The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that passed both the House and Senate would authorize the Defense Health Agency to manage over 400 military hospitals and clinics that the Air Force, Army and Navy currently operate by October 2018, Federal News Radio reported Friday.

Jared Serbu writes the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill would require the DHA director to establish a professional personnel structure within the agency led by a civilian assistant chief and appoint four deputy assistant directors who will oversee information technology, medical affairs, healthcare operations and financial activities.

DHA would also set up a new joint trauma system that will work to provide care for severely wounded soldiers under the bill, Serbu reports.

The proposed legislation would also require the Defense Department to assess and report on the future role of surgeons general at the three service branches.

The report added that the 2017 NDAA would replace the Tricare Standard and Extra programs with the new Tricare Select that seeks to provide beneficiaries an option to choose their own physicians as well as raise the percentage that working-age veterans pay for their healthcare.

Israeli defense forces hosted a welcoming ceremony for the arrival of two Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighters Monday at Nevatim Air Base in Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported Monday.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the F-35 aircraft, nicknamed  Adir, will help redefine the country’s deterrence capacity as well as its operational space, according to the report by Anna Ahronheim.

“With the turmoil in the region, we are more dedicated than ever before to Israel’s security, and America’s pledge to defend Israel’s security remains unwavering,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during his visit to Israel.

Israel is the first country to receive an F-35 outside of the U.S. and the delivered units are the first two of 50 aircraft the country ordered, Reuters reported Monday.

Ori Lewis writes the country looks to maintain two F-35 squadrons and has also signed a 10-year, $38 billion arms deal with the U.S.

The U.S. Army will test an armored multipurpose vehicle demonstrator BAE Systems  built as part of a contract to replace the military branch’s fleet of M113 armored personnel carriers.

BAE was awarded a potential $1.2 billion contract in December 2014 to support the development, engineering, manufacturing and low-rate initial production of AMPVs for the military branch.

The Army said Friday the company could produce several hundred units of the vehicle for testing in the next four years if the military branch approves the LRIP option of the contract.

The AMPV is designed to address survivability, force protection, size, weight, power and cooling requirements as well as integrate with the network and future technologies of the Army.

Maj. Gen. David Bassett, program executive officer for ground combat systems at the Army, said combat vehicles basically act as a box that contains communications, lethality and mobility systems.

The branch also works to conceptualize a new suite of mobile protected firepower to address a need for a light tank of infantry brigade combat teams.

Rep. Robert Wittman (R-Virginia) has said a threat analysis must take place in support of President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to grow the U.S. Navy‘s fleet to 350 ships from the current 272 number, USNI News reported Wednesday.

Megan Eckstein writes Wittman said at the U.S. Naval Institute’s Defense Forum Washington event that the composition of the 350-ship fleet should be designed according to warfighting requirements.

Wittman added the Virginia-class attack submarine, San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock and Ford-class aircraft carrier could help grow the fleet through accelerated build rates and hot production lines that could lead to cost savings, Eckstein reported.

Wittment also noted that efforts to start new ship classes could extend the timeline and increase risks, the report stated.

The Defense Department seeks to address cybersecurity concerns such as advanced persistent threats that use unauthorized entities to gain access to networks and steal data from an organization, C4ISR & Networks reported Wednesday.

John Edwards writes Cedric Leighton, former National Security Agency deputy director of training, said APTs can collect large amounts of information which may be operationally sensitive.

A Galois and Guardtime Federal team received a $1.8 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in September to verify the capacity of Keyless Signature Infrastructure to serve as a monitoring system against security threats.

“The DoD, along with the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community, are working hard to protect all U.S. government networks from APTs,” said Leighton.

“We’re working in coordination with the [DoD], typically DARPA, on finding ways to effectively detect APTs and essentially amplify the attention of the defenders so that they can root them out and squash them,” added David Hamilton, Guardtime Federal president.