Threats
Wildfires Are So Dangerous Now that the National Guard Prepares for Them Like Hurricanes
For West Coast units, there’s no wildfire season anymore. ‘It’s really a fire year now,’ top general says.
Threats
The Most Targeted Vulnerability of the Year Was First Identified in 2017
In a joint advisory, international cybersecurity officials say failure to patch years-old vulnerabilities makes attributing cyberattacks more difficult.
Business
Defense Companies Not Weighing Vaccine Mandates, Yet
There have been some informal discussions about requiring the shot.
Defense Systems
Lawmakers propose mandatory legacy IT audit in NDAA
The military services could be required to audit its legacy IT systems and software as part of a proposal to be considered in the 2022 defense authorization bill.
Policy
DOD Reimposes Mask Mandate Inside Pentagon, Other Bases Near ‘Substantial’ COVID Transmission
Troops, employees, contractors, and others must wear masks indoors on Defense Department facilities in the Pentagon and these areas.
Threats
Biden’s 6-Month Clock On Russia-U.S. Nuke Talks Starts Now
Officials met for the first time in Geneva on Wednesday. They’re set to come together again in September.
Science & Tech
How AI Is Revealing the Secrets of Iran’s Nascent Centrifuge Factory
Satellites can’t directly observe the underground facility, but analysis of its surroundings yields a progress report.
Policy
White House Asks CISA, NIST to Set Cybersecurity Performance Goals for Critical Infrastructure Operators
The initiative will not result in mandatory measures for the private sector, but the administration hopes to signal its commitment to cybersecurity and maybe get a little help from Congress on that front.
Policy
VA Mandates Vaccines for Health Care Workers
“It’s the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the Delta variant spreads across the country,” said VA Secretary Denis McDonough.
Policy
‘We Will Not Flinch’: Austin Promises US Will Continue to Bolster Taiwan’s Self-Defense
In Singapore, defense secretary chides Beijing for “aggression...coercion...genocide” but says he wants a “constructive, stable relationship with China.”
Defense Systems
Hyten: Combat cloud would bolster collaboration with allies, partners
Gen. John Hyten, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said building a combat cloud with correctly tagged data would allow service members, allies and partners alike to login from anywhere with their credentials and biometrics so the U.S. can take full advantage of the capabilities they have to offer.
Defense Systems
DOD rolls out AR/VR technology at 5G testbed
The Defense Department has begun deploying 5G-powered augmented reality/virtual reality systems for mission planning and training at some of its 5G testbed sites.
Defense Systems
Lawmakers advance cyber legislation
The Senate’s 2022 defense authorization bill and a number of House measures are addressing cyber authorities, domestic microelectronics manufacture, supply chain security and raising cyber awareness among the public.
Ideas
Hold the UAE Accountable for Meddling in US Politics
Letting the Emirates go unpunished sends the wrong signal to perpetrators of foreign influence operations.
Defense Systems
Army tests climate model in Azure cloud
The Army Engineer Research and Development Center will test the scalability of its coastal storm modeling system, CSTORM-MS -- previously run on high-performance computers -- inside Microsoft’s Azure Government cloud.
Business