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Weekly Roundup Mar. 21 – Mar. 24 2016: NIST-Backed Cyber Council Adds New Private Sector Leader & more


Mar. 21 – Mar. 24 2016

A Note From Our President & Founder Jim Garrettson

A White House-mandated cybersecurity organization created to combine knowledge and experience from the public and private sectors added a new leader this week whose background includes stops on both sides.

Kiersten Todt, former president and managing partner of consulting firm Liberty Group Ventures, will serve as director of the Commission on Enhancing Cybersecurity announced in February to fulfill an executive order that called for a national cyber defense strategy.

She joins a leadership team that includes former White House national security adviser Tom Donilon and retired IBM CEO Sam Palmisano, who will respectively serve as chairman and vice chairman of the NIST-backed commission.

At Liberty Group Ventures, Todt advised public, private and nonprofit sector clients on risk strategiesfor the cyber arena and other areas such as infrastructure and homeland security.

Her government service tenure includes time as a staff member for the Senate Homeland Security Committee, where she helped draft the cybersecurity and infrastructure-related components of legislation that created the Department of Homeland Security.

The Commerce Department, NIST’s parent agency, announced Todt’s appointment in a week that saw cybersecurity become a topic of prominence again with one guilty plea and an indictment in federal courts over hacks on military technical information and critical infrastructure.

A Chinese national faces a five-year prison sentence for his role in an attack that stole information related to U.S. fighter jets, while seven Iranians were indicted over attempts to breach U.S. financial sector networks and a NYC region-based dam.

These and other incidents like the OPM hack sure to figure in the eventual 12-member commission’s agenda as it works on the national cyber strategy and ways to merge public and private sector expertise.

THE WEEK’S TOP GOVCON STORIES

Joe Mertens: Sirius Computer Solutions Targets Federal Network Security Market With Force 3 Buy
San Antonio-based Sirius seeks access to contract vehicles that Maryland-headquartered Force 3 holds positions on.
Former DTRA Chief Ken Myers Joins PAE as National Security Solutions Unit President
Myers led the military’s lead anti-WMD agency and R&D initiatives for Strategic Command for seven years prior to his appointment at PAE.
Steven Omick Named President, CEO at Riverside Research
The nearly three-decade defense and intelligence veteran joins the nonprofit from Vencore, where he led that company’s R&D subsidiary.
KKR to Purchase Airbus’ Defense Electronics Business for $1.24B
NYC-based KKR and fellow private equity firm General Atlantic own 51% of the shares in Engility, which merged with then-portfolio company TASC in early 2015.
NIH to Add Small Biz Spots on $20B IT GWAC Program
Ninety-four vendors currently hold spots on the potential 10-year, governmentwide CIO-SP3 vehicle for IT support services to federal agencies.
NASA, Orbital ATK Launch OA-6 ISS Cargo Delivery Mission
Cyngus is scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station Saturday morning for the astronaut crew to receive new science tools for experiments.
Seagate, Los Alamos Lab Enter Supercomputer Data Archiving Tech R&D Agreement
Both entities will focus on reduced energy consumption as a goal in their effort to create a new data storage tier.
Reports: James Onusko, Christy Wilder to Spearhead OPM’s Federal Investigative Services Reform Effort
Onusko and Wilder will hold the top positions at the National Background Investigations Bureau that will help oversee the clearance process.
Rear Adm. Colin Chinn Appointed DHA R&D Director
Chinn joins the Defense Health Agency nearly a year after it arrived at full operational capability as a medical support provider for combatant commands.
DHA Chief Raquel Bono: 78% of DoD’s FY 2017 Defense Health Budget Request for Patient Care
The military has asked Congress to provide $33.5 billion in fiscal year 2017 funds for healthcare programs.
Gen. Lori Robinson Nominated to Lead US Northcom
If confirmed by the Senate, the 34-year Air Force veteran would become the first-ever female to lead a combatant command.

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