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First Batch of Naval Academy Cyber Operations Majors to Graduate
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First Batch of Naval Academy Cyber Operations Majors to Graduate


cybersecurityThe first batch of midshipmen who took the cyber operations course at the U.S. Naval Academy will graduate on May 27, the U.S. Navy reported Monday.

The Navy said the 27 graduates compose the inaugural class of the academic program, which covers areas such as computer architecture, programming, networks, data structures, information assurance, forensics and cryptography.

The course works to provide knowledge on cyber applications in the military and national services designed to prepare graduates for various roles under the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

“Whether these students are going into the cryptologic warfare, air warfare, submarine warfare, surface warfare or special warfare communities, USNA is building a cadre of junior officers who are leaving here with an understanding of cyber operations,” said Capt. David Bondura, USNA deputy director of the center for cybersecurity studies.

The academic offering also includes electives in policy, ethics, social engineering, law and other relevant fields, the Navy added.

Officers that complete the cyber operations program can enter advanced studies or select assignments with cyber-related military forces to support national security, the service branch said.

The report added that 51 freshmen have selected cyber operations as a major earlier in the year.

US Army Central to Adopt Solar Lighting Systems in Kuwait; Weaver Prosper Comments
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US Army Central to Adopt Solar Lighting Systems in Kuwait; Weaver Prosper Comments


solarpowerThe U.S. Army Central received the last batch of 250 solar-powered light systems May 16 following the completion of a nine-month test period, the Army reported Friday.

Sgt. James Bunn writes the service branch tested the solar-based light platforms as part of the Army Central’s Operational Energy Program.

“We currently have 250 solar powered light systems here in Kuwait,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Weaver Prosper, manager of the Operational Energy Program at USARCENT.

“The way forward for us is to purchase approximately 1,000 more.”

Prosper noted that USARCENT will now work to replace all diesel-powered light systems on Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with solar-based platforms.

“Our initial analysis of the SPLS indicated that by replacing every diesel powered light system in USARCENT with one powered by renewable energy, we would save approximately $56 million a year,” he added.

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Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker Acquisitions
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Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker Acquisitions


Rep. Duncan Hunter Asks Navy to Help Coast Guard With Arctic Icebreaker AcquisitionsRep. Duncan Hunter (R-California) has asked the U.S. Navy to offer the U.S. Coast Guard support in efforts to build a new heavy Arctic icebreaker ship as the platform is currently scheduled to deploy in 2025, Navy Times reported Monday.

Meghann Myers writes Hunter wrote a letter to Navy acquisition lead Sean Stackley that asks the service branch to provide insights on the Coast Guard’s Arctic missions.

Joe Kasper, Hunter’s chief of staff, told Navy Times the letter aims to start a discussion on whether the Navy should provide financial assistance for the Coast Guard’s acquisition program or help pay for the lease of a heavy icebreaker.

“The Navy’s going to have to support efforts to enhance ice-breaking capability in the Arctic if the Navy truly believes that capability is necessary,” said Kasper.

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Report: U.S. Ends Ban on Weapon Sales to Vietnam
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Report: U.S. Ends Ban on Weapon Sales to Vietnam

David Sling Weapon SystemThe U.S. government has fully removed its decades-long ban on sales of military equipment and weapon systems to Vietnam as the two countries aim to renew their bilateral relationship, Reuters reported Monday.

Matt Spetalnick writes President Obama said during a press conference Monday with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam was not related to China’s increased military activities in the South China Sea.

“It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards normalization with Vietnam,” Obama told reporters.

The U.S. issued a policy in October 2014 to ease restrictions on weapon shipments to Vietnam in an effort to help that country address maritime surveillance and security challenges.

Vietnam’s arms procurement requests will be considered by the federal government on a case-by-case basis, according to Spetalnick’s report.

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Sen. John McCain to Request $17B in Additional Defense Funds Through Amendment to 2017 NDAA
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Sen. John McCain to Request $17B in Additional Defense Funds Through Amendment to 2017 NDAA


John McCain
John McCain

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) has said he plans to propose an amendment to the fiscal year 2017 defense policy bill to authorize $17 billion in additional funds for the Defense Department, Defense News reported Monday.

Joe Gould writes McCain told attendees at a Thursday event hosted by the Brookings Institution that he would introduce the amendment despite the spending caps in the fiscal 2015 budget deal.

“I don’t know whether or not this amendment will succeed, but the Senate must have this debate and senators must choose a side,” McCain said.

According to Defense News, McCain raised the debate on defense spending in a letter published Friday in which he called for additional funds to procure more F-18 and F-35 fighter jets, support shipbuilding efforts for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Virginia-class submarines as well as stop the planned force reductions to the Army and Marine Corps.

The full Senate is scheduled to take up this week the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that would allocate $602 billion in funds for DoD, Gould reports.

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NATO-led Mission in Afghanistan to Continue Beyond 2016 as Voted by Foreign Ministers
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NATO-led Mission in Afghanistan to Continue Beyond 2016 as Voted by Foreign Ministers


military in trainingResolute Support foreign ministers have agreed to continue the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016 to assist in the stabilization efforts of the country through political, military and financial support.

Ministers had also reviewed the financial support to the Afghan security forces with $1.4 billion U.S. dollars in the Afghan National Army Trust Fund, NATO said Friday.

“The Afghan forces are showing real courage, determination, and professionalism; and they are benefitting from our training, advice and assistance; but Afghanistan continues to face serious security challenges,” said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General.

“That is why today, ministers agreed to sustain the Resolute Support mission beyond 2016. Our military authorities will now address the details of the mission beyond 2016, including in the regions of Afghanistan.”

The Afghan foreign minister updated the ministers on the Afghan National Unity Government’s efforts to stop corruption, uphold human rights and advance the peace process.

Stoltenberg added, “I am confident that we will be able to announce at the Warsaw Summit firm commitments to continue funding the Afghan forces through the year 2020.”

“This is critical for Afghanistan’s ability to build sustainable security forces and ensure Afghanistan’s lasting security. Ministers also reaffirmed our long-term ambition for a strong political partnership and practical cooperation with Afghanistan.”

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GCN: EPA Develops Application Programming Interface to Address Data Collection Issues
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GCN: EPA Develops Application Programming Interface to Address Data Collection Issues


DataGraphicRobin Thottungal, chief data scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, said EPA has built an application programming interface in efforts to address issues in the data submitted by regulated facilities, GCN reported Friday.

The issues begins with disjoint between information from regulated facilities and the format and type of data required.

Amanda Ziadeh writes EPA experiences issues with the regulatory compliance data submitted by facilities due to a disconnect between policymakers’ requirements and the types and formats of data available.

“Because of the way in which we have been operating in siloes, [data aggregation is] a big challenge for us,” Thottungal said at FedScoop’s Data Innovation Summit in Washington, D.C.

Thottungal added the information EPA receives is also affected by the transition of data from all 50 states, local and tribal entities which have their own databases and collection methods.

Thottungal further said EPA created the API to help maintain data flow as it travels from partners and facilities and regardless of the system being used, Ziadeh quoted.

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Federal News Radio: Navy Eyes Cloud Migration Process Streamlining Strategy
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Federal News Radio: Navy Eyes Cloud Migration Process Streamlining Strategy


cloudIT

U.S. Navy Chief Information Officer Robert Foster has delegated authority to approve requests from naval components to move its systems to cloud-based environments in an effort to streamline approval processes, Federal News Radio reported Monday.

Jared Serbu writes the initiative works to “reduce some of the red tape” for the cloud purchase processes for Defense Department.

New managed service organizations will be established by the Navy and Marines that will aid owners with the migration of government data facility to privately-operated cloud services.

Serbu noted MSOs will assist the contracting process as brokers for commercial cloud similar to what Defense Information Systems Agency handled for cloud acquisitions.

The Navy has started to develop an MSO through a Data Center Application and Optimization office-run cloud store that would help the service branch in it commercial cloud services acquisition and procurement needs.

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Brig. Gen. Loretta Reynolds: Information Warfare Key to Access Adversaries’ Thought Process
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Brig. Gen. Loretta Reynolds: Information Warfare Key to Access Adversaries’ Thought Process


cyberBrig. Gen. Loretta Reynolds, commander of the Marine Forces Cyber Command, said the U.S. Marine Corps aims to build on information warfare to invade enemies’ networks and reveal their thought processes, Marine Corps Times reported Sunday.

Matthew Schehl writes Reynolds said at a panel discussion during the Sea-Air-Space expo that information warfare goes beyond cyberdefense and involves operations to dominate the “information environment.”

“It’s also trying to get inside the enemy’s cognitive space in a way to have him make choices that you want him to make, when you want him to make it,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds added there is a need for cultural adjustment in the service branch to further address cyber threats, Schehl wrote.

Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, training and exercises director at U.S. Cyber Command and also on the panel, said servicemen have to change mindsets and understand they are using mission platforms instead of computers.

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MeriTalk: 79% of Federal IT Officials Doubt FedRAMP Process
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MeriTalk: 79% of Federal IT Officials Doubt FedRAMP Process


cloudA MeriTalk survey of 150 government information technology leaders has showed that nearly 79 percent of respondent officials are not satisfied with the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program to authorize cloud computing products for use at agencies.

MeriTalk said Monday the study also showed close to 17 percent did not include FedRAMP in their cloud considerations while 59 percent would likely use a non-compliant cloud product or service.

Fifty-five percent of federal officials and 65 percent of defense agencies do not believe FedRAMP has increased security, MeriTalk added.

Forty-one percent of respondents claim they do not not use another agency’s FedRAMP authority-to-operate, while 35 percent of agencies said they did not allow others to use their ATO and 26 percent were barred from using another agency’s ATO.

The General Services Administration launched efforts to restructure the cloud authorization program in March to address concerns, streamline the process for cloud service providers and provide provisional ATOs within three to six months.

MeriTalk noted 41 percent of government officials said they are not familiar with GSA’s plans.

Forty-seven percent want an clearinghouse where agencies can access and are required to accept all ATOs, while 27 percent recommend a change of leadership at GSA’s FedRAMP program management office, MeriTalk said.

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