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NNSA, Air Force Conduct B61-12 Bomb Qualification Flight Tests
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NNSA, Air Force Conduct B61-12 Bomb Qualification Flight Tests


NNSA, Air Force Conduct B61-12 Bomb Qualification Flight TestsThe U.S. Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration have completed a pair of qualification flight tests for the B61-12 gravity bombs.

NNSA said Monday an F-15E aircraft carried and dropped the non-nuclear bomb assemblies during the tests held Aug. 8 at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

The test flights were conducted as part of a three-year series meant to prepare B61-12 for service.

“The B61-12 life extension program is progressing on schedule to meet national security requirements,” said Phil Calbos, acting deputy administrator for defense programs at NNSA.

NNSA and the Air Force used equipment from the Energy Department‘s Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, Nuclear Security Enterprise facilities and Boeing.

The first B61-12 production unit is scheduled for March 2020 completion.

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Air Force Life Cycle Mgmt Center Uses Supercomputer for Weather Forecasting
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Air Force Life Cycle Mgmt Center Uses Supercomputer for Weather Forecasting


Air Force Life Cycle Mgmt Center Uses Supercomputer for Weather ForecastingThe Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has bought a supercomputer system to aid the military branch’s weather prediction activities.

Thor is currently installed at the Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts and designed to observe global weather patterns as well as provide individual air bases and U.S. Army units with specific forecasts on areas as small as six square miles, the Air Force said Wednesday.

“We’re running the same modeling program as our allies in [England], Australia, South Korea and New Zealand,” said Robert Born, Thor program manager.

“That way, when we’re in joint operations, we can all be working off the same forecast and aligning our plans to the same base assumptions,” Born added.

The Thor system consists of an estimated 1,000 individual blade servers built to help users predict various weather scenarios that may affect military operations.

The Air Force also uses the platform to generate customized forecasts, aeronautical forecasts and narrow forecasts that cover data on the atmosphere and areas with active military units.

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Kevin Cox: DHS to Require Vendors to Submit Supply Chain Risk Mgmt Plans for Cyber Products
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Kevin Cox: DHS to Require Vendors to Submit Supply Chain Risk Mgmt Plans for Cyber Products


Kevin Cox: DHS to Require Vendors to Submit Supply Chain Risk Mgmt Plans for Cyber ProductsThe Department of Homeland Security plans to implement a new requirement that seeks to provide federal agencies information on commercial cybersecurity products and services they purchase, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.

Kevin Cox, manager of the continuous diagnostic and mitigation program at DHS, told the station the updated supply chain risk management plan for CDM offerings would require vendors to complete a questionnaire about the products they intend to be included in the CDM approved products list.

“The questionnaire addresses some background relating to the manufacturer in just getting some information in regards to having some visibility in terms of how the product was manufactured, what kind of visibility there was in tracking the supply chain of the product and in many cases the original equipment manufacturer,” Cox said.

“The goal is to really mature the visibility that the government has in terms of the products it’s offering out to the agencies, states, locals, tribes and territories, and the vendors have done their assessment of the product and can stand by what they are submitting,” he added.

DHS unveiled the SCRM plan in line with the Aug. 3 launch of a special item number for cyber platforms under the General Services Administration’s Schedule 70.

Cox noted that DHS and GSA will exempt approximately 70,000 cyber hardware, software and services that are already covered by the CDM program from complying with the new SCRM requirement, the report added.

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Army Seeks Accelerated Deployment of Modern Computing Systems
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Army Seeks Accelerated Deployment of Modern Computing Systems

Army Seeks Accelerated Deployment of Modern Computing SystemsThe U.S. Army expects to field new mission-command hardware and software platforms for all active, Reserve and National Guard units by 2024.

The military branch said Monday it aims to fully deploy an updated software dubbed Joint Battle Command-Platform and a new standardized tactical computer called Mounted Family of Computing System, two years ahead of the initial completion schedule.

JBC-P and MFoCS work to optimize situational awareness, chat functions and user interfaces for soldiers in combat vehicles.

Lt. Col. Shane Sims, a product manager for JBC-P, said the accelerated fielding of new computing platforms “will pave the modernization path for the Army’s Mounted Computing Environment.”

MCE is one of six computing environments of the Army’s Common Operating Environment and is designed provide a common set of applications and services.

The Army Training and Doctrine Command worked with the JBC-P program office to shorten new equipment training time for soldiers from 40 to 16 hours in an effort to accelerate deployment timeline.

The military branch’s mission command program manager will also increase the size of training and fielding teams as well as the acquisition of vehicle hardware and software to meet the 2024 deadline.

JBC-P is currently used by 17 units and will be rolled out to 18 additional units during fiscal year 2018.

Beginning FY 2019, 50 to 70 Army units are scheduled to undergo fielding and training every year — an increase from 30 to 50 units in the original timeline.

The Army plans to have 98,000 MFoCS systems in the field by 2024.

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Rex Tillerson to Close State Dept Cyber Office; Realign Special Envoy Roles
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Rex Tillerson to Close State Dept Cyber Office; Realign Special Envoy Roles


Rex Tillerson to Close State Dept Cyber Office; Realign Special Envoy Roles
Rex Tillerson

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has notified Congress of his plans to shut down the State Department‘s cyber coordinator office and transfer its responsibilities to the economics bureau, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

Tillerson wrote in a letter to Sen. Robert Corker (R-Tennessee) that he also aims to eliminate or realign special envoy positions as part of a larger effort to reorganize the State Department, the report noted.

The reorganization effort is intended to streamline department operations, address redundancies and consolidate offices within regional and functional bureaus, according to Tillerson.

The move could also support Tillerson’s plan to reduce the State Department’s budget by approximately 30 percent, Nextgov noted.

Certain special roles will be retained and expanded, including the special ambassador for religious freedom and a representative to Muslim communities, the report said.

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DoD OKs List of Geographic Exclusion Zones for 2 Commercial Remote Sensing Imaging Systems
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DoD OKs List of Geographic Exclusion Zones for 2 Commercial Remote Sensing Imaging Systems


DoD OKs List of Geographic Exclusion Zones for 2 Commercial Remote Sensing Imaging SystemsThe Defense Department has cleared a list of 151 geographic exclusion zones for commercial shortwave infrared imaging and night-time imaging platforms, Space News reported Tuesday.

Two officials said Thursday at an Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing meeting DoD handed over the list to the Commerce Department to help the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration facilitate the licensing process for commercial remote sensing systems.

“There is significant risk to military operations as it pertains to the commercial sale of shortwave infrared and imagery that is taken at high resolution at night,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Cobos, head of space policy efforts on the Joint Staff.

Cobos said DoD initiated the effort to develop licensing conditions and geographic exclusion zones for commercial shortwave and night-time imaging in January and received approximately 5,000 areas nominated by the national security community for exclusion.

He noted the Pentagon reduced that list to 83 exclusion zones for night-time imaging and 68 for shortwave infrared imaging.

“They are primarily military installations where we conduct training, where we prepare to go to war, where we are employing our force in direct preparation for a mission overseas, or a location overseas where they are currently operating,” Cobos added.

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Air Force Cyber Squadron Supports Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Mission
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Air Force Cyber Squadron Supports Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Mission


Air Force Cyber Squadron Supports Nuclear Treaty Monitoring MissionA cyber squadron within the U.S. Air Force‘s Technical Applications Center aims to standardize its enterprise to further support AFTAC’s nuclear treaty monitoring efforts.

The Cyber Capabilities Squadron also plans to form a mission defense team that will carry out cyberspace defense operations for mission critical systems at the center, the Air Force said Tuesday.

“This pathfinder initiative takes aim at protecting the mission’s crown jewels,” said CYCS Commander Maj. Nathan Loyd.

“It is an important shift in posture to ensure AFTAC is able to execute its treaty monitoring mission across air, sea, space and cyberspace,” Loyd added.

AFTAC works to monitor all nations’ compliance with the nuclear weapons testing ban through a network of 3,600 worldwide sensors that collect data on the magnitude, yield and location of nuclear explosions.

CYSC is comprised of 150 military, civilian and contractor personnel that deliver information technology services to AFTAC.

The squadron oversees and sustains AFTAC’s servers, long haul communications systems, databases, hardware and software.

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NASA Johnson Space Center to Remain Closed Through Labor Day Due to Weather Conditions in Houston
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NASA Johnson Space Center to Remain Closed Through Labor Day Due to Weather Conditions in Houston


NASA Johnson Space Center to Remain Closed Through Labor Day Due to Weather Conditions in HoustonNASA‘s Johnson Space Center will be closed to non-essential personnel through Labor Day on Sept. 4 as a result of the weather conditions in Houston, Texas and the impact of Tropical Storm Harvey.

The space agency said Wednesday that the center’s leaders continue to monitor the situation in Houston and will prepare to assess the facility’s status after the storm passes.

NASA noted that the closure of the center will allow employees to stay away from harsh road conditions as well as provide an opportunity for select personnel to continue high-priority mission activities such as the landing of three crew members.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our employees and all our fellow Houstonians … We’re taking these measures to ensure the members of our team and their families can take care of themselves and their neighbors,” said Ellen Ochoa, director of the Johnson Space Center.

The space agency began placed the James Webb Space Telescope in a giant thermal vacuum at the Johnson Space Center in July as part of a 100-day cryogenic test that will look to validate the platform’s capacity to withstand against the cold temperatures in space.

NASA said that backup systems at the space center have been prepared to support the James Webb Space Telescope testing if necessary.

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Reports: Trump, Pentagon Condemn Latest North Korea Missile Launch Tests
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Reports: Trump, Pentagon Condemn Latest North Korea Missile Launch Tests


Reports: Trump, Pentagon Condemn Latest North Korea Missile Launch TestsPresident Donald Trump and the Pentagon have condemned the actions of North Korea following that country’s latest missile launches, one of which saw a rocket cross over Japan’s airspace.

Trump called the most recent launch test a signal of North Korea’s “contempt” toward the international community, Politico reported Tuesday.

“Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world,” he said in a statement, according to the report.

The president added that he will consider all options in forming the U.S. response to the incident.

Politico said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe echoed Trump’s comments and noted the need for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting following the North Korean intermediate-range missile launch Tuesday.

U.S. Pacific Command previously detected three short-range ballistic missiles fired from Kittaeryong Saturday, with two directed toward a northeastern direction, The Hill reported Monday.

The Defense Department said the launch tests remain a threat even if they were fired away from the U.S. or Guam.

“[We] have to make the assumption that they continue to learn throughout each one of these missile launches,” said Pentagon Spokesman Col. Robert Manning.

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Report: Federal Govt Faces Backlog of 700K Security Clearance Applications
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Report: Federal Govt Faces Backlog of 700K Security Clearance Applications


Report: Federal Govt Faces Backlog of 700K Security Clearance ApplicationsA trade group says delays in background checks on individuals that have applied for security clearances from the federal government have resulted in a backlog of more than 700,000 applications, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

That figure from the Aerospace Industry Association reflects an increase from the backlog of about 570,000 unfinished clearances the Office of Personnel Management reported in 2016.

A federal official said in May the process for securing security clearances at the top-secret level took at least 450 days to finish as of March.

OPM also stopped issuing reports on the backlog after the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum in June that seeks to reduce reporting requirements for federal agencies.

The delay in federal background checks also has posed a challenge to government contractors seeking to fill positions that deal with sensitive workloads.

Raytheon said in a white paper that 72 percent of the 2,348 secret-level clearance requests the company filed with the government for newly hired employees from January 2016 through April 2017 had not been completed as of April.

“Many talented employment prospects simply decide to seek alternative employment, rather than wait for a clearance determination,” Raytheon said in the report.

“These departures not only undermine industry’s ability to recruit the best and brightest for government programs, they also impose additional costs to government programs as new candidates must be identified, hired, and resubmitted for clearances.”

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