National Guard and Army Corps of Engineers mobilized in Hurricane Helene and Milton response

Federal Newscast

The Corps has more than 560 personnel engaged in 27 missions to assist with Hurricane Helene recovery as well.

Michele Sandiford

October 17, 2024 2:35 pm

< a min read

4,500 Guardsmen from seven states have been mobilized to assist with search and recovery efforts following Hurricane Milton. In addition, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has deployed approximately 300 personnel to assist with debris control, infrastructure assessment and roof support. At the same time, recovery efforts continue for Hurricane Helene, with 3,000 National Guard members from 13 states and 1,500 active-duty soldiers engaged in various missions across the region. The Corps has more than 560 personnel engaged in 27 missions to assist with Hurricane Helene recovery as well.
(Guard continues to support Helene, Milton recovery efforts - Department of Defense)

Agencies have three more days to get the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) all their data about UFOs. In the 2024 Defense authorization act, Congress set an Oct. 20 deadline for agencies to submit to NARA any records to create an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection. This database will consist of copies of all government, government-provided or government-funded records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin and non-human intelligence. NARA will make these records public through catalog and provide helping in sifting through the records.
(Guidance to federal agencies on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection - National Archives and Records Administration)

USAJobs has a new resource aiming to better connect applicants with the right job openings. Using a new “career explorer tool,” federal job applicants can now fill out a questionnaire to match them with better fits for openings on USAJobs. The questions ask about candidates’ experience and interest in everything from using power tools and fixing electronics, to studying plant growth, analyzing data trends and much more. At the end of the quiz, the tool compiles a list of job titles and occupational series that those candidates can then look for in their federal job search.
(Career explorer tool - Office of Personnel Management )

An employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) receives a 70-day unpaid suspension for promoting political fundraisers at work. The VA employee admitted to posting a dozen Facebook messages about political fundraisers for a state legislature candidate she supported. The employee made some of the posts while on duty. The Hatch Act prohibits federal employees from soliciting accepting or receiving political donations while at work.
(VA employee gets 70-day suspension for violating the Hatch Act - Office of Special Counsel )

The Army readies to release its Installation Strategy 2.0. Rachel Jacobson, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, said the plan will be released before the end of the calendar year. The implementation plan to accompany the strategy is also in development. “We’re not waiting for the release of the strategy to start the implementation plan. “But one thing is really important: the reason it’s taking so long is I can’t think of any entity in the United States Army that will not touch this installation strategy. That’s how widely we’re circulating it for coordination.”
(Army to update its installation strategy - Association of the U.S. Army conference)

The 2024 Combined Federal Campaign is officially underway. The annual campaign collects donations from federal employees and retirees to contribute to thousands of charities around the world. Feds interested in contributing can donate online, use the CFC mobile app or fill out a paper form. Employees can also volunteer their time to support charitable organizations through the CFC. This year’s donation campaign will run until January 2025.
(How to give - Combined Federal Campaign)

A federal watchdog agency outlines its plans for using artificial intelligence. The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) has named a chief AI officer and convened an AI task force to oversee how it uses this emerging technology. OSC also created an inventory of current and future AI use cases. These are just a few of the steps the agency is taking under its new AI policy. OSC will also ensure agencies aren’t using AI improperly when it comes to hiring decisions employee evaluations or carrying out workplace activities.
(OSC announces artificial intelligence policy to promote safety, enhance efficiency, and protect rights - Office of Special Counsel)

Raytheon is paying an additional fine to resolve allegations of violating the export control act. Raytheon is paying $950 million to settle allegations that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the Arms Export Control Act as well as participated in a major government fraud scheme involving defective pricing on certain Defense contracts. This penalty comes about six weeks after Raytheon agreed with the State Department to pay $200 million in fines to resolve 750 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. The Justice Department said part of the fine is to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit in which Raytheon knowingly failed to provide truthful certified cost and pricing data during negotiations on numerous contracts between 2009 and 2020. Justice said the $428 million fine is the second largest government procurement fraud recovery under the False Claims Act.
(Defense contractor RTX agrees to pay more than $950 million to resolve bribery, fraud claims - Federal News Network)

Agency cyber experts said they need more detailed guidance on the transition to post-quantum cryptography. Many agencies are preparing for post-quantum cryptography with strategies, pilot projects or workforce initiatives. But in a new survey, GDIT found 37% of federal cyber experts said a lack of formal guidance on the post-quantum transition is a critical challenge. The White House has said it’s working on new guidelines to drive the post-quantum transition. In August, the National Institute of Standards and Technology finalized post-quantum encryption algorithms. While a cryptographically relevant quantum computer does not yet exist, officials are concerned hackers could steal sensitive data now and decrypt it later.
(Feds seeks more guidance on post-quantum cryptography transition - Federal News Network)

Federal agencies are urging software manufacturers to avoid bad practices that can lead to cyber incidents. In a new guide, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI lay out those bad product security practices. The guide highlights risky actions such as using memory unsafe programming language allowing users to keep default passwords and including known exploited vulnerabilities in a software product. CISA is accepting comments on the bad practices guide through Dec. 2.
(CISA and FBI release product security bad practices for public comment - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)