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Report: DoD Asks ‘Fourth Estate’ Agencies to Migrate Apps to milCloud 2.0 Platform
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Report: DoD Asks ‘Fourth Estate’ Agencies to Migrate Apps to milCloud 2.0 Platform


Report: DoD Asks ‘Fourth Estate’ Agencies to Migrate Apps to milCloud 2.0 PlatformThe Defense Department has asked “fourth estate” agencies that have workloads in 105 data centers to move their applications to a Defense Information Systems Agency-managed commercial cloud platform, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.

A May 3 memo says fourth estate agencies should migrate virtualized workloads to the milCloud 2.0 platform by the end of March 2019 and move the remaining systems to the cloud by September 2020.

Fourth estate agencies listed in the document include the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Health Agency and the Defense Finance Accounting Service.

Essye Miller, then-acting chief information officer at DoD, wrote in the memo that the move seeks to streamline the cyber infrastructure and reduce the department’s data center footprint.

General Dynamics’ information technology business runs milCloud 2.0, which launched online in February, according to the report.

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Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA to Receive New Identity Assurance Tech in Summer
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Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA to Receive New Identity Assurance Tech in Summer


Vice Adm. Nancy Norton: DISA to Receive New Identity Assurance Tech in Summer
Nancy Norton

Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, said at an Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association event held Monday that DISA expects to receive some prototype devices for identity assurance this summer, FCW reported Tuesday.

She added the agency is scheduled to distribute 75 devices within the Defense Department in late fall.

DISA also plans to implement a prototype common access card replacement for users to authenticate, decrypt and sign operations in personal computers running Microsoft Windows, according to Norton (a 2018 Wash100 recipient).

She noted that a multifactor authentication technology will help agency personnel to unlock mobile derived credentials.

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House Lawmakers Introduce New Bill to Mandate White House Cyber Coordinator Role
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House Lawmakers Introduce New Bill to Mandate White House Cyber Coordinator Role


House Lawmakers Introduce New Bill to Mandate White House Cyber Coordinator RoleReps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) have introduced a bill that would make the cybersecurity coordinator role permanent in the White House, Federal Times reported Wednesday.

The Executive Cyberspace Coordination Act unveiled Tuesday would establish a national office for cyber space at the president’s office and comes after Rob Joyce, the Trump administrator’s cyber coordinator, resigned from his post.

Robert Palladino, a spokesman for the National Security Council, confirmed Tuesday that the White House has decided to remove the cyber coordinator position following Joyce’s departure, Reuters reported.

“Today’s actions continue an effort to empower National Security Council senior directors. Streamlining management will improve efficiency, reduce bureaucracy and increase accountability,” Palladino said in a statement.

Joyce, who resigned Friday, will return to the National Security Agency.

“The decision to eliminate the top White House cyber policy role is outrageous, especially given that we’re facing more hostile threats from foreign adversaries than ever before,” Lieu said.

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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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