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CISA’s Jen Easterly Warns of Log4j Vulnerability’s Long-Term Risks
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CISA’s Jen Easterly Warns of Log4j Vulnerability’s Long-Term Risks

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said that although there has been no major cyberattacks linked to a flaw in the Log4j software code so far, the vulnerability could pose long-term risks to large and small organizations and networks used to operate critical infrastructure, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

“The scale and potential impact of this makes it incredibly serious,” Easterly said of the Log4j problem, which records activity in applications and computer networks.

She said the Log4j flaw had resulted in “widespread criminal activity” that included the installation on vulnerable devices of botnet code or software used for cryptocurrency mining.

CISA created a public catalog of products known to contain the vulnerability and Easterly said more than 2,800 cases of problems linked to Log4j in various commercial offerings have been submitted for inclusion in the catalog.

In December, Easterly announced that CISA added the Log4j flaw to its “catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities” to incite federal civilian agencies and partners to immediately patch or remediate the issue. 

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GSA Issues Interim Rule on Transfer of DotGov Domain Program to CISA
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GSA Issues Interim Rule on Transfer of DotGov Domain Program to CISA

The General Services Administration has released an interim rule to facilitate and complete the transfer of the DotGov Domain Program’s management, operation and ownership from GSA to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in accordance with the provisions of the DOTGOV Act of 2020.

The rule takes effect Monday, Jan. 10th, and applies to all newly released, renewed and already in operation .gov domains, according to a Federal Register notice published Monday. 

GSA’s office of governmentwide policy has supported for over two decades the .gov domain, which is considered a critical infrastructure and is key to the integrity and availability of thousands of online services that millions of users depend on. 

“Since the .gov domain underpins communication with and within these institutions, cybersecurity significance of all aspects of .gov’s administration has been increasing rapidly,” according to the notice. 

In October 2019, senators proposed the DOTGOV Act of 2020 that requires GSA to hand over the DotGov program to the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA as part of efforts to expand cybersecurity support and broaden the domain’s usage among public entities. The transfer of the .gov top-level domain to CISA started in April 2021.

Under the interim rule, GSA will remove all requirements within part 102-173 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations, that apply to any state, local, territorial or federal government entity with regard to the registration and operation of a .gov internet domain. Under the law, CISA should come up with a new set of requirements for the operation and registration of .gov domains in consultation with the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Comments on the interim rule are due March 11th.

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Antony Blinken: US, Japan to Sign Host Nation Support Framework, Defense R&D Agreement
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Antony Blinken: US, Japan to Sign Host Nation Support Framework, Defense R&D Agreement

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and Japan will sign a five-year framework to support U.S. military presence in the East Asian country and another pact to pursue research and development work on new defense technologies, Defense News reported Friday.

“We’re launching a new research and development agreement that will make it easier for our scientists, for our engineers, and program managers to collaborate on emerging defense-related issues – from countering hypersonic threats to advancing space-based capabilities,” Blinken, a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, said Thursday at the 2022 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee Meeting.

He noted that the five-year will invest resources to further expand military interoperability and readiness amid challenges posed by near-peer competitors such as Russia and China.

Under the hosting agreement, Japan will support U.S. military forces in the country by spending about $1.82 billion on an annual basis. The U.S. has approximately 55,000 soldiers in Japan.

Defense Secretary and 2021 Wash100 Award recipient Lloyd Austin joined Blinken during the virtual meeting and noted that the two countries are carrying out “bold steps” to enhance their alliance and readiness and strengthen integrated deterrence. He also mentioned plans to establish a framework for the coming year.

“This framework will include, first, enhancing alliance capabilities across all domains; also, evolving our roles and missions to reflect Japan’s growing ability to contribute to regional peace and stability; and optimizing our alliance force posture to strengthen deterrence,” Austin added.

Blinken and Austin met with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo, during the meeting.

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Alice Hill Nominated FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience
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Alice Hill Nominated FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience

President Biden intends to nominate Alice Hill, former senior director of resilience policy on the National Security Council staff, to be deputy administrator for resilience at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the White House said Friday.

Hill is the David M. Rubenstein senior fellow for energy and environment at New York-based policy think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

Her previous work in the government also includes service as special assistant to former President Barack Obama and senior counselor at the Department of Homeland Security, where she helped the DHS leadership plan strategies to address climate impacts and biological and chemical threats.

In a September 2021 interview with Government Matters, Hill said she believes federal agencies should factor climate risk in their decision-making process and explore approaches to ensuring federal investments are resilient to the impacts of changing weather patterns.

Alice Hill Nominated FEMA Deputy Administrator for Resilience

If you’re interested in climate change discussions, check out an upcoming virtual fireside chat session to be hosted by ExecutiveGov’s sister site GovCon Wire. The event will feature Kevin Welsh, executive director of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Environment and Energy.

Register now to join the “FAA: Climate Change Priorities Fireside Chat” on Jan. 26.

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VTG to Modernize Combat System Under Naval Sea Systems Task Order; CEO John Hassoun Quoted
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VTG to Modernize Combat System Under Naval Sea Systems Task Order; CEO John Hassoun Quoted

VTG has received a $20 million task order from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command to modernize the Aegis Combat System.

The force modernization and digital transformation provider announced Monday that under the Technical Insertion 16 contract, VTG will provide engineering, technical services and materials required to resolve obsolescence, reliability and maintainability issues for the combat system.

John Hassoun, VTG president and CEO, said that being awarded the task order represents “an important milestone” for the VTG team and has created an additional opportunity for the Chantilly, Virginia-based company to support the Navy.

The task order was awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division, which is a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command. VTG’s responsibilities will also include delivering logistics support services to the Air Dominance Department in-service engineering agent mission, as well as production and rework, testing, evaluation and life cycle support functions.

The company initially won a seat on the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity TI16 contract in April 2021. The TI16 program is the Navy’s enterprise combat system modernization strategy which aims to introduce advanced technologies and open architecture designs into the surface fleet. The program supports cruisers and destroyers, aircraft carriers and amphibious ships.

The alignment of VTG and the Navy was recently seen in the company’s appointment of retired Navy Rear Admiral Jim Shannon to executive vice president of government relations on Jan. 6. His hiring is expected to position the company’s technological offerings to best serve the defense market.

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Commerce Department Reports on Fiscal 2020 Technology Transfers
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Commerce Department Reports on Fiscal 2020 Technology Transfers

The Department of Commerce (DOC) has produced a report about how its agencies ran technology transfer activities in fiscal year 2020, including projects related to space weather and air quality.

The “Annual Report on Technology Transfer: Approach, Plans, Fiscal Year 2020 Activities and Achievements” summarizes how the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration handled technology transfers, NIST said Thursday.

For example, NOAA created a technique that uses machine learning to search for space weather content among large amounts of satellite-gathered data. The weather forecasting agency also worked with NASA to study how wildfires across the U.S. affect air quality.

The agencies performed this work under the Fire Influence on Regional and Global Environments and Air Quality or FIREX-AQ program, whose resulting data now supports NOAA’s forecasting models for smoke and air quality.

“This report is integral to understanding and analyzing the tech transfer activities of the agencies, and it provides a great reference point for DOC’s overall role in tech transfer,” said Mojdeh Bahar, associate director for innovation and industry services at NIST.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Gives New Designation to Defense Microelectronics Activity
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Gives New Designation to Defense Microelectronics Activity

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, has declared the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) as a Center for Industrial Technical Excellence (CITE), highlighting DMEA’s role as a core competency leader for microelectronics.

This CITE designation allows DMEA to better support small deliveries of critical microelectronics and semiconductors internal and external to the Department of Defense, DOD said Friday.

“Our organic depot and arsenal CITEs provide critical core competencies to sustain systems and produce capabilities for the nation,” DOD’s statement said.

DMEA can now also use public-private partnerships to establish collaboration between commercial companies and military depots.

The organization houses microelectronics research and development, as well as technologies, to support DOD’s national security.

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Tim Massey Named Defense EVP for Radiance Technologies; President Tim Tinsley Quoted
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Tim Massey Named Defense EVP for Radiance Technologies; President Tim Tinsley Quoted

Radiance Technologies announced on Monday that the company has promoted Tim Massey to be its executive vice president of Defense business. 

Previously, Massey was appointed the vice president for Strategy and Operations with Radiance Technologies back in March 2021 to oversee the company’s program planning, execution, business development and strategy activities.

“This well-earned promotion recognizes Tim’s many contributions to Radiance, his deep understanding of the Defense Sector portfolio, and his strong customer relationships.” said Radiance President Tim Tinsley. “He is uniquely qualified to lead these crucial business programs and successfully continue to focus on providing innovative solutions to our customers.”

Massey will bring more than 30 years of significant experience to his new role with Radiance Technologies. In his new role, he will provide leadership across business groups within the Defense sector and ensure continued focus on operational excellence in key market areas for the company and its customers. 

As Masset continues to support all Radiance employee-owners, the organizations’ missions and talent strategy, he will also lead the company’s business in directed energy, space, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as GEOINT, electronic warfare, aviation, prototyping, and test/training solutions. 

Prior to joining Radiance, Massey served as the vice president of Business Development for the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) with a specific focus on its U.S. Army business. In addition, Massey also served as the vice president of its Science and Technology division and was responsible for all aspects of the business. 

Over his long federal career, Massey has provided key support to the intelligence community and other DoD agencies with ballistic and surface-to-air missile modeling and threat definition, radar modeling and simulation, intelligence analysis, organizational leadership and more. 

About Radiance Technologies

Radiance Technologies is an employee-owned small business prime contractor founded in 1999. Radiance has over 800 employee-owners across the United States serving the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies.

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Coast Guard Adopts New Financial System; Acting DHS CFO Stacy Marcott Quoted
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Coast Guard Adopts New Financial System; Acting DHS CFO Stacy Marcott Quoted

The U.S. Coast Guard has implemented a new system for overseeing financial reports, procurement processes and assets.

USCG became the third Department of Homeland Security (DHS) component to adopt the Financial System Modernization Solution (FSMS) and will use the platform to manage the maritime law enforcement service’s $12 billion annual budget, DHS said Friday.

DHS’ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office migrated to the system in October 2019 and the Transportation Security Administration completed its transition the following year. 

The FSMS is built with automated controls, a common structure for appropriations and accounting lines and a modern security platform. Stacy Marcott, acting chief financial officer of DHS, said financial system modernization is a priority for the department.

“The new system will vastly improve the U.S. Coast Guard’s business systems, help employees be more productive, and allow them to achieve more reliable results when paying bills, procuring goods and services, reporting and managing budgets, and much more,” Marcott added.

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DOE Seeks Chief Data Officer
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DOE Seeks Chief Data Officer

The Department of Energy (DOE) kicked off its search for a chief data officer and is accepting applications for the position until Jan. 24th, according to a USAJobs notice posted Thursday.

DOE noted the hire will be responsible for managing the life cycle of agency data assets to include format standardization, information sharing and publication initiatives. 

The new CDO will work at the department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer in Washington, D.C., and also hold the title of chair of the data governance board for DOE.

Some functions under the CDO’s responsibility include data collection tracking, statistical analysis, predictive modeling development and data set asset infrastructure reviews in partnership the CIO.

The role is advertised as a Senior Executive Service post with a salary between $176,300 and $203,700 per year.

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