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Government Technology/News
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Establish Senate Select Cybersecurity Panel
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 26, 2017
Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Establish Senate Select Cybersecurity Panel


Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Establish Senate Select Cybersecurity PanelSens. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware) have proposed a bill that seeks to establish a new Senate committee that would conduct investigations on cybersecurity issues.

The proposed Senate Select Committee on Cybersecurity would consist of 21 members from various panels in the upper chamber that include the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee and would draft legislation and develop recommendations, Gardner’s office said Wednesday.

“Cybersecurity policy is one of the most complex and significant challenges facing Congress, yet the Senate’s structure to investigate and address cyber issues is diffuse and inadequate,” Gardner said.

“This has led to an uncoordinated policy response to recent cyber attacks on government agencies, businesses, and infrastructure.”

The bipartisan bill seeks to provide “Congress the tools to comprehensively investigate and respond to cyber intrusions, take proactive steps to protect against and respond to future attacks, and hold the executive branch accountable for its actions,” Coons said.

Andrew Blake also reports for the Washington Times the proposed legislation would provide the new Senate panel authority over domestic and foreign cyber risks as well as state-sponsored cyber attacks.

Government Technology/News
House Lawmakers Ask DARPA to Review Robotic Satellite Repair Program
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 26, 2017
House Lawmakers Ask DARPA to Review Robotic Satellite Repair Program


House Lawmakers Ask DARPA to Review Robotic Satellite Repair ProgramThree House lawmakers have called on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to postpone work on a robotic space repair initiative until DARPA completes a review that seeks to determine whether the program complies with the National Space Policy, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

Colin Clark writes the policy bars the government from developing or buying systems that compete with commercial platforms and that Orbital ATK said it believes its system competes with DARPA’s Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program.

The RSGS program seeks to develop robotic tools designed to repair damaged space satellites.

Reps. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma); Rob Bishop (R-Utah), chair of the House Natural Resources Committee; and Barbara Comstock (R-Virginia), chair of the House Science, Space and Technology subcommittee on research and technology; called for the assessment of the RSGS initiative through a letter sent to DARPA Director Steven Walker Wednesday.

Orbital ATK’s Space Logistics subsidiary developed the Mission Extension Vehicle system that is scheduled for launch in late 2018 and in-orbit testing with an Intelsat-built satellite by early 2019, the report added.

DoD/News
HarbourVest, Army Reserve Vet Philip Bilden Nominated for Navy Secretary Post
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on January 26, 2017
HarbourVest, Army Reserve Vet Philip Bilden Nominated for Navy Secretary Post


HarbourVest, Army Reserve Vet Philip Bilden Nominated for Navy Secretary PostPhilip Bilden, a 25-year veteran of private equity firm HarbourVest Partners and former military intelligence officer at the U.S. Army Reserve, has been nominated to succeed Ray Mabus as secretary of the U.S. Navy.

“If confirmed, I will ensure that our sailors and marines have the resources they need to defend our interests around the globe and support our allies with commitment and capability,” Bilden said in a statement published Wednesday on the White House’s website.

He served in the Army Reserve for 10 years, then resigned from military service in 1996 to establish HarbourVest Partners’ Asian subsidiary in Hong Kong.

His more than two-decade career at the investment company includes roles such as co-founding member, senior adviser and head of executive committee focused on governance.

He currently serves on the philanthropic boards of multiple nonprofit organizations that support military veterans, cybersecurity and national security programs.

Bilden is a member of the board of visitors at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; board of directors at the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation; board of trustees at the Naval War College Foundation; and Asia Pacific advisory board and dean’s board of advisors at Harvard Business School.

DoD/News
MDA, Israel Complete Air Defense System Tests
by Scott Nicholas
Published on January 26, 2017
MDA, Israel Complete Air Defense System Tests


MDA, Israel Complete Air Defense System TestsThe U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Israel’s missile defense organization have finished the fifth series of tests on a missile defense system designed to intercept short-range ballistic missiles and large caliber rockets.

MDA said Wednesday the David’s Sling weapon system intercepted three threat-representative targets via Stunner missiles during the test series held at Yanat Sea Range in Israel.

David Sling Test 5 also utilized an Elbit Systems-built battle management system to calculate the defense plans for the tests as well as an Israel Aerospace Industries-made multimission radar that helped detect targets after missile launch.

“We remain strongly committed to supporting Israel’s development of a missile defense system,” said Vice Adm. Jim Syring, MDA director.

Raytheon‘s missile systems division supports the David’s Sling weapon system program as a subcontractor to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.

Program engineers will analyze and use data from the tests in the ongoing development and fielding of the David’s Sling, which will be a central element of Israel’s multilayer antimissile network.

Civilian/News
Rep. Mick Mulvaney: OMB Needs Program Assessment Rating Tool to Help Identify Govt Waste
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 26, 2017
Rep. Mick Mulvaney: OMB Needs Program Assessment Rating Tool to Help Identify Govt Waste


Rep. Mick Mulvaney: OMB Needs Program Assessment Rating Tool to Help Identify Govt Waste
Mick Mulvaney

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-South Carolina), President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Management and Budget, has said he believes reinstating the Program Assessment Rating Tool would help OMB identify and reduce government waste and abuse, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.

“Ending the PART program denied us that management tool,” Mulvaney told lawmakers during his Senate confirmation hearing.

“You can’t manage exclusively by quantitative data, but it’s difficult to manage at all with no quantitative data at all.”

Jason Miller writes Mulvaney also cited the role of inspectors general in data collection efforts and decision-making processes at agencies and discussed the implementation of the Federal Improper Payments Coordination Act.

He also answered questions from Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), the ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, about the 2013 government shutdown, the federal hiring freeze and its impact on the recruitment of full-time employees and contractors, Miller reports.

“I agreed with you that there may be circumstances under which it is more cost-effective and better for the taxpayer to use an FTE versus a contractor and I welcome further discussions about those specific examples,” Mulvaney said in response to McCaskill’s question, the report added.

Mulvaney also responded to queries about his views on the federal workforce, debt ceiling, entitlement reform and other issues during his testimony Tuesday before the Senate Budget Committee.

DoD/News
Gen. John Hyten: US Needs to Deter Conflict in Space
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 26, 2017
Gen. John Hyten: US Needs to Deter Conflict in Space


Gen. John Hyten: US Needs to Deter Conflict in Space
John Hyten

Air Force Gen. John Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, has said the U.S. needs to deter “bad behavior” and conflict in space amid efforts of Russia and China to build weapons for space deployment, Stratcom reported Tuesday.

Clifton B. Parker writes Hyten told audience during a talk at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation that space should be available for exploration and that the U.S. should consider space as a potential war environment.

He said the Air Force needs a new ground missile defense base interceptor, an updated air-to-air missile and a long-range strike missile platform.

Hyten, who assumed his post in November, also urged the U.S. to evaluate its nuclear deterrence strategy and called for the advancement of “international norms of behavior in space,” the report added.

DoD/News
Report: UK Defense Ministry Requests to Buy Oshkosh JLTV
by Ramona Adams
Published on January 25, 2017
Report: UK Defense Ministry Requests to Buy Oshkosh JLTV


Report: UK Defense Ministry Requests to Buy Oshkosh JLTVThe U.K.’s defense ministry has requested to buy Oshkosh-built Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the British army through the U.S. government’s foreign military sales program, Defense News reported Tuesday.

Maj. Gen. Robert Talbot Rice, land equipment director at U.K.’s defense ministry, said at a conference in London that U.K. has submitted a letter of request to the U.S. government and expects a response in the next months, Andrew Chuter wrote.

“On the basis of the assessment on price and value for money, we made the case to go the FMS route,” Talbot Rice added.

Oshkosh won a potential $6.7 billion contract from the U.S. Army in Aug. 2015 to build more than 50,000 JLTVs that will replace the Army and the U.S. Marine Corps‘ Humvees.

JLTVs will carry troops and support other light duties as part of the British army’s Multi-Role Vehicle-Protected program if the FMS sale pushes through, the report stated.

Civilian/News
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Named Agency Chairman
by Scott Nicholas
Published on January 25, 2017
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Named Agency Chairman


FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai Named Agency Chairman
Ajit Pai

Ajit Pai, a Federal Communications Commissioner, has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the telecommunications regulatory agency, Space News reported Tuesday.

Caleb Henry writes Pai succeeded former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and his appointment did not require approval from the Senate because he was confirmed to work at FCC as a commissioner in 2012.

Pai vowed to help the commission address a digital divide between organizations that have access to next-generation communications services and groups without access to those services.

“I look forward to working with the new administration, my colleagues at the Commission, members of Congress, and the American public to bring the benefits of the digital age to all Americans,” Pai added.

Pai previously served as a partner at law firm Jenner and Block and associate general counsel at Verizon.

His past work also includes stints at the Justice Department, Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

As FCC chairman, Pai aims to focus on broadband connection, First Amendment freedoms, public safety, fiscal responsibility and getting results through innovation.

Government Technology/News
Hackers Found 118 Valid Vulnerabilities During Army Bug Bounty Program
by Ramona Adams
Published on January 25, 2017
Hackers Found 118 Valid Vulnerabilities During Army Bug Bounty Program


Hackers Found 118 Valid Vulnerabilities During Army Bug Bounty ProgramThe U.S. Army received 118 valid vulnerability reports from participants involved in the the service branch’s bug bounty program that ran from Nov. 30 to Dec. 21, 2016.

HackerOne said Friday Hack the Army engaged 371 eligible participants including 25 government employees and 17 military personnel.

Participants sent 416 vulnerability reports and the first was submitted within five minutes after the program started, the company added.

HackerOne has paid hackers a total of $100,000 in bounties to date.

One participant found a pair of security flaws that opened direct access from the GoArmy.com recruitment website to a restricted Defense Department network, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

The Army said its cyber command worked to address the security problem as soon as participants discovered and reported the vulnerability, Jared Serbu wrote.

“That’s exactly the type of finding that shows the value of having human intelligence applied to this problem,” Alex Rice, HackerOne chief technology officer and co-founder, told the publication.

The Army partnered with HackerOne in November 2016 to launch the bug bounty program which serves as the first of a series of challenges that DoD plans to host after the Hack the Pentagon bug bounty pilot.

News
Report: Trump Discusses Plans to Cut Taxes, Regulations With Company Leaders
by Ramona Adams
Published on January 25, 2017
Report: Trump Discusses Plans to Cut Taxes, Regulations With Company Leaders


Report: Trump Discusses Plans to Cut Taxes, Regulations With Company LeadersPresident Donald Trump discussed plans to cut taxes and regulations in a meeting with business executives in the White House, the Washington Post reported Monday.

Trump said he aims to remove at least 75 percent of regulations that govern businesses; expedite plans to build factories; and impose border tax on companies that take production out of the U.S., Jenna Johnson and Ylan Mui wrote.

Company leaders who attended the meeting included Lockheed Martin‘s Marillyn Hewson, Ford Motor‘s Mark Fields, Dell Technologies‘ Michael Dell, Whirlpool‘s Jeff Fettig, Johnson & Johnson‘s Alex Gorsky, Dow Chemical‘s Andrew Liveris and others.

Liveris told reporters that Trump asked executives to outline within 30 days a “series of actions” that will help boost the manufacturing economy, Johnson and Mui reported.

Trump said he would begin to pull U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico on his first formal day as president, the report stated.

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