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GAO: Federal Improper Payments Reached $144B in Fiscal 2016
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GAO: Federal Improper Payments Reached $144B in Fiscal 2016


GAO: Federal Improper Payments Reached $144B in Fiscal 2016The Government Accountability Office has found that the federal government recorded approximately $144 billion in improper payments in fiscal 2016.

GAO said in a report published Wednesday the figure was linked to 112 federal programs across 22 agencies and those programs include Medicare, Medicaid and earned income tax credit.

Medicare-related programs such as Part D and Medicare Advantage accounted for approximately $59.7 billion in improper payments, followed by Medicaid at $36.3 billion.

The congressional watchdog also found that the government reported approximately $4.3 billion in fiscal 2015 spending on more than 640,000 vehicles that are either owned or leased by agencies.

GAO called on the federal government to cut improper payments, manage its fleet of vehicles, reduce unneeded facilities, make changes to the acquisition process for information technology platforms and address cybersecurity issues related to federal IT infrastructure.

 

Dyke Weatherington, Principal Director of SSI to Speak at POC Unmanned Systems Forum
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Dyke Weatherington, Principal Director of SSI to Speak at POC Unmanned Systems Forum


Dyke Weatherington, Principal Director of SSI to Speak at POC Unmanned Systems Forum

The Potomac Officers’ Club is pleased to announce that Dyke Weatherington,  Principal Director, Space, Strategic and Intelligence Systems (SSI) at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD (AT&L)) for the Pentagon will speak at the Unnanned Systems Forum. The Forum will be held at 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, VA 22042 on Wednesday May 24,2017 from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Weatherington is responsible for acquisition shaping and oversight of space, strategic manned and unmanned aircraft, intelligence programs and treaty compliance executed by the Department of Defense. His prior roles include Deputy Director, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance in the SSI. His IC portfolio includes major system acquisition programs of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Geo-Spatial Agency (NGA), National Security Agency (NSA), and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Weatherington also worked on systems like Global Hawk, Triton NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance, and the Long Range Strike – Bomber and B-2 weapons systems.

As SSI’s Senior Acquisition Officer and the primary liaison between Joint Staff, Services, Agencies, and Congress, Weatherington looks for cost reductions and ways to achieve schedule and performance goals. He also advises the Milestone Decision Authority on space, strategic, and intelligence program acquisition decisions, and is the functional lead for the Deputy Secretary of Defense directed Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force.

Weatherington serves as Chairman of the multi-agency UAS Executive Committee Senior Steering Group that addresses the National Airspace System for the DOD, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Prior to his assignment to SSI, Weatherington was the Deputy Director, Unmanned Warfare and ISR, Strategic & Tactical Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering mechanics from the United States Air Force Academy (1981) and a Master of Arts in National Securities Studies from California State University (1993). He is also a graduate of the Air Force Air Command and Staff College and the Defense Systems Management College. He has been awarded numerous OSD and Air Force decorations including the Airman’s Medal and OUSD Exceptional Civilian Service Award.

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GAO: DHS Should Fully Implement FITARA, Increase CIO Involvement in IT Contracts
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GAO: DHS Should Fully Implement FITARA, Increase CIO Involvement in IT Contracts


GAO: DHS Should Fully Implement FITARA, Increase CIO Involvement in IT ContractsThe Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Homeland Security to fully implement action plans under the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act and to increase the agency chief information officer’s involvement in IT contracts.

DHS has fully accomplished 28 of 31 FITARA action plans that GAO evaluated but the department has yet to implement all aspects of three action plans as of December 2016, GAO said Thursday.

Auditors also assessed 48 DHS contracts associated with major IT investments and found that the DHS CIO did not participate in the approval process of any of the contracts.

FITARA directs agency CIOs to review and approve IT contracts and agreements associated with major programs prior to award.

The legislation also requires CIOs to perform risk evaluations of major IT investments and update risk ratings on the Office of Management and Budget‘s public website dubbed IT Dashboard.

DHS changed its evaluation process for 30 of 93 major IT investments in October 2016, removing the CIO’s responsibility to evaluate or provide risk ratings for the investments, GAO reported.

Under the new process, multiple DHS organizations and officials evaluate the investments and the CIO’s assessment accounts for approximately 18 percent of the total score.

GAO said the process change poses challenges to the DHS CIO’s capacity to publicly report risk ratings.

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US-Jordan Team Discuss Possible Approaches to Mitigate WMD Production
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US-Jordan Team Discuss Possible Approaches to Mitigate WMD Production


US-Jordan Team Discuss Possible Approaches to Mitigate WMD ProductionThe U.S. and Jordan have participated in a capacity-building workshop at the Exercise Eager Lion event to discuss interdiction and potential approaches to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

DoD said Thursday that the Proliferation Security Initiative workshop looked to identify opportunities to boost national legal authorities, discuss challenges regarding WMD proliferation as well as examine national and international legal authorities.

PSI is a global program that looks to prevent the trafficking of WMDs, delivery systems and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern.

The program aims to develop procedures regarding the exchange of information on WMD proliferation, boost national legal authorities to facilitate interdiction and take specific actions in support of interdiction efforts.

“Our work together these last few days through the PSI was intended to help [Jordan] develop another national security tool,” said Andrea Yaffe, director of transnational threats from the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense.

“We are stronger when we confront these threats together, and the PSI is an important example of that cooperation,” said Amjad Al Rudaini, chief of planning and defense requirements for the Jordanian armed forces.

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Gens. Joseph Dunford, Paul Selva Nominated to Retain JCS Leadership Roles
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Gens. Joseph Dunford, Paul Selva Nominated to Retain JCS Leadership Roles


Gens. Joseph Dunford, Paul Selva Nominated to Retain JCS Leadership Roles
Joseph Dunford

President Donald Trump has nominated Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford for reappointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Defense Department announced Friday.

Dunford became chairman on October 1, 2015 and also currently serves as principal military adviser to the president, defense secretary and the National Security Council.

He previously served as commandant of the Marine Corps, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps and commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan.

Dunford also held various leadership roles within the Marine Corps such as director of operations; deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations; and commander of the 1st Marine Division.

Gens. Joseph Dunford, Paul Selva Nominated to Retain JCS Leadership Roles
Paul Selva

Air Force Gen. Paul Selva has also been nominated for reassignment as vice chairman of JCS.

Selva led the U.S. Transportation Command before he was appointed to his current position  in July 2015 and has recorded more than 3,100 flight hours.

He previously served as commander of the Air Mobility Command, vice commander of the Pacific Air Forces, assistant to the JCS chairman and director of strategic planning at the Air Force.

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SBA: Federal Govt Exceeded Small Business Contracting Goal in FY 2016
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SBA: Federal Govt Exceeded Small Business Contracting Goal in FY 2016


SBA: Federal Govt Exceeded Small Business Contracting Goal in FY 2016The federal government has exceeded its small business contracting goal of 23 percent in fiscal year 2016 by awarding 24.34 percent or $99.96 billion of total contract funds to small businesses.

The Small Business Administration said Thursday federal contract dollars awarded to small businesses in 2016 increased by more than $9 billion from the previous year.

Federal agencies also met contracting targets for small disadvantaged, service-disabled/veteran-owned and women-owned small businesses — which are set at 5 percent, 3 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

The federal government awarded 9.52 percent of contract funds to small disadvantaged businesses; 3.98 percent to service-disabled/veteran-owned companies; and 4.79 percent to women-owned businesses.

SBA uses the Small Business Procurement Scorecard to assess federal agencies’ efforts to achieve their small business prime contracting and subcontracting goals annually.

Federal agencies work with SBA every year to determine their own contracting goals and SBA must make sure that the sum total of all agency goals exceeds the 23 percent target established by law.

SBA gave the federal government an overall grade of “A” using the scorecard, while seven agencies received A+, 11 received an A, four received a B and one agency was given a C.

The federal government failed to meet the 3 percent goal for small businesses in historically-underutilized business zones, awarding only 1.67 percent of total contracts.

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DoD Lab Day Features More Than 80 Technical Projects
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DoD Lab Day Features More Than 80 Technical Projects


DoD Lab Day Features More Than 80 Technical ProjectsThe Defense Department showcased more than 80 technical projects from 63 defense laboratories and warfare and engineering centers during an event held Thursday at the Pentagon Center Courtyard, DoD News reported Thursday.

Mary Miller, acting assistant defense secretary for research and engineering, highlighted innovation efforts within the defense laboratory enterprise at the department’s second biennial Lab Day.

“The defense laboratory enterprise helps meet today’s urgent operational needs while ensuring decisive overmatch for the force of the future,” said Miller.

Miller noted that DoD scientists and engineers have developed technologies in the areas of chemical biological defense, combat fielding, active and passive protection, space robotics, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Current DoD projects include the Army Research Laboratory’s soldier weapon exoskeleton, the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Stilleto experimental all-carbon fiber craft and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s low-cost attritable aircraft technology.

James MacStravic, acting defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, said that basic research and science experiments that take place in DoD laboratories help sustain the U.S. military’s technological advantage in land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.

“Our engineering centers help translate research into militarily useful technologies and provide reachback capabilities and subject matter expertise to solve problems and challenges within the existing systems,” MacStravic added.

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Gen. David Goldfein: Separate Space Force Would Slow Down USAF Efforts to Counter Threats
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Gen. David Goldfein: Separate Space Force Would Slow Down USAF Efforts to Counter Threats


Gen. David Goldfein: Separate Space Force Would Slow Down USAF Efforts to Counter Threats
David Goldfein

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein has said the move to separate space activities through the establishment of an independent “space corps” would impede the service branch’s efforts to address orbital threats, Space News reported Friday.

“As we make this transition from a benign to a warfighting environment… any move that actually ends up separating space as opposed to integrating space, I would argue is a move in the wrong direction,” Goldfein said in his Wednesday testimony before Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subpanel.

“Right now, to get focused on a large organizational change would actually slow us down,” he added.

The Senate subcommittee hearing came after the Government Accountability Office issued a report that says “fragmented responsibilities” within the Defense Department have posed a challenge to the way DoD oversees the acquisition of satellites and other military space platforms.

Goldfein, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017, noted the acquisition process should be streamlined and that the military branch needs a single individual to manage and implement space-related acquisitions and contracts, the report added.

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Appeals Court Overturns FAA Registration Rule on Recreational Drones
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Appeals Court Overturns FAA Registration Rule on Recreational Drones

Appeals Court Overturns FAA Registration Rule on Recreational DronesThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has revoked a Federal Aviation Administration regulation that required owners of recreational unmanned aerial systems to register their model drones with the government, The Hill reported Friday.

The court ruled in favor of John Taylor, a recreational UAS operator who argued that FAA lacks authority to regulate model aircraft based on a 2012 law passed by Congress.

The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 includes a provision that exempts model aircraft from any FAA rule or regulation.

“The FAA’s 2015 registration rule, which applies to model aircraft, directly violates that clear statutory prohibition,” the court said in a statement.

“We therefore grant Taylor’s petition and vacate the registration rule to the extent it applies to model aircraft.”

FAA launched a web-based system in December 2015 and initially required owners of model drones to register using the online tool.

Under the rule, owners will pay a registration fee of $5 and get a certificate with a validity period of three years for each registered UAS.

FAA said in a Friday statement it has begun to consider its options and response to the court’s decision.

“The FAA put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats,” the statement added.

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Army’s Universal Mission Simulator Helps Train UAS Flight Crews
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Army’s Universal Mission Simulator Helps Train UAS Flight Crews


Army's Universal Mission Simulator Helps Train UAS Flight CrewsThe U.S. Army uses a full-simulation platform to augment live flight training for unmanned aircraft system crews and help reduce costs and risks at the service branch’s aviation and missile research, development and engineering center.

The Universal Mission Simulator is designed to train flight crews on how to operate Gray Eagle and Shadow functions such as launch, preflight, taxi, flight route, target area exploitation, airfield returns, post flight and weapons employment, the Army said Thursday.

“The Joint Technology Center and Systems Integration Lab, commonly referred to as JSIL, sustains all UMS systems to keep software current with the Gray Eagle and Shadow tactical systems configurations,” said Will Bishop, UAS crew training simulation systems branch chief.

Jim Jones, technical chief at the JSIL, noted the lab has used the government-funded Multiple Unified Simulation Environment software suite to provide training systems for the UAS project management office.

Jones added that MUSE offers intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance simulation capacity for combatant commanders who participate in command and staff training exercises such as the Auster Challenge, Pacific Sentry, Talisman Sabre, Ulchi Freedom Guardian and Yama Sakura.

The Army has implemented 84 UMS systems, including four used for Shadow UAS training, as of April.

The service branch plans to implement a total of 99 UMS unit by fiscal year 2019 to support drone operator training.

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