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Shereef Elnahal Receives Senate Confirmation as VA Undersecretary for Health
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Shereef Elnahal Receives Senate Confirmation as VA Undersecretary for Health

Dr. Shereef Elnahal, former president and CEO of University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, has received confirmation from the Senate to serve as undersecretary for health in the Veterans Health Administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a statement published Thursday Elnahal brings extensive experience leading health care systems and agencies in his new role.

Elnahal takes over from Dr. Steve Lieberman, who has served as the VA undersecretary for health on an acting basis since July 2021.

Prior to taking the helm at University Hospital in 2019, Elnahal was New Jersey’s 21st health commissioner. He also served in the VA as assistant deputy undersecretary for health for quality, safety and value from 2016 through 2018.

Elnahal is the co-founder of the VHA Innovation Ecosystem, a program aimed at improving veteran care innovations and best practices.

“Now more than ever, the Department needs permanent, qualified leadership to guide the nation’s largest integrated health care system in the right direction. I look forward to working with him in his new role to implement needed reforms to ensure veterans have access to the timely health care and services they’ve earned,” Tester said.

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Army G-6 Welcomes Christopher Thomas as Director for Cybersecurity Integration, Synchronization
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Army G-6 Welcomes Christopher Thomas as Director for Cybersecurity Integration, Synchronization

Christopher Thomas, former director of information technology for the Headquarters, U.S. Army Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-9, has been named director for cybersecurity integration and synchronization in the Headquarters, U.S. Army Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6

In his new role, Thomas will help guide the development and execution of strategy, policy and guidance for the U.S. Army’s information technology and cybersecurity assurance initiatives, the service branch said Thursday.

“His new responsibilities as the Cybersecurity Director place him squarely in the middle of one of the Defense Department’s and the Army’s top strategic priorities,” said Lt. Gen. John Morrison, deputy chief of staff for cyber of the Army.

Thomas has held several leadership positions in the federal government cyber and IT sector, including as chief of cybersecurity policy of the U.S. Coast Guard and deputy chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Systems Certification Division.

He also served as a cryptologic technician, collection analyst and cryptologist during his more than two-decade career in the U.S. Navy.

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House OKs FY23 Spending Package With Cybersecurity Funding for Federal Judiciary
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House OKs FY23 Spending Package With Cybersecurity Funding for Federal Judiciary

The House on Wednesday voted 220-207 to approve a potential $492.6 billion spending package for fiscal year 2023, Reuters reported Friday.

The package would earmark $8.6 billion in FY 2023 discretionary appropriations for the federal judiciary, including approximately $751 million for court security and $128 million for cybersecurity improvements to protect computer systems from cyberattacks.

The legislation proposes a 17 percent increase in spending for financial services and general government funding, including election security grants and appropriations for the Small Business Administration and initiatives to rebuild the Internal Revenue Service, The Hill reported.

The bill also includes funding for the departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Transportation and Agriculture and is now headed to the Senate for consideration.

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White House Holds Off on Clearing Ukraine’s Request for Gray Eagle Drones
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White House Holds Off on Clearing Ukraine’s Request for Gray Eagle Drones

The Biden administration has delayed the approval of Ukraine’s request for long-range armed drones over several concerns, including escalation, the need to train Ukrainian warfighters to use the aircraft and the potential loss of highly sensitive technology from the battlefield, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

According to the report, Ukraine asked the U.S. government to provide four units of the General Atomics-built MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone, which can transport up to four Hellfire missiles at a range of more than 200 miles.

“Receipt of these drones would significantly expand Ukraine’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and precision-strike capabilities, enabling Ukraine to surveil and strike Russian targets at much greater range,” said Jennifer Cafarella, national security fellow at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. 

Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, said DOD does not “comment on internal deliberations” and is working closely Ukraine “to fill critical capabilities Ukraine needs for the battlefield.”

C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesman for General Atomics, said the company has offered to shoulder all costs related to training an initial batch of Ukrainian operators of the drone’s avionics, sensors and maintenance.

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Derrick Duke Named Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Health
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Derrick Duke Named Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Health

Longtime healthcare industry executive Derrick Duke has been elevated to the role of chief executive officer at Magellan Health.

Formerly the company’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Duke will now lead Magellan’s strategic efforts and market expansion, the Phoenix, Arizona-based organization said July 7.

Expressing his pride to be trusted with the company’s leadership, Duke remarked that he is grateful to help steer a company that is concentrated on bettering communities’ health and wellbeing.

The executive’s first notable health industry role was as executive vice president and chief investment officer of National Health Insurance, which has since become a subsidiary of Allstate Insurance.

Subsequently, Duke spent 15 years at health insurance agency and notable ancillary insurance product underwriting operation HealthMarkets. At the latter company, he occupied positions such as chief investment officer, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, working as CFO and COO leading up to the company’s acquisition by UnitedHealth Group.

At HealthMarkets, Duke refined his skills with demanding financial, actuarial, customer services, information technology and underwriting responsibilities, experience he is expected to channel into his new role overseeing the formulation and implementation of Magellan’s business strategy.

Duke is succeeding previous CEO Ken Fasola in his new role. Fasola was CEO for two and a half years and like Duke, also served at HealthMarkets.

“Derrick is a tremendous executive who will provide exemplary leadership to Magellan as it continues on its growth journey,” assured Fasola.

The change in leadership is partially the result of Magellan’s sale to Centene in January. Fasola will now act as executive vice president of Health Care Enterprises at Centene.

As part of the organization’s wave of shifts in its executive team, Anna Sever was appointed interim CEO of Magellan’s federal arm in April.

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Verizon Business Tapped for 5G Private Network Services by Virginia Seaport; Sowmyanarayan Sampath Quoted
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Verizon Business Tapped for 5G Private Network Services by Virginia Seaport; Sowmyanarayan Sampath Quoted

Verizon’s business arm has entered a deal to install a private 5G network at a major marine terminal at the Port of Virginia.

Once in place, the 5G Ultra Wideband network is aimed to enable Virginia International Terminals to test and workshop new autonomous over-the-road truck technologies as well as utilize the network for heavy equipment in need of connectivity, the New York City-based telecommunications company said Thursday.

Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Business, commented that On Site 5G is a perfect fit for the terminal because seaports’ diverse array of machinery and tools require a private, reliable network.

Sampath additionally noted that On Site 5G will satisfy a range of the port’s network requirements, “from data-intensive, high-bandwidth industrial needs to secure, reliable broadband for everyday business.”

The formation of the 5G network by Verizon Business will replace a WiFi system at the 275 acre container terminal. The experimental autonomous trucks — which are being developed under a U.S. Department of Transportation grant given to VIT — will be heavily dependent on the network, utilizing it to make contact with the terminal for the delivery and receipt of shipping containers.

In 2021, VIT boasted a fiscal year report of two million containers trafficked and $47 billion in gross product for Virginia. Their deal with Verizon Business marks the first U.S. terminal and second large-scale international seaport the company has serviced with a network.

The network that will be deployed at the port, On Site 5G, functions by synthesizing 5G Ultra Wideband small cells with an LTE packet core and sustaining radio signals to create a secure, non-standalone private network. On Site 5G has been introduced to particularly accommodate up-and-coming technologies like Internet-of-Things, artificial intelligence and machine learning and real-time edge compute, among others.

The private network product was first introduced to market in June 2021.

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FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel Asks 15 Mobile Providers for Info on Data Privacy, Retention
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FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel Asks 15 Mobile Providers for Info on Data Privacy, Retention

Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, has asked the top executives at 15 mobile carriers to provide the agency information on how their businesses retain and handle sensitive consumer data.

Rosenworcel sent out letters of inquiry asking the vendors to list their procedures for sharing subscriber-related geographic information with authorities and third parties outside the law enforcement community, the FCC said Tuesday.

She also called on the companies to explain how subscribers are notified when their geolocation data is shared with external parties.

“Given the highly sensitive nature of this data—especially when location data is combined with other types of data, the ways in which this data is stored and shared with third parties is of utmost importance to consumer safety and privacy,” the chairwoman wrote in her letter.

The mobile carriers that received the request for information on data retention and privacy guidelines from the FCC are as follows:

  • AT&T
  • Best Buy Health
  • Charter Communications
  • Comcast
  • Consumer Cellular
  • C-Spire
  • DISH Network
  • Google
  • H2O Wireless
  • Lycamobile
  • Mint Mobile
  • Red Pocket
  • T-Mobile
  • U.S. Cellular
  • Verizon

The agency told the companies to submit responses by Aug. 3.

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Northrop Fires Solid Rocket Booster for NASA Space Launch System
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Northrop Fires Solid Rocket Booster for NASA Space Launch System

Northrop Grumman has fired a five-segment solid rocket booster for NASA’s Space Launch System during a two-minute full-scale static fire test at the company’s facility in Promontory, Utah. 

The Flight Support Booster-2 test was conducted to evaluate new materials and examine a new motor ignition system and an electronic thrust vector control system to guide the development of the next-generation Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension system.

In December 2021, Northrop secured a potential 10-year, $3.19 billion contract to develop the large solid rocket boosters that will provide more than 75 percent of the SLS heavy lift rocket’s initial thrust during lift-off.

The contract includes boosters and flight tests for Artemis IV through VIII and the BOLE boosters for Artemis IX.

“This opportunity for early learning on next-generation systems will help us develop an enhanced booster that is ready to support the greater payload demands of the SLS rocket through 2031,” said Wendy Williams, vice president of Propulsion Systems at Northrop.

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AECOM Exec Shailen Bhatt Nominated to Lead DOT’s Federal Highway Administration
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AECOM Exec Shailen Bhatt Nominated to Lead DOT’s Federal Highway Administration

Shailen Bhatt, senior vice president of global transportation innovation and alternative delivery at AECOM, has received a nomination from President Joe Biden to serve as administrator of the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.

Bhatt has almost two decades of experience holding senior government and industry leadership positions, including as head of the Colorado and Delaware departments of transportation and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, the White House said Thursday.

He also served as chairman of the National Operations Center of Excellence’s board of directors and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Automotive and Personal Transport.

If confirmed by the Senate, Bhatt’s appointment would mark his return to the Federal Highway Administration, where he previously served as an associate administrator for policy and government affairs during the Obama administration.

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Leonardo Lands $72M Contract to Develop Uncrewed Helicopter for UK Navy
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Leonardo Lands $72M Contract to Develop Uncrewed Helicopter for UK Navy

Leonardo has secured a four-year, $72 million contract to help the British navy design, build and test an uncrewed helicopter.

The Italian aerospace and defense company will aim to produce a three-tonne demonstrator and test the system’s viability as a potential alternative to current Royal Navy aircraft intended for anti-submarine warfare operations.

The ministry expects the maiden flight of the unmanned platform to happen sometime in 2025 and estimates the development project will support 100 jobs at the contractor’s facility in Yeovil, England.

Future demonstrator trials will look at the possibility of deploying sonobuoys from the aircraft to perform underwater vessel tracking and communications with a crewed helicopter.

The project will also explore the potential applications of Leonardo’s uncrewed aircraft in cargo resupply between ships and evacuation of casualties.

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