Air Force to Send F-35 Jets to UK Air Shows; Mark Welsh Comments
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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.

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Curtis Dukes Tackles NSA Information Assurance Directorate’s Involvement in Cybercom Training
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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.

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Dell’s Steve Harris: FITARA to Drive ‘Momentum’ for Agency IT Modernization Efforts
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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.

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GAO Urges DoD, DOE, HHS to Inform Research Participants on Governmental Functions
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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.

Politico: Ashton Carter, Service Chiefs Debate on FY 2017 DoD Budget Priorities
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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.

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British Security Experts: Regulation, Tech Key to Counter Hostile UAVs
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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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Wendy Masiello: DCMA in Hiring Process & Seeks Private Sector Collaboration for Commercial Item ‘Centers of Excellence’
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Wendy Masiello: DCMA in Hiring Process & Seeks Private Sector Collaboration for Commercial Item ‘Centers of Excellence’


WendyMasielloThe Defense Contract Management Agency is in the process of hiring personnel for its network of “centers of excellence” that aim to give procurement and contracting officers guidance on what constitutes as a commercial item versus a non-commercial product, DCMA’s director has told ExecutiveGov.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Wendy Masiello, who has served as director since May 2014, said DCMA has one center up and running in St. Augustine, Florida and listed five other future locations for the network as Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Philadelphia and Phoenix to continue the agency’s push toward hubs with expertise in commercial items.

Each center will house teams with pricing experts and engineers with knowledge in areas such as avionics, engines, ship tools and requirements and also carry out studies in those particular segments.

“If we can centralize their understanding in those concentration areas we can mature the process and move it along quickly,” Masiello said.

“As we centralize these centers it allows us to advise our procurement contracting officers as to what is a commercial vs non-commercial item by having better understanding in the way Congress is asking us to.”

Advanced agreements with commercial companies are another facet of DCMA’s push to stand up the network and help businesses that work with the Defense Department and its components not only determine items that are commercial but also develop a common understanding between DoD and industry, she said.

ExecutiveGov spoke to Masiello ahead of her keynote address Thursday to the “Federal Procurement and Acquisitions” event hosted by the Potomac Officers Club, which is owned by this website’s parent company.

As DCMA director, Masiello oversees the work of more than 11,900 civilian and uniformed military personnel based around the world to perform contract management responsibilities over more than 20,000 contractors and around $223 billion in unliquidated obligations.

DCMA’s major focus in commercial item determinations will be transparency between industry and DoD as stakeholders are learning together how to determine commercial versus non-commercial items, Masiello told ExecutiveGov.

“The better we can be educated in how the commercial item market designs and produces items and the partnerships they form, we can more rapidly shape how the government looks at that information,” she said.

“Partnering with us and helping educate us in that process is important for DCMA and it will be a win-win if we can break down those barriers.”

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Ashton Carter: US Seeks ‘Win-Win’ Outcome Amid Rising APAC Military Powers
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Ashton Carter: US Seeks ‘Win-Win’ Outcome Amid Rising APAC Military Powers


Ashton Carter
Ashton Carter

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said at the World Economic Forum that the U.S. welcomes the emerging military power of Asia-Pacific countries such as China, Japan and India, DoD News reported Saturday.

Terri Moon Cronk writes that Carter has indicated the U.S. also does not intend to hinder the rise of China as it works to maintain peace and stability in the region.

“I think we were the pivotal factor in making [an environment] in which… essentially everybody could follow their own destiny toward prosperity,” Carter said, according to the report.

The defense secretary also reiterated the U.S. stance against militarization and said it will continue to provide support in maritime security and strengthen alliances in the region.

“We are not separate, we are not dividing the region, [and] we don’t seek to ask people to take sides,” he said.

“I look forward to working with all my colleagues in the region, including the Chinese, to get an outcome that’s win-win-win-win for everybody.”

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Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast: Air University Looks to New Tech for Airmen Education
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Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast: Air University Looks to New Tech for Airmen Education


Air Force logoLt. Gen. Steven Kwast, commander at the Air University, has told Defense News in an interview published Monday the university aims to harness information age technology for training of future airmen, support the U.S. Air Force‘s research efforts and promulgate the value of air power.

He noted in the interview that the Air Force has established a Cyber College as part of a strategy to “collaborate with the rest of society like we never have before so that we can ride the leading edge of innovation out there and then bring it in to the national security business.”

Kwast also said he believes adopting a proactive approach can help the Defense Department to address cybersecurity issues.

He added Air University also works to infuse the concept of affordability into its education process and partners with technology companies in a bid to drive innovation at the Air Force.

Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy Aims to Expand Transition Assistance Programs
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Acting Army Secretary Patrick Murphy Aims to Expand Transition Assistance Programs


army stock photoPatrick Murphy, undersecretary and acting secretary of the U.S. Army, has said he believes the entire military branch should emulate efforts at Fort Hood, Texas, to help soldiers make the transition to civilian life.

“Fort Hood is really the model when it comes to the Soldier for Life program,” Murphy said in a statement published Thursday.

He also pointed to the base’s partnership with Raytheon and General Motors to train transitioning military personnel for service technician positions at the two companies under the Shifting Gears initiative.

“To see in action what the community of Fort Hood is doing — the civilian community outside the gates and the community inside those gates — and how they are working at creating these public-private partnerships is inspiring,” he added.

Murphy estimates the Army and the Defense Department have spent approximately $4.6 billion in military unemployment benefits over the past five years and believes a portion of funds allocated for unemployment compensation should go to transition assistance programs.

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