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USAID, Ukraine Government Work Together on Energy and Judicial Reform Programs
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USAID, Ukraine Government Work Together on Energy and Judicial Reform Programs


USAIDThe U.S. Agency for International Development has worked with Ukraine’s government to create several new programs designed to promote judicial reform and energy sector improvements in Ukraine.

Vice President Joe Biden announced that the programs are part of the $220 million U.S. government’s foreign assistance initiative to Ukraine, USAID said Wednesday.

The agency stated that it will establish a new energy independence project to help Ukraine attain reforms within its energy sector and develop competitive energy markets, as well as integrate into the European Union market, energy efficiency and global climate change mitigation among others.

USAID Administrator Gayle Smith and the Ukraine Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman have discussed constitutional changes adopted by Ukraine that will serve as the foundation for reforms within the country’s judicial system and what other actions can be done to strengthen the courts.

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Stephen Wilson, VeraLinn Jamieson Nominated for New Air Force Roles, Rank Promotion
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Stephen Wilson, VeraLinn Jamieson Nominated for New Air Force Roles, Rank Promotion


Air Force logoU.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, current U.S. Strategic Command deputy commander, has been nominated as vice chief of staff of the service branch and for promotion to the rank of general.

The Defense Department said Friday Air Force Maj. Gen. VeraLinn Jamieson, Stratcom deputy commander of the joint functional component command for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, has also been nominated as deputy chief of staff of the service branch’s ISR unit.

Wilson, who has also led the Air Force Global Strike Command, has recorded more than 4,500 flying hours and 680 combat hours as a command pilot.

He assumed his current post at Stratcom in July 2015 and his current rank in October 2013.

He is expected to succeed Gen. David Goldfein, who was nominated as the Air Force’s chief of staff in April, as vice chief of staff.

Jamieson, a military veteran with more than 30 years of service, has also been nominated for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general, DoD added.

She has held operational, command and staff positions for U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Southern Command, among other units, and was part of the intelligence team for operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Jamieson holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

OPM Issues Hiring Preference Guide for Senior-Level National Security Posts
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OPM Issues Hiring Preference Guide for Senior-Level National Security Posts


New guidance from theworkforce Office of Personnel Management recommends that federal agencies give “strong” preference to top-level national security job candidates who have performed interagency rotational services.

In the guidance published Wednesday, acting OPM Director Beth Cobert instructed leaders of agencies to ensure that individuals who have completed the National Security Professional Development Interagency Personnel Rotations Program will receive hiring preference for senior executive national security positions.

“Agencies may exercise discretion and flexibility in defining and elaborating upon the technical qualification requirement based on their positions and mission demands,” Cobert added.

OPM and the NSP Executive Steering Committee described a qualified national security executive candidate as someone who hold experience in that field as well as has served in a leadership capacity, cross-agency liaison role or as a volunteer and worked on a multiagency task force.

Cobert asked agencies to conduct a job analysis related to the technical qualification requirement and identify  specific occupations to which the policy may apply.

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Ashton Carter, Saudi Counterpart Discuss Security Matters at Pentagon Meeting
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Ashton Carter, Saudi Counterpart Discuss Security Matters at Pentagon Meeting


military leadersSaudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday at the Pentagon to discuss military and security issues, DoD News reported Thursday.

Terri Moon Cronk writes the bilateral meeting covered events in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s defense capability modernization effort and the fight against al-Qaeda and Islamic State militant groups.

“We will continue to look for any opportunity to accelerate ISIL’s lasting defeat, again, working with the rest of the coalition,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told DoD News.

The report said U.S.-backed Syrian Arab coalition forces have encircled the city of Manbij in Syria and work to prevent ISIL resupply operations there.

Iraqi security forces aim to retake Fallujah in Iraq and put pressure on ISIL forces through an  international coalition, according to the publication.

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DHS Releases Advisory Bulletin on Homegrown Violent Extremism
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DHS Releases Advisory Bulletin on Homegrown Violent Extremism


DHS - ExecutiveMosaicThe Department of Homeland Security has published a new National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin to inform the public of general trends or developments regarding terrorism.

DHS said in its five-month bulletin released Wednesday it remains concerned that terrorists-inspired individuals and homegrown violent extremists could launch attacks inside the U.S.

The department has also observed that terrorists choose a “diverse and wide selection” of targets as shown by attacks in San Bernardino, California, and in Orlando, Florida, as well as in Paris and Brussels.

Terrorists’ use of internet to attract new recruits also remains a concern for the department.

DHS also acknowledged threats could be directed at communities and individuals of a particular religion, ethnicity, nationality or sexual orientation.

The FBI investigates potential terrorism-related activities across the U.S. while federal, state and local authorities work to facilitate law enforcement and community outreach programs to help address the growing threat.

DHS advised the public to report suspicious activities to law enforcement, prepare for increased security and listen to public safety and law enforcement officials.

House Approves $576B Defense Budget for Fiscal 2017
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House Approves $576B Defense Budget for Fiscal 2017


Capitol_BuildingHouse members voted 282-138 Thursday to pass a $575.7 billion military spending bill that would provide the Defense Department with a $517.1 billion base budget and another $58.6 billion in overseas contingency operations funds for fiscal year 2017, The Hill newspaper reported Thursday.

Rebecca Kheel writes the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act would shift about $15.7 billion of the proposed war budget to help DoD finance defense modernization, infrastructure and readiness programs.

The House adopted amendments to the NDAA that would prohibit the transfer of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to other prisons and the use of department money to survey, examine or review a stateside substitute for the Guantanamo Bay prison, Kheel reports.

Joe Gould of Defense News reported the lower chamber’s billion proposed DoD budget for FY 2017 is $587 million less than President Barack Obama’s request.

The report said the bill also contains provisions that would allocate $80 million for an industry competition to replace the military’s fleet of UH-1N Huey helicopters and provide an additional $29.8 million for the development of laser weapons and electromagnetic laser guns.

The Senate approved a $602 billion fiscal 2017 budget for DoD in an 85-13 vote Tuesday.

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NIST Issues Cyber Threat Recovery Guide
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NIST Issues Cyber Threat Recovery Guide


cyberThe National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a guide the agency developed to help organizations resume their normal operations after a cybersecurity incident.

NIST said in the guide issued June 6 that the document aims to assist government agencies in efforts to incorporate cyber recovery processes and procedures into their enterprise risk management plan.

After a 2015 review over cybersecurity systems and plans of federal agencies, the government discovered what NIST called “inconsistencies in cyber event response capabilities among federal agencies.”

“Although there are existing federal policies, standards and guidelines on cyber event handling, none of them focuses solely on improving security recovery capabilities, nor is the fundamental information captured in a single document,” NIST said.

NIST wants agencies to use the guide in their work to develop recovery plans in form of customized playbooks.

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DoD’s ‘4th Estate’ Agencies to Procure Professional Services Via GSA’s OASIS; Tiffany Hixson Comments
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DoD’s ‘4th Estate’ Agencies to Procure Professional Services Via GSA’s OASIS; Tiffany Hixson Comments


Tiffany Hixson
Tiffany Hixson

The office of the defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics has signed an agreement with the General Services Administration to allow “4th Estate” agencies to procure professional services through GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services and OASIS Small Business contract vehicles.

GSA said Thursday the 4th Estate covers 28 Defense Department agencies that are not within combatant commands or military departments.

These include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the National Security Agency.

“The MOU strengthens the existing partnerships between GSA and DoD, providing DOD with streamlined contracts to more effectively meet their mission requirements while eliminating costly duplicative contracts,” said Tiffany Hixson, professional services category executive at GSA.

DoD’s 4th Estate agencies can use OASIS and OASIS SB to acquire program management, logistics, scientific, management consulting, financial, engineering and other commercial and non-commercial professional services under the memorandum of understanding with GSA.

Federal agencies were given the go-ahead to use OASIS and OASIS SB contracts in 2014 after the Government Accountability Office and the Court of Federal Claims denied all protests filed on both acquisition vehicles.

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DHS, DOJ Release 4 Final Guidance Documents on Cyber Threat Data Sharing
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DHS, DOJ Release 4 Final Guidance Documents on Cyber Threat Data Sharing


cybersecurityThe Department of Homeland Security has issued four final guidance documents on how to facilitate voluntary sharing of cyber threat indicators and related data between the private sector and the federal government.

DHS said in a Federal Register notice posted Wednesday it teamed up with the Justice Department to develop and issue the guidance documents in compliance with the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 that President Barack Obama signed into law in December.

The Non-Federal Entity Sharing Guidance posted on the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team’s website seeks to help private firms as well as state, tribal and local government agencies to share cyber threat data and defensive measures with federal agencies.

DOJ and DHS also issued a final document that seeks to protect civil liberties and privacy when it comes to a federal entity’s receipt, use and dissemination of cyber threat information.

The third document posted on US-CERT outlines procedures for federal agencies when it comes to sharing data on network vulnerabilities with non-federal entities, while the fourth document details processes on how federal agencies should receive information on defensive measures and threat indicators.

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Space News: NASA’s Charles Bolden Calls For Continued European ISS Support
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Space News: NASA’s Charles Bolden Calls For Continued European ISS Support


International Space StationNASA Administrator Charles Bolden has urged 22 member countries in the European Space Agency to extend their partnership with the U.S. to continue supporting the International Space Station to 2024, Space News reported Thursday.

Peter de Selding writes Bolden spoke before ESA’s ruling council ahead of a scheduled meeting in December, where agency members will vote on whether to extend their participation in the ISS program through at least 2020 and potentially 2024.

Bolden told the council ESA’s partnership will support research and technology demonstrations that work to aid humans beyond low-Earth orbit, de Selding quoted.

Bolden noted other ISS partners such as the U.S., Russia, Japan and Canada have committed to support ISS operations until 2024.

In December 2014, ESA governments declined to commit an extension of its partnership with ISS through 2020.

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