Modernization
JAIC feels pressure to go faster as tight budgets loom
The Defense Department’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center believes AI-driven productivity gains could become "an economic necessity."
People
SecDef plans new screening, training to weed out extremism
The Defense Department has ordered several personnel policy changes to address extremism in the military, ranging from updating intake questionnaires for recruits to training to prepare service members for potential targeting by extremist groups.
Modernization
DOD bets big on financial data to improve business performance
The Defense Department is betting that insights from its financial data will help improve its business operations, from optimizing the workforce to divesting of legacy systems.
Cybersecurity
CMMC announces new advisory council to collect industry feedback
The new organization will eventually produce regular public reports and address common industry concerns like the cost of implementation.
Cybersecurity
Space Force satellite communications contract gets nod for CMMC
A request for information for the Inmarsat Broadband Global Area Network and Global Xpress contract was amended March 31 to include requirements for the CMMC pilot program.
People
Biden taps DIU head for top Pentagon acquisition post
President Joe Biden nominates three for senior defense posts, including Michael Brown, the head of Defense Innovation Unit.
People
DOD should update emergency response plans to accommodate telework, IG says
Each component should also update its plan "to include revised assumptions regarding telework for personnel and the resources required to support the teleworking workforce," the IG wrote in an April 1 report.
Cybersecurity
Mandatory review of DOD's compliance on CMMC is delayed
The Defense Department was supposed to submit a review to Congress by March 1 assessing whether components complied with the guidelines of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. That deadline has been pushed to June.
Acquisition
Could 2022 see the end of OCO?
As the Biden administration prepares to deliver its first budget, the question arises of whether there's enough political clout to end the controversial overseas contingency operations account.
Cybersecurity
First set of CMMC certification orgs emerge
The Defense Department's unified cybersecurity program is making gains with its first tranche of certifying bodies, but assessments for defense contractors are a ways off.
Modernization
JADC2 needs to be Pentagon's 'big bet,' Flournoy says
Michèle Flournoy, former undersecretary of defense for policy, said Joint All Domain Command and Control "needs to be one of the big bets that the Pentagon places" if it wants to be prepared for the future of warfare.
Cybersecurity
CMMC body hires ex-CISA deputy as first CEO
The governing body in charge of implementing the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program has hired Matthew Travis, former CISA deputy director, as new CEO.
People
Air Force seeks 'ubiquitous connectivity' from telework to bases
Lauren Knausenberger, the Air Force's CIO, said since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service had increased focus on telework and improving base connectivity.
People
What's at stake with Biden's Pentagon vacancies?
The Biden administration has several Defense Department vacancies to fill in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and military departments. But what does that mean for personnel and the 2022 budget?
Digital Government
Fight over defense dollars looms in House
The House Armed Services Committee's top Republican, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), is pushing for a 3% to 5% increase in the topline 2022 defense budget and wants education and training for cybersecurity and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to top the panel's agenda.
Modernization
Does DOD have the leadership it needs on electromagnetic spectrum strategy?
Joseph Kirschbaum, the director of defense capabilities and management, for the Government Accountability Office, told Congress that having leadership buy-in is the difference between a successful strategy and a failed one.
Cybersecurity
CMMC board preps for staff changes
The body in charge of standing up and running the Defense Department’s unified cybersecurity standard is shifting its staffing arrangement.
Modernization
Pentagon needs AI at every leadership level, panel recommends
Robert Work, vice chairman of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, called for DOD to implement a "top-down leadership" approach "to push integration of AI throughout the force."
Cybersecurity
CMMC board's training lead resigns
Ben Tchoubineh, the CMMC accreditation body's chair for training and CMMC board member Nicole Dean, the chief information security officer for Accenture, have voluntarily resigned, FCW has learned.
Acquisition