FedRAMP’s 5th anniversary

• The cloud security program known as FedRAMP turns five years old. New data shows just how much the Federal Risk Authorization and Management Program, or FedRAMP, has matured over the last five years. FedRAMP’s program management office said the average time it takes for a cloud service to become authorized by the interagency board known as the JAB has dropped to three-to-six months from 12-to-18 months. There currently are 83 authorized cloud services, of which more than 33 percent are small businesses. FedRAMP continues to be busy with 66 cloud services in the process of receiving authorizations, of which 87 percent are software as a service. (FedRAMP)

• The Trump administration has picked its first political appointee to lead the Pentagon’s sprawling acquisition apparatus. The White House said the president will nominate Ellen Lord as the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Lord is currently the president and CEO of Textron Systems, a major defense contractor. She also serves as vice chair of the National Defense Industrial Association.

• Matt Lira, special assistant to the president for innovation policy and initiatives, has laid out how the Office of American Innovation plans to improve government operation. He’s calling on agencies and the private sector to build a new culture of government operations, one which highlights “continuous technological improvement. (Federal News Radio)

• President Donald Trump signed into law a bill to avoid problems caused by vacancies on the Merit Systems Protection Board. The one-sentence bill gives whatever members the MSPB does have the authority to extend the stay of an adverse personnel action, pending an appeal to the board. But the request for an extended stay must come from the Office of Special Counsel. The board only has one member, so it can’t take on appeals to decisions by its administrative judges. (White House)

• Ongoing discussions regarding the 2018 defense authorization bill markup will be conducted behind closed doors. Organizations like the Project on Government Oversight are concerned. POGO, along with 15 other think tanks, wrote a letter to the committee saying the more than $600 billion authorization bill should be debated in public. (Federal News Radio)

• Nine Republicans said they oppose the president’s proposed changes to federal retirement. The group wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to voice their concerns. Reps. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) were two of the nine. Other members from New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Utah also signed the letter. They said the proposals break a promise to federal employees and retirees. (Federal News Radio)

• A new office has been stood up by the Army to help soldiers process claims of property loss from government service. The Center for Personnel Claims Support, located at Fort Knox, Kentucky, became fully operational July 5. Soldiers can file personnel claims for property lost or damaged during shipment to a new assignment, or while stored at government expense. (Army)

• The VA has taken its first step toward offering medical care to veterans who left the military with a less-than-honorable discharge. The department said it will open its facilities to veterans with so-called “bad paper” discharges starting on July 5, a step the VA has previously said it hopes will help stem the tide of veteran suicide. They’ll be able to get free care for up to 90 days if they’re in the midst of a mental health emergency. In at least some cases, the department said it hopes to use that time to determine whether the veteran’s psychological symptoms are tied to a service-connected injury. In that case, he or she would be entitled to longer-term care. (Department of Veterans Affairs)

• A former special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration has pleaded guilty to stealing fraud proceeds she was supposed to recover for victims. According to the Justice Department, Artemis Papadakis admits to mailing herself funds she recovered while working for the agency in Cyprus after she claimed the money had not been recovered. (Department of Justice)

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