Also on today’s menu:
North Korea Show Off Banned Ballistic Missiles
The End Is Near For Incandescent Bulbs
Tightening Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules
Stars and Stripes, the outlet that provides independent news and information to the U.S. military community, reports that Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who has blocked more than 280 senior officer promotions in protest of a Pentagon policy that reimburses service members for travel expenses incurred in seeking reproductive health care that is banned in several states, and allows them to use their personal leave to do so, said during a hearing to consider the promotions of Air Force Lieutenant General Gregory Guillot and Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting to four-star generals that politics is getting in the way of putting U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters in his home state.
Alabama and Colorado are the two top candidates for Space Command headquarters. Redstone Arsenal, an Army base in Huntsville, is a suitable choice, but Space Command has been based at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs since the command was established in 2019. “It’s been three years, and we do not have a permanent home yet for Space Command, and it’s a shame that we have gotten into politics,” Tuberville said as the Senate Armed Services Committee considered the two promotions recommended by President Joe Biden Jr.
Biden nominated Guillot to lead the U.S. Northern Command and Whiting to lead Space Command. Guillot and Whiting agreed that politics should be kept out of military decision-making, particularly given increased threats in connection with Russia’s war in Ukraine and the increasing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) commented, “The roles that [Guillot and Whiting] are going into are so critical for our national defense, but the ‘if confirmed’ is certainly in question because of Senator Tuberville’s holds on these promotions.”
Roughly 500 military spouses have delivered a petition stating that Tuberville’s procedural hold on all general and admiral promotions as an “inappropriate and unpatriotic” political maneuver that harms the impacted officers and their families. The Secure Families Initiative, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that advocates for military spouses and families, wrote to senators Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), saying, “No matter your political beliefs, we must agree that service members and military families will not be used as political leverage. It’s time to end this political showmanship and recommit to respect the service and sacrifice of those who pledge to defend this nation.”
North Korea Show Off Banned Ballistic Missiles
Russia Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at an exhibition featuring the North’s banned ballistic missiles, and they pledged to boost ties, according to North Korean state media. Shoigu and a Chinese delegation led by a Communist Party politburo member were observing the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean Conflict, celebrated in North Korea as Victory Day.
The United Nations Security Council has banned the nuclear-capable missiles in resolutions adopted with Russian and Chinese support. Now the three countries, united by their rivalry with the United States, are making a show of solidarity in a revival of what some analysts see as their Cold War-era coalition.
It was the first visit by a Russian defense minister to North Korea since the fall of the Soviet Union, and Shoigu brought along a letter from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim also met with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong who handed him a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The End Is Near For Incandescent Bulbs
As of Aug. 1, the Energy Department will fully enforce new energy efficiency regulations that effectively prohibit the retail sale of incandescent light bulbs, although there are exceptions for some, such as those used in microwave ovens.
It has taken more than a decade to reach goals set to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Republican presidential hopefuls accused Democrats of trying to limit consumers’ choices, and passed legislation to block the Obama administration from carrying out the new efficiency standards. The Biden Energy Department completed two efficiency rules last year that effectively phased out most halogen and incandescent light bulbs on the market. One codified a standard that light bulbs produce at least 45 lumens for every watt, and the other rule expanded that standard to more common bulb types.
That forces consumers to purchase more efficient alternatives such as LED bulbs, which cost more up front but may save consumers money in the long run. The Energy Department expects U.S. consumers to save nearly $3 billion on their annual utility bills as a result of the rules, while reducing carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.
Tightening Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) first proposed new cybersecurity disclosure rules on March 8, 2022, and by a 3-2 vote on July 26, it has adopted the new rules, designed to provide investors with more information about the cybersecurity risks facing public companies. The rules, which will go into effect on December 1, also encourage public companies to take steps to improve their cybersecurity efforts.
The rules require public companies to disclose the nature of any cybersecurity incident, its impact on the company’s business, the steps the company has taken to address the incident, and the company’s policies and procedures for managing cybersecurity risks. Public companies also must disclose information about the board of directors’ expertise and oversight of cybersecurity risk, including the board’s role in assessing and managing that risk.
Companies that fail to comply with the new cybersecurity disclosure rules could SEC enforcement actions and investor lawsuits as well as damage to the company’s reputation. The SEC allows a four-day “safe harbor” disclosure deadline for companies with a reasonable basis for believing that the incident is not material, and the rules do not require companies to disclose sensitive information about the cybersecurity incidents.