diff --git a/lang/cs/pom.xml b/lang/cs/pom.xml
index 7fbceea..5e39680 100644
--- a/lang/cs/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/cs/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-dotnet</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Dot Net</name>
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 </project>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-annotations/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-annotations/pom.xml
index cf25089..19e5473 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-annotations/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-annotations/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-applications/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-applications/pom.xml
index 5432c73..99d3dfe 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-applications/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-applications/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <packaging>pom</packaging>
     <name>REEF Applications</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-applications/reef-vortex/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-applications/reef-vortex/pom.xml
index c0bf538..4823ab5 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-applications/reef-vortex/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-applications/reef-vortex/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>vortex</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Vortex</name>
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-applications</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <dependencies>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-bridge-client/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-bridge-client/pom.xml
index 799064b..3026d2a 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-bridge-client/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-bridge-client/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-bridge-client</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Bridge (Client)</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-bridge-java/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-bridge-java/pom.xml
index 653e4eb..52f4b6f 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-bridge-java/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-bridge-java/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-bridge-java</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Bridge Java</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -164,13 +163,13 @@
                         <configuration>
                             <exportAntProperties>true</exportAntProperties>
                             <target>
-                                <property name="runtime_classpath" refid="maven.compile.classpath"/>
+                                <property name="runtime_classpath" refid="maven.compile.classpath" />
                                 <exec executable="javah">
-                                    <arg value="-cp"/>
-                                    <arg value="${runtime_classpath}"/>
-                                    <arg value="-d"/>
-                                    <arg value="${project.build.directory}/classes"/>
-                                    <arg value="org.apache.reef.javabridge.NativeInterop"/>
+                                    <arg value="-cp" />
+                                    <arg value="${runtime_classpath}" />
+                                    <arg value="-d" />
+                                    <arg value="${project.build.directory}/classes" />
+                                    <arg value="org.apache.reef.javabridge.NativeInterop" />
                                 </exec>
                             </target>
                         </configuration>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-bridge-proto-java/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-bridge-proto-java/pom.xml
index 0ace140..9028ffb 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-bridge-proto-java/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-bridge-proto-java/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-bridge-proto-java</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Bridge Protobuf Java</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-checkpoint/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-checkpoint/pom.xml
index ebc7018..8699e8f 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-checkpoint/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-checkpoint/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
     <artifactId>reef-checkpoint</artifactId>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-common/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-common/pom.xml
index a12d46d..88ceb1b 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-common/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-common/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -58,24 +57,24 @@
                         <configuration>
                             <target>
                                 <exec executable="protoc" outputproperty="protoc.version">
-                                    <arg value="--version"/>
+                                    <arg value="--version" />
                                 </exec>
                                 <fail message="${protobuf.version} expected, but protoc version was: ${protoc.version}">
                                     <condition>
                                         <not>
-                                            <contains substring="${protobuf.version}" string="${protoc.version}"/>
+                                            <contains substring="${protobuf.version}" string="${protoc.version}" />
                                         </not>
                                     </condition>
                                 </fail>
-                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto"/>
+                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto" />
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=${protoPath}"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/reef_service_protos.proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/evaluator_runtime.proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/client_runtime.proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/evaluator_shim.proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/reef_protocol.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=${protoPath}" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/reef_service_protos.proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/evaluator_runtime.proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/client_runtime.proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/evaluator_shim.proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/reef_protocol.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                             </target>
                             <sourceRoot>target/generated-sources/proto</sourceRoot>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-examples-clr/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-examples-clr/pom.xml
index b49eb2f..e6c8a24 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-examples-clr/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-examples-clr/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-examples-clr</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Examples CLR</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -144,7 +143,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
                                 </argument>
                                 <!-- <argument>-Dlog4j.debug=true</argument> -->
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-examples-hdinsight/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-examples-hdinsight/pom.xml
index 75cf6a3..e499459 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-examples-hdinsight/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-examples-hdinsight/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-examples-hdinsight</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Examples on HDInsight</name>
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -116,8 +115,7 @@
                         ${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}-shaded.jar
                     </outputFile>
                     <transformers>
-                        <transformer
-                                implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
+                        <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
                             <manifestEntries>
                                 <Main-Class>
                                     org.apache.reef.runtime.hdinsight.cli.HDICLI
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-examples/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-examples/pom.xml
index ef23257..4069e02 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-examples/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-examples/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-examples</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Examples</name>
@@ -26,7 +25,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
                                 </argument>
                                 <!-- <argument>-Dlog4j.debug=true</argument> -->
@@ -206,7 +205,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
                                 </argument>
                                 <!-- <argument>-Dlog4j.debug=true</argument> -->
@@ -231,7 +230,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
                                 </argument>
                                 <!-- <argument>-Dlog4j.debug=true</argument> -->
@@ -257,7 +256,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Dcom.microsoft.reef.runtime.local.folder=${project.build.directory}
                                 </argument>
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
@@ -288,7 +287,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>-Dcom.microsoft.reef.runtime.local.folder=${project.build.directory}
                                 </argument>
                                 <argument>-Djava.util.logging.config.class=org.apache.reef.util.logging.Config
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-experimental/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-experimental/pom.xml
index 136b45c..a6394cd 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-experimental/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-experimental/pom.xml
@@ -17,15 +17,13 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-io/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-io/pom.xml
index 0ef848d..64c97e8 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-io/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-io/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
@@ -44,16 +43,16 @@
                         <phase>generate-sources</phase>
                         <configuration>
                             <target>
-                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto"/>
+                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto" />
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/ns_protocol.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/ns_protocol.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/group_comm_protocol.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/group_comm_protocol.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                             </target>
                             <sourceRoot>target/generated-sources/proto</sourceRoot>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-poison/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-poison/pom.xml
index e301507..8407879 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-poison/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-poison/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-azbatch/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-azbatch/pom.xml
index 4ef3ff5..6d8e04f 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-azbatch/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-azbatch/pom.xml
@@ -17,14 +17,13 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-hdinsight/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-hdinsight/pom.xml
index a1d9c85..c737b7c 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-hdinsight/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-hdinsight/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-local/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-local/pom.xml
index c6bdcb5..ac6b76e 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-local/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-local/pom.xml
@@ -17,14 +17,13 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-mesos/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-mesos/pom.xml
index 7ca4d8c..c92a2b3 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-mesos/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-mesos/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-mock/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-mock/pom.xml
index bc7aaf0..fe5b1e7 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-mock/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-mock/pom.xml
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@
   ~ specific language governing permissions and limitations
   ~ under the License.
   -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-multi/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-multi/pom.xml
index 6ef7c0e..4d36f46 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-multi/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-multi/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
     <name>REEF Runtime for multiple runtime scenarios</name>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-standalone/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-standalone/pom.xml
index 7bc44d4..ec2d26f 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-standalone/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-standalone/pom.xml
@@ -17,14 +17,13 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-runtime-yarn/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-runtime-yarn/pom.xml
index 8d62e99..1043cad 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-runtime-yarn/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-runtime-yarn/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/pom.xml
index 04ddc2f..3463bdb 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <packaging>pom</packaging>
     <name>REEF Tang Project</name>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarA/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarA/pom.xml
index 7af5b8d..ee2c62c 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarA/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarA/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <artifactId>tang-test-jarA</artifactId>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarAB/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarAB/pom.xml
index 23dc844..10314af 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarAB/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarAB/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <artifactId>tang-test-jarAB</artifactId>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB-conflictA/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB-conflictA/pom.xml
index 74f363f..e96e6d0 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB-conflictA/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB-conflictA/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <artifactId>tang-test-jarB-conflictA</artifactId>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB/pom.xml
index 01aca40..fbdaa15 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-test-jarB/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <artifactId>tang-test-jarB</artifactId>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-tint/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-tint/pom.xml
index e66b566..7041610 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-tint/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang-tint/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <dependencies>
@@ -70,8 +69,7 @@
                         ${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}-${project.version}-shaded.jar
                     </outputFile>
                     <transformers>
-                        <transformer
-                                implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
+                        <transformer implementation="org.apache.maven.plugins.shade.resource.ManifestResourceTransformer">
                             <manifestEntries>
                                 <Main-Class>
                                     org.apache.reef.tang.util.Tint
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang/pom.xml
index 3ce18ba..f6ddc43 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tang/tang/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tang/tang/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>tang-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <artifactId>tang</artifactId>
@@ -38,12 +37,12 @@
                         <phase>generate-sources</phase>
                         <configuration>
                             <target>
-                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto"/>
+                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto" />
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/injection_plan.proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/class_hierarchy.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/main/proto/" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/injection_plan.proto" />
+                                    <arg value="src/main/proto/class_hierarchy.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                             </target>
                             <sourceRoot>target/generated-sources/proto</sourceRoot>
@@ -154,7 +153,7 @@
                             <executable>java</executable>
                             <arguments>
                                 <argument>-classpath</argument>
-                                <classpath/>
+                                <classpath />
                                 <argument>org.apache.reef.tang.examples.PrintTypeHierarchy</argument>
                             </arguments>
                         </configuration>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-tests/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-tests/pom.xml
index 6f3a7b6..bef392a 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-tests/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-tests/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>reef-tests</artifactId>
     <name>REEF Tests</name>
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-utils-hadoop/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-utils-hadoop/pom.xml
index a565416..4c1784c 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-utils-hadoop/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-utils-hadoop/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-utils/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-utils/pom.xml
index cd9c3ef..7ed48c3 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-utils/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-utils/pom.xml
@@ -17,13 +17,12 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-wake/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-wake/pom.xml
index 763fb08..62e3cae 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-wake/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-wake/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
 
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <packaging>pom</packaging>
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-wake/wake/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-wake/wake/pom.xml
index bfc370b..837606d 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-wake/wake/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-wake/wake/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
 
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <artifactId>wake</artifactId>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>wake-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
     </parent>
 
     <properties>
@@ -76,16 +75,16 @@
                         <phase>generate-sources</phase>
                         <configuration>
                             <target>
-                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto"/>
+                                <mkdir dir="target/generated-sources/proto" />
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=${protoPath}"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/RemoteProtocol.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=${protoPath}" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="${protoPath}/RemoteProtocol.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                                 <exec executable="protoc">
-                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/test/proto/"/>
-                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto"/>
-                                    <arg value="src/test/proto/TestProtocol.proto"/>
+                                    <arg value="--proto_path=src/test/proto/" />
+                                    <arg value="--java_out=target/generated-sources/proto" />
+                                    <arg value="src/test/proto/TestProtocol.proto" />
                                 </exec>
                             </target>
                             <sourceRoot>target/generated-sources/proto</sourceRoot>
diff --git a/lang/java/reef-webserver/pom.xml b/lang/java/reef-webserver/pom.xml
index 6fa2ce3..0ea4fee 100644
--- a/lang/java/reef-webserver/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/java/reef-webserver/pom.xml
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/lang/scala/reef-examples-scala/pom.xml b/lang/scala/reef-examples-scala/pom.xml
index 8e6bea5..9266a72 100644
--- a/lang/scala/reef-examples-scala/pom.xml
+++ b/lang/scala/reef-examples-scala/pom.xml
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
 
     <artifactId>reef-examples-spark</artifactId>
@@ -27,7 +26,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>../../..</relativePath>
     </parent>
 
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 6a85f25..c21bc12 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@
 specific language governing permissions and limitations
 under the License.
 -->
-<project xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
-         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
 
     <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
     <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
-    <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>0.16.1</version>
     <packaging>pom</packaging>
     <name>REEF</name>
     <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
@@ -87,7 +86,7 @@
         <connection>scm:git:git@github.com:apache/reef</connection>
         <developerConnection>scm:git:https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/reef</developerConnection>
         <url>scm:git:git@github.com:apache/reef</url>
-        <tag>HEAD</tag>
+        <tag>reef-project-0.16.1</tag>
     </scm>
 
     <developers>
diff --git a/website/pom.xml b/website/pom.xml
index c922f26..59ce58e 100644
--- a/website/pom.xml
+++ b/website/pom.xml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
     <parent>
         <groupId>org.apache.reef</groupId>
         <artifactId>reef-project</artifactId>
-        <version>0.16.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+        <version>0.16.1</version>
         <relativePath>..</relativePath>
     </parent>