The General Services Administration (GSA) will hold its second-ever cryptocurrency sale on March 29th as part of the federal government’s clearinghouse operations for excess bitcoin assets. GSA Auctions will open commission-free bidding activities at 4 p.m. CT, the agency said Wednesday.

GSA will auction off 6.79 bitcoin, which is valued at over $383,000 and will be segmented into 10 lots. Bidding will take place within 48 hours and close on March 31 at 4 p.m. CT.

Thomas Meiron, a regional commissioner at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said the auction serves as the agency's “first steps wading into the cryptocurrency market” and that he expects the event to generate excitement among investors in cryptocurrency.

Winning bidders must have a digital wallet and are required to make payments through wire transfer by April 2nd. GSA Auctions also handles bidding activities for federally-owned items such as vehicles, office furniture, collectibles and scientific equipment.

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has created a software application designed to inform the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps on how to efficiently use energy resources. The IPOWER application, accessible via a web browser, simulates how the service branches store, gather and move energy resources, the Navy said Tuesday.

“There is now a pressing need for energy analysis tools such as IPOWER to help acquisitions officers, doctrine developers, logisticians and warfighters make conscious energy-saving decisions,” said Richard Stroman, a mechanical engineer at NRL.

IPOWER determines how energy moves in a unit based on climate data, mission timelines and equipment models.

NRL is now working to identify ways IPOWER can support mission planning with the Windows Tactical Assault Kit, a planning software utilized by ground-based warfighters.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must address its challenges in supply chain operations and establish a comprehensive strategy for logistics and acquisition management. 

GAO said Wednesday that the VA faced “unexpected challenges” especially during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic that exposed vulnerabilities in supply chain oversight. 

The watchdog noted that while the VA executed actions like centralizing medical storage facilities, the department must update strategies to include all current efforts.

GAO also found that the VA faced rollout delays and integration challenges with its Defense Medical Logistics Standard Support system, which is meant to replace most of the department’s supply-chain management infrastructure.

“Until it develops an overarching supply chain strategy and answers key questions, VA will not be able to fully address its high-risk acquisition management and ultimately better meet veterans' needs,” the agency said in the report.

GAO noted that it recognizes the VA’s efforts to participate in initiatives like the Defense Logistics Agency's (DLA) Warstopper program intended to streamline critical supply access for emergencies.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking to expand a pilot program that connects startups with investors to include other emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday.

DARPA’s updated Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative will fall under In-Q-Tel’s Emerge segment and support a maximum of 150 small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The program initially focused on biotechnology and microelectronics projects and has helped 30 startups raise $110 million since its creation two years ago.

Peter Highnam, deputy director of DARPA, said at a National Defense Industrial Association conference that the Department of Defense (DOD) is expressing concerns over China-linked investors allocating funds to U.S. tech firms to secure their intellectual property for use in military applications.

“DARPA helped to prove out the technology,” he noted. “Do you risk it now to make a business? That’s a very different issue.”

The Department of Energy (DOE) will invest $54 million in microelectronics research pursued by the national laboratories, which may apply for three-year awards under the new funding opportunity.

DOE said Wednesday that it will conduct a peer review to determine the awardees, with $36 million of the funds being dependent on congressional approval. Microelectronics research has the potential to catalyze innovative technologies, with applications in energy grid efficiency and clean energy, according to DOE.

“Thanks to microelectronics, transformational technologies that used to swallow up entire buildings now fit in the palms of our hands—and it’s time to take this work to the next level,” said Jennifer Granholm, secretary of Energy.

Executives from the military and the defense industry met virtually on March 17 and 18 to discuss how digital transformation bolsters national security. The New Horizons 2021 event's first week covered presentations and talks on cloud, digital engineering, edge computing, open architecture and agile software, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday.

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association sponsored the event, which also discussed the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept of a sensor-driven battlefield.

“We’re building and outfitting the DevSecOps (Development, Security and Operations) platform for all to use, with the security requirements and tools built in so the Air Force and Department of Defense don’t have to continually develop new DevSecOps platforms," said Maj. Gen. Michael Schmidt, program executive officer for command, control, communications, intelligence and networks at Hanscom Air Force Base.

Schmidt manages a $12 billion portfolio that includes digital, communications and information technologies.

Cloud Lake Technology, a subsidiary of Akima, has achieved a bronze partnership with Scaled Agile, the certifying body of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Akima announced Thursday.

“We understand that technology is ever-changing, and our teams are committed to staying at the forefront of these advances,”said Barry Smallwood, president of Akima’s Emerging Markets Group. “Relentless improvement will always be our focus in order to continue delivering the high-quality products and services our customers require.”

As a Scaled Agile partner, SAFe will enable Cloud Lake to deliver innovative, high-quality solutions to their military and federal civilian customers more rapidly.

This bronze partnership comes exactly a month after the company received its ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 certification that certified Cloud Lake Technology’s best-in-class approach for delivering complex  IT service management to customers.

Cloud Lake Technology was also one of the first in the U.S. to achieve CMMI maturity level 3 for development  and services under the new assessment method, version 2.0.

About Cloud Lake Technology

Cloud Lake Technology is an 8(a) company and wholly owned subsidiary of Akima, an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), specializing in delivering optimized mission performance through advanced technologies and systems.

We offer highly specialized, digital services that enable customers to quickly and cost-effectively harvest, analyze, and leverage the greatest possible value from the increasingly vast amounts of data they are required to manage.