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Government Technology/News
Chris Willis: Army’s Maneuver Battle Lab Creates Experimentation Space for Smaller Formations
by Jane Edwards
Published on November 24, 2021
Chris Willis: Army’s Maneuver Battle Lab Creates Experimentation Space for Smaller Formations

The U.S. Army is enabling smalls groups of warfighters to practice more in multiple domains such as cyber and space areas through field experimentation, simulation and modeling, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“What we’ve been working on the last two or three years is improving our capability to conduct what we call nonlethal simulation of nonlethal effects inside simulation,” said Chris Willis, deputy director of Army Futures Command’s Maneuver Battle Lab at Fort Benning in Georgia.

“We are looking at what is the effect on those smaller formations and those maneuver combat formations as opposed to the larger Army formations and how do we fight in those domains at that larger echelon?,” he added.

One of the lab’s experiments is Quick Look VI, which involves the use of electronic warfare modeling platforms by soldiers against a near-peer threat.

Willis said the service branch wants to improve its teams and systems through such experiments.

“This has been an intuitive iterative process,” Willis said. “We’re focused on cyber for others. So as a layman, as an armor soldier, as a cavalryman, how do I train those soldiers for this? How do I inject cyber effects inside experimentation to understand how it affects those maneuver soldiers? That’s really the way forward.”

Industry News/News
Rep. Gerry Connolly Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Rebuild OPM
by Jane Edwards
Published on November 24, 2021
Rep. Gerry Connolly Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Rebuild OPM

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., has proposed a bipartisan bill that seeks to rebuild and modernize the Office of Personnel Management.

Connolly’s office said Tuesday the Strengthening the Office of Personnel Management Act would clarify the agency’s mission as the center of the federal government’s civilian human resources systems and establish a federal advisory committee to help the director of OPM understand the concerns and needs of stakeholders to inform the agency’s policymaking efforts and operations.

The proposed measure would require candidates for the OPM director post to have leadership and human capital expertise and ensure that the chief management officer of the agency is a career civil servant who could provide stability and continuity across administrations.

Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-sponsored the legislation that is being backed by several organizations, including the National Treasury Employees Union and the National Federation of Federal Employees.

“Federal employees are the crown jewel of government, and we must build a human resources agency nimble and prepared to help us attract and retain the talent our nation needs to provide vital services today and into the future,” Connolly said.

Cybersecurity/News
NIST’s National Cybersecurity CoE Issues Draft Publications on Enterprise Patch Management
by Jane Edwards
Published on November 23, 2021
NIST’s National Cybersecurity CoE Issues Draft Publications on Enterprise Patch Management

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) is seeking public comments on two draft publications about enterprise patch management. 

The first draft document titled Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Planning: Preventive Maintenance for Technology calls for the development of an enterprise strategy to simplify patching and improve risk reduction, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said Wednesday.

The second draft publication presents an example demonstrating how organizations can use tools to implement patching capabilities needed for emergency and routine patching conditions.

The draft document titled Improving Enterprise Patching for General IT Systems: Utilizing Existing Tools and Performing Processes in Better Ways also suggests workarounds and other alternatives to patching.

Comments on the draft publications are due Jan. 10th.

Industry News/News
Labor Department Unveils Final Rule for $15 Hourly Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers; Jessica Looman Quoted
by Jane Edwards
Published on November 23, 2021
Labor Department Unveils Final Rule for $15 Hourly Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers; Jessica Looman Quoted

The Department of Labor has announced a final rule that will increase the minimum wage of employees working on federal contracts to $15 per hour starting Jan. 30.

The final rule will apply to new federal contracts and extensions and renewals of existing contracts in accordance with President Biden’s executive order signed in April, the department said Monday.

The rule will also phase out the tipped minimum wage for federal contract workers by 2024, extend the new minimum pay to federal contract employees with disabilities and bring back minimum wage protections to guides and outfitters working on federal lands.

“The final rule adds value for taxpayers by boosting worker productivity and reducing employee turnover and absenteeism. It also allows federal contractors to retain top talent, and reduce recruiting and training costs,” said Jessica Looman, acting administrator of DOL’s wage and hour division.

General News/News
Air Force Puts F-15Es to Nuclear Weapon Delivery Trials at Nellis
by Angeline Leishman
Published on November 23, 2021
Air Force Puts F-15Es to Nuclear Weapon Delivery Trials at Nellis

The U.S. Air Force has tested the capability of F-15E Strike Eagles to deliver nuclear weapons during an evaluation event at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in fall.

The Dual Capable Aircraft Nuclear Weapons System Evaluation Program saw the F-15Es drop B61-3 and B61-4 Joint Test Assemblies at the Tonopah Test Range at Nellis, the Air Force said Monday.

Lt. Col. Douglas Kabel, deputy director of strategic deterrence and nuclear integration at Air Combat Command, the event assesses the abilities of the maintenance crew, pilots and weapons airmen to ensure the stockpiling and delivery of nuclear capabilities.

“It improves our readiness by giving our warfighters the experience they would need to employ the F-15E and the B61 series weapons in a future conflict within a contested environment,” added Kabel.

DCA NucWSEP is just one of the many exercises and operations F-15Es are participating in to practice homeland security missions and interoperability with U.S. allies and security partners.

The Boeing-developed dual capable aircraft developed by Boeing is a part of the Air Force’s future fighter fleet that links fourth-generation jets with fifth and sixth-generation planes.

Cybersecurity/News
CISA, FBI Highlight Importance of Cybersecurity During Holidays
by Nichols Martin
Published on November 23, 2021
CISA, FBI Highlight Importance of Cybersecurity During Holidays

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI jointly advise both government and commercial organizations to observe cybersecurity practices as the holiday season approaches. CISA said Monday that cyber actors tend to exploit the vulnerabilities of critical networks during weekends and holidays.

The agencies advise organizations to observe a set of risk reduction practices and identify human resources available for cybersecurity work during these times.

Risk reduction practices include using multi-factor authentication, requiring strong passwords, monitoring risky devices, raising employee awareness and reviewing incident response plans.

“We urge network defenders to prepare and remain alert over the upcoming holiday weekend and report any suspicious activity to www.ic3.gov,” said Bryan Vorndran, cyber assistant director at the FBI.

Ransomware incidents are cyber attacks when a malicious actor blocks a user’s system access until the victim pays a demanded sum of money.

Cybersecurity/News
Senate NDAA Amendment Lacks Language Advancing FISMA Update
by Jane Edwards
Published on November 23, 2021
Senate NDAA Amendment Lacks Language Advancing FISMA Update

A substitute amendment proposed by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., to the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) did not include a language calling for updates to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), including changes to how federal agencies report on cyber incidents, Nextgov reported.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, proposed the FISMA update provision. Reed on Friday introduced the substitute amendment to the NDAA a day after the upper chamber started initial deliberations on the defense policy bill.

Reed’s proposal, however, included a language proposed by Peters that would direct the secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD) to work with the national cyber director and head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in designing a pilot project to advance DOD’s collaboration with the private sector.

Peters and Portman serve as chair and ranking members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, respectively. The Senate is expected to resume deliberations on the NDAA on Nov. 29th.

Artificial Intelligence/Executive Moves/News
FTC Chair Lina Khan Announces Key Appointments to AI Strategy Group
by Naomi Cooper
Published on November 23, 2021
FTC Chair Lina Khan Announces Key Appointments to AI Strategy Group

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan has announced new appointments to an artificial intelligence strategy group within the Office of Policy Planning that will advise the agency on emerging technology issues.

Olivier Sylvain, a law professor from Fordham University, will serve as Khan’s senior adviser on technology and New York University’s Meredith Whittaker, Amba Kak and Sarah Myers West will all work as the chair’s senior advisers on AI, the FTC said Friday.

Kak most recently served as director of global policy at NYU’s AI Now Institute and was a global policy adviser at Mozilla. West and Whittaker also joins FTC from AI Now Institute where they served as a research scholar and a faculty director respectively.

Khan also appointed Northeastern University professor John Kwoka to serve as her chief economist who will work on developing an updated approach to merger review policies.

Kwoka previously worked for the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the antitrust division of the Department of Justice.

“Tackling unlawful conduct requires that we ensure our law enforcement and policy work are keeping pace with new market realities. These leaders in tech and economic policy will work alongside experts within the FTC and my office to help us realize that goal,” Khan said.

Executive Moves/News
Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell Nominated for Second Term
by Nichols Martin
Published on November 23, 2021
Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell Nominated for Second Term

Jerome Powell, who chairs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, has received President Biden’s nomination for a second term. Powell and the board executed efforts to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects and support the nation’s economic recovery, the White House said Monday.

Biden also intends to nominate economist Lael Brainard, a member of the board since 2014, to serve as vice-chair. She contributed expertise to the board’s economic recovery efforts.

“While there’s still more to be done, we’ve made remarkable progress over the last 10 months in getting Americans back to work and getting our economy moving again,” the President said.

Three positions will remain vacant on the board including the vice-chair for supervision. Biden plans to make his nominations for these vacant seats starting early December.

General News/News
Army, DIU to Work on Fuel-Reducing Anti-Idle Capability on Tactical Vehicles
by Angeline Leishman
Published on November 23, 2021
Army, DIU to Work on Fuel-Reducing Anti-Idle Capability on Tactical Vehicles

The U.S. Army and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) have partnered to prototype a capability enabling military vehicles to turn off their engines when not moving without affecting onboard electronics. 

The project will focus on the installation of hybrid conversion kits with an anti-idle capability on Army tactical vehicles with the goal of reducing fuel consumption while the automobiles are not moving, DIU said Monday.

Ben Richardson, DIU’s advanced energy materials and portfolio director, explained that the benefits of an anti-idle system would allow Army forces to operate longer between refueling and lower fuel demands across logistics supply chains.

The effort will initially focus on the installation of conversion kits on trucks weighing between two-and-a-half tons and 10 tons under the Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles, with DIU and the Army Program Manager Transportation Systems already awarding prototype integration contracts in August to XL Fleet and Volta Power Systems.

Following the integration work, the two defense organizations plan to task both contractors to produce a retrofit kit for use by soldiers at Army logistics depots and motor pools.

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