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Civilian/News
ACSI Report: Drop in Federal Govt Services User Satisfaction Slows
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 27, 2016
ACSI Report: Drop in Federal Govt Services User Satisfaction Slows


surveyA new American Customer Satisfaction Index report has found that citizen satisfaction with U.S. federal government services received a score of 63.9 out of 100 in 2015, a gradual decline from 64.4 in 2014.

According to the ACSI Federal Government Report 2015 published Tuesday, the federal government’s scores when it comes to customer service, processes and information quality improved in 2015 compared with over a year ago.

The survey is based on interviews with randomly selected 2,079 federal service users conducted from Nov. 12 through Dec. 12, 2015.

The departments of Interior, State and Defense landed the top spots in the ranking of federal agencies for customer satisfaction.

The three agencies got scores above the average federal government score of 64, according to the survey.

Civilian/News
Bob McDonald: VA Eyes Improved Customer Service by End of 2016
by Anna Forrester
Published on January 27, 2016
Bob McDonald: VA Eyes Improved Customer Service by End of 2016


Bob McDonald
Bob McDonald

Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald has said his goal for 2016 is to bolster the department’s customer service as his office continues to work on reform efforts, Military Times reported Thursday.

Leo Shane III writes that McDonald told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee that the MyVA restructuring plan aims to simplify the benefits appeals process, increase external healthcare options and update the VA website and contact centers.

The secretary added that he will work to drive cultural change to provide veteran-centric services even as committee members also noted that the major parts of MyVA call for legislative action.

Dianna Cahn of Stars and Stripes also reports that McDonald’s 2016 agenda overall includes 12 priorities to improve veteran care.

The report said veterans’ organizations such as the American Legion and Concerned Veterans for America have issued statements regarding their concerns about the promised reforms in MyVA.

Government Technology/News
Reports: Benjamin Netanyahu Eyes Increased Investment, Eased Export Limits for Cyber Tech
by Anna Forrester
Published on January 27, 2016
Reports: Benjamin Netanyahu Eyes Increased Investment, Eased Export Limits for Cyber Tech


cybersecurityIsrael Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes that the country should continue to counter Islamic militant groups that use cyber warfare as a way to push humanity back to “medievalism,” The Times of Israel reported Tuesday.

David Shamah writes that Netanyahu told his audience at the Cybertech 2016 event that Israel should push further to increase investment in cybersecurity and become the leading cyber power in the world.

According to the prime minister, the international community should also take part in efforts to combat cyber criminals.

“There is a critical need for like-minded governments to have serious discussions about cooperation in the broader international realm,” he said.

“We will then be able to establish international standards that will increase cybersecurity.”

Reuters also reported that Netanyahu has indicated his plan to minimize restrictions on cyber technology exports to boost the country’s cybersecurity industry, which saw increased sales in 2015.

“My goal is to enable that growth, that productivity, while maintaining a very narrow band of interest of national security,” he said.

The prime minister’s assurance follows news that the Israel defense ministry intends to limit the export of technology that could be used on cyber attacks, Reuters reports.

Government Technology/News
Amy Hess: Biometric ID Tech Helps Accelerate FBI’s Criminal Investigations
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on January 27, 2016
Amy Hess: Biometric ID Tech Helps Accelerate FBI’s Criminal Investigations


biometricsAmy Hess, executive assistant director of the FBI‘s science and technology branch, has said tools at the bureau’s Biometrics Technology Center have helped agents investigate criminal cases faster, FCW reported Tuesday.

Mark Rockwell writes the FBI and the Defense Department opened the facility at the bureau’s Clarksburg, West Virginia-based campus in August last year.

The center houses the Next Generation Identification platform and other systems designed to examine fingerprints, DNA information, facial traits, body characteristics and voice patterns.

Hess told her audience at the Biometrics for Government and Law Enforcement conference held Tuesday in Virginia that the NGI system works to process up to 167,000 fingerprint sets a day and generates an accuracy rate of 99.6 percent.

She added that the biometric facility has developed technology designed to process DNA samples in just two hours without human intervention, FCW reports.

News
Air Force to Send F-35 Jets to UK Air Shows; Mark Welsh Comments
by Jay Clemens
Published on January 27, 2016
Air Force to Send F-35 Jets to UK Air Shows; Mark Welsh Comments


F-35The U.S. Air Force is set to transport two Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter jets from Luke Air Force Base to the U.K. for a series of British air shows in the summer, Reuters reported Tuesday.

Andrea Shalal writes the jets will be displayed at both the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Farnborough air show in July and one will also fly with vintage warplanes on so-called heritage flights.

“We’re very excited about demonstrating this capability to the world,” said Gen. Mark Welsh, Air Force chief of staff.

The two Air Force fighter jets will join other F-35 jets from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.K. at the air shows, according to Reuters.

Air Tattoo said Tuesday its organizers expect the F-35B version of the aircraft to exhibit its “hover” capability at the air show.

“The plan for F-35 aircraft to take part in air shows here in the UK this summer is a significant milestone — for our RAF and Royal Navy personnel training hard to fly the F-35; for British industry who are contributing an impressive 15 per cent of every aircraft; and for the British public who will have their first opportunity to see this remarkable aircraft in action,” said Michael Fallon, the U.K. defense secretary.

Government Technology/News
Curtis Dukes Tackles NSA Information Assurance Directorate’s Involvement in Cybercom Training
by Jane Edwards
Published on January 27, 2016
Curtis Dukes Tackles NSA Information Assurance Directorate’s Involvement in Cybercom Training


Curtis Dukes
Curtis Dukes

Curtis Dukes, head of the National Security Agency’s information assurance directorate, has said IAD personnel have been tapped to analyze data breaches in both public and private sectors over the past 18 months, FCW reported Tuesday.

Dukes told FCW reporter Sean Lyngaas in an interview that IAD has trained staff of the U.S. Cyber Command in order to help the command conduct its own training and address “resource pressures” linked to cyber attacks.

IAD specialists have started to address vulnerabilities in supervisory control and data acquisition platforms and other industrial control systems that work to support the power grid through the implementation of encryption layers called “wrappers,” he noted.

Dukes, also a computer scientist, tackled his involvement in the zero-day disclosure program that Michael Daniel, top cybersecurity adviser to President Barack Obama, currently leads.

“It’s a thoughtful discussion, trying to understand offensive capability but also understand the risk to the government in not disclosing that vulnerability,” he said.

The IAD chief also discussed his plan for the directorate to automate the review process of the Defense Department’s weapons systems for cyber vulnerabilities, Lyngaas reports.

Government Technology/News
Dell’s Steve Harris: FITARA to Drive ‘Momentum’ for Agency IT Modernization Efforts
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on January 27, 2016
Dell’s Steve Harris: FITARA to Drive ‘Momentum’ for Agency IT Modernization Efforts


Steve Harris
Steve Harris

Steve Harris, vice president and general manager of Dell‘s federal systems unit, has said he believes the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act will create momentum in agencies’ efforts to update their information technology systems, Fedscoop reported Wednesday.

“FITARA provides for the oversight and but more importantly, it provides the fundamental changes that can lead to the desired outcome,” Harris was quoted as saying.

Greg Otto reports that federal agencies have started to launch programs to replace legacy IT systems with modern technology intended to help agencies deliver public services.

Some government technology analysts believe 2016 will see agencies build on those initiatives to meet the Obama administration’s IT goals, Otto added.

Civilian/News
GAO Urges DoD, DOE, HHS to Inform Research Participants on Governmental Functions
by Jay Clemens
Published on January 27, 2016
GAO Urges DoD, DOE, HHS to Inform Research Participants on Governmental Functions


GAOThe Government Accountability Office has called on the departments of Defense, Energy and Health and Human Services to develop a guidance meant to inform research participants on inherently governmental functions.

GAO said Jan. 20 DoD, DOE and HHS topped the agencies with the highest expenditures for research participant sponsorships under the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education research participation program from fiscal year 2010 through 1014.

Over the five-year period, ORISE program expenditures grew 73 percent and the number of appointments rose to 42 percent across the three departments.

Components within DoD, DOE and HHS provided varying data to employees and research participants about inherently governmental functions based on assessments of the ORISE program’s short-term effectiveness.

Under current federal rules, research participants are prohibited from performing inherently governmental functions.

GAO found that agencies lacked the “methods to track research participants over their careers to determine the extent to which participants’ success is a result of the program.”

The government watchdog also found some projects by research participants that involved activities related to inherently governmental functions.

News
Politico: Ashton Carter, Service Chiefs Debate on FY 2017 DoD Budget Priorities
by Anna Forrester
Published on January 27, 2016
Politico: Ashton Carter, Service Chiefs Debate on FY 2017 DoD Budget Priorities


budget analysis reviewThe Defense Department continues to deliberate the allocation of its upcoming $580 billion budget request for fiscal year 2017 amid different spending priorities between the service branches and Secretary Ashton Carter, Politico reported Tuesday.

Austin Wright writes Carter backs the administration’s plan to build up capability in cyber warfare, next-generation fighters and other advanced weapons.

Both U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and U.S. Army secretary nominee Eric Fanning have recently indicated other programs as the focus of spending, the report said.

Wright reports Mabus leans toward the procurement of more littoral combat ships while Fanning has raised concerns over the proposed cut to the number of active-duty soldiers in order to redirect funds.

DoD/News
British Security Experts: Regulation, Tech Key to Counter Hostile UAVs
by Mary-Louise Hoffman
Published on January 27, 2016
British Security Experts: Regulation, Tech Key to Counter Hostile UAVs


droneU.K.-based Open Briefing and Oxford Research Group have published a joint report that recommends regulatory, passive and active countermeasures meant to help government organizations stop hostile use of unmanned aerial vehicles by nonstate actors.

The report says terrorist organizations, organized crime groups, insurgents, corporations and activists can use commercial drones to gather intelligence or conduct attacks.

In the 24-page report, British security professionals wrote policymakers should implement regulations to limit the attack, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of unmanned aircraft.

The authors have also proposed use of multisensor technology that work to alert authorities of drone presence in no-fly zones as well as anti-drone system options such as lasers, malware and directional radio-frequency jammers.

They also said guidance is needed to allow police and armed forces to deploy kinetic weapons as a last line of defense against hostile UAVs.

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