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Government Technology/News
NIST Issues Draft Guidance on Cyber Best Practices for Federal Agencies
by Scott Nicholas
Published on May 16, 2017
NIST Issues Draft Guidance on Cyber Best Practices for Federal Agencies


NIST Issues Draft Guidance on Cyber Best Practices for Federal AgenciesThe National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled new draft guidance that suggests best practices for agencies to secure federal information systems, Nextgov reported Monday.

The Interagency Report 8170 document provides instructions on how federal agencies can utilize NIST frameworks to assess the cybersecurity of technology vendors and allocate cybersecurity responsibilities to various department sectors.

NIST drafted the guide to help federal officials evaluate an agency’s compliance with data privacy laws such as the Federal Information Security Management Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that mandates federal agencies to comply with NIST-developed cybersecurity frameworks.

NIST seeks ideas from the public on how to improve cybersecurity guidance for federal information technology managers, executives and other officials from private companies that work with the government.

DoD/News
Air Force Lifts Weight Restrictions on F-35A Pilots
by Ramona Adams
Published on May 16, 2017
Air Force Lifts Weight Restrictions on F-35A Pilots


Air Force Lifts Weight Restrictions on F-35A PilotsThe U.S. Air Force has lifted a restriction that imposed a weight minimum of at least 136 pounds for F-35A pilots in an effort to prevent neck injury during ejections.

The service branch said Monday three modifications were implemented on the F-35A escape system in an effort to boost safety for all pilots.

The restriction was implemented in 2015 after tests revealed that parachute deployment or opening could cause neck injury for lightweight pilots.

The Air Force originally considered replacing F-35A’s Martin-Baker US16E ejection seat with United Technologies‘ ACES 5 offering in 2016.

Martin-Baker worked with the Air Force to meet ejection seat requirements, which includes certifying the seat for pilots that weigh between 103 and 245 pounds.

The modifications include a new switch that works to slightly delay parachute deployment at high speeds and decrease parachute opening forces; a head support panel designed to keep the pilot’s head from moving backwards during ejection; and reduction of the overall helmet weight.

The new ejection seats are being retrofitted into the F-35A fleet while lightweight helmets are in pre-production and will begin full production later this year, the Air Force noted.

Acquisition & Procurement/News
John Bergin: DoD Eyes Use of Blockchain Tech in Standard Parts Production
by Scott Nicholas
Published on May 16, 2017
John Bergin: DoD Eyes Use of Blockchain Tech in Standard Parts Production


John Bergin: DoD Eyes Use of Blockchain Tech in Standard Parts ProductionThe Defense Department aims to use additive manufacturing techniques in conjunction with  blockchain technology in efforts to address intellectual property challenges related to the production of military standard parts, GCN reported Monday.

John Bergin, business technology officer at DoD’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, told a defense contracting forum Friday the U.S. Navy‘s carriers can serve as a model for a use case of blockchain.

He added he believes the technology has the potential to help military organizations and industry partners to accelerate the supply chain process for “mil-spec” components.

“We are very excited about this approach, and we think it’s part of the acquisition front we’re trying to get to,” said Bergin, according to the report.

News
House, Senate Armed Services Committee Leaders Seek Defense Sequestration Reversal
by Jane Edwards
Published on May 16, 2017
House, Senate Armed Services Committee Leaders Seek Defense Sequestration Reversal


House, Senate Armed Services Committee Leaders Seek Defense Sequestration ReversalSen. John McCain (R-Arizona), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), head of the House armed services panel, have echoed the call of a group of lawmakers to reverse the sequestration policy for defense programs, Defense News reported Monday.

“Sequestration is an act of sheer political cowardice, because you let a meat ax act without any discrimination, judgment or value – it’s disgraceful,” McCain told reporters.

A group of 141 lawmakers wrote a May 2 letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) urging him to bring to the House floor a bill that would repeal defense sequestration, which they say impacts military readiness and hampers the U.S. government’s ability to deter adversaries.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) organized the letter and introduced in March a measure that seeks to eliminate budget caps for defense.

Thornberry and McCain said they would support the move to repeal defense budget caps by approximately $90 billion.

The Trump administration’s proposed $603 billion defense appropriations go beyond budget caps by $54 billion, the report added.

DoD/News
DoD IG Begins Review of Air Force’s Bomber Aircraft Devt Program Classification
by Jane Edwards
Published on May 16, 2017
DoD IG Begins Review of Air Force’s Bomber Aircraft Devt Program Classification


DoD IG Begins Review of Air Force’s Bomber Aircraft Devt Program ClassificationThe Defense Department’s inspector general has launched an evaluation to assess whether the U.S. Air Force has exercised extreme discretion about the basic details of a potential $80 billion program to develop the new B-21 bomber aircraft, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The DoD IG office needs to submit within six months an evaluation report to Congress in compliance with a provision of a $1.17 trillion budget package for fiscal 2017.

Lt. Gen. Arnold Bunch, military deputy to the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, said the review seeks to examine the service branch’s disclosure activities with a goal to “balance program classification with the transparency that we’re shooting for.”

The Pentagon’s IG office is “analyzing how much we are releasing or are not releasing, to give us recommendations on how to move forward,” Bunch added.

The review came seven months after the Government Accountability Office released a redacted version of its February ruling to uphold the service branch’s decision to select Northrop Grumman for the bomber aircraft development program.

The military branch also disclosed the cost goals per aircraft, subcontractors and a sketch of the plane, the report added.

Civilian/News
Corey Cooke Appointed GSA Senior Adviser for Cyber & Tech
by Scott Nicholas
Published on May 16, 2017
Corey Cooke Appointed GSA Senior Adviser for Cyber & Tech


Corey Cooke Appointed GSA Senior Adviser for Cyber & TechPresident Donald Trump has appointed Corey Cooke as senior adviser for cyber and technology to the administrator of the General Services Administration.

GSA said Friday that Cooke will offer strategic guidance on legislation and policies related to the agency’s expanding technology transformation portfolio.

She previously served as counsel and deputy parliamentarian for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where her work focused on antitrust, appropriations, budget, financial services, parliamentary procedure and regulatory matters.

Cooke also provided legislative advice to the House Small Business Committee on capital, entrepreneurial development, financial services, intellectual property and procurement issues as a counsel of that committee.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a juris doctorate from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.

Civilian/News
NASA to Pursue Unmanned Mission for 1st SLS/Orion Flight Test
by Ramona Adams
Published on May 15, 2017
NASA to Pursue Unmanned Mission for 1st SLS/Orion Flight Test


NASA to Pursue Unmanned Mission for 1st SLS/Orion Flight TestNASA has decided to pursue its original plan to conduct the first integrated flight of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft without crew.

The agency said Saturday it is “technically capable” of launching astronauts aboard the Exploration Mission-1 flight test, but it would be difficult to modify plans to make way for a crewed mission at this point.

NASA launched a study in February to explore the potential advantages and disadvantages of flying a crew on EM-1 in 2019.

Engineers will apply lessons learned from the study to the first flight test and integrated systems. NASA noted this is  part of a larger effort to expand human exploration across the solar system.

“We’re considering additional ground testing of the heat shield prior to EM-1 as well as the possibility of advancing the ascent abort test for the Orion launch abort system based on findings from the study,” said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA’s human exploration and operations mission directorate.

Following a schedule review, NASA also decided to adjust the target launch date of EM-1 in 2019 and identify a new official launch date in the next weeks.

NASA said components for EM-1 are currently being delivered and contractors can move on to the next phase of their work for the crewed Exploration Mission-2.

SLS and Orion flight hardware are in production for both missions and test and development efforts are underway across U.S., according to NASA.

Civilian/News
Former Rep. Mike Rogers Gets FBIAA Endorsement for FBI Leadership Post
by Jane Edwards
Published on May 15, 2017
Former Rep. Mike Rogers Gets FBIAA Endorsement for FBI Leadership Post


Former Rep. Mike Rogers Gets FBIAA Endorsement for FBI Leadership Post

The FBI Agents Association has urged President Donald Trump to consider Mike Rogers, a CNN commentator and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, as a potential candidate to lead the FBI.

“Rogers’ unique and diverse experience will allow him to effectively lead the men and women of the bureau as we work to protect our country from criminal and terrorist threats,” FBIAA Thomas O’Connor said in a statement released Saturday.

“Rogers exemplifies the principles that should be possessed by the next FBI director,” O’Connor added.

Those principles include efforts to make FBI special agents key to the bureau’s core mission, initiative to fight crimes in the 21st century and the importance of seeking agents’ feedback on field-related issues.

Rogers’ endorsement came a week after President Trump fired James Comey as FBI director.

Rogers currently serves as host of CNN’s documentary series Declassified.

He spent 15 years in the House of Representatives, where he also served as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

He is also a former special agent with the FBI and a member of the U.S. Army.

Civilian/News
DHS to Introduce 8 New Cyber Tech at Demo Day in Washington; Robert Griffin Comments
by Scott Nicholas
Published on May 15, 2017
DHS to Introduce 8 New Cyber Tech at Demo Day in Washington; Robert Griffin Comments


DHS to Introduce 8 New Cyber Tech at Demo Day in Washington; Robert Griffin CommentsThe Department of Homeland Security‘s science and technology directorate will demonstrate eight new cybersecurity technologies built under S&T’s Transition to Practice program at a ‘Demonstration Day’ event in Washington, D.C.

DHS said Thursday that researchers at federally funded laboratories and academic research centers developed the technologies which will be offered to clients in the commercial market.

The TTP program picks potential cybersecurity technologies, from Energy and Defense Department laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, university affiliated research centers and universities, which will be developed with federal funding and incorporated into the transition-to-market program.

The Demonstration Day event will showcase the 2017 batch of products to cybersecurity professionals, developers, integrators, investors and technology companies including those from the energy, financial and government sectors.

DHS will host more demonstration day events in the future. The events are designed to help foster pilot opportunities by bridging concepts with cybersecurity professionals who can help further develop technologies into commercially viable products.

Robert Griffin, acting DHS under secretary for science and technology said the 2017 TTP cohort includes a range of cybersecurity technologies designed to boost cyber defenses of networks in the public and private sectors.

The eight new TTP technologies include:

  • Cyber Human Language Technology Analysis, Reasoning and Inference for Online Threats (CHARIOT) addresses the data overload problem cyber-analysts encounter by filtering open-source social media to eliminate irrelevant topics. It was developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL).
  • Quantitative Attack Space Analysis and Reasoning (QUASAR) provides visualization and quantitative analytics for determining the security impact of deploying cyber-defenses in an enterprise environment. QUASAR also was developed by MIT LL.
  • A Novel Intrusion Prevention System for Android (APE) is an application for Android devices that performs deep-packet inspection and filtering of traffic entering and leaving the device, thus blocking malicious traffic and lowering its attack profile. APE was developed by the Mitre Corporation.
  • Akatosh: Automated Cyber Incident Verification and Impact Analysis enables automated, real-time forensic analysis of endpoints after malware-attacks and other cybersecurity incidents by automatically maintaining detailed snapshots of host-level activity on endpoints over time. The technology was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
  • Real-Time Cyber-Physical Attack Detection (CPAD) protects power transmission and distribution and other highly sensitive control systems by performing analytics and automatically inferring underlying physical relationships to detect sensor failures, replay attacks and other data-integrity issues in real time. CPAD also was developed at ORNL.
  • StreamWorks: Continuous Pattern Detection on Streaming Data supports continuous detection of emerging patterns in a system of graph-structured data, which are used to detect emerging events in massive netflow or event log data streams. It was developed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
  • Keylime: Enabling Trusted Platform Module-Based Trust in the Cloud enables users to securely bootstrap secrets (e.g., cryptographic keys, passwords, etc.) and continuously verify trust in their cloud computing resources without needing to trust their cloud provider. Keylime also was developed at MIT LL.
  • Policy Enforcement and Access Control for Endpoints (PEACE) protects endpoint devices in an enterprise network by intercepting all new network connections and vetting them at a centralized network controller, allowing administrators to enforce network policy and control access to proactively defend their networks. PEACE was developed at the Worchester Polytechnic Institute.

News
CBO: No Sequestration Required for Fiscal 2017
by Jane Edwards
Published on May 15, 2017
CBO: No Sequestration Required for Fiscal 2017


CBO: No Sequestration Required for Fiscal 2017The Congressional Budget Office has said sequestration is not necessary for fiscal year 2017 because appropriations for defense and nondefense initiatives are respectively equivalent to the $634 billion and $553.6 billion adjusted caps on discretionary budget authority for the year.

CBO said in the May 2017 report adjustments to discretionary budget limits for 2017 reached a total of $118 billion.

Those adjustments to the cap include overseas contingency operations, disaster relief, emergency requirements and program integrity initiatives such as disability insurance, Supplemental Security Income and Medicare programs.

Caps set in the Budget Control Act of 2011 for both defense and nondefense programs will rise from $1.156 trillion in fiscal 2018 to $1.234 trillion in fiscal 2021, according to the report.

CBO also predicts the overall cap on discretionary budget authority to increase from $1.065 trillion in FY 2018 to approximately $1.145 trillion by FY 2021.

The report noted that caps for defense initiatives will decline by approximately $54 billion between FY 2018 and FY 2021, while limits for nondefense programs will drop between $37.3 billion and $35.4 billion over the four-year period.

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