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Biden Pledges to Increase US Military Presence in Europe
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Biden Pledges to Increase US Military Presence in Europe

President Joe Biden has committed to increasing U.S. military operations in Europe by deploying more troops to Romania on a rotating basis and keeping a permanent headquarters for the U.S. 5th Army Corps in Poland as part of efforts to show strength among NATO members amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Biden also announced that the U.S. will field two F-35 squadrons to the U.K., increase the number of destroyers stationed in Spain from four to six and deploy additional air defense capabilities in Italy and Germany to ensure that NATO is prepared to address potential threats from ground, maritime and aerial domains.

“NATO is strong, united and the steps we’re taking during this summer will further augment our collective strength,” Biden said Wednesday at the NATO Summit in Madrid.

NATO members unveiled Wednesday the updated Stategic Concept, outlining the alliance’s priorities and approaches over the next 10 years and three core tasks: deterrence and defense; cooperative security; and crisis prevention and management.

The document considers Russia as the “most significant and direct threat” to the security of the alliance. It also highlights the challenges posed by China and climate change.

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Frank Calvelli: Phase 3 NSSL Acquisition Strategy Could Be Ready by End of Fall
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Frank Calvelli: Phase 3 NSSL Acquisition Strategy Could Be Ready by End of Fall

Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisitions and integration, said he expects the U.S. Space Force’s acquisition strategy for the third phase of the National Security Space Launch program to be finalized by the end of the fall of 2022, Defense News reported Wednesday.

The Space Force’s plan comes amid a call from the House Armed Services Committee to look at “new and innovative” acquisition approaches for the next round of contracts for medium and heavy launch services.

Based on its version of the defense policy bill for fiscal year 2023, the House panel urged the service branch to consider options that would allow the government to add contractors during the NSSL program’s Phase 3 “to address manifest changes beyond the planned national security space unique launches at the time of the initial award.”

Calvelli said the acquisition team is considering whether to keep the Rocket Systems Launch Program separate from the NSSL contract.

RSLP is the Space Force’s contracting mechanism for small launch services and could be used to coordinate launch services for missions not covered by the NSSL program.

In August 2020, the Space Force awarded NSSL Phase 2 contracts to SpaceX and United Launch Alliance.

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FedRAMP Announces Update to Plan of Actions and Milestones Template
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FedRAMP Announces Update to Plan of Actions and Milestones Template

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has added two new columns to the Plan of Actions and Milestones template to help agency partners track findings related to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Binding Operational Directive 22-01 and related common vulnerabilities and exposures.

FedRAMP said Tuesday Column AC should be used to monitor the due date of any BOD 22-01 vulnerability, while Column AD should be utilized to determine whether a CVE is associated with vulnerabilities listed on the POA&M line item.

The columns should be left blank in the event that providers found no association between BOD 22-01 findings or CVE and those listed on the POA&M line item.

According to the POA&M completion guide, the POA&M is a key document in the security authorization package and helps identify a system’s security deficiencies and weaknesses and outlines the specific measures a cloud service provider will take to address such lapses.

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Verizon, BIE to Install High-Speed Internet at 80 Indigenous American Schools; Maggie Hallbach Quoted
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Verizon, BIE to Install High-Speed Internet at 80 Indigenous American Schools; Maggie Hallbach Quoted

Verizon has opted to partner with the Bureau of Indian Education to establish high-speed internet connection in 80 tribally-run schools throughout the United States.

The new networks will affect almost 42,000 Native American students living in 64 indigenous American reservations in 13 states and will build on Verizon’s prior work with BIE, the Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based company said Wednesday.

“A quality, high-bandwidth connection is critical for students to be able to learn from wherever they are. We believe this is a fundamental right for all students,” remarked Maggie Hallbach, senior vice president of the public sector business at Verizon.

Hallbach added that the collaboration is meant to aid in BIE’s objective to strengthen the caliber of education indigenous children receive in the U.S. while promoting the cultural and economic prosperity of distinct tribes.

The company’s modifications and network enhancements under its newly received Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract are set to be conducted through 2023, with the first bandwidth improvements available to students in fall 2022.

As a result of the network upgrades, the 80 schools in Verizon’s rollout will possess 1GB internet connections and a deeper technology arsenal for student usage. The endeavor is a function of the Citizen Verizon public good organization, which focuses on spreading “digital equity and inclusion.”

Previously, the telecommunications company worked with BIE under the Networx contract to evolve indigenous and tribal communities’ networks from T1 to 100MB internet connections. This prior project reached over 100 schools. Verizon consults third-party access suppliers in order to customize the network installations to the specifications of each site and tribe.

The new BIE contract follows the U.S. Department of Defense’s award of three task orders amounting to nearly $1 billion in March to Verizon Public Sector. The task orders require the VPS team to apply voice and data technical expertise to the Pentagon, the DOD National Capital Region and Fort Belvoir.

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Palo Alto Networks Products Available via Streamlined DOD ESI Contract; Scott Widdifield Quoted
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Palo Alto Networks Products Available via Streamlined DOD ESI Contract; Scott Widdifield Quoted

Cybersecurity software company Palo Alto Networks has won a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense that will increase access to Palo Alto products and cut down on the complexity of the selection process.

Under the DOD Enterprise Software Initiative program contract, Palo Alto will enable entities within the DOD and U.S. Intelligence Community to anticipate and fulfill cybersecurity needs down the line as well as complete their Program Objective Memorandum budgeting, the Santa Clara, California-based company said Tuesday.

“The ability to get leading-edge cybersecurity solutions faster from Palo Alto Networks into mission-critical environments can help agencies accelerate their efforts to enhance their security posture and improve the nation’s defenses,” explained Scott Widdifield, global director of defense sales at Palo Alto.

Although many Palo Alto products are already available to DOD and IC agencies via contract vehicles such as General Services Administration Schedule and Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement, the DOD ESI contract reportedly offers a more efficient and less bureaucratic process for procurement of company goods like Prisma Cloud and Cortex and their firewall platforms.

The DOD ESI contract also automatically confirms that a given purchase agreement of the Palo Alto products obeys Federal Acquisition Regulation and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement.

Additionally, the contract is aimed to assist agencies with the Zero Trust policy adoption that was codified by President Biden’s March Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity. The newfound Palo Alto product availability is seen as a step toward broader digital transformation and information technology modernization in the DOD and IC.

Working with Palo Alto on the DOD ESI contract will be consistent partners and government-serving IT distributors immixGroup and Carahsoft Technology Group.

In January, it was announced that Palo Alto was tapped by the Department of Veterans Affairs to protect the department’s various assets with its cybersecurity strategies.

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DHS S&T Demos Remote Airport Security Screening Software
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DHS S&T Demos Remote Airport Security Screening Software

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has tested a remote screening software designed for airport security checkpoints at the Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Massachusetts.

The Integrated Defense & Security Solutions-built platform demonstrated its ability to send computed tomography X-ray images of carry-on baggage flagged by agents for potential threats to remote locations for analysis, DHS S&T said Tuesday.

The software also works to streamline airport security workflows by directing the images of baggage items to available transportation security officers at the airport or elsewhere to perform near real-time analysis.

John Fortune, manager of the DHS S&T’s Screening at Speed Program, said the software will enable the Transportation Security Administration to reduce screening time for carry-on baggage and promote more efficient checking-in procedures.

“The technology will also enable future concepts of operations, such as checkpoint automation, which is a priority for TSA, and allow passengers a more seamless and expeditious screening experience,” Fortune added.

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Air Force Seeks to Partner With HBCUs for New Research Center; Frank Kendall Quoted
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Air Force Seeks to Partner With HBCUs for New Research Center; Frank Kendall Quoted

The Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force plan to establish a research center affiliated with a historically black college or university in a push to tap into the next generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

The Air Force will allocate $12 million per year for five years to fund its first university-affiliated research center that is expected to produce a well-trained STEM workforce for the U.S. military, the Pentagon reported Tuesday.

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said both DOD and the Air Force are looking to grow the nation’s STEM talent pool to support national security programs.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, said the new research center serves as “an opportunity to tap into universities that have an enormous amount of capability in science and technology.”

“The partnership opportunity we’re announcing today will create a major contributor to the Space and Air Forces’ rapidly advancing tactical autonomy program and it will strengthen collaboration between the Department of the Air Force and the outstanding talent in our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” Kendall added.

The new UARC will focus its research efforts on tactical autonomy, which the Air Force Research Laboratory defines as “autonomous systems acting with delegated and bounded authority of humans in support of tactical, short-term actions associated with a longer-term strategic vision.”

Air Force Seeks to Partner With HBCUs for New Research Center; Frank Kendall Quoted

Kendall, a three-time Wash100 Award winner, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address to the Potomac Officers Club’s 2022 Air Force Summit on July 26. Visit the POC Events page to learn more about the upcoming in-person event.

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FBI Campaign Seeks to Raise Cybersecurity Awareness in Washington Metropolitan Area
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FBI Campaign Seeks to Raise Cybersecurity Awareness in Washington Metropolitan Area

The FBI has kicked off a three-month-long campaign in the Washington metropolitan area to inform government and private institutions about a rise in cyber threats and to help them reinforce the country’s cybersecurity.

The Washington Field Office-led campaign from June to September will highlight the need for organizations to partner with their local bureau in preparation for possible cyber attacks including those against critical infrastructure and supply chain, the agency said Tuesday.

To raise awareness, the FBI will conduct presentations to local industry groups and use both traditional and social media channels to engage with government and private sector players.

“When organizations in the National Capital Region partner with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, we can share intelligence, threat trends, and actionable guidance to strengthen their defenses against cybersecurity attacks,” said Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

He added that collaboration will help the FBI in its incident response, threat identification and damage mitigation efforts.

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VA Offers Unified Sign-in Experience With Login.gov Implementation; VA CTO Charles Worthington Quoted
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VA Offers Unified Sign-in Experience With Login.gov Implementation; VA CTO Charles Worthington Quoted

Veterans with Login.gov accounts will now be able to use their login credentials to access websites of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Small Business Administration and Office of Personnel Management.

VA said Tuesday it adopted Login.gov in an effort to provide former military members with a unified sign-in experience and to support a White House directive focused on federal customer experience transformation.

Aside from VA.gov, veterans will be able to use their Login.gov accounts on My HealtheVet and the flagship Health and Benefits mobile application.

“As part of the department’s digital transformation efforts focused on continuous improvement, we’re embracing the innovative technology designed by Login.gov to provide our Veterans a seamless sign-in experience to better serve, engage and enhance the customer experience,” said Charles Worthington, chief technology officer at VA.

Login.gov, which is operated by the Technology Transformation Services of the General Services Administration, works to provide a secure digital credential to customers looking to access government services.

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The Cyber AB Announces Formation of Academic Advisory Council
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The Cyber AB Announces Formation of Academic Advisory Council

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body, which now operates as The Cyber AB as part of a rebranding effort, has established a new council composed of thought leaders from higher education institutions to provide recommendations and share insights on how to implement the CMMC program in academic environments.

The Academic Advisory Council will also promote the integration of CMMC training curricula within university and college professional education programs, the body said Tuesday.

“The AAC is bringing together recognized leaders from higher education to confer with us as we support DoD in implementing CMMC,” said Melanie Kyle Gingrich, vice president for training and certification at The Cyber AB.

Gingrich will serve as chair of ACC in addition to her role at The Cyber AB. Michael Corn, chief information security officer at the University of California, San Diego, will serve as vice chair of the council.

The council’s inaugural members who will voluntarily serve and meet on a monthly basis are:

  • Adam Grant, Export Compliance Officer, University of Maryland
  • Jeffrey Sun, J.D., Ph.D. Professor & Distinguished University Scholar, University of Louisville
  • Jodi Ito, CISO, University of Hawaii System
  • Jordan DiMaggio, VP, Policy and Digital Strategy, University Professional and Continuing Education Association
  • Kenneth Williams, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Cyber Defense, American Public University System
  • Kim Milford, J.D., Executive Director, REN-ISAC
  • Mike Borowczak, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Wyoming
  • Mladen Vouk, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, North Carolina State University
  • Nelson Baker, Ph.D., Dean, Professional Education, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Peter Schiffer, Ph.D., Frederick W. Beinecke Professor of Applied Physics, Yale University
  • Scott Dolan, Ph.D., Dean, School of Graduate Studies, Excelsior College
  • Sol Bermann, J.D., CISO, University of Michigan
  • Talitha Washington, Ph.D., Director, Data Science Initiative, Atlanta University Center Consortium
  • Von Welch, Associate VP, Information Security, Indiana University
  • William (Bill) Butler, Ph.D., VP of Academic Affairs, Capitol Technology University
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