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Civilian/News
Mary McCord to Resign as DOJ Acting Assistant Attorney General
by Ramona Adams
Published on April 24, 2017
Mary McCord to Resign as DOJ Acting Assistant Attorney General


Mary McCord to Resign as DOJ Acting Assistant Attorney GeneralMary McCord, acting assistant attorney general and principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security at the Justice Department, will step down from her position in May, NPR reported Thursday.

Carrie Johnson writes McCord told her staff in a written message that she will leave the department “to pursue new career opportunities.”

The report said McCord leads DOJ’s investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and has held various leadership roles in the department’s national security unit over the past three years.

She previously served as criminal division chief at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she oversaw the prosecution of criminal matters in federal district court.

McCord also supervised cases in the U.S. and District of Columbia Courts of Appeals as deputy chief in the Appellate Division.

Government Technology/News
John Kelly: DHS Partners With Industry to Protect Federal Networks from Cyber Attacks
by Jane Edwards
Published on April 21, 2017
John Kelly: DHS Partners With Industry to Protect Federal Networks from Cyber Attacks


John Kelly: DHS Partners With Industry to Protect Federal Networks from Cyber Attacks
John Kelly

John Kelly, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has said DHS has collaborated with industry to update outdated information technology systems as part of efforts to safeguard the federal government’s data infrastructure from cyber attacks.

Kelly said in a speech delivered Tuesday at George Washington University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security such a partnership with the commercial sector seeks to build up cyber resilience in the country’s physical and digital infrastructure.

“By integrating their cutting-edge, commercially-available technology with our interagency partner’s unique capabilities, we can aggressively defend our federal networks against the endless stream of cyber attacks.”

“Our federal cybersecurity needs heavy artillery,” he added.

He noted that cybersecurity is one of the priorities of DHS and discussed how the department works to promote a culture that allows organizations to build up their cyber defense strategies against cyber attacks.

Kelly also cited the U.S. Secret Service‘s efforts to help prevent approximately $500 million in cyber losses in 2016.

Other issues Kelly discussed during his speech include terrorism, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling, drug trade and border security.

Civilian/News
DOJ’s Information Policy Office, GSA’s 18F Unit Partner on FOIA Portal Development
by Scott Nicholas
Published on April 21, 2017
DOJ’s Information Policy Office, GSA’s 18F Unit Partner on FOIA Portal Development


DOJ's Information Policy Office, GSA's 18F Unit Partner on FOIA Portal DevelopmentThe Justice Department‘s Office of Information Policy has partnered with the General Services Administration‘s 18F digital services group to build a website for processing of Freedom of Information Act requests.

OIP said Wednesday it will gather input from agency personnel and requesters on the creation of a national FOIA portal, as mandated by the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016.

Interested parties can submit ideas to the OIP by April 28.

Melanie Pustay, director the OIP, told FCW in an interview published Thursday that the organization has secured a $1.3 million budget to establish the site for people to request governmental records from 119 agencies covered by FOIA.

Pustay added her office will establish the portal in an effort to guide visitors toward correct agencies as well as locate and access information they need.

OIP aims to launch an operational version of the FOIA site within the 2017 calendar year.

Government Technology
Chris Wlaschin: HHS to Establish Health Cybersecurity & Comms Integration Center
by Scott Nicholas
Published on April 21, 2017
Chris Wlaschin: HHS to Establish Health Cybersecurity & Comms Integration Center


Chris Wlaschin: HHS to Establish Health Cybersecurity & Comms Integration CenterThe Department of Health and Human Services will stand up its version of the Department of Homeland Security‘s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center in a move to help providers and consumers secure healthcare data, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Nicole Ogrysko writes the Chris Wlaschin, chief information security officer of HHS, said the new facility is scheduled to reach initial operating capability before the end of June.

Wlaschin told a forum hosted by the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council that HHS  awarded grants to the National Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center to help the department identify best practices to protect patient data and privacy.

The report said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also looks to follow a similar concept and began to develop an application programming interface for developers to verify security of health information technology applications.

Civilian/News
VA Choice Program Extension Bill Gets Trump’s Signature
by Ramona Adams
Published on April 21, 2017
VA Choice Program Extension Bill Gets Trump’s Signature


VA Choice Program Extension Bill Gets Trump's SignaturePresident Donald Trump has signed a bill to extend a Department of Veterans Affairs program that allows eligible military veterans to receive medical care from a civilian provider, DoD News reported Thursday.

Trump said the Veterans Choice Program Extension and Improvement Act offers former service members an option to choose their care provider and eliminates the need to travel long distances for VA care.

The bill was approved by the Senate through a unanimous vote earlier this month to authorize VA’s use of funds appropriated for the Veterans Choice Program beyond the initiative’s Aug. 7 expiration date.

The White House said Wednesday the approved legislation also changes reimbursement and cost-recovery methods for care provided under the program.

It also authorizes the exchange of certain veterans medical records with non-VA care providers.

DoD/News
Rep. Tom Cole: Trump Needs Congressional Approval for Sustained Military Operations Against Islamic State Group
by Jane Edwards
Published on April 21, 2017
Rep. Tom Cole: Trump Needs Congressional Approval for Sustained Military Operations Against Islamic State Group


Rep. Tom Cole: Trump Needs Congressional Approval for Sustained Military Operations Against Islamic State Group
Tom Cole

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) has said President Donald Trump should seek authorization from Congress to carry out future military operations against the Islamic State militant organization, Defense News reported Thursday.

Joe Gould writes Cole, a member of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subpanel and the House Budget Committee, made the call through a letter addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).

Cole said at CNN’s New Day show Wednesday that Trump should ask for new authorization of the use of military force since the U.S. is now in “sustained military activity” against the militant organization that did not exist in 2002 when the last AUMF was passed to allow the post-9/11 war in Iraq, according to a report by Elliot Smilowitz for The Hill.

“So if you are fighting against a new enemy in new places, it seems to me you need a new authorization for the use of military force,” he added.

He noted that the U.S.-led airstrike against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces early this month did not require congressional approval because it was a “one-strike thing,” the report added.

Defense Secretary James Mattis called the U.S. missile strike against Syria’s Shayrat airbase a “measured military response” to the Assad regime’s April 4 chemical weapons attack on its citizens.

DoD/News
Report: South Korea Provides Land for US THAAD Deployment
by Ramona Adams
Published on April 21, 2017
Report: South Korea Provides Land for US THAAD Deployment


Report: South Korea Provides Land for US THAAD DeploymentSouth Korea has granted 30 hectares of land to the U.S. Forces Korea for the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, United Press International reported Thursday.

Elizabeth Shim writes THAAD will be established on a golf course owned by the family-run conglomerate Lotte in Seongju County in South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said a U.S.-South Korea task force has finalized details of the transfer and the South Korean military will run another round of environmental assessments that will take approximately 30 days, Shim reported.

The report said U.S. troops have transferred most of the THAAD equipment to the site.

Vincent Brooks, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, said in November 2016 the THAAD deployment would occur over eight to 10 months.

U.S. and South Korea reached a mutual decision last year to deploy the anti-missile system on the Korean Peninsula amid North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Government Technology/News
Nonprofit Offers White House Recommendations to Bolster Federal Cyber Workforce
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on April 21, 2017
Nonprofit Offers White House Recommendations to Bolster Federal Cyber Workforce


Nonprofit Offers White House Recommendations to Bolster Federal Cyber WorkforceNonprofit organization (ISC)2 has urged President Donald Trump’s administration to prioritize federal cyber workforce development programs through a set of recommendations the group sent to White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus.

The Clearwater, Florida-based nonprofit recommended priority areas it believes President Trump should consider for inclusion in a cybersecurity executive order, (ISC)2 said Wednesday.

Dan Waddell, managing director of (ISC)2’s North American operations, wrote in a blog post the group suggests that the White House reinstate and grant more authority to the federal chief information officer and CISO posts.

The organization also calls on the administration to invest in training programs for government acquisition, legal and human resources personnel as well as incorporate the updated OMB Circular A-123 in efforts to align technology risk with business and mission strategies.

The White House should also consider the formation of a “cyber national guard” that would help science, technology, engineering and math graduates to reimburse student loans if they agree to work at a federal agency for a certain period, (ISC)2 noted.

The group also seeks to align its certification programs with the National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s cybersecurity workforce framework.

DoD/News
Iowa Army Natl Guard Pilots Train on UH-60 Flight Simulator at Camp Dodge
by Scott Nicholas
Published on April 21, 2017
Iowa Army Natl Guard Pilots Train on UH-60 Flight Simulator at Camp Dodge


Iowa Army Natl Guard Pilots Train on UH-60 Flight Simulator at Camp DodgeThe Iowa Army National Guard’s UH-60 helicopter pilots and crew members have trained on an updated home-station flight training system at the Camp Dodge Joint Maneuver Training Center in Johnston, Iowa.

The Black Hawk Aircrew Trainer is designed to help pilots operate the Sikorsky-built utility helicopter under adverse weather conditions, cloud cover, icing and enemy fires, the Iowa National Guard said Thursday.

“The BAT allows us to train pilots in situations we hope they never find themselves in whether it be emergency procedures we cannot simulate in the aircraft, or to train pilots in threat scenarios,” said Travis Vanlengen, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2.

Vanlengen added the system aids training for emergency procedures in the event of engine failure, in-flight fire, tail rotor malfunction and other mechanical issues.

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Steven Stumbo said the implementation of BAT at Camp Dodge will help Iowa pilots to complete annual 18-hour simulator training requirement.

The trainer is equipped with a screen technology that works to help airmen conduct missions using a full night-vision goggle.

News
EPA Will Offer Early Retirement, Buy Out Employees
by Barbara Boland
Published on April 20, 2017
EPA Will Offer Early Retirement, Buy Out Employees


EPA Will Offer Early Retirement, Buy Out EmployeesThe Environmental Protection Agency will maintain its hiring freeze and plans to offer buyouts and an early retirement program to motivate employees to leave, according to an internal memorandum obtained by Government Executive.

Other specifics of the plan were not made clear in the memo sent by acting Deputy administrator Mike Flynn. The agency plans to complete the buyout program by Sept. 30, the end of fiscal year 2017.

The Office of Management and Budget has said that Federal agencies must come up with both short and long-term plans to reduce staff.

The Trump administration’s 2018 budget proposes a reduction in the EPA’s workforce by 25 percent, or approximately 3,200 employees, and a budget cut of 31 percent. Since 2010, the EPA’s budget has been cut 20 percent.

A March 2017 inspector general report found that the EPA’s 2014 early-out and buyout programs had aided workforce restructuring goals, and that there was value in further restructuring. With approval of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM,) federal agencies can temporarily lower the age and service requirements to increase the number of employees eligible for retirement from the federal government and grant buyouts of up to $25,000 per employee as an incentive to voluntarily leave the federal government.

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