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Lt. Gen. John Thompson: Space Force’s Budget to Rise in Coming Years
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Lt. Gen. John Thompson: Space Force’s Budget to Rise in Coming Years

Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), said the U.S. Space Force expects to see its budget increase in the next few years as the Department of Defense (DoD) prioritizes spending on space platforms and recognizes space as a warfighting domain, C4ISRNET reported Friday.

The new service branch is working on budget requests for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Thompson said he believes those proposals will include increased funding for space systems. 

“We pulsed up the space portfolio significantly to address users’ needs,” he said. “I can’t give you the exact dollars and obviously it’s all pre-decisional. But the [Deputy’s Management Action Group] and many other DoD leaders are clearly sending a message that across the [Future Years Defense Program], the importance of the space enterprise is growing and needs to grow further.” 

The Department of the Air Force requested a budget of $15.4 billion for the Space Force in FY 2021, up from $14.6 billion in funds the department asked for the service in FY 2020.

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Army to Continue Modernization Efforts Despite Topline Reductions; Lt. Gen. James Pasquarette Quoted
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Army to Continue Modernization Efforts Despite Topline Reductions; Lt. Gen. James Pasquarette Quoted

The U.S. Army plans to continue fully resourcing selected modernization programs under its cross-functional teams despite potential reductions to its topline budget, Defense News reported Thursday.

Lt. Gen. James Pasquarette, the Army's deputy chief of staff for G-8, said at an Association of the U.S. Army event that leadership changes in the White House will not affect the service branch's efforts to prepare for potential topline reductions.

He noted that the service’s mindset with regards to deficit spending will enable it to continue funding the Army Futures Command’s  (AFC) modernization priorities with minimal disruption.

“I don’t believe the Army will hit the easy button this time around,” said Pasquarette. “Modernization would be protected, to a degree, as we balance the programs under a top-line adjustment downward if that happens.”

Reductions in tax revenue and pandemic-related increases in government spending could result in the Army’s “decision to pull back the levers on spending,” he noted.

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Senate Passes Bill on AI-Driven IT Modernization; Sens. Rob Portman, Maggie Hassan Quoted
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Senate Passes Bill on AI-Driven IT Modernization; Sens. Rob Portman, Maggie Hassan Quoted

The Senate has approved legislation introduced by Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., to help drive the government’s information technology implementation efforts in line with the Artificial Intelligence in Government Act.

Portman’s office said Wednesday the IT Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act will codify the General Services Administration’s (GSA) AI CoE program while promoting government agencies’ rapid deployment of the latest IT capabilities.

As part of the bipartisan bill, the AI CoE will provide technical assistance to agencies, support government AI procurement efforts and “promote U.S. competitiveness through agency and industry cooperation.”

“America is known for its innovation, but federal agencies haven't always kept pace with changing technologies and developments,” said Hassan. 

“As technology continues to change and advance, it’s important that the federal government understands the significant impacts it will have on our country, economy, and society,” Portman noted.

Portman currently serves as co-chair and cofounder of the Senate AI Caucus.

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Accenture Acquires Arca to Expand 5G Network Capabilities; Manish Sharma Quoted
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Accenture Acquires Arca to Expand 5G Network Capabilities; Manish Sharma Quoted

Accenture has acquired Arca, an engineering services company with a focus on network operations and business services, Accenture reported on Friday. With the purchase, Accenture will gain 640 employees. 

“Arca’s vast experience with network services fully complements Accenture’s strategy of driving shared value with clients through the collaboration of human ingenuity and digital technology. Together, we will help clients adapt their operating model, expand the skills of their people and drive innovation to unlock the full potential of 5G,” said Manish Sharma, group chief executive of Accenture Operations. 

Arca has provided multidisciplinary services for network operations, including engineering, design, deployment and telecom infrastructure management. The company’s offerings are supported by an integrated platform that automates network monitoring, optimizes processes and predicts system anomalies. 

Under the acquisition, Accenture will combine its SynOps platform with Arca’s services to transition operating models to new sources of growth. The purchase will advance Accenture’s footprint across engineering, design, deployment and operation of network services. 

It will also enhance the company’s network capabilities in Spain and Portugal, offering clients a comprehensive set of transformation services across 5G network deployment, engineering, operations and industry services.

Founded in 1998, Arca has experience working with network operators, telco infrastructure services enterprises and other large companies to help them transform their business and processes and implement new communications technologies. 

Arca also offers business services, including sales support, analytics, process assessment, provisioning and service assurance. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. 

Our 506,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. 

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DoD Awards Siemens Healthineers Contract to Support COVID-19 Testing
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DoD Awards Siemens Healthineers Contract to Support COVID-19 Testing

The Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded a $12.38 million contract to Siemens Healthineers, the department reported on Thursday. 

BARDA funded the award through the Health Care Enhancement Act to support domestic industrial base expansion for critical medical resources.

Under the contract, Siemens Healthineers will work to expand U.S. based industrial production capacity of the DoD’s SARS-CoV-2 antigen test, run on the ADVIA Centaur and Atellica  testing platforms. 

This industrial base expansion effort will allow Siemens Healthineers to increase production capacity of the antigen test at its Walpole, Massachusetts manufacturing facility, increasing production capacity from 8.25 million to 50 million tests per month by July 2021, to support domestic COVID-19 testing. 

The DoD’s Defense Assisted Acquisition (DA2) Cell led the effort in coordination with the Department of the Air Force’s Acquisition COVID-19 Task Force. DA2 has assumed the interagency efforts for COVID-19 medical resource acquisition previously coordinated by the DoD’s Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF).

At the beginning of the COVID-19 national health emergency, Hon. Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, established the JATF to synchronize the acquisition execution of DoD’s support to interagency requests for COVID-19 medical resources.

Under DA2, the DoD also awarded a $6.98 million Firm-Fixed Price contract action to Teel Plastics in Oct. 2020 to expand US-based industrial production capacity of injection-molded and extruded swabsticks used in the production of COVID-19 testing kits.

The contract will increase Teel Plastics’ production capacity by approximately an additional 50 million per month for each swabstick type by March 2021, to support domestic COVID-19 testing.

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GSA Names Payman Sadegh as New CDO; Bob De Luca Quoted
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GSA Names Payman Sadegh as New CDO; Bob De Luca Quoted

Payman Sadegh has been appointed as chief data officer (CDO) with the General Services Administration (GSA), FedScoop reported on Friday. Sadegh will succeed Kris Rowley, the first appointed CDO, who left the agency for the private sector March 31 after serving a seven year tenure. In the interim, deputy chief information officer, Beth Killoran, served as acting CDO.

Sadegh joined GSA‘s IT leadership team in Oct. 2020 with more than two decades of experience. He will bring expert knowledge of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as predictive analytics and marketing analytics. 

Sadegh has extensive experience and track record of delivering value through advanced analytics in several industries, including Financial Services, Healthcare, Internet, Retail, CPG, Telecom, Automotive, Aerospace and Education. 

Most recently, Sadegh served as co-founder and CEO of patient engagement startup ChainSquared. Sadegh previously served as chief data scientist with Visual IQ, where he helped build new data science algorithms and solutions, including one of the first marketing attribution platforms.

He also worked to automate Visual IQ's marketing mix and develop innovative attribution methodologies for delivery of high dimensional predictive and optimization models and output at scale, and partnered with clients to ensure value delivery through use of the company’s marketing optimization platform.

Prior to his tenure with Visual IQ, Sadegh served as program manager with Sikorsky Aircraft, a Lockheed Martin Company. With the company, he advanced technology programs in aircraft health and usage data mining and analytics, and led development of algorithms for predictive modeling of aircraft maintenance based on clustering of maneuver patterns.

In Oct. 2020, Sadegh joined GSA’s Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) 2021 class of fellows. He joined technology and industry leaders that will work to develop innovative solutions to national issues. The fellows will partner with 22 federal agencies to increase resilience.

“Innovation thrives in partnerships, and with this new cohort, Presidential Innovation Fellows is uniting the best talent between the federal government and the private sector to drive the next generation of modern, human-centered solutions for the public,” said acting FAS deputy commissioner and Technology Transformation Services director Bob De Luca.

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Telos Corporation Launches Initial Public Offering
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Telos Corporation Launches Initial Public Offering

Telos Corporation has launched its initial public offering of 12,352,942 primary shares of its common stock, the company reported last week. The underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,852,941 shares of common stock from the company. 

Riley Securities, BMO Capital Markets and Needham & Company are acting as joint bookrunners for the proposed offering. Colliers Securities, D.A. Davidson & Co., Northland Capital Markets, Wedbush Securities and MKM Partners will serve as co-managers for the offering.

Telos intends to list its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market, under the ticker symbol “TLS.” The proposed offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. 

A registration statement relating to the proposed sale of these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. 

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Telos Corporation

Telos Corporation empowers and protects the world’s most security-conscious organizations with solutions for continuous security assurance of individuals, systems, and information. Telos’ offerings include cybersecurity solutions for IT risk management and information security; cloud security solutions to protect cloud-based assets and enable continuous compliance with industry and government security standards; and enterprise security solutions to ensure that personnel can work and collaborate securely and productively. The company serves military, intelligence and civilian agencies of the federal government, allied nations and commercial organizations around the world.

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GAO: DIA Needs Robust Stakeholder Engagement Plan for Intell Repository Modernization Program
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GAO: DIA Needs Robust Stakeholder Engagement Plan for Intell Repository Modernization Program

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to establish a strategy for coordinating with the intelligence community and other stakeholders on the development of its new data-management system.

GAO said Thursday that DIA is yet to provide a plan for ongoing stakeholder coordination in line with the development of the Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-repository System (MARS), which is meant to automate procedures handled by DIA’s military intelligence database.

According to GAO, DIA and its stakeholders have identified operational, technical and policy risks related to the MARS effort. The agency has also conducted workshops and town halls to identify initial program requirements and disseminate updates, according to GAO’s report.

However, the watchdog noted that DIA’s initial test and stakeholder engagement plan “lacks key details" on the implementation of leading system development practices as well as GAO’s assessment standards for Agile procedures.

“Without a comprehensive plan to guide stakeholder engagement, MARS capabilities could fall short of stakeholder expectations, and DIA could face greater challenges in mitigating risks to MARS,” the report states.

GAO has also recommended the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Department of Defense (DoD) secretary to oversee DIA’s development of a comprehensive plan for MARS stakeholder engagement.

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DOE Funds 17 Dev’t Projects for Ultra-High Temperature Materials
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DOE Funds 17 Dev’t Projects for Ultra-High Temperature Materials

The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $16 million in funds to 17 projects in support of the development of ultra-high temperature materials for gas turbines.

DOE said Wednesday that it seeks to build materials that will operate at 1800 ºC with coatings and coolings or at 1300 ºC in a stand-alone material test environment as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s Ultrahigh Temperature Impervious Materials Advancing Turbine Efficiency program.

Selected teams under the first phase of the initiative will demonstrate proofs of concept and will undergo a technical review to validate their eligibility for Phase 2. They will also devise manufacturing methods to help turbine blades operate within extreme operating environments.

West Virginia University, one of the teams, was allocated $700K to build ultra-high temperature refractory complex concentrated alloys-based composites while Pennsylvania State University, another awardee, was given $1.2M to create an integrated computational and experimental framework.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Boeing, Raytheon Technologies' research center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, QuesTek Innovations, General Electric's research arm, University of Maryland, National Energy Technology Laboratory, University of Virginia, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and University of Utah are the other Phase 1 developers.

DOE plans to award $14 million in additional funds for Phase 2 awardees.

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Former Deloitte Exec Raj Iyer Joins Army as CIO
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Former Deloitte Exec Raj Iyer Joins Army as CIO

Raj Iyer, formerly a managing director in the government and public services practice at Deloitte Consulting, has been named as the U.S. Army's first civilian chief information officer, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

Iyer assumes his new position after the separation of the Army CIO/G-6 organization into two functions as part of efforts to address multidomain operational requirements across the information technology and cyber domains.

As the CIO, he will be responsible for implementing the service branch's programs and policies related to IT architecture, cybersecurity, cloud and enterprise data management. While at Deloitte, he worked with clients to help them devise innovation-driven business transformation strategies. 

He joined the company in 2015 as senior manager of technology strategy for the defense and national security business sector. He previously worked for Imagecom, Automation and Robotics Research Institute and FlightSafety International.

His public sector career includes time as senior technology adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services, director of information services design and development group at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and acting deputy CIO and chief technology officer at the Army Materiel Command.

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