Month: April 2022

Posted on

Security News in Brief: Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Firearm Offenses

Source: United States Department of Justice News

An Alabama man was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for federal and local firearms offenses stemming from the discovery of weapons in his pickup truck parked near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 72, of Falkville, pleaded guilty on Nov. 12, 2021, to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, a federal offense, and to carrying a pistol without a license, a District of Columbia offense. According to court documents, Coffman traveled from Alabama to the District of Columbia several days prior to Jan. 6 and parked his red GMC Sierra pickup truck at the 300 block of First Street, SE, on the morning of Jan. 6. Less than half a mile away in the U.S. Capitol Building, a joint session of the U.S. Congress was scheduled to meet in the afternoon to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Coffman admitted in the plea agreement that he exited the pickup truck at 9:20 a.m. and walked in the direction of the U.S. Capitol Building, and towards a rally near the National Mall. Inside the pickup truck were several loaded firearms within arms-reach of the driver’s seat, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, a crossbow with bolts, machetes, camouflage smoke devices, a stun gun and a cooler containing 11 mason jars filled with ignitable ingredients for Molotov cocktail incendiary weapons. Coffman also carried a loaded handgun and a loaded revolver as he walked around the area that day. A search of Coffman’s residence in Alabama later that month led to the discovery of 12 additional mason jars containing ignitable substances, each constituting the component parts of Molotov cocktails.

Coffman did not have a license to carry a pistol in the District of Columbia and had not registered any firearms or destructive devices in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.

Coffman has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 6.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Friedman for the District of Columbia and Henry Cornelius for the Northern District of Alabama prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Taryn Meeks of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Posted on

Security News in Brief: Former GE Power Engineer Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Economic Espionage

Source: United States Department of Justice

Jury Finds Xiaoqing Zheng Conspired with Individuals in China to Steal GE’s Trade Secrets Knowing or Intending to Benefit the Government of China

Yesterday, a federal jury convicted a New York man of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week jury trial.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Xiaoqing Zheng, 59, of Niskayuna, was employed at GE Power & Water in Schenectady, New York, as an engineer specializing in sealing technology. He worked at GE from 2008 until the summer of 2018. The trial evidence demonstrated that Zheng and others in China conspired to steal GE’s trade secrets surrounding GE’s steam and gas turbine technologies, knowing or intending to benefit the People’s Republic of China and one or more foreign instrumentalities, including China-based companies that research, develop, and manufacture parts for turbines.

“Zheng conspired to steal trade secrets from his employer, GE, and transfer this information to his business partner in China, so they could enrich both themselves and companies receiving support from the PRC government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This is the kind of exploitation of our economy and open society that the Department will continue to counter relentlessly.”

“Dr. Zheng used his status as a trusted engineer with GE to conspire to commit economic espionage on behalf of the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman for the Northern District of New York. This conviction should send a strong message that the FBI will continue to vigorously investigate economic espionage cases and pursue prosecution in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure the protection of American technology and American jobs.”

“Those who conspire to steal technology from a U.S. business and transfer it to China can cause tremendous damage,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Good-paying jobs could be lost, and communities can suffer. These actions help China become more of a threat to our national security. This is why the FBI puts so much effort into investigating cases of economic espionage.”

“Dr. Zheng used his status as a trusted engineer with GE to conspire to commit economic espionage on behalf of the People’s Republic of China,” said Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi of the FBI’s Albany Field Office. “This conviction should send a strong message that the FBI will continue to vigorously investigate economic espionage cases and pursue prosecution in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure the protection of American technology and American jobs.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 2 in Albany before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Zheng faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The jury acquitted Zheng of two counts of economic espionage and two counts of trade secret theft.  The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, two counts of economic espionage, three counts of trade secret theft, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo

A federal jury convicted a New York man of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week jury trial.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Xiaoqing Zheng, 59, of Niskayuna, was employed at GE Power & Water in Schenectady, New York, as an engineer specializing in sealing technology. He worked at GE from 2008 until the summer of 2018. The trial evidence demonstrated that Zheng and others in China conspired to steal GE’s trade secrets surrounding GE’s steam and gas turbine technologies, knowing or intending to benefit the People’s Republic of China and one or more foreign instrumentalities, including China-based companies that research, develop, and manufacture parts for turbines.

“Zheng conspired to steal trade secrets from his employer, GE, and transfer this information to his business partner in China, so they could enrich both themselves and companies receiving support from the PRC government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “This is the kind of exploitation of our economy and open society that the Department will continue to counter relentlessly.”

“Dr. Zheng used his status as a trusted engineer with GE to conspire to commit economic espionage on behalf of the People’s Republic of China,” said U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman for the Northern District of New York. This conviction should send a strong message that the FBI will continue to vigorously investigate economic espionage cases and pursue prosecution in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure the protection of American technology and American jobs.”

“Those who conspire to steal technology from a U.S. business and transfer it to China can cause tremendous damage,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Good-paying jobs could be lost, and communities can suffer. These actions help China become more of a threat to our national security. This is why the FBI puts so much effort into investigating cases of economic espionage.”

“Dr. Zheng used his status as a trusted engineer with GE to conspire to commit economic espionage on behalf of the People’s Republic of China,” said Special Agent in Charge Janeen DiGuiseppi of the FBI’s Albany Field Office. “This conviction should send a strong message that the FBI will continue to vigorously investigate economic espionage cases and pursue prosecution in partnership with the United States Attorney’s Office to ensure the protection of American technology and American jobs.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 2 in Albany before U.S. District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino. Zheng faces up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $5 million, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The jury acquitted Zheng of two counts of economic espionage and two counts of trade secret theft.  The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of conspiracy to commit trade secret theft, two counts of economic espionage, three counts of trade secret theft, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Emily C. Powers for the Northern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Matthew Chang of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section.

Field Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Belliss and Emily C. Powers for the Northern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Matthew Chang of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Controls Section.

Posted on

Defense News in Brief: NAVSUP Office of Small Business Programs welcomes companies with manufacturing and repair capabilities to upcoming events

Source: United States Navy

The Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) small business community will be attending Sea-Air-Space 2022, April 4-6, 2022 in National Harbor, Maryland and the 2022 Navy Gold Coast Conference, September 6-8, 2022 at the San Diego Convention Center. Small businesses with manufacturing and/or repair capabilities are encouraged to meet with the NAVSUP small business team at these events.

In support of these engagements, NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (WSS) has compiled a list of items that are candidates for additional source development. Vendors can obtain the source development candidate list and instructions on how to proceed here: https://sam.gov/opp/cf86d7e256424a25838348f19a4fef81/view.

Additionally, NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk has posted their FY22/FY23 Long Range Acquisition Forecast.  The forecast listing can be found here: https://sam.gov/opp/060367b11b5e4be89c4e682f0fcb1284/view.

“This release further advances our initiative to improve proactive communication with industry on upcoming requirements,” said NAVSUP Office of Small Business Director Chris Espenshade. “The earlier we can communicate mission requirements, the better we can position small business industry partners to compete. The FLC Norfolk and NAVSUP WSS procurement missions are critical to the Navy’s sustainment success, so it’s imperative we leverage the intangibles small business brings to the fight.”

Industry partners should upload their capabilities or interest to the NAVSUP Interested Vendor/Capabilities Portal (https://www.navsup.navy.mil/public/navsup/business_opps_vendor_form/) prior to onsite discussions.

Companies unable to meet the team at these upcoming engagements but have repair capabilities can reach out to:

NAVSUP is headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 25,000 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor & family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and https://twitter.com/navsupsyscom.

Posted on

Defense News in Brief: MCPON Smith’s 129th CPO Birthday Message to the Fleet

Source: United States Navy

This legacy of service has matured immeasurably over the last 129 years, but the core expectations of our Mess remain the same today as they did in 1893.  This sentiment was best captured in an essay entitled “A Message to Garcia” by Elbert Hubbard; much like 1st LT Rowan, our Chief Petty Officers are not ones to incessantly question or lack conviction, but instead take the commander’s intent and simply get the job done – “to ‘do the thing’ and carry a message to Garcia.”  It is our initiative, our willingness to boldly lead and perpetuate a culture of excellence focused on achieving best-ever performance – that is our true legacy.  It has stood the test of time, and lies at the heart of what our officers expect from us – and what our Sailors demand of us.

Leadership is not an easy endeavor. Among other things, it requires tough decisions that not everyone will agree with, even though Chiefs specialize in building consensus among leaders with disparate points of view.  Honor, integrity, duty and self-discipline infuse our every action, in such a way that those decisions we make and actions we take will survive the scrutiny of hindsight.

In difficult environments and often facing tremendous odds, our Chiefs work together to improvise solutions and win – this is what makes our Mess so strong.  We are far stronger, wiser and more lethal together, and it is that unity of effort that a CO is expecting us to deliver on.

We do not celebrate ourselves, as we are professionals who do this difficult work every day.  That said, this particular day provides us the chance to reflect on how far we’ve come, and to enjoy the fellowship and camaraderie of our herd as we remind each other of our shared history – the events that have shaped our development.  More importantly, it affords us the opportunity to strengthen our internal ties – so critical to leveraging our unique organization and ensuring our Navy prevails in any mission our Nation requires.

Russell L. Smith
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

Posted on

Defense News in Brief: NRL highlights state-of-the-art research at Sea Air Space

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will showcase cutting-edge research and technologies during the Navy League’s Global Maritime Exposition Sea-Air-Space in exhibit booth #1847 at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, April 4-6, 2022.

The annual event is the largest maritime exposition in the U.S. and brings together the defense industrial base, private-sector companies and key military decision-makers from the sea services for an opportunity to innovate, educate, and connect.

Sea Air Space opens with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Expo on April 3 to educate youth about STEM careers and opportunities in a hands-on environment. NRL researchers will provide a STEM demo using LEctenna, short for Light Emitting Diode (LED) Rectifying Antenna, to beam power through space. Students will also have the opportunity to build their own LEctenna.

More information on panels with NRL speakers:
 

What: Panel discussion – Artificial Intelligence: The Next Level of Defense
The discussion will be moderated by Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute, and focuses on civil-military partnerships to advance artificial intelligence development.
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST, April 5
Location: Potomac CD
Panelists:

– David Aha, Ph.D., Director of the Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

– Christopher Lynch, CEO, Rebellion Defense
– Alexander Wang, Founder and CEO, Scale AI
 

What: Panel discussion – International Trade and Port Security
The discussion will be moderated by Sara Fuentes, vice president for government affairs at the Transportation Institute, and examines how we can leverage technology to create smarter ports to support supply chain management and as well to improve port security at the more than 300 U.S. ports.
Time: 10:30 a.m. EST, April 6
Location: Potomac CD
Panelists:

– Christopher Hickey, Senior Systems Engineer, Naval Research Laboratory
– Rear Adm. John Mauger, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, U.S. Coast Guard
– Tony Padilla, Senior Advisor, Maritime Trade and Development, U.S. Department of State
– William Doyle, Executive Director, Maryland Port Administration

NRL Programs

Other NRL programs and technologies scheduled to be highlighted in the exhibit booth include hexapod robot, PROTEUS, Flexible Distributed Array Radar (FlexDAR), and NRL’s Technology Transfer Office.

More information on NRL programs and research represented:

NRL Technology Transfer Office (TTO) – Facilitates and promotes the implementation of the NRL’s innovative technologies in products and services to benefit the public and the warfighter. To carry out this mission, TTO engages with industry and academia to develop strategic partnerships building a collaborative bridge between NRL’s state-of-the-art research capabilities and technologies and industry needs.

The Distributed Autonomous Systems Group (DASG) – The DASG performs state-of-the-art research in multi-agent and multi-robot autonomous systems. This includes the Hexapod Robot. The robot is a multi-legged robotic platform with autonomous on-board tracking capabilities and is used for investigating collaboration in autonomous multi-robot teams operating in challenging terrains such as sandy, wooded, or wet environments where wheeled or tracked platforms may not operate effectively.

PROTEUS – A system used to identify, query, and filter vessels based on user-defined criteria. This system can execute advanced queries resulting in robust, timely, and informative track updates.

Sharkskin Denticles – Shark skin possesses microstructure scales called denticles, which interact with the surrounding flow to increase speed, decrease drag, and provide antifouling properties for sharks. The aim of this project is to create bioinspired surfaces to improve the hydrodynamic performance of unpiloted underwater vehicles (UUVs) and other robots.

Flying Sea Glider – A flying emplacement Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) that rapidly traverses large distances by air then transitions to an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV).

LASR (Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research) –  The Laboratory for Autonomous Systems Research, or LASR, opened March 2012 and is a 50,000 square foot facility that supports basic and applied research in autonomous systems. The facility is host to a wide range of interdisciplinary basic and applied research in autonomous systems to include research in autonomous systems, intelligent autonomy, human-autonomous system interaction and collaboration, sensor systems, power and energy systems, networking and communications, and platforms.

Microwave Power beaming – Safe and COntinuous Power bEaming – Microwave (SCOPE-M) has successfully executed rapid demonstration of X band microwave power beaming across irregular, inhomogeneous terrain. Microwave power beaming is the efficient, point-to-point transfer of electrical energy across free space by a directive microwave beam.

Navy Center for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence (NCARAI) – NCARAI conducts basic and applied research on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address problems that are critical to the Navy, Marine Corps, and the broader DOD. Our primary efforts focus on intelligent agents (e.g., integrated cognitive architectures, decision making, natural language understanding), human-machine teaming (e.g., computational cognitive modeling, human-centered computing, human-machine teaming), machine learning (e.g., deep learning), and autonomous systems (e.g., control of distributed unmanned vehicles, sensor-based systems). NCARAI researchers emphasize the linkage of theory and application in demonstration projects and deployable prototypes that employ techniques from AI and related disciplines.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.