The U.S. Coast Guard will use an ice tank facility of Canada’s National Research Council to test models of the agency’s future polar icebreakers.

The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday its science and technology directorate is helping the Coast Guard develop a plan for the test and evaluation of the new ships.

DHS S&T leveraged an existing agreement between the U.S. and Canadian governments to secure the use of the ice tank facility for the icebreaker acquisition program.

The ice tank is designed to simulate a range of marine arctic ice environments to provide controlled, model-scale conditions for the test and evaluation of ice-going ships and structures.

Mini model icebreaker ships will be placed in the tank to demonstrate their power and speed as they attempt to break through the ice.

The test results will inform the design and performance requirements for heavy polar icebreakers, DHS noted.

The Coast Guard wants its future icebreakers to be able to rescue cruise ships trapped in ice; clear the path for natural resource exploration; and keep commerce lanes open or pave new ones, among other missions.

The agency plans to build three new, heavy polar icebreakers to expand its fleet, which currently includes only one icebreaker, the Polar Star.

The Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Kathryn Marchesini, former senior health information technology and privacy adviser at HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, as chief privacy officer at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Healthcare IT News reported Wednesday.

Marchesini served as the ONC’s acting chief privacy officer for five months in 2014.

She joined the agency in 2010 and managed the agency’s privacy team that works to develop policy, guidance and education programs.

Before HHS, she worked for the North Carolina Justice Department as a legal extern focused on consumer protection, as well as held positions at Booz Allen Hamilton and Deloitte.

Marchesini holds a bachelor’s degree in international economics and finance from The Catholic University of America, and a juris doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2018 after nearly two decades in Congress, Nextgov reported Wednesday.

His 18-career in the lower chamber includes time as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and as a proponent of federal information technology reform efforts such as the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act and the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act.

FITARA provided federal chief information officers oversight over IT portfolios and required agencies to consolidate data centers.

“The digital revolution had passed government by because government didn’t adapt fast enough from regulatory, administrative or management standpoints,” said Ali Ahmad, former senior communications adviser for the House panel.

“Issa’s chairmanship was focused on those foundational standpoints, and if you look at the DATA Act and FITARA, they lay the groundwork for agency leaders to move things forward.”

Issa founded Directed Electronics in 1982 and previously served as the company’s CEO.

In his statement, Issa stated some of his accomplishments in Congress such as the enactment of the country’s first open data standards and implementation of internet regulations and new standards that seek to build up government accountability.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at providing better access to broadband internet services in rural locations across the U.S.

The White House said Monday the “Streamlining and Expediting Requests to Locate Broadband Facilities in Rural America” order directs the executive branch to use tools that can accelerate the utilization and delivery of broadband connectivity across homes, tribal communities, transportation, healthcare and education facilities in the region.

The executive order requires the administrator of the General Services Administration and leaders of federal property management agencies to assess the effectiveness of the GSA Common Form Application on accelerating the review process for requests to locate broadband facilities on federal property.

Federal property managing agencies will have 180 days to submit reports on the effectiveness of the Common Form Application along with details regarding the number of applications received, percentage approved and rejected as well as the basis for rejection.

The order also urges agencies to address capital investment barriers and potential hindrances to broadband services to help sustain rural broadband infrastructure projects.