Navy Develops Scanners, Simulators for Logistics and Planning Operations
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Navy Develops Scanners, Simulators for Logistics and Planning Operations


NavyShipsU.S. Navy engineers and scientists have built a set of 3D scanners and simulation tools designed to help sailors accelerate operational maneuvers.

The Naval Sea Systems Command Surface Warfare Centers in Panama City, Florida, and Philadelphia have collaborated on a tool meant to scan the interior of ships in order to detect if equipment or vehicles can be stowed, the Navy said Wednesday.

Project Lead Tyson Kackley said the team began work in 2015 to support the Marine Corps Systems Command, which led the “Framework for Assessing Cost and Technology Rapid Technology Insertion” project.

Kackley added that the project used computer-aided design models and science, math and engineering concepts “to determine if the vehicle could fit properly inside the ship to allow ingress and egress, before actually attempting to insert the vehicle into the ship.”

The Navy personnel worked to identify the project requirements through fleet operator focus groups and utilized LIDAR scanning technology alongside CAD, the Navy said.

According to the service branch, the use of simulation and modeling in the project as part of the FACT model also works to support decision-making and determine feasibility.

The NAVSEA Ship Design office, SIAT Transportability and Naval Integration office and other naval offices also contributed in the project.

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Defense Department, ODNI Forge Anti-Insider Threat Program; Patricia Larsen Comments
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Defense Department, ODNI Forge Anti-Insider Threat Program; Patricia Larsen Comments


insider-threatThe Defense Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Insider Threat Task Force have formed a partnership to counter insider threats, C4ISR & Networks reported Thursday.

Rutrell Yasin writes the team currently examines ways to establish insider threat programs through its components.

NITTF Co-Director Patricia Larsen told a C4ISR & Networks webcast that the DoD and ODNI seek to “determine which of the minimum standards can be applied and in what way to each individual component.”

NITTF works to help federal agencies detect and prevent insiders from compromising classified information, Yasin reports.

Larsen said insider threat programs must have senior leadership buy-in and trained professionals who have a complete view of an organization in order to succeed, C4ISR & Networks reports.

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Jeh Johnson: DHS Unveils Cyber Threat Indicator Sharing Guidelines
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Jeh Johnson: DHS Unveils Cyber Threat Indicator Sharing Guidelines


Jeh Johnson
Jeh Johnson

Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has said DHS has released a document that aims to guide federal agencies and industry on how to share cyber threat information with the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Johnson said in a statement posted Tuesday it issued the guidelines with the Justice Department in compliance with the requirements of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015.

DHS also released interim guidelines that detail how the department will carry out privacy assessments of received cyber threat data from other federal agencies and companies, he noted.

He cited that DHS has made changes to the Automated Indicator Sharing platform that agencies and industry use to share network threat indicators in real time.

Johnson also urged the private sector to help improve the AIS system and provide feedback as DHS works to craft the final guidelines for cyber threat information sharing.

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Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes: USAF Air Dominance Study Nears Completion
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Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes: USAF Air Dominance Study Nears Completion


F-35The U.S. Air Force could release next month the findings of its research into the next generation of fighter aircraft and weapon systems, Reuters reported Thursday.

Andrea Shalal writes Lt. Gen. Mike Holmes, Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and requirements, said the initiative will help the military service lay the groundwork for a new acquisition program to address its air dominance goals by 2030.

“It won’t be just one airframe that comes out of it,”  he told reporters Thursday.

“It’ll be a family of systems that helps us make sure we can guarantee the air superiority that the joint force depends on.”

The Air Force is scheduled to deploy an initial squadron of Lockheed Martin-built F-35s in August.

Warren Kibbe: DOE, NCI Plan Pilot to Use Supercomputers for Cancer Research
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Warren Kibbe: DOE, NCI Plan Pilot to Use Supercomputers for Cancer Research


computer-technologyThe Energy Department and National Cancer Institute will continue to work together to plan the utilization of large-scale computing in cancer research and clinical treatment.

Warren Kibbe, director of the NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology, wrote in an article published Wednesday that NCI and DOE have partnered with DOE’s Exascale Computing Initiative and the National Strategic Computing Initiative in the collaboration.

The team seeks to utilize exascale supercomputers, which process data in exaflops, in the identification of specific treatments for cancer patients.

“NCI and DOE leaders believe something with such massive power to interrogate and decipher big data could play an important role in cancer research,” Kibbe wrote.

He said the team will hold a pilot program to cover the areas of computational approaches to research, the impact of current therapies in real-world medical practice and large-scale computing to develop laboratory models of cancer.

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CBO: DHS Cyber Assistance Bill Would Cost $65M Through Fiscal 2021
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CBO: DHS Cyber Assistance Bill Would Cost $65M Through Fiscal 2021


cybersecurityThe Congressional Budget Office estimates a House bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security to offer cybersecurity support for state and local agencies would cost $65 million to implement for fiscal years 2016 through 2021.

CBO said Wednesday the State and Local Cyber Protection Act calls for DHS to help non-federal agencies to identify information system vulnerabilities and adopt cyber policy,  training and risk management programs.

The budget watchdog indicated it expects DHS to provide free cybersecurity assistance to state and local governments through the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center if the bill is enacted.

MS-ISAC currently offers services for a fee or with DHS-provided grant money, according to CBO.

CBO also forecasts that implementing the bill will not increase direct government spending or budget deficit levels “in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2026.”

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HHS Seeks New CIO, Deputy Assistant Secretary for IT
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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.

NASA Launches Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope for Astrophysics Mission; John Grunsfeld Comments
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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.

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GAO: TSA Moves to Address Security Tech Acquisition Issues
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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.

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Navy Releases 8 Standards for Contested Cyber Space; David Lewis Comments
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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.

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