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Category: Defense

House Marks up NDAA TODAY

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The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is going through its annual ritual of marking up the latest version of the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets defense policy and offers a spending blueprint for appropriators. The marathon markup starts at 10 a.m. and in some years has continued until well past midnight.

The legislation is an annual measure authorizing all defense and defense related programs. A number of amendments are expected including some from HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), who’s still recovering from a recent hip surgery but expects to attend today’s markup.

Additional information on the FY16 NDAA can be found here. 

House Passes Two Cyber Security Bills

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It was cybersecurity week for the House as it considered and passed two measures dealing with cybersecurity and information sharing to better address cyber threats. Lawmakers, government officials and most industry groups have strongly backed this idea of needing to share information safely, and all made cyber info-sharing a top 2015 legislative priority. The House today wrapped up the work week today as it finished considering the second of two cybersecurity bills. The legislation is the first two of three measures Congress must pass to finally get a cyber info-sharing law in place.

On Wednesday, the House passed the first major cybersecurity bill since the calamitous hacks on Sony Entertainment, Home Depot and JPMorgan Chase. Passed by a vote of 307-116, HR 1560 – the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (PCNA), was backed by House Intelligence Committee leaders and would give companies liability protections when sharing cyber threat data with government civilian agencies, such as the Treasury or Commerce Departments. The goal of the measure is to increase the public-private flow of information about hacking attempts. Advocates of the legislation say such an exchange is the biggest first step the country can take to thwart hackers.  Privacy advocates and other opponents argue the bill will simply shuttle more sensitive information to the National Security Agency (NSA), further empowering its surveillance authority.

On Thursday, the House considered and passed HR 1731 — National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act by a 355-63. The intent of the law is to enhance the flow of information about hackers’ tactics between the government and private sector. Advocates say both sides need more data on the threats they face so they can bolster the nation’s faltering network defenses. Again, opposition to the legislation cautioned that this would just further empower the NSA. Shifting these abilities and empowering the Department of Homeland Security, however, has been more politically palatable. The DHS is seen as the agency most technically capable of stripping personal information from any data received before it is shared with the rest of the federal government. A cyber info-sharing hub at the department — with its established privacy oversight measures —  is also considered the ideal locale under which to consolidate domestic cyber efforts.

Both measures have the tepid approval of the White House.

The Senate had been hoping to bring its companion bill, known as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, to the floor sometime in April. Timing for consideration of a cyber bill in the upper chamber remains fluid.

To learn more about HR 1731 – National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015, click here.
To learn more about HR 1560 – Protecting Cyber Networks Act, click here.

DOD Announces Silicon Valley Outpost for Cyber

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In a speech at Stanford today, Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced a new initiative designed to improve Department of Defense  (DOD) innovation through the creation of a permanent Pentagon presence in Silicon Valley, a move already taken by the Department of Homeland Security.  The Department plans to create the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental in Northern California to serve as a permanent office that will be a conduit between the California technology community, military reservists, and the DOD.

Secretary Carter emphasized increasing innovation with better partnering between industry, startups, and academia with government funded research and development. The Defense Innovation Unit will be designed to reach out to the commercial sector to drive new technologies, better connect DOD activities with those in Silicon Valley, and find better ways to transition DOD discoveries.

This effort is part of department’s work to regain technological superiority as announced in November through the Defense Innovation Initiative (DII). DII is intended to focus on three themes: increasing competitiveness by attracting talented workforce, develop and field breakthrough technologies and to use current capabilities in different ways, and finding new ways to fight, train and create organizational constructs. In addition, DOD recognizes the need to be more open to global, commercial technology and learn from advances in the private sector.

This annoucment is a significant update to the Pentagon’s four year-old cyber-strategy. It will commit DOD to creating an effective deterrent to cyberattacks against America, but also stresses the limits of the military’s role in cyberspace. Two key components of that deterrent will be denying attackers the benefits they hope to gain from a cyberattack and ensuring there’s a U.S. response to every major attack, even if it’s just a strongly-worded public statement, the official said.

Other strategy goals include strengthening DOD’s cyber infrastructure, improving the department’s cyber intelligence and warning capabilities, and working with the DHS to share information The strategy also reflects a shift to more actively incorporating the military’s Reserve and National Guard components into Cyber Mission Forces.

 

Ashton Carter Confirmed as Secretary of Defense

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Today, the Senate on Thursday confirmed Ashton B. Carter to be the next defense secretary by a vote of 93 to 5. The installation of the new Pentagon chief comes on the same day that the President has asked Congress for the authority to formally authorize (and increase) military action by the US against the Islamic State.

Carter, a former deputy defense secretary, and replaces Chuck Hagel in what has been a fairly swift confirmation process — the first hearings started in early February.

 

White House Announces New Manufacturing Innovation Hubs Competition

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Today, the President announced nearly $290 million in public-private investment for two new Manufacturing Innovation Hub Competitions. The two New Manufacturing Innovation Hub Competitions will consist of two competitions for manufacturing innovation institutes today—one in smart manufacturing at the Department of Energy and one in flexible hybrid electronics at the Department of Defense. Each institute will receive $70 million or more of federal investment to be matched by at least $70 million from the private sector for a total of more than $290 million in new investment.

  • The Department of Defense will lead a competition for a new public-private manufacturing innovation institute in flexible hybrid electronics. Flexible hybrid electronics combine advanced materials that flex with thinned silicon chips to produce the next generation of electronic products seamlessly integrated into the things around us.  These include items as diverse as comfortable, wireless medical monitors, stretchable electronics for robotics and vehicles, and smart bridges capable of alerting engineers at the first signs of trouble. For the nation’s warfighters, these new technologies will make lifesaving advances and improve mission effectiveness. For example, intelligent bandages and smart clothing will alert soldiers to first signs of injury or exhaustion; structural integrity sensors will offer real-time damage assessment for helicopters or aircraft after engagement; and small, unattended sensors will give soldiers greater situational awareness.
  • The Department of Energy will lead a competition for a new public-private manufacturing innovation institute focused on smart manufacturing, including advanced sensors, control, platforms, and models for manufacturing.  By combining manufacturing, digital, and energy efficiency expertise, technologies developed by the institute will give American manufacturers unprecedented, real-time control of energy use across factories and companies to increase productivity and save on energy costs. For energy intensive industries – like chemical production, solar cell manufacturing, and steelmaking – these technologies can shave 10-20% off the cost of production.  The new institute will receive a federal investment of $70 million that will be matched by at least $70 million in private investments and represents a critical step in the Administration’s effort to double U.S. energy efficiency by 2030.

More information on the manufacturing innovation institute competitions is at Manufacturing.gov.