Akima announced on Thursday that its subsidiary Akima Global Technology has received an ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 certification to demonstrate the company’s success and ability to manage the end-to-end delivery of IT services for government customers.

“Our focus at AGT is not only supporting the IT needs of our customers but also delivering increased value,” said Juvy McCarthy, president of Akima’s Technology Solutions and Products Group.

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 is an international standard for IT service management that defines requirements for the development, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, and improvement of an IT service management system.

“I am proud of the work the team put in to achieve this certification, and the assurance it offers that our customers’ service requirements will be fulfilled efficiently and reliably,” said Bob Huebner, general manager of Akima Global Technology.

With their latest certification, this marks the second Akima subsidiary to receive this certification in 2021. Back in Feb., Cloud Lake Technology also announced the certification to recognize their best-in-class approach to deliver complex IT service management to customers.

AGT also received its appraisal at maturity level 3 of the CMMI Institute’s Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Version 2.0 (CMMI V2.0) for Development and Services,  demonstrating the company’s proactive approach and commitment to delivering high-quality products and services.

About Akima Global Technology 

Akima Global Technology is a small business wholly owned by Akima, an Alaska Native Corporation,  delivering trusted technology services and solutions for the federal government and commercial customers. AGT provides the swiftest and most secure path to IT service optimization, continuously explores new technologies, and partners with leading-edge commercial enterprises to deliver unique and innovative IT solutions.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL), a world leader in secure wireless communication technologies, announced today, that during its third quarter of fiscal 2021, its Location Technologies group, a division of Comtech’s Commercial Solutions segment, has finalized a $9.8 million contract with a major tier-one mobile network operator. This contract is for a broad suite of new capabilities and services centered around virtualized applications and 5G products.

“We continue to mutually benefit from the relationship with this customer, and we are already planning additional enhancements for their applications and services,” said Fred Kornberg, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. “Our proven track record of long-term service to this customer creates stability and value for their end subscribers.”

The Location Technologies group of Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leading provider of precise device location, mapping and messaging solutions for public safety, mobile network operators, and enterprise solutions.

The Department of Homeland Security has partnered with Fortem Technologies to evaluate the potential application of a company-built airspace monitoring system to border security missions under a cooperative research and development agreement.

Fortem said Tuesday it will present the SkyDome System with aerial object detection technology to DHS’ Air Domain Awareness and Protection program for a demonstration test across multiple operational scenarios in three U.S. states bordering Canada.

Skydome includes the artificial intelligence-based TrueView radar and software designed to track nefarious drones in real time.

Timothy Bean, CEO of Fortem, said the company designed its radar technology to defend against drones that do not emit radio frequency signals and pose national security risks.

DHS’ ADA effort seeks surveillance platforms and approaches to protect the U.S.’ northern border from unmanned aircraft systems and other airborne threats.

The department will use data from the test to form requirements for future aerial security programs.

The Federal Risk and Authorization Program (FedRAMP) is permitting remote testing of certain data centers run by cloud service providers. 

Third-party assessment organizations or 3PAOs may be allowed to remotely conduct security testing of data centers for annual and initial assessment authorizations in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a FedRAMP blog post published Tuesday.

FedRAMP calls on 3PAOs to refer to local or state health agencies for updates with regard to travel, stay-at-home orders, testing and quarantine requirements and seek permission from the authorizing official and outline their request prior to conducting remote assessments.

“All remote testing must be explicitly detailed in the Security Assessment Plan (SAP) as well as any test cases used and any modifications to the test cases that were made to facilitate the remote testing,” the blog post states.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $10 million for quantum information science and nuclear physics research and encouraged the industry, academia, national laboratories and nonprofits to apply for funding to study related areas of interest.

The initiative aims to address nuclear physics challenges, such as many-body system dynamics prediction and quantum sensor exploration, by advancing foundational and use-inspired QIS studies, DOE said Thursday.

Understanding how the current superconducting quantum bits are affected by radiation is another nuclear physics challenge that DOE wants to address through QIS research.

Timothy Hallman, associate director of science for nuclear physics at DOE, said QIS research is a national priority and the nuclear science community has the expertise and capabilities to support the effort.

"A key objective of this program is to identify and capitalize on unique opportunities to advance both QIS and nuclear science research in ways that align with the national strategy for QIS," he added.

Proposals for interdisciplinary graduate and postdoctoral fellowships meant to support quantum-smart workforce development are also sought.

The U.S. Space Force, Lockheed Martin and United Launch Alliance have finished encapsulation of the service branch's next missile detection and early warning satellite into a launch vehicle fairing platform and integrated the spacecraft with a ULA-built rocket.

USSF said Tuesday the fifth Space Based Infrared System is scheduled to lift off Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida aboard an Atlas V rocket, marking the first National Security Space Launch mission this year at the military facility.

The satellite arrived at the station's processing facility on March 18 from a Lockheed facility in Sunnyvale, California, then underwent a series of final ground tests before the encapsulation and integration phase took place.

Lockheed built SBIRS GEO-5 on the company's LM 2100 bus and equipped the spacecraft with infrared surveillance sensors designed to help military personnel detect missile launches.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee is set on Thursday to introduce reforms to the U.S. Postal Service, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House panel, and ranking member James Comer, R.-Ky., unveiled the final version of the 2021 Postal Service Reform Act on Tuesday.

Maloney initially introduced the bill in Feb 2021 and had Postmaster General Louis DeJoy comment on some of the measure’s key provisions.

The proposed legislation would require USPS to establish an online public dashboard to monitor service performance, direct postal employees to enroll in Medicare once they reach the age of 65, and remove a 2006 mandate that requires the agency to fund retiree health benefits. 

The bill would also require the inclusion of a trackable barcode and other features in all mail-in ballots to help facilitate sorting and tracking operations.

During a House committee hearing in February, DeJoy said the legislative measure would generate $58 billion in savings for USPS over the next decade as projected in a 10-year reform plan he released in March.

The Coalition for a 21st Century Postal Service supports the measure but wants Congress to protect against excessive mail rate increases.

“By raising prices dramatically on mail and institutionalizing service downgrades, the new 10-year plan — if left unchecked — will hurt large and small businesses, nonprofits, charities, and consumers, as well as the future of the Postal Service,” Art Sackler, the coalition's executive director, said in a statement.

A Naval Sea Systems Command warfare center in Maryland has partnered with U.K.-based Thermal Compaction Group to create a system for processing shipboard-generated waste for the U.S. Navy.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center's Carderock Division said Tuesday it wants to help build the service branch's next-generation feed plastic waste processor through a cooperative research and development agreement with TCG.

Under the CRADA, both parties will aim to produce a PWP prototype and further develop the company's Massmelt thermal screw compaction technology for potential commercial use.

The military service will own the engineering drawings and software of the resulting system as part of the agreement signed by Capt. Todd Hutchison, commanding officer of NSWCCD

Collaborative efforts will include the development of initial testing plans, technical knowledge sharing, test data analysis and engineering work to address potential system risks and performance issues.

Peter Cheung, NSWCCD's principal investigator in the CRADA, said NAVSEA approved the procurement of TCG's product after the Carderock division performed tests and determined the technology has the potential to address solid waste management requirements at the Navy.

Cheung added the team began testing an updated Massmelt system and aims to complete the new product within a two-year period.

The surface warfare center will be responsible for the TCG prototype laboratory test, Massmelt modifications and the provision of data from the assessment and development phases.

The company agreed to provide technical manuals, installation drawings and training documents to Carderock.