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Obama Moves to End ‘Dual-Hat’ Leadership of Cybercom, NSA
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Obama Moves to End ‘Dual-Hat’ Leadership of Cybercom, NSA


Obama Moves to End 'Dual-Hat' Leadership of Cybercom, NSAPresident Barack Obama has moved to split oversight of the U.S. Cyber Command from top brass at the National Security Agency, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Cybercom and NSA “should have separate leaders who are able to devote themselves to each organization’s respective mission and responsibilities, but should continue to leverage the shared capabilities and synergies developed under the dual-hat arrangement,” Obama said in a statement released Friday.

Obama on Friday signed into law the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill that would turn Cybercom into a combatant command.

Ellen Nakashima writes the new law would allow the elimination of the dual-hat arrangement should the secretary of the Defense Department and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify jointly that to end such an arrangement would not reduce Cybercom’s performance.

“Congress … should not place unnecessary and bureaucratic administrative burdens and conditions on ending the dual-hat arrangement at a time when the speed and nature of cyber threats requires agility in making decisions about how best to organize and manage the nation’s cyber capabilities,” Obama said about the provision.

Obama noted that DoD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence plan to implement a “phased” transition that would allow NSA to continue operational support to Cybercom, according to the report.

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Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet: Navy Fields UUVs for Ocean Exploration Missions
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Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet: Navy Fields UUVs for Ocean Exploration Missions

Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet: Navy Fields UUVs for Ocean Exploration MissionsThe U.S. Navy deploys unmanned underwater vehicles, also known as ocean gliders, to explore the world’s oceans for up to four months in order to help predict sea currents, tides and density as well as collect information on ocean salinity, depth and temperature.

Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, oceanographer and chief of the Naval Meterology and Oceanography Command, wrote in a blog post published Dec. 19 that the Navy transmits collected data from the Teledyne Webb-built undersea drones to the Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi for integration with NAVOCEANO’s ocean models.

NAVOCEANO has used a fleet of underwater drones since 2012 as part of the Navy’s Littoral Battlespace Sensing-Gliders program.

Six military oceanographic survey ships launch and recover the ocean gliders that are operated by staff at NAVOCEANO’s Glider Operation Center at Stennis Space Center.

“NAVOCEANO uses the data collected for numerical modeling of ocean conditions,” Gallaudet wrote.

“These models improve with glider data, which we share with regional partners to help their understanding of the environment,” he added.

The Navy retrieved a week ago an underwater drone that China’s naval forces seized on Dec. 15 in international waters around the South China Sea.

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Chinese Aircraft Carrier to Conduct Exercise in Western Pacific Ocean
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Chinese Aircraft Carrier to Conduct Exercise in Western Pacific Ocean


Chinese Aircraft Carrier to Conduct Exercise in Western Pacific OceanChina’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning is set to conduct routine exercises in the Western Pacific Ocean along with its accompanying fleet amid territorial disputes in the region, Reuters reported Sunday.

Ben Blanchard writes China’s operation of the Liaoning carrier marks the first step in the country’s effort to deploy carriers built inside China by 2020.

Taiwan said through its defense ministry that it is monitoring the drills, according to the report.

Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force ship and P3C patrol airplane detected Liaoning and other Chinese naval vessels traveling between Miyako and Okinawa and into the Pacific, Reuters reports.

Blanchard writes China’s first live-fire exercises with an aircraft carrier and fighters occurred in the northeastern Bohai Sea in early December.

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Brandon Pustejovsky: USAID to Establish Data Library to Capture and Share Data from Contractors
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Brandon Pustejovsky: USAID to Establish Data Library to Capture and Share Data from Contractors


Brandon Pustejovsky: USAID to Establish Data Library to Capture and Share Data from ContractorsThe U.S. Agency for International Development will unveil a new development data library to capture, share and visualize information from contractors, employees and non-profit organizations in 85 countries around the world, Federal News Radio reported Thursday.

Jason Miller writes Brandon Pustejovsky, USAID chief data officer, said the agency modified all contract and grantee awards to require partners to send data to the library in support of efforts to capture data in a central place on a regular basis.

USAID has created a basic portal that lists existing data sets and serves as a platform to upload information while the library is being developed and the agency works to modify approaches to data management in the next three to five years.

“The idea here is … let’s share this more globally to make sure that not only USAID can benefit from that in support of its mission, but even the countries in which we work can better understand what’s going on in their own environments,” said Pustejovsky.

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Grant Thornton: Survey Respondents Make Suggestions for Next Administration
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Grant Thornton: Survey Respondents Make Suggestions for Next Administration


Grant Thornton: Survey Respondents Make Suggestions for Next AdministrationRespondents in the American Society of Military Comptrollers’ 2016 survey of financial management professionals urge the next administration to conduct a comprehensive review of financial management information technology modernization efforts.

Grant Thornton said Thursday,  the respondents have also recommended the incoming administration to develop mitigation strategies as well as focus initial management attention on the development and recruitment of financial managers.

The respondents also suggests the endorsement of the Defense Financial Management’s push to achieve auditability and the utilization of the leadership that currently exists throughout the department’s workforce.

ASMC, a non-profit educational and professional organization for civilian and military personnel, promotes the education and training of members as well as aids the development of the military comptrollership.

The survey covered context and trends on areas such as audit, budget uncertainty, fiscal constraint, information technology modernization and people to offer insights on challenges faced by the previous administration.

Obama Clears $619B Defense Spending Legislation for Fiscal 2017
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Obama Clears $619B Defense Spending Legislation for Fiscal 2017


Obama Clears $619B Defense Spending Legislation for Fiscal 2017President Barack Obama has signed the 2017 defense policy bill that authorizes $618.7 billion in funds and includes $67 billion for overseas contingency operations, The Hill reported Friday.

Rebecca Kheel writes the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act provides for $3.2 billion more OCO funds than Obama’s request that will cover a 2.1-percent military pay raise and additional personnel for the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Air Force.

The bill also includes provisions to turn the U.S. Cyber Command into a combatant command, address issues in the National Guard bonus and place restrictions on the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees inshore, Kheel reported.

The report said Obama noted remaining concerns about dropped reform measures to address military force structure, overhead spending and military healthcare.

Dana Atkins, president and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America, said the 2017 NDAA reflects the areas of advocacy of the organization such as compensation and healthcare.

“Even in this tough fiscal environment, Congress found a way to treat military people fairly, resolving hundreds of differences between their respective versions of the bill, accommodating MOAA’s and The Military Coalition’s recommendations on most of them,” he said in a statement issued Friday.

MOAA said the bill protects service members and veterans from various Tricare fee increases and rejects a Senate proposal to reduce housing allowances by up to $30,000 a year for dual-military couples and service members who share housing.

The 2017 NDAA will also extend the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance at $310 per month through May 2018 and boost Survivor Benefit Plan annuities for beneficiaries of reservists who die during inactive-duty training.

GAO Urges CMS Acting Administrator to Unify Federal Program Requirements
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GAO Urges CMS Acting Administrator to Unify Federal Program Requirements


GAO Urges CMS Acting Administrator to Unify Federal Program RequirementsThe Government Accountability Office has recommended that the acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unify the federal program requirements across programs that provide personal care services.

GAO said Thursday that four states such as California, Maryland, Oregon and Texas differed in their implementation of safety measures for the beneficiaries that receive in-home personal care services and in how those states ensure that the services provided match the bill.

CMS also failed to collect the required state reports on personal care services or to address variations in program requirements, according to the government watchdog.

“Collecting these reports could improve oversight by providing CMS and Congress with information on programs’ effects on beneficiaries’ health and welfare,” GAO said.

“A more consistent administration of policies and procedures across programs could help the federal government and states better manage risks to beneficiaries and protect the integrity of the program,” GAO added.

GAO noted that home and community-based services such as personal care services are growing in demand.

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US Marine Corps Completes Joint Training Exercise in Bulgaria; Norman Renfro Comments
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US Marine Corps Completes Joint Training Exercise in Bulgaria; Norman Renfro Comments


US Marine Corps Completes Joint Training Exercise in Bulgaria; Norman Renfro CommentsThe U.S. Marine Corps has concluded a joint training exercise at Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria along with eight partner nations from the Black Sea and Caucasus regions to beef up the NATO alliance.

Combined companies that comprised of marines from the Black Sea Rotational Force’s Golf Company, marines from the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team and marines from other countries participated in various training scenarios as part of the Exercise Platinum Lion 17.1, USMC said Friday.

The training exercise included Combat Life Savers’ course, simulated casualty evacuation drills, combat marksmanship, room clearing procedures and live-fire squad attacks.

Capt. Norman Renfro, Golf Company commander, said the exercise aimed to help squad leaders review “their own procedures for patrolling, ambushes, raids and deliberate attacks.”

The exercise concluded the Black Sea Rotational Force, an annual multilateral security cooperation effort between the Marine Corps and partner nations in the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus regions.

Report: Jason Miller Declines Appointment as White House Communications Director
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Report: Jason Miller Declines Appointment as White House Communications Director


Report: Jason Miller Declines Appointment as White House Communications DirectorJason Miller, communications director of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, has declined his appointment as White House communications director to prioritize his family, Reuters reported Saturday.

Emily Stephenson writes Miller said in a statement that his wife is expected to give birth in January and Sean Spicer will assume the responsibilities of the communications director.

Trump selected Spicer, communications chief of the Republican National Committee, to serve as White House press secretary.

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Ashton Carter: US, Japan Agree in Principle on Updates to Civilian Base Workers’ Rights
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Ashton Carter: US, Japan Agree in Principle on Updates to Civilian Base Workers’ Rights


Ashton Carter: US, Japan Agree in Principle on Updates to Civilian Base Workers’ Rights
Ashton Carter

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter expects the U.S. and Japan to conclude an agreement over the rights of some civilian base workers in Japan in the near future, Stars and Stripes reported Sunday.

Erik Slavin writes the deal will remove some civilian base workers in the country from under the Status of Forces Agreement‘s protection from prosecution for criminal cases.

“I am pleased that the United States and Japanese negotiators have successfully reached an agreement in principle that clarifies the scope of the civilian component of the U.S. armed forces in Japan,” Carter was quoted as saying.

SOFA defines the rights and responsibilities for both military and civilian base employees in Japan and currently authorizes the nation’s law enforcers to question crime suspects with the latter remaining under U.S. custody at the bases until they are charged, according to the report.

Slavin reports U.S. and Japanese authorities agreed to define the categories of civilians under SOFA as part of the procedural changes.

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