The Department of Homeland Security‘s National Protections and Programs Directorate will adopt the new name of “Cyber and Infrastructure Protection” in a push to expand about its identity to its workforce and other interested stakeholders, Federal Times reported Friday.

Aaron Boyd writes the organization composed of 18,000 federal employees and contractors will work to bolster the U.S.’ infrastructure security and resilience.

Suzanne Spaulding, NPPD undersecretary, told the publication the organization to be named CIP will aim to adopt a new approach to risk management through private-sector contributions and work to utilize the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

The future CIP will also focus on infrastructure protection and aid industrial control system operators in an effort to address cyber events such as the Ukraine electric grid attack in December, Spaulding said.

The Government Accountability Office has said in a new report to the Senate Homeland Security Committee that the U.S. biodefense enterprise needs an established leadership strategy.

GAO said in the report published Thursday it found that there is no unifying biodefense leadership and oversight structure to facilitate accountability and operational efficiency.

The agency said past reports from GAO and other review bodies called for the establishment of a focal point for government biodefense coordination and the formation of a national strategy that will work to identify and address risks systematically.

Biosurveillance efforts also need a national strategy as GAO previously recommended a central leadership and action to address various challenges, GAO noted.

GAO further said increased threats of disease outbreak and acts of bioterrorism, such as anthrax attacks, reflect a need for early detection and warning through biosurveillance systems.

The U.S. Navy is acquiring 566 AGM-65E2/L Maverick laser-guided weapon systems from Raytheon to support counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State group, Scout Warrior reported Thursday.

Kris Osborn writes the Navy will deploy the Maverick air-to-ground missile systems for the Operation Inherent Resolve campaign against the militant group.

The AGM-65E2/L‘s precision technology is intended to aid in coalition air bombing efforts as military officials believe IS fighters have blended in with civilians, Osborn wrote.

Raytheon was awarded a potential $54.9 million Navy contract in October 2014 to deliver updated Maverick missiles that are designed to engage fast-moving targets, minimize collateral damage and support deployment from A-10, F/A-18, AV-8 and F-16 aircraft platforms.

Vice Adm. James Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, has said MDA aims to build advanced technology against ballistic missile threats from nations such as North Korea and Iran, DoD News reported Thursday.

Cheryl Pellerin writes Syring mentioned the agency’s technology research and development programs when he testified on its $7.5 billion fiscal 2017 budget proposal before the Senate Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee Wednesday.

“The programs we have in development today and will be fielding between now and 2020 are adequately funded,” he told subcommittee members.

At the meeting, he noted Congress has provided funds for the development of a new kill vehicle, a ground-based midcourse defense and a long-range discrimination radar over the past three fiscal years, Pellerin reports.

He added the agency plans to add capabilities to its Aegis ballistic missile defense system, field more Standard Missile-3 Block 1B guided missiles and explore directed-energy technologies.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has conducted several monitoring efforts on its classified and unclassified networks in an effort to address potential cyber threats against MDA’s weapons programs, Reuters reported Thursday.

Navy Vice Adm. and MDA Director James Syring told House lawmakers Thursday the agency seeks to defend its network and is working with private contractors to establish cyber security requirements for future contracts, according to the report by Andrea Shalal.

Syring said constant cyber attacks on the agency’s networks pose a threat equivalent to the development of mass destruction weapons in Iran and North Korea and has prompted the agency to invest in research and development projects for new technology to prepare against foreign ballistic missile threats.