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Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd: Innovation & Collaboration Key to Counter Threat Networks
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Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd: Innovation & Collaboration Key to Counter Threat Networks


Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd: Innovation & Collaboration Key to Counter Threat Networks
Kurt Tidd

U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, head of the U.S. Southern Command, sought to highlight the role of collaboration, innovation and trust between partners to counter adversaries’ finances and threat networks, DoD News reported Friday.

Shannon Collins writes Tidd discussed collaborative ideas for regional security during his opening remarks at the 15th Caribbean Nations Security Conference in San Juan.

“We must seek out and leverage the expertise of civil society, academia, and the private sector, who can bring fresh perspective, unique skill sets and innovative solutions to bear on complex challenges,” said Tidd.

“We must hone the skills and capabilities our forces need to succeed in a transformed security environment.”

The report noted that the two-day event tackled discussions on informational sharing, regional security strategies, security synchronization and transnational threat networks.

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Air Force Academy Students Introduce Cyber Issue Tracker Software
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Air Force Academy Students Introduce Cyber Issue Tracker Software


Air Force Academy Students Introduce Cyber Issue Tracker SoftwareA group of Air Force Academy cadets have developed a new software that can keep track of cyber issues for Air Force Space Command mobile and online applications with the use of a chat room, user ratings and social media features, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Thursday.

Wayne Heilman writes an AFA design class developed the CyberWorx Responsive Dashboard to feature a chat room, incident response reporting system, glossary of acronyms and an option to click on any part of the map for a detailed view.

The class utilized a “design thinking” concept to determine how to tackle specific issues and how to develop a system that can address such challenges as opposed to having an engineer fix technical problems.

Lt. Col. Michael Chiaramonte, an Air Force Academy associate professor of computer science, told the Gazette another class will start in January which will cover how to rewrite Air Force policies used in cyber personnel command and control systems.

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Boeing to Supply 80 Passenger Aircraft to Iran Air Under $16.6B Deal
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Boeing to Supply 80 Passenger Aircraft to Iran Air Under $16.6B Deal


Boeing to Supply 80 Passenger Aircraft to Iran Air Under $16.6B DealBoeing has entered into a potential $16.6 billion contract to produce and supply 80 passenger aircraft to Iran Air.

The sales agreement with Iran Air was reached under the terms of the U.S. government license that Boeing secured in September, Boeing said Sunday.

The contract covers 50 Boeing-built 737 MAX 8, 15 777-300ER and 15 777-9 passenger planes.

Iran Air expects Boeing to deliver the first batch of airplanes in 2018.

Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 and 777X are scheduled to enter service in 2017 and 2020, respectively.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday the aircraft sale is subject to approval by Congress and the departments of Treasury and State because the deal involves a state-owned airline.

Robert Wall and Asa Fitch write the Obama administration encouraged the Iran Air-Boeing transaction and other similar deals as part of efforts to solidify a nuclear agreement with Iran.

The report said the airline also seeks to buy 118 planes from Airbus for an estimated cost of $25 billion.

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Deborah Lee James: Air Force Considers to Waive Fixed-Price Requirement in 2017 NDAA for JSTARS Replacement Program
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Deborah Lee James: Air Force Considers to Waive Fixed-Price Requirement in 2017 NDAA for JSTARS Replacement Program


Deborah Lee James: Air Force Considers to Waive Fixed-Price Requirement in 2017 NDAA for JSTARS Replacement ProgramAir Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has said the service branch has begun to consider whether to use a provision in the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill to waive a fixed-price contract requirement for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft replacement program, Defense News reported Friday.

“There is also a waiver authority in that language, and so we are also in discussions with [the office of the secretary of defense] about the possibilities there,” James told Defense News reporter Valerie Insinna in an interview.

The fixed-price contract requirement and an authority to waive such a requirement are included in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that passed both the House and Senate.

James noted that she asked Darlene Costello, Air Force acquisition executive, to reassess whether it is feasible to use a fixed-price contract instead of a combination of firm-fixed-price and cost-plus structures for the engineering, manufacturing and development phase of the JSTARS replacement program, Insinna reports.

The Air Force plans to award the EMD contract in FY 2018 as part of its plan to procure 17 planes under the JSTARS program, according to the report.

The report added that Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Lockheed Martin plan to bid on the contract.

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US to Deploy 200 Troops for Counter-IS Efforts in Syria
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US to Deploy 200 Troops for Counter-IS Efforts in Syria


US to Deploy 200 Troops for Counter-IS Efforts in SyriaThe U.S. government will deploy approximately 200 additional troops to Syria in support of coalition efforts to remove the Islamic State militant group from the IS’ hub in Raqqa, DoD News reported Saturday.

Shannon Collins writes Defense Secretary Ash Carter said at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain that the additional forces will include special operations forces, trainers, advisers and explosive ordnance disposal teams.

Carter added the new troops will join 300 U.S. special operations forces that are currently in Syria to help organize, train and equip local forces to combat the Islamic State group, Collins reported.

The defense secretary noted Bahrain, U.S. and coalition forces are engaged in a mission to isolate and remove the Islamic State’s control over Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq, the report stated.

Carter met with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to discuss the U.S.-Bahraini defense relationship, U.S. presence in Bahrain, U.S. commitment to regional security and the counter-IS coalition’s progress in Mosul and Raqqa, DoD News stated.

Senate Clears Stopgap Measure in 63-36 Vote
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Senate Clears Stopgap Measure in 63-36 Vote


Senate Clears Stopgap Measure in 63-36 VoteThe Senate on Friday voted 63-36 to approve a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government through the end of April, the New York Times reported Friday.

Thomas Kaplan and Jennifer Steinhauer write the Senate passed the stopgap spending bill less than an hour prior to a possible government shutdown and after the lawmakers voted 61-38 to clear a procedural measure to advance the CR.

The House on Thursday approved the stopgap bill in a 326-96 vote.

The upper chamber’s move came after Senate Democrats dropped threats to reject the stopgap measure in order to get a yearlong extension for retired coal miners’ healthcare benefits, according to a report by Burgess Everett, Seung Min Kim and Ben Weyl for Politico.

The stopgap bill would extend for four months the health insurance of retired miners in Appalachian states, according to the report.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucy) told Politico that they will continue the fight for the retired miners’ health benefits in 2017.

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Ash Carter, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Discuss Strategic Partnership for Afghanistan’s Security
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Ash Carter, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Discuss Strategic Partnership for Afghanistan’s Security


Ash Carter, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Discuss Strategic Partnership for Afghanistan's SecurityU.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have met in Kabul to discuss U.S.-Afghanistan strategic partnership in support of Afghanistan’s security, DoD News reported Friday.

Terri Moon Cronk writes Carter said at a press conference that U.S. and coalition partners will continue to aid Afghan troops and that the U.S. remains committed to Afghanistan’s security and sovereignty.

Carter noted that combined international community pledges to support Afghan forces amount to approximately $5 billion per year through 2020, Moon Cronk reported.

The secretary added these force and financial commitments support U.S. counterterrorism mission and help maintain the stability of Afghanistan, the U.S. homeland and the coalition.

Afghan and U.S. troops carried out two operations against the Islamic State militant group which killed the organization’s top leader in Afghanistan, according to Carter.

U.S. forces also fought al-Qaida in Afghanistan which led to the death of the group’s top plotter, the report stated.

Carter also honored the sacrifices of Defense Department personnel in Afghanistan including three service members and two contractors who died in a suicide attack at Bagram in November.

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CIA: Russia’s Cyber Intrusions Sought to Influence US Presidential Election
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CIA: Russia’s Cyber Intrusions Sought to Influence US Presidential Election


CIA: Russia’s Cyber Intrusions Sought to Influence US Presidential ElectionA secret assessment by the CIA says Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election through cyber intrusions in order to help Donald Trump get elected as U.S. president, the Washington Post reported Friday.

Senior U.S. officials said the CIA told U.S. senators in a closed-door briefing that individuals linked to the Russian government shared with WikiLeaks thousands of breached emails from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign chief, Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller wrote.

Trump told the Time magazine that he doesn’t believe that Russia intervened in the election.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in an interview that Russia is not the source of the hacked emails, according to the Washington Post.

President Barack Obama has asked intelligence agencies to perform a “full review” of Russia’s involvement in the cyber intrusions during the election and submit a report before he leaves the White House on Jan. 20, according to a report by Jeff Mason for Reuters.

Lisa Monaco, Obama’s homeland security adviser, said at a Christian Science Monitor-hosted event that the administration will share the report’s findings with Congress and other stakeholders, the report added.

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US, China Reaffirm Cooperation to Address Cybercrime & Network Protection
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US, China Reaffirm Cooperation to Address Cybercrime & Network Protection


CyberCrimeKeyboardGovernment representatives from U.S. and China have reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to cooperate on cybersecurity efforts such as cyber crime investigations and network protection.

The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday Attorney General Loretta Lynch, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson and Chinese public security ministry leader Guo Shengkun co-chaired the third U.S.-China High-Level Joint Dialogue on Cybercrime and Related Issues.

Both countries agreed to cooperate on the investigation of hacking and cyber fraud incidents; share cybercrime-related leads and information; and identify priority cases for law enforcement cooperation, DHS added.

U.S. and China also plan to continue the provision of status reports to gauge the effectiveness of case cooperation.

DHS noted the two sides aim to hold remote or in-person meetings on network protection regularly and that the next meeting should be planned for 2017.

The two countries seek to host a roundtable discussion with technology companies on mutual cybersecurity concerns.

Both sides proposed to share malicious Internet Protocol addresses, malware samples, analytic products and network protection information; promote network hygiene and protection practices; and establish standard operating procedures on network protection cooperation.

The two nations also look to exchange feedback on the use of network protection information and regularly provide principals with summaries of collaborations.

U.S. and China plan to continue information sharing to mitigate the use of internet for terrorists and criminals.

The countries launched a hotline mechanism for cyber crime and related issues and both parties will run a routine review on the use of the hotline.

The two sides recommend to continue the annual dialogue and that the fourth event should be held in 2017.

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Andrew Ceresney to Step Down as SEC Enforcement Director
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Andrew Ceresney to Step Down as SEC Enforcement Director


Securities and Exchange CommissionAndrew Ceresney is set to leave the Securities and Exchange Commission by the end of 2016 as enforcement director after nearly four years in the job.

SEC said Thursday Stephanie Avakian, deputy director at SEC’s enforcement division, will succeed Ceresney on an acting basis after he steps down.

“Andrew’s tremendous work ethic, commitment to do what is right, and deep dedication to his entire team have made him an incredibly effective leader,” said SEC Chair Mary Jo White.

SEC filed more than 2,850 enforcement actions and obtained approximately $13.8 billion in monetary sanctions during Ceresney’s time as head of the enforcement division.

He joined the commission from Debevoise & Plimpton where he served as a litigation partner and co-chair of the law firm’s white collar group.

Ceresney previously worked as deputy chief appellate attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

He also served as a law clerk to Dennis Jacobs, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and to Michael Mukasey, former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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