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USSF Chief Gen. John Raymond Joins Joint Chief of Staff
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USSF Chief Gen. John Raymond Joins Joint Chief of Staff

Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, has been inducted into the Department of Defense's (DoD) Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), DOD News reported Friday. 

Raymond, as mandated by law, joins the chief of naval operations, the U.S. Marine Corps commandant and the U.S. Army's and U.S. Air Force's corresponding chiefs of staff in the joint organization.

The Joints Chiefs of Staff consist of the most senior military officers and function to advise the secretary of defense and the U.S. president on military matters. The U.S. military held a ceremony on Dec. 11th to commemorate Raymond's induction.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and fellow four-time Wash100 Award winner, said the organization recognizes space as a warfighting domain and the U.S. needs to maintain technologies in space for continued peacekeeping.

Rep. Doug Lamborn: USSPACECOM Headquarters Must Remain in Colorado to Optimize Taxpayer Dollars
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Rep. Doug Lamborn: USSPACECOM Headquarters Must Remain in Colorado to Optimize Taxpayer Dollars

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, has said that retaining the U.S. Space Command’s headquarters location in Colorado Springs is crucial to national security and fiscal interests as taxpayers have already invested billions into the USSPACECOM complex.

Lamborn wrote in an opinion piece published Saturday on Defense News that the Department of Defense has funneled approximately $350 million in taxpayer dollars to USSPACECOM infrastructure in Colorado over the past 15 years. This is separate from the DOD’s additional investment of taxpayer money to support space operations at the location, he noted.

USSPACECOM must “eliminate stifling bureaucracy” at the command headquarters that also houses satellite and GPS functions on which global financial procedures primarily depend on, said Lamborn.

“Our nation simply does not have time to fiddle around with moving USSPACECOM,” he noted. “There is no strategic value in moving it when it is working superbly now.” 

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IBM Wins DoD OTA to Advance Microelectronics; Jay Bellissimo Quoted
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IBM Wins DoD OTA to Advance Microelectronics; Jay Bellissimo Quoted

IBM has secured a Phase 1 Other Transactions Agreement (OTA) under the Rapid Assured Microelectronics Prototypes (RAMP) Advanced Commercial Capabilities Project, the company reported on Monday. IBM received the award through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA).

“The semiconductor industry is critical for our nation’s security, technology leadership and economic growth,” said Jay Bellissimo, IBM’s general manager, U.S. Public and Federal Market. “IBM is proud to be one of Department of Defense’s (DoD) suppliers in this critically important mission and put our cutting-edge technologies and expertise in service of the defense community.”

Under the OTA, IBM will advance microelectronics technology. RAMP will leverage industry’s expertise and demonstrate secure microelectronics technologies, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and Systems on a Chip (SoC). IBM’s Research and Services teams, along with its partners, will support the integration and development of the capabilities.

IBM will provide an integrated approach to help and mitigate threats. The company’s support will enable measurably secure microelectronics with lower power consumption, improved performance, reduced physical size and enhanced reliability.

The company will also deliver a verifiable end-to-end quantifiable assurance approach to implement a microelectronics supply chain and operational security standards, as well as a multi-foundry SOTA product pipeline that will deliver secured access to multiple SOTA fabrication on-shore foundries to DoD.

The project is administered by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division within the DoD and is funded by the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) via the Trusted & Assured Microelectronics Program.

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Avaya Names Tony Alfano SVP of Global Services
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Avaya Names Tony Alfano SVP of Global Services

Avaya has appointed Tony Alfano to the newly created role of senior vice president of Global Services to drive optimal business outcomes for its customers, the company reported on Monday. Alfano will report to executive vice president and chief revenue officer, Stephen Spears. 

“He has a strong track record in delivering consistent revenue and profit growth in a services-based organization, and will be a tremendous asset for our customers who rely on Avaya as their trusted partner to deliver work-from-anywhere workstream collaboration and communications solutions,” said Spears.

Alfano will bring more than three decades of experience within service delivery and management, across a variety of technology companies.

In his new role, Alfano will be responsible for selling and delivering services to drive customer success. He will provide a seamless experience for Avaya’s global customer base to gain access to innovative service offerings. Alfano will also bolster Avaya’s service capabilities to address the increased customer demand for digital transformation initiatives.

Prior to joining Avaya, Alfano served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at NTT. In his position, he assisted the company transform its reseller model to deliver high-value services. 

During his more than 20 year career with SAP, before joining NTT, Alfano served in multiple senior-level leadership positions, and was most recently global head of Operations and Strategy for SAP’s ERP Cloud solution.

Before SAP, Alfano served with Sterling Commerce, where he held the role of senior vice president. With the organization, Alfano was responsible for building trusted advisor relationships to increase clients' success. 

“Providing high-value services and delivering tremendous customer value is a key differentiator for Avaya, and I am very excited to join the company at this important time in its growth and to lead a global team that is a real competitive differentiator not just for Avaya, but for the customers that consume our services,” said Alfano.

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and everyday millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA). Avaya is shaping what's next for the future of work, with innovation and partnerships that deliver game-changing business benefits. 

Our cloud communications solutions and multi-cloud application ecosystem power personalized, intelligent, and effortless customer and employee experiences to help achieve strategic ambitions and desired outcomes. Together, we are committed to help grow your business by delivering Experiences that Matter.

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NRO Completes Final Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9; Troy Meink Quoted
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NRO Completes Final Launch on SpaceX Falcon 9; Troy Meink Quoted

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) has successfully completed its final launch of 2020, NROL-108, C4ISRNet reported on Monday. During the launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NRO used a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to transport NROL-108.

“We are excited to partner with SpaceX again,” NRO principal deputy director Troy Meink said. “The successful launch of NROL-108 by SpaceX just days after the launch of NROL-44 by United Launch Alliance, underscores NRO’s commitment to a robust launch schedule supported by a growing number of partners and locations.”

This was NRO’s second dedicated launch with SpaceX, with the first taking place with NROL-76 in May 2017. NRO did not disclose details of the payload’s mission or capabilities.

“Data collected by NRO’s national security systems are used to provide intelligence to United States’ senior policy makers, the intelligence community and Department of Defense, as well as U.S. allied partners,” the agency stated. “Additionally, information collected by NRO systems can be used to assist emergency and disaster relief efforts in the U.S. and around the world.”

Throughout the year, NRO has partnered with four different launch providers and five different types of rocket to launch its payloads into orbit. During the agency’s first launch, NRO used an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab. The company also launched the second payload for NRO in June 2020.

In July, NRO partnered with Northrop Grumman, using the Minotaur IV rocket for a mission. More recently, NRO partnered with United Launch Alliance (ULA) for two missions: first in Nov. 2020 with an Atlas V rocket, and then again in Dec. 2020 with a Delta IV rocket.

“Despite the challenges of 2020, NRO this year has successfully launched six missions from two countries. We are dedicated to delivering reconnaissance capabilities that keep this nation and our allies safe, while prioritizing the security and health of our launch teams,” said Meink.

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NuWave Acquires ProModel Government Services; GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers Quoted
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NuWave Acquires ProModel Government Services; GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers Quoted

NuWave Solutions has acquired ProModel Government Services, provider of mission critical predictive and prescriptive analytic software solutions for federal agencies, from the ProModel Corporation. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“ProModel Government Services is uniquely qualified to help federal government agencies with their decision making, and help ensure that their processes are more efficient and resources are better managed,” said Dr. Reggie Brothers, CEO of NuWave and GovCon Expert.

ProModel Government Services has specialized in innovative and adaptable custom model-based software solutions. These offerings have helped visualize data, synchronize operational needs, mitigate risk and optimize resources to support decision making for the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal government agencies. 

ProModel Government Services’ solutions offer near real-time situational awareness of the current environment and a predictive view of the future, enabling government organizations to make rapid, informed decisions that impact defense readiness.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for our team to join NuWave,” said Carl Napoletano, SVP and general manager of ProModel Government Services. “Being part of NuWave will provide us with greater support and additional solution offerings, which will benefit both our customers and employees alike.”

The purchase ProModel Government Services marks the second NuWave acquisition since it was acquired by AE Industrial Partners (AEI) in June 2020. Earlier this month, NuWave acquired BigBear to expand its expertise across data computing and analytics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial information systems, data mining and systems engineering.

BigBear has combined comprehensive technology solutions with its BigBear Platform to create secure cloud environments that support big data computing, machine learning and improved decision-making to better manage risk.

“BigBear’s data and analytics solutions bolster our existing capabilities to address the entire spectrum of information superiority,” said Brothers in regards to the acquisition of BigBear.

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Northrop Grumman Completes First Flight for GSMP
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Northrop Grumman Completes First Flight for GSMP

Northrop Grumman has successfully completed the first flight for the Global Hawk Ground Station Modernization Program (GSMP), the company reported on Monday. 

“New, modern ground stations for Global Hawk will significantly improve the system and allow operators to more efficiently deliver timely ISR data to warfighters and connect the joint force through its global communications node mission,” said Leslie Smith, vice president Global Hawk, Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman’s GSMP team has leveraged agile development and an open architecture design to transform the human-machine interface and the underlying software. These efforts will increase interoperability with other Air Force systems, enhance responsiveness to ad hoc tasking and lower impact updates.

Global Hawk ground stations will enhance operator experience, featuring new cockpit displays, the ability to fly all Global Hawk variants without software or configuration changes, simpler maintenance interfaces and improved situational awareness and environmental conditions for pilots and sensor operators.

Global Hawk collects ISR data to allow decision makers to act faster with more accurate information. Global Hawk to connect the joint force through high capacity backbone, pseudo-satellite communications coverage and joint all-domain command and control.

“Not only will it allow the operators to conduct their missions from an enhanced, building-based control element, it will deliver critical Diminished Manufacturing Sources solutions and system security enhancements that will ensure this vital capability continues to be secure from cyber threats,” said Col. William Collins, Global Hawk System program director, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services.

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DoD to Appoint Tidal McCoy, Jeff DeWit as Defense Science Board Members
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DoD to Appoint Tidal McCoy, Jeff DeWit as Defense Science Board Members

Tidal McCoy, a more than four-decade public and private sector veteran, and former NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit will be appointed to serve on the Defense Science Board.

Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller selected both McCoy and DeWit as potential DSB members to advise the Department of Defense on science, technology, acquisition and manufacturing matters, the Pentagon said Friday.

McCoy is chairman and co-founder of IronGate Capital Advisors. His industry career also included time as chairman and CEO of Washington Capital Partners, an investment company he also established, and vice president of government relations for Thiokol Propulsion.

He also served as assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs at the U.S. Air Force and as the branch's senior assistant secretary under the Reagan administration.

DeWit received Senate confirmation for the NASA CFO role in March 2018 and held the position until February of this year. He came to the space agency after service as treasurer for the state of Arizona.

He began his financial career at Smith Barney in 1992 and later founded ECHOtrade, which he led as CEO for 14 years.

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DHS Releases Positioning, Navigation & Timing System Resilience Guide
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DHS Releases Positioning, Navigation & Timing System Resilience Guide

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued guidance for equipment vendors and critical infrastructure operators to ensure the resiliency of positioning, navigation and timing systems to GPS spoofing or jamming activity.

DHS said Friday it coordinated with other federal agencies and the private sector to create the Resilient PNT Conformance Framework as part of efforts to help end users make deployment decisions and manage potential disruption risks.

The guide outlines four levels of resilience to serve as a common reference point for securing PNT systems of systems, receivers and source components from interference or disruption.

Such technology helps power the country's energy, transportation, telecommunications and emergency response assets, according to the department.

Willian Bryan, acting undersecretary for science and technology at DHS, said the department's new framework can work as a risk management tool when combined with the National Institute of Standards and Technology's PNT cybersecurity profile.

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Rep. Adam Smith Raises Concerns Over Plans to End Dual-Hat Structure for NSA, Cybercom
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Rep. Adam Smith Raises Concerns Over Plans to End Dual-Hat Structure for NSA, Cybercom

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), has warned leaders at the Department of Defense (DoD) against ending the dual-hat relationship between U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and the National Security Agency (NSA).

“Any action to sever the dual-hat relationship could have grave impacts on our national security, especially during a time that the country is wrestling with what may be the most damaging cyber-attack in our country’s history,” Smith wrote in a Friday letter to Acting DOD Secretary Christopher Miller and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and four-time Wash100 Award recipient.

Smith said in the letter that Section 1642 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017 sets conditions that must be satisfied before terminating the structure, including “an elevation of the operational dependence of CYBERCOM on the NSA and an analysis of the ability to CYBERCOM and NSA to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities.”

He also called on Gen. Milley and Miller to consult with the House Armed Services Committee regarding any potential measures to implement the termination of the dual-hat structure.

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