A National Security Agency program to safeguard Defense Department and Intelligence Community secrets is seven years behind schedule, reports the Baltimore Sun. According to documents obtained by the newspaper, concerns are rising that the delay is making data “increasingly vulnerable to theft.” An internal NSA report from 2005 stated that Pentagon computers are particularly at risk and are under constant attack, citing recent attempts by Chinese hackers that were able to steal data from a classified system serving the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in the military…