The U.S. Army has demonstrated an updated tactical network operations toolset as part of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical Increment 3 limited user test during the Network Integration Evaluation 16.2 event at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The service branch said Thursday results of the evaluation will support the integration of software upgrades into the at-the-halt and on-the-move features of the WIN-T network.

Col. Charles Masaracchia, commander for for 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division, said the NetOps toolset works to identify and address network issues at the command post without having to travel to a station.

Network officers tested the upgraded tool suite at the NIE event to configure, operate, monitor, troubleshoot and secure the network, the service branch noted.

The Army added the updates worked to automate many of the tasks as well as provide firewall tools and defensive cyber visualization to assist soldiers in managing and protecting the network from threats.

The service branch also looks to upgrade the NetOps of the lower tactical Internet radio network through the Army’s joint radio network manager as well as synchronize WIN-T and radio networks in the future.

To further test WIN-T Increment 3, the Army also evaluated the Network Centric Waveform v10 software, which is designed to provide satellite communications from division headquarters to the company level, the Army said.

The U.S. Air Force has begun its search for a professional who will serve in dual roles as chief information officer and deputy director for plans and integration.

The service branch said in a USAJobs notice posted May 9 that the chosen candidate will oversee human resource activities across military, reserve and civilian components and promote readiness among servicemembers through business processes, policies and technology platforms.

The CIO/deputy chief for plans and integration, who will be based in Washington, is a full-time Senior Executive Service position that requires a Top Secret-level security clearance.

Other duties include oversight of at least 160 information systems, portfolio management, development of an HR-focused enterprise architecture, expert guidance on HR capabilities as well as support for the adoption of standard business practices.

Applications for the position will be accepted through May 31, according to the job notice.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work has said Russian aircraft have conducted “extremely aggressive” operations in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea that could potentially jeopardize lives, DoD News reported Monday.

Lisa Ferdinando writes Work referred to reports by U.S. European Command officials that Russian planes made multiple low-altitude maneuvers in April near the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea’s international waters.

Work, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2016, told reporters during his May 12 trip to Poland that such flight manuevers by Russians could potentially result in an accident.

[O]nce an accident occurs, you don’t know what [would happen] afterwards,” he added.

He also noted that the U.S. will continue to operate in any areas approved by the international law, according to the report.

Work held a three-day trip to Romania and Poland to take part in ceremonies for the two sites of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense systems.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has established a new internal organization that will serve to support geospatial research among national laboratories, commercial businesses and universities as part of an NGA-wide restructuring initiative.

NGA started the new office to advance the agency’s research activities and provide other agencies in the intelligence community access to new technologies and other offerings, Director Robert Cardillo said in a release posted Friday.

The “NGA Research” office will replace the former InnoVision directorate in the current fiscal year and represents a shift from internal research efforts to a strategy that looks at external work for potential application at the agency.

In addition, former Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Director Peter Highnam has joined NGA in a leadership role to help with its establishment of the In-Q-Tel Interface Center, the GEOINT Pathfinder 2 project and a new NGA Outpost Valley in California’s Silicon Valley.

Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson has succeeded Navy Adm. Bill Gortney as head of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, DoD News reported Friday.

Robinson told attendees of the change-of-command ceremony at Peterson that partnerships with joint, interagency and multinational organizations support NORAD and Northcom as reflected by the fact that almost 60 representatives from Defense Department and civilian agencies are integrated into the headquarters, according to the story by Jim Garamone.

Robinson was nominated for the leadership posts in March and has becomes the first female lead of a combatant command.

Canada’s Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said in his remarks that Norad has served as the first line of defense against air attacks for North America since 1958 as the sole binational command, Garamone wrote.

Military leaders from Mexico were also present the ceremony, where Defense Secretary Ash Carter credited Gortney with his leadership in efforts to foster “warmer” relations between that country and the U.S., DoD News said.