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Navy Names Virginia-Class Attack Submarines as USS Tang, USS Wahoo; Kenneth Braithwaite Quoted
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Navy Names Virginia-Class Attack Submarines as USS Tang, USS Wahoo; Kenneth Braithwaite Quoted

Kenneth Braithwaite, secretary of the U.S. Navy, has announced that the service branch will name two of its future attack submarines as USS Tang and USS Wahoo.

The Navy said Wednesday the Virginia-class SSN 805 and SSN 806 submarines represent the third time that U.S. Navy submarines will carry the names Tang and Wahoo.

The first USS Tang was a Balao-class submarine designated as SS-306 in 1943. The second one, designated as SS-563, was commissioned in 1951 as the first Tang-class submarine.

SS-238, the first USS Wahoo, was a Gato-class vessel also commissioned in 1943. The second Tang-class SS-565 vessel was commissioned in 1952.

“Along with the previously named USS Barb (SSN 804), these boats will honor the strong traditions and heritage of the silent service,” said Braithwaite in a previous announcement.

The Navy’s attack submarines work to destroy surface ships as well as subsurface vessels. The submarines are built to support operations such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine warfare and power-projection activities with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

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Federal Mobility Working Group Issues 5G Testing Framework
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Federal Mobility Working Group Issues 5G Testing Framework

The General Services Administration’s (GSA) Federal Mobility Group (FMG) has released a framework for governmentwide testing and implementation of 5G technologies. FMG's 5G and Mobile Network Infrastructure Working Group issued the framework to serve as a guide for agencies seeking to select testing capabilities and implement laboratory- and testbed-based assessment approaches, FMG said Wednesday.

The guide, titled Framework to Conduct 5G Testing, identifies four main phases in the 5G modular testing architecture. The framework also details best practices to sharing testing resources across agencies to avoid duplication, FMG noted.

.According to the GSA component, the framework serves as a culmination of the FMG working group’s yearlong effort to evaluate approaches to 5G testing.

FMG was created in 2019 and is co-led by representatives from GSA, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 

Federal Mobility Working Group Issues 5G Testing Framework

Join Potomac Officers Club for its 5G Summit on Jan. 7th, 2021 to learn about the impact that innovative technologies and 5G integration have on the private and public sectors, the steps the federal agencies have taken to remain up to speed with the rapid advancement of technology, and the future programs, plans and priorities as the nation aligns with emerging technology.

Hon. Ellen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense (DoD) and four-time Wash100 Award recipient, will be featured as the keynote speaker.

Don’t miss out on this must see event! Register here for Potomac Officers Club's 5G Summit on Jan. 7th, 2021. 

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Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve IoT Cybersecurity; Rep. Robin Kelly Quoted
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Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Improve IoT Cybersecurity; Rep. Robin Kelly Quoted

The Senate has voted to pass legislation seeking to establish foundational standards for internet-connected technologies acquired by the U.S. government to help ensure the security of internet of things networks.

The IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act, introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., received unanimous approval in the House and was also unanimously passed in the Senate this week, Kelly’s office said Wednesday.

According to Kelly, the bipartisan bill will ensure that the government  “purchases secure devices and closes existing vulnerabilities to protect our national security and the personal information of American families.”

The bill’s passing comes after she introduced a resolution on governmentwide artificial intelligence efforts. Kelly currently co-chairs the House Tech Accountability Caucus.

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Maximus Reports Q4 FY 2020 Results; Bruce Caswell Quoted
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Maximus Reports Q4 FY 2020 Results; Bruce Caswell Quoted

Maximus has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year, which ended Sept. 30, 2020, the company announced on Thursday. for fiscal 2020, revenue increased to $3.46 billion compared to $2.89 billion reported for the same period last year.

"Fiscal year 2020 demonstrated our ability to quickly respond and rapidly scale operations in order to support the significant increase in demand from governments to address the extraordinary needs of citizens in the wake of the pandemic,” said Bruce Caswell, president and chief executive officer of Maximus and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. 

The fiscal year 2020 revenue increase was driven by the Census contract in the U.S. Federal Services Segment and new COVID-19 response work to assist governments in supporting individuals and families during the global pandemic. 

“Our ongoing investments in technology and digital capabilities allowed us to enable thousands of employees into remote work environments in a span of weeks," Caswell added. 

Maximus reported organic growth of 15.7 percent in fiscal 2020, or 4.6 percent excluding the Census contract. The company’s operating margin was 8.3 percent and diluted earnings per share was $3.39 for fiscal 2020, which decreased from the prior year. 

The company reported reduced volumes on core programs in the U.S. where pandemic-related program changes were instituted at the direction of our state and federal clients, a greater mix of cost-plus work in fiscal 2020 and unfavorable pandemic-related impacts in operations outside the U.S.

During the fiscal year 2020, Maximus also renamed the U.S. Health & Human Services Segment to the U.S. Services Segment. 

"We will continue to support our clients' evolving needs and we stand ready to provide additional support as governments strive to slow the global pandemic. As we look into fiscal 2021, we anticipate that we will begin to benefit from increasing caseloads in our employment services markets outside the United States,” Caswell concluded. 

About Maximus

Since 1975, Maximus has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. 

Maximus delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability, and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, Maximus is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

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Bechtel Cyber Experts Join (CS)2AI as Fellows; Mike Costas, Derek Harp Quoted
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Bechtel Cyber Experts Join (CS)2AI as Fellows; Mike Costas, Derek Harp Quoted

Katie Pehrson and Charlie Givens of Bechtel have been appointed to Control System Cyber Security Association International’s ((CS)2AI) fellowship program, Bechtel reported on Thursday. Pehrson and Givens will provide (CS)2AI members and industry with support and expertise on complex technical challenges across industrial control systems cybersecurity.

“With cyberthreats growing by the day, both Katie and Charlie have the industry expertise to help customers protect their control rooms, robotics, plant systems, sensors, and the surrounding community,” said Mike Costas, general manager of Bechtel’s Defense and Space business line.

Pehrson and Givens were appointed based on their more than 25 years of combined experience in Bechtel’s cybersecurity customer initiatives.

Pehrson is the manager of cybersecurity program directives with Bechtel’s Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Laboratory and Tech Center, where she advises project teams on how to protect control rooms and other critical infrastructure from cyberthreats before and after installation.

She is an expert in developing detailed cybersecurity, overseeing complex test plans to inform systems implementation strategy and incorporating lessons learned and best practices from the NIST Risk Management Framework into the design, procurement and commissioning processes.

Givens is Bechtel’s industrial control systems cybersecurity chief engineer. He is an automation expert with a demonstrated history of working in information technology (IT), engineering automation and industrial control systems cybersecurity. He is a certified software quality assurance engineer and global industrial cybersecurity professional.

Givens brings expertise in database design, data analysis, software development and quality assurance, system management, process improvement, work process enhancement, solution deployment and software and system integration.

“We are very excited to have Katie Pehrson and Charlie Givens as part of our first cohort of (CS)2AI Fellows,” said Derek Harp, founder and chairman of (CS)2AI. “They each bring a tremendous body of experience, knowledge and expertise from which our association and our members stand to benefit greatly. We are also very glad to strengthen our connection with such a trusted critical infrastructure organization as Bechtel.”

About Bechtel

Bechtel is a trusted engineering, construction and project management partner to industry and government. Differentiated by the quality of our people and our relentless drive to deliver the most successful outcomes, we align our capabilities to our customers’ objectives to create a lasting positive impact.

Since 1898, we have helped customers complete more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents that have created jobs, grown economies, improved the resiliency of the world’s infrastructure, increased access to energy, resources, and vital services, and made the world a safer, cleaner place.

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Northrop Grumman Produces G-2000 Tactical Gyroscope; Brandon White Quoted
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Northrop Grumman Produces G-2000 Tactical Gyroscope; Brandon White Quoted

Northrop Grumman Corporation has produced its 75,000th G-2000 gyroscope, the smallest tactical-grade gyroscope for commercial and military customers, the company reported on Thursday. The G-2000 has advanced performance and accuracy, sensing orientation for stabilization and targeting applications.

“This milestone is a confirmation of the consistently reliable performance that the G-2000 offers for customers seeking high accuracy for a variety of missions,” said Brandon White, vice president, navigation and positioning systems, Northrop Grumman. “With its small form factor, the G-2000 provides a truly versatile solution for guiding and stabilization at a low cost.”

Northrop Grumman’s G-2000 is the smallest dynamically-tuned gyroscope produced, featuring high performance, small size and reliability. The gyroscope is enhanced by a servo-electronics card that maximizes performance.

The G-2000 two-axis gyroscope provides a mean time between failure (MTBF) of more than 100 thousand hours. It can withstand high vibration and high shock environments of up 750g, which is not available with fiber-optic or micro-electro-mechanical gyroscopes.

Northrop Grumman’s G-2000 has been integrated on missiles, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, Harpoon and AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles as well as a variety of other applications.

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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Lockheed Martin Wins Contract to Build Training Center for C-130J Squadron; Tom Gordon Quoted
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Lockheed Martin Wins Contract to Build Training Center for C-130J Squadron; Tom Gordon Quoted

Lockheed Martin has won a direct commercial sale (DCS) contract to build and equip a facility in France that trains French and German C-130J Super Hercules aircrews and maintainers for the countries’ binational C-130J Super Hercules Squadron, Lockheed Martin reported on Thursday. 

“The French/German C-130J Binational Training Center will allow both countries to train pilots and maintainers on the full capability of these proven aircraft,” said Tom Gordon, Lockheed Martin, vice president of Training and Simulation Solutions. 

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide training devices, the learning management system, courseware and options for five years of training services. The company will begin development in 2021 and aircrew and maintainers will begin training in the center in 2024.

The training center will be located in Évreux-Fauville Air Base in the Normandy region of France and will provide training for C-130J-30 airlifter and KC-130J tanker aircrafts. The French and German binational squadron consists of a combined 10 Super Hercules aircraft. 

In 2018, Germany announced the acquisition of six Super Hercules aircrafts to be operated in partnership with France. France has received a total of four Super Hercules aircraft through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) with the U.S. government. 

Lockheed Martin owns and operates its Hercules Training Center (HTC) in Marietta, Georgia. The HTC is a combined academic and simulator facility that delivers training efficiency on the C-130J fleet. The HTC trains C-130J crews as needed and will be used to train France and Germany’s initial instructor cadre of pilots and maintainers during the construction of the new facility.

“Lockheed Martin is honored to support this historic partnership and proud to work directly with our customers in establishing a first-of-its kind resource that will benefit Super Hercules crew members for decades to come,” Gordon added. 

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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OMB’s Russell Vought on Developing AI Regulations
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OMB’s Russell Vought on Developing AI Regulations

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), has asked U.S. department and agency heads to reduce "unnecessary barriers" to artificial intelligence innovation and growth in compliance with the Executive Order 13859 that seeks to maintain U.S. advantage in AI.

In a Nov. 17th memorandum, the OMB head shared principles that should be considered by agencies when taking regulatory or non-regulatory actions related to the development and deployment of AI applications.

Vought noted that government approaches should promote reliable and trustworthy AI applications to contribute to public trust in the technology, and should include the public in the process of adopting AI regulations to boost agency accountability and enhance regulatory outcomes.

Safety and security, interagency coordination, fairness and non-discrimination, as well as scientific integrity and information quality should also be taken into account by agencies for their AI regulations.

The director added that risk assessment and risk management should inform the creation of AI regulatory and non-regulatory approaches. "Agencies should be transparent about their evaluations of risk and re-evaluate their assumptions and conclusions at appropriate intervals so as to foster accountability."

Agencies are also encouraged to collaborate with private sector standard-setting organizations on the effort.

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Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Lauren Underwood Introduce Federal Cybersecurity Oversight Act
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Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Lauren Underwood Introduce Federal Cybersecurity Oversight Act

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., have proposed a bill to improve oversight of federal agencies’ cybersecurity posture.

Congress authorized agencies in 2015 to self-issue indefinite waivers for cybersecurity practices such as two-factor authentication and data encryption and Wyden’s office said Wednesday the Federal Cybersecurity Oversight Act of 2020 would limit those waivers to one year and direct the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to manage the issuance of those waivers. 

“Lax cybersecurity at federal agencies needlessly exposes Americans to privacy and security threats, while putting our national security at risk,” Wyden said. “The Federal Cybersecurity Oversight Act would prevent civilian agencies from punting cybersecurity down the road indefinitely, leaving Americans’ data open for attack from hackers and foreign spies.”

Agency heads seeking waivers should certify to OMB that implementing a specific cybersecurity requirement would be excessively burdensome and that the agency has taken all the necessary measures to ensure the security of data and information systems.

“This bill also requires that existing annual cybersecurity reports to Congress include a list of the specific cybersecurity waivers that the agency has received, along with an estimate for when the agency expects to be able to meet the cybersecurity requirements,” the bill's summary reads.

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FAA to Open Updated Commercial Space Launch Rules for Public Comment
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FAA to Open Updated Commercial Space Launch Rules for Public Comment

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will release a consolidated launch and reentry licensing rules for the commercial space launch industry "in the next few weeks" to solicit public comment, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

Wayne Monteith, associate administrator for commercial space transportation at FAA, said at an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics-hosted virtual conference on Nov.18th that the updated regulations, dubbed "Part 450," are "in final coordination" and would be effective 90 days after its publication.

Following its dialogs with the industry, the agency looked into changing the launch licensing approach from prescriptive to performance based as suggested. The revised rules will also permit multiple launches from multiple sites under a single operator’s license.

"The worst thing we can do for this industry is to over-regulate to the point where we are not increasing the effectiveness of safety but creating hurdles to innovative companies or putting undue bureaucratic overhead on our existing companies," said Monteith.

FAA aims to promote the space launch sector growth while ensuring public safety with the updated regulations. The agency started rewriting the rules in 2018.

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