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OPM Seeks CIO to Manage Agency’s Digital, IT, Cybersecurity Programs
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OPM Seeks CIO to Manage Agency’s Digital, IT, Cybersecurity Programs


JobAdThe Office of Personnel Management looks for a full-time chief information officer to oversee the agency’s information technology operations as well as its digital transformation and cybersecurity efforts.

OPM said in a USAJobs notice posted Wednesday the CIO will be responsible for the development, implementation and management of IT systems that will form the backbone of human capital functions in the federal government.

The chosen candidate will also develop DevOps, agile development and bi-modal IT models as well as implement a workforce strategy for OPM to attract and retain professionals who can help secure the agency’s infrastructure.

The new CIO will also support an interagency team to establish a National Background Investigations Bureau as part of federal security clearance and investigation reform efforts.

He or she will succeed Lisa Schlosser, who has served as OPM CIO in acting capacity since March 17.

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Lt. Col. Anthony Barbina: US Army Supports Counter-IED Programs in Africa
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Lt. Col. Anthony Barbina: US Army Supports Counter-IED Programs in Africa


explosive-disposalU.S. Army Africa officials have said the military organization is helping to train African soldiers to detect and counter improvised explosive devices, Army Times reported Tuesday.

Michelle Tan writes U.S.’ African allies asked for assistance from USARAF to carry out IED threat awareness training and mitigation operations as Islamic militant groups increase their use of homemade bombs to conduct attacks across the continent.

“The African countries have seen how involved we’ve been in Iraq and Afghanistan and how much we’ve learned… and they’re trying to tap into us and share some of our lessons learned,” Lt. Col. Anthony Barbina, engineer plans and operations chief at USARAF, told the publication.

The report said USARAF established a counter-IED fusion cell focused on supporting partner nations of the U.S.

U.S. forces teach African troops how to spot and safely dispose of roadside bombs, perform forensic exams on those devices and disrupt IED networks, according to Tan’s article.

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Rep. Suzan DelBene Proposes to Extend US Digital Services Agency for 10 Years
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Rep. Suzan DelBene Proposes to Extend US Digital Services Agency for 10 Years


digital governmentRep. Suzan DelBene (D-Washington) has proposed to extend the life of the U.S. Digital Service in an effort to help federal agencies increase their usage of technology and address government service quality.

DelBlene’s office said in a release published Friday the U.S. Digital Service Act would extend the authorization of the USDS program for another 10 years.

“The U.S. Digital Service was formed as a way to temporarily bring the technical know-how of industry experts to the tech-challenged federal government,” said Delbene.

“The U.S. Digital Service is working to identify, fix and prevent large-scale technology issues within government so that taxpayers can get the return on investment they deserve,” she added.

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John Thompson: Census Bureau Selects ‘Hybrid’ Commercial, In-House Platform for 2020 Census
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John Thompson: Census Bureau Selects ‘Hybrid’ Commercial, In-House Platform for 2020 Census


U.S. Census Bureau logoThe U.S. Census Bureau plans to integrate a commercial off-the-shelf platform with systems developed by in-house experts to collect and process data for the 2020 census.

Census Bureau Director John Thompson wrote in a blog post published Thursday that the bureau’s development teams are working on prototypes that could aid digital data collection for 2020 census field tests and help the bureau evaluate COTS products.

Thompson added the Census Bureau decided on an integrated COTS platform as a result of the efforts of in-house teams and the input of partners from Carnegie Mellon University and the National Academy of Sciences.

“This approach meets our data collection and processing goals for the 2020 Census and builds the infrastructure to support all of our censuses and surveys in the future,” said Thompson.

The director added the timing of the decision is part of efforts to meet schedules for the overall operations and systems integration tests in 2018.

The “hybrid approach” also works to support the bureau’s proposal to save $5.2 billion in the 2020 census compared to the 2010 census, Thompson noted.

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Army Sets Up New Cyber Directorate Within G-3/5/7 Office
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Army Sets Up New Cyber Directorate Within G-3/5/7 Office


cyberA future directorate within the U.S. Army‘s G-3/5/7 office will focus on cybersecurity and electronic warfare under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Patricia Frost, FCW reported Friday.

The upcoming directorate is an effort by the Army to utilize the “overlap” of cyber and electronic warfare operations, Sean Lyngaas writes.

Frost is a former Army Cyber Command deputy commanding general for operations and is eligible for promotion to major general, the report said.

“Bringing in a new directorate under a new two-star position, that brings two-star weight to the table to all of those discussions about doctrine, policy, organization [and] budget,” Col. Jeffrey Church, senior electronic warfare officer at the Army, told FCW.

“Now you have a two-star general officer who is going to focus specifically on cyberspace [and] electronic warfare.”

Col. Carmin Cicales, former chief of cyberspace and information operations at Army headquarters, said in the report that the expected appointment of Frost, a potential general, as the directorate lead will help the Army’s cyber, electronic warfare and information operations.

Lyngaas reports the new directorate is scheduled to have initial operating capability within June.

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LaVerne Council: VA Aims to Simplify, Secure IT Processes With Cloud Tech
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LaVerne Council: VA Aims to Simplify, Secure IT Processes With Cloud Tech


LaVerne Council
LaVerne Council

LaVerne Council, chief information officer at the Department of Veterans Affairs, highlighted the VA’s plan to buy cloud computing services and its other information technology modernization efforts during an interview with FCW published Friday.

She told FCW the department issued a request for information on cloud support services as part of a procurement strategy aimed at simplifying IT management.

“We are looking at the cloud as our way of bringing on some new [buying] capability,” Council noted in the interview.

“Our requirements may be a little more extreme than some, but certainly, if there’s an opportunity where we can [partner], we will.”

She said her organization is working with David Shulkin, VA undersecretary for health, to examine the viability of developing a new digital platform for the department to manage veterans’ electronic health records.

VA and the Defense Department also collaborate to achieve interoperability between their EHR systems, according to Council.

She added that VA will work to address all material weaknesses in the department’s information security program by the end of 2017.

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Reuters: Federal Reserve Records Reveal More Than 50 Cyber Breaches in 2011-15
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Reuters: Federal Reserve Records Reveal More Than 50 Cyber Breaches in 2011-15


cyber-hack-network-computerThe U.S. Federal Reserve has recorded more than 50 cybersecurity breaches from 2011 through 2015, Reuters reported Wednesday.

Reuters obtained Federal Reserve records which cover cyber attacks that affected the Board of Governors since it is subject to public records laws, Jason Lange and Dustin Volz wrote.

The central bank’s national cybersecurity team identified majority of the recorded breaches as “malicious code” while four attacks in 2012 were described as “espionage,” Reuters said.

The records further revealed the Federal Reserve suspected that hackers or spies were involved in many of the incidents, Reuters added.

There were no information on the hackers or on the consequences of the attacks, Lange and Volz wrote.

HASC Subcommittees Hold Joint Hearing on Navy’s Maintenance, Training Budget Shortfall
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HASC Subcommittees Hold Joint Hearing on Navy’s Maintenance, Training Budget Shortfall


budget analysis reviewThe House Armed Services Committee’s readiness and seapower subcommittees held a joint hearing Thursday to discuss the budget shortfall in the U.S. Navy’s training and maintenance funds, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. writes the hearing is part of HASC’s effort to push for a defense policy bill that would move $18 billion from the overseas contingency operations budget to the Defense Department’s base funding for fiscal year 2017.

“I believe Congress must pursue a third option: to increase funding for the Navy to levels that will enable it to do what our nation asks without running its ships and sailors ragged or sending them into battle unprepared,” Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), chairman of the seapower subcommittee, wrote in a memo issued to his colleagues prior to the hearing.

Four Navy captains testified at the joint hearing about deployment and maintenance problems associated with the service branch’s Carrier Air Wing One, USS Normandy guided-missile cruiser and submarines, according to the report.

Capt. Greg McRae, deputy commander of Submarine Squadron Six, discussed delays in overhaul work on USS Albany and other submarines, Freedberg reports.

“Today, we are looking at a 43-month overhaul for a maintenance period that was supposed to last 28 months,” McRae said.

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DOT Freezes IT Procurements to Kick Off FITARA Implementation; Richard McKinney Comments
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DOT Freezes IT Procurements to Kick Off FITARA Implementation; Richard McKinney Comments


Department of TransportationThe Transportation Department has paused procurements for new technology while waiting for the completion of an inventory over DOT’s information technology properties, Federal News Radio reported Friday.

Jason Miller writes the IT buy suspension marks the department’s first step to implement the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act.

Richard McKinney, DOT’s chief information officer, said the department released a memo that demanded the freeze in a move to identify areas where McKinney believes there is duplicative IT spend, according to the report.

The goal was to determine how to implement language in FITARA that authorizes McKinney to approve IT spending, the station reports.

“We put out a memo and we asked the modal CIOs to take their IT budget and translate into an IT spend,” McKinney told the station in an interview at the ACT-IAC Management of Change conference in Cambridge, Maryland.

“Line-by-line, show us how they were going to spend their money,” he added.

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Eric Fanning Cites Acquisition Reform, Emerging Threats as Immediate Priorities for US Army
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Eric Fanning Cites Acquisition Reform, Emerging Threats as Immediate Priorities for US Army


Eric Fanning
Eric Fanning

U.S. Army Secretary Eric Fanning has said the lack of stable and predictable budget is one of the major challenges the service branch faces, the Army Times reported Sunday.

Fanning told Army Times reporter Michelle Tan in an interview that the military branch needs stable funding in order to train service personnel, develop a long-term program for the Army as well as achieve military readiness.

“In this budget environment… we look first to make sure that we’re taking care of soldiers today, that they’re properly trained and equipped for the fights we’re sending them into today,” he said.

He also mentioned his short-term goals for the Army, including his plans to focus on mental health among uniformed personnel, address emerging threats and advance acquisition reform.

Fanning noted that he intends to establish a “rapid capabilities office” that will work to address survivability, electronic and cyber warfare as well as help streamline the procurement process.

Fanning was inducted into office on May 18 during a swearing-in ceremony held at the Pentagon.

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