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Civilian/News
HHS Seeks New CIO, Deputy Assistant Secretary for IT
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 19, 2016
HHS Seeks New CIO, Deputy Assistant Secretary for IT


JobAdThe Department of Health and Human Services has launched its search for a candidate who will serve as both chief information officer and deputy assistant secretary for information technology.

HHS said in a Feb. 5 notice on USAJobs the selected candidate will craft and implement a five-year strategic plan that seeks to enhance the acquisition and use of enterprise information technology systems across the department.

The CIO role is a Senior Executive Service position to be based in Washington and will serve as adviser to the HHS secretary, deputy secretary and assistant secretary for administration on IT issues.

The selected candidate will also oversee the implementation of the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act of 2014, serve as HHS’ representative to the Federal CIO Council, develop annual investment plans for IT systems and serve as co-chair of each of the three IT steering panels within the department.

HHS will accept applications for the position through March 5.

News
NASA Launches Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope for Astrophysics Mission; John Grunsfeld Comments
by Jay Clemens
Published on February 19, 2016
NASA Launches Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope for Astrophysics Mission; John Grunsfeld Comments


IntSpaceStationNASA has introduced a wide field infrared survey telescope to help researchers further space exploration missions and study the evolution of the universe.

The telescope will serve as NASA’s major astrophysics observatory to map large swaths of the sky in near-infrared light to explore the structure and evolution of the cosmos and study the planets outside the solar system, NASA said Friday.

John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s science mission directorate, said the mission aims to discover “planets beyond our own solar system with the sensitivity and optics to look wide and deep into the universe in a quest to unravel the mysteries of dark energy and dark matter.”

Scheduled for launch in mid 2020s, the observatory will carry a wide field survey instrument and a coronagraph instrument for blocking the glare of stars.

NASA also designed to telescope to measure the distances of galaxies and monitor the growth of cosmic structures.

Acquisition & Procurement/News
GAO: TSA Moves to Address Security Tech Acquisition Issues
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 18, 2016
GAO: TSA Moves to Address Security Tech Acquisition Issues


acquisition policyThe Transportation Security Administration has adopted procedures and policies to comply with a new federal law that calls for technology acquisition process reform at the agency, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

GAO said Wednesday the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act is meant to help TSA increase accountability and transparency when it procures tools to guard U.S. transportation infrastructure against threats.

A TSA policy requires that agency officials report contracts worth more than $30 million to Congress within 30 days of awarding them, GAO noted.

The agency also ordered its personnel to develop a technology procurement baseline, risk management plan and staffing requirements as well as established instructions for tracking inventory, the report states.

GAO added TSA provided Congress a framework to address transportation security-related technology needs and an action plan to increase TSA’s partnership with small businesses.

Government Technology/News
Navy Releases 8 Standards for Contested Cyber Space; David Lewis Comments
by Jay Clemens
Published on February 18, 2016
Navy Releases 8 Standards for Contested Cyber Space; David Lewis Comments


cybersecurityThe U.S. Navy has completed the first eight standards of a series the service branch intends to help regulate and sustain the service’s systems and programs in a contested cyber space.

The Information Technology/Information Assurance Technical Authority Board developed the cybersecurity standards in order to unify the security architecture framework for the Navy’s afloat, ashore, aviation and space systems, the Navy said Wednesday.

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command concluded the standards on host level protection, network firewall, intrusion detection systems, functional implementation architecture defense, security information and event management implementation, information security continuous monitoring, boundary protection and vulnerability scanning.

“Our intent in publishing these standards is for them to be included in design requirements, development and production contracts, and any other technical or engineering artifacts that touch on or influence cybersecurity designs for our various computer-based systems,” said Rear Adm. David Lewis, SPAWAR commander.

The Navy plans to implement the standards in its business systems, command and control, combat systems, weapons, navigation, machinery control, mechanical and electrical systems and propulsion.

Government Technology/News
Col. Bruce Lyman: USAF Adopts Open Architecture, Agile Method for Intell System Modernization
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 18, 2016
Col. Bruce Lyman: USAF Adopts Open Architecture, Agile Method for Intell System Modernization


NavyC5ISR

The U.S. Air Force has applied open architecture and agile models toward updates of its ground infrastructure for analysis and processing of data collected from military sensors, drones and manned aircraft, Federal News Radio reported Wednesday.

Jared Serbu writes the Air Force Research Laboratory last year built an open prototype of the Distributed Common Ground System with the intent to help the military service embed plug-and-play tools into the platform.

The military branch plans to test the open architecture-based DCGS at five locations this year.

Col. Bruce Lyman, chief of ISR for the Air Force’s DCGS, was quoted as saying agile methodology will “allow us to not only take new technology and very quickly give that to our analysts, but to add those capabilities in parallel instead of waiting for years and years to go through the usual requirements and acquisition process.”

The Air Force used the ground intelligence platform to test a rapid acquisition approach last year through the PlugFest Plus experiment, which involved a consortium of non-traditional vendors and use of other transaction authority, Serbu reports.

Government Technology/News
Army Research Lab Eyes On-Demand, 3D-Printed Drones With New Project
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 18, 2016
Army Research Lab Eyes On-Demand, 3D-Printed Drones With New Project


droneThe U.S. Army Research Laboratory has developed a concept that aims to use mission requirements provided by soldiers in order to build small unmanned aerial systems on demand through 3D printing, the Army reported Wednesday.

The report said the concept involves the use of off-the-shelf and 3D-printed parts and components to develop a UAV through a software that works to produce a computer-aided design of a drone.

A team of researchers at ARL’s vehicle technology directorate has partnered with Georgia Tech’s aerospace systems design lab to develop the software and hardware for the project.

Eric Spero, an acting team lead at ARL’s vehicle technology directorate, said the team’s project aims to address the need for manned-unmanned teaming platforms for use in threat detection missions.

“The solution is envisioned to be available at the battalion level and below, supporting the company, platoon, squad and individual soldier,” he added.

The Army Training and Doctrine Command selected the ARL project for the next phase of experiments as part of the live Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiments that will be held in January 2017 at Fort Benning in Georgia.

Government Technology/News
Tom Donilon, Sam Palmisano Named Fed Cybersecurity Commission Chairman, Deputy
by Jane Edwards
Published on February 18, 2016
Tom Donilon, Sam Palmisano Named Fed Cybersecurity Commission Chairman, Deputy


cybersecurityTom Donilon, President Barack Obama’s former national security adviser, has been named chairman of the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, The Hill reported Wednesday.

Jordan Fabian and Cory Bennett write Sam Palmisano, former CEO of IBM, will serve as deputy chairman of the commission.

The White House established the commission on Feb. 9 as part of a national cybersecurity plan that Obama released along with his budget request for fiscal 2017.

Kevin Freking also reports for the Associated Press that the new panel will deliver a report to the president by Dec. 1 that details long-term plans on how to protect public and private computer networks from potential cyber attacks.

The commission will be composed of up to 12 members and will offer recommendations on best practices for data security and how to improve the acquisition process for information technology systems, Freking writes.

Civilian/News
GAO: Defense Dept Supply Chain Reporting Tasks Need Overhaul
by Jay Clemens
Published on February 18, 2016
GAO: Defense Dept Supply Chain Reporting Tasks Need Overhaul


GAOThe Government Accountability Office has called on the Defense Department to overhaul the way it oversees the defense agencies’ supply chain reporting tasks in an effort to help minimize risks.

GAO said Tuesday the DoD’s government-industry data exchange program fell short of its function as an early warning system after the government watchdog found insufficient reporting by the Defense Logistics Agency on suspect counterfeit parts.

The government watchdog also revealed that the agency lacks a standard process for requiring a set amount of evidence to warrant a report on suspect counterfeit parts.

DoD did not clarify to contractors how their systems will be assessed in order to detect electronic counterfeit parts, according to GAO.

GAO urged the agency to “develop standard processes for when to report a part as suspect counterfeit, establish guidance for when to limit access to GIDEP reports and clarify criteria to contractors for their detection systems.”

Civilian/News
OPM IG Questions Legality of Beth Cobert’s Acting Director Role
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 18, 2016
OPM IG Questions Legality of Beth Cobert’s Acting Director Role


OPM_logoThe Office of Personnel Management‘s inspector general has said Beth Cobert is ineligible under federal law to act as agency director while her nomination for the post is pending, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

Eric Yoder and Joe Davidson write Cobert was nominated to the OPM leadership role in November 2015, four months after she replaced Katherine Archuleta on an acting basis.

OPM IG Patrick McFarland told Cobert in a memo that her situation violates the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

“Under the FVRA, any actions taken by you since the date of your nomination are void and may not be subsequently ratified,” McFarland wrote in the letter obtained by The Post.

As acting director, Cobert has implemented guidelines federal employee recruitment, relocation, retention incentives as well as senior executive performance evaluation and rotational policies.

OPM’s Office of the Inspector General discovered legal issues about the role while personnel researched OIG responsibilities under the law, Carten Cortell reported for Federal Times.

Cortell noted the law states that a presidential nominee cannot act as head of a federal agency if he or she did not previously serve as the agency’s first assistant in the year prior to his or her appointment.

Government Technology/News
John Brennan: CIA Works on Cyber Safeguards for US Critical Infrastructure
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on February 17, 2016
John Brennan: CIA Works on Cyber Safeguards for US Critical Infrastructure


John Brennan
John Brennan

CIA Director John Brennan has told CBS News in an interview that cyberspace offers a path for U.S. adversaries to attack critical infrastructure such as transportation and financial systems.

He said to reporter Scott Pelley in the “60 Minutes” segment aired Sunday the CIA is developing safeguards to protect the country’s key assets from attack vectors.

Brennan added he believes people make themselves vulnerable to exploiters when they disclose information on social networks.

“Individuals are liberally giving up their privacy, you know, sometimes wittingly and sometimes unwittingly as they give information to companies or to sales reps… or they go out on Facebook or the various social media.”

A middle-of-the-night phone call for Brennan could mean that a tragedy has occurred or that he needs to make a potentially life-and-death decision, he noted to CBS’ Pelley.

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