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Marine Corps Fields Initial BAE-Built Amphibious Combat Vehicles
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Marine Corps Fields Initial BAE-Built Amphibious Combat Vehicles

The U.S. Marine Corps unveiled an initial batch of BAE Systems-built amphibious combat vehicles during a re-designation ceremony held at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California, Task and Purpose reported Monday.

USMC said the ACV platform is meant to eventually replace its fleet of amphibious assault vehicles that the branch has used since the Vietnam war.

A team composed of BAE and Iveco Defense Vehicles won a potential $1.2 billion ACV contract in June 2018, which included a $198 million initial order for 30 vehicles.

The service tested the performance and maneuverability of the new vehicle in low-light and night conditions in December 2019 on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton beaches.

According to the report, the Marine Corps wants to commence full production of approximately 704 vehicles by 2022.

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DISA’s Anthony Montemarano to Retire Next Month
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DISA’s Anthony Montemarano to Retire Next Month

Tony Montemarano, executive deputy director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), will retire from DISA after 28 years of civil service, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

The report said DISA will hold a virtual retirement ceremony for Montemarano on Dec. 11th but has not yet announced his successor.

He joined the agency in 1992 after a 21-year U.S. Navy career that included participation in the branch’s key acquisition efforts related to command and control and communications systems.

At DISA, he was initially assigned to work within the program management office for the Defense Information Systems Network and later served as the Global Information Grid Bandwidth Expansion program director.

Montemarano also managed the agency’s information assurance and NetOps programs and held the positions of component acquisition executive and director of strategic planning and information.

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EPA Provides Updates on Lean Management System Implementation; Mary Walker Quoted
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EPA Provides Updates on Lean Management System Implementation; Mary Walker Quoted

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deployed to 83 percent of the organization a system that uses lean principles to achieve continuous process improvement. 

The EPA Lean Management System (ELMS) has six components and those are visual management, problem solving, cascading performance measures, standard process, leader behaviors and business reviews and huddles., the agency said Wednesday. 

“Utilizing ELMS shortened the State Implementation Plans review timetable thereby enabling state and local agencies to implement emission control strategies sooner,” said Mary Walker, administrator of EPA Region 4. 

Aside from surpassing the implementation target of 80 percent, EPA was able to improve over 500 processes using ELMS, exceeding its goal of 250 improved processes. Thirty-one of those process improvements were attributed to Region 4. 

EPA Region 4 Air and Radiation Division, for instance, achieved a 68 percent reduction in SIP backlog.

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ODNI Appoints Steve Vanech as Deputy Director of National Counterterrorism Center
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ODNI Appoints Steve Vanech as Deputy Director of National Counterterrorism Center

Steve Vanech, formerly director of intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center, has been named deputy director of NCTC. Vanech will fill in for NCTC director Chris Miller, who has been appointed to serve as acting secretary of the Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Tuesday.

“I am excited to share that earlier today we selected Steve Vanech to serve as NCTC’s next deputy director. Steve has 15 years of experience across the counterterrorism enterprise having served in multiple positions at NCTC including the director of intelligence, as well as a joint duty assignment at the National Security Agency as the Deputy Chief, Office of Counterterrorism," said Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

Vanech brings 15 years of experience in counterterrorism activities to his new role. Prior to NCTC, Vanech held the role of deputy chief of the office of counterterrorism at the National Security Agency.

“Steve will immediately serve as the acting director of NCTC. Steve’s deep commitment to the counterterrorism mission and the nation’s security, along with his institutional knowledge and understanding of NCTC, will be invaluable in leading the Center,” Ratcliffe added. 

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Navy to Designate Expeditionary Sea Base as USS John L. Canley; Kenneth J. Braithwaite Quoted
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Navy to Designate Expeditionary Sea Base as USS John L. Canley; Kenneth J. Braithwaite Quoted

The U.S. Navy will name its latest expeditionary base ship in honor of retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Major John Canley. The future USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) will work to support multiple operational phases across a range of military missions, USMC said Tuesday.

“To honor the remarkable Vietnam generation on this 245th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, ESB-6 will be named USS John L. Canley to honor a man who has exemplified all that has made our service strong, and our Nation thrive,” said Kenneth J. Braithwaite, Secretary of the Navy. 

The vessel is also built to deliver prepositioned equipment and sustainment capabilities to assist in the deployment of various supplies and forces.

USMC noted USS Lewis B. Puller, USS Miguel Keith and USS Hershel "Woody" Williams are currently undergoing optimization to support maritime-based operations.

Canley was honored with the Medal of Honor in 2018 in recognition of his efforts in the Battle of Hue City in Vietnam. 

“Sgt. Maj. Canley embodies the spirit of honor, courage and commitment. Sgt. Maj. Canley represents a generation of Marines who have sacrificed and fought for our way of life,” said Gen. David H. Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps. 

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NASA Issues Audit on Mars Sample Collection Campaign; Jim Bridenstine, Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted
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NASA Issues Audit on Mars Sample Collection Campaign; Jim Bridenstine, Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted

NASA has released an independent report detailing the agency’s readiness to conduct a campaign focused on obtaining soil samples from Mars to be used for Earth-based scientific research.

In August, NASA collaborated with the European Space Agency to establish an independent review board responsible for conducting a study on the Mars Sample Return initiative, NASA said Tuesday.

According to the MSR report, the campaign will require the Perseverance rover to collect regolith and cache rock samples which ESA’s “fetch” rover will deliver to NASA’s Mars Ascent Vehicle.

ESA will provide an Earth Return Orbiter intended to transport the samples back to Earth in the 2030s.

“We know there are challenges ahead, but that’s why we look closely at these architectures,” said Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA and a former Wash100 Award winner.

“We look forward to continued planning and mission formulation in close partnership with ESA,” noted Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA.

Perseverance launched aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket for the Mars mission in July.

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AM TRACE Veteran Leadership Work to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic; Miranda Weaver, Naphtali Odongo Quoted
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AM TRACE Veteran Leadership Work to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic; Miranda Weaver, Naphtali Odongo Quoted

AM TRACE LLC has expressed its gratitude for U.S. military veterans, including TRACE leadership team members Miranda Weaver, MPH, and Naphtali Odongo, MPH, who serve as project managers and have supported the company’s COVID-19 contract tracing, case investigation and epidemiology consultation programs.

“I take pride in my continued service to the overall health and well-being of the United States and its citizens,” said Weaver. “During my military service, I worked in public health across various military branches. Regardless of the role or area, the overarching factor for program success was expert management and resilience.”

Weaver served for more than a decade across a variety of U.S. Army combat positions. Weaver has deep experience within health-related leadership positions with the U.S. Army and Department of Defense (DoD).

She has held positions, including acting as a research team lead, quality assurance manager and program manager at U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

During her tenure with USAMRIID, Weaver served as the technical laboratory manager of the Ebola Response Team for Operation United Assistance during the 2014 Ebola epidemic in western Africa. In the role, she managed viral therapeutics projects.

“I am thrilled to bring those skills to TRACE to help our state and local government partners create more favorable public health outcomes,” Weaver concluded.

Odongo served for more than eight years as a U.S. Navy corpsman, across agile, public health leadership roles. He also has over a decade of experience with patient and community healthcare operations.

He served as a project manager for epidemiology programs, as well as worked with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Influenza Programme Department in Geneva, Switzerland. During his tenure at WHO, Odongo analyzed and reported data, reviewed data utility platforms, and helped create a country-level data reporting tool.

“My military service gave me real-world exposure to highly-challenging, complex, and demanding public health challenges,” said Odongo. “This expertise came through hard work, dedication, and commitment to our national security. Now, I’m proud to bring that knowledge and commitment to TRACE, where I can adapt my experience and lessons-learned to the fight against COVID-19.”

About TRACE

AM TRACE LLC (“TRACE”) is a research, informatics, and public health firm that combines expertise in public health, epidemiology, and information communication technology to support COVID-19 disease mitigation efforts. TRACE, headquartered in Arlington, VA, specializes in COVID-19 testing, surveillance, and epidemiological programs.

TRACE’s evidence-based approach and proven capability to rapidly deploy technology-enabled contact tracing solutions to support local public health agencies have earned it a national reputation as a leading provider of COVID-19 solutions. The leadership of TRACE shares more than 75 years of combined experience working in disease prevention, testing, and surveillance & control.

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Experienced CIO Chris Chilbert Moves From HHS to Consumer Finance Protection Bureau
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Experienced CIO Chris Chilbert Moves From HHS to Consumer Finance Protection Bureau

Chris Chilbert, chief information officer of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) inspector general office, will step down from his role to join the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau as CIO, succeeding Donna Roy, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Chilbert's departure from HHS ends a five-year tenure with the department's IG office where he prioritized cloud migration and network modernization. His new role will also involve the duties of a chief technology officer, giving Chilbert responsibility for the bureau's use of technology in missions.

“After five years at HHS OIG, I have accepted a position as CIO of another agency — it was a hard decision to leave, but I’m excited about the new opportunity," he said in a LinkedIn post.

The experienced CIO formerly served with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as chief enterprise architect and contributed services to the U.S. Navy for eight years. His career also includes private sector work with companies including Deloitte Consulting.

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CISA Report: IT, Comms Manufacturers Need Broader Supplier Base, Alternative Delivery Models
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CISA Report: IT, Comms Manufacturers Need Broader Supplier Base, Alternative Delivery Models

A new report from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has found that the information and communication technology (ICT) sector needs to diversify its supply chain following the COVID-19 pandemic.

CISA said in the report that the ICT industrial base must include more locations beyond single-source or single-region suppliers and incorporate delivery frameworks beyond lean inventory models to prevent delays.

The agency noted that ICT companies must promote transparency in their Tier 2 and 3 suppliers to better track disruptions and quickly identify sources of delays across the global supply-chain network.

Discussions are also in place to assess whether the private sector needs incentives to “bring manufacturing home, closer to home, or to never leave in the first place,” according to the report.

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Brig. Gen. Douglas Schiess to Take Director Role at Space Operations Command
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Brig. Gen. Douglas Schiess to Take Director Role at Space Operations Command

Brig. Gen. Douglas Schiess, commander of the U.S. Space Force’s 45th Space Wing, has been appointed director of space and cyber operations at the military branch’s Space Operations Command.

Schiess concurrently serves as director of the Space Force’s Eastern Range at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, the Department of Defense (DoD) said Tuesday.

In his current role, Schiess manages over 15,000 DoD personnel, civilians and contractors responsible for satellite launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. He also oversees range infrastructure for missile testing and other applications under NASA and commercial entities.

Throughout his more than 26-year career at the Air Force, Schiess held various commander roles and served in overseas deployments in support of operations Inherent Resolve, Resolute Support and Enduring Freedom.

He was first commissioned to the service branch in 1992.

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