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Chris DeRusha: OMB to Narrow Scope of Information Security Reports
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Chris DeRusha: OMB to Narrow Scope of Information Security Reports

Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer (CISO) and 2021 Wash100 Award, said agencies will follow a more specific scope of things to assess in their next annual information security reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The Federal Information Modernization Act tasks agencies to produce their own information security reports for OMB’s record, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

DeRusha said reducing the scope to a more priority-specific list based on security practices can produce better results compared to last year’s. This move addresses recent cybersecurity incidents witnessed by the U.S. government. 

“It’s been a goal for a while, but we’re doubling down on that and making sure that we’re giving agencies some space to be able to focus on that,” he said.

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Amentum-Jacobs-Honeywell Joint Venture Receives $8.3B Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract; CEO John Vollmer Quoted
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Amentum-Jacobs-Honeywell Joint Venture Receives $8.3B Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract; CEO John Vollmer Quoted
John Vollmer
John Vollmer, CEO of Amentum

United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR), a joint venture among Amentum, Jacobs and Honeywell, has been awarded a potential ten-year, $8.3 billion Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup contract, Amentum announced on Wednesday.

“Amentum and our partner companies have a long history of supporting the DOE’s environmental management programs and recently delivered historic success in cleaning up DOE’s uranium enrichment complex ahead of schedule and under budget at the 2,200-acre ETTP complex,” said John Vollmer, CEO of Amentum and a six-time Wash100 Award recipient.

UCOR will be responsible for cleanup and remedial actions at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP), the cleanup of excess facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex and the design, construction, and operation of the new onsite disposal facility – the Environmental Management Disposal Facility.

“We look forward to working with our customers, partners, regulators, and the Oak Ridge community stakeholders to further advance the DOE’s mission of safe environmental cleanup of the Oak Ridge Reservation,” Vollmer elaborated.

In addition, UCOR will provide operational activities and surveillance and maintenance for multiple facilities; and core functions for central and project services. The team includes four pre-selected small businesses, RSI EnTech, Strata-G, Longnecker & Associates and Environmental Alternatives, Inc.

“The team we have assembled has the expertise and experience to deliver an end state-focused vision for the DOE customer,” said Mark Whitney, president of Amentum’s Nuclear & Environment business. “Building on the accelerated completion of Vision 2020, Amentum and UCOR will partner with our customer to deliver the next phases of DOE’s vision for the site under this contract.”

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Sev1Tech Completes Acquisition of Geocent; CEO Robert Lohfeld Quoted
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Sev1Tech Completes Acquisition of Geocent; CEO Robert Lohfeld Quoted

Sev1Tech has finalized its acquisition of Geocent, a New Orleans, Louisiana-based DevSecOps and engineering services provider.

Through the business combination, Sev1Tech will leverage Geocent’s IT and engineering capabilities to deliver expanded service offerings to the companies’ strategically aligned federal and commercial customer base, Sev1Tech said Tuesday.

Bob Lohfeld, CEO of Sev1Tech, said the two companies both share long-standing government agency partnerships, deep federal experience and complementary core values, which uniquely positions the partnership to expand its market reach and strengthen its relationship with key defense agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“Geocent’s leadership in DevSecOps and the scientific space domain dovetails with Sev1Tech’s growing influence in space modernization,” Lohfeld explained. “Our combined capabilities will amplify our missions, from the tactical edge to the enterprise to the end-user.”

Additionally, CEO of Geocent, Dr. Bobby Savoie said the companies’ combined capabilities across artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity and market-leading applications will “unleash new offerings and augment service delivery” to their government partners.

In September 2021, Sev1Tech won a $47.5 million contract to develop a data transport-as-a-service to support critical U.S. Space Force missions, and the company was also recently named as an Advanced Consulting Partner for Amazon Web Services Partner Network.

The company’s recently finalized acquisition of Geocent is expected to bolster the partnership’s space capabilities and pave the way for future opportunities as they expand their reach across the space domain.

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Air Force’s New F-15EX Jet Flies First Operational Test Mission at Nellis AFB
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Air Force’s New F-15EX Jet Flies First Operational Test Mission at Nellis AFB

The U.S. Air Force recently completed the first-ever operational test mission of its new Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. 

According to officials, the week-long test served as an evaluation of the F-15EX’s performance at Nellis’ threat environment and its differences with the in-service F-15C fighter variant, the Air Force said Monday.

F-15EX, an upgraded variant of the over four-decades-old F-15 aircraft, features a new digital fly-by-wire control technology signaling a departure from its predecessor’s standard hydro-mechanical system.

The new aircraft also uses the new Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, which provides both electronic attack and defense capabilities for missions involving advanced threats and areas with denied communications.

Colton Myers, Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force F-15EX test project manager, shared that the aircraft will now fly back to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida for more developmental tests that would ensure its compliance with build specifications and safety standards.

The Air Force plans to use F-15EXs as a replacement to its existing F-15C aircraft in its four-plus-one streamlined fleet concept that includes F-35 Lightning II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II and a sixth-generation fighter.

The modern aircraft is being built by Boeing under a potential $22.9 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded in July 2020, with two units already delivered to the Air Force.

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Former Secret Service Member Jonah Force Hill to Lead Cyber Policy at National Security Council
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Former Secret Service Member Jonah Force Hill to Lead Cyber Policy at National Security Council

Jonah Force Hill, formerly a cybersecurity strategist for the U.S. Secret Service, has been appointed to serve as the National Security Council’s director for cybersecurity and emerging technology policy.

Hill began duties in his new role last month, according to his profile on LinkedIn. He spent over three years with the Secret Service, where he contributed to the Cyber Investigations Advisory Board as an executive director.

The experienced government executive also held roles at the White House, the State Department and the Department of Commerce, where he served as a senior policy analyst. Hill was also a senior analyst for Monitor Deloitte.

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State Department to Establish New Cyber Bureau Amid Ransomware Threat
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State Department to Establish New Cyber Bureau Amid Ransomware Threat

The State Department will stand up a bureau dedicated to cyber policy in response to ransomware attacks experienced by the U.S., Reuters reported Monday.

The Senate will confirm an official to serve as the bureau’s ambassador, according to Ned Price, a spokesperson of the State Department.

Price noted that the department also plans to employ a special agent that would lead technology diplomacy for emerging technology. The U.S. government has been engaging in other efforts to address the growing threat of ransomware.

Recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the FBI released an advisory that tackles the BlackMatter ransomware.

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DCSA Director William Lietzau: Insider Threat Program Expansion Shows Results
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DCSA Director William Lietzau: Insider Threat Program Expansion Shows Results

William Lietzau, director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), said the Department of Defense (DOD) is witnessing the effectiveness of expanded insider threat programs, DVIDS Hub reported Thursday.

Lietzau said Wednesday at a symposium that the number of completed insider threat courses has increased by 4.85 million in the past fiscal year.

DCSA runs its Insider Threat Program to analyze information on risks that may affect people and assets. The agency also operates the DOD Insider Threat Management and Analysis Center, which helps the DOD enterprise detect and address insider risks.

“I’m a firm believer that insider threat programs need to be spread out across the DOD enterprise,” the DCSA director said.

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Red Hat’s Kubernetes Cloud Service Available for Public Preview on Microsoft Azure; Dave Egts Quoted
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Red Hat’s Kubernetes Cloud Service Available for Public Preview on Microsoft Azure; Dave Egts Quoted
David Egts
David Egts, chief technologist with Red Hat

Red Hat has released a public preview of its cloud-based Kubernetes platform, Azure Red Hat OpenShift, on Microsoft Azure for U.S. Government.

Azure Red Hat OpenShift, launched in 2019 as the first co-developed, jointly-operated Red Hat OpenShift service on the public cloud, is now available to public sector organizations and is expected to improve compliance and meet strict security regulations for highly-sensitive workloads, the company said Tuesday.

“By bringing Azure Red Hat OpenShift to Microsoft Azure for the U.S. Government, we are able to deliver the industry’s leading Kubernetes platform to agencies that want to embrace open hybrid cloud without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure at scale – all while meeting the stringent requirements of sensitive workloads,” said Dave Egts, chief technologist of Red Hat’s North American Public Sector.

The cloud service was designed to offer government agency customers an “on-ramp” to hybrid cloud transformation utilizing Microsoft Azure’s expertise in cloud-scale operations and Red Hat’s Kubernetes capabilities to help agencies address security vulnerabilities and improve their data access capabilities.

Additionally, Azure Red Hat OpenShift features new security enhancements designed for sensitive workload requirements, including egress lockdown, compute isolation, spot nodes and L series virtual machines.

Upon achieving general availability, Azure Red Hat OpenShift will add regulatory certifications and IT security requirements and is expected to pass FedRAMP authorization as well as Department of Defense Impact Levels 4 and 5 compliance tests.

Recently, Red Hat’s Enterprise Linux platform served as a foundation for Stratasys’ new data security platform, which was designed to meet strict cybersecurity regulations and support the company’s additive manufacturing operations.

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DMI Acquired by OceanSound Partners in Strategic Investment; CEO Jay Sunny Bajaj Quoted
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DMI Acquired by OceanSound Partners in Strategic Investment; CEO Jay Sunny Bajaj Quoted

DMI Acquired by OceanSound Partners in Strategic Investment; CEO Jay Sunny Bajaj QuotedDMI, a Bethesda, Maryland-based digital transformation and managed mobility services company, has received an investment from an OceanSound Partners affiliate in a transaction whose financial terms have not been disclosed.

As part of the acquisition, Jay Sunny Bajaj, founder and CEO of DMI will continue to lead the management team and will retain significant ownership interest in the company, DMI said Tuesday.

Sunny Bajaj said the strategic investment solidifies DMI’s “prime position” in the market, accelerates growth initiatives and enables the company to expand its offerings to over 200 federal government and commercial clients.

“Marrying our technology capabilities and customer relationships with the financial strength and network of OceanSound makes us even stronger and strategically positions DMI to be the leader during this period of extraordinary digital disruption,” Sunny Bajaj said.

DMI, which has been recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global Managed Mobility Services for six consecutive years, has more than 2,100 employees across seven countries, as well as a large global network of agile software development centers, digital design studios and mobile service centers.

OceanSound partner and co-founder, Joe Benavides said, “Sunny and the team have done a remarkable job building DMI brick by brick and were very prescient to focus on digital, mobile-first transformation solutions for government and commercial customers around the world.”

Benavides added that he looks forward to leveraging DMI’s extensive resources, next-gen software engineering capabilities and consultative approach to enhance the company’s service offerings and achieve a new phase of growth.

Baird served as financial advisor to DMI through the investment. Blackstone Credit and Goldman Sachs Asset Management Division provided transaction financing.

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The Bellwether Group Introduces Visualization Tool for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
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The Bellwether Group Introduces Visualization Tool for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

The Bellwether Group, a small business established by U.S. Navy war veteran , has launched a cybersecurity platform built to help customers visualize data on critical infrastructure assets.

The Maryland-based company said Monday its Vault Systems offering combines network defense and forensics analytics tools with IoT International technologies designed to support infrastructure threat monitoring in real time.

Tim Teal, founder and CEO of The Bellwether Group, believes that the platform has the potential to help operators manage the cybersecurity posture of their assets.

He cited the White House’s national security memorandum in July that outlines cyber threats as one of U.S.’ pressing issues.

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