Friday federal headlines – October 30, 2015

In Friday's Federal Headlines, DoD is setting up a new system of records to help provide notification to employees affected by the OPM data breach.

The Federal Headlines is a daily compilation of the stories you hear discussed on the Federal Drive and In Depth radio shows.

  • DoD is setting up a new system of records to help provide notification to employees affected by the OPM data breach. They’re working with OPM to handle breach notifications. Workers can go to OPM’s website and it will redirect them to a DoD website where it can tell them whether they’ve been affected by the breach. (Federal Register)
  • High turnover within the top management positions at the Small Business Administration mean the agency hasn’t been able to resolve many of its long-standing challenges. SBA has had eight different administrators over the past 10 years. Seven different people have held the chief information officer job, and six people have been the SBA chief operating officer over the same time. The Government Accountability Office says information technology security and the 8A business development program have been on the SBA’s list of challenges for more than 15 years. (GAO)
  • The FAA announces it is setting up a drone registration taskforce to streamline the registration process for the devices. PCWorld reports Google, Amazon and Wal-Mart will be a part of the team. Their objective is to formulate recommendations for a registration system by Nov. 20. (PCWorld)
  • The Defense Department is using a new cybersecurity implementation plan to change its culture and add more discipline. DoD Secretary Ash Carter and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford signed off on the plan earlier this month. The strategy focuses on tools, culture and training. DoD says the goal is to ensure commanders, leaders and all employees are understand the basics of cybersecurity and can protect their networks and data. DoD will use a scorecard to measure its progress against the plan’s goals. (Federal News Radio)
  • The budget deal has passed the Senate and that puts the NDAA back on the forefront. The House and Senate Armed Services Committees will work together to conform the bill to the budget deal parameters if Congress doesn’t override President Barack Obama’s veto of it — which there isn’t a high probability of, since the House did not have the votes when the bill passed. (Federal News Radio)
  • Transportation Department Secretary Anthony Foxx announced $500 million in grants under the TIGER grant program to fund transportation projects across the nation. Some of the grants will invest in innovations that include a regional truck parking information management system and a multimodal travel plaza. The grants will also improve bridges and purchase buses that can handle disabled riders. This is the seventh round of TIGER grants, bringing the total amount provided by the program to almost $5 billion. (Transportation Department)
  • The Army is seeking information on internally and externally funded research about electronic warfare technology challenges. The Army is looking for ways to outpace rivals’ decisions and technical options in electronic warfare. The service also wants to prevent adversaries from engaging Army forces and allow operations in the increasingly dense electromagnetic spectrum environment. The Defense Department has become increasingly interested in electronic warfare since the announcement of the Defense Innovation Initiative last year. (FBO)

 

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