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CISA & FBI Release Advisory on Enhancing Microsoft Exchange Online Monitoring
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CISA & FBI Release Advisory on Enhancing Microsoft Exchange Online Monitoring

A joint cybersecurity advisory from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI is urging critical infrastructure organizations to enhance their monitoring of suspicious activities in the Microsoft Exchange Online environment.

The CSA lists logging recommendations that organizations can implement to build up their cybersecurity defenses and improve the detection of anomalous activities in the cloud-based messaging platform, CISA said Wednesday.

According to the advisory, a federal civilian executive branch has identified and reported suspicious activity in its Microsoft 365 audit log to CISA and Microsoft.

The technology company’s network defenders discovered that advanced persistent threat actors accessed unclassified Exchange Online Outlook data. To prevent a similar incident, CISA and FBI recommended that FCEB agencies and critical infrastructure operators ensure that audit logging is enabled in their Microsoft Exchange Online environments.

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Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Nominated to Lead US Space Command
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Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Nominated to Lead US Space Command

President Joe Biden has nominated Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Space Operations Command, for promotion to the rank of general and to serve as the next head of U.S. Space Command, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The Senate received Whiting’s nomination from the president on Tuesday.

If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Gen. James Dickinson as SPACECOM commander.

In his current role, Whiting oversees the preparation and sustainment of combat-ready intelligence, space, cyber and combat support forces.

The lieutenant general previously served as deputy commander of U.S. Space Force and Air Force Space Command, head of the 14th Air Force and as deputy joint force space component commander within U.S. Strategic Command.

DAF Unveils Implementation Framework for Climate Action Plan
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DAF Unveils Implementation Framework for Climate Action Plan

The Department of the Air Force has outlined efforts to implement its action plan to mitigate future climate impacts on operational resilience and readiness.

The Climate Campaign Plan is the implementation portion of DAF’s Climate Action Plan that outlines activities, offices of primary responsibility and timelines to achieve key objectives, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday.

“Our priorities are to maintain air and space dominance in the face of climate risks, ensure our decisions reflect an understanding of the impacts of climate on our mission, and build resilience by optimizing energy use and pursuing alternative energy sources,” said Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and the environment.

“Ultimately, this Campaign Plan is about warfighting and responding at the point of effect for theater commanders – and we will be ready,” he added.

Launched in October 2022, DAF’s Climate Action Plan focuses on three goals: maintain air and space dominance in the face of climate risks; make climate-informed decisions; and optimize energy use and adopt alternative energy sources.

POC - 2023 Annual Air Force SummitDAF officials are set to speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Air Force Summit on July 18 to discuss the service’s key objectives, capabilities and programs to address current and future warfighting needs. Click here to register and see all the confirmed presenters at the forum.

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MITRE Highlights Need for National AI Strategy to Set Holistic Goals, Approach Collaboration Strategically
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MITRE Highlights Need for National AI Strategy to Set Holistic Goals, Approach Collaboration Strategically

MITRE has responded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information saying a comprehensive national strategy on artificial intelligence should focus on both risks and opportunities and establish holistic goals and expectations.

The National AI Strategy could help foster AI accountability and assurance and advance the adoption of AI to determine and address inequities, the nonprofit organization said Tuesday.

MITRE highlighted the importance of sharing ideas and workload in advancing AI innovation and ensuring the country’s competitiveness and security.

The organization noted that collaboration could be in the form of public-private partnerships, as well as cross-domain and interagency cooperation.

“It is imperative that the nation approach collaboration on AI issues strategically and holistically, rather than as individual and disconnected endeavors,” MITRE’s response reads. “The national strategy that this RFI is supporting must set the foundation, direction, and expectation to do so, both individually and collectively.”

OSTP issued the RFI in May to seek input from individuals and organizations to help inform the development of the National AI Strategy.

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Millennium Space Systems Completes SSC Missile Track Custody Program Design Review; Frank Calvelli Quoted
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Millennium Space Systems Completes SSC Missile Track Custody Program Design Review; Frank Calvelli Quoted

Millennium Space Systems has concluded the Missile Track Custody Program Design Review for the Space Systems Command.

With the completion of this milestone in only four months, the initiative remains on track for Critical Design Review in the fourth quarter, the El Segundo, California-based company announced on Wednesday.

During a testimony with the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee on April 26, Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, called the MTC program an “outstanding effort building small sats in medium Earth orbit.”

“We’re clearly demonstrating we can design, build and test systems in shorter time frames on schedule,” said Millennium Space Systems CEO Jason Kim.

“In the PDR, our team demonstrated sound technological understanding of mission needs and requirements, including the space and ground segments and how launch plays into those,” he added.

Using its ALTAIR spacecraft — a product Millennium Space Systems has continuously invested in since 2015 — and efficient manufacturing practices, the organization was reportedly able to minimize risk and move quickly throughout the process.

Millennium Space Systems is now focusing on the detailed design phase to prepare for CDR. The digital model will function as the single source of truth for the project.

The MTC program aligns with Calvelli’s push for smaller, proliferated and resilient systems across multiple mission areas. In his testimony, Calvelli cited the move away from legacy missile warning architectures to a resilient missile warning architecture in order to improve missile threat tracking as an example of this work.

Currently, Millennium Space Systems is contracted for MTC space vehicle one with options for two additional space vehicles that the company expects to be exercised. Millennium Space Systems also anticipates an additional contract for vehicles four, five and six in quarter four.

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US to Advance Sale of F-16 Jets to Turkey
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US to Advance Sale of F-16 Jets to Turkey

The White House plans to go ahead with the potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The move came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the green light to Sweden to join NATO.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan dismissed claims that pushing the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey was in exchange for Erdogan’s decision on Stockholm’s bid to become a NATO member.

“President Biden has been clear for months that he supports the transfer of F-16s to Turkey, that this is in our national interest and the interest of NATO,” Sullivan told reporters at the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Lithuania. “He’s placed no caveats or conditions on that.”

The Middle Eastern country has sought the aircraft to update its aging fleet of fighter jets to support its fight with Kurdish militants in Iraq and deter adversaries, according to the report.

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Senator Seeks Response From DOD Over Potential Office of Strategic Capital Conflict of Interest
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Senator Seeks Response From DOD Over Potential Office of Strategic Capital Conflict of Interest

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a letter to the Department of Defense expressing concerns about the lack of necessary measures to prevent conflicts of interest within DOD’s newly created Office of Strategic Capital.

In December, DOD formed OSC to help technology developers find the capital they need to bring platforms to the military and national security markets.

Warren noted in the July 9 letter that OSC hired as special government employees individuals who continue to work for defense consulting and investment firms, the senator’s office said Monday.

“Their positions provide them access to non-public political intelligence information, which ‘can be collected through briefings, meetings, committee hearings, public or non-public documents, personal conversations, and other communications between an employee of a political intelligence firm and an executive branch employee, a Member of Congress, or a legislative branch employee,’” the senator wrote in the letter.

The lawmaker asked Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, to respond by July 28 to a list of 18 questions with regard to how the newly established office works to prevent conflicts of interest.

General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers John Lewis-Class Replenishment Oiler to Navy
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General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers John Lewis-Class Replenishment Oiler to Navy

General Dynamics‘ NASSCO subsidiary has delivered to the U.S. Navy the second ship in its John Lewis class of fleet replenishment oilers following the completion of acceptance trials with the Board of Inspection and Survey.

Military Sealift Command will operate the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) to provide diesel fuel, lubricating oil and jet fuel replenishment to Navy ships at sea, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

The John Lewis-class ship will support the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force, which provides underway replenishment to U.S. naval ships worldwide.

General Dynamics NASSCO is contracted to build the first six fleet replenishment oilers under the Navy’s T-AO program. Construction of the first oiler commenced in September 2018 and work is underway to build USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208), USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210).

In May, the contractor received a $736.2 million contract option to build an additional fleet replenishment oiler for the John Lewis class.

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Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson Presents 2023 Wash100 Award to HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green
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Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson Presents 2023 Wash100 Award to HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green

HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green accepted his fifth Wash100 Award during an in-person plaque handover by Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the prestigious accolade.

Green, who also holds the executive vice president title at HII, joined this year’s Wash100 group for his key role in transforming the company’s portfolio for continued business growth and national security mission support. Read his full profile here.

Under his leadership, the Mission Technologies division experienced a 2.7 percent jump in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2022 and a 61.7 percent hike in full year sales, which were driven primarily by a higher volume of work from the acquisition of Alion Science and Technology.

One of the segment’s most significant bookings in 2022 was an $826 million task order for mission and technology support services to the Department of Defense.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Andy Green and the HII organization on their award. The annual Wash100 Award recognizes prominent government and industry figures who have made an exceptional impact on government contracting activity and national security. It also looks forward and anticipates who will be the change-makers in the year to come.

Gen. Charles Brown Commits to Accelerating Change to Maintain Competitive Advantage
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Gen. Charles Brown Commits to Accelerating Change to Maintain Competitive Advantage

Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said he would concentrate on accelerating change in the U.S. military to stay ahead of emerging threats if confirmed as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brown told the Senate Armed Services Committee that his extensive military experience has made him “mindful of the security challenges at this consequential time and [of] a need to accelerate to stay ahead of the growing threat.”

According to Brown, he has held leadership positions focused on addressing the key threats to U.S. national security.

“I’ve held leadership positions focused on our five national security challenges: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and violent extremists,” he said.

Brown also vowed to work with Congress on strengthening national security efforts and sustaining public trust in the U.S. military.

“Above all, I will dedicate myself to this proposition: That the American people should understand and know their military and its service members solely as unwavering defenders of the Constitution and our nation,” the general said.

If confirmed, Brown would succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term is slated to end in October.

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