Jeff Boleng, acting chief technology officer at Carnegie Mellon University’s software engineering institute, will serve as special assistant for software acquisition at the Defense Department starting Monday, April 16, Defense News reported Friday.

Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment and a 2018 Wash100 recipient, announced Boleng’s appointment to the newly created role during a roundtable with reporters Friday.

Lord said Boleng will focus at least 90 percent of his time on the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 aircraft and help “bring the right talent onboard.”

Boleng will help oversee the development of software development policies and standards across DoD and offer advice on commercial software development best practices to Pentagon leadership as the F-35 joint program office implements the Continuous Capability Development and Delivery strategy.

Boleng is responsible for SEI’s research and development portfolio that covers software development, cybersecurity and data analytics in support of government, industry and academia.

Prior to joining the institute in 2012, he spent more than two decades in the U.S. Air Force where he served as a computer science instructor at the Air Force Academy and as a network engineer with the 1st combat communications squadron.

Defense Secretary James Mattis and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have told House Armed Services Committee members that the two-year budget agreement passed by Congress supports National Defense Strategy implementation efforts, DoD News reported Thursday.

Both officials also testified on a fiscal 2019 defense budget request during an HASC hearing that was held Thursday.

“This budget funds systems to enhance communications and resiliency in space,” Mattis, a 2018 Wash100 recipient, told committee members.

He added the department will prioritize efforts to accelerate the delivery, continuous adaptation of technology platforms.

Dunford, also a 2018 Wash100 recipient, said he believes the U.S. military can “defend the homeland, meet our alliance commitments and prevail in any conflict.”

The JCS chair added he believes the federal government should invest in a full range of systems to deter foreign threats.

Defense representatives from the U.S. and Norway have signed a “security of supply arrangement” to solidify their partnership in exchanging defense products and services for national security, Defense News reported Friday.

Morten Tiller, national armaments director at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, and Eric Chewning, deputy assistant undersecretary for manufacturing and industrial base policy at the Defense Department, sealed the agreement at the Norwegian-American Defense Conference.

The SoSA allows both countries’ defense departments to request priority delivery for their contracts and orders from companies under their jurisdiction.

Tiller said Norwegian firms will work to support U.S. authorities and prime contracts that demand security of supply arrangement in future contracts.

The partnership comes as the U.S. aims to strengthen its alliances under the new National Defense Strategy.

Martin Ahmad, deputy head for the Commander, Fleet Readiness Center of the Naval Air Systems Command, presented COMFRC’s completed and upcoming initiatives at the Sea Air Space Exposition held Monday to Wednesday.

NAVAIR said Wednesday Ahmad provided a brief on the Naval Aviation Enterprise’s Sustainment Vision 2020 for attendees of the event on Tuesday.

Ahmad said that NAVAIR’s fleet readiness centers have completed work on all aircraft that required depot-level repairs and have reached production goals for the last two years.

The COMFRC deputy cited compliance with the Critical Chain Project Management principles, the enhanced accuracy of the bill for parts and materials and rapid engineering investigations as factors for the optimized throughput rate.

Ahmad also noted collaborations with the Defense Logistics Agency, the Naval Supply Systems Command’s Weapon Systems Support and type commanders and program managers.

The COMFRC intended to enhance aircraft maintenance and modification operations, complete in-service repairs and increase the production of component repairs to address the backlog and reduce in-reporting aircraft in need of parts, Ahmad detailed at the exposition.

He added that the office will hire more artisans, engineers and logistics personnel in support of its operations.

NAE’s Sustainment Vision 2020 is targeted towards the four major areas of the sustainment value stream which are supply, manpower, maintenance planning and infrastructure, Ahmad said.

Ahmad remarked that the sustainment value stream areas are consolidated in an operations center to allow officials of various rank to access a uniform metrics in support of preparedness.

NAE executives endorsed the enterprise’s sustainment vision in October 2016.