Shortage of Cybersecurity Workers Continues

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 reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

A recent Cybersecurity Workforce Study finds there is a shortage of cybersecurity professionals around the globe, reports CPO magazine. In the US, a current cybersecurity workforce of more than 800,000 is nowhere close to the number of cybersecurity jobs needed to protect government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and small and mid-sized business, the report states. A Forbes opinion piece acknowledges the problem doesn’t have a simple solution, but education, training, and recruiting play key roles. “We need a way to help convince newbies how cool cybersecurity can be. That’s where capture the flag (CTF) and badge competitions come in,” the article states.

Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated as the new secretary of the Navy, Breaking Defense reports. He retired as a rear admiral in the US Navy in 2011.

The Air Force identified the pilots killed last week in a T-38C Talon mishap at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma, reports Army Times. They are Lt. Col. John “Matt” Kincade, 47, an instructor pilot, and 2nd Lt. Travis B. Wilkie, 23, a student pilot.

NATO’s first Alliance Ground Surveillance unmanned aircraft has arrived at in southern Italy, reports Stars and Stripes, where reconnaissance missions are expected to begin next year.

Zippia, a job search website, has ranked the top 10 locations in the US where it is easiest to get a job, reports the Midland, TX, Reporter-Telegram. See what Maryland location made the list.

Vice President Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday, reports Air Force Times. The visit was meant to reassure the US allies after the US pulled troops from northern Syria.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley met with Israeli counterpart Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi in Jerusalem over the weekend, reports Military Times. The meeting with Israeli military leaders comes amid heightened tensions with Iran in the Mideast.

 

 

The US military said it lost an unmanned drone aircraft over the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where rival armed groups have been fighting for control of the city for months, The Associated Press reports. The drone was assessing the security situation and monitoring activity.

Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Philip Davidson reiterates that the US is not considering withdrawing its troops from South Korea, reports Defense News. “No one has talked to me about planning to draw down troops,” he said. A South Korean newspaper had reported last week that the US was demanding an increase in Seoul’s contribution to maintain US troops there, reports The Hill.

An ex-CIA agent was sentenced to 19 years in prison on Friday for an espionage conspiracy, reports The Associated Press. Prosecutors say Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 55, received more than $840,000 from China to divulge the names of human sources and his knowledge of spycraft.

The Air Force has divulged three cutting-edge technologies it will heavily invest in to become an operational part of the service, reports Federal News Radio. Networking missiles, artificially intelligent drones, and advanced positioning systems are getting priority in research funding.

Two Maryland lawmakers want to reduce the penalties that kick in when drivers get billed for a toll and don’t pay on time, reports WTOP News. A proposed bill would reduce the late fee from $50 to $5.

Maryland Sen. Michael Hough was part of a group that shared their thoughts about youth vaping with President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, reports Maryland Matters. The Frederick County Republican was invited to provide a state legislator’s perspective.

A New Jersey’s man invention – a biodegradable packet containing seeds and mineral-rich soil – is packed into a cone-nosed capsule that’s specially designed to penetrate tough, dry earth, reports Patch.com. Loaded into drones or planes, the trees-to-be are dropped from the sky like little bombs.

Contracts:

AXXIS, Fort Worth, Texas (W912DY-20-F-0001); Chinook Systems Inc., Cocoa Beach, Florida (W912DY-20-F-0002); Dewberry Design-Builders Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina (W912DY-20-F-0003); EPC Service Inc., Aiea, Hawaii (W912DY-20-F-0004); Honeywell International Inc., Morris Plains, New Jersey (W912DY-20-F-0005); Johnson Controls Building Automation Systems Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (W912DY-20-F-0006); KBRwyle Technology Solutions LLC, Columbia, Maryland (W912DY-20-F-0007); M.C. Dean, Tysons, Virginia (W912DY-20-F-0008); Parsons Technical Services Inc., Pasadena, California (W912DY-20-F-0009); Prime Mechanical of Wisconsin LLC, Poynette, Wisconsin (W912DY-20-F-0010); SEI Group Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (W912DY-20-F-0011); Siemens Government Technologies Inc., Arlington, Virginia ( W912DY-20-F-0012); Spectrum Solutions Inc., Madison, Alabama (W912DY-20-F-0013); and Stewart Group Enterprises LLC, Benson, North Carolina (W912DY-20-F-0014), will compete for each order of the $1,200,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement and installation of utility monitoring and control systems and similar services such as heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with 28 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2026. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Advanced Alliant Solutions Team, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $9,038,301 modification (P00021) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-16-C-0068) to exercise an option for information assurance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Digital Networks Applications. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $8,007,190 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.