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Palo Alto Networks Tapped to Leverage Cybersecurity Programs for the VA
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Palo Alto Networks Tapped to Leverage Cybersecurity Programs for the VA

In a multiyear deal, cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks has been chosen by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide security for several of its valued assets.

Namely, the VA has recruited the help of Palo Alto to protect its increased remote workforce, its collection of Internet of Medical Things (IoMTs) and the Electronic Health Record Modernization program, the company announced Tuesday.

Palo Alto Networks President BJ Jenkins explained that the DA is a safety net for millions of veterans, extending services such as healthcare. Jenkins considers this a “critical mission” and remarked that using the company’s cybersecurity tools for this purpose was a badge of honor.

The partnership between Palo Alto and the VA has been ongoing now for a decade.

The Santa Clara, California-based company’s remote access technology will be used to secure the remote workforce expansion. In addition, the VA’s electronic records modernization strategy, which has been configured to give 9 million veterans a resistance-free access to healthcare, intends to implement next-generation security technology.

Automated visibility of healthcare records will also be installed into all IoMT devices in the VA’s network via said technology.

In September 2021, Palo Alto released a study regarding IoT trends and security issues, the IoT Security Report. It polled 1,900 IT professionals worldwide.

One revelation from the report was that 78 percent of those surveyed saw an increase in the number of IoT security incidents spurned by a transition to remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Numbers like these are likely the reason the VA is seeking out Palo Alto’s services to ensure security with their data and programs.

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Ron Thompson: NASA Develops Data Directives in Agency’s 5th Digital Transformation Year
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Ron Thompson: NASA Develops Data Directives in Agency’s 5th Digital Transformation Year

Ron Thompson, NASA’s chief data officer and deputy digital transformation officer, said the space agency is now developing data policy following a phase of digital transformation research.

He said Jan. 18 at the Advanced Technology Academic Research Center’s Digital Transformation Summit that NASA is now in its fifth year of digital transformation, FCW reported Friday.

Thompson noted that NASA sees intelligent data management as a way to address data publishing maintenance challenges. These challenges include changing the labels and classifications of sensitive data as potentially demanded in the future.

NASA’s directives currently under development are intended to improve how the agency uses data, Thompson noted.

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James Webb Space Telescope Reaches L2 Orbit After NASA Course Adjustment
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James Webb Space Telescope Reaches L2 Orbit After NASA Course Adjustment

NASA has finished adjusting the course of its James Webb Space Telescope toward a final orbit around the L2 Lagrange point.

Webb performed a mid-course burn where the spacecraft’s onboard thrusters fired for almost 297 seconds to achieve a corrected trajectory, Alise Fisher, public affairs specialist at NASA, said in a blog post published Monday.

The burn boosted the space telescope’s speed by 3.6 miles per hour to execute the trajectory change, which is needed for Webb to orbit around L2.

NASA expects the spacecraft’s intended orbit to provide for a wide cosmic view while maintaining a temperature cold enough for Webb to perform optimally. The space agency said Webb still has propellant for momentum unloading and station-keeping activities, following the redirection.

Engineers can now begin the three-month process of tuning Webb’s optics to near-nanometer precision, as the telescope’s primary mirror segments and secondary mirror are now deployed.

JWST, which is now almost a million miles away from Earth, succeeds the Hubble space telescope to capture space imagery for astrophysics studies. NASA collaborates with the European and Canadian space agencies for JWST.

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Army Preparing for First OCONUS Cloud Deployment in Indo-Pacific Region
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Army Preparing for First OCONUS Cloud Deployment in Indo-Pacific Region

The U.S. Army has begun preparations for the service branch’s first-ever deployment of an overseas tactical cloud system that could improve data storage and processing in the Indo-Pacific region, FedScoop reported Monday.

According to Army spokesperson Bruce Anderson, the service branch’s Pacific component is now working to determine where best to locate the cloud-hosted data capabilities, with exercises and experimentations planned through fiscal 2023.

He told FedScoop that officials are currently developing contracting requirements for the required cloud service to deploy cloud technologies to the tactical edge outside the continental U.S. with the help of commercial companies.

In a recent AFCEA NOVA event, Army Chief Information and former Wash100 Award recipient Raj Iyer detailed the planned Pacific system as a hybrid platform using commercial cloud services and on-premise data centers to perform various information functions for the military.

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EAC’s Mona Harrington Named Deputy Assistant Director of CISA’s National Risk Management Center
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EAC’s Mona Harrington Named Deputy Assistant Director of CISA’s National Risk Management Center

Mona Harrington, executive director of the Election Assistance Commission, will join the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s National Risk Management Center to serve as deputy assistant director, Politico reported Monday.

Harrington will help the center oversee election security, as well as associated critical infrastructure and 5G networks, in her new role. NRMC hosts CISA’s team assigned to protect election activities.

She was appointed to become EAC’s full-time executive director in June 2020 after assuming the role on an acting basis. The incoming CISA executive oversaw election security, COVID-19 response, workforce growth and fund distribution efforts during her time at EAC.

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GSA’s Phil Lam Wants SSA Identity Vetting System for Government-Wide Use
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GSA’s Phil Lam Wants SSA Identity Vetting System for Government-Wide Use

The General Services Administration is looking toward the adoption of a Social Security Administration electronic consent-based identity verification system for the distribution of digital services by the government, Nextgov reported Monday.

Phil Lam, GSA’s executive director for identity, explained that his organization is exploring how to bring together different identification requirements by agencies to enable verification at the attribute level direct to an authoritative source.

During an event hosted by a digital rights group, Lam also pointed out that such a model would help reduce the volume of personally identifiable information that could be found on the internet.

“They do it in a privacy preserving way where they’re not sending information out,” he explained. “They’re just saying yes or no.”

Currently, the SSA method is being used by the SSA itself and various financial institutions to prevent identity theft since it was implemented three years ago.

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Amentum Lands $301M Task Order from USAF for Aircraft Maintenance; Joe Dunaway Quoted
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Amentum Lands $301M Task Order from USAF for Aircraft Maintenance; Joe Dunaway Quoted

An Amentum subsidiary has won a $301 million task order from the U.S. Air Force to perform maintenance and aid in flight routines on three training aircrafts.

The Aircraft Maintenance Enterprise Solution (ACES) multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract calls for the arm of Amentum, DynCorp International LLC, to carry out five years of repair and upkeep at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, the contractor announced Tuesday.

Under ACES, Amentum’s responsibilities include all Organizational level (O-level), Intermediate level (L-level) and maintenance services for the T-1A Jayhawk, T-6A Texan II and T-38C Talon training aircrafts.

This is Amentum’s first task order under ACES, but the company has “a long legacy of support to the Air Force” that they are keen on continuing, according to President of Amentum Aviation Business Unit Joe Dunaway.

Most recently, in July 2021, Amentum received a contract from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to instill infrastructure, supporting tools and services for the USAF’s threat radar systems and combat training ranges.

The five-year IDIQ contract totals $950 million, if all options are exercised. The work will be performed at locations decided by Utah’s Hill Air Force Base.

DynCorp International was acquired by Amentum in 2021 and was highlighted in CEO John Vollmer’s LinkedIn retrospective about the company’s achievements during the calendar year, entitled “2021- A Year of Transformational Growth and Operational Excellence.”

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UAV Factory CSO Michael Buscher Discusses Innovation & Unmanned Tech With Potomac Officers Club
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UAV Factory CSO Michael Buscher Discusses Innovation & Unmanned Tech With Potomac Officers Club

Michael Buscher, chief strategy officer for UAV Factory, was recently featured in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to speak on advanced technology adoption in government and industry and leveraging academia to drive innovation and ensure national security. Buscher, a former U.S. Army special operations officer and senior CIA officer, has held multiple high-level roles with commercial organizations like BigBear.ai, Peraton and Huntington Ingalls Industries. 

Buscher talks about the vital importance of next-generation innovation and unmanned technology in the United States’ most paramount national security needs in this excerpt from his interview:

“With over 30 years of experience in the federal government, including DoD Special Operations and intelligence community service, innovation and technology sit at the top of the changing landscape. For our industry, the application of unmanned technology to improve how we safely collect intelligence is integral to national security. Staying abreast of the advancements and integrating innovation into our systems is core to adapting and delivering capabilities that meet or exceed our customer requirements.”

To view the full Executive Spotlight interview with UAV Factory’s Michael Buscher, visit PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can read more interviews from GovCon executives and learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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IG Report: NOAA Should Reevaluate Launch Plans for Geostationary Environmental Satellites
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IG Report: NOAA Should Reevaluate Launch Plans for Geostationary Environmental Satellites

A report from the Department of Commerce’s inspector general recommends that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration perform an analysis of alternatives or related assessments to determine whether to continue the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R program’s approach of “managing schedules toward the earliest possible launch dates.”

The IG office assessed the GOES-R program’s progress in attaining launch readiness for GOES-T, the third satellite in the GOES-R series, and found that the program “works toward the earliest achievable launch dates at potentially increased development risk,” according to an audit report published Thursday.

The GOES-T satellite was scheduled to lift off on Feb. 16, according to the IG report. In December, NASA announced that the satellite is set to launch on March 1 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

The inspector general also recommends that NOAA carry out a cost-benefit analysis of geostationary coverage availability thresholds and use schedule, costs and technical performance data to evaluate the cost effectiveness of satellite on ground and on-orbit storage options.

NOAA should also find out “the cost of operating spare satellites on orbit versus alternative options, including consideration of constellation longevity and satellite development risks, to help inform optimal acquisition and launch strategies” and record “storage option considerations early in the acquisition process to optimize satellite storage alternatives.”

The IG found that NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Services has not assessed tradeoffs of satellite ground storage and is “planning GOES launches sooner than its policy requires without analyzing the costs.”

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Report: DHS Warns of Possible Russian Cyberattack on US Amid Ukraine Tensions
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Report: DHS Warns of Possible Russian Cyberattack on US Amid Ukraine Tensions

The Department of Homeland Security has warned of a possible Russian cyberattack on the U.S. if the latter responds to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, ABC News reported Tuesday.

“We assess that Russia would consider initiating a cyber attack against the Homeland if it perceived a US or NATO response to a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine threatened its long-term national security,” according to a DHS Intelligence and Analysis bulletin obtained by ABC News.

The department said Russia could employ offensive cyber tools against U.S. networks.

“We assess that Russia’s threshold for conducting disruptive or destructive cyber attacks in the Homeland probably remains very high and we have not observed Moscow directly employ these types of cyber attacks against US critical infrastructure—notwithstanding cyber espionage and potential prepositioning operations in the past,” the bulletin reads.

A spokesperson for DHS said the department shares information with federal, state and local agencies regarding various issues on a regular basis.

“We have increased operational partnerships between private sector companies and the federal government to strengthen our nation’s cyber defenses, including through CISA’s newly established Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC),” the spokesperson added.

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