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GAO: 4 Federal Agencies Fall Short of Implementing Key Cloud Security Practices
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GAO: 4 Federal Agencies Fall Short of Implementing Key Cloud Security Practices

The Government Accountability Office investigated the Departments of the Treasury, Agriculture, Homeland Security, and Labor, and found that they did not fully implement all of their key cloud security practices.

In a report published Thursday, GAO said that the gaps in implementation could increase their susceptibility to cyberattacks.

DHS fully executed three out of six key measures across all its systems, including defining security responsibilities and documenting incident response and recovery procedures. However, the agency only partially executed two of the practices, and was not at all performing continuous monitoring.

The Labor Department also practiced three key measures across the board, but GAO noted the absence of efforts to meet FedRAMP requirements in all of its cloud systems.

The Agriculture Department only had two cloud security practices fully implemented, while the Treasury Department only partially practiced all the security procedures across its cloud services.

The government watchdog recommended 35 plans of action, including consistent monitoring of software-as-a-service applications and alignment of performance metrics with the agencies’ service level agreements with cloud providers.

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State Department Introduces Action Plan to Improve Foreign Military Sales Process
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State Department Introduces Action Plan to Improve Foreign Military Sales Process

The State Department has released a 10-point plan aimed at retooling its oversight of the foreign military sales process amid escalating strategic competition.

The action plan, called “FMS 2023,” issued by the department’s bureau of political-military affairs, includes initiatives that seek to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of FMS in the areas of strategic planning, case adjudication and implementation of current and future FMS cases,

The list includes developing a regional approach to arms transfers; prioritizing cases for FMS based on national security strategy goals; refining the implementation of the unmanned aerial system export policy; improving security cooperation officer training; modernizing the congressional notification process; and limiting special security arrangements.

The State Department said it evaluates and approves 95 percent of FMS cases and the action plan intends to improve how the process can be enhanced for the remaining 5 percent.

Wendy Sherman, deputy secretary at the State Department, said the department is working to push targeted reforms to address those remaining cases through the FMS 2023 strategy, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

“We are exploring how we can improve the remaining cases, how we can simplify complex policy issues, how we can coordinate with the Defense Department and other agencies to support your industry as you scale up operations,” Sherman noted.

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Elsevier’s Muctar Ibrahim Talks Leadership Strategy, Business Challenges & More
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Elsevier’s Muctar Ibrahim Talks Leadership Strategy, Business Challenges & More

As solution sales manager for Elsevier Research Intelligence’s North American business, Muctar Ibrahim guides the sale of products designed to support organizations and professionals working to establish, execute and evaluate their research strategy and performance.

Ibrahim recently participated in an interview with the Potomac Officers Club, in which he illuminated the challenges on the business side of innovation, highlighted his core values and offered advice to those looking to advance their careers.

In this excerpt from the interview, Ibrahim notes two areas that companies should be focused on:

“With emerging technologies evolving at an unprecedented pace, businesses must adapt quickly to remain competitive. However, they also need to balance the need for speed with the need for quality and reliability. Rushing to market with a new product or service before it is fully developed can lead to costly mistakes and damage to a company’s reputation. As technology evolves, so do the skills required to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. This means that businesses need to invest in training and development programs to keep their employees’ skills up to date. However, it can be challenging to find and attract the right talent, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, which are in high demand.”

For more of Ibrahim’s insights, read the full Executive Spotlight interview on the Potomac Officers Club website.

Each Potomac Officers Club member has the opportunity to participate in their very own Executive Spotlight interview! To learn more about membership options and benefits, click here.

Report Calls for Restriction of US Investments in China
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Report Calls for Restriction of US Investments in China

The National Security Institute at George Mason University released a decision memo calling for the restriction of U.S. investments into certain Chinese technological industries to avert potential homeland security risks.

NSI warned that U.S. capital could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party to dominate the market for semiconductors, decryption, quantum computing and even military technologies that could later be used against the U.S.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States was given broader jurisdictional scope in 2018 to boost its effectiveness in reviewing investment into the U.S. by countries of concern such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

However, the interagency committee does not have standard policy on assessing outbound investments into such nations, according to NSI’s report.

The institute advised the government and private sector to solidify plans to create a system for screening or vetting investments into Chinese businesses. It expressed support for a possible executive order that would limit such transactions, and suggested monetary penalties for entities that would violate the outbound investment EO.

NSI suggested the ban should encompass Chinese product areas that are included in the National Science and Technology Council’s Critical and Emerging Technologies List Update.

Gen. Paul Nakasone Outlines Priorities to Boost Cyberspace Posture
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Gen. Paul Nakasone Outlines Priorities to Boost Cyberspace Posture

Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and a seven-time Wash100 awardee, has outlined his priorities for the command to enhance warfighting advantage in cyberspace.

The commander’s focus areas center on building a mission-ready workforce; enhancing partnerships with combatant commands, government agencies and industry; and exercising the command’s full range of authorities to support national security missions, CYBERCOM said Thursday.

Nakasone is attempting to build a future workforce through readiness, resilience and mission improvement and work in unison with the National Security Agency to remain agile and ready in cyberspace.

His priorities are aligned with the National Defense Strategy and support the command’s mission to coordinate and synchronize its cyberspace planning and operations.

CYBERCOM also updated its Challenge Problem Set for 2023, which presents six categories, each capturing specific skill sets and expertise to align with external commercial and academic research and development efforts.

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Optimistic on Debt Ceiling Agreement
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Optimistic on Debt Ceiling Agreement

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Congress could vote on a measure to raise the debt limit as early as next week, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

“We’re not there, we haven’t agreed to anything yet. But I see the path that we can come to an agreement,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday.

“I think we have a structure now and everybody’s working hard. I mean we’re working two or three times a day, then going back getting more numbers,” he added.

McCarthy’s remarks come as the White House and House Republicans enter into further discussions in hopes of reaching a compromise on the debt ceiling.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to congressional leaders on Monday warning that her department could default on its obligations if Congress fails to increase or suspend the borrowing limit as early as June 1.

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DOD Deputy CIO David McKeown: Private Sector Instrumental in Zero Trust Strategy Progress
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DOD Deputy CIO David McKeown: Private Sector Instrumental in Zero Trust Strategy Progress

David McKeown, deputy chief information officer and senior information security officer of the Department of Defense, said that the agency is on course for a smooth rollout of its zero trust cybersecurity framework by 2027, DOD News reported Thursday.

McKeown, a 2023 Wash100 Award winner, noted that they have been forming “great relationships” with the private sector to implement the zero trust strategy.

Randy Resnick, director of the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office, is leading the execution of the framework, McKeown said. The agency’s strategy identifies perimeterless security enablement, information systems defense and protection, technology acceleration and cultural adoption as its four main goals.

“We’ve been partnering very heavily with commercial cloud providers, asking them to analyze their offerings, partner with other service provers to try to achieve those 91 capabilities to get us to the target of zero trust,” the deputy CIO explained at a recent event held in Washington, D.C.

Resnick and McKeown will be speaking at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Cyber Summit on June 8. Registration is open for the event, which will take place in McLean, Virginia.

POC - 2023 Cyber Summit
Air Force Plans to Award Contract for Next-Gen Air Dominance System; Frank Kendall Quoted
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Air Force Plans to Award Contract for Next-Gen Air Dominance System; Frank Kendall Quoted

The U.S. Air Force is planning to award a contract covering engineering and manufacturing development activities for its Next Generation Air Dominance platform in 2024.

The service branch said Thursday it has released a classified solicitation to select a contractor to develop the next-generation fighter platform that will replace its fleet of F-22 Raptor aircraft.

“The NGAD Platform is a vital element of the Air Dominance family of systems which represents a generational leap in technology over the F-22, which it will replace,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a 2023 Wash100 awardee.

Technical and programmatic details on the program remain classified to maintain operational and technological advantages, but the Air Force noted that the solicitation outlines the program’s expected requirements.

The solicitation does not cover the Air Force’s collaborative combat aircraft initiative.

NGAD is expected to perform counter-air missions and be able to strike ground-based and airborne threats.

In June 2022, Kendall said he envisions NGAD and its associated systems to be ready by the end of the decade.

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Nazzic Keene to Retire as SAIC CEO & Pass Torch to Toni Townes-Whitley
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Nazzic Keene to Retire as SAIC CEO & Pass Torch to Toni Townes-Whitley

Nazzic Keene will retire from her role as CEO of SAIC and as a member of its board of directors, effective October 2.

She will be succeeded by global technology veteran Toni Townes-Whitley, who will serve as CEO-elect beginning on June 12 before fully transitioning into the role upon Keene’s departure from the position, SAIC announced from its Reston, Virginia headquarters on Thursday.

“I have known, respected and admired Toni for years and am thrilled to welcome her to our SAIC family,” said Keene.

“I am proud of all we have accomplished for our customers and colleagues during my tenure at SAIC, and I am excited to work alongside Toni in the coming months to ensure we don’t miss a beat in driving sustained growth and performance,” she added.

To ensure Townes-Whitley’s smooth transition into the position, Keene will become the former’s special executive advisor, a role she will hold from the time of the transition through February 2, 2024.

Since joining SAIC in 2012, Keene has attuned the company’s portfolio to the evolving needs of its customers, as demonstrated by SAIC’s generation of approximately 30 percent of revenue from its Growth and Technology Accelerants.

With Keene at the helm, SAIC has dramatically advanced its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, resulting in a 21 percent increase of people of color within the company’s leadership. She has also driven the organization’s philanthropy work and has received a number of recognitions, including six Wash100 Awards.

Donna Morea, chair of SAIC’s board of directors, expressed her gratitude for Keene’s “tremendous contributions and dedication to SAIC,” which she said increased opportunities for employees, strengthened customer outcomes and boosted value for shareholders.

“The Board’s selection of her successor is the result of a thorough and thoughtful CEO succession planning process to identify the right leader to accelerate the momentum built over the four years of Nazzic’s leadership,” said Morea.

Townes-Whitley brings 35 years of experience in global technology as well as a wealth of experience as a board member for numerous large organizations to SAIC. She has worked extensively on diversity and inclusion initiatives and civic engagement, and has won a multitude of awards for her leadership. Previously, Townes-Whitley served as president of U.S. regulated industries at Microsoft.

“I am honored to bring my passion for driving our nation’s digital transformation to this extraordinary company that is positioned at the intersection of mission critical government programs at a time of evolving, multi-dimensional global threats,” said Townes-Whitley.

She listed SAIC’s strong growth trajectory, expanding portfolio, positive financial trends and integrity in serving its customers and expressed her excitement to continue this momentum.

Nazzic Keene to Retire as SAIC CEO & Pass Torch to Toni Townes-Whitley

SAIC is sponsoring the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Annual Air Force Summit, an event that will bring together Air Force leaders to discuss the priorities, challenges and successes currently impacting the service branch. To learn more and register to attend the event on June 18, please visit the Potomac Officers Club events page.

GSA, Geotab Launch EV Suitability Assessment Tool to Aid Federal Fleet Electrification
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GSA, Geotab Launch EV Suitability Assessment Tool to Aid Federal Fleet Electrification

A telematics blanket purchase agreement between the General Services Administration and Geotab has yielded the Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment tool.

The software is designed to help federal agencies’ fleet managers decide which of their vehicles can be replaced with zero-emission EVs, GSA announced Wednesday.

EVSA uses individual vehicle driving pattern data to analyze the range, function, and cost requirements of an agency’s fleet. It performs predictive analytics of the telematics data and demonstrates vehicle electrification options using actual ZEVs from GSA.

The tool is part of the Biden administration’s Federal Sustainability Plan to buy only light-duty ZEVs by 2027, and medium- and heavy-duty ZEVs by 2035.

“We recognize that quality data used to make correct decisions is critical to accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable, low carbon future, and we are proud to partner with the GSA to bring our EVSA solution to federal fleets,” Geotab CEO Neil Cawse said.

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