Defense Budget. The Trump administration tentatively plans to develop a fiscal year 2017 defense budget amendment in parallel with a 30-day readiness review, according to a draft executive order obtained by the Washington Post. The document also calls for a revised FY 2018 budget request in 90 days, and a new national defense strategy by January 2018 that would also include nuclear posture, missile defense and long-term readiness reviews.
Arctic Unmanned. The U.S. military should rely heavily on unmanned systems to increase its presence in the increasingly important Arctic region, whose harsh conditions often make it difficult for people to operate, according to retired Adm. Gary Roughead, former chief of naval operations. The Arctic is “where our technology in unmanned systems should really rip,” Roughead says Jan. 24 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Manned systems will still have a significant role in the region, though, and Roughead recommends that the United States and Canada consider jointly designing an Arctic patrol vessel to share costs. “Let’s be realistic, our shipyards in both countries will have to be employed, so it’s a build in each country. But common design, common communication architectures.”
McCain vs. Mulvaney. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) says Jan. 25 on MSNBC that he’s leaning against voting for Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) as Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director. McCain was upset that Mulvaney, during testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on Jan. 24, said he voted to remove all forces from Afghanistan solely based on a conversation with an angry veteran constituent. McCain says he’s “very, very worried” he would continue his efforts to slash the military. Mulvaney is known for being a deficit hawk. Andrew Hunter from the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington says though he believes Mulvaney would be confirmed by the Senate, he also thinks if McCain came out strong against him, it would put the nomination at risk.
Afloat Readiness. The Navy faces a $2 billion shortfall in “afloat readiness,” including $647 million for ship depot maintenance, $504 million for air operations and flying hours, $355 million for information warfare and other support, and $339 million for ship operations, according to the Navy’s latest fiscal year 2017 unfunded priorities list. “Without additional funding, FY 2017 is projected to have a significant shortfall in afloat readiness, some of which will carry over and further pressurize future years,” says the document, which the Navy prepared for Congress. Other unfunded priorities include $2.3 billion for 24 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, $1.8 billion for a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship, and $1.2 billion for six P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
Ship Maintenance. Eight senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis urging him to exempt Navy shipyard civilian employees from the Trump administration’s new federal hiring freeze. The lawmakers contend the exemption is needed to ensure the maintenance of existing and future ships does not suffer. “The public shipyards are currently hiring hundreds of new employees who must complete years of training before they are able to maintain and repair naval vessels,” the Jan. 26 letter says. “A civilian hiring freeze at naval shipyards will severely impact this training pipeline, resulting in maintenance delays and higher costs.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), whose state is home to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, spearheaded the letter. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) also signed the letter.
ALCM. The Air Force tests three unarmed AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM), according to a service statement. B-52H aircrews launched the three ALCMs during three separate sorties. A B-52H can carry six ALCMs on each of the two externally-mounted pylons and eight internally on a rotary launcher, giving the B-52H a maximum capacity of 20 missiles. The Air Force is developing the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) weapon to replace the ALCM. The service expects to start fielding the LRSO by 2030.
Lovefest. Defense consultant and analyst Jim McAleese describes Boeing Chief Dennis Muilenburg’s comments on the company’s fourth quarter earnings call last Wednesday as a “love-fest” with President Donald Trump. During the call Muilenburg said he’s had an “open dialogue” with the president and that he supports “actions that are being taken around things like tax reform, regulatory reform, focus on trade policy. Those are all things that are going to allow us to grow economically and ultimately allow us to grow and add manufacturing capacity in the U.S.” McAleese says “Boeing welded itself directly to President Trump’s ‘pro-business-agenda,’”adding, “It almost seemed as if Pres. Trump & CEO Muilenburg had been ‘running-mates,’ on the same-ticket.” Before Inauguration Day Trump hosted Muilenburg to discuss the company’s Air Force One program with the Air Force, charging it is too costly. Muilenburg said after meeting Trump that Boeing would be bringing the costs of the aircraft down.
…Manufacturing Initiative. Last Friday Trump launched a Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, a move in line with his campaign promise to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Under the initiative the president will meet with U.S. business leaders “to share their experiences and gain their insights.” Among the CEOs assisting with the new initiative are Muilenburg, Lockheed Martin’s Marillyn Hewson, who has met with Trump over bringing the cost of the F-35 fighter program down, United Technologies’ Greg Hayes, Tesla’s Elon Musk, Harris Corp.’s William Brown, and General Electric’s Jeff Immelt.
JWST. NASA attributes a recent testing anomaly with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to “gapping,” or extremely small motions, in one primary mirror wing launch restraint mechanism, according to an agency statement. These restraint mechanisms keep the mirror wings in place during launch. NASA is working with launch provider Arianespace to ensure that the vibration testing program will adequately test the JWST payload with the expected launch vibration environment. The science payload has been both visually and ultrasonically inspected and no damage was found. The vibration test program was restarted and, over the weekend of Jan. 20, the team successfully conducted the first of three axis vibration tests. NASA says the mission continues to be on track for a 2018 launch. Northrop Grumman is the JWST prime contractor.
Space Weather Bill. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Jan. 24 approves by voice vote a space weather research and forecasting bill. The bill, co-sponsored by Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), aims to better predict and mitigate the impacts of extreme space weather events, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Coronal mass ejections are naturally-occurring changes in emissions from the sun that can cause disruptions to the electrical power grid and communications networks, resulting in safety risks and economic damage. It also outlines clear roles and responsibilities for the federal agencies that study and predict space weather events, including NASA, NOAA, DoD, the FAA and the National Science Foundation.
CSRA Rebrands. Federal government IT provider CSRA rebrands and unveils a redesigned website. The new website includes a new blog showcasing articles on technical and industry topics from CSRA “thought leaders” as well as a self-service library of collateral and information on CSRA offerings. The company’s new tagline is ‘Think Next. Now.’
GCHQ Head Resigns. Robert Hannigan, Director of the UK’s GCHQ since 2014 announces his intention to step down once a successor is in place. In a letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, Hannigan writes “After a good deal of thought I have decided that this is the right time to move on and to allow someone else to lead GCHQ through its next phase. I am, like you, a great enthusiast for our history and I think it is right that a new Director should be firmly embedded by our centenary in 2019.” He says his duties “have all demanded a great deal of my ever patient and understanding family, and now is the right time for a change in direction.” The succession process will next involve an internal competition within the government to identify candidates to succeed Hannigan who are then recommended to the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister.
Cyber Official to Law Firm. Clete Johnson, senior advisor for cybersecurity to former Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, joins the Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP communications-focused law firm as a Partner. At Commerce he coordinated the department’s cyber security initiatives, department support for the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, and represented it for National Security Council staff deliberations on cyber and technology security issues. Previously Johnson was appointed by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler as the commission’s first Chief Counsel for Cybersecurity.
Cyber Women Scholarships. Raytheon and the Center for Cyber Safety and Education are partnering to offer six new scholarships in 2017 to encourage women to pursue cybersecurity degrees. The Center is a charitable trust established in 2011 by the nonprofit (ISC)², that provides internet-safety resources and tools for children, parents, and communities through an education program, information security scholarships, and industry and consumer research. The new Raytheon Women’s Cybersecurity Scholarships will be administered by the Center and awarded to six women annually. Three are designated for women entering college and three for mid-career professionals seeking to expand skills or change careers. They may receive a paid summer internship at Raytheon’s cyber business as well as other benefits.
CompTIA Cyber Advisory Council. The technology association CompTIA launches an Advisory Council on Cybersecurity (CACC) aimed at addressing pressing cybersecurity concerns facing businesses and governments. It consists of cybersecurity professionals from several disciplines that will identify methods the association can develop specific cybersecurity initiatives that advance U.S. cyber security readiness, CompTIA says. The CACC will also identify gaps in the cyber security ecosystem that the association may consider filling. CACC members include executives at Venable, Symantec, and Cylance; a Treasury Department IT official; academia; and head of a data privacy practice at a law firm.
IBM Acquisition. IBM Security plans to acquire Agile 3 Solutions, a software developed that senior executives use to better visualize and understand how to manage risks in protecting sensitive data. The company will also add an intuitive tool to improve C-Suite decision making to help businesses prepare to defend against cybercrime. Agile 3 Solutions is based in San Francisco, Calif., and provides business leaders with a dashboard and data risk control center. Financial terms of the transactions are not disclosed and it is expected to close shortly. Following the acquisition IBM plans to offer Agile 3 Solutions technology through IBM Data Security Services and integrate capabilities into IBM Guardium.
L3 Executives. L3 Technologies is promoting two executives to new positions to succeed Curtis Brunson, who will be retiring as executive vice president of Corporate Strategy and Development during the second quarter. David Van Buren will become senior vice president of Program Development, and Heidi Wood senior vice president of Strategy. Van Buren and Wood will report to L3 President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Kubasik. Also retiring is Steve Kantor, who runs the company’s Electronic Systems segment.
SECDEF Calls. During his first week on the job, Defense Secretary James Mattis spoke by phone with leaders of allied nations across the globe. He first spoke with Canadian Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan, his first telephone conversation with a defense counterpart since being confirmed as secretary of defense on Jan. 20. Mattis thanked Sajjan for his leadership and the deep and enduring defense partnership between the United States and Canada as both reiterated the depth and breadth of the relationship shared between the United States and Canada as NORAD partners, NATO allies, and North American neighbors, the Pentagon says in a statement. Mattis and Sajjan reinforced the importance of U.S. and Canadian commitment to North American defense and NORAD. Mattis emphasized the indispensable partnership with Canada across the spectrum of bilateral and multilateral security issues such as Iraq, NATO Enhanced Forward Presence and against the Islamic State. The two leaders also address the importance of North American defense relations among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The two committed to stay in close communication and noted they looked forward to meeting one another.
… Reassuring NATO. Mattis called NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to reconnect and discuss the key role NATO plays in transatlantic security. Mattis, who previously served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, placed the call on his first full day in office to reinforce the importance he places on the alliance, even though President Donald Trump has denigrated the alliance as “obsolete” and has demanded that member nations pay more for collective defense if they expect the U.S. military to back them in a conflict. The two leaders discussed the importance of shared values, and the secretary emphasizes that when looking for allies to help defend these values, the U.S. always starts with Europe, according to the Pentagon. Both leaders pledged to consult in the months and look forward to meeting in person during the NATO Defense Ministerial in February.
… United Kingdom. Mattis then spokes with his counterpart from the United Kingdom, State Secretary for Defense Michael Fallon. Mattis emphasized the U.S. and the U.K. will always enjoy a uniquely close relationship, reflected in defense ties which are a bedrock of U.S. security,” the Pentagon says in a statement. Mattis also emphasized the United States’ “unshakeable commitment to NATO” and thanked Fallon for his country’s commitment of 2 percent of GDP to defense and contributions to international security. The two leaders agreed to maintain focus on defeating ISIL.
… France. On Thursday, Mattis talked with French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian to introduce himself and discuss the long-time allies’ security cooperation, “which is stronger than ever as both countries engage side-by-side in the fight against terrorism,” the Pentagon says in a statement. Both leaders agreed to use the joint statement of intent signed in November as a framework to continue this strong relationship. Mattis discussed the importance of the NATO alliance and counter-ISIL operations, and thanks Le Drian for his country’s continued commitment to both.
… Germany. Mattis also called German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen to introduce himself and exchange perspectives on defense security issues with one of our closest allies. The two leaders discussed the importance of the alliance between the U.S. and Germany, both bilaterally and as members of NATO. The secretary assured the minister of the United States’ enduring commitment to the NATO alliance. He thanked Von der Leyen for her country’s leadership in NATO activities on the Eastern Flank and in Afghanistan, and acknowledges the role that Germany plays in fighting terrorism, specifically in the counter-ISIL coalition. He also cited the strategic importance of Germany as the host to 35,000 U.S. personnel, the largest U.S. force presence in Europe.
… Israel. Mattis also spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to “underscore his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” according to the Pentagon. Israel was atop Mattis’ list of nations to contact “during his first week to emphasize his intent to advance the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship and to protect Israel’s qualitative military edge.” The two leaders discussed regional security challenges in the Middle East and the need to create common approaches to challenges facing the region. Both sides reaffirm their commitment to the U.S.-Israeli defense relationship, and look forward to meeting in person in the future.
… Asia Trip. Mattis embarks on his first trip as secretary Feb. 1-4 to meet with his counterparts from two allies, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The four-day trip will include stops in Seoul and Tokyo. Departing on Feb. 1, Mattis begins his trip in the Republic of Korea, where he will meet Minister of National Defense Han Min Koo and other senior Korean officials. On Feb. 3, Secretary Mattis travels to Tokyo for meetings with Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada and other senior Japanese officials. “The trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation,” the Pentagon says in a statement.