The Department of Homeland Security will require travelers to present at airports driver’s licenses and identification cards that comply with the provisions of the Real ID Act this year, the New York Times reported Dec. 29.

Driver’s licenses and ID cards that comply with Real ID Act must have a machine-readable magnetic chip that carries the owner’s personal information such as name, photo, physical attributes, signature, date of birth, Social Security number and citizenship status, according to the Times.

GCN reports DHS announced in 2013 that it would implement the law in four phases with plans to enforce “Phase 4” in 2016.

Under Phase 4 of the enforcement plan, the department would require passengers with IDs from noncompliant states to present other forms of acceptable identification in order to be allowed to board federally regulated aircraft.

President Barack Obama has spoken to South Korean President Park Geun-hye about options for responding to North Korea’s fourth rogue nuclear test, Reuters reported Thursday.

South Korea is considering deployment of U.S.-built strategic weapons after North Korea declared it has performed an underground test of a hydrogen bomb, according to the report by Ju-Min Park and Se Young Lee.

Park and Lee write it could take several days for experts to verify the nuclear device used.

Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, called for recommencement of six-party negotiations to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program, the report noted.

U.N. National Security Council has said it will explore potential sanctions against North Korea, while House Republicans plan to discuss a stringent punishment to foreign companies that do business with the country.

President Barack Obama is set to nominate Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, to oversee U.S. Central Command as part of an effort to combat extremist groups, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Gordon Lubold writes Votel will succeed Gen. Lloyd Austin and be responsible for U.S. operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan if confirmed by the Senate.

Gen. Tony Thomas, head of the Joint Special Operations Command, stands as a potential successor to Votel, according to the report.

Votel served as head of JSOC before taking his current role at SOCOM in 2014, the Journal reports.

Earlier in his career, he served as the director of the Army and Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Task Force and later as the deputy director of the Joint IED Defeat Organization.

Votel was also the deputy commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division/CJTF-82 for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson has released a new guidance that details approaches on how the U.S. Navy can sustain maritime superiority, USNI News reported Tuesday.

Richardson said the guidance titled “A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority” aims to address three global forces with potential implications for the service branch such as the maritime traffic, technological developments and adoption and changes related to the global information system.

The document outlines the four lines of effort the Navy must exercise, including the need to strengthen the naval power through the modernization of the strategic deterrent triad and advancement of information warfare.

Richardson cited specific tasks and objectives for other lines of effort such as the application of concepts and techniques to expedite learning, creation of partnerships, and implementation of the Sailor 2025 program in order to strengthen the service branch’s leaders and personnel.

Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. also reports for Breaking Defense that Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) commented on the mentions of Russia and China in the guidance.

“(Richardson’s) clarity on the challenge posed by Russia and China’s destabilizing behavior is welcome, as is the emphasis on wargaming and fleet exercises to refine new concepts that might successfully counter Moscow and Beijing’s growing assertiveness,” Forbes told Breaking Defense.

“By speaking honestly about the competitive nature of these relationships, Adm. Richardson is helping to provide much-needed clarity about U.S. intentions in the Asia-Pacific,” he added.

The U.S. Air Force plans to move 13,000 civilian employees to a new personnel system from the general schedule by June 12, GovExec reported Tuesday.

Eric Katz writes the Air Force Material Command will increase the number of employees who participate in the modernization program by nearly 50 percent under the AcqDemo initiative.

AcqDemo is designed to combine pay bands and help distribute raises and bonuses, according to the report.

The initiative also aims to unify 15 general schedule grades to four categories and create business management and technical management, technical management support and administration support out of the 22 GS system occupational families, Katz reports.

The Air Force remains in talks with the American Federation of Government Employees as part of a move to implement the personnel system across the Material Command, GovExec reports.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, commander of U.S. European Command, has called for an increased presence of U.S. troops in Europe in order to combat Russia’s militarization in the region, DoD News reported Tuesday.

Jim Garamone writes Breedlove recommended that the U.S. military change how it operates in Europe following attempts to forge ties with Russia over the past two decades.

The NATO supreme allied commander for Europe noted that the Air Force reformed its force structure, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance allocations and analytical allocations throughout that time, according to the report.

Breedlove also wants more U.S. capabilities in Europe as part of efforts to adjust the European Command’s approach to Russia, the report says.

“Now every soldier, sailor, airman or Marine that comes to European Command will be focused on redeveloping that high-end kinetic fighting capability,” he said.