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NASA Explores Potential Saturn Missions to Succeed Cassini
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NASA Explores Potential Saturn Missions to Succeed Cassini


NASA Explores Potential Saturn Missions to Succeed CassiniNASA has begun to evaluate proposals for future missions to Saturn, as the Cassini spacecraft performs its final approach to the planet, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

The space agency said Thursday it expects Cassini to plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere on Friday to end its 13-year mission around the planet and prevent collision with Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus.

Cassini will use eight of its 12 science instruments during the plunge to make its final scientific observations of Saturn, NASA added.

Jim Green, director of NASA’s planetary science division, told reporters that NASA is studying proposals that were submitted to the New Frontiers competition for a new planetary science mission.

Mission categories under New Frontiers include the exploration of Enceladus, Titan or Saturn’s ocean worlds.

NASA will pick multiple proposals later this year to perform additional studies, then select one proposal in May 2019 for full development.

The winning mission will receive up to $850 million and will be launched in late 2025.

NGA Offers Imagery, Mapping Data to Hurricane Response Efforts
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NGA Offers Imagery, Mapping Data to Hurricane Response Efforts


NGA Offers Imagery, Mapping Data to Hurricane Response EffortsThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has released geospatial imagery and mapping data to aid the government’s response and recovery efforts in areas hit by Hurricane Irma.

NGA said Wednesday it has provided geospatial support and evacuation route maps as well as evaluated damages in the storm’s wake after the agency received official requests from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and government of the Bahamas.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also asked NGA to deploy analysts who can help with domestic recovery programs in Tallahassee, Florida.

“From determining and prioritizing areas in need of assistance, to evaluating evacuation routes, the damage assessments provide first responders and residents impacted by Irma the immediate information they need,” said Todd Noel, chief of NGA’s domestic support and disaster analysis branch.

NGA assessed damage of affected residential areas and public infrastructure assets such as bridges and roads to support emergency response personnel in resource allocation efforts.

The agency’s Hurricane Irma support materials can be accessed here.

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James Mattis: 3-Month CR to Delay Induction of 11 Navy Ships, Impact 18 Army New-Start Projects
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James Mattis: 3-Month CR to Delay Induction of 11 Navy Ships, Impact 18 Army New-Start Projects


James Mattis: 3-Month CR to Delay Induction of 11 Navy Ships, Impact 18 Army New-Start Projects
James Mattis

Defense Secretary James Mattis has said a three-month continuing resolution would impact several construction and procurement programs that would affect U.S. military readiness if enacted for fiscal year 2018, Defense News reported Tuesday.

Mattis wrote in a Friday letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) a short-term CR would affect readiness and maintenance operations at several service branches.

Operating at current spending levels would force the U.S. Navy to delay the induction of 11 ships, a move that would aggravate ship maintenance efforts in FY 2018 and push back ship availabilities into FY 2019.

Some of the ships that are likely to be delayed include the USS Kidd (DDG-100) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Coronado (LCS-4) Independence-class littoral combat ship and the USS Port Royal (CG-73) Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser.

Mattis, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017, noted that a three-month CR would also impact DoD’s contracting efforts in FY 2018, including 18 new starts and eight production rate increases at the U.S. Army.

The Army’s new starts include the Armored Multi-purpose Vehicle, Paladin Integration Management Improvement program and the lightweight 30mm cannon.

A six-month CR would delay the Navy’s seven procurement contracts and affect the U.S. Air Force’s six new starts that include the Joint Space Operations Center Mission System and updates to F-15C and F-16 fighter jets, he added.

Mattis also cited the resolution’s potential impacts on personnel and training efforts across military branches and defense agencies.

DOE Invests $50M in National Laboratories’ Infrastructure Security R&D Projects
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DOE Invests $50M in National Laboratories’ Infrastructure Security R&D Projects


DOE Invests $50M in National Laboratories' Infrastructure Security R&D ProjectsThe Energy Department has allocated approximately $50 million for early-stage research and development projects of DOE’s national laboratories with the goal to increase the security and resilience of the country’s energy infrastructure.

DOE said Tuesday it awarded grants for seven Resilient Distribution Systems projects, which will develop grid technologies and support grid modernization activities, via the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium.

The department also issued grants for 20 cybersecurity projects that seek to protect the country’s electric grid, oil and natural gas infrastructure through R&D work on cyber technologies.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said that the investment will help develop new real-world technologies that the energy sector can utilize to boost the capacities of the energy infrastructure.

The investment also builds on the department’s efforts to foster the rapid development and adoption of tools and technologies that help boost the resiliency, security and reliability of electricity systems.

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Sens. David Perdue, Johnny Isakson Introduce NDAA Amendment to Protect JSTARS Recap Program
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Sens. David Perdue, Johnny Isakson Introduce NDAA Amendment to Protect JSTARS Recap Program


Sens. David Perdue, Johnny Isakson Introduce NDAA Amendment to Protect JSTARS Recap ProgramTwo Republican senators from Georgia have proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2018 that seeks to prevent the potential retirement of the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System by the U.S. Air Force, Atlanta Business Chronicle reported Tuesday.

The amendment introduced Tuesday by Sens. Johnny Isakson and David Perdue also aims to ensure the maintenance of the JSTARS aircraft fleet at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.

The measure came days after Isakson, Perdue and three House lawmakers wrote a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis about the service branch’s move to explore “alternative and surveillance platforms” instead of pursuing the E-8C JSTARS recapitalization program.

“There is no alternative for JSTARS and indicators of its retirement are unacceptable,” they wrote.

“Without this capability, we greatly diminish our nation’s airpower and reduce our combat strength.”

The senators co-wrote the letter with Reps. Austin Scott (R-Georgia), Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia) and Tom Graves (R-Georgia).

House Approves DHS Database Consolidation Bill
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House Approves DHS Database Consolidation Bill


House Approves DHS Database Consolidation BillThe House has passed a bill that would consolidate databases and systems of the Department of Homeland Security‘s 22 component agencies in a move to simplify information sharing across DHS, FCW reported Tuesday.

The DHS Data Framework Act seeks to streamline the process for exchange and analysis of intelligence on national security, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction between authorized department personnel.

DHS began to develop its Data Framework in 2013 to implement a “systematic repeatable process” for granting controlled access to department data, but the effort was faced with incompatibility issues between component agencies’ information technology systems, the report said.

The bill would require DHS to integrate legacy IT systems within two years and establish different domains for classified and unclassified information.

A DHS consolidated system would not include data that may compromise ongoing investigations and would only grant access to authorized employees, the report added.

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Dan Coats, Jeff Sessions Want Congress to Renew Foreign Intell Surveillance Authority
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Dan Coats, Jeff Sessions Want Congress to Renew Foreign Intell Surveillance Authority


Dan Coats, Jeff Sessions Want Congress to Renew Foreign Intell Surveillance AuthorityNational Intelligence Director Dan Coats and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have called on Congress to reauthorize a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that is set to expire by the end of 2017.

Sessions and Coats wrote in a Thursday letter to congressional leaders FISA’s Title VII permits the intelligence community to gather data on international terrorists, cyber threat actors and other foreign organizations and individuals involved in the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

They noted how a specific section of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 – Section 702 – helps intelligence agencies protect the country from international terrorism and cyber threats through collection of foreign intelligence data on non-Americans outside the U.S. while safeguarding the civil liberties and privacy of U.S. citizens.

“The Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence conduct extensive oversight reviews of Section 702 activities and Title VII requires us to report to Congress on implementation and compliance twice a year,” they wrote.

Coats and Sessions called on Congress to reauthorize FISA’s Title VII provisions “in clean and permanent form.”

The letter was addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

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Commerce Dept Reports Fiscal 2016 Tech Transfer Initiatives
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Commerce Dept Reports Fiscal 2016 Tech Transfer Initiatives


Commerce Dept Reports Fiscal 2016 Tech Transfer InitiativesThe Commerce Department has produced a report that details technology transfer activities across DOC’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Telecommunications and Information Administration components during fiscal 2016.

NIST said Monday the report highlights the role of technology transfer in the department’s efforts to foster economic growth, job creation, sustainable development and the development of living standards for U.S. citizens.

The department entered into 389 collaborative research and development agreements with non-federal entities over the past fiscal year and 54 of the CRADAs focused on security of public safety broadband communications, NIST noted.

NIST added the department also published a total of 3,056 scientific and technical publications across various peer-reviewed journals during FY 2016.

DOC filed for 25 patent applications and secured 12 patents in addition to the agency’s 55 disclosed new inventions.

The report also outlines NIST’s research projects in the areas of precision medicine diagnostics and delivery systems such as a measurement standard designed to boost the treatment quality for patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders and other infectious diseases.

Reports: US National Debt Exceeds $20T After Congress, Trump Approve Debt Limit Bill
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Reports: US National Debt Exceeds $20T After Congress, Trump Approve Debt Limit Bill


Reports: US National Debt Exceeds $20T After Congress, Trump Approve Debt Limit BillData from the Treasury Department showed that the national debt hit a record $20.1 million for the first time in history after Congress and President Donald Trump approved a three-month debt ceiling extension Friday, Washington Examiner reported Monday.

U.S. debt climbed from $19.8 trillion — the level that the Treasury Department worked to maintain since mid-March through “extraordinary measures,” the report said.

Congress aims to extend the debt ceiling suspension beyond Dec. 8 and President Trump wants to eliminate the ceiling altogether.

The Hill reported Michael Peterson, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, estimated that the national debt will require the government to spend $6 trillion on interest over the next 10 years.

Rep. Mark Walker (R-North Carolina) urged Congress to pass legislation that would address the government’s debt challenges before lawmakers authorize another debt limit extension.

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Army Officials Urge Service Members to Bolster Social Media Security
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Army Officials Urge Service Members to Bolster Social Media Security


Army Officials Urge Service Members to Bolster Social Media SecurityBrig. Gen. Tony Aguto, commander of 7th Army Training Command, has said the U.S. military should treat social media as an extension of cyberspace in terms of cybersecurity practices.

The U.S. Army said Monday U.S. service members and their families currently face the challenge of defending themselves against threats made through social networking sites.

“Potential foreign adversaries are using social media to make threats toward service members,” said Adam Troxel, lead special agent with the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade.

The Army’s operating concept recognizes that threat actors use social media to shape perceptions and cover-up large-scale military operations, but social media remains largely unaddressed by the Army doctrine, the service branch noted.

“As members of the U.S. military deployed overseas, we need to approach social media in the cyber domain the way we might approach any dangerous and unfamiliar territory: Be smart and keep a low profile,” said Col. Lance Varney, commander of the U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria.

The branch also called on soldiers and their family members to adopt methods to protect their social media identities.

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