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CISA Recommendations Aim to Guide Federal RD&I in Enhancing Cyber-physical Critical Infrastructure
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CISA Recommendations Aim to Guide Federal RD&I in Enhancing Cyber-physical Critical Infrastructure

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a white paper citing three major gaps in federal research and development efforts to strengthen cyber-physical critical infrastructure.

The report was developed by CISA’s Resilient Investment Planning and Development Working Group, and recommends strategic actions to leverage government funding to help drive R&D and innovation in cyber and physical infrastructure, CISA said Wednesday.

The paper, entitled “Research, Development, and Innovation for Enhancing Resilience of Cyber-physical Critical Infrastructure: Needs and Strategic Actions,” noted that sector-specific federal studies often result in systemic infrastructure risks. 

R&D decision-makers need to consider the social aspects of cyber-physical infrastructure resilience, and how they will translate research knowledge into action, the working group wrote.

The agency recommended that government inter-agencies and their stakeholders collaborate to design models for identifying interconnected infrastructure risks. It also encouraged federal research groups to form RD&I testbeds, and team up with private and public, place-based institutions to effectively implement the relevant RD&I actions at the community level.

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NIST Issues 3rd Revision of Draft Guidance on Controlled Unclassified Information Cybersecurity; Ron Ross Quoted
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NIST Issues 3rd Revision of Draft Guidance on Controlled Unclassified Information Cybersecurity; Ron Ross Quoted

The National Institute of Standards and Technology made changes to its Special Publication 800-171 draft guidance, which sets rules and principles on the cybersecurity of controlled unclassified information in the hands of non-federal organizations.

The third draft revision is based on industry feedback, and includes the alignment of two other NIST publications to enable businesses to easily apply technical controls and meet desired cybersecurity outcomes, the institute said Wednesday.

NIST announced in February that it will update SP 800-171 to keep pace with updates to SP 800-53B, a list of technical tools and controls to help create resilient and secure federal information systems.

In the new version, the institute added state-of-practice cybersecurity controls, and amended criteria for developing security requirements. 

“Protecting CUI, including intellectual property, is critical to the nation’s ability to innovate — with far-reaching implications for our national and economic security,” NIST Fellow Ron Ross commented. “We need to have safeguards that are sufficiently strong to do the job.” 

NIST is open to public comments on the latest revisions until July 14. It plans to publish a final version of SP-800-171 in early 2024.

Senators Introduce Bill to Reform Federal Security Classification System
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Senators Introduce Bill to Reform Federal Security Classification System

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to reform the federal security classification system to minimize overclassification and prevent the mishandling of sensitive government documents.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement published Wednesday that the Classification Reform Act of 2023 would designate the director of national intelligence as the “executive agent for classification and declassification” of national security information.

According to Wyden, it is highly important to “put someone in charge of modernizing the system so that records are tracked and then declassified and released when appropriate.”

“It is also critical that the rules that govern declassification of records be updated and strengthened and that the entities responsible for oversight of the system be empowered,” he added.

The legislation would: ensure that information remains classified when national security concerns outweigh the public interest, set a 25-year maximum period for classification and require a security review of presidential and vice presidential records.

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Jonathan Pellish Appointed National Space Council Director of Civil Space Policy
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Jonathan Pellish Appointed National Space Council Director of Civil Space Policy

Jonathan Pellish, a former senior staff at NASA, has been appointed director of civil space policy at the National Space Council within the Executive Office of the President.

“I look forward to working with many of you in the coming months as we support each other during this amazing era of scientific discovery and space exploration,” Pellish wrote in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

Prior to his appointment, Pellish led the planning and execution activities for NASA’s Electronic Parts and Packaging Program, which provides recommendations on the reliable use of electrical, electronic and electromechanical parts in aerospace applications.

Pellish also served as an associate division chief of the Electrical Engineering Division within the Engineering and Technology Directorate at the Goddard Space Flight Center. 

He started his career at Goddard in 2008 as an aerospace engineer leading the radiation effects and analysis group.

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GAO Report Highlights Need for Federal Modernization Plans for Critical Legacy IT Systems
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GAO Report Highlights Need for Federal Modernization Plans for Critical Legacy IT Systems

The Government Accountability Office has found that two of the eight federal agencies assessed by GAO in 2019 have not yet developed complete modernization plans for critical legacy information technology platforms.

GAO said Wednesday developing such IT modernization plans is key to addressing mission requirements, reducing operating costs and dealing with security risks.

According to the congressional watchdog, the Department of Transportation and the Office of Personnel Management have yet to create comprehensive modernization plans.

GAO also found that the Office of Management and Budget has not yet issued final guidance that would direct agencies to identify IT systems that need to undergo modernization.

“Doing so would provide greater assurance that the risks of continuing to operate legacy systems are being addressed government-wide,” the GAO report reads.

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White House Urges Congress to Consider Proposed FY24 Budget Amendments for Federal Agencies
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White House Urges Congress to Consider Proposed FY24 Budget Amendments for Federal Agencies

President Joe Biden has asked Congress to consider amendments to proposed fiscal year 2024 budgets for the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency and International Assistance Programs.

“These amendments would not change the base discretionary budget authority requested in my FY 2024 Budget,” Biden wrote in a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday.

The president said the transmittal includes amendments that would shift amounts provided from within DOD to higher priority programs.

The administration, for instance, proposed to increase by $100 million to $6.15 billion the departmentwide procurement account to support the Accelerate Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies program.

“Taken with the request to reduce the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Defense-Wide account, the total budget authority proposed in the FY 2024 Budget remains unchanged as a result of this amendment,” the document states.

US to Deliver $1.2B Air Defense & Artillery-Focused Package to Ukraine; Pat Ryder Quoted
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US to Deliver $1.2B Air Defense & Artillery-Focused Package to Ukraine; Pat Ryder Quoted

As part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the U.S. will deliver a new $1.2 billion package focused on air defenses and artillery to the European nation.

Announced by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder during a news conference, the package “underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine’s most urgent requirements,” the Department of Defense reported on Tuesday.

Ryder said that this package represents “the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional, priority capabilities to Ukraine,” and will explore options of how to best support Ukraine.

The funds will procure additional 155 millimeter artillery rounds while providing sustainment support to boost Ukraine’s ability to maintain its on-hand systems and equipment.

Also included in the package are supplementary air defense systems and munitions equipment to incorporate Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine’s air-defense systems. Already, Ukrainian forces have shown success in defeating Russian missiles.

Ammunition designed to defeat unmanned aerial systems, commercial satellite imagery services and training, maintenance and sustainment assistance will also be supplied.

The USAI’s mission is to fortify Ukraine’s medium- and long-range defenses. This presidential drawdown authority enables the U.S. to send equipment from the DOD inventory to the nation and allows the Pentagon to receive contracted equipment later.

Along with delivering air defense and munitions capabilities, the package will better equip Ukraine’s military to defend its territory and impede Russian aggression long-term, said Ryder.

Though supplies are important, equipment alone does not fully meet the battlefield’s demands. Currently, several countries are helping train Ukrainian forces. One ongoing initiative is a U.S. training program being conducted at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.

“The United States will continue to work with our allies and our partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements,” said Ryder.

“We will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there,” he said.

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Pentagon Unveils National Defense Science & Tech Strategy; Heidi Shyu Quoted
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Pentagon Unveils National Defense Science & Tech Strategy; Heidi Shyu Quoted

The Department of Defense has issued a national strategy that outlines science and technology priorities, investments and goals to maintain U.S. technological leadership and advantage over adversaries.

The National Defense Science and Technology Strategy is guided by the National Defense Strategy and will address the emerging dynamics of strategic competition by executing on three lines of effort: focusing on the joint mission, creating and fielding capabilities at speed and scale and ensuring the foundations for research and development, DOD said Tuesday.

“This Strategy helps us make carefully crafted decisions that bolster our comparative advantages rather than engaging in wasteful technology races. We will emphasize developing asymmetric capabilities that will help ensure our national security over the long term,” said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and a 2023 Wash100 awardee.

The strategy will continue to focus on 14 critical technology areas outlined in Shyu’s strategic vision.

These tech areas are grouped into three categories: seed areas of emerging opportunity, including quantum science, FutureG and biotechnology; effective adoption areas where there is commercial activity, including microelectronics and trusted artificial intelligence and autonomy; and defense-specific areas, including hypersonics and directed energy.

Under the strategy, DOD will broaden opportunities to conduct research and development work with industry partners and international allies.

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Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop Thermal Battery With Smaller Footprint
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Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop Thermal Battery With Smaller Footprint

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory researchers have developed a new thermal battery that uses nickel-aluminum heat pellets and provides higher power density despite having a smaller footprint.

The research team collaborated with the U.S. Navy’s Surface Ship Weapons program and the Office of Naval Research to fine-tune their design and make the technology 60 percent smaller than most thermal batteries, Johns Hopkins APL said Tuesday.

“To make a smaller but more powerful battery, we had to change the electrolyte and cathode materials within it, and advancements in cathode chemistries haven’t changed for several decades,” said Yo-Rhin Rhim, a materials scientist in APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector and the principal investigator on the battery project.

“To change those chemistries, we had to take a step back and adjust the heat source,” she added.

The researchers experimented with a cheaper heat source—aluminum foil dipped in nickel—to activate the battery.

An electric igniter activates the nickel-aluminum heat pellets to melt the electrolytes, activate the battery and power the system it is attached to.

In February, the APL team completed a series of testing for the thermal battery in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories.

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New Executive Order Rescinds Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers, Contractors
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New Executive Order Rescinds Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers, Contractors

The White House has issued an executive order revoking the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors, effective May 12.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday policies issued in September 2021 meant to implement vaccine mandates for federal employees and pandemic safety protocols for contractors enabled the government to achieve a compliance rate of 98 percent by January 2022.

“Following this important work, along with continued critical investments in tests and therapeutics that are protecting against hospitalization and death, we are no longer in the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and my Administration has begun the process of ending COVID-19 emergency declarations,” the president wrote in the latest EO.

“Vaccination remains an important tool to protect individuals from serious illness, but we are now able to move beyond these Federal requirements,” he added.

The new policy came a week after the White House announced that it will stop implementing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal contractors and employees and foreign air travelers.

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