Cyber Security for TSA. The Transportation Security Administration has issued draft requirements for information assurance related to the security equipment it buys and sustains in the field. The agency’s Office of Security Capabilities, which buys security equipment, will host an Industry Day on July 24 to discuss the new requirements with stakeholders. TSA expects the requirements will be in all future contracts dealing with the qualification and procurement of transportation security equipment and the sustainment of these systems.
Staying Put. Harris Corp., which is in the process of absorbing its $5 billion acquisition of defense contractor Exelis, says it will maintain its corporate headquarters in Melbourne, Fla., and will base two of its newly formed segments in Florida as well. Harris has been headquartered in Florida since 1978. “Florida’s strong educational system, available pool of highly skilled talent and pro-business climate—led by Gov. Rick Scott and other state and local officials—help attract and retain companies like Harris,” says William Brown, the company’s chairman, president and CEO. Harris will base its Electronic Systems and Space and Intelligent Systems segments in Palm Bay, Fla. Its Communications Systems segment will operate from Rochester, N.Y., and the Critical Networks segment will be based in Herndon, Va.
New Dynetics CEO. David King replaces Marc Bendickson as Dynetics’ CEO, effective immediately, the company says July 8. Bendickson retires after 40 years of service to Dynetics, but will remain on the board of director as chairman. King is also a board member. Greg Lester, executive vice president for Dynetics’ defense, space and intelligence sector, replaces King as president. Dynetics provides engineering, scientific and information technology (IT) solutions to the national security, cyber security, satellite, launch, automotive and critical infrastructure sectors.
SLS LAS Contract. Orbital ATK signs a $98 million agreement with Lockheed Martin to provide the launch abort motor for the Orion human spaceflight capsule’s Launch Abort System, according to an Orbital ATK statement. Under the recently signed agreement, the primary objective is to complete design, development, test and qualification of the abort motor. Major milestones in this process include structural tests, loads tests, igniter open air tests and motor static firing tests. These tests will ultimately qualify the abort motor for operational flight missions. The launch abort motor is a solid rocket motor designed to ensure crew safety. Orion will eventually fly on NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). 
Air Force PTSFD RFP. The Air Force issues a request for proposals (RFP) for the Protected Tactical Service Field Demonstration (PTSFD) program, according to a notice posted on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO). PTSFD will demonstrate the ability to provide protected communications to tactical users using the Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) constellation and commercial satellite communications. PTSFD develops and demonstrates a Protected Tactical Waveform- (PTW) compatible terminal modem line replaceable unit (LRU) with an embedded end cryptographic unit to be used with existing WGS terminals…
…PTSFD RFP. Target terminals are the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT), the Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) Point of Presence, Soldier Network Extension (SNE) and Satellite Transportable Terminal (STT) and the Air Force’s Ground Multiband Terminal (GMT), along with an airborne wideband test terminal. Objectives include: develop and characterize terminal modem LRU for PTW performance through tests; demonstrate terminal modem LRU upgrade concept for wideband terminals; demonstrate tactical capability to support PTS operations over transponded satellite and demonstrate PTSFD system performance and capabilities to establish technical baseline for future acquisitions. Proposals are due August 24.
NASA SACOM Contract. NASA awards Syncom Space Services LLC (S3) a performance-based hybrid contract with a maximum value of $1.2 billion to support the Synergy Achieving Consolidated Operations and Maintenance (SACOM) program, according to a company statement. The contract has a one-year base period and seven option periods totaling nine years and five months. The SACOM award consolidates contracts at two NASA facilities: Stennis and Michoud. The S3 team will provide centralized management of the facility operations and maintenance requirements and the test and manufacturing services at Stennis and Michaud. S3 is a joint venture of PAE Applied Technologies and BWXT Nuclear Operations Group.
Commercial Crew Astronauts. NASA selects Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hurley and Sunita Williams for the civil space agency’s Commercial Crew program, according to a NASA statement. The four astronauts will work with Boeing and SpaceX to develop their crew transportation systems and provide crew transportation services to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap) contracts each require at least one crewed flight with at least one NASA astronaut on board to verify the rockets perform properly. Commercial Crew’s goal is to deliver astronauts to ISS by 2017.
Reduction in Force. The Army on Thursday outlined the specifics of its plan to reduce end strength by 40,000 soldiers over the next two years, from an active force of 490,000 down to 450,000. The downsizing will occur in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 and will be complete by the end of fiscal year 2018, so near the end of calendar year 2019. At least 17,000 civilians employees positions also will be eliminated under the budget-driven reductions.
… Brigade Down. Army brigade combat teams (BCT), which are the basic units in which the service deploys troops, will shrink from a wartime high of 45 to just 30 by the end of fiscal year 2017, the Army says. Both the 3rd BCT of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., and the 4th Airborne BCT, 25th Infantry Division stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will be converted to smaller “maneuver battalion task forces.” Whereas a typical BCT is made up of around 4,000 soldiers, these new units will have only around 1,050 troops apiece.
… Taking Their Wheels. Another casualty of the force reduction will be the 2nd BCT, 25th Infantry Division’s Stryker wheeled combat vehicles. The BCT will convert from a Stryker brigade to an infantry brigade under the plan. Those vehicles could go to the National Guard BCT stationed in the Pacific Northwest to convert it into a Stryker BCT, the Army says. “The Army selected these brigade combat teams for reorganization based on a variety of factors including strategic requirements and the inherent military value of the installations where they are based. The force structure decisions announced today best posture a smaller Army to meet global commitments.”
New VA CIO. LaVerne Council was sworn in as the newest Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Nominated on March 19, Council was confirmed by the Senate by a voice vote on June 23. In the position, Council will lead the department’s implementation of new technologies and manage the VA’s $4 billion information technology budget. Previously Council was the CEO of Council Advisory Services, LLC, Chair of the National Board of Trustees for the March of Dimes, and Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Johnson & Johnson’s global IT group.
BioThreat Resource Guidance. The White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday issued its FY ’17 budget guidance to agencies for countering biological threats, outlining three priorities for help select departments and agencies inform their next budget requests. The priorities are implementing the Global Health Security Agenda, which includes promoting biosafety and biosecurity systems, reducing infectious disease outbreaks, and early threat detection, improving intelligence on deliberate biological threats, and implementing the decisions of the 8th Review Conference of the Biological Weapons Convention, which will take place in November.
Climate Change Outrage. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, says he’s “outraged that the Department of Homeland Security continues to make climate change a tip priority” given increasing cyber attacks and the potential for more domestic terror attacks from individuals returning to the United States and Europe after fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq. “Ignoring the true security risks facing our nation in order to satisfy political constituencies is irresponsible and puts as at grave risk,” he says at the outset of a hearing on Wednesday entitled, “Examining DHS’s Misplaced Focus on Climate Change.”
…Risks Abound. Thomas Smith, acting assistant secretary for DHS’s Office of Policy—Strategy, Plans, Analysis and Risk, tells Perry that experts involved in assessing the strategic environment as part of the development of the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review
identified natural disasters, pandemics, and climate change as key drivers of change to the strategic environment.” He adds that “Each of these factors aggravates stressors abroad that can enable terrorist activity and violence, such as poverty, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and social tensions.”
