Jimmy Smith: Navy Begins Subcontracting Audit on Major Buying Commands
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Jimmy Smith: Navy Begins Subcontracting Audit on Major Buying Commands

Jimmy Smith, director at the Department of the Navy’s small business programs office, said that DON has finished its audit on Naval Sea Systems Command subcontracting efforts and will perform similar reviews for nine other buying commands, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

“We’ve already seen the results of that and now we’re sharing that information across the entire enterprise to go off and correct problems,” Smith told Federal News Network in an interview.

He noted that the department has met goals set for contract awards to smaller companies over the past four years and works with the National Defense Industrial Association in facilitating an annual event to find vendors that can help address warfighter requirements.

The office director also believes contracting officials should use technology such as machine learning to determine performance assessment reporting issues with industry partners to ensure they are meeting subcontracting goals as well.

“I think we have to come up with a mechanism that brings the importance level of subcontract and compliance up to a higher level to raise it to the attention that it’s deserved,” Smith added.

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Lockheed Martin Tops Defense Contract Recipients List in New DOD FY 2020 Defense Spending Report
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Lockheed Martin Tops Defense Contract Recipients List in New DOD FY 2020 Defense Spending Report

The Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation released its Fiscal Year 2020 Defense Spending by State report on Friday.

DoD’s report outlines information including categories of contracted goods and services, total spending figures, numbers and types of defense personnel and major defense vendors across each state and helps public and private sector organizations optimize defense investments.

“This report is presented as an opportunity for governors, local officials, and other leaders to understand the businesses/industries and workers presently supporting our nation’s defense, so they may plan and carry out the necessary transformations and support them to remain competitive, be responsive to our future national security needs, and remain resilient to natural and man-made threats,” said Patrick O’Brien, director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

The department’s defense spending rose in FY 2020, with contract obligations and payroll spending seeing an 8 percent increase of $43 billion. 

The top ten recipients of defense contracts were:

  • Lockheed Martin: $72.9 billion
  • General Dynamics: $22.8 billion
  • Boeing: $22.4 billion
  • Raytheon: $20.2 billion
  • Northrop Grumman: $14.1 billion
  • L3Harris Technologies: $8.5 billion
  • Huntington Ingalls: $7.9 billion
  • BAE Systems: $7.5 billion
  • United Technologies: $7.2 billion
  • Humana: $6.9 billion

 

L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon saw the largest year over year increases with growth of 73 percent, 60 percent and 29 percent, respectively in FY 2020.

Additionally, large contracts to Lockheed Martin in Texas and Maryland as well as to Raytheon in Arizona contributed to each state seeing the largest increases in DoD spending from FY 2019 to FY 2020.

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DHS Software Supply Chain Cybersecurity Act Passes House Vote; Rep. Ritchie Torres Quoted
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DHS Software Supply Chain Cybersecurity Act Passes House Vote; Rep. Ritchie Torres Quoted

On Wednesday, the DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act of 2021 was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in a 412-2 vote.

The new legislation was developed in response to the Biden administration’s Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity and works to prevent future cyber attacks on critical DHS infrastructure by giving the agency better software supply chain insight and management capabilities, said Rep. Ritchie Torres, vice chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and sponsor of the bill.

Under the bill, the Under Secretary for Management will be required to issue department-wide guidelines for identifying materials used in software development.

The new guidelines will help modernize DHS’ acquisition process and strengthen cybersecurity by requiring DHS contractors to submit software bills of material identifying the origins of each component in the software provided to the agency. 

Rep. Torres said, “As cyberattacks become increasingly frequent and sophisticated, it is crucial that DHS has the capacity to protect its own networks and enhance its visibility into information and communications tech or services that it buys.”

According to a recent SpyCloud report, 72 percent of surveyed organizations experienced ransomware and cyber attacks over the past year, and 13 percent of that group reported being affected six to ten times within that time frame.

The DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act aims to address the growing threat of cyber attacks and provide a framework for more secure networks and software systems across federal agencies by strengthening information sharing between DHS and its industry partners.

Additionally, Rep. Torres noted that this bill will position DHS as a federal leader in cybersecurity and advance the agency’s modernization initiatives.

The upcoming Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations Forum, hosted by ExecutiveBiz Events on October 26th, will gather distinguished cybersecurity experts to discuss the impact and implications of the historic 2020 Solarwinds attack and explore how federal and industry officials will work to adhere to new legislation and continue improving the nation’s cybersecurity.

To register for the Oct. 26th Supply Chain Cybersecurity Forum and other upcoming GovCon sector events, visit ExecutiveBiz.com.

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Gary Peters Proposes Bipartisan Bill to Protect Data Collected by AI
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Gary Peters Proposes Bipartisan Bill to Protect Data Collected by AI

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has proposed a bill to help ensure the security of information collected by artificial intelligence systems.

The Government Ownership and Oversight of Data in Artificial Intelligence Act would direct the director of the Office of Management and Budget to form and consult with an AI hygiene working group to ensure that federal contractors are working to protect data collected by AI platforms including biometric data gathered by facial recognition systems.

The working group would be responsible for implementing measures to include data and privacy protection requirements in government contracts for AI services.

“While artificial intelligence applications have the potential to strengthen our national security, we must ensure data collected by this technology is secure, used appropriately, and does not compromise the privacy and rights of Americans,” said Peters.

The proposed legislation would also establish the federal government as the owner of collected data to prevent misuse.

“This bipartisan bill will help ensure that federal contractors are using artificial intelligence properly and for the benefit of the country – and that the information collected through these technologies is not misused,” added Peters.

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GSA Eyes EIS Telecom Contract Modification; Kevin Gallo Quoted
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GSA Eyes EIS Telecom Contract Modification; Kevin Gallo Quoted

The General Services Administration released a request for information to seek feedback as it plans to expand the scope of the $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract for telecommunications and network modernization services, FedScoop reported Thursday.

GSA’s plan for the EIS contract, which was awarded in 2017, intends to facilitate the procurement of mobility-as-a-service offerings by federal agencies starting in 2022.

EIS “is quite broad and flexible, so really what we’re trying to do here with our update and expansion is make it easier for agencies to procure the services and easier for industry to offer them,” said Kevin Gallo, director of technical account management at GSA’s office of enterprise technology solutions.

Agencies intend to use 5G to facilitate network access and Gallo said 5G-as-a-Service offerings are also being considered as GSA pushes for the EIS modification effort.

“That’s something that we do see in the future,” Gallo said of 5G as a service. “In fact, even beyond mobility, the as-a-Service procurement model in general and making sure EIS can support that easily.”

First Light Acquisition Group Completes $230M IPO
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First Light Acquisition Group Completes $230M IPO

First Light Acquisition Group completed its $230 million initial public offering, following the company’s pricing announcement of 20,000,000 units being sold at $10.00 each, GlobeNewswire reported on September 14th.

The Reston, Virginia-based blank check company was established for the purpose of entering into a business combination with one or more organizations to provide technology-enabled solutions and applications to government and industry customers.

Bill Weber, CEO and chairman of First Light Acquisition Group expressed his enthusiasm about the company’s IPO and commencement of NYSE trading in a LinkedIn post in September. 

As part of the initial public offering, the company’s units were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “FLAGU” for trading, beginning September 10th. Of the total number of units sold, 3,000,000 were issued pursuant to the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option.

Each of the offered units consisted of one share of First Light’s Class A common stock as well as one-half of a redeemable warrant of the company. One whole warrant allows the holder to purchase a share of First Light’s Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. 

Upon separate trading of the units, the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed under NYSE symbols “FLAG” and “FLAGW.” Guggenheim Securities acted as the sole bookrunner for the offering.

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Air Combat Command, Kessel Run Sign Agreement to Formalize Partnership; Jacquelynn Torson Quoted
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Air Combat Command, Kessel Run Sign Agreement to Formalize Partnership; Jacquelynn Torson Quoted

Air Combat Command (ACC) has signed a user agreement that strengthens its partnership with the U.S. Air Force’s Kessel Run software development team.

The agreement, signed on Sept. 30th, defines how Kessel Run will operationally support ACC and formalizes the existing partnership between the two, the software development team said Wednesday.

Kessel Run is helping ACC modernize the Air Operation Center Weapon System, an effort aligned with by the agreement.

“We now have the foundation for pushing out war-winning capability to joint force commanders at the speed of need,” said Jacquelynn Torson, Kessel Run’s test and integration chief.

She added that Kessel Run will involve ACC in every step of delivering capabilities needed by the latter.

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AFRL, UK Test ML Algorithms to Support Warfighters of Both Nations
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AFRL, UK Test ML Algorithms to Support Warfighters of Both Nations

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and its U.K.-based counterpart jointly created and tested machine learning algorithms designed to support both countries. 

AFRL’s Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., virtually hosted the algorithms’ demonstration with the U.K.’s defense science and technology laboratory in Salisbury, the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.

The event, which took place on Monday, demonstrated how the two nations can develop, share and deploy data and algorithms via a common platform.

Research under effort aimed to boost situational awareness, better inform decision making, improve operational tempo and reduce life risks of U.S. and U.K. warfighters.  

The two nations formed an artificial intelligence-focused partnership in December 2020, leading to the recent demonstration.

The four-year Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Partnership Agreement supports AI research and development and all-domain experiments between the two countries.

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FedRAMP Updates Authorization Playbook to Disseminate Program Changes
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FedRAMP Updates Authorization Playbook to Disseminate Program Changes

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) has updated a playbook that features best practices and other forms of guidance to help agencies conduct or reuse FedRAMP authorizations. 

The action aims to inform agencies about changes in the FedRAMP authorization process since the program’s initial run, FedRAMP said Wednesday.

Updates in the content cover using the FedRAMP Marketplace, reusing FedRAMP authorizations, collaborative continuous monitoring and the FedRAMP Agency Liaison program.

The updated document also tackles the process that the FedRAMP Program Management Office uses to review agency authorizations.

FedRAMP also intends for the updated playbook to support the information needs of other program stakeholders aside from federal agencies looking into the authorization process. The program aims to standardize the security of cloud products used by the federal government.

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Palo Alto Networks IoT Security Report Provides Insights Into IoT Adoption, Public Sector SVP Dana Barnes Quoted
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Palo Alto Networks IoT Security Report Provides Insights Into IoT Adoption, Public Sector SVP Dana Barnes Quoted
Palo Alto Networks IoT Security Report Provides Insights Into IoT Adoption, Public Sector SVP Dana Barnes Quoted
Dana Barnes, SVP of Public Sector Sales With Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks announced on Wednesday that the company had released its latest IoT Security Report detailing the responses and results from 1,900 IT leaders across a wide range of organizations across 18 countries in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East on the latest internet of things (IoT) trends and major security issues as a result of the recent pandemic.

“As government agencies prepare remote and hybrid work plans for 2022, the line is fading between home and agency network environments, said Dana Barnes, senior vice president of Public Sector Sales for Palo Alto Networks and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient. “The Palo Alto Networks IoT Security report is a stark warning that agency cybersecurity postures must extend to the home office and personal devices of all kinds.”

One of the key insights from the report showed that 78 percent of information technology decision-makers saw an increase in the number of IoT security incidents driven by the transition to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 96 percent of respondents said they believe their organization’s IoT security approach needs improvement.

“IoT adoption is growing rapidly with 78% of IT decision-makers reporting an increase of personal devices connecting to their enterprise networks,” Barnes added. “Under the Biden administration’s recent executive order, federal agencies need a proactive approach, moving to a Zero Trust architecture that verifies approved devices and only allows users to access what is necessary.”

With telework capabilities and hybrid workforces becoming a mainstay following the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Barnes argued that the report also demonstrated that federal agencies need to be prepared with the best practices and tools for cybersecurity and other security measures to ensure home protection for federal employees the same way they’ve been protected at the office.

Visit PaloAltoNetworks.com to read the full Connected Enterprise: IoT Security Report 2021 for yourself to learn from the invaluable insights the report provides and gain a deeper understanding of the impact the pandemic has had and the crucial steps to take to protect your information.

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