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GAO: NRC Should Monitor Compliance of Motor Carriers That Transport Radioactive Sources
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GAO: NRC Should Monitor Compliance of Motor Carriers That Transport Radioactive Sources


GAO: NRC Should Monitor Compliance of Motor Carriers That Transport Radioactive SourcesThe Government Accountability Office has called on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to develop a method to verify that motor carriers of radioactive sources meet NRC’s security requirements.

GAO said Thursday NRC’s regulatory authority only covers licensed users of risk-significant radioactive sources and the commission does not directly verify whether motor carriers contracted by licensees have implemented security requirements.

The Transportation Department and state officials have regulatory authority over carriers but DoT is not authorized to enforce compliance with NRC standards, GAO added.

Auditors found that no federal or state agency directly checks if carriers comply with NRC requirements.

GAO said NRC should consult with DoT and the Department of Homeland Security to increase the security of radioactive source shipments.

The government audit agency also recommended that NRC chairman gather information from licensees on the number of shipments and transportation modes for risk-significant sources.

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OMB: Federal Agencies Reported 30,899 Cybersecurity Incidents to DHS in FY 2016
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OMB: Federal Agencies Reported 30,899 Cybersecurity Incidents to DHS in FY 2016


OMB: Federal Agencies Reported 30,899 Cybersecurity Incidents to DHS in FY 2016A report from the Office of Management and Budget says federal agencies reported 30,899 cybersecurity incidents to the Department of Homeland Security‘s U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team during fiscal year 2016.

Grant Schneider, acting federal chief information security officer, wrote in a White House blog post that the annual Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 report to Congress revealed that 16 reported incidents were identified as major information security breaches.

The report indicates 81 percent of government users now use multi-factor Personal Identity Verification cards to access federal networks and 70 percent of agencies have deployed anti-phishing and malware functions in an effort to protect their networks.

Agencies also adopted mechanisms to identify, detect and protect hardware and software platforms on their networks to safeguard high value information technology, according to the report.

OMB collaborated with agencies to form cybersecurity policies, including a revision to the “Managing Information as a Strategic Resource” circular that provides an overarching framework for federal IT resource management.

The report said OMB also worked with the Office of Personnel Management to publish the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Strategy as part of efforts to help agencies hire and retain cyber talent.

The annual FISMA report also details agency performance against cybersecurity metrics; independent reviews of inspectors general; cybersecurity policy and program updates; and a summary of cybersecurity incidents.

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DoD Sends FY 2017 Supplemental Budget Plan for OMB Review
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DoD Sends FY 2017 Supplemental Budget Plan for OMB Review


DoD Sends FY 2017 Supplemental Budget Plan for OMB ReviewThe Defense Department has submitted for review by the Office of Management and Budget a supplemental DoD budget request for fiscal 2017, Defense News reported Friday.

Lt. Col. Eric Badger, a DoD spokesman, was quoted by Defense News as saying the department’s budget amendment material will not affect its ongoing push for the passage of a full-year appropriations package in Congress.

The House on Wednesday approved a $577.9 billion budget for DoD’s national security programs in FY 2017, up $5.2 billion from the enacted funding level a year ago.

Gen. David Goldfein, chief of staff at the U.S. Air Force and an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2017, told reporters in February that the service branch would request funds to conduct a flight demonstration of a light attack aircraft.

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Senate Bill Would Expand DoD Cybersecurity Scholarship Program
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Senate Bill Would Expand DoD Cybersecurity Scholarship Program


Senate Bill Would Expand DoD Cybersecurity Scholarship ProgramSenators Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) have introduced a bill that seeks to expand the Defense Department‘s scholarship program for college students pursuing cybersecurity degrees.

Kaine’s office said Thursday the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program Act of 2017 would provide $10 million to DoD’s scholarship fund for fiscal year 2018.

The bill would also expand grants to students pursuing associate’s degrees at community colleges.

“A well-trained and highly skilled cyber workforce is essential to addressing the United States’ growing cybersecurity challenges,” said Kaine.

“Expanding scholarship funds so they’re available to community college students is a commonsense change that will help put more of Virginia’s students on a path to success and support our national security needs,” he added.

The bill would allocate five percent of scholarship funds to students taking two-year programs at institutions designated by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security as Centers of Academic Excellence.

Eligible schools can also vie for competitive grants to establish cybersecurity academic programs under the legislation.

Qualified CAEs in Virginia would include Lord Fairfax Community College, Danville Community College, Tidewater Community College, Northern Virginia Community College, George Mason University, Hampton University, James Madison University, Marymount University, Norfolk State University, Radford University and Virginia Tech.

Scholarship awardees will be required to work in a DoD cybersecurity position after graduation to fulfill a service obligation.

Report: Trump’s Upcoming FY 2018 Budget Proposal to Cut Fed Workforce, Nondefense Programs
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Report: Trump’s Upcoming FY 2018 Budget Proposal to Cut Fed Workforce, Nondefense Programs


Report: Trump's Upcoming FY 2018 Budget Proposal to Cut Fed Workforce, Nondefense ProgramsThe budget proposal that President Donald Trump is due to release in the coming days could shrink the federal workforce at a scale that has not hit the government since World War II, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

Damian Paletta writes that the proposed spending for fiscal year 2018 could reduce the federal workforce that Trump has deemed too large as the administration works to “do more with less.”

The upcoming budget is expected to include discretionary funds that prioritize defense and homeland security and reduce money allotted for areas such as housing, environmental programs and foreign assistance, the report said.

Trump has previously indicated a $54 billion increase in the Defense Department budget as part of his campaign pledge to rebuild the U.S. military.

Paletta writes the overall spending plan reflects the administration’s vision to have state governments and private companies perform a bigger role as the federal government becomes smaller.

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Gen. James Holmes Succeeds Gen. Hawk Carlisle as Air Combat Command Chief
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Gen. James Holmes Succeeds Gen. Hawk Carlisle as Air Combat Command Chief


Gen. James Holmes Succeeds Gen. Hawk Carlisle as Air Combat Command Chief
James Holmes

Gen. James Holmes, former deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements at the U.S. Air Force, has officially assumed leadership of the Air Combat Command during a ceremony held Friday at Joint Base Langley–Eustis in Virginia.

The Air Force said Friday Holmes succeeded Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, who retired from service after a 39-year military career.

Former U.S. president Barack Obama nominated Holmes as ACC commander in September.

“We now face new and revised challenges from both great and regional powers who threaten the survival of our American experiment, seek to isolate us from our friends and allies and hope to redefine the world on their terms,” said Holmes.

“Our success and survival as a nation in the face of these threats are not guaranteed – it depends on all Americans to uphold ideals and make our union more perfect.”

Holmes began his military career in 1981 and previously commanded units that include the 27th Fighter Squadron, the 14th Operations Group, the 4th Fighter Wing and the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing.

He also served as the vice commander of the Air Education and Training Command at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in Texas where he managed the recruitment, training and education of Air Force personnel.

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Rep. Jim Bridenstine: Congress Should Fund FAA’s Space Transpo Office, Military Space Initiatives
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Rep. Jim Bridenstine: Congress Should Fund FAA’s Space Transpo Office, Military Space Initiatives


Rep. Jim Bridenstine: Congress Should Fund FAA’s Space Transpo Office, Military Space Initiatives
Jim Bridenstine

Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) has called on lawmakers to provide funding support to military space programs and the Federal Aviation Administration’s office of commercial space transportation, Space News reported Thursday.

Phillip Swarts writes Bridenstine, one of the potential candidates for the NASA administrator post, said at a House Appropriations Committee’s defense appropriations subpanel hearing Thursday that the Air Force should be given approximately $30 million in funds to support responsive launch demonstrations.

Other military space initiatives that he wants Congress to support include the Defense Department’s Space Test Program, Protected Tactical Service for secure communications and the Air Force’s Enterprise Ground Services program for satellite control.

Bridenstine also urged his fellow legislators during his appearance before the transportation subcommittee to provide adequate funding for FAA’s AST office in support of upcoming space launches and give the office a budget increase in 2018.

“I’m requesting that the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation… be funded to the tune of $23 million,” he added, according to the report.

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GSA Cites Appropriations Behind FBI HQ Location Announcement Delay
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GSA Cites Appropriations Behind FBI HQ Location Announcement Delay


GSA Cites Appropriations Behind FBI HQ Location Announcement DelayThe General Services Administration has postponed the announcement of its selected location for the new FBI headquarters until it secures congressional funding to support the $1 billion project, Federal News Radio reported Friday.

Meredith Somers writes GSA was originally scheduled to announce its chosen site for the FBI HQ consolidation project in December but pushed back its decision to March.

“GSA and FBI have worked diligently since the fall issuance of the revised schedule,” said a spokeswoman for GSA.

“Appropriations are necessary in order for us to make an announcement and move forward with the next critical steps under the [National Environmental Policy Act] NEPA process and ultimately make an award.”

GSA and FBI consider Landover and Greenbelt Metro in Maryland and a warehouse complex in Springfield, Virginia, as candidate sites for the bureau’s new facility, according to the report.

The delay in the announcement comes nearly two months after GSA issued a request for proposals for the second phase of the FBI HQ construction project.

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Romania’s Air Force Gets Certification to Refuel From US Tankers
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Romania’s Air Force Gets Certification to Refuel From US Tankers


Romania's Air Force Gets Certification to Refuel From US TankersRomania’s air force has obtained certification to receive fuel from U.S. tankers through an air-to-air refueling mission between the European country’s F-16 Fighting Falcon and the U.S. Air Force‘s KC-135 Stratotanker.

USAF said its 100th Air Refueling Wing sent 14 personnel and a KC-135 tanker to Romania for a five-day training operation and a refueling mission held Feb. 28.

The service branch said Romania had to undergo familiarization training and certification to refuel from a U.S. tanker and advance their NATO integration.

Lee Adkins, superintendent of the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, said the event builds on the interoperability efforts between the U.S. and Romania and shows continued cooperation with partner nations in Europe.

Romania began its F-16 program in 2016 and has previously refueled from an Italian Airbus A330 aircraft.

The 100th ARW is based in England and is the only U.S. air refueling unit in the European and African theater.

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David Shulkin: VA Should Focus on Commercial Software Adoption
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David Shulkin: VA Should Focus on Commercial Software Adoption


David Shulkin: VA Should Focus on Commercial Software Adoption
David Shulkin

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has said that VA should focus on the adoption of “commercially tested” software platforms for use in acquisitions, electronic health records and other business processes, FCW reported Friday.

Shulkin, who received Senate confirmation in February, made the remarks Tuesday at a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, Adam Mazmanian wrote.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that VA building its own software products and doing its own software dev inside is not a good way to pursue this,” he said.

“We should focus on the things veterans need us to focus on and work with companies that know how to do [IT systems] better than we do,” Shulkin added.

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