Terror suspect
charged for damaging power plant outside Las Vegas found incompetent. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “Mohammed Mesmarian, 34, faces terror-related charges for
allegedly ramming a car through a fence at the [solar] facility on Jan. 4 and
setting the car on fire next to a transformer, Nexstar’s KLAS first reported
last month.”
Attrition: Barrel
Wear Eliminates Remaining Russian Tanks. StrategyPage.com article. Pull quote: “Russian tanks in Ukraine appear to have used about 100,000
of these [high explosive] shells and in doing so discovered another problem. These
shells caused barrel wear on the 125mm tank gun liners. These liners are common
in tank guns and tube artillery. It’s cheaper to replace a worn-out liner than
to replace the entire barrel and attached loading mechanism. Tube artillery
barrel liners are good for 5,000 to 6,000 shells fired. On Russian tanks the
liner wears out after about a thousand shells are fired. Most of the Russian
tanks in Ukraine used for firing HE shells found that their barrels already had
a lot of wear on them and heavy use of HE increased liner wear to the point
where all shells (anti-tank or HE) were much less accurate.”
Protecting Against
National Security Threats to the Communications Supply Chain Through the
Equipment Authorization Program.
Federal Register, FCC, Final Rule. Summary: “In this document, the Federal Communications Commission
(Commission) amends its rules related to equipment authorization to further
secure our communications networks and supply chain from equipment that poses
an unacceptable risk to national security of the United States or the security
and safety of United States persons. The Commission implements revisions to the
equipment authorization program to prohibit authorization of equipment that has
been identified on the Commission’s Covered List—published pursuant the Secure
and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019—as posing an unacceptable risk
to national security of the United States or the security or safety of United
States persons, and the Commission prohibits the marketing and importation of
such equipment in the United States.”
Brain Computer
Interface (BCI) Two-Day Hybrid Conference at the Department of Commerce. Federal Register, BIS, Meeting Notice. Summary: “The Bureau of Industry and
Security (BIS) is announcing a two-day hybrid (in-person and virtual)
conference with industry and other experts from academia on Brain-Computer
Interface (BCI) technology (hereinafter, the BCI conference). This document
describes the purpose and scope of the BCI conference and the procedures for
attending or requesting to speak. In an advance notice of proposed rulemaking [link added] (ANPRM) published on October
26, 2021, BIS requested input from the public and industry concerning the
potential uses of BCI technology, particularly with respect to its impact on
U.S. national security. While the comments submitted in response to the ANPRM
increased BIS’s understanding of BCI technology, the BCI conference is intended
to further both BIS’s and the public’s understanding of the current status of
BCI technology and anticipated future developments in research and
applications.” February 16th and 17th, 2023.
Why would the Chinese
government be flying a large stratospheric balloon? ArsTechnica.com article.
Pull quote: “The balloon’s flight raises several questions—such as, just what
the heck is it doing there? This story will address what is known and not known
about the flight. The information below is based on public statements, other
news reports, and an interview with a stratospheric balloon expert, Andrew
Antonio, whose company, Urban Sky, is developing the world’s first reusable
stratospheric balloons for remote sensing.”
U.S. Shoots Down
Chinese Spy Balloon Off the Coast of the Carolinas. NYTimes.com article.
Pull quote: “Former Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, a Democrat, said that he
did not believe national security had been at risk because of the balloon,
since satellite espionage is so advanced. “Being worried about balloon
technology in the age of satellites doesn’t make sense,” he said. “If the
Chinese look at missile sites with a satellite, they can see a jackrabbit next
to the missile silo.” Still, he said downing the balloon sent a signal: “Don’t
be peeking at us.””
FAA resumes flights
at three airports after Chinese balloon shot down. TheHill.com article.
Pull quote: “The FAA said in a statement on Saturday that it paused departures
and arrivals at Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina and Myrtle
Beach International and Charleston International airports in South Carolina to
support the Defense Department in a “national security effort.” They also
closed additional airspace.”
Tougher [DOD]
Cybersecurity Rules May Be More than a Year Away—But Don’t Wait to Get Ready. GovExec.com article.
Pull quote: “The CMMC program, which aims to force contractors to implement a
minimum level of cybersecurity, published interim rules in 2020. After an
internal review, the Pentagon revamped the effort in 2021. Officials are
currently weaving the new version, dubbed CMMC 2.0, into the federal
rules—including CFR 32 and CFR 48—that govern defense contracts.”
