The Government Accountability Office has included the governmentwide security clearance process for federal employees in its “high risk list” of areas that require changes in order to address fraud and mismanagement as well as reduce waste.

“A high-quality and timely personnel security clearance process is essential to minimize the risks of unauthorized disclosures of classified information and to help ensure that information about individuals with criminal histories or other questionable behavior is identified and assessed,” Gene Dodaro, U.S. comptroller general and GAO head, said in a statement published Thursday.

Dodaro added the high risk list seeks to call on policymakers and government leaders to introduce new measures in order to reduce the backlog and other issues related to the security clearance process.

GAO’s addition of the security clearance process to the high risk list came after the agency released two reports in November and December of 2017 that identified several challenges such as background investigations backlog; delays in clearance processing; and the Defense Department’s concerns over the development of an information technology platform for the process.

The federal government has a backlog of at least 700,000 background investigation cases as of September 2017.

Dodaro will issue a letter to the director of national intelligence, defense undersecretary for intelligence and other principals of the Security, Suitability, and Credentialing Performance Accountability Council to notify them about GAO’s decision.

The U.S. Army and Air Force have teamed up to develop a battle strategy for both service branches to address battlefield challenges across multiple domains, DoD News reported Thursday.

Gen. James Holmes, commander of the Air Combat Command, and Gen. David Perkins, commander of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, are working together to create the multidomain concept.

Holmes noted the concept will rely on flexibility to understand various elements such as adversary behavior and ability to adapt in changing threat environments.

He added the Training and Doctrine Command will co-host a series of tabletop exercises alongside the Air Combat Command over the next year to evaluate the services’ capacity for collaboration.

“We have developed 13 initiatives … that the Air Force and Army can work together on, and … our goal is to try to find a way that the joint force, working together, can hold the initiative,” Holmes added.

The Treasury Department has blocked from dealing with the U.S. 16 individuals and nine foreign companies for their involvement in activities that support North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programs and breach of United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

“Treasury continues to systematically target individuals and entities financing the Kim regime and its weapons programs, including officials complicit in North Korean sanctions evasion schemes,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement published Wednesday.

The department’s office of foreign assets control designated 11 representatives of North Korea government-owned Ryonbong in China, Russia and Georgia for their involvement in procurement activities that back the East Asian country’s chemical weapons program.

The department also sanctioned five North Koreans for their ties to the Kim regime’s financial networks and designated two China-based companies for exporting goods to North Korea.

Another Korean electronics company was named for its manufacturing operations in North Korea.

Five North Korea-based shipping companies and their six vessels were also sanctioned for their involvement in the country’s transportation industry.

The move came two months after the department sanctioned 13 foreign firms and 20 vessels for their trade connections to North Korea.

The U.S. Navy has tested the Harpoon Block II+ missile’s compatibility with the F/A-18 aircraft’s updated software.

The compatibility test with the System Configuration Set H12E update was held Monday at Point Mugu Sea Test Range, California, the Naval Air System Command said Wednesday.

“Harpoon Block II+ expands on a legacy of over 40 years of service,” said Capt. John Dougherty, program manager for precision strike weapons at the Navy.

NAVAIR noted the missile employs a modern GPS guidance kit, in-flight update ability, augmented targeting systems and electronic countermeasure resistance capacities.

The weapon is designed to launch from multiple platforms.

The Navy expects the missile system to be fully deployable in late 2018 fiscal year.

President Donald Trump has nominated Vice Adm. Matthew Kohler, commander of the U.S. Navy‘s Naval Information Forces, as deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and as director of naval intelligence.

The Defense Department said Wednesday Trump also recommended Kohler for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral.

Kohler will succeed Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, who assumed the dual role in July 2016 after leading the Navy’s Fleet Cyber Command and 10th fleet.

His previous at-sea assignments include intelligence officer for Fighter Squadron 102 on USS America; director of intelligence for Commander Amphibious Squadron 1 on USS Peleliu; and director of intelligence for Cruiser Destroyer Group 2 aboard USS George Washington.

Kohler’s onshore roles include deputy director of intelligence at the Joint Warfare Analysis Center; director of intelligence operations at the U.S. Special Operations Command; and intelligence director for the Joint Interagency Task Force South.

He also served as deputy director of naval intelligence; deputy commander of the Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet; and deputy chief of tailored access operations at the National Security Agency.

Rear Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., program executive for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system at the Missile Defense Agency, has been nominated for assignment as director of strategic systems programs at Washington Navy Yard and for appointment to the rank of vice admiral.

Defense Secretary James Mattis announced Wolfe’s nomination in a Defense Department  press release published Wednesday.

Wolfe previously held the roles of deputy chief engineer, head of the fire control and guidance branch, nuclear weapons security and SSGN coordinator and head of the missile branch at the SSP headquarters.

He served as technical director and deputy direct reporting program manager before he was promoted to his current rank and assigned to manage the Aegis program.

He also served as assistant weapons officer onboard USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN 644) four four years and as lead systems engineer of a joint skunkworks project at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

Wolfe is a recipient of a Joint Services Commendation Medal, Legion of Merit Bronze Star and Navy Commendation Medal.

John Rood, defense undersecretary for policy, and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Tuesday provided Senate Armed Services Committee members a classified preview of President Donald Trump’s draft Nuclear Posture Review, Defense News reported Tuesday.

The draft document seeks to advance the development of low-yield nuclear weapons for U.S. submarines and sub-launched cruise missiles.

The Trump administration plans to issue a final version of the review in February.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said the document should be publicly released.

“That’s not just public for the American public ― it will be public for other countries to read,” Sullivan noted.

“So much of any nuclear deterrence policy relies on credibility.”

The Defense Department also released a national security strategy that aims to expand the competitive space through military readiness, alliances and changes to DoD’s business practices.