March 28, 2024

Morning Coffee: Navy Cryptologist Likely to Lead NSA

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.Morning Coffee logo

RADM Michael Rogers

VADM Michael S. Rogers

A Navy cryptologist appears to be President Obama’s choice to lead the NSA, reports The Washington Post; Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers has long been seen a likely candidate to lead the beleaguered National Security Agency and the US Cyber Command.

The Senate Armed Services Committee begin hearings Tuesday, on the $6 billion cut in military pension funds in the FY14  omnibus budget bill, reports DefCon Hill. Although numerous bills have been introduced to restore elements of the funding, none have gathered sufficient support to proceed.

As the US prepares to leave Afghanistan, the Taliban remains a threat, analyzes Politico Pro, but Americans are no longer willing to support major military interventions, but wish to seek alternative responses. Not everyone in Congress agrees with the withdrawal of troops in 2014 and some urge delay. The top general in Afghanistan and much of the rest of the DoD brass have requested 10,000 troops remain, reports the L.A. Times, but the Obama administration is looking at 1,000 to 2,000 only. The bilateral agreement between the US and Afghanistan, which would leave 10,000 troops behind, has not been signed. If all US troops are withdrawn, the loss of US bases to launch unmanned surveillance equipment will impact intelligence surveillance work directed at Al Qaeda in Pakistan, reports The New York Times.

Commercial drones are facing their own launching problems, says the president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, reports DefCon Hill. The AUVSI is asking the FAA to permit limited drone use in rural and other areas without commercial air traffic, noting the length of time it is taking the agency to set up rules and testing sites “will hinder the industry and prevent this revolutionary technology from taking off.”

Australian media outlet, news.com.au, relates the Pentagon’s recent  “unacceptable” assessment of the JSF software and that “major deficiencies” identified last year with the P-8A and notes that eight Poseidons are due in Australian service by 2019 and that plans are set to purchase 50 to 100 F-35s.

The Pentagon report identifying the deficiencies suggests that fixing the software problems could cause a 13 month delay in production of the F-35 due to be delivered to the Marines in 2015. Reuter reports DoD’s F-35 program office as “laser-focused” on developing the software needed.

Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Yahoo negotiated and won the right to disclose government data requests for consumer information, a change from President Obama’s original NSA data collection policy, reports NextGov.

The MV Cape Ray set sail Monday for the Italian port of Gioia Tauro where it will take on approximately 700 tons of contained chemical weapons from Syria and render them inert using  field deployable hydrolysis systems installed on the vessel, reports MPTV. It will be the first time the process will be completed at sea.

 

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