Short Takes – 1-4-24

Whose list of top cybersecurity events of 2023 is worth using? SCADAMag.Infracritical.com article. Pull quote: “The asset owner needs to be provided with a fuller picture of the threat environment that is not limited to the data domain that will aid in making the right choices in improving safety and resilience of operations.  It is also needed for the policy maker who hopes to issue a document that will help protect economic activity, national security and the well-being of society.  Until this information sharing problem is solved, we can only keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best as we look forward to 2024.”

U.S. and BAE to Bring Back Popular Howitzer After Success in Ukraine. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: “For now, the effort is focused on producing new parts to refurbish old guns in Ukraine. But it shows how the nearly two-year Ukraine war is taking a toll on Kyiv’s Western-donated equipment, some of which is no longer produced. That leads to future problems in acquiring spare parts needed to keep guns operational.”

The West Badly Needs More Missiles—but the Wait to Buy Them Is Years Long. WSJ.com article. Pull quote: “The problem is that modern weapons are hugely complex, often requiring thousands of parts. Kongsberg, like most Western defense firms, designs and assembles its weapons systems but doesn’t manufacture most of the components. Over 1,500 suppliers contribute to the products at this factory. The Nasams supply chain alone consists of over a thousand companies and is built across two continents, with the U.S. defense contractor RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, supplying the radar and the actual missiles.”

Questions Persist on EPA’s New Chemicals Review Process. ChemicalProcessing.com article. Pull quote: “An EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report released on Aug. 2 seemed to validate many of ACC’s concerns, including inconsistencies in the review process. The report also determined the agency lacks the resources to ensure its new chemicals review process under Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) operates as intended. The ACC and a group that represents EPA whistleblowers agree with many of the findings in the OIG report but disagree on who is responsible for the issues and the proposed solutions.”

Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; Clearance of a Renewal of an Information Collection: Operational Waivers for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Federal Register FAA 60-day ICR Notice. Sumnmary: “The FAA must continue collecting information about requests for waivers from certain operational rules that apply to small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). The FAA will continue to use the collected information to make determinations whether to authorize or deny the requested operations of sUAS. The information collected is necessary to issue such authorizations or denials consistent with the FAA's mandate to ensure safe and efficient use of national airspace.” Comment due date: March 4^th, 2024.

30-Day Notice of Intent To Seek Extension of Approval for Information Collection: Rail Service Data. Federal Register STB Rail Service 30-day ICR Notice. Summary: “This collection of rail service data aids the Board in identifying rail service issues, allowing the Board to better understand current service issues and to identify and address potential future regional and national service disruptions more quickly. The transparency resulting from this collection also benefits rail shippers and other stakeholders by helping them to better plan operations and make informed decisions based on publicly available, near real-time data and their own analysis of performance trends over time.” Comment deadline: February 5^th, 2024.

Cyber risks to defense industrial supply chains are ‘substantially worse’ than other concerns. FederalNewsNetwork.com article. Pull quote: “Since one of the most important findings of the research is the need for a comprehensive approach in how cyber and supply chain risk management engage with each other, researchers want the defense industrial base to be less focused on trying to stop things from happening, but rather think about the consequences of cyber attacks.”