australian F-35 Info Breach
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Reports: Classified Data Not Compromised in 2016 Australian F-35 Info Breach


Reports: Classified Data Not Compromised in 2016 Australian F-35 Info BreachThe Pentagon’s F-35 joint program office has said a cybersecurity breach of technical aircraft information from an Australia-based supplier in summer 2016 did not compromise sensitive data, Defense News reported Friday.

F-35 JPO spokesman Joe DellaVedova told Defense News the office was aware of the hacking incident that affected non-classified information.

Reuters reported Thursday nearly 30 gigabytes of commercial data on the F-35 and P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft were stolen during the hack.

Australia’s cybersecurity center said in its 2017 Threat Report report it addressed 734 breaches related to “systems of national interest” for the Australian government’s fiscal year ended June 30 and pointed to defense contractors as primary target of cyber attacks.

An unindentified malicious actor exploited a flaw within an information technology helpdesk portal managed by an Australian defense company last year and gained access to data related to certain aircraft platforms including F-35,  ZDNet posted Wednesday

Mitchell Clarke, an incident response manager at Australia’s signals directorate, said the hacked information was regulated under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and urged the Australia’s government to establish strict security controls requirements for contractors to prevent similar attacks.

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U.S. Navy and NATO Ships Participate at Formidable Shield Exercise
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U.S. Navy and NATO Ships Participate at Formidable Shield Exercise


U.S. Navy and NATO Ships Participate at Formidable Shield ExerciseThe U.S. Navy and naval forces from seven other NATO member countries have engaged in an integrated air and missile defense scenario Saturday as part of the Formidable Shield 2017 exercise.

Warships from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, UK and U.S. defended against a ballistic missile and three anti-ship cruise missiles during the live-fire IAMD test, the U.S. 6th Fleet said Saturday.

The exercise brings together more than 14 ships, approximately 3,300 personnel and 10 aircraft platforms from the aforementioned countries, as well as Belgium, Denmark and France to participate in exercises on the U.K. defense ministry’s Hebrides Range in Scotland.

The U.S. ships taking part in the event include Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook, USS Mitscher and USS Winston S. Churchill, as well as Louis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Medger Evers.

USS Donald Cook fired a Standard Missile-3 Block IB to intercept a medium-range ballistic missile target.

At the same time, Spanish Frigate SPS Alvaro de Bazan launched an Evolved SeaSparrow Missile to defend against an anti-ship cruise missile, as Netherlands Frigate HNLMS Tromp also fired an ESSM towards anti-ship cruise missiles.

The Missile Defense Agency and Navy also test-fired a Standard Missile-6 from USS McFaul guided-missile destroyer as part of the missile technology’s flight certification process.

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GAO Recommends FirstNet to Address Tribal Stakeholders’ Concerns on Public-Safety Broadband Network
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GAO Recommends FirstNet to Address Tribal Stakeholders’ Concerns on Public-Safety Broadband Network


GAO Recommends FirstNet to Address Tribal Stakeholders' Concerns on Public-Safety Broadband NetworkThe Government Accountability Office urged the First Responder Network Authority in June to consider tribal stakeholders’ concerns regarding the future Public-Safety Broadband Network and evaluate long-term staffing requirements for the effort.

GAO said in a report published Thursday that FirstNet has opened a test lab for public safety devices and applications in a move to address some challenges and concerns prior to deployment in the network.

The government watchdog agency added that FirstNet has created offices to manage its network contractor as well as established policies and procedures for contract administration guidance, but the agency has not yet established long-term projections of staffing needs for offices.

Some FirstNet stakeholders contacted by GAO have voiced their concerns regarding the delivery of services in rural areas, buildings and underground, the network’s resiliency and cybersecurity as well as the management of frameworks for user identity, access management and user credentials.

AT&T will design, develop, evolve, operate and produce the FirstNet Public-Safety Broadband Network, noted GAO.

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GAO: Commerce Dept & NIST Should Address Physical Security Gaps
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GAO: Commerce Dept & NIST Should Address Physical Security Gaps


GAO: Commerce Dept & NIST Should Address Physical Security GapsThe Government Accountability Office has urged the Commerce Department and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to take steps to address challenges facing NIST’s physical security efforts.

GAO said in a report published Wednesday 75 percent of surveyed NIST personnel believe that agency leaders put “great” or “very great” importance on security matters, but employees showed varied levels of awareness on security responsibilities due to limited communication within the agency.

NIST should establish a comprehensive communication strategy, interim milestone dates and efficiency assessment methods to address security vulnerabilities that result from disparities between employees’ security awareness levels, GAO noted.

The report also found that NIST shares the management of its physical security program with the Commerce Department, which causes fragmentation in responsibilities.

The Commerce Department oversees security personnel that implement physical security policies, while NIST leads physical security countermeasures including access control technology.

NIST and its parent organization established the current organizational structure in October 2015 without evaluating its effect on NIST’s physical security efforts, GAO said.

Commerce and NIST most recently conducted risk management activities for NIST campuses in 2015 and 2017, but did not fully comply with the mandated federal risk management process developed by the Interagency Security Committee, the report revealed.

GAO revealed that the risk management efforts were executed without a sound risk assessment methodology; fully documented key risk management decisions; and appropriate stakeholder involvement.

NIST and Commerce also performed overlapping risk management activities that could lead to duplication, the congressional watchdog reported.

GAO recommended NIST to integrate elements of key practices into its security efforts; evaluate its current physical security management structure in coordination with Commerce; and work with the department on the implementation of coordinated risk management policies.

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