Not Done Yet. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) says that he will seek re-election next year, after he has remained mum on the topic all
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fall, according to media reports. The six-term senator made the announcement one day before his 76th birthday. Between his age and the Tea Party opposition he faces in Mississippi, many were eagerly awaiting his announcement. Cochran serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee. As a representative of a state rife with shipbuilding and aerospace contractors, he has worked to protect the industrial base in the defense budget.
Force Protection Solicitation. The Air Force has issued its Request for Proposals for the Force Protection Site Security Systems (FPS3) program, which calls for the acquisition, upgrade and sustainment of a family of Integrated Base Defense Security Systems (IBDSS). The BDSS will include fixed-site intrusion detection systems, tactical security systems such as the Tactical Automated Security System, and delay and denial systems such as the Remote Target Engagement System. The various systems are meant to help security forces protect assets and personnel at nuclear and non-nuclear fixed and tactical sites worldwide by providing “See First, Understand First, and Act First” capabilities. Multiple awardees, including a portion set aside for small businesses, are planned under the five-year contract with bids due by Jan. 17, 2014.
Armored Bus. The Armored Group (TAG) has introduced a new 30-person Toyota Coaster Bus that provides armored protection for groups that need personal protection while in transit. The Arizona-based company says that the bus was up-armored at its facility in the United Arab Emirates with the armoring process taking between four and six weeks. TAG decided to introduce the new armored bus because of requests it had been receiving for “an armored communal vehicle for groups that need an elevated level of personal protection,” says Robert Pazderka, the company’s owner.
The Bad News Cyber Security Story. Dave DeWalt, the chief executive for the cyber threat protection company FireEye, says that current cyber security schemes aren’t working well. DeWalt, the former president and CEO of McAfee before it was acquired by Intel in 2011, says the defense-in-depth architecture “preached for years” while he was at McAfee isn’t “keeping up” with the threats because the “Achilles Heel” in this layered defense is that all the detection engines are the same. Moreover, these point products don’t communicate with each other, allowing adversaries to enter through one vector and exit another, he says. Intelligence agencies worldwide have created “tens of thousands” of cyber warriors and adversaries are “lining up as teams” to target individual companies that make up the critical infrastructure in the United States, he says. “Ninety-five percent of the companies are compromised and it’s very simple to breach the systems,” DeWalt says at a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
…Solutions. Anti-virus technology is having “significant trouble” keeping up with attacks and if the defense plan is unchanged, then the results will be the same, DeWalt says. To improve defenses, new detection methodologies are needed as is multi-factor authentication at all network tiers, which would help protect against spear phishing, he says. Other necessary improvements include better network hygiene and health-checks, and a better understanding of what adversaries are doing and the risks to various critical infrastructures, he says. Many security officers know little about who is attacking them and why, DeWalt says.
F-35A Basing. The Air Force selects Hill AFB, Utah, and Burlington Air Guard Station, Vt., to host the service’s first operational F-35As, according to service statements. Burlington is projected to receive 18 F-35As starting in 2020, replacing 18 F-16s. Hill is home to the F-35 depot, which provides fleet maintenance support that helps long term sustainment and readiness of the fleet. Seventy-two F-35As are expected to start arriving at Hill in 2015, replacing the 48 F-16s currently based there. The F-35A is the Air Force conventional variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, developed by Lockheed Martin with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman.
New USAF Space Deputy. Troy Meink becomes the Air Force’s new deputy under secretary for space, according to a service statement. Meink, in his previous position, served as director of signals intelligence systems acquisition for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) from November 2008 through October. Meink also previously served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), networks and information integration, from January 2006 to November 2008 as director of communications directorate. He is a rated officer with 100 sorties including eight combat and 29 combat support missions. Meink was nominated by former Air Force Secretary Michael Donley.
Former Commercial Crew Chief. Ed Mango, the former head of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), pleads guilty in federal court in Orlando, Fla., for intervening in a personnel matter in which he had a financial interest, Florida Today reports. According to a plea agreement, Mango loaned an undisclosed amount of money to a NASA colleague who worked on the CCP when she became the subject of a criminal investigation last fall before being arrested at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., last December. Mango, who resigned in October, then pressured senior KSC officials, including the head of human resources, to limit discipline against that colleague without disclosing his financial interest in her continued employment. The colleague Mango helped was suspended without pay for two weeks, but Mango’s intervention resulted in an unusual decision to spread her loss of income over multiple weeks. CCP is a major NASA effort to develop the next U.S. capability for crew transportation and rescue services to and from the International Space Station (ISS) and other low-Earth orbit destinations by the middle of the decade.
Blue Origin BE-3 Engine. Blue Origin reaches a key milestone in the development of the liquid-fueled BE-3 engine by successfully demonstrating deep throttle, full power, long-duration and reliable restart all in a single sequence, according to a company statement. The BE-3 is the first completely new liquid hydrogen-fueled engine to be developed for production in the U.S. since the RS-68 more than 10 years ago. The test demonstrated a full mission duty cycle, mimicking flight of the New Shepard vehicle by thrusting at 110,000 pounds in a 145-second boost phase, shutting down for approximately four minutes, 30 seconds, to simulate coast through apogee, then restarting and throttling down to 25,000 pounds thrust to simulate controlled vertical landing. Blue Origin previously conducted testing of the BE-3 thrust chamber in partnership with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP).
House Launch Bill. The House approves a Space Launch Liability Indemnification Extension bill (HR 3547) that would extend for one year a commercial space transportation risk-sharing and liability regime that was established by Congress in 1988 with passage of the Commercial Space Launch Act amendments, according to a statement from Democrats on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. The bill, approved by a vote of 376-5, extends provisions of the amendments, which cover third-party liability for licensed commercial space launches.
Adopting the Cybersecurity Framework. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is defining what exactly “adoption” of the Cybersecurity Framework means. With a final version set to be released in February, the Framework outlines best cyber practices for critical infrastructure. Following a series of workshops, participants questioned how NIST will judge whether a company has properly adopted the Framework. In a memo published on Dec. 4, NIST says: “An organization adopts the framework when it uses the Cybersecurity Framework as a key part of its systematic process for identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and/or communicating: cybersecurity risks, current approaches and efforts to address those risks, and steps needed to reduce cybersecurity risks as part of its management of the organization’s broader risks and priorities.” Furthermore, NIST states that it will be producing a “roadmap” to guide the “path forward” after the final version becomes public. The roadmap will address issues that need further discussion and incorporation into the Framework. They include: authentication; automated indicator sharing; conformity assessment; cybersecurity workforce; data analytics; international aspects; privacy standards; and supply chain risk management.
New Cyber Certification. Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)–an organization that provides cybersecurity certifications for professionals–has created an exam designed specifically for vendors working with industrial controls. The exam will address the “bridge” between IT and industrial engineering, referred to as “cyber-physical systems.” The SANS Institute has created a course called “ICS/SCADA Security Essentials” that will help prepare professionals for the test.
U.S.-Estonia Cyber Agreement. Secretary of State John Kerry signs a Cyber Partnership Statement with Estonia on Dec. 3. The statement supports further cooperation between the two countries on cyber freedom, cybersecurity and Internet freedom. Estonia, which suffered debilitating cyber attacks in 2007 purportedly at the hands of Russian hackers, now hosts NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence. Estonia will continue working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Teams (CERTs).
Mayport Arrival. The USS New York (LPD-21), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, arrived Friday at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., which will serve as the ship’s homeport. The New York is the first of three amphibious warships that will call Mayport home, with the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, and USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43), a Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, slated to arrive in 2014. The New York is moving from Norfolk, Va.–also the homeport for the Iwo Jima. The Fort McHenry will be relocating from Little Creek, Va. Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.), whose district includes Mayport, says the three ships combined will bring 3,000 sailors to the area.
Final Contract Trials For Radar Ship. The USNS Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM 25) has completed final contract trials and is ready for initial operational capability next year, the Navy says. The Lorenzen will carry the Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) radar system. The massive CJR is designed to detect ballistic missiles to monitor that countries are in compliance with ballistic missile treaties and is built by Raytheon. The trials were conducted by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) and took place in San Diego. The ship will eventually be turned over to the Air Force.
Supporting The French. The United States commends French military actions in coordination with regional forces, to begin the process of restoring security to the people of the Central African Republic (CAR), the State Department says in a statement. “We believe that France’s strong leadership in committing 800 additional troops and their support to the African Union-led stabilization mission in the CAR (MISCA) sends a forceful message to all parties that the violence must end. We are deeply concerned by the worsening violence in the CAR, which has resulted in a growing humanitarian crisis and increased the risk of mass atrocities.” The United States plans to provide $40 million in equipment, training, and/or logistical support to MISCA, and is ready aid African Union partners and French allies if needed.