Quick Hits

*** The Science and Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security is inviting Global Positioning System manufacturers and other critical infrastructure owners and operators to test how susceptible their GPS systems are to spoofing. The event will take place sometime over the summer and organizations have until Apr. 24 to express interest.

*** Pamela J. Powers, chief of staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking on the duties of deputy secretary on an acting basis. Powers takes over the role which had been vacant since the dismissal of Jim Byrne. The deputy secretary at VA is charged in statute with leading the $16 billion Electronic Health Record Modernization project.

*** Also at VA, Karen Brazell, the agency's chief acquisition officer, was promoted to serve as assistant secretary for the Office of Enterprise Integration on an acting basis. Brazell replaces Melissa Glynn who recently left government service to take a position at Ernst and Young.