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Report: DHS, DoD, GSA to Host ‘Reverse Industry Day’ Events
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Report: DHS, DoD, GSA to Host ‘Reverse Industry Day’ Events


Report: DHS, DoD, GSA to Host 'Reverse Industry Day' EventsThe General Services Administration and the departments of Defense and Homeland Security plan to host separate Reverse Industry Days in an effort to address the communication gap between the government and private sector, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

DHS will hold its fourth Reverse Industry Day on June 28 in Washington, D.C. as part of the department’s Acquisition Innovation in Motion initiative, the report stated.

Soraya Correa, DHS chief procurement officer, said the event is intended to give industry members an opportunity to share their perspective on the procurement process on stage while government officials are in the audience.

Marc Pearl, president and CEO of the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council, said the organization introduced the concept to DHS in 2015 in an effort to give government a deeper understanding of processes such as debriefs, acquisition planning, early engagement and the decision to bid on a solicitation.

The Internal Revenue Service also held a reverse industry day in April, where industry discussed the acquisition timeline, the ‘bid-no-bid’ decision and how vendors interpret solicitation requirements, the report noted.

GSA will hold a reverse industry day on July 10 and DoD looks to host one in July.

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DoD Inspector General: NSA Lacks Detailed Strategy to Implement ‘Secure-the-Net’ Efforts
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DoD Inspector General: NSA Lacks Detailed Strategy to Implement ‘Secure-the-Net’ Efforts


DoD Inspector General: NSA Lacks Detailed Strategy to Implement ‘Secure-the-Net’ EffortsA redacted version of an August 2016 report by the Defense Department’s inspector general says the National Security Agency failed to develop a detailed plan for the implementation of its “secure-the-net initiatives” designed to safeguard classified data from insider threats, Nextgov reported Monday.

NSA also fell short of safeguarding server racks and other sensitive systems as well as subjecting its high-level administrators to two-phase authentication in response to leaks of domestic surveillance files by former contractor Edward Snowden, according to the declassified version of the report.

The inspector general identified vulnerabilities in internal controls at NSA’s laboratories in Texas, North Carolina, Utah and Washington, D.C.

The report also found that NSA’s data security group had carried out four of the seven measures and those include the implementation of two-person access controls at machine rooms and data centers and evaluation of the number of system administrators at the agency.

The New York Times also reported that NSA failed to shrink the number of “privileged” users, contractors and officials with authority to download top-secret data.

“NSA has never stopped seeking and implementing ways to strengthen both security policies and internal controls,” Vanee Vines, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in a statement.

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Air Force Moves to Boost Secrecy of Nuclear Weapon Inspection Results
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Air Force Moves to Boost Secrecy of Nuclear Weapon Inspection Results


Air Force Moves to Boost Secrecy of Nuclear Weapon Inspection ResultsThe U.S. Air Force has updated the classification of data from Inspector General-conducted nuclear weapons inspections in a push to boost secrecy of such inspections, the Federation of American Scientists reported Monday.

The report said IG weapons inspections on nuclear weapons that were included in previous unclassified reports will now be classified at the confidential level and the service branch will reduce public references on the results of such inspections.

“These changes are control measures put in place to prevent revealing potential vulnerabilities to adversary forces,” Staff Sgt. Alexx Pons was quoted as saying by FAS.

The Air Force implemented the updates following a revision of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Instruction on Nuclear Weapons Technical Inspections.

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Sen. John McCain: Trump Administration Should Create Strategy for US Operations in Afghanistan
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Sen. John McCain: Trump Administration Should Create Strategy for US Operations in Afghanistan


Sen. John McCain: Trump Administration Should Create Strategy for US Operations in AfghanistanSen. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has urged President Donald Trump’s administration to formulate a new strategy for the Defense Department to help address the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, Defense News reported Monday.

McCain said the White House has not presented a strategy for Afghanistan since the new administration took office six months ago.

“We cannot keep going like this. If the administration fails to develop a strategy for success, Congress will need to play a greater role,” he added.

Federal News Radio reported DoD looks to send 4,000 more troops to Afghanistan this year in addition to the 8,400 service members currently stationed there.

Last week, President Trump granted Defense Secretary James Mattis authority to decide on how many number of U.S. troops should be in Afghanistan.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he believes the administration’s strategy for Afghanistan should offer a path for the U.S. military to help Afghan security forces manage the current situation in their home country.

Report: House Panel May Delay Fiscal 2018 Budget Resolution as Republicans Eye Higher Defense Spending
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Report: House Panel May Delay Fiscal 2018 Budget Resolution as Republicans Eye Higher Defense Spending


Report: House Panel May Delay Fiscal 2018 Budget Resolution as Republicans Eye Higher Defense SpendingThe House Budget Committee may delay the release of its fiscal 2018 budget proposal until the last week of June or after the July 4th recess as Republicans seek to boost defense spending above the White House’s proposed $54 billion increase in defense funds, The Hill reported Monday.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), a member of the House Budget Committee, said he forecasts that the budget resolution will be higher than the administration’s budget request.

The Trump administration proposed to cut nondefense discretionary spending by $54 billion in order to fund increases to the defense budget for fiscal 2018.

House Freedom Caucus members consider supporting increases to the defense budget by another $37 billion and higher nondefense spending levels without proposing additional budget reductions elsewhere.

“Conservatives are willing to entertain the idea of voting for higher spending levels on discretionary spending if we can get the right kind of reconciliation instructions,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a member of the Freedom Caucus.

The Hill reported such reconciliation instructions would call for congressional panels to attain certain budget cuts.

House Republicans are expected to negotiate a strategy for the budget resolution on its upcoming meeting Wednesday, the report added.

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XCOR Aerospace CEO John Gibson to Be Nominated as DoD Deputy Chief Management Officer
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XCOR Aerospace CEO John Gibson to Be Nominated as DoD Deputy Chief Management Officer


XCOR Aerospace CEO John Gibson to Be Nominated as DoD Deputy Chief Management Officer
John Gibson

John Gibson, president and CEO of private spaceflight and rocket engine development company XCOR Aerospace, will be nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as deputy chief management officer at the Defense Department.

The White House said Friday Gibson also serves as chairman of the advisory committee at investment management company Looking Glass Investments.

He previously held senior leadership roles at Textron‘s Beechcraft subsidiary including senior vice president of global mission support, vice president of special missions and chief financial officer of the government/defense business unit.

Gibson also worked as assistant secretary for financial management at the U.S. Air Force, where he oversaw the formulation, execution and management of a $140 billion budget, and as deputy undersecretary of defense for management reform during the George W. Bush administration.

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Air Force’s Updated ‘Frankenphone’ Aims to Facilitate Communications Between Reaper Drone Pilots, Ground Crews
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Air Force’s Updated ‘Frankenphone’ Aims to Facilitate Communications Between Reaper Drone Pilots, Ground Crews


Air Force’s Updated ‘Frankenphone’ Aims to Facilitate Communications Between Reaper Drone Pilots, Ground CrewsA U.S. Air Force officer has redesigned a device to help address communication difficulties between ground forces and pilots of General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, the Air Force reported Thursday.

Capt. Gregory, a flight training commander with the service branch’s 42nd attack squadron, created an upgraded version of the device called Frankenphone in 2016.

“The end product is a soldered and shrink-wrapped survivable piece of equipment,” Gregory said.

“Because it’s a direct electrical connection, we were able to tune the audio and get rid of feedback and echoes.”

The 42nd attack squadron at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada deployed the updated Frankenphone device after it secured clearances and used it in combination with the cockpit’s Audio Multilevel System to carry out reconnaissance and persistent attack missions abroad.

Gregory said the use of the device has helped Reaper aircrews employ and move weapons by facilitating communications with joint terminal attack controllers and other ground personnel.

The squadron has been using the device for the past eight months to support counterterrorism efforts, the report added.

 

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NATO Industrial Advisory Group: Future Aircraft Platforms May Utilize Rotor Tech
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NATO Industrial Advisory Group: Future Aircraft Platforms May Utilize Rotor Tech


NATO Industrial Advisory Group: Future Aircraft Platforms May Utilize Rotor TechA NATO-established group of senior industrialists have determined that future aircraft may feature coaxial, pusher props, fans or advanced tilt rotor technologies to support missions, Defense News reported Friday.

An anonymous official from NATO told Defense News that future systems must be interoperable with the legacy fleet as new operational requirements are being introduced.

“The future operating environment requires the development of a new vertical lift platform unencumbered by the restrictions of traditionally designed rotorcraft, meaning the new platforms will need to perform unfettered by the limited physical perspectives of existing designs,” a source told Defense News.

NATO created the Industrial Advisory Group, dubbed as NIAG, to lead a two-year program that will analyze, assess, document and identify advanced rotorcraft technologies as part of efforts to remain at pace with the U.S. and its Future Vertical Lift program.

NIAG will help partner nations determine platform requirements for future missions and foster information sharing efforts.

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GAO: NOAA Should Improve Cost Tracking for Hydrographic Data Collection Program
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GAO: NOAA Should Improve Cost Tracking for Hydrographic Data Collection Program


GAO: NOAA Should Improve Cost Tracking for Hydrographic Data Collection ProgramThe Government Accountability Office has urged the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve efforts to track and report costs under its hydrographic survey program.

GAO said Thursday NOAA creates an annual report that compares the cost of collecting hydrographic data using agency resources to the cost of acquiring data from the private sector.

NOAA gathers hydrographic data on the depth and bottom configuration of water bodies to help create nautical charts.

GAO found that NOAA did not consistently provide complete or accurate cost data in its cost comparison reports from fiscal years 2006 through 2016.

NOAA officials told GAO they intend to take actions to improve cost tracking but did not provide specific measures or time frames for such actions.

GAO added that NOAA has yet to develop a strategy to increase private sector involvement in the hydrographic survey program as required by law.

NOAA officials said the agency has adopted a centralized procurement process in an effort to increase the number of contractors from five to eight, but GAO found that NOAA did not create a strategy to expand its use of the private sector to reduce duplication.

NOAA plans to establish a strategy after optimizing its approach to compare the agency’s hydrographic data collection costs to those of the private sector, GAO noted.

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Heather Wilson: Air Force to Establish New Directorate for Space Operations
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Heather Wilson: Air Force to Establish New Directorate for Space Operations


Heather Wilson: Air Force to Establish New Directorate for Space Operations
Heather Wilson

The U.S. Air Force will set up a new directorate focused on space operations over the next two months as part of the reorganization of the service branch’s headquarters, the Air Force reported Friday.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Friday at the Strategic National Security Space discussion in Washington that a three-star general officer will be designated to serve as deputy chief of staff for space operations to oversee the new directorate.

The new organization will commence operations by early August and will be responsible for the consolidation of space functions from various parts of the air staff.

Wilson also wrote in an article published Friday on Defense One that the directorate will oversee the recruitment and training of air personnel involved in space missions as part of the military branch’s efforts to maintain superiority in space and prepare for any future conflict in space.

She mentioned that the Air Force secretary post was reaffirmed by Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work as the principal adviser to Defense Secretary James Mattis on space issues over the next year.

With this reaffirmation, Wilson noted that she has the responsibility to advocate and manage space-related initiatives across government agencies and service branches.

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