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Cyber Mission Forces. The establishment of the Cyber Mission Force is “very much a reality” and is “about half-way through the build” of 6,200 personnel in 133 teams, says Adm. Mike Michael Rogers, commander of United States Cyber Command. “Indeed, many of its teams are generating capability today,” Rogers says in his prepared remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. “Three years ago we lacked capacity. We had vision and expertise but were very thin on the ground. Today the new teams are actively guarding DoD networks and prepared, when appropriate and authorized, to help Combatant Commands deny freedom of maneuver to our adversaries in cyberspace.”
…IOC More Than a Year Out. Rogers says most of the Cyber Mission Force teams are on track of achieving “at least initial operating capability (IOC) by the end of FY 2016.” He adds that he is working with the military services to accelerate the build out to keep it on schedule but it won’t be easy. “We are already hard pressed to find qualified personnel to man our CMF rosters, to get them cleared, and to get them trained and supported across all 133 teams.” 
ISAOs and ISACS. White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel says that the establishment of new Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAOs) is meant to expand the current structure of sharing of cyber threat data that occurs between the government and private sector and within the private sector. Much of the current structure for the sharing of cyber threat indicators is done through the Information Sharing and Analysis Centers that began standing up in 1998 but Daniel says that while these organizations “have been remarkably effective,” they are also “very entrenched” within separate critical infrastructure sectors. “But in many cases we have companies that cut across multiple sectors” Daniel says at a cyber conference sponsored by Intel Security. “We have companies that want to share information regionally.” He adds that “We want to expand the structure and enable different kinds of structures to also fall within this category.”
Reassess BMD Strategy. The Pentagon is taking a look at its current BMD strategy, Time For New Strategy. CNO Adm. Jonathan Greenert and CSA Gen. Ray Odierno wrote to then-Secretary Chuck Hagel that with the threat continuing to grow, the current strategy is unsustainable. NOTHCOM/NORAD Commander Adm. William Gortney tells HASC the “fundamental issue” for the services is if the money is being spent correctly and the impact of spending on being a “catcher” hitting a rocket with a rocket. That’s expensive and drives a low-density high demand effort. What’s really needed is a broader deterrence policy including kinetic and non-kinetic components, he says. “We’re on the wrong side of the cost curve and the wrong side of the optempo curve.” The Pentagon is reviewing missile defense programs and capabilities.
…On Cyber Watch. MDA Director Vice Adm. James Syring tells SAC they’re paying close attention to cyber and protecting the ballistic missile defense system, contractors and addressing the insider threat. It’s “critically” important, Syring says to protect the BMDS system. On the acquisition side, contractors are required to have cyber protections. And, there is an “extensive” insider threat program created this year that includes monitoring, stood up this year, and other efforts. He couldn’t divulge much more than that.
Floppy Discs? Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) wants to know how the Air Force is going to modernize ICBM systems, asking AF Secretary Deborah Lee James about it at a recent SASC hearing on the Army and Air Force budgets. Emphasizing his point, he brandished an 8-inch floppy disc used in the nuclear systems that were put in in the 1980s and based on 1970s technology. James says the FY’16 budget includes $5.6 billion for the nuclear enterprise overall, much more than previously. While not sure about replacing the floppies specifically, she did say that during her tenure, “I have learned that nothing in the nuclear world is simple.”
Who Pays? It Depends. When special operations forces take on a mission, beyond the action there’s always a bill, but who pays depends on the specific operation, officials tell the HASC panel on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Michael Lumpkin, assistant secretary of Defense for Special Operations & Low-Intensity Conflict says generally funds would come from OCO, Department of Defense, and depending on the operation, it would come from that specific service’s account. For the equipment, if it’s a service-common item, the service pays, and SOCOM pays for anything done to that equipment to make it SOF-unique.
…On The Go. The average number of conventional force deployments over the past 12 years was 1.12 times, with 58 percent of conventional personnel having any deployment history, Lumpkin tells the HASC panel. SOCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel says “Over the last 14 years, the average service member in SOF has deployed between four (and) 10 times–with most toward the higher end of that range and has frequently had less than 12 months at home between deployments.” SOF are deployed to more than 80 countries. There are some 3,500 personnel stationed forward. Some 7,000 are deployed on any given day supporting geographical combatant commanders, Votel says.
LEDs for LPDs. The Navy has swapped out florescent lightbulbs on the on the USS Somerset (LPD-25) and has replaced them with LEDs, a move designed to improve efficiency, save energy and improve the lighting on ships. The LED last many times longer than traditional bulbs . The Somerset is a San Antonio class (LPD-17) amphibious transport dock ship. The Navy is also installing LEDs on other ships, including Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyers, Ticonderoga-class (CG-47) cruisers and other amphibious vessels.
NASA, NIST Nominations. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation (CST) Committee on March 25 considers two key nominations. The committee considers Willie May to be under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It also considers the nomination of Dava Newman to be deputy administrator of NASA. President Barack Obama nominates May in July and Newman in October.
Cooley Promotion. The Air Force this month promotes its director of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) directorate, William Cooley, from colonel to brigadier general. Cooley is responsible for a multi-service, multinational systems directorate which conducts development, acquisition, fielding and sustainment of all GPS space segment, satellite command and control (ground) and military user equipment. The $32 billion GPS program, with a $1 billion annual budget, maintains the largest satellite constellation in the Defense Department, according to the Air Force. Cooley entered the Air Force in 1988 through the ROTC program after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
T-X Requirements. The Air Force releases its requirements for the T-X trainer program: sustained G, simulator visual acuity and performance and aircraft sustainment, according to an Air Force statement. The service says though there are just over 100 requirements, these are the most critical to ensure the T-X family of systems closes training gaps and creates strategic agility for the future. A highlight in the requirements is embedded training with synthetic sensors and data link. The Air Force plans to award a contract for 350 T-Xs in the fall of 2017 to replace the 431 T-38 trainers currently used. Initial operational capability (IOC) is expected by the end of 2023. T-X is the Air Force’s first program under DoD’s “Bending the Cost Curve” initiative.
Bell Contract. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) sole sources a $32 million firm-fixed-price contract to Bell Helicopter Textron for Navy rotary wing blades, according to a DoD statement. The contract is for 39 months with no option periods.
Patriot Contract. The Army awards Raytheon a $213 million contract modification for Patriot engineering service in 2015, according to a DoD statement. Fiscal years 2010, 2014 and 2015 operations and maintenance (O&M) and other procurement funds are obligated at the time of award. Patriot is a long-range, high altitude, all-weather missile defense system that counters threats from tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft, according to prime contractor Raytheon.
Lincoln Labs Contract. The Air Force awards the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a $1.7 billion contract modification for the operation of Lincoln Laboratory, according to a DoD statement. Research at Lincoln Labs includes projects in air and missile defense, space surveillance technology, tactical systems, biological and chemical defense, homeland protection, communications, cyber security and information sciences, among others. The contract runs through March 31, 2018.
Chinook Contract. The Army awards Boeing a $714 million contract modification for 26 remanufactured CH-47F helicopters, four new CH-47s and the option of building two more CH-47s, according to a DoD statement. The contract also provides for over and above appropriated funding and obligates long lead funding for Production Lot 14. Estimated completion date is end of 2020.
