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Civilian/News
Senate Panel Advances Bill to Address Security Clearance Backlog
by Scott Nicholas
Published on October 10, 2017
Senate Panel Advances Bill to Address Security Clearance Backlog


Senate Panel Advances Bill to Address Security Clearance BacklogThe Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced a bill Wednesday that seeks to reduce the current backlog of more than 700,000 government security clearance applications, Nextgov reported Friday.

The SECRET Act would mandate the National Background Investigations Bureau to report pending background investigations for executive branch personnel on a quarterly basis and require the White House to inform Congress of its security authorization process.

Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), Jon Tester (D-Montana) and Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) also proposed an amendment that would standardize the federal government’s background check process as well as update clearance requirements for various federal jobs.

Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel of the Professional Services Council, said he believes the current pace of the security clearance process affects federal agencies’ efforts to address mission challenges.

DoD/News
Report: Army Sheds Light on Multi-Domain Battle Concept Via Draft Document
by Jane Edwards
Published on October 10, 2017
Report: Army Sheds Light on Multi-Domain Battle Concept Via Draft Document


Report: Army Sheds Light on Multi-Domain Battle Concept Via Draft DocumentThe U.S. Army has released a draft document that describes how U.S. forces and allies will fight adversaries across air, ground, maritime, cyber and space domains in the period of 2025 through 2040, Defense One reported Monday.

The draft strategy describes Multi-Domain Battle as an operational concept that seeks to address challenges posed by peer adversaries through adoption of three components.

These include the use of “resilient formations” that can project power and work “semi-independently” at tactical and operational levels; convergence of capabilities across several domains to provide the Joint Force an advantage to maneuver; and force posture calibration to counter “hybrid war.”

The draft strategy also discusses the components of the Multi-Domain Battle operational framework in response to adversaries’ expansion of the battlespace and use of technologies and military systems to converge capabilities.

These components include deep fire areas, deep maneuver areas and close area as well as strategic, operational and tactical support areas.

The document also tackles how adversaries take measures to meet objectives below the level of armed conflict and how enemies employ reconnaissance assets, unconventional warfare, information warfare and conventional forces to disrupt alliances and destabilize target states.

News
CBO: Federal Budget Shortfall Rose to $668B in FY 2017
by Jane Edwards
Published on October 10, 2017
CBO: Federal Budget Shortfall Rose to $668B in FY 2017


CBO: Federal Budget Shortfall Rose to $668B in FY 2017A new Congressional Budget Office report says the federal budget deficit in fiscal year 2017 ended Sept. 30 reached $668 billion, approximately $82 billion higher than the shortfall recorded in the previous fiscal year.

CBO said Friday the FY 2017 budget shortfall was equivalent to 3.5 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2017, up from 3.2 percent of GDP in 2016.

The report showed total receipts associated with corporate and individual income taxes as well as Federal Reserve remittances and excise taxes rose by 1 percent to $3.3 trillion in FY 2017.

Total outlays in FY 2017 climbed by 3 percent to about $3.98 trillion driven by spending increases in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as in federal agencies such as the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Education.

The government’s FY 2017 total outlays reflect a $130 billion increase over spending recorded in the previous year.

The federal government recorded a surplus of $6 billion in September, a decline of $28 billion from the prior year period, according to CBO’s estimates.

Civilian/News
EPA Aims to Promote Environmental Stewardship Through Agency-Industry Partnership
by Joanna Crews
Published on October 10, 2017
EPA Aims to Promote Environmental Stewardship Through Agency-Industry Partnership


EPA Aims to Promote Environmental Stewardship Through Agency-Industry PartnershipThe Environmental Protection Agency has launched a program meant to help regulated industries manage environmental outcomes through a sector-based collaborative approach.

EPA said Oct. 3 its Smart Sectors initiative offers the agency an opportunity to explore environmental protection methods and policies.

Participating sectors include the aerospace, construction, electronics and technology, power generation and energy industries.

“The Smart Sectors program is designed to effectively engage business partners throughout the regulatory process,”  said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Pruitt added the agency seeks to encourage collaboration between regulators and businesses to protect the environment.

The EPA Office of Policy’s Immediate Office will oversee the program and each partner sector will appoint a leader to serve as the ombudsman within agency cross program and regional offices.

DoD/News
Report: Navy to Start Decommissioning Oldest Cruisers in 2020
by Ramona Adams
Published on October 9, 2017
Report: Navy to Start Decommissioning Oldest Cruisers in 2020


Report: Navy to Start Decommissioning Oldest Cruisers in 2020The U.S. Navy plans to decommission its 11 oldest cruisers over a six-year period, starting with the USS Mobile Bay and USS Bunker Hill guided missile ships in 2020, Defense News reported.

A decommissioning schedule obtained by Defense News says the 11 Ticonderoga-class cruisers will leave the Navy fleet by 2026, when they reach the end of their 35-year service life.

A source told the publication that none of the Navy’s force structure assessments require the military branch to extend the service life of the 11 cruisers to help the achieve its planned 355-ship fleet.

Lt. Seth Clarke, a Navy spokesman, said that the scheduled decommissioning effort aligns with the congressionally mandated ‘2-4-6’ cruiser modernization plan.

The ‘2-4-6’ plan requires the Navy to keep two ships inactive at a time for no more than four years, and put only up to six ships in the idle status at one time.

The service branch also aims to decommission USS Cape St. George in 2038 after 40 years of active service, including approximately four years in “phased modernization,” the report noted.

Government Technology/News
CBO: US Ports Cybersecurity Bill Would Cost $38M Through 2022
by Ramona Adams
Published on October 9, 2017
CBO: US Ports Cybersecurity Bill Would Cost $38M Through 2022


CBO: US Ports Cybersecurity Bill Would Cost $38M Through 2022A Congressional Budget Office report says a proposed bill that would address the cybersecurity of U.S. ports would cost $38 million to implement over the 2018 to 2022 period.

The Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017 would also authorize the U.S. Coast Guard to undertake cybersecurity-related activities, CBO said Friday.

The bill would not affect direct spending or revenue and would not raise net direct spending or on-budget deficits in four consecutive 10-year periods beginning 2028, the report noted.

CBO added that the proposed legislation would enforce intergovernmental and private sector mandates on owners and operators of port facilities and vessels.

The report says it would cost public and private entities $78 million and $156 million, respectively, to comply with the mandates in 2017.

The legislation would require DHS to foster cybersecurity information sharing between maritime stakeholders in government and industry as well as build a model for maritime cybersecurity risk assessment, among others.

DHS said it would need additional funds to implement some of the mandated efforts — particularly the requirement to boost information sharing.

The funding increase would primarily cover additional personnel that would design and deploy data sharing systems as well as perform analytical support.

DoD/News
Proposed Bill Would Reauthorize, Reform NSA Surveillance Program
by Ramona Adams
Published on October 9, 2017
Proposed Bill Would Reauthorize, Reform NSA Surveillance Program


Proposed Bill Would Reauthorize, Reform NSA Surveillance ProgramA bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that would reauthorize and reform a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that permits the National Security Agency to monitor communications of non-U.S. citizens outside the country as part of counterterrorism efforts.

A press release posted Friday on Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s (R-Virginia) website stated that the USA Liberty Act would establish a new framework of protections and transparency standards to help ensure that government agencies preserve individual liberties while using FISA’s Section 702 for surveillance.

The proposed bill would create new accountability measures to address the disclosure of U.S. citizens’ identities and enforce reporting requirements on the number of Americans that have been monitored under Section 702 surveillance programs.

The legislation would also increase penalties for persons who leak classified information as well as foster information sharing between intelligence agencies and allies to fight terrorism.

DoD/News
Heather Wilson: Air Force Needs to Establish Common Space C2 System
by Jane Edwards
Published on October 9, 2017
Heather Wilson: Air Force Needs to Establish Common Space C2 System


Heather Wilson: Air Force Needs to Establish Common Space C2 System
Heather Wilson

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has said there are several things the service needs to address in space operations and one of those is the establishment of a common system for command and control in an effort to build up situational awareness in space, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

“In the future as we update satellites that are going to be an open architecture system and we are no longer going to buy satellites with exquisite, kind of science experiment control systems,” Wilson said Thursday at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event.

“You have to have a common system for command and control, so if it doesn’t plug into the common system we’re not going to buy it,” she added.

Wilson noted that the U.S. government should prioritize the establishment of a policy in order to deter future attacks in the space domain and collaborate with international partners to develop rules on the use of space.Heather Wilson: Air Force Needs to Establish Common Space C2 System

“How do we establish norms of behavior in what will be a much more congested domain?,” she said.

“This will take some time, but it’s not an unknown thing; it’s not completely new.”

Secretary Wilson will be addressing the Potomac Officer’s Club as a keynote speaker at the 2017 Space: Innovations, Programs, and Policies Summit to be held Oct. 18, 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in McLean, VA.

Civilian/News
FedRAMP PMO Unveils Training Series for 3rd-Party Cloud Assessors
by Scott Nicholas
Published on October 9, 2017
FedRAMP PMO Unveils Training Series for 3rd-Party Cloud Assessors


FedRAMP PMO Unveils Training Series for 3rd-Party Cloud AssessorsThe program management office for the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has introduced a training series to help third-party assessment organizations plan and audit the security of government cloud service offerings.

The 300-level training program is meant to guide 3PAOs in efforts to address challenges that may arise during assessments of security package artifacts, development of security assessment reports and finalization of assessment documentation, FedRAMP said Thursday.

FedRAMP PMO intends to introduce at least one course every month and encourages interested stakeholders to complete the courses in the order recommended by the office.

The office is scheduled to release courses beginning next month through February next year.

Government Technology/News
Air Force Develops Encryption Tech to Secure Communication Devices
by Nichols Martin
Published on October 9, 2017
Air Force Develops Encryption Tech to Secure Communication Devices


Air Force Develops Encryption Tech to Secure Communication DevicesThe U.S. Air Force has built a chip technology designed to help military personnel encrypt data and communications between unmanned aerial vehicles or robotic systems for explosive ordnance disposal.

Mini Crypto is a lightweight encryption engine designed to generate a session-based key and requires only 400 milliwatts of power to function, the Air Force said Oct. 2.

Heidi Beason, program manager for Mini Crypto at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, led a nine-member team at Joint Base-San Antonio in Texas that developed and tested the chip.

“We think (Mini Crypto chip) will really help forward-deployed warfighters secure sensors, or communications devices, in areas where risk of interception is high, and still protect sensitive data, without burdening folks on the front lines with extra equipment or steps to safeguard the encryption device,” Beason said.

She added the technology is now ready for full production.

The chip’s key management system is designed to comply with the National Security Agency‘s data security standards.

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