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The US Department of State announced terrorism designations  today against Harakat Sawa’id Misr (HASM) and Liwa al-Thawra, two Egyptian Islamist groups active in Egypt with suspected ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. HASM and Liwa al-Thawra were formed in 2015 and 2016, respectively, after the overthrow of the former Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013. The two groups have targeted Egyptian police, military forces, and government officials. HASM has also threatened to attack the US Embassy in Cairo. HASM, which is the Arabic acronym for the Forearms of Egypt Movement, claimed the responsibility for the assassination of Egyptian National Security Agency officer Ibrahim Azzazy, as well as the attempted assassination of Egypt’s former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa. The terrorist group also claimed responsibility for a Sept. 30, 2017 attack on Myanmar’s embassy in Cairo. Liwa al-Thawra, or the Revolution Brigade, has claimed responsibility for killing Egyptian army general Adel Ragaei,

People Fed 100 flush with Defense winners By Defense Systems Staff Jan 31, 2018 FCW, Defense Systems' sister publication that focuses on the business of federal IT, on Jan. 31 announced the winners of its 2018 Federal 100 Awards. That list includes 25 winners from the military and related Defense agencies: Col. Terrence A. Adams Director of Communications and CIO, Air Mobility Command U.S. Air Force Marianne Bailey Principal Director, Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity Department of Defense Matthew R. Bailey Digital Services Expert and Acting Unit Chief, Office of the Federal CIO Office of Management and Budget David B. Bennett Director Of Operations and CIO Defense Information Systems Agency Maj. Tom Bereknyei Lead Engineer Defense Digital Service Diane L. Brewer Program Manager, MilitaryChildCare.com, Commander Naval Installations Command Department of the Navy Col. Jacqueline (Denise) D. Brown Chief, Network Plans and Governance Division, CIO / G-6 Depar

Defense IT Coast Guard pressed to go commercial on health records By Chase Gunter Jan 30, 2018 After spending seven years and almost $60 million on an electronic health records system, the Coast Guard is back using a paper-based medical records management process for its roughly 50,000 service members. That has some members of Congress wondering why the service doesn't just adopt the same EHR system the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are pursuing. "I would highly encourage you guys to do what's easy and efficient and effective" and follow DOD and VA's lead, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) said at a Jan. 30 House Transportation Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee hearing. The Coast Guard's electronic health record modernization effort was initially planned as a five-year, $14 million project, but ballooned to more than four times the original price tag over seven years and used 25 different vendors before the Coast Guard ab

Cybersecurity Addressing cyber gaps with automation and orchestration By Sara Friedman Jan 29, 2018 Although automated tools are taking on a larger role in helping  agencies manage their increasingly complex network security requirements,  humans are still a critical part of the production. Paul Beckman, deputy chief information security officer at the Department of Homeland Security, said he thinks artificial intelligence-based automation can help his agency fill in 70 to 80 percent of the gaps that exist in its cyber strategy. “Machines still aren’t there yet," Beckman said at the Jan. 29 Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology Winter Summit.  They can't identify a cat or a street sign, so we still need humans' unique ability for orchestration – the integration of cybersecurity efforts to enable automated incident response. “The human is the one orchestrating all of those [tools and platforms] together to make an interactive and efficient tool,” he said

C4ISR Navy awards $86.7M command and control contract By Nick Wakeman Jan 31, 2018 Scientific Research Corp. has won an $86.7 million contract to help the Navy install command--and-control systems. SRC will work primarily in Charleston, S.C. but also other shipyards around the country. Services include integration, engineering, procurement of supplies, fabrication, testing, inspection and installation. Work on the contract will continue through February 2023. Atlanta-based SRC topped three other bidders to win the contract. About the Author Nick Wakeman is the editor-in-chief of Washington Technology. Follow him on Twitter: @nick_wakeman . Let's block ads! (Why?) from All Articles and Blogs http://ift.tt/2nqjvUY via Defens News

The Trump Administration  announced  a new round of economic sanctions against terror groups in the Middle East on Wednesday, including Harakat as-Sabirin li-Nasran Filastin (The Movement of the Patient Ones for the Liberation of Palestine). As-Sabirin is an Iranian-funded splinter Shia jihadist faction that has operated in Gaza since as early as 2014. The sanctions are the latest indication that Washington is serious about going after various terror groups in the Gaza Strip. As-Sabirin is a unique organization in Gaza in that it is overtly Shiite. The group’s  leader , Hisham Salem, reportedly converted to Shiism and has instructed his followers to proselytize in the predominantly Sunni coastal enclave. Salem is a former commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), another beneficiary of Iranian funds. Salem broke with PIJ with the support of Iran after Tehran had a falling out with both Hamas and PIJ as a result of the Syrian civil war. As-Sabirin first appeared in Gaza in 2014 w

The Afghan National Army’s 209th Corps, accompanied by highly trained Afghan Commandos, conducted offensive operations in the northern province of Kunduz last week. Sources told FDD’s Long War Journal the offensive killed between 60 to 80 Taliban fighters, but with other reports suggesting the Taliban quickly retook the targeted territory, it appeared the offensive is in line with past short-term strategies that failed to fully deny the Taliban strategic footholds in the region. According to 209th Corps commander Sayed Qurban Musavi, the clearing operations – which took place in a number of villages north of the historically contested Kunduz City – lasted approximately a week. Local accounts suggested airstrikes were conducted in support of the offensive, although it’s unclear whether they were carried out by Afghan or Coalition air assets. Taliban-friendly social media accounts labeled the airstrikes as American in origin, but LWJ could not substantiate their claims. NATO’s Resolu

Under intense media pressure, the US Department of Defense relented and released data on controlled and contested districts in Afghanistan that it previously instructed the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan (SIGAR) to withhold from the US public . However, some information – such as population control and other important metrics on the Afghan security forces that was previously available in quarterly reports – remains redacted as SIGAR has not been given authorization to release it. Not surprisingly, the district control data released today shows that the Taliban continues to slowly wrestle control of districts from the Afghan government. The Department of Defense released the information after SIGAR revealed its quarterly report yesterday and objected to the withholding of unclassified information from the American public. “As of October 2017, approximately 56% of the country’s 407 districts are under Afghan government control or influence, 30% remain contested, and app

Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $2,300,304,490 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price and level-of-effort) contract for engineering services to support Phased Array Tracking Radar Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) system of systems, for ongoing support of software, refresh for obsolescence to include support of systems outside the continental U.S., and partner country systems. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-18-D-0015). -ends- Let's block ads! (Why?) from Defense Aerospace - Press releases http://ift.tt/2rTVFps via Defense

The multi-billion dollar Offshore Patrol Vessel project is on track after the signing of a contract with Lürssen. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, said the contract with Lürssen to lead the design and build is worth at least $3 billion for 12 OPVs. “This contract signature demonstrates the Turnbull Government’s commitment to keeping on schedule and supporting Australian industry,” said Minister Pyne. “The vessels will be delivered by Australian workers, in Australian shipyards using Australian steel. The project will create around 1000 jobs - 400 direct and a further 600 in the supply chain.” The OPV project will also help preserve and enhance shipbuilding skills required for the Future Frigates. The first two OPVs will be built at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia starting this year and 10 will be constructed at the Henderson Maritime Precinct in Western Australia from 2020. Lürssen will sub contract ASC to build the first two ships in SA an

The new Belgian-Dutch minehunters will allow safer and faster searches for naval mines thanks to the extensive use of unmanned systems. (BE MoD infographic) The government’s Council of Ministers on January 26 approved the defence ministry’s plans to acquire six new-build mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV). The investment is valued at 1.1 billion euros. The order will be awarded together with the Dutch Navy, which is also purchasing six similar vessels. The Navy will replace the current mine action capability, based on our Tripartite Mine Hunters and the Godetia, with these new vessels. Our country will purchase six new vessels together with the Netherlands, which also plans to buy the same number of the same vessels. Belgium will be in charge of the project. These new vessels will make maximum use of unmanned systems on, under and above water to detect and destroy mines. With these unmanned systems, the search for mines can be carried out more safely and faster compared to the curr

North Korea has taken fresh strides in its nuclear missile program but has not shown all the technologies needed to strike America, a US general said Tuesday, as another top official warned such a capability is just months away. Pyongyang has demonstrated its rockets are powerful enough to reach the United States, but General Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it has yet to prove that its fusing and targeting technologies can survive the stresses of ballistic missile flight. "They have made some strides but it's still true that they haven't demonstrated all of the components of an intercontinental ballistic missile system," Selva told reporters. Also unclear is whether North Korea has a re-entry vehicle strong enough to return into the Earth's atmosphere from space and deliver a warhead. "It's possible (North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un) has them, so we have to place the bet that he might have them, but he hasn't demonstrat

US President Donald Trump used his biggest stage Tuesday to warn of the nuclear threat from North Korea, as fears grow again in Washington that conflict may be looming. In recent weeks, US officials have laid the groundwork for a pivot to strategies for a world of renewed great power competition with the likes of Russia and China. In his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation, Trump described Moscow and Beijing as challenging "our interests, our economy, and our values." But he saved his harshest words for Iran and North Korea. "North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten our homeland," he warned, implying he has a narrow window to respond to Pyongyang's ambition. "We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening." Singling out Iran and North Korea -- which along with Iraq formed his predecessor George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil" -- seemed calculated to r

The administrator of Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency has resigned and an officer with a track record of "poor performance" has been fired after triggering mass panic with a false alert of a ballistic missile headed for the Pacific islands, officials said Tuesday. The Pacific archipelago, already on edge over the threat posed by North Korea, was terrorized by the erroneous alert, which was sent out by phone to residents and tourists and remained uncorrected for nearly 40 minutes. Another employee of the state agency, which is responsible for notifying the public of threats to their safety, has been suspended, Major General Joe Logan, the state adjutant general, told reporters in Hawaii. HEMA administrator Vern Miyagi resigned on Tuesday to take responsibility for the January 13 incident, Logan said, and the emergency warning officer who sent out the alert of an imminent ballistic missile attack was fired on Friday. A state investigative report released on Tuesday

After the Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) detailed it was  ordered by Resolute Support to withhold key unclassified data on district control and the performance of Afghan security forces in its latest quarterly report, Resolute Support attributed it to “human error.” SIGAR countered with evidence that shows how Resolute Support – which is NATO’s command in Afghanistan – marked elements of the draft report that it did not want disclosed as “not releasable to the public,” and followed up with the US military on the classifications. Ryan Browne, a national security reporter for CNN, noted after the release of the SIGAR quarterly report that Resolute Support attributed the omission of information on Taliban-held districts and data on the Afghan security forces was due to “human error.” “The data is not classified & there was no intent to withhold it unnecessarily,” Resolute Support told Browne, and attributed the withholding of information to “con

Lockheed Martin has tested a new configuration of its Miniature Hit-to-Kill ( MHTK ) missile at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, Friday, January 26th. The test comprised a controlled flight of the miniature missile to demonstrate the interceptor’s increased agility and to validate the performance of its airframe and electronics. The missile now uses a common configuration for both active and semi-active guided missiles. The increased agility was required to enable the weapon to defeat its primary – rockets, artillery and mortar (RAM) and Counter-UAV target with greater accuracy, reliability, and range compared to current systems. MHTK uses hit-to-kill technology, which destroys threats through an extremely accurate application of kinetic energy in body-to-body contact. Hit-to-kill technology eliminates the incoming threat while reducing the risk of collateral damage seen in traditional blast-fragmentation interceptors. The MHTK interceptor length is about 72 cm (less than

  As part of its ongoing publicity the Beijing- and New York-based philatelic agency, IGPC , has previewed a small number of upcoming issues with the names of its client territories printed on them whether they be Commonwealth or non-Commonwealth territories.   The issues include a miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps which is to be released with the name of Guyana printed on it and which depicts the Jaguarundi, an attractive small cat, a rather highly face valued (20K or about £4.38p) single stamp miniature sheet from Papua New Guinea on the subject of the 250th anniversary of Captain James Cook's first voyage (doubtless part of a larger set) and another miniature sheet inscribed Guyana which seeks to exploit the upcoming British royal wedding of Prince Henry of Wales - otherwise known as Prince Harry - and again doubtlessly part of a bigger and more expensive set. Other than for financial profit, I see no reason why a republic which was keen to give up having Queen El

  Leopold Museum, Vienna   18th January – 10th June 2018 2018 is the year of the Leopold Museum: as Vienna celebrates Viennese Modernism and its protagonists Klimt, Schiele and Moser, the Leopold Museum traces an arc from the movement’s beginnings with Anton Romako to the Schiele jubilee exhibition, via Klimt, Moser, Gerstl, Kokoschka and the photographers Moriz Nähr and Madame d’Ora all the way to Brus and Palme, while the exhibition “WOW! The Heidi Horten Collection” unites 100 years of art history from Klimt to Hirst. A century ago, the year 1918 saw the passing of the protagonists of Viennese Modernism Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Koloman Moser who shaped the period of Vienna around 1900. Seeing as these artists and their milieu provide important emphases within the collection of the Leopold Museum, they will dominate the museum’s 2018 exhibition program. “Next year, we will be able to offer the most important exhibitions throughout this anniversary year of Viennese Modernis