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DOD Seeks Public Input for Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Mobile Nuclear Microreactor
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DOD Seeks Public Input for Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Mobile Nuclear Microreactor

The Strategic Capabilities Office of the Department of Defense is seeking input for the recently published draft environmental impact statement for the development of a transportable advanced nuclear microreactor prototype. 

The mobile microreactor, intended to augment the National Environmental Policy Act, is under SCO’s Project Pele, a fourth-generation nuclear reactor that could serve as a front-runner for the technology’s commercialization once it is prototyped, the DOD said Friday. 

The prototype system will be designed to reduce carbon emissions, operate for three years, supply up to five megawatts of electrical power and deliver new tools in support of disaster relief and critical infrastructure efforts. 

Earlier in March, the department tapped BWX Technologies and X-energy to work on the preliminary design of Project Pele’s prototype and perform independent development groundworks for the next phase of the initiative. 

One of the two companies could potentially be selected to create and demonstrate the prototype after the environmental analysis under NEPA and final design review in early 2022 are conducted.

The DOD is encouraging the public to submit comments on the EIS during the 45-day period, noting that two public hearings will take place in Idaho and the livestream will be available online on Oct. 20. 

Mile Corrigan: Noblis Launches RunGrants to Streamline Federal Grants Management Process
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Mile Corrigan: Noblis Launches RunGrants to Streamline Federal Grants Management Process

Noblis, a leading provider of technology and strategy services to the federal government, has launched RunGrants™, a centralized cloud-based program that automates and streamlines the end-to-end grants management process.

RunGrants, the company’s third product offering in its Run solutions suite, centralizes relevant data to improve clients’ decision-making capabilities, and the program is configurable to meet unique mission needs. 

The new program’s key product offerings include enhanced speed and accuracy, data consolidation for improved interoperability, a low-code framework for easy customization, and a cost-effective software-as-a-service model.

Mile Corrigan, senior vice president of Noblis’ Federal Civil Solutions, said that the new RunGrants was developed with a focus on the prioritization and funding of critical public and private initiatives. 

Corrigan continued, noting that RunGrants “provides a clear, modern and user-friendly method for submitting and tracking grant applications to help stakeholders on both sides of the process from application submission, to evaluation, to selection."

This product launch follows the company’s recent launch of RunAcquisitions, which was designed to enhance efficiency and compliance within the federal acquisition process.

Noblis’ Run solutions suite provides government agencies and clients with automation and analytics capabilities to achieve IT modernization goals and optimize workflows.

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Chad Clifford: HHS-Led Grants Management Marketplace to Kick Off by End 2021
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Chad Clifford: HHS-Led Grants Management Marketplace to Kick Off by End 2021

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the agency tasked to develop a government-wide shared services center for grants management, is eyeing to launch the marketplace segment of the Quality Service Management Office (QSMO) by the end of 2021, Nextgov reported Friday. 

Chad Clifford, executive director at HHS, said the grants management marketplace is slated to kick off in the early fiscal year 2022 as the department works on onboarding federal providers and tapping contractors first. 

“We’re trying to drive shared services through a federal government marketplace that agencies can utilize where they will get guarantees about the level of quality and modernization of functionality,” Clifford shared during a recent event. 

GrantSolutions.gov is one of the first federal services providers planning to enter the marketplace and to offer its automated risk management platform that uses machine learning capability to analyze the performance of grant recipients. 

The establishment of the grants management marketplace is part of the QSMO concept launched in 2019 and intended to build shared services centers that cater to the vital needs of federal agencies.

The Office of Management and Budget has assigned other QSMOs focused on cybersecurity services, core financial management, compensation management and work schedule and leave management services.

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Task Force Issues Guidance on COVID-19 Workplace Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors
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Task Force Issues Guidance on COVID-19 Workplace Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors

The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force has issued new guidance on workplace safety protocols that should be implemented by federal contractors and subcontractors to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The protocols include the COVID-19 vaccination of covered contractor personnel and compliance with masking and physical distancing measures at covered contractor workplaces, the White House said Friday.

Contractor personnel must be fully vaccinated no later than Dec. 8 and contractors should designate individuals to coordinate compliance with workplace safety protocols.

“These workplace safety protocols will apply to all covered contractor employees, including contractor or subcontractor employees in covered contractor workplaces who are not working on a Federal Government contract or contract-like instrument,” the White House notice reads.

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council will release guidance by Oct. 8 to facilitate the inclusion of a clause related to workplace safety protocols in contracts and solicitations. Effective Oct. 15, agencies should ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments contain the clause.

The task force’s guidance is in compliance with a Sept. 9 executive order that requires federal contractors to provide COVID-19 safeguards for their workforce.

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Commerce Investigates US Reliance on NdFeB Permanent Magnet Imports; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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Commerce Investigates US Reliance on NdFeB Permanent Magnet Imports; Gina Raimondo Quoted

The Department of Commerce has started to investigate the potential effects of imports of Neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets on U.S. national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.

Fighter aircraft, missile guidance systems and other national security platforms use NdFeB permanent magnets, which are also being used in wind turbines, electric vehicles, computer hard drives, MRI devices and audio equipment.

“Consistent with President Biden’s directive to strengthen our supply chains and encourage investments to shore up our domestic production, the Department initiated a Section 232 investigation on imports of NdFeB permanent magnets to determine whether U.S. reliance on imports for this critical product is a threat to our national security,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The secretary has until June 18, 2022 to submit to the president a report outlining the department’s findings and recommendations.

The department’s bureau of industry and security will accept comments, analyses and other data as part of the investigation through Nov. 12.

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National Security Commission on AI to Disband in October; Robert Work Quoted
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National Security Commission on AI to Disband in October; Robert Work Quoted

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence will officially dissolve on Oct. 1 after three years of helping Congress and the White House gain insight into possible approaches to advance AI and machine learning development.

NSCAI said Thursday it produced a total of five reports that recommend strategies to apply AI in defense and national security missions since the formation of the group in 2018.

According to the independent body, over 19 of its recommendations were featured in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 and more others are being considered in the fiscal 2022 defense policy bill and other non-defense science and technology bills.

“We are hopeful that the departments, agencies, the administration, industry and academia will continue this important conversation,” said Robert Work, vice chair of NSCAI and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient.

The government will archive all commission reports, press releases and podcasts on the CyberCemetery website hosted by University of North Texas Libraries.

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Dell Awarded CTS-2 Contract to Expand NNSA Computing Capacity
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Dell Awarded CTS-2 Contract to Expand NNSA Computing Capacity

Dell Technologies has been awarded a subcontract for $40 million to deliver expanded computing capacity for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.

Under the second Commodity Technology Systems contract (CTS-2), funded by the NNSA’s Advanced Simulation and Computing program, Dell will deliver over 40 petaflops of expanded computing capacity to the agency’s Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories to support NNSA’s nuclear deterrent mission.

Thuc Hoang, director of the NNSA’s ASC program said, “The CTS-2 systems will serve the NNSA stockpile management and production modernization programs, along with other mission-critical efforts underpinning our stockpile stewardship program.”

The NNSA’s ASC program develops and produces advanced modeling and simulation capabilities that ensure the reliability and protection of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

The contracted computing systems will be deployed in scalable units (SUs) and are expected to increase NNSA’s overall computing capacity by approximately three to four times, enabling higher quality 2D and 3D simulations and allowing for more complex parameter studies.

These SU building blocks, which represent approximately 1.5 petaflops each of computing power, will replace the ASC’s current commodity systems, sourced by the 2015 CTS-1 contract, which are nearing retirement. 

The new hardware will work in tandem with existing Tri-Laboratory Operating System Software (TOSS) to build the foundation for the common ASC user simulation environment.

The SUs delivered under CTS-2 will be powered by Intel Xeon scalable processors (Sapphire Rapids) and Dell EMC PowerEdge servers. Initial deliveries are expected to begin in mid-2022 and will continue through 2025. 

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Leidos Partners With SANS Institute to Enhance Offerings at CyberEDGE Academy, Address Cybersecurity Talent Gap
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Leidos Partners With SANS Institute to Enhance Offerings at CyberEDGE Academy, Address Cybersecurity Talent Gap

Leidos has announced the federal IT and engineering service provider will partner with the SANS Institute to deliver cybersecurity training and certifications for the Leidos CyberEDGE Academy, a program developed in response to the nation’s talent gap in the cybersecurity sector.

The company’s CyberEDGE Academy, which is open to Leidos employees and qualifying external candidates, has successfully completed three cohort programs with over 50 graduates and has plans for future expansion.

Jason McCarthy, vice president of Leidos’ Homeland Security Solutions sector, said, "As we continue to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage facing organizations and agencies including DOD and DHS, the entire cyber community needs to work together to upskill, reskill and in general, protect and defend citizens, assets and information."

McCarthy also noted that the company’s strong partnerships with the SANS Institute and universities will position Leidos to address these shortages and contribute to building a capable cyber workforce.

The Dean of Leidos’ CyberEDGE Academy, James Beamon, commented, “SANS is a pioneer in cyber leadership and training, and Leidos looks forward to continuing our efforts to close the cybersecurity talent gap and ensure these highly trained professionals embark on meaningful cyber careers where they can bring their talent to bear in a national security environment."

Utilizing the SANS SEC:275 Foundations course platform to educate students in key areas such as Linux, programming, networking and foundational computing, the CyberEDGE Academy enables students to earn several industry certifications, including the GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies Certification.

Over the academy’s six month training period, students receive the education, skills and certifications necessary to secure jobs in a range of critical cybersecurity areas including cloud security engineering, cyber defense analysis, cyber threat intelligence analysis and cyber program management.

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DLA Extends Avon ESAPI Body Armor Contract; Paul McDonald Quoted
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DLA Extends Avon ESAPI Body Armor Contract; Paul McDonald Quoted

The Defense Logistics Agency will be exercising the first of two one-year extension options under the DLA Enhanced Small Arms Protective Inserts body armor contract with U.K.-based Avon Protection Systems to supply body armor plates from its ballistic protection business, Ceradyne.

The company said Friday the initial option extends the contract to September 2022 and activates a minimum order value of $19 million for the option year.

“This contract extension demonstrates our ongoing position as a leading supplier of body armor to the U.S. armed forces, as well as underpinning our FY22 body armor revenue expectations,” said Paul McDonald, CEO of Avon Protection.

Additionally, McDonald commented that he is pleased with Avon’s progress since December to address product approval delays.

With first article testing underway and progressing as the company has anticipated, formal approval for the DLA ESAPI body armor products is expected to be received during the first quarter of 2022, and initial shipments are to be expected in the second quarter.

Additionally, exercising the extension option will trigger a consequent $3 million of contingent consideration payable to 3M under the terms of Avon’s acquisition of Ceradyne, bringing the total contingent consideration payable to $7 million.  

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DHS, NIST List Goals for Cyber Best Practices
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DHS, NIST List Goals for Cyber Best Practices

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) have jointly classified cybersecurity practices into nine categories as bases for cyber performance goals.

The nine categories each have specific objectives with regard to how secure control systems are operated and deployed, NIST said Thursday. The two agencies expect these goals to help organizations adopt effective cyber practices and controls.

This partnership aligns with President Biden’s memorandum that aims to foster cybersecurity improvement across critical infrastructure control systems.

The nine category-based goals are:

  • Architecture and Design
  • Configuration and Change Management
  • Continuous Monitoring and Vulnerability Management
  • Incident Response and Recovery
  • Physical Security
  • Risk Management and Cybersecurity Governance
  • Supply Chain Risk Management
  • System and Data Integrity, Availability and Confidentiality
  • Training and Awareness

 

DHS, NIST List Goals for Cyber Best Practices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a preliminary list of the goals earlier.

If you are interested in learning more about the current landscape of cybersecurity, check out ExecutiveBiz's event titled “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” on Oct. 26th.

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