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3 House Lawmakers Ask OPM to Simplify Federal Cyber Talent Hiring Process
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3 House Lawmakers Ask OPM to Simplify Federal Cyber Talent Hiring Process


3 House Lawmakers Ask OPM to Simplify Federal Cyber Talent Hiring ProcessReps. Derek Kilmer (D-Washington), Kathleen Rice (D-New York) and Josh Gottheimer (D-New Jersey) have urged the Office of Personnel Management to modify requirements and streamline the recruitment process for federal cybersecurity jobs.

Kilmer, Rice and Gottheimer currently serve as co-chairs of the New Democrat Coalition’s Cybersecurity Task Force and told Acting OPM Director Kathleen McGettigan in a joint letter released May 1 that the agency should look to the private sector for ideas to optimize the cyber hiring process.

Agencies do not utilize certification tests because it is not explicitly authorized in the 1958 Government Employees Training Act, the three lawmakers noted.

The representatives inquired about potential actions that could encourage the use of certification exams, if such measures are not prohibited, and urged OPM to provide information on its degree requirements for cybersecurity personnel.

They said OPM should be “more flexible” with job requirements to help meet a growing demand for federal cyber workers.

Non-traditional education paths such as a two-year degree or a certification test can be enough to prepare cybersecurity personnel, according to the lawmakers.

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DoD Starts to Assess U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Strategy
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DoD Starts to Assess U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Strategy


DoD Starts to Assess U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense StrategyThe Defense Department has kicked off a ballistic missile defense review to comply with an executive order by President Donald Trump.

DoD said Friday the review is part of the department’s efforts to establish a policy and strategy framework for U.S. missile defense systems as well as rebalance homeland and theater defense priorities of the country.

President Trump instructed the department to conduct a 30-day review of the  military’s preparedness for the war against the Islamic State militant group as well as nuclear arsenal and ballistic missile defense programs.

The deputy secretary of defense, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other interagency partners will lead the assessments.

DoD aims to submit a final report to the president by the end of the year.

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Former DLA Director Andy Busch Retires From Air Force
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Former DLA Director Andy Busch Retires From Air Force


Former DLA Director Andy Busch Retires From Air Force
Andy Busch

Lt. Gen. Andy Busch, former director of the Defense Logistics Agency, formally concluded his 38-year military career during a ceremony held Thursday at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

The U.S. Air Force veteran led the development of DLA’s expeditionary capacity during his tenure as DLA director with the creation of the Global Response Force Rapid Deployment Teams that performed various disaster relief operations, the agency said Thursday.

He helped foster workforce resiliency via an awareness campaign as well as implemented DLA’s first sexual assault prevention and reporting program.

Busch also managed the National Defense Stockpile, which includes an international network of 25 distribution centers, as well as the agency’s process for reverse logistics.

His Air Force career includes various roles within the Air Force Materiel Command, Defense Supply Center Richmond, 3rd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, 13th Fighter Squadron, 402nd Maintenance Wing, 432nd Component Repair Squadron, 474th Tactical Fighter Wing and the 4450th Tactical Group.

Maj. Gen. Darrell Williams, commanding general of the Army Combined Arms Support Command and the Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee, was confirmed by the Senate in May to serve as the next DLA director.

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DHS-Led Study Recommends Ways to Boost Mobile Device Security in Public Sector
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DHS-Led Study Recommends Ways to Boost Mobile Device Security in Public Sector


DHS-Led Study Recommends Ways to Boost Mobile Device Security in Public SectorA study led by the Department of Homeland Security‘s science and technology directorate has offered recommendations for the federal government to manage the security of mobile devices being used by agency employees.

DHS said Thursday it submitted the report titled “Study on Mobile Device Security” to Congress in accordance with the Cybersecurity Act of 2015.

“The Study on Mobile Device Security has found that threats to the mobile device ecosystem are growing, but also that the security of mobile computing is improving,” said Robert Griffin, DHS acting undersecretary for science and technology.

The report calls on the federal government to adopt a framework for mobile device security based on existing standards and best practices as well as boost Federal Information Security Modernization Act metrics to focus on mobile security.

DHS also recommends to include mobility in the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program; continue DHS S&T’s applied research program in mobile application security; launch a new program on mobile threat information sharing; and coordinate the adoption of mobile security technologies into operational programs, among others.

The study found that mobile security threats facing the federal government require a mitigation approach that differs from protective measures created for desktop workstations.

The report also noted federal government mobile devices could serve as an entry point to attack back-end computer systems that contain citizen data and sensitive government information.

DHS S&T led the study in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

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Reports: Navy Moves Frigate Development Contract Award to Fiscal 2020
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Reports: Navy Moves Frigate Development Contract Award to Fiscal 2020


Reports: Navy Moves Frigate Development Contract Award to Fiscal 2020Two U.S. Navy officials told members of a House Armed Services Committee subpanel Wednesday that the service branch will move to fiscal 2020 the awarding of a contract to design and build a new frigate, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Eric Beech and David Alexander write Rear Adm. Ronald Boxall, director of the Navy’s surface warfare division; and Rear Adm. John Neagley, head of the littoral combat ship program office; said the one-year delay in the contract award stemmed from a decision to establish a frigate assessment team.

“The Navy is defining the requirements for the frigate to improve its ability to operate in a more contested environment than LCS,” Boxall and Neagley said in their testimony.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia), chairman of HASC’s seapower subcommittee, called the Navy’s decision to push back the frigate contract award from 2019 to 2020 “reassuring,” according to a report by Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. for Breaking Defense.

“It’s reassuring in the sense that we want to make sure that we go through the proper due diligence,” Wittman told reporters Wednesday.

Wittman said the delay would give the military branch and shipyards enough time to address risks and explore the potential integration of Vertical Launch System missile tubes and other heavy weapons systems with new frigate ships, the report added.

The Navy’s decision came two weeks after the Government Accountability Office called on Congress to delay its decision on the service branch’s request for a block purchase of 12 frigates until more data becomes available on the ship’s design and cost.

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Report: DoD to Release Unmanned Tech Road Map Soon
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Report: DoD to Release Unmanned Tech Road Map Soon

Report: DoD to Release Unmanned Tech Road Map SoonThe Defense Department could soon unveil a road map that will describe how DoD plans to utilize unmanned air, ground and maritime technologies over the next 25 years, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

Valerie Insinna writes the U.S. Air Force has assembled enterprise capability collaboration teams to help the service branch make decisions concerning its force structure

Lt. Col. Gary Rafnson, deputy chief of capabilities-based planning for ISR at the Air Force, said a draft version of the road map document has approximately 60 pages.

The “2013 Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap” paper outlined the agency’s strategies to expand defense capacities during a time when DoD faced budget uncertainty and included strategies on how the department looked to address anti-access and area-denial threats.

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Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Jay Clayton Assumes SEC Chairman Post
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Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Jay Clayton Assumes SEC Chairman Post


Former Sullivan & Cromwell Partner Jay Clayton Assumes SEC Chairman PostJay Clayton, former partner at Sullivan and Cromwell, took his official oath as the 32nd chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission at a swearing-in ceremony held Thursday in Washington.

SEC said Thursday Clayton has advised multiple public and private companies on corporate governance, merger-and-acquisition, securities, regulatory and enforcement proceeding matters during his more than 20-year career at Sullivan and Cromwell.

President Donald Trump nominated him as SEC chairman in January to help the commission monitor the financial services industry as well as help the administration foster investments in U.S. companies.

Clayton previously served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court at the Eastern district of Pennsylvania and as a member of the New York and Washington D.C. bars.

Senate Sends $1.17T Fiscal 2017 Omnibus Spending Package to White House
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Senate Sends $1.17T Fiscal 2017 Omnibus Spending Package to White House


Senate Sends $1.17T Fiscal 2017 Omnibus Spending Package to White HouseAn omnibus package that would authorize $1.17 trillion to fund government operations through Sept. 30 is now headed to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature after the Senate passed the measure Thursday via a 79-18 vote, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Laura Litvan and Erik Wasson write the upper chamber’s decision came a day after the House cleared the budget package through a 309-118 vote to prevent a government shutdown.

The omnibus bill proposes $21 billion in additional defense funds and a $1.5 billion spending boost to border security efforts while excluding the White House’s proposed $18 billion budget cuts to health care, environment and other domestic initiatives, according to the report.

The approval of the bill paves the way for lawmakers to tackle the budget package for fiscal 2018 that is set to begin on Oct. 1.

The Trump administration’s fiscal 2018 budget request includes $54 billion in additional funds for the military and $54 billion in domestic spending cuts, the report added.

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USAF Conducts Joint F-35, F-15 Training Exercises in England
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USAF Conducts Joint F-35, F-15 Training Exercises in England


USAF Conducts Joint F-35, F-15 Training Exercises in EnglandAirmen from the U.S. Air Force‘s active-duty 388th and reserve 419 Fighter Wings have performed joint training exercises on F-35A, F-15C and F-15E aircraft variants at a military air base near Lakenheath, England.

The Air Force said Thursday that it conducted various sorties alongside members of the 48th Fighter Wing, the U.K. air force and other NATO allies.

Pilots from participating fighter squadrons have flown against each other as part of the training aimed to help fourth- and fifth-generation airmen exchange notes and prepare for potential air combat scenarios.

“We’ve been flying basic fighter maneuvers and air combat maneuvers, as well as air to ground missions,” said Lt. Col. George Watkins, an F-35 pilot and commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron.

“We fight air to air to get to simulated ground targets and once we take them out, we fight air-to-air to get back to our designated ‘safe’ zone.”

The Air Force noted the exercises marked the F-35A’s first flight training deployment to Europe.

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Navdeep Bains: Canada to Develop Radar Equipment for NASA’s 2022 Mars Orbiter Mission
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Navdeep Bains: Canada to Develop Radar Equipment for NASA’s 2022 Mars Orbiter Mission


Navdeep Bains: Canada to Develop Radar Equipment for NASA’s 2022 Mars Orbiter MissionCanada plans to develop a radar system designed to observe the surface and subsurface of Mars as part of a NASA orbiter mission to the planet that is expected to launch in 2022, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

David Pugliese writes Navdeep Bains, Canada’s innovation science and economic development minister, said the ice-surface sub sounder that would be integrated with NASA’s Next Mars Orbiter will work to provide geological data for potential landing sites in Mars.

The Canadian government awarded MDA Corp. a $344,000 contract in March to carry out a study on the radar instrument for the NeMO project.

Canada also plans to build 13 Cubesats to be fielded from the International Space Station and demonstrate space applications of quantum technology platforms.

The country will spend approximately $65 million on the three projects over the next five years with a plan to start funding the programs this year, the report added.

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