/
GAO: Navy Should Update Policy to Address Ship Defects
Published on
GAO: Navy Should Update Policy to Address Ship Defects


GAO: Navy Should Update Policy to Address Ship DefectsThe Government Accountability Office has urged the U.S. Navy to revise its ship delivery policy to keep defective and incomplete ships from entering the service branch’s operational fleet.

GAO said in a report published Monday it evaluated six Navy ships and found that the vessels were incomplete or showed quality problems when they were turned over to the fleet.

Shipbuilders routinely deliver ships to the Navy with multiple defects and some problems remain after the post-delivery period, GAO noted.

Auditors added that the Navy aims to conduct more work and tests during the post-delivery period of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and the USS Zumwalt guided missile destroyer, which could put the ships at a higher risk of incomplete construction and quality issues.

Navy program offices establish their own standards for ship quality and completeness since the service branch’s ship delivery policy does not include detailed instructions on how to correct defects, GAO said.

The congressional watchdog also revealed that the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey cannot meet a policy requirement to validate ships’ operational readiness because it does not inspect ships at the end of the post-delivery period.

The Navy’s progress reports to Congress show an inconsistent use of definitions for program milestones such as  Initial Operational Capability, according to the GAO report.

GAO added that the Navy regularly declares IOC on new ship classes even if the service has not demonstrated the ships’ capacity to perform mission operations, as required by Defense Department guidelines.

/
Doug Maughan: DHS Division Supports White House’s Research on Cyber Tool Repository
Published on
Doug Maughan: DHS Division Supports White House’s Research on Cyber Tool Repository


Doug Maughan: DHS Division Supports White House’s Research on Cyber Tool RepositoryA cybersecurity division within the Department of Homeland Security has participated in research efforts to facilitate the development of Cyber.gov in support of the White House’s executive order on cybersecurity, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Cyber.gov is a repository of next-generation concepts and platforms designed to ensure security of federal agencies’ networks.

Doug Maughan, director of DHS’ cybersecurity division, said CSD is in the “early stages” of its efforts to support work on Cyber.gov.

“We’re doing it in partnership with other departments and agencies and in DHS,” Maughan told the station.

“We are working with the administration, looking at new technologies that can be brought in as part of the executive order to improve the security of dot gov,” he added.

Maughan also discussed CSD’s efforts to transition research projects into practice as well as the release of a broad agency announcement to facilitate communication with international partners in support of the Trump administration’s cyber EO, the report added.

/
GSA to Acquire Office Spaces to Meet Census 2020 Requirements
Published on
GSA to Acquire Office Spaces to Meet Census 2020 Requirements


GSA to Acquire Office Spaces to Meet Census 2020 RequirementsThe General Services Administration plans to procure area census offices across the country to help fulfill a Census Bureau requirement for short-term leases as part of the Census 2020 program.

GSA said Thursday that it will lease the spaces through the Automated Advanced Acquisition Program to help agency employees and encourage citizens to participate in the census survey.

The agency noted that results of the survey will help determine the apportionment of congressional districts, as well as the distribution of federal funding to be used for various programs.

GSA posted multiple sources sought notices on the FedBizOpps website to provide information on requirement details for potential vendors.

Interested parties can submit proposals via the Automated Advanced Acquisition Program application system on the GSA website until Aug. 7, 2017.

The agency will also launch a second wave of requests for proposals in October to fulfill requirements for the remaining locations.

/
Bill Zielinski: GSA Close to $50B IT, Telecom Services Contract Award Announcement
Published on
Bill Zielinski: GSA Close to $50B IT, Telecom Services Contract Award Announcement


Bill Zielinski: GSA Close to $50B IT, Telecom Services Contract Award AnnouncementThe General Services Administration expects to award in the next few weeks a potential 15-year, $50 billion contract vehicle for information technology, infrastructure and telecommunication services, FedTech reported Thursday.

GSA is “a couple of weeks off” from awarding the Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract, Bill Zielinski, deputy assistant commissioner for IT category management at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said at a FedInsider event held Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Zielinski said the EIS contract vehicle will provide agencies access to managed network services, cloud offerings, mobility platforms and unified communications.

EIS also aims to help agencies facilitate adoption of converged network architectures, 5G wireless networks and software-defined networking and could extend through 2032.

Agencies that are currently using Networx procurement vehicle would be required to transition to EIS by the spring of 2020, the report added.

Zielinski noted that GSA has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security to incorporate provisions of the White House’s cybersecurity executive order and other network security requirements into the EIS contract.

Updates on EIS came nearly two years after GSA opened the solicitation process for the contract vehicle.

/
Proposed Bill Seeks to Block Potential US-Russia Cybersecurity Alliance
Published on
Proposed Bill Seeks to Block Potential US-Russia Cybersecurity Alliance


Proposed Bill Seeks to Block Potential US-Russia Cybersecurity AllianceRep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pennsylvania) has introduced a bill that aims to prevent the U.S. from forming a cybersecurity partnership with Russia, Washington Times reported Thursday.

Boyle drafted the No Cyber Cooperation with Russia Act in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit about a potential establishment of a joint cybersecurity unit between the two countries.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-California) said believes allowing a U.S.-Russia data sharing deal will undermine U.S. national security.

The No Cyber Cooperation with Russia Act, which was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, would ban the use of federal funds that can create, promote or support a joint cybersecurity program with Russia.

/
Air Force to Use ‘Agile DevOps’ Method for Air Operations Center Upgrade Effort
Published on
Air Force to Use ‘Agile DevOps’ Method for Air Operations Center Upgrade Effort

Air Force to Use 'Agile DevOps' Method for Air Operations Center Upgrade EffortThe U.S. Air Force plans to adopt a software development practice known as Agile DevOps to update the military service’s Air Operations Center weapons system.

The service branch said Thursday it terminated a contract with Northrop Grumman to start a AOC Pathfinder program to facilitate the delivery of modernized AOC functions to warfighters within a year after launch.

Northrop received a stop-work order in April after the Senate Armed Services Committee declined to authorize reprogrammed funds for the AOC 10.2 network upgrade effort.

“Our goal is to create operational value by getting modernized AOC capabilities to Airmen as quickly as possible, and to improve it continuously while leveraging progress made on AOC 10.2,” said Lt. Col. Jeremiah Sanders, a program manager at Hanscom Air Force Base.

Sanders added the Pathfinder approach will constantly deliver application and security updates that will incorporate feedback from airmen and AOCs.

The Air Force will partner with the Defense Department‘s Defense Digital Services and Defense Innovation Unit Experimental organizations on Pathfinder at the AOC program office in Hanscom AFB.

The service branch is also working with Congress to assess funding options for the upcoming program.

PSC Joins the World Information Technology and Services Alliance; David Berteau Comments
Published on
PSC Joins the World Information Technology and Services Alliance; David Berteau Comments


PSC Joins the World Information Technology and Services Alliance; David Berteau CommentsThe Professional Services Council (PSC) announced it has joined and become the American representative to the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA,) a consortium of over 80 information and communications technology (ICT) industry groups from around the world.

PSC has over 400 member companies that provide solutions and services to federal agencies. Inclusion in WITISA will allow PSC members to access United Nations agencies, develop global business relationships, expand business opportunities, and engage senior government officials.

“The work we have been doing at PSC for 45 years is critical to elevating the voice of American industry leaders in professional services, including information and communications technology. Being a WITSA member will extend the reach of PSC’s advocacy and policy development work, as well as better connect our industry leaders to the largest ICT industry network in the world, ultimately to help grow their businesses and improve the global economy,” said PSC president and CEO David J. Berteau.

PSC Joins the World Information Technology and Services Alliance; David Berteau Comments
David Berteau

“On behalf of WITSA, I am very pleased to have PSC join the WITSA family of likeminded organizations from around the world,” said WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant. “Markets and technologies are transforming and evolving rapidly. Together with rapid globalisation, newer opportunities and challenges are emerging. Together, we will address the important issues facing our industry and society by fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age for everyone.”

Two PSC member company representatives, Martha Dorris from DCI and Alan Balutis of Cisco Systems, will lead a PSC working group at WITISA’s upcoming World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) which will be held in Taiwan September 10-13.

 

/
White House Opposes Space Corps, BRAC Proposals in House’s Defense Policy Bill
Published on
White House Opposes Space Corps, BRAC Proposals in House’s Defense Policy Bill


White House Opposes Space Corps, BRAC Proposals in House’s Defense Policy BillThe White House has issued a policy statement to object the establishment of a new space-focused military branch and prohibition of another round of base realignment and closures proposed in the House’s fiscal 2018 defense spending bill, Defense News reported Wednesday.

“The administration is in the midst of conducting several strategic reviews that affect multiple provisions in this bill, such as those addressing space organization and management and naval ship force structure,” the White House said in the policy document released Wednesday.

“Once these reviews are complete, the administration will be prepared to suggest modifications to these provisions.”

The Trump administration also cited concerns with the measure’s proposals to require the defense secretary to notify the congressional defense panels about military cyber operations as well as provisions over the use of overseas contingency operations funds, procurement of satellite services from foreign companies and establishment of a program of record to build a ground-launched cruise missile platform.

The policy statement came weeks after the House Armed Services Committee voted on the bill.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of HASC’s tactical air and land forces subpanel, proposed an amendment to the measure that would remove a provision to create the new Space Corps.

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday listed 88 amendments that were up for floor debate, the report added.

/
OMB Urges Agencies to Align FY 2019 Budget Requests With White House’s FY 2018 Spending Plan
Published on
OMB Urges Agencies to Align FY 2019 Budget Requests With White House’s FY 2018 Spending Plan


OMB Urges Agencies to Align FY 2019 Budget Requests With White House’s FY 2018 Spending PlanThe Office of Management and Budget has issued a new memo that would direct federal agencies to ensure that their discretionary budget requests for fiscal 2019 are in agreement with the White House’s fiscal 2018 spending measure, Government Executive reported Wednesday.

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney wrote in a memo released Friday that agencies should determine additional investments in programs that seek to meet a federal role and support their mission and submit their FY 2019 discretionary budget requests by Sept. 11.

“These investments should reflect no more than a 5 percent increase above your submission level,” he noted.

Agencies should exclude from their proposals shifts of activities or costs to other parts of their budgets, cuts to mandatory spending and enactment of new user fees.

Mulvaney advised agencies to include in their budget requests workforce and reform plans that seek to include proposals across four categories such as elimination of activities, mergers or restructuring and workforce management.

He also noted that OMB plans to work with agencies in the next few months to evaluate and refine the mandatory budget proposals.

“Any new mandatory proposals should be at least budget neutral, or should be accompanied by new mandatory offsets that fully cover the costs of the new proposals,” Mulvaney added.

/
Chris Liddell: WH Innovation Office Eyes Multiyear Projects to Transform Federal Service
Published on
Chris Liddell: WH Innovation Office Eyes Multiyear Projects to Transform Federal Service


Chris Liddell: WH Innovation Office Eyes Multiyear Projects to Transform Federal ServiceChris Liddell, director of White House strategic initiatives, has said the Office of American Innovation aims to establish infrastructure and reach out to industry as part of multiyear efforts to improve how the federal government delivers customer service, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

Liddell told audience at a Partnership for Public Service-hosted event Wednesday that the White House plans to convene public, commercial and academic professionals to push federal customer service initiatives forward.

He added the goal is to provide government service recipients “the same experience as they do in the private sector.”

Some House and Senate members have introduced the Federal Agency Customer Experience Act to help federal agencies simplify the process for collecting feedback from citizens.

The White House also looks to build centers of excellence that will work to promote cross-agency services in the government.

1 … 2,182 2,183 2,184 2,185 2,186 … 2,604