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FAS: New Defense Dept Directive Aims to Address Climate Change Effects on Military
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FAS: New Defense Dept Directive Aims to Address Climate Change Effects on Military

DoD logo resizeThe Defense Department has released a new directive intended to help mitigate the impact of climate change on the U.S. military, the Federation of American Scientists reported Tuesday.

Steven Aftergood writes the directive calls for coordination between the defense undersecretary for intelligence and the director of national intelligence on the risks and effects of altered operating environments on defense intelligence programs.

“DoD must be able to adapt current and future operations to address the impacts of climate change in order to maintain an effective and efficient U.S. military,” according to the directive.

FAS says DoD noted in a 2015 report to Congress that the agency has observed “the impacts of climate change in shocks and stressors to vulnerable nations and communities, including in the United States, and in the Arctic, Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America.”

The report predicted increased environmental degradation, poverty, social tensions, ineffectual leadership and regional stability issues in a number of countries due to climate change.

DOE Picks X-energy, Southern Company for Nuclear Reactor R&D Projects; Ernest Moniz Comments
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DOE Picks X-energy, Southern Company for Nuclear Reactor R&D Projects; Ernest Moniz Comments


Ernest Moniz
Ernest Moniz

The Energy Department has awarded research and development funds to Southern Company and X-energy to further develop their nuclear reactor projects as part of the government’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

DOE said Friday both awards have a cost-share value of up to $80 million and seek to exemplify public-private partnerships under the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear program.

“In order to ensure that nuclear energy remains a key source for U.S. electricity generation well into the future, it is critically important that we invest in these technologies today,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz.

X-energy will develop its Xe-100 Pebble Bed Advanced Reactor concept with Teledyne-Brown Engineering, SGL Group, BWX Technology, Oregon State University, Idaho National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Southern Company Services, a Southern Company subsidiary, will conduct materials suitability and integrated effects tests on its Molten Chloride Fast Reactor with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Electric Power Research Institute, TerraPower and Vanderbilt University.

Both firms will each receive $6 million in initial investment from DOE to help fund their projects.

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GAO: Collaboration Between GSA, DHS’ Federal Protective Service Key to Facility Protection
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GAO: Collaboration Between GSA, DHS’ Federal Protective Service Key to Facility Protection


GAOThe Government Accountability Office has called on the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service to improve collaboration in order to safeguard federal facilities from security risks.

GAO made the recommendation after it found that lack of awareness among regional officials at both agencies on collaborative practices and policies to carry out daily operations resulted in security risks and inefficiencies at federal buildings, the congressional audit agency said in a report released Friday.

GSA and FPS should define common outcomes with regard to facility protection and reach an agreement on a draft joint strategy document, according to the report.

GAO also urged both agencies to improve communication and agree on their responsibilities and roles when it comes to the security of GSA-leased facilities.

FPS and GSA should work to track, assess and report on efforts to protect federal facilities and bolster accountability for collaboration through the development of strategic plans, the report said.

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CBO: Cyber Bill’s Information System Updates Requirement Would Cost ‘Hundreds of Millions’ Over 5 Years
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CBO: Cyber Bill’s Information System Updates Requirement Would Cost ‘Hundreds of Millions’ Over 5 Years


cybersecurityA Congressional Budget Office report says a requirement to replace or update information systems within a year under the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 would cost the government “hundreds of millions of dollars” over a five-year period ending in 2020.

CBO also estimates that there would be significant costs associated with the need to remove a federal agency’s ability to secure a waiver on some of the requirements of the Senate bill, the agency said Friday.

Under the legislation, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to deploy systems that work to detect and prevent cyber threats in government networks and other digital infrastructures.

The bill would also direct agencies to implement the tools, data encryption and other capabilities within one year in order to safeguard their information systems from potential cyber attacks.

“[The bill] would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026,” CBO also noted.

Energy Dept Awards $11M to 7 Power Grid Efficiency Research Projects
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Energy Dept Awards $11M to 7 Power Grid Efficiency Research Projects


transmission tower against the sun during sunsetThe Energy Department has chosen seven project teams to receive a combined $11 million in federal funds to build simulation models and data hubs that can help DOE manage efficiency of the U.S. power grid system.

DOE said Friday the projects aim to address limitations of current algorithms for power transmission and distribution through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy‘s Generating Realistic Information for the Development of Distribution and Transmission Algorithms initiative.

“Developing new power system models will help to move our nation towards a more reliable, safe and secure grid of the future,” said Ellen Williams, ARPA-E director.

Five awardees under the GRID DATA program will focus on creating simulation tools in order to facilitate development and assessment of electric system modernization and control algorithms.

They will also collaborate with utilities or independent system operators to formulate open-access power system models, DOE noted.

The two remaining teams aim to build publicly available interactive repositories for power system models.

Click here to view the department’s full list of GRID DATA awardees and their projects.

CBO: Tax, Spending Packages to Drive Up 2016 Budget Deficit
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CBO: Tax, Spending Packages to Drive Up 2016 Budget Deficit


budget analysis reviewThe Congressional Budget Office forecasts the U.S. budget deficit to reach $544 billion in fiscal 2016, about $105 billion more than fiscal 2015’s shortfall, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Andrew Mayeda writes CBO said in a budget and economic outlook report Tuesday the projected 2016 deficit increase will be driven by massive spending and tax bills that were passed and enacted after August last year.

“If current laws generally remained unchanged, the deficit would grow over the next 10 years, and by 2026 it would be considerably larger than its average over the past 50 years,” CBO added.

CBO pointed to a $1.1 trillion defense and domestic spending package and approximately $680 billion in tax relief for individuals and businesses over the next decade as the main drivers behind the expected rise in deficit, according to a separate report by The Fiscal Times’ Eric Pianin.

Pianin writes the agency also predicts a potential growth in interest on federal debt and healthcare and Social Security program investments will outpace government revenue growth through 2026.

David Lawder of Reuters reported CBO’s $544-billion shortfall estimation for this fiscal year is about $130 billion above the projection the agency made in August and amounts to 2.9 percent of gross domestic product, which will mark the highest level since 2009.

Breaking Defense: Ashton Carter Could Reconsider Planned Cut in LCS Procurement
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Breaking Defense: Ashton Carter Could Reconsider Planned Cut in LCS Procurement


Littoral Combat ShipDefense Secretary Ashton Carter could reconsider his plan to reduce the production of the littoral combat ships from 52 to 40 as Pentagon and U.S. Navy officials discuss the program’s pros and cons, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Sydney Freedberg Jr. writes that Navy officials Ray Mabus and Adm. John Richardson called the LCS cut “predecisional” as the proposed defense budget for fiscal year 2017 is yet to be finalized.

The report said a source believes the December memo from Carter’s office that tasked the Navy to cut LCS procurement also appears to have bypassed the usual vetting process in the Defense Department.

The memo also indicated that Carter aims to redirect funds toward the procurement of missiles, submarines and other combat capabilities in support of DoD’s Third Offset Strategy, Freedberg reports.

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OPM’s Beth Cobert Issues Exemption for Federal Hiring, Retention Incentive Caps
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OPM’s Beth Cobert Issues Exemption for Federal Hiring, Retention Incentive Caps


Beth Cobert
Beth Cobert

Beth Cobert, acting director at the Office of Personnel Management, has released guidance on exceptions to a policy that caps how much agencies should offer to recruit, relocate and retain employees.

Cobert said in the guidance released Friday agencies can grant recruitment, relocation and retention incentives beyond the limitation set forth by OPM and the Office of Management and Budget in 2010 if they demonstrate that filling a vacant position will address a “critical agency need.”

OPM issued the exemption in an effort to help agencies attract skilled professionals who can help bolster cybersecurity of federal systems, networks and data.

Many agencies have offered 3R incentives to government employees that provide healthcare services to U.S. military personnel and veterans, according to Cobert.

She added that all federal agencies must establish a plan to implement prescribing incentive approval criteria and policies, record the basis for issuing an incentive and evaluate rewards on an annual basis.

Each agency 3R incentive plan will be subject to approval of a chief human capital officer or a human resource director, Cobert noted.

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Jason-3 Satellite Launches to Support Global Sea Level Measurements
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Jason-3 Satellite Launches to Support Global Sea Level Measurements


Jason-3The Jason-3 spacecraft launched Sunday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as part of an international mission that seeks to monitor global weather and rising sea levels.

NASA said Monday a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the satellite to space, where it will fly in formation with Jason-2 to take measurements of the world’s ice-free oceans at 10-day intervals.

“The measurements from Jason-3 will advance our efforts to understand Earth as an integrated system by increasing our knowledge of sea level changes and the ocean’s roles in climate,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for science at NASA headquarters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration leads the mission and works with NASA, the space agency’s French counterpart CNES and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites.

Jason-3 will begin a six-month checkout phase before its enters full science operations.

The Thales–Finmeccanica joint venture Thales Alenia Space built the spacecraft and serves as prime contractor on the program.

Thales Alenia Space said Sunday it equipped Jason-3 with the Poseidon-3B dual-frequency altimeter, the DORIS orbit determination system, the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, a laser retro-reflector array and a GPS payload.

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NSF Awards $5M to Establish Cyber Center; Anita Nikolich Comments
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NSF Awards $5M to Establish Cyber Center; Anita Nikolich Comments


cybersecurityThe National Science Foundation has awarded $5 million in grants to Indiana University, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison to establish a cybersecurity center of excellence.

The institutions will launch the Center for Trustworthy Scientific Cyberinfrastructure through the funding after three years of collaboration to develop the center, the PSC said Friday.

“NSF-funded cyberinfrastructure presents unique challenges for operational security personnel and impacts other important areas of research affecting society, including ocean sciences, natural hazards, engineering, biology and physics,” said Anita Nikolich, cybersecurity program director within NSF’s advanced cyberinfrastructure division.

“Organizations that host cyberinfrastructure must find the right balance of security, privacy and usability while maintaining an environment in which data are openly shared,” added Nikolich.

CTSC will work to help expand cybersecurity skills through education and training in coordination with NSF-funded research organizations.

The center will facilitate support activities centered around identity and access management, led by Jim Basney of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, and host an annual NSF cybersecurity summit, led by PSC Chief Information Security Officer James Marsteller.

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