Signals & Space Monthly Briefing

December 2019

Prepared by the CyberWire (Monday, December 2, 2019) Hybrid warfare. In what is seen as an anticipation of the expected expiration of the 2015 international agreement to limit its nuclear ambitions, Iran took steps to resume production of fissile material early this month, injecting uranium gas into centrifuges at its Fordo nuclear facility, the Military Times reports. US Secretary of State Pompeo was quoted by Reuters to the effect that “Iran’s expansion of proliferation-sensitive activities raises concerns that Iran is positioning itself to have the option of a rapid nuclear breakout," and that “It is now time for all nations to reject this regime’s nuclear extortion and take serious steps to increase pressure. Iran’s continued and numerous nuclear provocations demand such action.” Iran is currently engaged in what remains, even after drone strikes against Saudi oil facilities, a low-level hybrid war against its regional rivals and those rivals' allies (especially the United States). Reuters reports that a high-level meeting in Tehran some four months before September's strikes against Saudi Aramco installations was urged, by leaders of the Revolutionary Guard, "to take out our swords and teach them," that is, the Saudis and their partners, "a lesson.” Iran's representatives at the United Nations deny that any such meeting took place, still less that any aggressive decision was taken, but then deniability is one of the defining characteristics of hybrid warfare. The US response to the drone strikes generally attributed to Iran has apparently been largely confined to cyber retaliation, and that, too, is one of the defining features of hybrid combat. Iran has itself stepped up its own offensive operations in cyberspace, Modern Diplomacy observes, as the Tehran-linked threat group Microsoft tracks as "Phosphorus" has shown increased activity against regional and Western opponents. Space as an operational domain. On November 20th NATO's foreign ministers formally voted to declare space an "operational domain," Defense News reports. That resolution will not commit the Alliance to weaponizing that domain, but it will make it easier for NATO to draw upon its members' space capabilities. Following studies (noted here by Bloomberg) that outline an increasing challenge from peer and near-peer rivals to US space operations, Air Force leaders say they're resolved to change the way they do business so that the US will be able to maintain the dominance it's enjoyed since the end of the Cold War, Space.com reports. US Space Command (the combatant command not to be confused with the still-emerging Space Force) is, Air Force Magazine recounts, in the process of learning how to fight in this operational domain. India's space agency acknowledges receipt of cyberattack warnings. ISRO, the Indian Space Research Organisation, received warnings about the possibility of a cyberattack against September’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission. That flight was only partially successful: the orbiter functioned as intended, but control of the lander was lost during descent. The warnings are said, by the News Minute and various other Indian media outlets, to have been passed to ISRO by an unnamed American security company. The threat actor named was North Korea’s Lazarus Group, which has long been active against foreign targets.  The attack came at about the same time the Lazarus Group was also named as the principal suspect in an incident that affected the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, a summary of which may be found in the Washington Post. The Lazarus Group is best known for the financially motivated operations designed to address Pyongyang’s persistent, sanctions-induced, economic crisis, but according to the Indian Express, the malware believed to have been used against both ISRO and Kudankulam was a variant of DTrack, which is a known information-stealing tool. In the case of Kudankulam, the malware infection was confined to business as opposed to plant control systems. What systems were affected at ISRO remains unclear, but the episode does highlight the vulnerability of space organizations to cyberattack. Drone and counter-drone: threats, technologies, and authorities. As drones become increasingly commodified, commercial tools readily accessible to any number of potential threat actors, a study by Booz Allen warns that they pose threats beyond both overhead imagery collection and kinetic strike. Those threats are undoubtedly real, and have seen recent operational use in the Gulf region, but drones also pose a cyber threat to poorly protected networks. They can readily serve as "rogue access points," that is, "initial network infection vectors," especially with respect to wireless protocols like Bluetooth. Bluetooth users have often approached security with benign neglect, since Bluetooth offers a relatively low-power, short-range capability. But drones, of course, can easily move close enough to a Bluetooth signal for their operators to gain access to a network. It's an updated form of the old practice of war-driving, when hackers would drive through a neighborhood scanning for unprotected WiFi networks. Booz Allen recommends dusting off old defenses against war-driving, and also that organizations extend their security perimeter, and their anti-drone perimeter, to the limits of their WiFi networks. The UK Ministry of Defence's DASA (Defence and Security Accelerator) has allocated £1.8 million for the development of anti-drone capabilities, Infosecurity Magazine reports. DASA is aware of, and interested in addressing, the threat to networks Booz Allen pointed out, but they're interested in ways of denying drones access to any sort of sensitive airspace. The UK has been troubled by wayward drone activity near facilities like Gatwick Airport, where the mere presence of quite ordinary drones has on several occasions posed a threat to flight safety. In the US, the Department of Homeland Security is also showing an interest in counter-drone technologies. Defense Systems reports that the Coast Guard is using authorities granted under last year's Preventing Emerging Threats Act to "develop processes and procedures for deploying anti-drone capability." The pilot program underway includes deploying radar and imaging systems that could detect and track drones with the ultimate goal of being able to "seize control of airborne contacts" (that is, seize control of drones) when such contacts pose a threat that warrants doing so. Not all members of Congress agree that DHS actually has the authority under the Preventing Emerging Threats Act or the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 to do these things, according to Drone Life. They're particularly concerned about plans to give TSA Air Marshals the means and authority to neutralize drones operating over airports. Representatives Sam Graves (Republican of Missouri) and Mark Rogers (Republican of Alabama) wrote acting Homeland Security Secretary Wolf that "If Congress had wanted to provide specific C-UAS [counter-unmanned aerial systems) authority to TSA it would have done so in FAARA.” 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. New sources of overhead imagery for the Air Force. Taking an approach to rapid innovation and insertion of new technologies into programs of record that seems modeled on the television program Shark Tank, the Air Force used its Pitch Days this past month as an occasion to award Capella Space a $750,000 base contract for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from a thirty-six satellite constellation of SAR platforms it intends to begin launching in 2020. C4ISRNET says that Capella intends to have its constellation fully operational some time in 2022. The data the satellites will deliver are expected to have applications in the Air Force's "hybrid, military and commercial space architecture." Commercial satellite broadband. Several commercial broadband constellations have begun to take shape. On November 11th SpaceX launched the first sixty of its Starlink satellites, Ars Technica reports. When the constellation is completed, sometime in the next decade, it is expected to include between twelve-thousand and forty-two-thousand satellites. Toronto-based Kepler Communications has successfully demonstrated high-bandwidth satellite communications in the Arctic, enabled by its nanosatellites. TechCrunch says that the company has delivered 100 Mbps to a German icebreaker that acts as the laboratory for the MOSAiC polar research expedition. A competitor of SpaceX's, the Richard Branson-backed, UK-based firm OneWeb plans to raise $1 billion in support of its ambitious plans to put a "megaconstellation" into orbit at the rate of thirty satellites per month, the Telegraph reports. Innovation and rapid prototyping. Carbonics and the University of Southern California have demonstrated carbon nanotube semiconductor technology that delivers 100 GHz speeds in radio-frequency applications. The Army Research Laboratory sees considerable promise in the breakthrough for the Army's ability to realize the promise of 5G technology. C4ISRNET reports that the Space Development Agency believes that a GPS alternative can be found in existing constellations of low earth orbit satellites: their data transport layer could be used to transfer positioning and timing data to ground users from satellites. This could make the need for additional dedicated precision navigation satellites less urgent. C4ISRNET also reports that US Space Command is positioning and organizing itself to take quick advantage of commercial space advances. Another demonstration is expected to provide the Air Force with valuable insight into the feasibility of placing a "proliferation of satellites into low-earth orbit." Two Aerospace CubeSats were launched on November 2nd. The program is expected to teach lessons on rapid development and launch of such spacecraft, and the satellites themselves willbe used to test novel communications and sensing technologies, according to C4ISRNET. JEDI protests. The ongoing story of the US Defense Department's JEDI cloud program continues to show how an effort designed to facilitate rapid insertion of new technologies--the cloud--can itself show many of the signs of the traditional acquisition system so many have over recent decades come to deplore. Some of those much-remarked features are high stakes that make protests and litigation reliable features of the process. Microsoft was the surprise winner of the very large ($10 billion) JEDI prime position. Amazon had widely been considered the frontrunner, and Amazon is protesting the award. The company cites the Washington Post reports, "unmistakable bias" in the selection process. In particular that bias is alleged, in a November 22nd court filing, to flow from President Trump's animosity toward Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Federal Times has a summary of the evidence Amazon has so far presented in support of that allegation. Oracle, another disappointed competitor for JEDI, earlier in November appealed a decision by the Court of Federal Claims to permit the Defense Department to proceed with its JEDI selection even after that same court found the structure of the JEDI contract violated Federal procurement law. Federal News Network says that the Department ought to have stopped the contracting process when it found what Oracle characterizes as potential conflicts of interest among personnel involved with the solicitation. [1730]   Today's edition of the CyberWire reports events affecting Canada, China, India, Iran, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Selected Reading Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities (8) Marketplace (20) Products, Services, and Solutions (7) Technologies, Techniques, and Standards (14) Design and Innovation (8) Research and Development (10) Legislation, Policy, and Regulation (22) Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement (12) Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities ‘We were warned of cyber attack’: ISRO confirms reports of malware attack (News Minute) According to reports, Indian Space Research Organisation was alerted about the potential cybersecurity attack during the Chandrayaan-2 lunar landing mission. Special Report:‘Time to take out our swords' - Inside Iran’s plot to attack Saudi Arabia (Reuters) Four months before a swarm of drones and missiles crippled the world’s biggest o... Iran injects gas in new centrifuges as atomic deal unravels (Military Times) Iran injected uranium gas into centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear complex early Thursday, taking its most-significant step away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Iran set to dash for nuclear bomb, warns US (Times) The United States accused Iran of readying for a sprint towards a nuclear weapon after its government reactivated an underground enrichment facility mothballed under the 2015 nuclear. Witnessed by... U.S.'s Pompeo says Iran's latest nuclear steps raise concern (Reuters) Iran's recent "nuclear escalations" raise concerns that should mo... U.N. nuclear watchdog, Western powers criticize Iran for holding inspector (Reuters) The United Nations nuclear watchdog and Western powers on Thursday strongly crit... Drone Wars: Experts Warn of Flying Network Security Threat (Infosecurity Magazine) Next year could see weaponization of airspace around corporate buildings Concerns rise over possibility Chinese could use TikTok to collect troops’ data (Military Times) The Treasury Department has opened a review into whether TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform, is a national security threat. Marketplace An entrepreneurial space race could benefit Space Command (C4ISRNET) With innovation increasingly coming from the commercial space sector, U.S. Space Command is structuring itself to take advantage. UK Government Spends £2M on Anti-Drone Projects (Infosecurity Magazine) London is taking the aerial cyber-threat seriously Aviation and launch industries seek common ground on airspace improvements (SpaceNews.com) The commercial space and aviation industries are working closer together on issues about access to airspace, an improvement over the last year. How the Air Force plans to find ‘defense unicorns’ (C4ISRNET) At the first Space Pitch Days, the Air Force wants to find nontraditional companies with innovative solutions for the military. New DISA Contracts To Focus On Cell Phone Protection (Breaking Defense) DISA will offer industry multiple contract opportunities to provide third-party tools to defend against malware and Zero Day attacks. New details emerge on a nearly $1B cyber contract (Fifth Domain) The Army released information regarding requirements for a critical cyber training contract that can be used by the joint force. Fast-growing Dayton firm acquired by Los Angeles tech company (Dayton Business Journal) The acquisition comes as the company [the Perduco Group] is experiencing growth in the Dayton region. Branson-backed OneWeb to raise $1bn for its satellite internet mega-constellation (The Telegraph) British satellite maker OneWeb is preparing to tap investors for another $1bn (£770m) as the cost of its plan to launch hundreds of advanced orbiters into space next year rockets. Northrop Grumman to Advance Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (Northrop Grumman Newsroom) The U.S. Army awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) a $60.6 million contract on October 11 for continued work on the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System (IBCS) program. This contract... Lockheed wins $3.3 billion contract for anti-jamming support (C4ISRNET) Lockheed Martin will perform support services for a trio of anti-jamming satellite communications systems. General Dynamics wins $732m US Navy communications system contract (Naval Technology) General Dynamics said that MUOS is a satellite communications system that will provide secure voice and data communications for US forces worldwide. Boeing to provide information security and cryptography for arsenal of Minuteman III nuclear missiles (Military & Aerospace Electronics) This effort supports nuclear missile continuous signal lockout, remote code change, and irreversible transform capabilities in the launch facility. Vislink Technologies Receives $3 Million in New Orders in Live Production, Military-Government and Satcom Markets (West) The Orders Represent Part of a $13 Million Backlog, a 42% YOY Increase Mercury Systems Selected by Raytheon to Supply Critical Technology for LTAMDS Radar Program to enhance U.S. Army Threat Awareness (West) Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY, www.mrcy.com) today announced that its high-performance signal processing and RF solutions were selected by Raytheon for its advanced Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) program, the Army’s next-generation missile defense radar. SAIC Wins $582 Million in Intelligence and Space Contracts (BusinessWire) Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAIC) has secured $582 million in fiscal year 2020 third quarter contract awards by space and intellig Cyberspace operations contract for Navy won by Parsons (Military Embedded Systems) Parsons Corporation won its first task order under a potential Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, multiple award contract. The contract was originally announced by NIWC Pacific in May 2019. Hayden to Handle Comms for BAE Systems (O'Dwyers PR) Edelman and White House vet Caitlin Hayden joins aerospace company BAE Systems as senior vice president of communications. U.S.Air Force Awards ReFirm Labs $1M Contract to Accelerate IoT Security Innovation (Yahoo) FULTON, Md., Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- ReFirm Labs, a provider of the industry's first proactive IoT and firmware security solutions, today announced it has been awarded a $1 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Life Cycle Management Enveil Awarded Air Force Contract to Address Mission-Critical Supply Chain Needs (West) Engagement will utilize the company’s groundbreaking ZeroReveal® solution to advance supply chain security Vislink Receives $117,000 Order from Mid-Atlantic Municipal Police Organization for Airborne Downlink Equipment (West) Vislink Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: VISL) announces that it has received an order with an approximate value of $117,000 from a Mid-Atlantic municipal police organization for airborne downlink equipment. The order is in addition to the recently received $3 million in new orders and order backlog amounts that were announced on Nov. 6, 2019. The order fulfills part of a statewide project to upgrade coverage for law enforcement operations, with the potential for additional downlink equipment purchases to enhance the client’s current system. Products, Services, and Solutions How to spot the SpaceX Starlink satellite train overhead this week (Ars Technica) Ars’ resident rocket photographer shares three tools to track Starlink satellites above. Kepler achieves a world-first for satellite broadband with 100Mbps connection to the Arctic (TechCrunch) Small-satellite startup Kepler has done something never before accomplished with satellite-based broadband connectivity: providing a high-bandwidth to the Arctic. Kepler’s nanosatellites have successfully demonstrated achieving over 100Mbps of network speed to a German icebreaker sea vessel t… SpaceX's Starship May Fly for Just $2 Million Per Mission, Elon Musk Says (Space.com) The big spaceship-rocket duo will use just $900,000 of fuel per launch. Raytheon Upgrades FAA Satellite Navigation System (WashingtonExec) Raytheon Co. has delivered the Wide Area Augmentation System Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting 6 satellite navigation payload to the Federal Aviation New Rugged Supercomputing Servers Enable AI, HPC and Sensor Fusion Applications at the Edge (West) Latest field-deployable parallel computing subsystems optimize big data workloads for mission-critical platforms Raytheon delivers WAAS GEO 6 satellite payload to FAA (Aerospace Technology) Raytheon has handed over the Wide Area Augmentation System Geosynchronous Earth Orbiting 6 (WAAS GEO 6) satellite navigation payload. Remember Rosie the Riveter? Meet Rosie the Rocketeer (Florida Today) Boeing reveals the name of its anthropometric test dummy that will fly on the first test flight of Starliner Technologies, Techniques, and Standards Air Force plans new cyber AFSC to defend weapons systems (Air Force Times) Aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and E-3 Sentry, also known as the AWACS, are among those weapon systems safeguarded by mission defense teams. In First, NATO Ships Share Target Data & Knock Down Ballistic Missiles (Breaking Defense) As Washington continues to push NATO to invest more in modernization and become more closely integrated, a 13-ship task force showed that change is possible. To protect GPS satellites, Esper is against private 5G proposal (C4ISRNET) A plan to use L-Band spectrum for 5G could disrupt GPS satellites, the Secretary of Defense said. When it comes to 5G, Army says ‘show us what you have’ (C4ISRNET) With 5G expected to become more widespread, the Army is exploring how the new hardware could improve global asset management, “smart depots Here’s some good news for the Pentagon’s cloud migrations (Federal Times) As the Pentagon struggles to get its most notable cloud efforts off the ground, a recent audit showed where things are going right. How far behind is the Pentagon in electronic warfare? (C4ISRNET) A new report warns of ground lost and suggests asymmetries the Department of Defense can exploit to help regain advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum. How a new Air Force unit could help beat Russian air defense systems (C4ISRNET) Leaders say the creation of 16th Air Force in October is transforming the way the service fights. How the Space Cybersecurity Working Group fosters communication (Fifth Domain) The group formed by the National Security Council is working to implement the Trump administration's cyber strategy in space. DISA efforts bolster electromagnetic spectrum superiority (C4ISRNET) DISA's spectrum office is helping commanders make more informed decisions. Should the military treat the electromagnetic spectrum as its own domain? (C4ISRNET) Understanding and utilizing the electromagnetic spectrum is key to every branch of the military, but military experts are skeptical about the need to declare the electromagnetic spectrum a separate domain of warfare. A strategy for electronic warfare may be more important than money (C4ISRNET) Without a coherent strategy, dollars for new electronic warfare systems won't be as effective, a congressman said. Why are parachutes such a problem for space travel? (Quartz) We know how parachutes work, but we don't KNOW how parachutes work. Ya know? Air Force creates Cyberspace Capabilities Center to streamline communi (U.S. Air Force) The Air Force created a new Cyberspace Capabilities Center Nov. 7, in an effort to bridge cyber support gaps and synchronize enterprise requirements to best support today’s warfighter. How the FCC’s new ban on Huawei benefits the military (Fifth Domain) 5G technology will introduce new cybersecurity risks to U.S. networks. Here's what FCC did to minimize that risk. Design and Innovation Can hundreds of unrelated satellites create a GPS backup? (C4ISRNET) The Space Development Agency's head says that data from low-Earth orbit satellites could be put to use in PNT. This antenna can switch between LEO and GEO (C4ISRNET) The Navy recently tested a 1.5 meter antenna that could enable the resiliency of a new military constellation in low earth orbit. Can the Pentagon achieve cybersecurity through obscurity? (Fifth Domain) At Cybercon, a proposal to reduce industry transparency in the name of national security. The Air Force may have found new imagery it needs at a pitch day (C4ISRNET) Capable of How NASA upended internal processes to prepare for its next lunar mission (Federal Times) The agency is using agile software development to help keep astronauts safe on the next moon mission. How Lockheed Martin Is Trying To Link Everything on the Battlefield (Defense One) Experiment by experiment, the company is weaving aircraft, ground vehicles, satellites, and the rest into a network that will someday give commanders unprecedented decision-support options. The fight over 5G foreshadows the Great Decoupling (C4ISRNET) Congress is eager to see the Pentagon abandon commercial technologies made abroad, citing security concerns. How soon industry can help that to happen, however, remains to be seen. Coast Guard to develop drone interception capability (Defense Systems) The U.S. Coast Guard is developing a counter-drone capability to protect both its own locations and to guard protected assets under special circumstances as provided for under a recent law. Research and Development Researchers have achieved a comms breakthrough (C4ISRNET) Overcoming technical and engineering challenges, an Army-funded project has achieved a milestone that could boost 5G speeds. ‘Sizable Dollars’ For ABMS Likely in 2021 Request: Roper (Breaking Defense) Roper says he hopes Congress "will smile on the Air Force for breaking out of 'Platform Land' and actually putting money towards digital transformation." Skyborg, Weapon Swarms, Satellites Chosen as First “Vanguards” (Air Force Magazine) USAF officials have settled on the three programs they want to adopt as the service’s first “vanguards”: the Skyborg wingman drone, a weapon swarming project, and an experimental satellite effort, the head of Air Force Materiel Command said Nov. 21. Three teams selected to design Project Blackjack’s brains (C4ISRNET) Pit Boss is an autonomous mission management system being built for Project Blackjack, a DARPA initiative to demonstrate the value of a large proliferated constellation of low earth orbit satellites for a variety of military uses. darpa blackjack raytheon pit boss automation (Intelligent Aerospace) Pit Boss aims to use an advanced architecture, processors and encryption to autonomously collect and process data from the entire Blackjack constellation. SpaceX completes key Crew Dragon launch system static fire test (TechCrunch) SpaceX has confirmed that it ran a static fire test of its Crew Dragon astronaut capsule launch escape system. That’s a key step that it needed to run, and one that is under especially high scrutiny because a static fire of its thrusters back in April resulted in an explosion that destroyed t… Air Force Testing Novel ISR Sensors For LEO Sats (Breaking Defense) Aerospace was able to build and test both sats within 16 months, and launch them after only 18 months -- a fraction of the average seven to eight years it traditionally has taken the service. What the Air Force can learn from these experimental satellites (C4ISRNET) Cubesats designed and built by the Aerospace Corporation will show how viable it is for the military to build a constellation in low earth orbit comprised of hundreds of small satellites built with commercial technology. Boeing Just Sent NASA Its Moon Lander Idea for Artemis Astronauts. Here It Is. (Space.com) It's one of several private moon ideas for NASA. Cyberwarriors lack planning tools. That could change. (Fifth Domain) Cyberwarriors still don't have a robust cyber-planning tool that spans across all services and teams within U.S. Cyber Command. The Air Force and Strategic Capabilities Office is continuing DARPA's work to change that. Legislation, Policy, and Regulation China and Russia Beware: How the Pentagon Can Win the Tech Arms Race (The National Interest) The DoD is in need of reform. () NATO names space as an ‘operational domain,’ but without plans to weaponize it (Defense News) The announcement at a meeting in Brussels means space will now be regarded as equally important for NATO alongside air, land, sea and cyberspace. Space War Threats From China, Russia Getting New U.S. Assessment (Bloomberg) Intelligence community assessment will shape Space Command. Congressional panel says China sees the U.S. as ‘vulnerable. Defense intel report says Iran will seek new fighter jets, tanks as 2020 embargo lifts (Military Times) Iran will likely buy new advanced fighter jets and tanks next year when a U.N. Security Council arms embargo is scheduled to be lifted, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday as the Defense Intelligence Agency released a new assessment of Iran’s military capabilities. With an Eye Toward China, Pentagon Weighs Slashing Global Hawk Drone (Foreign Policy) The surveillance aircraft on the chopping block is a variant of the type that Iran shot down this summer. US Must Adapt to Fight Growing Space-Based Threats, Air Force Officials Say (Space.com) The U.S. Air Force wants more advanced space tech. US Space Command is Starting to Figure Out How to Fight (Air Force Magazine) US Space Command is beginning to pull together the budget and operations plans that will shape how it defends US systems in space and provides services like GPS navigation and communications to military personnel around the world. New Space Command head presses Congress over budget impasse (The Washington Times) President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon’s new Space Command, Gen. John Raymond, on Monday said he is “eager” for Congress to break a deadlock holding up the massive 2020 National Defense Authorization Act so work can begin on establishing a Space Force. Here’s how the Army is reorganizing space assets (Defense News) Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, who leads the Army's Space & Missile Defense Command, explains to Jen Judson how they're reorganizing with the standup of US SPACECOM. The Army’s network modernization plan is aggressive. But is it feasible? (C4ISRNET) In order to meet a two-year iterative network development timeline, the Army will need a quick turnaround on industry proposals for new technology. ‘Sorely lacking:’ Congress Members Blast Homeland Security Counter-drone Plan (DRONELIFE) Two House Republicans have a real problem with the Department of Homeland Security’s plans for drone mitigation. This past week. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Rep. Mark Rogers (R-Ala.) sent a letter to The Navy Wants An MDO Battle Network, But First It Needs A Plan (Breaking Defense) The Chinese navy is putting more ships to sea. Both China and Russia continue to churn out new generations of long-range weapons. The US Navy has taken notice and decided it must act. The intelligence community has a new executive (C4ISRNET) Career CIA officer Andrew Hallman will serve as the temporary replacement of Principal Deputy Director Sue Gordon, who resigned Aug. 15 and has yet to be replaced by a Senate-confirmed appointee. Meet IARPA’s new director (C4ISRNET) The agency's new director replaces Stacey Dixon, who left the agency over the summer to become the new deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Huawei controversy shows US need for robust supply chain security strategy (C4ISRNET) As 5G implementation picks up, the U.S. government needs an established and repeatable process to mitigate supply chain security risks. Here are some new tools coming to protect the supply chain (Fifth Domain) The Department of Defense CIO's office wants to create supply chain decision support tool as a service. NGA’s strategy to ‘see what others can’t’ (C4ISRNET) Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, shares his thoughts on how the agency is adapting to an evolving mission space. Does the federal government need a 5G coordinator? (C4ISRNET) A bipartisan group of senators called on the White House to name a 5G coordinator to tackle what lawmakers described as an “unprecedented security challenge” presented by the new technology. Spencer out as Navy secretary over SEAL trident scandal (Navy Times) The Pentagon has asked the White House to consider Kenneth Braithwaite, the current U.S. ambassador to Norway and a retired Navy rear admiral, as the next Secretary of the Navy. NGA breaks ground on new St. Louis campus (C4ISRNET) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's new facility will host a range of features virtually unheard of in the intelligence community, from wireless technology to spaces that can switch between classified and unclassified environments. Here’s how a national intelligence watchdog is improving AI oversight (C4ISRNET) The ICIG's semiannual report laid out how the IG office is adapting to AI oversight. Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement GAO sustains a protest by Jeff Bezos’s space company over lucrative Pentagon launch contracts (Washington Post) The firm had alleged that the Air Force’s acquisition strategy was ‘flawed’ Amazon will challenge Pentagon’s award of $10 billion JEDI contract to Microsoft (Washington Post) Amazon will contest the government’s decision to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract to Microsoft. The award had widely been expected to go to Amazon Web Services. Amazon cites Fox News segment, Trump rally in formal protest of Pentagon’s $10B JEDI award (GeekWire) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz0aYouV3xA Amazon filed its formal protest over Microsoft’s victory in a $10 billion Pentagon cloud computing contract, citing video evidence that the bidding process… Amazon Says It Didn’t Get a $10 Billion Contract Because Trump Hates Bezos (Vice) After ignoring endless internal and external protests, Amazon is now launching one over the Pentagon awarding the JEDI contract to Microsoft. Amazon's JEDI protest relies heavily on Trump. But it might not get to argue that point. (Washington Business Journal) As with most things involving JEDI, or the Trump White House, a staid and conventional process has swung into the realm of the odd and eye-catching. Amazon’s JEDI Protest Centers on Trump (Defense One) In July, the president made highly unusual remarks about the competition for the giant cloud-computing contract. What to watch for in the JEDI protest case? Bias depositions (Washington Business Journal) Amazon Web Services’ intention to protest in the Court of Federal Claims last month’s award of the potential $10 billion JEDI contract is expected to hinge on comments President Trump has made about the contract. Here are the Trump statements Amazon cites in its JEDI protest (Federal Times) Amazon is pointing to at least four incidents as evidence of unfair treatment as it protests the award of the Pentagon's enterprise cloud. Amazon’s formal challenge to huge Pentagon award uses videos that mark potential influence exerted by Trump (Washington Post) The e-commerce giant followed through with the threat it made a week ago, challenging the Defense Department's decision to award the lucrative contract to rival Microsoft. Oracle says federal court ‘erred gravely’ by letting DoD’s JEDI contract go forward (Federal News Network) Oracle is pressing ahead with its legal battle against the multibillion dollar cloud contract despite DoD’s surprise decision to award the deal to Microsoft. Justice Department Targets Bid-Rigging With New Strike Force (Wall Street Journal) The Justice Department says it is stepping up efforts to target bid-rigging and other types of collusion that cheat the government in the contracting process. Retired colonels bribed active-duty officers, paid military spouse $1.2 million for ‘no-show’ job, to win IT contracts (Army Times) A retired colonel has pleaded guilty in a $20 million bribery scheme.

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