Griffin USAF? Former NASA administrator Mike Griffin is interested in becoming the next Air Force secretary, two space industry sources tell Defense Daily. Griffin served as NASA administrator under former President George W. Bush from 2005 through 2009. He’s currently chairman and CEO of Schafer Corp.

Zumwalt Repaired. The USS Zumwalt, the Navy’s first DDG-1000 destroyer, left Panama Nov. 30 after fixing a propulsion system problem that arose while the ship was transiting the Panama Canal earlier in the month, according to U.S. Third Fleet. Failed lube oil coolers were replaced by Zumwalt crew members and a team from General Electric and Naval Sea Systems Command. “The necessary testing and evaluation have been completed and the ship is continuing her transit to her new homeport of San Diego, where she is expected to arrive in the coming weeks,” Third Fleet says. “The technical community is working with the equipment manufacturers to determine why the failures occurred and to prevent recurrences.” The Zumwalt, which was built at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine, was commissioned in Baltimore in October.

Aerial view of the Pentagon, Arlington, VA

LCS Test Site. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are urging the Navy to set up a land-based propulsion and machinery control test site for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). In a September letter, the lawmakers asserted that the Navy is not giving the program enough in-house engineering technical support. The Navy replied that it will consider such a site sometime in the future but not now, according to Reed. “I am willing, for the moment,” Reed says,” to let the Navy play out this string of trying to enhance support for the deployed LCS without such a facility, but I am concerned that LCS fleet material support will suffer without such a facility when such support is available for all other Navy combatants.”

Advice. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson says his advice to the next DHS chief is to “continue our efforts to add management reform; continue at our efforts to build as a collective entity a more effective and efficient Department of Homeland Security.” Johnson says that when he took over DHS three years ago, he was surprised that it “was way too stovepiped.” Taking from the joint mission models used within the Defense Department, Johnson says, he has taken that approach and applied it to border security. He also says the hiring process needs to be “shortened,” minimize “stovepipes in the budget making,” continue to improve acquisition processes, boost morale, and continue to fund and build the new DHS headquarters.

Terminated Deal. Implant Sciences Corp., which is in bankruptcy protection, has terminated its letter of intent signed in July to acquire France’s Zapata Industries, which develops and manufactures hovering technology for personal craft and potentially other applications. Implant says it “disputes any payment obligations it may have to Zapata” related to the letter of intent. Implant planned to pay for the acquisition from proceeds of the pending sale of its explosive trace detection technology assets to L-3 Communications. When it agreed to acquire Zapata, Implant officials said they saw a wide range of potential military and security applications for the personal hovercraft technology.

Reverse Industry Day. Continuing its outreach to industry to better understand the needs of vendors, the Department of Homeland Security in January will host a Reverse Industry Day where government attendees listen to what’s on the mind of the contracting community. The Jan. 10 “event will provide the DHS’s acquisition workforce an opportunity to learn about the issues that are most important to industry when doing business with the Department,” the Reverse Industry Day notice says. DHS is working with relevant industry associations for the presentation portion of the event.

New Security Institute. Purdue Univ. is opening the Institute for Global Security and Defense Innovation, which will centralize defense and security research efforts across its campus and, “it is hoped, will make Purdue the preeminent university in national defense and security,” the school says. Purdue received more than $50 million in FY ’16 in defense-related research projects. The school says the new institute will work across its various research centers to “research areas such as advanced instrumentation, nanotechnology, social and behavioral sciences, big data analytics, and simulations to deliver integrated systems solutions to the nation’s security and defense community.”

SECDEF Travels. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter embarks on a two-week, around-the-world trip Dec. 3 to thank deployed troops for their service over the holidays, meet with important regional partners, and advance U.S. priorities including the rebalance to the Asia-Pacific and the lasting defeat of ISIL. The trip includes stops in California, Japan, India, Bahrain, Israel, Italy and the United Kingdom. On Dec. 3, Secretary Carter arrives in Simi Valley, California, where he will deliver the closing speech at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum. He also accepts the forum’s “Peace Through Strength” award.

… Across The Pacific. Carter next heads to Japan to visit U.S. troops in the region on Dec. 6, and meets with senior Japanese officials. The next day he meets with Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada to underscore the long-term strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance, and build upon the unprecedented progress in U.S.-Japan security cooperation. After their bilateral meeting, he holds a joint press conference with Minister Inada at the ministry of defense.

 … On To India. On Dec. 8, Carter meets with Indian officials including Minister of Defense Manohar Parrikar. He looks to build on the strategic handshake between the two nations, and to continue the momentum in the relationship over the past decade, including expanded defense cooperation during his time as secretary, the Pentagon says.

 … Next Bahrain. On Dec. 10, Secretary Carter delivers the opening speech at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. While in Bahrain, Secretary Carter visits sailors aboard USS Monterey (CG-61), and thanks them and their families for their service over the holidays.

 … Then To Israel. On Dec. 12, Carter lands in Israel to meet with Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and attend a formal ceremony to welcome the arrival of the first Israeli F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defense cooperation between the United States and Israel. He will deliver remarks at the ceremony and later hold a joint press conference with Minister Lieberman.

 … Italy To London. Carter then visits U.S. troops stationed in Italy from Dec. 13-14, to thank them for their service in support of U.S. and coalition operations worldwide, including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and securing NATO’s southern flank. Carter’s next stop is London, where he and U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Michael Fallon cohost a ministerial of the leading nations in the counter-ISIL coalition on Dec. 15. Discussions at the ministerial focus on the current status of the campaign, the capabilities needed to secure and stabilize Mosul and Raqqah, and the future of the coalition in addressing the external metastases of ISIL. Secretary Carter and Secretary Fallon also hold a joint press conference at the conclusion of the ministerial.

Army Endstrength. The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act unveiled Nov. 30 not only halts, but funds a slight increase in the Army’s funded end strength. Authorized active Army personnel strength for fiscal 2017 is 476,000 in the compromise bill, 16,000 more than the Pentagon requested and 1,000 more than the fiscal 2016 personnel cap. There are similar increases for the Army National Guard and Reserve, both of which get 1,000-troop increases to the existing fiscal 2016 limit. The Army Guard authorized end of the fiscal year strength is 343,000 for 2017. The Army Reserve is authorized strength of 199,000. Retired Gen. Carter F. Ham, president and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army, said he “sees much to cheer in the compromise 2017 National Defense Authorization Act but we also have reason for concern. We are pleased the bipartisan agreement stops and slightly reverses reductions in the number of soldiers. For the Regular Army, this means 16,000 more soldiers,” he said. “For the Army National Guard, this adds 8,000. And for the Army Reserve, the agreement represents a 4,000 increase.” Ham added, “We are glad the Army is authorized additional resources to cover the added personnel costs. We had hoped this would be in the Army’s base budget rather than overseas contingency operations funding. Next year, we’ll press Congress to secure permanent funding.”

Colorado Christening. The Navy is scheduled to christen its 15th Virginia-class attack submarine, the future USS Colorado (SSN-788), at a Dec. 3 ceremony at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Conn. The submarine, which will be armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, is to be commissioned in 2017.

New House Energy & Commerce Chairman. The House GOP Steering Committee elected Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) to serve as the next Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The committee is one of the broadest committees with oversight over telecommunications, consumer protection, encryption, food and drug safety, public health, environmental health, supply and delivery of energy, and interstate/foreign commerce.

BlackBerry Cyber. BlackBerry Limited announced the appointment of retired Rear Adm. Robert Day, Jr,, Coast Guard, to lead the company’s incoming federal Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC) and product FedRAMP initiatives. The new center is set to guide the company’s products and achieve FedRAMP and Agency/Component Authority to Operate (ATO) certifications as well as to provide monitoring, compliance reporting, and incident response to subscribing entities. Day retired in 2014 following a 34-year career ending with five years as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Command of Coast Guard Cyber Command.

Accenture Completes Acquisition. Accenture has completed its acquisition of Defense Point Security LLC (DPS) as a fully owned subsidiary. DPS provides cybersecurity services and solutions for government and commercial customers including security engineering and architecture, cyber operations, managed security services, information assurance, and cybersecurity education and training. The acquisition, first announced on Oct. 5, will expand Accenture’s cybersecurity capabilities and services. The terms of the transaction are not public.

Estonia NATO Cyber. Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid visited the Tallinn, Estonia-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) on Nov. 25. She emphasized that cyberspace is a domain of military operations equivalent to land, air, and sea. “The nations now need to substantiate what that means. The research, training and exercises of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence are indispensable for achieving this,” she says in a statement. “Our defense within NATO is only as strong as our commitment to it. Estonian leadership in cyber security is noticed across the world,” Kaljulaid adds.

Cybersecurity Law Hire. Law firm Mayer Brown hired David Simon as a partner in cybersecurity and digital privacy practice in the Washington, D.C., office. Simon is also set to contribute to the national security and government contracts practice. Simon most recently worked at Sidley Austin LLP. He previously served as special counsel to the Defense Department general counsel from 2011-2015. There he advised on matters concerning cybersecurity policy, plans and operations, social media, economic sanctions in Ukraine and the Middle East, autonomous technologies, and other issues. Simon recently served as an independent legal expert to the United Nations supporting its Group of Governmental Experts on cybersecurity. He is also a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Cyber Policy Task Force.

More Vet Cyber Training. The SANS Institute will offer 100 percent scholarship-based cybersecurity training in the Washington, D.C., metro area as part of its VetSuccess Academy program. The academy provides transitioning veterans and active duty military spouses with advanced technical training, industry-recognized GIAC certification, and connections to leading employers in cybersecurity. Participants will take and complete a qualifying assessment and the results lead to interviews. The last date to request the exam is Feb. 14, 2017, with the first course scheduled to begin at Tysons Corner, Va., on March 20, 2017.