USSOCOM #1 Unfunded Priority: Laser-Armed C-130s U.S. Special Operations Command’s top unfunded priority is to equip C-130s with lasers, according to Lt. Gen. Brad Webb of Air Force Special Operations Command. Currently, command has money for only “the first steps” of the project, he said…

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Unemployment Levels Near 5-Month Low The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly five months last week to a seasonally adjusted 233,000. This level was lower than anticipated, as economists had predicted claims falling to 245,000…

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Sierra Nevada Picks ULA’s Atlas V Rocket to Launch ISS Cargo Delivery Spacecraft Sierra Nevada Corp. has chosen United Launch Alliance‘s Atlas V rocket to launch spacecraft SNC has built to supply cargo to the International Space Station as part of the Cargo Resupply Services 2 contract with NASA…

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Splunk Study: Lack of Visibility, Siloed Systems Impact Public Sector Execs’ Confidence in IT Operations A new Splunk study has found that at least 60 percent of information technology executives in the public sector said they are less confident in executing tasks in various areas of IT operations than they did in the past year…

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7 University Teams to Receive DARPA Funds for Gene Editing Tech R&D The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to issue grants worth up to $65 million in total over the next four years to seven university teams that will study and develop gene editing tools. DARPA said Wednesday the teams will perform work under the Safe Genes program, which aims to explore how gene editing technologies work; develop ways to use the technology safely; and address potential health and security threats posed by misuse…

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Report: State Dept to Merge Cyber Office with Bureau of Economic & Business Affairs U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will consolidate the State Department‘s Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, or S/CCI, into the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs as part of a reorganization effort, Bloomberg reported Wednesday…

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Planet to Provide Imagery Access to DoD, Intelligence Community Under NGA Contract Planet has entered a $14 million agreement with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to provide the Defense Department and the Intelligence Community with access to the company’s imagery of more than 25 regions of interest…

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Sen. Ron Wyden: DHS Needs to Adopt DMARC Tech to Address Impersonation of Federal Agencies Via Emails Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has called on the Department of Homeland Security to address cyber hackers’ attempts to transmit email messages that impersonate federal agencies through adoption of the Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting and Conformance technology…

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DARPA to Host Proposers Day on Autonomous Tech Safety Program The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will host a Proposers Day on Aug. 15 in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss a program that seeks to boost the safety of autonomous systems. DARPA said Monday it aims to develop design and analysis tools that can help guarantee the safety of autonomous platforms and support the use of such systems in “safety-critical” Defense Department operations under the Assured Autonomy program…

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VIDEO: Vice Chairman – Budget Instability Amplifies Challenges to DoD Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with the Senate Armed Services Committee July 18, 2017 for his reappointment nomination hearing, where he emphasized that budget instability amplifies the Defense Department’s external and internal challenges and must be addressed…

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