Signals & Space Monthly Briefing

November 2019

Prepared by the CyberWire (Friday, November 1, 2019) Intelligence failures and intelligence successes. Israeli sources say that the September 14th drone strike against oil facilities took the Saudis completely by surprise, and that the Americans were also caught off-guard. Early in October US officials, speaking anonymously, said that the US retaliated against the Iranian drone strikes with a cyberattack against Iranian assets, specifically against Tehran's propaganda infrastructure. A US raid on October 26th caught ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Syria's Idlib Province. Al-Baghdadi killed himself and, sadly, three of his children as US special operations forces cornered the terrorist leader in a tunnel. According to the Voice of America, US Defense Secretary Esper said "late-breaking actionable intelligence" developed that morning enabled the attack to be executed within hours. What sort of “late-breaking actionable intelligence” Defense Secretary Esper referred to is of course, and quite properly, left unclear. But developing target indicators into targets can be a difficult process, and indicators are often missed. Operations in the Gulf region underscore the need for effective, persistent surveillance. It's vital not only to operations, but to deterrence as well. Directed energy counter-drone systems rise in favor. In October the US Air Force took delivery from Raytheon of a vehicle-mounted laser designed for counter-drone operations. The High-Energy Laser Weapon System (HELWS) is mounted on a Polaris MRZR all-terrain vehicle. The Air Force intends to deploy the system into various theaters of operation for field testing. Leidos is pitching its own directed-energy weapon to the US Army: TIGER ("Time Integrated Gigawatt Electromagnetic Response"), a stand-mounted microwave cone that disrupts small drones. It's designed to be effective against swarms as well as individual UAVs. Another Army system under development is a 50-kilowatt laser mounted on a Stryker armored vehicle. The Mobile Expeditionary High Energy Laser (MEHEL) is scheduled to be fielded in a four-vehicle platoon during FY 2020. The counter-drone mission increasingly looks amenable to being addressed in terms of the traditional air defense principles of mass, mix, and mobility, as the services move toward developing a layered, integrated approach to defending the forces against UAVs. One of those layers may be made of "kamikaze" drone swarms. Such swarms are part of Raytheon's Howler system, which achieved initial operational capability in June. "Recovering monopolists" and alternative sources of overhead imagery. Robert Cardillo, who retired as head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) in February, talked to C4ISRNET about the cultural challenges involved in accepting commercial satellite imaging services. When he entered the field in the early 1980s, Cardillo said, the Government had a real monopoly of the production, delivery, and analysis of such imagery. That's no longer true, and hasn't been true for some time, but "In their heads, intellectually, we know that we’re not in control of everything, but our muscle memory, our contracting rhythm, our clearance process, is still kind of stuck." The NGA is now a coordinator of multiple imagery streams. NGA had been responsible for procuring commercial satellite imagery, but in 2017 began transitioning that responsibility to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Among the contracts that have moved to NRO is one with Planet, a subscription that provides daily, unclassified, three-to-five meter images. Sponsored by Cosmic AES Do you have what it takes to solve complex signal-processing problems? At Cosmic AES, we design high-performance, adaptable solutions for the signals, space, and cyber domains. We’re looking for creative problem-solvers with engineering experience and a clearance. See what Cosmic AES has to offer. Starlink may get a lot bigger. SpaceX's Starlink constellation, designed to deliver broadband connectivity from low-earth orbit, began flying the first of a planned twelve-thousand satellites this past May. In October the company not only continued its planned launches, but filed a request with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for authorization to add an additional thirty-thousand satellites to the constellation, should the company find that necessary. The satellites would operate at altitudes ranging from three-hundred-twenty-eight to five-hundred-eighty kilometers. Pentagon's JEDI cloud contact goes to Microsoft. On October 25th the US Department of Defense announced that it had awarded Microsoft the contract for its Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI), a cloud computing program with a total contract value of $10 billion. The award was a surprise: it had been widely believed (as both the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post noted) that Amazon had been the frontrunner throughout the evaluation process. The initial period of performance under JEDI is two years, with options to extend the contract out to ten years. JEDI is in significant part a war cloud, a tactical, operational, and strategic IT service as well as an administrative one, and the Department's announcement stressed service to the warfighter first: "This contract will address critical and urgent unmet warfighter requirements for modern cloud infrastructure at all three classification levels delivered out to the tactical edge." Despite (or in part because of) JEDI, there will be many clouds for many users. It would be a mistake to think that the Department of Defense is new to the cloud. The Department's announcement of the JEDI award begins by pointing out that Defense has awarded in the last two years alone ten distinct cloud contracts worth in the aggregate more than $11 billion. By the Wall Street Journal's estimate, the Department has "more than five hundred clouds," and a significant part of the work to be done under JEDI will involve the coordination, management, and rationalization of those clouds. Nor is JEDI regarded as the exclusive vehicle under which the Pentagon will purchase other cloud services. More cloud contracts are expected to be bid in the near future, and the Department of Defense said even as it announced the JEDI award that it intends to pursue a multi-vendor, multi-cloud strategy. "The department’s needs are diverse and cannot be met by any single supplier." This would seem to be in tension, at the very least, with a large overarching program like JEDI, which is why JEDI's coordinating role shouldn't be overlooked. Department of Defense CIO Dana Deasy said, “The National Defense Strategy dictates that we must improve the speed and effectiveness with which we develop and deploy modernized technical capabilities to our women and men in uniform. The DOD Digital Modernization Strategy was created to support this imperative. This award is an important step in execution of the Digital Modernization Strategy.” For all of its appearance as a traditional ACAT 1 program, JEDI is seen as an enabler of rapid modernization. JEDI's first Request for Information was issued two years ago, and work will probably still be performed under this contract in 2029. The program aims at agility and rapid modernization. Yet it's difficult to look at JEDI in its long preparation and period of performance, its extensive set of requirements, and the litigation that will inevitably accompany the award and not be reminded of a classic, big-ticket Defense program as such programs evolved over the last century. The hope is that JEDI will bring a structure that enables rapid insertion of new technologies, with high levels of security, at commercial prices. And, inevitably, JEDI will be protested. On appeals and litigation, Oracle filed a suit with the US Court of Federal Claims protesting its early elimination from the competition, alleging that Amazon improperly influenced the down-selection, possibly through a once-and-future Amazon employee's whose role in managing the JEDI solicitation put Oracle at a disadvantage. That suit was unsuccessful, but, as GCN reported at the beginning of October, Oracle is appealing that unfavorable ruling is continuing its case in the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Secretary of Defense Esper recused himself from reviewing the contract on the grounds that his son had worked for IBM, one of the early, former bidders for the work. This seemed an act of supererogation, as Esper's son hadn't been involved with the JEDI bid, but "out of an abundance of caution to avoid any concerns regarding his impartiality," as a spokesman put it, the Secretary turned review responsibility over to Deputy Secretary David Norquist, Defense CIO Deasy testified before Congress this week that the White House exerted no influence on the award (President Trump has had a testy relationship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos). Amazon, said to have been surprised by the award, is widely believed likely to file its own protest. And AWS might not be shut out of Defense cloud work after all. After all, Defense intends there to be lots of other clouds when all is said and done. OPIR, hypersonics, and getting the orbital sensors right. Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites, intended to serve for four years, have now passed their tenth year in orbit. The next generation of space-based sensors, the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system that will replace the Space-Based Infrared System, has passed its preliminary design review. The US Air Force says that means Next-Generation OPIR is on track for delivery in 2025. Defense against hypersonic weapons is expected to represent a difficult limiting condition for the next generation of space-based sensors. The sensors themselves present challenges, but challenges that can be overcome. But managing the data those sensors will develop is the hard part, Vice Admiral Jon Hill thinks. The Director of the Missile Defense Agency sees track management and dealing with clutter as the biggest obstacles to be overcome in developing effective defenses against hypersonic weapons: they're "dimmer" than ballistic missiles, and it's more difficult to hold their tracks. The truth is out there...somewhere. Give the US Army credit for willingness to think out of the box. The Senior Service's Combat Capabilities Development Command's Ground Vehicle System Center has concluded a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) with To the Stars Academy, an outfit run by former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge. To the Stars Academy believes it has exotic materials that offer a range of capabilities the Army's never seen before: active camouflage, inertial mass reduction. To the Stars Academy doesn't say where it got the exotic materials, but speculation in the trade press is that DeLonge's organization thinks they found stuff left behind by space aliens. Two things should be noted. First, a CRADA gives a business access to underused research facilities, and need not imply any strong conviction on the Service's part that the research will be as revolutionary as the business may hope. (We think we recall a Navy CRADA around 2000 where they let a company see if it could farm lobsters in an old dry dock, and we're not even sure everyone at ONR liked lobster.) Second, the Army did say all sorts of nice things about To the Stars Academy. If the Ground Vehicle System Center really thinks there are alien materials out there, sorry, but they may be barking up the wrong tree. Ed Snowden says that, as a sys-admin for NSA and CIA, he searched all those agencies' databases for evidence of alien contact, but he found nothing. So no space aliens. (Unless, unless, well, absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence...) A question for the Intelligence Community: how many billable hours are sys-admins devoting to scanning your files for the X-Files? And a final serious point: CRADAs are valuable instruments a small business can use to quickly advance an innovative research-and-development program. [1825]   Today's edition of the CyberWire reports events affecting Bahrain, the European Union, Iran, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. Selected Reading Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities (7) Trends (3) Marketplace (31) Products, Services, and Solutions (8) Technologies, Techniques, and Standards (18) Design and Innovation (6) Research and Development (8) Academia (1) Legislation, Policy, and Regulation (15) Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement (2) Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities The Growing Risk of a Major Satellite Cyber Attack (Via Satellite) The third iteration of CyberSat begins in November, where members of the satellite, end user, and cyber communities will get together to discuss the threat landscape and vectors for a cybersecurity attack on satellites. We talk to some of experts of the CyberSat advisory board about major threats to the sector. Saudis Had No Intel On Iranian Oil Strikes; Mossad, Bibi Brief Defense Cabinet (Breaking Defense) Israeli sources said the Saudis had no clue something might happen. "It seems that the Americans were also in the dark, which is very worrying. A greater cause for worry, is if Washington knew and did not share the data in time with the Saudis" one source said. Drone and missile attacks against Saudi Arabia underscore need for more robust air defenses (Military Times) Since the outbreak of violence in Yemen in 2015, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than 250 missiles across the border killing at least 206 civilians and wounding nearly 950. Roughly 20,000 people have been displaced by the attacks. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in U.S. military raid in Syria, Trump announces (Baltimore Sun) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, was killed in a U.S. military raid in Syria, President Donald Trump said. Analysis | Bigger than bin Laden? 3 striking things about Trump’s announcement that Baghdadi is dead. (Washington Post) So much detail, the role of the Kurds and his effort to portray this as bigger than bin Laden. North Korea says submarine-launched missile test succeeded (Military Times) North Korea confirmed Thursday it has carried out its first underwater-launched ballistic missile test in three years, in an apparent bid to dial up pressure on the United States ahead of a weekend resumption of their nuclear diplomacy. Social Media OpSec Concerns Overstated, Army General Says (Military.com) A general, a lieutenant, a cartoonist and the administrator of a controversial community Facebook page walk onto a stage. Trends Analysts predict counterdrone market will top $2B (C4ISRNET) New research focused on the business environment for counterdrone tools sees laws, rights as slowing domestic adoption. Global Software-Defined Radio Market to Reach $31.69 Billion by 2024 (PR Newswire) According to a new market intelligence report by BIS Research, titled "Global Software- Defined Radio Market... Is the NGA full of ‘recovering monopolists?’ (C4ISRNET) Former National Geospatial-Intelligence Director Robert Cardillo says the agency needs to move faster in adapting to a modern world where the NGA is no longer the sole source of GEOINT. Marketplace Pentagon space reforms leading to better relations with industry (Defense News) The head of United Launch Alliance says the war-fighting domain of space is creating 3 ways the Pentagon wants to make buying American weapons easier (Defense News) The Pentagon wants to make buying American weapons more simple for customers. Army seeks SIGINT apps (Intelligence Community News) On October 3, the U.S. Army posted a request for information for SIGINT intelligence applications. Responses are due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on November 4. This is a Request for Information (RFI), as … UNITED STATES/EUROPE/ISRAEL : Airbus, Thales enter fray for Hanoi intelligence observation satellite (Intelligence Online) Companies from a number of countries are jostling to land a lucrative spy-satellite contract with Hanoi. Britain chases early contract for new Skynet satellite to avert delay (Defense News) With the existing Skynet 5 network aging, Britain wants a new satellite in service to ensure its space communications capabilities are not compromised. Pentagon Picks Microsoft for JEDI Cloud-Computing Contract Over Amazon (Wall Street Journal) The Pentagon awarded Microsoft a hotly contested and controversial contract to build a large cloud-computing system for the U.S. military. The so-called JEDI contract could be worth up to $10 billion to Microsoft over a 10-year period. Pentagon awards controversial $10 billion cloud computing deal to Microsoft, spurning Amazon (Washington Post) Known as JEDI, the military’s cloud computing contract will go to Microsoft after Trump expressed opposition to giving it to Amazon. The award had been held up for years in a bitter dispute between some of the country’s biggest tech firms. No political influence in JEDI decision, Pentagon says (Federal News Network) DoD’s CIO told lawmakers the White House could not have interfered with the JEDI decision because the identities of decisionmakers were kept secret. JEDI to Microsoft? It ain’t over yet (Federal News Network) The Defense Department made its award, but the JEDI cloud computing story doesn’t end here. Amazon could challenge loss of $10 billion Pentagon cloud deal as early as next week (Reuters) If Amazon.com decides to fight the Pentagon's decision to award a highly co... Oracle previews JEDI appeal (GCN) In a Sept. 25 docketing statement, Oracle described why it is appealing a recent court decision to deny its protest of the JEDI cloud computing infrastructure contract. What is JEDI? Explaining the $10B military cloud contract that Microsoft just won over Amazon (GeekWire) Questions about the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract have been swirling since news broke late Friday that Microsoft has won the 10-year agreement to build the U.S. Multibillion-dollar replay? GSA claws back DEOS acquisition. (Washington Business Journal) The General Services Administration has decided to rebid the Department of Defense’s $7.6 billion cloud office contract. DEOS another big cloud delay for DOD, but not a JEDI-style drama (Washington Business Journal) Despite its issues, those in the IT contracting community note that DEOS has little in common with DOD’s other conflict-laden cloud acquisition, the Joint Enterprise Defense Initiative (JEDI) contract. After protest fight, NCI starts work on largest contract in 10 years (Washington Technology) After a long protest battle, NCI Information Systems has begun work on a $269.9 million Defense Department IT contract that is the company's largest in a decade. HP wins first big slice of Navy’s NGEN-R contract (Federal News Network) HP’s federal subsidiary won the end-user hardware portion of the follow-on to the Next Generation Enterprise Network contract. The award could be worth up to $1.4 billion. Who will help track hypersonic threats from space? (C4ISRNET) The Missile Defense Agency has tasked these four companies with designing a space-based sensor capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic weapons. FORGE, OPIR’s Ground System, Deal Due March 2020 (Breaking Defense) "FORGE itself is essentially a framework to hang applications on to do the OPIR mission," explains Raytheon's Todd Probert. DoD Rethinks Launch Needs To Counter Russia, China (Breaking Defense) ULA CEO Tony Bruno says he "would not be surprised" if the Air Force National Security Space Launch Phase 3 competition includes a requirement for responsive launch. Planet has a new subscriber for its satellite imagery (C4ISRNET) As part of the ongoing transition of responsibility for commercial satellite imagery from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to the National Reconnaissance Office, the NRO awarded Planet a contract for daily commercial imagery. US Air Force Selects L3Harris Technologies to Develop Space Hub End Cryptographic Unit for Protected Tactical SATCOM Program (Valdosta Daily Times) The U.S. Air Force has selected L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) to deliver the space hub end cryptographic unit (ECU) for the Protected Tactical SATCOM (PTS) SHIELD program. Lockheed nets $163.9M to support space-based infrared system (UPI) Lockheed Martin was awarded $163.9 million for support of the space based infrared system, ahead of replacement by the Next Gen Overhead Persistent Infrared system, which is used as part of the missile defense apparatus. Lockheed Martin Awarded Air Force ICBM Contract (PR Newswire) The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $108 million contract for the Mark21A Reentry... U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman as Partner on Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Program (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) The U.S. Air Force has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) as one of two companies to mature designs for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) program, the nation’s next Intercontinental Ballistic... Northrop Grumman Expands Presence in San Antonio to Support Air Force Cyber Mission (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Supporting its growing presence in the region, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today it has signed a 5-year lease with Port San Antonio to occupy 7700 square feet in a building at 903 Billy Mitchell... From a site in Aurora, defense contractor Raytheon helping develop the new generation of GPS (The Denver Post) A sprawling campus in Aurora is home to a division of aerospace and defense giant Raytheon Co. , which has developed the ground-control system for the new generation of the U.S. Air Force’s g… Shareowners Approve Raytheon and United Technologies Merger of Equals (Seeking Alpha) Raytheon Company (RTN) and United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) announced that, at their respective special meetings of shareowners held today, Five facts about the United Technologies-Raytheon merger (Hartford Courant) The blockbuster merger of United Technologies Corp. and Raytheon was finalized Friday when shareholders approved the merger of what is now Raytheon Technologies Corp. Advent vows to keep jobs at Cobham (Times) The American private equity giant attempting to buy Cobham is ready to commit to protect British jobs and investment as it seeks to allay concerns over its £4 billion takeover of the defence and... Mercury Systems Announces Strategic Investment in Trusted Microelectronics Technology Innovation (Yahoo) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com) announced today a $15 million capital investment to expand its trusted custom microelectronics business, bringing cutting-edge commercial silicon technology to the Department of Defense (DoD). The technology is applicable to all defense platforms and QinetiQ to buy US sensor technology company | Aerospace Testing International (Aerospace Testing International) QinetiQ is to buy Virginia, USA-based sensor technology company Manufacturing Techniques in a US$105 million deal Products, Services, and Solutions Elbit to provide software defined radio solution for Swiss Armed Forces (Army Technology) Technology firm Elbit Systems has been selected for the software defined radio (SDR) programme of the Swiss Armed Forces. Pacific Gas Chooses Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Connectivity (The Maritime Executive) The largest Liquid Ethylene Gas (LEG) shipowner in China has agreed a commitment to install Fleet Xp... SpaceX says 12,000 satellites isn’t enough, so it might launch another 30,000 (Ars Technica) SpaceX makes preliminary filing with ITU as it considers big Starlink expansion. Bringing Protected Satellite Communications to the Tactical User: Industry Team Successfully Tests Low Cost Terminal with On-Orbit AEHF Satellite (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) The industry-funded Low Cost Terminal (LCT) was successfully tested this month with an on-orbit Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite. This critical milestone demonstrates the ability of an affordable... Northrop Grumman Successfully Launches NASA ICON Satellite on Pegasus Rocket (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced its Pegasus® XL rocket successfully launched the company-built Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite for NASA. The launch marked the 44th overall flight of the ... Raytheon Completes GPS OCX Design and Development - Via Satellite - (Via Satellite) Raytheon's GPS Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as GPS OCX, completed full software and hardware development and entered the system integration and test phase. The milestone keeps GPS OCX, the ground control segment of a U.S. Air Force-led effort to modernize America's GPS system, on track to meet Raytheon developing final phase of Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (PR Newswire) Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) is developing Capability Drop 4 of the Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool,... L-com Introduces New GPS Timing Antennas and UHF Antenna to Address the Growing Mobile Wireless Market (PR Newswire) L-com, an Infinite Electronics brand and a preferred manufacturer of wired and wireless connectivity products,... Technologies, Techniques, and Standards Northrop Grumman-Built Missile Tracking Satellites Reach Tenth Year on Orbit (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) satellites built by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have far surpassed their four-year on-orbit design life,... The Software-Defined Future of Satellites (Via Satellite) Unstable operators’ business cases together with advances in digital technology impel satellite manufacturers to provide software-defined solutions that would be cheaper and more flexible than traditional satellites. OMG developing new standard for interface for Software Defined Radios (Space Daily) International technology standards organization Object Management Group (OMG) announced it is creating a new standard, through issuance of a request for proposal (RFP) for the Platform Space Telecom Intro to Software Defined Radio and GSM/LTE (Black Hills Information Security) I held an Advanced Amateur Radio Operator license (KR4FF) for many years and my entire career consisted of working in the fields of Electronic Engineering and Embedded Software Development. The Air Force sees progress in a GPS ground station test (C4ISRNET) The Air Force announced that it has successfully connected to the first GPS III satellite on orbit with an interim ground system designed by Lockheed Martin. For secure communications in the Arctic, the military can now use this satellite (C4ISRNET) The Enhanced Polar System is now fully available to the military, ensuring highly secure military communications are available in the polar region. How the Army will use satellites to track land threats in real time (C4ISRNET) The Space Development Agency is working with the Army to develop the ability to track time-sensitive ground threats from space and provide real-time information to war fighters. An operator’s perspective on the Army’s Integrated Tactical Network (C4ISRNET) The operational community has given the Army's modernized network positive marks, and a commander shares his direct experiences. Navy’s new narrowband network ready for combat (C4ISRNET) The Mobile User Objective System has passed a major milestone and is now set for full operational use, according to the Navy. Here’s why the US Army is under pressure from Congress to counter rockets and drones (Defense News) As a start, the service bought two Iron Dome air defense systems as an interim solution to counter existing threats. The Air Force just received this ‘Mad Max’-like laser dune buggy to shoot down drones (Air Force Times) The Air Force’s newest weapon brings the pew-pew of high-energy lasers to a vehicle that looks like it came out of a “Mad Max” movie. Do microwave cones have a place in the counterdrone zone? (C4ISRNET) Leidos hopes its new Time Integrated Gigawatt Electromagnetic Response, or TIGER, will offer an intermediate answer to flying threats. 50-Kilowatt Laser Will Be a 'Game-Changer,' Company Says (Military.com) The U.S. military will incorporate the newest generation of solid-state fiber optic lasers as early as 2021. Kamikaze Drones Could Deploy to Protect Patriot Missile Defense Batteries (Military.com) The Army is looking to integrate counter-drone capabilities into existing Patriot systems. How the Air Force upgraded cyber testing for weapons systems (FCW) Air Force Materiel Command's 96th Test Wing is modernizing the way the service tests weapons systems for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. What the Army learned about multidomain operations at Cyber Blitz (C4ISRNET) The Army's Cyber Blitz experiment sought to test capabilities and concepts of the new I2CEWS detachment. What the Army learned about multidomain operations at Cyber Blitz (C4ISRNET) The Army's Cyber Blitz experiment sought to test capabilities and concepts of the new I2CEWS detachment. Cyber Defense Correlation Cell for Space stands up (DVIDS) The Cyber Defense Correlation Cell for Space stood up Oct. 18 at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado, and will operate at the enterprise level by detecting and responding to cyber threats against Air Force Space Command mission systems. Design and Innovation Can Pentagon acquisition keep up with electronic warfare? (C4ISRNET) A Pentagon acquisition official said success in electronic warfare means agility, speed and low-cost systems. The U.S. Army Has a Plan To Beat Russia's Electronic Warfare Battleplans (The National Interest) AI could just be the answer. Space Junk Menace: New Guidelines Urged to Help Fight Orbital Debris Threat (Space.com) Spacecraft designers and operators need to be proactive, a new organization argues. New tech from Futures Command ‘designed, built, tested with soldiers’ to get it there faster (Army Times) Soldiers are putting innovations through trial runs to get near gear to the force faster. Without GPS, will algorithms and sensors help soldiers know where they are? (C4ISRNET) Leidos' ADEPT system uses overhead imagery to provide position, navigation and timing information in areas where GPS is blocked. EXCLUSIVE Revolutionary SATCOM Vision Hits Raymond’s Desk: AFSPC (Breaking Defense) The vision itself isn't the only thing that is needed, industry sources say. A concept of operations is required for how the Air Force will manage different user needs and interact with different industry providers. "The vision is out, but there is no concept of operations," said one source. Research and Development Next Generation OPIR Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting (GEO) Satellite Program completes Preliminary Design Review (Space Ref) Next Generation OPIR Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting (GEO) Satellite Program completes Preliminary Design Review - SpaceRef Major missile defense command system heads toward a critical test (Defense News) The U.S. Army’s major missile defense command-and-control system is headed toward a critical test in 2020 that is essentially a redo. Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Antenna Sharing and Pattern Capabilities at Naval Research Laboratory Test Facility (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) in partnership with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) successfully completed a critical test in the development of the Integrated Topside (InTop) Low-Level Resource... Northrop Grumman Utilizes Dozens of Unmanned Vehicles to Deliver Unique Performance in DARPA Swarm Test (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) demonstrated progress toward successful heterogeneous unmanned vehicle (UxV) swarming with the test of Rapid Integration Swarm Ecosystem (RISE) at the Defense Advanced Research Project... Bezos unveils Blue Origin will work on lunar lander with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman & Draper (CNBC) Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and space venture Blue Origin, spoke at the 70th International Astronautical Congress on Tuesday. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Achieves Milestone of Successfully Withstanding Launch Stresses (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) At Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) in Redondo Beach, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully validated its ability to perform key deployments for the first time since its post environmental testing... DARPA wants a robotic satellite mechanic launched by 2022 (C4ISRNET) DARPA expects to have a new commercial partner lined up for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites spacecraft by the end of the year. The Pentagon wants to extend the life of satellites and refuel on orbit (C4ISRNET) The first mission-extension vehicle, which will be launched in the coming weeks, will be the first of its kind to provide commercial servicing to satellites on orbit, says Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics. Academia Northrop Grumman Awards Engineering Scholarships to Students from Western New York (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) BUFFALO, N.Y. – Aug. 22, 2017 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) recently announced the winners of its ninth annual Engineering Scholars program in the Western New York community. The program will provide college scholarships this fall to two... Legislation, Policy, and Regulation The Chinese are noticeably absent from an important global space conference (Quartz) Politics doesn't stop at the atmosphere's edge. US bars China from space conference (Times) China has accused the United States of “weaponising” visas after a delegation of Chinese space experts was prevented from attending a global conference in Washington. Several members of the China... EU Plan To Boost Space Industry Draws White House Ire (Breaking Defense) Scott Pace, executive director of the National Space Council, warned the EU about its plan for promoting homegrown industry -- ironically, while speaking at an Atlantic Council event on the need for improved transatlantic relations in space. How acquisition reform can give the US a strategic advantage in space (Defense News) It the U.S. wants to keep up with its near-peer competitors in space, the government needs to embrace the commercial space launch market and promote competition among providers. NSC Makes Cyber Security For Space Industry ‘Top Priority’ (Breaking Defense) The National Security Council, Air Force Space Command, the Missile Defense Agency, and NASA among others will share analysis about, warnings of, and potential responses to cybersecurity threats to satellites and ground stations with industry under a new public-private partnership. NSC Makes Cyber Security For Space Industry ‘Top Priority’ (Breaking Defense) The National Security Council, Air Force Space Command, the Missile Defense Agency, and NASA among others will share analysis about, warnings of, and potential responses to cybersecurity threats to satellites and ground stations with industry under a new public-private partnership. ‘Tectonic shift’ of Space Command has intelligence community feeling aftershocks | Federal News Network (Federal News Network) Intelligence support for space as a warfighting domain will require new professionals, capabilities, alliances, and even a new perspective on the relationship between space and intelligence. Missile Defense Agency Shaping Strategy to Meet Evolving Challenges (USNI News) The Missile Defense Agency is upping its game to meet new challenges posed by a next generation of precision guidance weapons, the MDA director said Monday. New SMC Focus: Space Control, ‘Domain Awareness’ (Breaking Defense) SMC's new SSA Marketplace will be open for business in fourth quarter 2020 or first quarter 2021. Pentagon’s New Space Agency Seeks $10.6 Billion Over Five Years (Bloomberg) Up to 1,200 satellites envisioned by Space Development Agency. Lawmakers have expressed skepticism toward fledgling agency. The US Army bets on space as its ‘path to the future’ (Defense News) The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command is the epicenter for the service’s expanding role in space. Army Futures Command is leading a cultural shift, much to the delight of industry (Defense News) The U.S. Army's newest four-star command is reimagining relations with industry, particularly small businesses and startups. What the new 16th Air Force means for information warfare (C4ISRNET) The Air Force officially created its new information warfare organization integrating cyber, ISR, electronic warfare and information operations. Background investigations move to their new home at the Pentagon (Federal Times) Officials at the Department of Defense and civilian agencies successfully orchestrated the transfer of nearly 3,000 employees from the Office of Personnel Management to the Pentagon. Space Development Agency’s new director is a familiar face (C4ISRNET) After serving as the Space Development Agency's acting director since June, Derek Tournear will become the organization's next permanent director. Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement $85B Nuclear Missile Competition Gets Messier as Feds Investigate Northrop (Defense One) Boeing is breaking up its ICBM team — just as the Federal Trade Commission begins looking into the company's allegations that Northrop wasn't playing fair. What are the rules of military activity in space? NU College of Law is helping provide answers (Omaha.com) Experts are working to draft a document called the Woomera Manual, an attempt to lay out how the law should be applied to military activities in space. It’s an initiative

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