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FedRAMP Updates Readiness Assessment Report Guide, Templates for 3PAOs
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FedRAMP Updates Readiness Assessment Report Guide, Templates for 3PAOs

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has announced the release of updated Readiness Assessment Report (RAR) templates and guide for third-party assessment organizations.

The updated RAR guide and templates seek to streamline template tables and sections to reduce duplication and address complexity, clarify instructions and requirements as per feedback from cloud service providers and 3PAOs and align RAR with FedRAMP’s current requirements and guidance, the program said Tuesday.

The RAR document allows a 3PAO to document the operational, technical and management capabilities of a cloud service offering and attest the platform’s readiness to undergo the authorization process for FedRAMP.

CSPs can use the completed RAR to know if their platform has the capabilities to secure authorization under FedRAMP.

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Senators Want to Know How DHS, DOT Will Address Cyberthreats to Transportation Infrastructure
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Senators Want to Know How DHS, DOT Will Address Cyberthreats to Transportation Infrastructure

A group of 10 lawmakers led by Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., asked the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation how they carry out their responsibilities as co-sector risk management agencies for the U.S. critical transportation infrastructure amid rising cybersecurity threats to transportation systems.

The senators wrote a letter to DHS Secretary and 2021 Wash100 Award winner Alejandro Mayorkas and DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday asking them to share information on how they meet their certain responsibilities as co-SMRAs.

Those responsibilities include efforts to support risk sector management and incident management, contribution to emergency preparedness activities and initiative to facilitate information sharing regarding physical security and cybersecurity threats within the designated sectors or subsectors.

The lawmakers also want information on the two agencies’ security-related processes to help detect, respond and prevent cyberthreats, including each component agency’s responsibilities under the Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan to ensure the security of the country’s critical infrastructure.

DHS and DOT have also been requested to share data on how they work together to prevent redundancies and gaps in federal risk management and efforts to update the Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan.

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Navy Veteran Jim Shannon Named VTG Government Relations EVP; John Hassoun Quoted
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Navy Veteran Jim Shannon Named VTG Government Relations EVP; John Hassoun Quoted

Jim Shannon, a retired Navy rear admiral, has been named executive vice president of government relations at Chantilly, Virginia-based defense systems engineering company VTG.

The 35-year Navy veteran most recently served as president of ASSETT, an undersea warfare and unmanned technology developer that VTG acquired in August 2021, the company said Wednesday.

John Hassoun, president and CEO of VTG, said he expects the appointment to help further the company’s support to the defense and intelligence sectors and position its technology portfolio to address customers’ mission requirements.

Shannon served on multiple afloat commands during the first two decades of his military career and supported acquisition programs at the Department of the Navy for more than 15 years.

His roles while in service include commander of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, deputy assistant secretary for international programs at the Navy and deputy commander of Naval Sea Systems Command.

He worked as a consultant for naval executive advisory services at the former PwC public sector business.

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GovCon Expert McAleese Expects Compromise of Up to 7% Rise in FY 2022 DOD Funding
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GovCon Expert McAleese Expects Compromise of Up to 7% Rise in FY 2022 DOD Funding

A McAleese & Associates report forecasts that Congress will reach a final compromise of 5 percent to 7 percent increase in fiscal year 2022 defense funding in late February or early March.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 winner, reported the compromise could increase the Department of Defense’s FY 2022 funding by $36 billion to $46 billion to hit $740 billion to $750B, up from the enacted funding level of $704 billion in FY 2021.

McAleese noted that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called for equal “parity” in 2022 increases in both DOD and domestic funding and that the House Appropriations Committee will likely back the 5 percent jump in DOD’s funding for the current fiscal year.

According to the report, the Senate Appropriations Committee previously proposed a 13 percent rise in FY 2022 domestic funding in parallel with a 4.5 percent increase in defense funding to reach $736 billion.

McAleese explained that an absolute parity in allocation of about $118 billion of requested increase in overall discretionary funding for FY 2022 would provide an 8 percent rise, or $59 billion, in this year’s Pentagon funding to reach $763 billion.

The House Appropriations Committee-Defense is set to hold a hearing on Jan. 12 to assess the impact of continuing resolution on the military. The government is operating under a stopgap funding measure that will expire on Feb. 18.

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BAE Systems Lands $137M Contract for U.S. Navy C5ISR Training
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BAE Systems Lands $137M Contract for U.S. Navy C5ISR Training

BAE Systems has landed a five-year contract, $137 million from the U.S. Navy to aid defense technologies and training. 

The contract was awarded back in Nov. 2021 to provide management and sustainment of combat systems such as C5ISR, the Farnborough, United Kingdom-based arms and security company said Wednesday. 

C5ISR, for which BAE will provide training, are systems implemented to strengthen decision making and situational awareness for military operators.

“Our deep C5ISR sustainment experience, skilled workforce, and in-place resources positioned us well to recompete for this important work,” said Lisa Hand, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions.

Hand went on to say that training in C5ISR will instill a “tactical edge” in personnel and enable its users to solve difficult problems in combat situations.

Built into the contract will be post-fielding efforts from BAE Systems in order to maintain the viability of the technology. This will mean upgrades, cyber hardening and logistical support to personnel on-site at U.S. government facilities. 

Recently, in September 2021, BAE Systems was awarded a $478 million contract by the U.S. Navy to continue its support of the 

U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Program office. A month later, in October 2021, BAE won a $65.8 million contract from the U.S. Navy to offer precision approach and landing systems onboard aircraft carriers.

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Mac Curtis Named Cubic’s Chairman; Newly Appointed CEO Stevan Slijepcevic Quoted
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Mac Curtis Named Cubic’s Chairman; Newly Appointed CEO Stevan Slijepcevic Quoted

Mac Curtis, former CEO, president and chairman of Perspecta, has been named chairman of the board for Cubic Corporation as part of the company’s leadership transition.

Curtis, a seven-time Wash100 Award recipient, succeeds Brad Feldmann as Cubic’s chairman of the board, while former Honeywell President Stevan Slijepcevic will assume the role of Cubic’s president and CEO, the Veritas Capital-backed company said Wednesday.

Commenting on his and Curtis’ new appointments, newly-named CEO Slijepcevic said, “I am excited to leverage my operational expertise and experience growing diversified businesses – in partnership with the talented Cubic team, Mac and the rest of the Board – as Cubic embarks on its next era of growth as a private company.”

“I look forward to working with Steve and the Board as Cubic captures the opportunities ahead,” Curtis remarked, in addition to thanking Feldmann, a previous Wash100 Award winner, for his two decades of service.

The new Cubic chairman’s more than 30 years of government contracting experience encompasses multiple CEO and senior-level roles for companies such as Perspecta, Vencore, Vangent and Pearson Government Solutions.

During his time at Perspecta, Curtis led the company’s integration of DXC’s public sector business, Keypoint Government Solutions and Vencore, which resulted in Perspecta, now a part of Peraton, becoming a publicly traded company.

Notably, Curtis spearheaded Perspecta’s $7.1 billion all-cash sale to Veritas Capital prior to his retirement in May 2021.

Additionally, Curtis’ new appointment builds upon his long-standing 15-year partnership with Veritas, which includes his time with the company as a senior advisor. He also previously served as president and CEO for both Vencore and Vangent, both of which are Veritas Capital portfolio companies.

Currently, Curtis serves as a venture fellow for Blue Delta Capital Partners, following his appointment in Oct. 2021.

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Marine Corps Extends Submission Timeline for C-UAS Interceptor RFI
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Marine Corps Extends Submission Timeline for C-UAS Interceptor RFI

The Department of the Navy has extended the response deadline of a request for information notice on counter-unmanned aircraft system products that can boost the Marine Air Defense Integrated System‘s lethality.

Parties now have up to Jan. 20 to submit information on C-UAS interceptor technology that can integrate with MADIS Block 1, which features integrated capabilities designed for active air defense, DON said Monday in a SAM.gov notice.

MADIS uses ground-based air defense systems to protect military assets with respect to standoff, range and lethality.

The U.S. Marine Corps considers including a C-UAS interceptor in MADIS’ Block 2 update. The service branch wants interceptors that can be field refurbish-able and recoverable or non-recoverable to reduce engagement costs.

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James Hursch Returns to Defense Security Cooperation Agency as Director
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James Hursch Returns to Defense Security Cooperation Agency as Director

James Hursch, a member of the Senior Executive Service who has worked on foreign military financing efforts, has rejoined the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to serve as director.

Hursch worked on the Excess Defense Articles program and produced reports for Congress during his time in the 90s with DSCA’s predecessor known as the Defense Security Assistance Agency, DSCA said Tuesday.

The executive most recently served as the acting secretary of defense representative in Europe and acting defense adviser for the U.S. Mission to NATO. He coordinated with the U.S. Ambassador to NATO to negotiate with allies with respect to Department of Defense policies.

He also formerly served as the Defense Technology Security Administration’s director, a role he held from 2008 to 2013 to oversee security policy on international defense technology transfers.

His career also includes work as a special assistant to the assistant secretary of defense for international security.

“The new National Defense Strategy will recognize the critical importance of our allies and partners in achieving our shared objectives,” Hursch said.

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Federal Trade Commission: Companies Must Take Steps to Mitigate Log4j Risks
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Federal Trade Commission: Companies Must Take Steps to Mitigate Log4j Risks

The Federal Trade Commission urges companies to address the cyber vulnerabilities associated with the Log4j logging utility software, which records activities in consumer-facing systems.

FTC said Tuesday that Log4j vulnerabilities, when exploited, can risk breaching financial assets and personal information.

Laws like the Federal Trade Commission Act  impose efforts to address software vulnerabilities. The commission cited as an example that Equifax had to pay $700 million for settlements as a result of exposing the personal information of 147 million individuals.

FTC noted that it will fully use its legal authority to deal with companies that have not made efforts to secure consumer data from threats exploiting Log4j vulnerabilities and similar issues.

The commission also advises companies to update their Log4j software package and consult with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s guidance on the vulnerability.

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Octo Expands Federal Healthcare IT Offerings With B3 Buy; Mehul Sanghani Quoted
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Octo Expands Federal Healthcare IT Offerings With B3 Buy; Mehul Sanghani Quoted

Octo has acquired B3 Group, a Herndon, Virginia-based information technology consulting firm that offers digital transformation services.

As part of the transaction, Octo will build upon B3’s 13-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to expand its position in the federal health IT modernization market, the company said Wednesday.

Mehul Sanghani, CEO of Octo, commented on the business combination, “Now with even deeper experience across the health space added to our defense, intelligence, national security, and civilian customer base, Octo has greatly enhanced its position to serve as the Federal Government’s complete, end-to-end digital modernization partner.”

Additionally, Sanghani cited B3’s capabilities, such as low-code/no-code technologies and enterprise-level application modernization, along with their more than $1 billion in previous task orders as assets that will assist in Octo’s expansion goals.

B3’s digital transformation offerings include work with platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft Power Platform, Pega and ServiceNow, in addition to large-scale data governance and cloud engineering services.

The acquisition will allow B3’s existing Digital Transformation and Modernization Lab to work in tandem with Octo’s oLabs environment, a 14,000 square-foot facility dedicated to federal government research and development efforts.

Octo will also inherit B3’s $686 million Digital Transformation Center contract from the VA, which is expected to grow its modernization practice for its federal civilian, homeland security, defense and intelligence customers. Additionally, B3’s executive leadership will remain in place through the deal.

B3 CEO Dwight Hunt noted that the two companies share complementary corporate philosophies and values, which will deliver more robust offerings to federal customers in the healthcare market and allow the enterprise’s employees to pursue enhanced career opportunities.

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