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Beth Anne Killoran Takes HHS CIO Role
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Beth Anne Killoran Takes HHS CIO Role


Beth Killoran
Beth Killoran

Beth Killoran, acting deputy chief information officer of the Department of Health and Human Services, has taken a new role as the department’s CIO.

She will lead the department’s efforts to create a cyber-savvy workforce, collaborate with HHS offices and its partners, participate in IT investment planning and manage cybersecurity and privacy protection projects in her new position, Mary Wakefield, HHS acting deputy secretary, said in a blog post published Friday.

Wakefield added that Killoran and her team will work to educate HHS staff on cyber threat security and data protection as part of the Cybersecurity Communication, Awareness, Response, and Education initiative as well as support the Phishing Campaign Program and the Healthy Technology project.

Killoran will also oversee the implementation of the Workforce Development Pilot Project that seeks to identify present and future IT workforce requirements in an effort to maintain a tech-savvy workforce at HHS.

She has served as deputy CIO and executive director of HHS’ Office of IT Strategy, Policy and Governance since she joined the department in October 2014 after she held an 11-year career at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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CBO: House Bill on Cybersecurity Support for Small Businesses Would Cost $1M From 2017 to 2021
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CBO: House Bill on Cybersecurity Support for Small Businesses Would Cost $1M From 2017 to 2021


cyberThe Congressional Budget Office has said a House bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security and Small Business Administration to create a strategy for small business development centers to provide cybersecurity training and counseling to clients would cost approximately $1 million over five years.

CBO said in a report published Thursday that the Improving Small Business Cyber Security Act of 2016 would not result in the application of pay-as-you-go procedures since its enactment would not impact revenues or direct spending.

According to the report, the proposed legislation would direct the Government Accountability Office to perform a study on federal initiatives that seek to provide cybersecurity support to small businesses and require DHS to share cyber risk information with small companies.

CBO projected the cost of preparing that GAO report would not exceed $500,000.

The passage of the bill would not result in on-budget deficit growth “in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027” and would not affect local, state and tribal government budgets, CBO added.

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Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek Named DTRA Deputy Director
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Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek Named DTRA Deputy Director


Scott Jerabek
Scott Jerabek

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek, director of theater engagement (J7) at the U.S. Southern Command, has been appointed to succeed Maj. Gen. John Horner as deputy director of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, announced Jerabek’s new assignment in a Defense Department release published Friday.

Jerabek will be responsible for the agency that works with military service branches and combatant commanders to lock down, monitor and destroy weapons of mass destruction.

He has directed Southcom’s J7 operations and theater security cooperation portfolio since July 2014 after one year as commander of the Navy Warfare Development Command.

The more than 37-year Navy veteran also previously served as the branch’s senior representative at the Air Tactical Operation Center of the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during Operation Southern Watch, commodore of the Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 1 in San Diego and director of the Navy Element at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.

He also worked as commanding officer of the U.S. Forces Japan Detachment as well as chief of staff of U.S. Forces Japan during Operation Tomodachi.

His sea assignments include roles as gunnery officer, legal officer and damage control assistant aboard the USS Gray and as turret II officer and nuclear weapons security officer on the USS Missouri.

DoD Asks Congress to Reprogram $2.6B in Funds
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DoD Asks Congress to Reprogram $2.6B in Funds


BudgetThe Defense Department has asked Congress’ approval to shift approximately $2.6 billion in fiscal 2016 funds across defense programs, Defense News reported Thursday.

Aaron Mehta writes the programming request that DoD Comptroller Mike McCord submitted to Congress June 30 includes a proposal to move $583 million in funds to the operations and maintenance budget from defense working capital funds.

The U.S. Army would see a budget increase of $267 million under the reprogramming request, the Navy would get $467 million in added funds and the Air Force would see a $273 million boost, Mehta reports.

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. also reports for Breaking Defense that House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) has said he believes Congress should approve the fiscal 2017 defense policy bill that would increase defense spending.

Thornberry noted that the Senate and House should work to deal with the top-line budget for the proposed 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

“The job for us is to try to do our best to come to agreement on the NDAA before the end of September,” he added, according to the report.

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NGA Launches GEOINT App For First Responders on iTunes, Google Play
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NGA Launches GEOINT App For First Responders on iTunes, Google Play


mobile appThe National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has launched a mobile application to the public via the iTunes and Google Play app stores in efforts to aid first responders during natural disasters.

NGA said Tuesday the Mobile Awareness GEOINT Environment app works to help users create geo-tagged field reports; take photos, videos and voice recordings; and share the reports and multimedia observations with team members.

MAGE is designed to accommodate the storage of geospatial data layers on mobile devices even when disconnected from the network, the agency noted.

NGA said MAGE, which was previously only available through the agency’s GEOINT App Store, can also be customized for law enforcement, security and military situations.

Ben Tuttle, NGA’s mobile apps team lead, said the agency released MAGE on iTunes and Google Play in efforts to support non-Defense Department users.

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GSA Launches Big Data Mgmt Platform for Open Data & Transparency Goals
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GSA Launches Big Data Mgmt Platform for Open Data & Transparency Goals


big dataThe General Services Administration has developed a government big data management platform designed to address data analysis speed and accuracy demand and support the government’s mission to promote openness, transparency and accessibility.

GSA said Thursday its Data to Decisions program was recognized at the 10th Annual Red Hat Innovation Awards open source technology event for its services that include user-friendly data analytics tools to support operational-to-executive decision making.

The agency worked with Acuity Systems to design and implement the data and decision management framework to manage the use of data resources and meet government cost efficiency and security requirements.

GSA added the D2D provides reports on hidden patterns and insight on current and future behaviors to provide users with foresight for decisions.

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Air Force Research Lab, Industry Partners Create Remote Aircraft Inspection Tool
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Air Force Research Lab, Industry Partners Create Remote Aircraft Inspection Tool


manufacturingThe Air Force Research Laboratory has collaborated with the Mercer Engineering Research Center, United Western Technologies and the Southwest Research Institute to develop a remote access tool for aircraft field maintainers.

The Surgical Nondestructive Evaluation tool is designed to help maintainers determine serious aircraft structural problems may require attention during a scheduled depot maintenance, the Air Force said June 29.

AFRL and its partners are working with the service branch’s C-130 Maintenance Requirements Supportability Process office to deploy the technology to the Air Force Special Operations Command’s field bases.

Charles Buynak, AFRL materials and manufacturing directorate research engineer, said he believes the use of the SuNDE technology can help depot personnel plan maintenance activities in advance.

The tool works to validate visual damage indications to facilitate pre-positioning of aircraft replacement parts and components before a programmed depot maintenance, the service branch noted.

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Washington University Engineering Team Receives Navy Grant to Develop Biorobotic Sensing Tech
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Washington University Engineering Team Receives Navy Grant to Develop Biorobotic Sensing Tech


Locust ImageA team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri has secured a three-year, $750,000 grant from the U.S. Navy‘s Office of Naval Research to develop sensing technology based on the locust olfactory system.

Engineers Baranidharan Raman, Srikanth Singamaneni and Shantanu Chakrabartty aim to use locusts’ sense of smell as basis for the development of a biorobotic sensor for homeland security applications, the university said June 28.

The engineering team found during studies that odor-induced neural activity allows the insect to detect a particular scent and trained locusts can identify certain odors in a complex environment, according to the university.

“If you look at the insect antenna, where their chemical sensors are located, there are several hundreds of thousands of sensors and of a variety of types,” said Raman.

“We expect this work to develop and demonstrate a proof-of-concept, hybrid locust-based, chemical-sensing approach for explosive detection,” he added.

Singamaneni aims to apply a plasmonic “tattoo” studded with nanostructures to locust wings and remotely maneuver the insect to particular locations.

The engineers also plan to study the insect’s brain activity as it moves, explores and decodes various odorants.

Walter Reed, Partners Conduct Zika Vaccine Tests on Monkeys, Eye Future Trials on Humans
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Walter Reed, Partners Conduct Zika Vaccine Tests on Monkeys, Eye Future Trials on Humans


medical health doctorWalter Reed Army Institute of Research doctors have begun a series of Zika vaccine tests on monkeys and aim to carry over their efforts to human trials within the year, the U.S. Army reported Wednesday.

Gary Sheftick writes WRAIR researchers have completed a study that showed the effects of the ZPIV vaccine and a Harvard Medical School-developed DNA vaccine that helped mice subjects gain immunity over the Zika virus.

“Our institution’s number one mission is to preserve and ensure operational readiness,” said Col. Stephen Thomas, WRAIR lead for the Zika vaccine.

Army said Walter Reed’s Pilot Bioproduction Facility has manufactured small doses of the ZPIV for use in clinical research to be conducted at various facilities and the National Institutes of Health will conduct vaccine trial evaluation units.

DoD News reported Thursday a Sanofi Pasteur vaccines division will also collaborate with WRAIR to develop a Zika vaccine and build on previous work from the Army research organization at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Cheryl Pellerin writes public health experts and congressional leaders look to address a need for funding for to address the spread of the Zika virus that has affected more than 2,500 local cases.

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US, South Korea to Deploy THAAD Missile Defense System on Peninsula
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US, South Korea to Deploy THAAD Missile Defense System on Peninsula


MissileDefenseThe U.S. and South Korea have made an alliance decision to deploy a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system on the Korean Peninsula amid North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The Defense Department said Thursday U.S. and South Korea have engaged in consultations since February to discuss the feasibility of using THAAD to protect South Korea and allied military forces from North Korea’s threats.

The South Korea-U.S. joint working group is preparing its recommendation for the defense heads of the two countries regarding the Korean Peninsula site that could support THAAD’s operations and meet environmental, health, and safety requirements.

U.S. Forces Korea will operate the missile defense system to focus solely on North Korea’s launch activities, DoD noted.

The Lockheed Martin-built THAAD system works to intercept short and medium ranged ballistic missiles inside and outside the atmosphere.

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