FCW Insider: September 21, 2021

Zero trust, EMS top Air Force cyber priorities

Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, the commander of the 16th Air Force, said implementing zero trust principles was "foundational" to improve data use and mitigate vulnerabilities from the defense industry supply chain.

NDAA cyber reserve proposal revised with labor in mind

A federal employee union still has concerns about a permanent National Digital Reserve Corps at the General Services Administration.

Telework is the new normal for Air Force Materiel Command

Air Force Materiel Command is preparing to have half of its headquarters personnel working remotely at least some of the time, Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch said.

Quick Hits

*** The Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce is seeking public comment for a report on the security and resilience of information and communications technology (ICT) supply chains. The report is required under the Biden administration's March executive order on supply chains. Officials are seeking insights on supply chain stressors, gaps in domestic manufacturing, cybersecurity best practices, standards for validating the integrity of manufactured ICT hardware and potential risks in software design.

*** The Biden administration nominated Douglas Bush to the post of assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. Bush, a longtime senior legislative aide who served as deputy staff director on the House Armed Services Committee from 2019-2021, holds Army ATL post on an acting basis. Bush served as an officer in the U.S. Army in the 24th Infantry Division and 3rd Infantry Division.

*** The Office of Personnel Management published a rule on Tuesday allowing agencies to noncompetitively appoint military spouses to federal jobs. The rule change removes restrictions that OPM said had caused the flexibility to be underutilized up to this point. In a Medium post about the rule change, OPM's Associate Director for Employee Services, Rob Shriver, wrote that combined with the remote work abilities used by agencies during the pandemic, the flexibilities could be vital for military spouses who move often.

*** A group of Republican lawmakers on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform are seeking information from the head of the Federal Aviation Administration about an order blocking drone overflights of section of U.S.-Mexico border around Del Rio, Texas where thousands of migrants have been trying to make claims of asylum to enter the United States. The lawmakers claim the FAA airspace restriction was put in place, "to shield the Biden Administration from scrutiny over the consequences of its disastrous border policies and prevent the public from receiving more images of poor conditions on the border in Del Rio, Texas."