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NIST Updates Tech Transfer, Licensing Rules for Innovations Under Government-Funded R&D
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NIST Updates Tech Transfer, Licensing Rules for Innovations Under Government-Funded R&D


NIST Updates Tech Transfer, Licensing Rules for Innovations Under Government-Funded R&DThe National Institute of Standards and Technology has updated regulations related to technologies that universities, large and small businesses, nonprofits and laboratories invent as part of federally funded research and development.

NIST said Tuesday changes to Code of Federal Regulations sections that cover the 1980 Bayh-Dole Act are anticipated to impact the licensing of government-owned inventions by R&D funding recipients and also enhance technology transfer efforts.

“The Bayh-Dole Act is a key element of U.S. innovation, and the changes conform its rules to current patent laws, improving our ability to move innovative technologies to the marketplace, where they can create jobs and keep U.S. companies competitive,” said NIST Director Walter Copan.

The agency’s new rule mainly applies to projects under government grants, contracts and cooperative agreements executed after Monday and works to streamline electronic reporting, enable automatic extensions for non-provisional patent applications as well as allow the funded entity to utilize its Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with a federal laboratory to support a license application.

NIST added the updates are in line with the lab-to-market Cross Agency Priority and information technology modernization targets under the President’s Management Agenda.

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Trump Signs Executive Order to Provide More Authorities to Agency CIOs
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Trump Signs Executive Order to Provide More Authorities to Agency CIOs


Trump Signs Executive Order to Provide More Authorities to Agency CIOsPresident Donald Trump has issued a new executive order that aims to provide federal agency chief information officers additional authorities in order to advance information technology modernization and enable IT systems to support missions, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.

The executive order would direct agency CIOs to directly report to the agency head and make them lead advisers on multiyear and annual planning; budgeting; execution decisions; programming; and IT-related management, governance and oversight.

The new policy would authorize government CIOs to serve on IT government boards and provide them hiring authorities to address IT talent shortage, according to the document.

A senior administration official said the EO exempts the Defense Department, citing the agency’s distinct governance structure and situation.

The order would require agency leaders to restructure agency IT functions to facilitate IT infrastructure consolidation; promote shared use of IT platforms and other industry best practices; and put an end to unneeded IT management functions.

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Report: Senate Bill to Address China’s Influence in Indo-Pacific Region With $7.5B in Defense Funds
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Report: Senate Bill to Address China’s Influence in Indo-Pacific Region With $7.5B in Defense Funds


Report: Senate Bill to Address China’s Influence in Indo-Pacific Region With $7.5B in Defense FundsFour senators have introduced a bill that would allocate $1.5 billion in annual defense funds over five years to deter and counter China’s influence in the Pacific region and bolster military partnership with Taiwan, Defense News reported Tuesday.

The proposed Asia Reassurance Initiative Act would authorize regular weapons sales to Taiwan and reaffirm the country’s security commitments to Japan, Australia, South Korea and other allied nations in the Indo-Pacific, according to the measure’s background paper.

Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced the proposed legislation.

The bill aims to serve as a policy framework to demonstrate U.S. commitment to a rules-based international order and build up U.S. leadership in Asia, Rubio’s office said in an April 24 news release.

“With China’s increasingly assertive rise, it is critical that the United States reaffirm our commitment to securing a free and open Indo-Pacific region through enhanced cooperation with our democratic partners,” Rubio said.

ARIA also aims to promote cyber cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies; implement U.S. overflight rights and freedom of navigation in the region; establish U.S. policy to implement nuclear non-proliferation and arms control regulations; and advance multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations with Indo-Pacific countries, according to the bill’s summary.

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DHS and DOT Collaborate to Develop Guidelines on Federal Fleet Telematics Security
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DHS and DOT Collaborate to Develop Guidelines on Federal Fleet Telematics Security


DHS and DOT Collaborate to Develop Guidelines on Federal Fleet Telematics SecurityThe Department of Homeland Security‘s Science and Technology Directorate has collaborated with the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center of the Transportation Department to provide an introductory text on cybersecurity for vehicle telematics for federal fleet managers.

DHS said Tuesday the Telematics Cybersecurity Primer for Agencies will support the security of vehicles of federal agencies such as the CBP and the FBI, the military and federal and state law enforcement organizations.

The primer provides a guide on the protection of telematics communications and device firmware, actions and integrity through security approaches that include access control, assessments and authorizations, and penetration tests.

S&T and the Volpe Center’s guide text also includes requirements under the Federal Information Security Management Act and procurement language for telematics cybersecurity for the General Services Administration and fleet managers.

DHS and DOT Collaborate to Develop Guidelines on Federal Fleet Telematics Security

The primer also cites applicable security controls from the Special Publication 800-53 Security and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

DOT’s Volpe Center and the CERT Division of the Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute tested the cybersecurity of devices for vehicle telematics for the development of the primer.

Executive Order 13693 Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade that was issued in March 2015 required the collection of the operations data of federal vehicle fleets through telematics that can connect to wireless and internet communications.

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Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA, JFHQ-DODIN Back Warfighters Through Innovation, Cyber Defense, Tech Delivery
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Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA, JFHQ-DODIN Back Warfighters Through Innovation, Cyber Defense, Tech Delivery


Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA, JFHQ-DODIN Back Warfighters Through Innovation, Cyber Defense, Tech Delivery
Nancy Norton

Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and commander of the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network, has said DISA and JFHQ-DODIN support warfighters through innovation, technology delivery and cyber domain defense.

Norton said at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association’s Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium Tuesday that those three categories work to provide information technology and communications support to service personnel worldwide, DISA said Tuesday.

She noted that DISA promotes innovation through research and development work in blockchain technology, assured identity and electromagnetic spectrum.

“Prototype devices for establishing assured identity are being developed right now. The first few will arrive this summer to assist with determining the right test parameters, and in the fall we will distribute 75 devices for testing,” said Norton, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

Norton said JFHQ-DODIN implements at least 2,000 countermeasures to defend DODIN from cyber threats.

She also discussed DISA’s plan to deploy the Defense Enterprise Office Solution and Joint Regional Security Stacks projects.

DISA issued a draft solicitation in April for the potential 10-year, $7.8 billion DEOS single-award contract to acquire an enterprise cloud service platform designed to facilitate collaboration and communications in support of DoD operations.

Norton said DISA will issue the final request for proposals for the DEOS indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018.

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DHS Sets Approach to National Cyber Risk Management Through New Strategy
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DHS Sets Approach to National Cyber Risk Management Through New Strategy

DHS Sets Approach to National Cyber Risk Management Through New StrategyThe Department of Homeland Security has issued a new strategy that outlines measures to detect and manage cybersecurity risk and address changing threats to critical infrastructure and functions.

DHS said Tuesday the new cyber strategy was released in compliance with the fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and seeks to prioritize and harmonize the department’s programming, planning, operational and budgeting efforts across its cyber mission areas.

The strategy aims to manage cyber risks through a five-part approach that includes risk identification; vulnerability reduction; consequence mitigation; enablement of cyber outcomes; and threat reduction.

“Our strategy outlines how DHS will leverage its unique capabilities on the digital battlefield to defend American networks and get ahead of emerging cyber threats,” said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a 2018 Wash100 recipient.

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CBO: House Panel’s FY 2019 Defense Bill Would Affect Direct Spending Over 10 Years
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CBO: House Panel’s FY 2019 Defense Bill Would Affect Direct Spending Over 10 Years


CBO: House Panel's FY 2019 Defense Bill Would Affect Direct Spending Over 10 YearsA Congressional Budget Office report says that enactment of the House Armed Services Committee’s fiscal 2019 defense appropriations bill would affect the Defense Department‘s direct spending by less than $500,000 over the next decade.

CBO said Monday multiple provisions under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, or H.R. 5515, would also have “insignificant” effects on direct spending.

Those provisions seek to increase military retirement eligibility, change the timing of outlays from current appropriations and authorize DoD to spend contributions for certain purposes.

The proposed NDAA would increase penalties and impose sanctions on entities that transact with Russia, the report noted.

CBO added that such fines are classified as revenues and would amount to less than $500,000 over a 10-year period.

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National Guard Stages Nationwide Cybersecurity Exercise for 2018
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National Guard Stages Nationwide Cybersecurity Exercise for 2018


National Guard Stages Nationwide Cybersecurity Exercise for 2018The National Guard has hosted the Cyber Shield 2018 exercise as part of an effort to establish itself as a versatile service supporting the cyber defense of 54 states and territories.

The reserve force component is working with partners from other agencies and industry with the aim of bolstering cybersecurity and technological capacities for national defense, the U.S. Army said Monday.

The two-week exercise is divided into two phases. Participants are given the chance to acquire and bolster cybersecurity skills through learning sessions with military, government and industry leaders during the first week.

The second week tasks participating National Guard members to defend networks against trained opponents through the use of skills developed in the first week.

A volunteer staff consisting of National Guard and reserve soldiers and airmen planned and administered the seventh Cyber Shield over an 11-month period.

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Paul Lawrence Named VA Undersecretary for Benefits
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Paul Lawrence Named VA Undersecretary for Benefits


Paul Lawrence Named VA Undersecretary for Benefits
Paul Lawrence

Paul Lawrence, former public sector vice president of Kaiser Associates, has been appointed to serve as the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ undersecretary for benefits, effective today.

He holds decades of accounting experience, having held leadership roles at several companies, including Ernst & Young, Accenture, MITRE, PwC and IBM, VA said Monday.

Lawrence also formerly served with the U.S. Army as a captain and is a graduate of the Army Airborne School.

“VA now has two of three undersecretaries in place, with both assuming office more than a year before their counterparts in the previous administration,” said Robert Wilkie, the department’s acting secretary.

President Donald Trump nominated Lawrence for the position in February.

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John Gibson Explains DoD’s JEDI Cloud Single-Award Contract Plan to Congress
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John Gibson Explains DoD’s JEDI Cloud Single-Award Contract Plan to Congress


John Gibson Explains DoD's JEDI Cloud Single-Award Contract Plan to Congress
John Gibson

The Defense Department has sent a letter to Congress to explain its decision to pursue a single-award contract for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud procurement program instead of a multiple-award contract, Fedscoop reported Monday.

Adopting a multiple-award contract for the JEDI cloud program “could prevent DoD from rapidly delivering new capabilities and improved effectiveness to the warfighter that enterprise-level cloud computing can enable” and could lead to “additional costs and technical complexity” on the Pentagon, John Gibson, DoD chief management officer, wrote in the letter obtained by FedScoop.

Gibson noted that DoD intends to implement multiple measures to address issues related to the vendor lock-in arrangement and limit the base term to two years.

Nextgov also reported that DoD aims for the JEDI cloud platform to host nuclear weapon design data and other classified information.

The department would require the winning contractor to secure the Energy Department’s “Q” and “L” clearances that seek to facilitate access to restricted nuclear information and other top-secret security clearances, according to new contracting documents.

Heather Babb, a spokeswoman for DoD, told Nextgov that the department intends for cloud services under the procurement program to be “offered at all classification levels” and would provide defense and military clients leeway to identify data and applications they want to move to the cloud.

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