/
House OKs FY23 Spending Package With Cybersecurity Funding for Federal Judiciary
Published on
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.

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

/
Derrick Duke Named Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Health
Published on
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.

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

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

//
Northrop Fires Solid Rocket Booster for NASA Space Launch System
Published on
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.

/
AECOM Exec Shailen Bhatt Nominated to Lead DOT’s Federal Highway Administration
Published on
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.

/
Leonardo Lands $72M Contract to Develop Uncrewed Helicopter for UK Navy
Published on
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.

/
FAA, National Renewable Energy Lab Assessing Needs of Electrified Aircraft for Future Airport Integration
Published on
FAA, National Renewable Energy Lab Assessing Needs of Electrified Aircraft for Future Airport Integration

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are collaborating on the latter’s initiative to implement electrical infrastructure at airports to accommodate future electrified flights.

NREL said Wednesday it will evaluate select airports to help the FAA develop safety standards for designing airport infrastructure on the ground, such as landing areas and charging stations, while ensuring energy efficiency and resiliency.

“We are now digging into that component so the FAA can provide the guidance airports need if they choose to be an early adopter,” explained Scott Cary, NREL’s lead for various sustainable aviation initiatives.

The partnership also seeks to study greenhouse gas emission reduction, advanced air mobility job opportunities and other associated factors.

“The Federal Aviation Administration is researching the infrastructure needs of these unique aircraft. NREL’s analysis of airport infrastructure is a critical component in this strategy,” said Wesley Major, airport research specialist at FAA.

//
Chris Inglis Hosts National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit
Published on
Chris Inglis Hosts National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit

National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, hosted a summit on Tuesday with senior U.S. government officials, industry executives and thought leaders to discuss ways to build up the country’s cyber workforce and advance education to equip citizens with the skills they need to engage in the digital society.

The National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit held at the White House also explored ways to improve skills-based pathways to cyber jobs and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the cyber field, the White House said Thursday.

Government leaders that participated in the event include Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; Anne Neuberger, deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology on the National Security Council; Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo; Labor Secretary Martin Walsh; and Ambassador Susan Rice, White House domestic policy adviser. 

Mayorkas, Easterly and Neuberger are all previous Wash100 Award recipients.

During the summit, Inglis announced plans to develop a national strategy to explore opportunities and address challenges in cyber workforce and education, improve collaboration across governmentwide initiatives and implement the current administration’s workforce development and education priorities.

Some of the companies that have made commitments to advancing cyber workforce and education initiatives are Accenture, Cisco, Fortinet, IBM, NightDragon, NPower and Trellix.

1 … 771 772 773 774 775 … 2,621