Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper back a proposal to split the U.S. Cyber Command from the National Security Agency, NBC News reported Friday.

Ken Dilanian and Courtney Kube write the two military agencies, currently led by Adm. Michael Rogers, share computing systems at the organizations’ headquarters at Fort Meade in Maryland.

The report said that under the proposal, a chosen NSA director would also be promoted to the rank of four-star general from the current three-star designation.

A White House-formed panel recommended an overhaul of NSA in 2013 after former agency contractor Edward Snowden publicly disclosed the agency’s classified information gathering efforts.

President Barack Obama has nominated Gen. John Hyten, current commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base, as the next commander of the U.S. Strategic Command.

If appointed, Hyten will support Stratcom with its global missions in strategic deterrence, space operations, joint electronic warfare, global strike and missile defense, the Defense Department said Friday.

He would succeed Adm. Cecil Haney, current commander of Stratcom based at Offutt Air Force Base.

“I have every confidence that Gen. Hyten will bring to Stratcom the same high caliber of focus and dedication to defending our country, and taking care of those who do so, that [Haney] has brought to the command over the last three years,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a statement.

“Armed with 35 years of strong managerial experience, deep technical expertise, and visionary leadership, Gen. Hyten is the perfect choice to lead this critical command in the years to come.”

Hyten is in charge of organizing, equipping and training the space and cyberspace forces in support of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Stratcom and other combatant commands in his current position.

He is also responsible for the U.S. Air Force‘s network operations, the development and acquisition of new space systems as well as the service branch’s network of satellite command and control, communications, missile warning and space launch facilities.

He began his military career in 1981 and has served with the Air Force as director of cyber and space operations, space acquisition and space programs, among other leadership positions.

Hyten is a recipient of the Master Space Operations Badge, Master Cyberspace Operator Badge and awards such as the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Defense Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal and Joint Staff Achievement Medal.

The U.S. Navy plans to implement changes to the littoral combat ship program in the next five years to adjust crewing, testing and deployment availability.

The service branch said Thursday the planned changes are based on a commissioned review in March that assessed LCS crewing, training, maintenance and operations.

The Navy added LCS crewing will transition from the 3:2:1 model to the Blue/Gold rotation system used in ballistic missile submarines, patrol craft and minesweepers wherein two separate crews take turns in manning the ship.

Blue/Gold crewing will work to make three out of four ships available for deployment compared with one out of two under 3:2:1, the service branch noted.

LCS personnel will also merge, train and rotate with mission module detachment crews to organize as four-ship divisions of a single warfare area that could either be surface warfare, mine warfare or anti-submarine warfare, the service branch said.

The Navy plans to homeport Independence-variant ships in San Diego and Freedom-variant ships in Mayport, Florida and 24 of the 28 LCS ships will be grouped into six divisions with three divisions on each coast.

Each division will have a single warfare focus and will include Blue/Gold-crewed ships for overseas deployment as well as one single-crewed training ship, the Navy said.

The service branch added the first four LCS ships will be assigned as single-crewed testing ships that will primarily aid testing requirements for the LCS class but could be deployed as fleet assets on a limited basis if needed.

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Thomas Moore, Naval Sea Systems commander, has visited a fabrication laboratory that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency provided to Mayport, Florida-based Southeast Regional Maintenance Center.

The Navy said Thursday DARPA established Fab Lab in August as part of efforts to expand parts availability and address logistics supply chain costs and fleet readiness.

“Right now, the tentative timeline is to begin conducting training workshops on the use of the equipment,” said Tarah Horney, facilitator at the SERMC Fab Lab.

Horney added the laboratory will help train and expose deckplate sailors to new technology and fabrication methods.

Fab Lab contains tools and equipment such as laser cutters, routers and 3D printers to help sailors manufacture high-demand, low-supply parts or create unique components, the Navy noted.

Gill Pratt, program manager at DARPA’s defense sciences office, said DARPA wants sailors to create designs and rapid prototypes “that could be certified for wider fleet use.”

William Roper, Defense Department‘s director of the strategic capabilities office, said the department currently develops a swarming micro-drone technology that will be used to support the military’s swarm mission capacity, National Defense reported Thursday.

Jon Harper writes the Perdix propeller-driven drones will be equipped with foldable wings built through 3-D printed parts and will be used as a surveillance asset to be matured and transitioned to the U.S. Air Force by the end of fiscal year 2017.

“There is nothing like this right now in inventory — a tactical aircraft that can dispense a little expendable, fly-low surveillance asset,” noted Roper.

The report noted that more than 500 test flights have been conducted on the Perdix technology and Roper’s office currently develops the seventh-generation version of the technology.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has appointed John Abizaid, a retired U.S. Army general and former commander of the U.S. Central Command, as senior defense adviser to Ukraine.

The Defense Department said Thursday Abizaid will give authoritative advice to Ukraine’s defense minister Stepan Poltorak and other senior Ukrainian officials.

Abizaid will seek to support Ukraine’s efforts to align its armed forces with Western principles and standards such as democratic civilian control of the military, a NATO-interoperable organizational structure and anti-corruption measures, DoD added.

His previous assignments include a tour with the United Nations as operations officer for Observer Group Lebanon, a tour in the Army’s office of the chief of the staff and European staff tours with the Southern European Task Force and U.S. Army Europe headquarters.

He also served as executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, director of strategic plans and policy on the Joint Staff and director of the Joint Staff.

He has been deployed to Italy, Iraq and Bosnia-Herzegovina and supported Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Abizaid’s appointment follows a bilateral meeting between Carter and Poltorak in the sidelines of the U.N. Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial in London where the defense leaders discussed continued U.S. and allied support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Carter and Poltorak also signed a bilateral partner concept document to establish a framework for efforts on Ukraine’s defense capacity, defense reforms, resource management processes and defense technology cooperation with the U.S., DoD said.