/
Air Force Looks to Release Strategy on Mobility Research Efforts
Published on
Air Force Looks to Release Strategy on Mobility Research Efforts

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Air Mobility Command (AMC) are developing a strategy for mobility research to support the service branch’s vision for an operational environment through the 2030s.

Col. Tim West, deputy director of AFRL’s Aerospace Systems Directorate, said at an Airlift/Tanker Association virtual event that his office seeks to complete the draft strategy in the coming weeks and is requesting input from industry on each of its priority areas, Inside Defense reported Friday.

“Once we get a document that AMC… we will use that as our way of prioritizing and advocating for S&T funding based on that refined vision,” West said.

The strategy will primarily focus on AMC mission areas such as aerial refueling, airlift, global air mobility and aeromedical evacuation.

John Frazey, deputy capability lead for rapid global mobility at  AFRL, said at the same event that the strategy is meant to address the Air Force’s goals through the 2030-2035 timeframe to better visualize the service branch’s investment needs.

“We need to make sure that we as global mobility personnel really look at what we need and use this vision to help influence the senior leader decisions,” he noted.

Air Force Tests ABMS, Multidomain Battle Mgmt Tools Across Asia-Pacific; Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach Quoted
Published on
Air Force Tests ABMS, Multidomain Battle Mgmt Tools Across Asia-Pacific; Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach Quoted

The U.S. Air Force has completed the third test for the Advanced Battle Management System, marking the first time the platform underwent evaluation under a combatant command outside the continental U.S.

The Pacific Air Forces facilitated the ABMS test in September concurrently with Valiant Shield under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, C4ISRnet reported Saturday.

Operators saw ABMS conduct real-time tracking and visualize status updates for U.S. military bases across the Asia-Pacific.

Information such as aircraft diversions, weather, fuel supply and weapons inventory were transmitted into a central hub located at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.

Capt. Clay Lancaster, spokesman for the Air Force, said the service branch used multidomain battle managing systems aboard the KC-46 Pegasus to test the ABMS platform’s capacity to control air assets in austere environments “in an agile manner”.

Lancaster said the Air Force is also testing the commandONE, edgeONE and omniaONE technologies for battle management operations.

PACAF chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said that he was most excited about a tool that gave commanders a bird’s-eye view into each Air Force installation, enabling leaders to make decisions more quickly.

/
FAA Concludes UAS Integration Pilot Effort; Michael Kratsios Quoted
Published on
FAA Concludes UAS Integration Pilot Effort; Michael Kratsios Quoted

The Federal Aviation Administration signed agreements to address gaps in unmanned aircraft system integration (UAS) activities to mark the conclusion of a pilot program launched by the agency. UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) successfully concluded on Oct. 25. 

“The three years of information gathered under the drone Integration Pilot Program will be applied to a new initiative called BEYOND, which will further advance the safe integration of drones into our national air space,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program was launched by FAA to inform ongoing rulemaking, guidance and policies for the implementation of drones into the U.S. airspace, the Department of Transportation said Friday.

Nine state, local and tribal government organizations took part in the pilot initiative. The participants utilized FAA's regulations to carry out various safety cases such as package delivery, flood damage assessment and inspection of pipelines and power lines.

FAA formalized agreements with eight of the nine IPP participants to join the BEYOND program, an effort that seeks to drive the safe implementation of drones into the U.S. air space.

The selected participants are:

  • Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
  • City of Reno, Nevada
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority of Virginia
  • Kansas Department of Transportation
  • North Carolina Department of Transportation
  • North Dakota Department of Transportation
  • University of Alaska-Fairbanks

 

“The IPP propelled the American drone industry forward, allowing for unprecedented expansions in testing and operations through innovative private-public partnerships across the country. Now, the BEYOND program will build upon this success, tackling the next big challenges facing drone integration. The Trump Administration remains committed to the safe and innovative development of drone technologies for the benefit of the American people,” said U.S. CTO and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient Michael Kratsios.

/
Cyware Names New Executives to Board of Directors; Anuj Goel Quoted
Published on
Cyware Names New Executives to Board of Directors; Anuj Goel Quoted

Cyware has appointed Anthony Belfiore, Aon chief security officer (CSO), and Zach Sivertson, Mercato Partner’s Prelude managing director, to its board of directors, Cyware reported on Monday. Belfiore and Sivertson bring more than three decades of combined experience in cybersecurity to Cyware’s board.

“At Cyware, we are continuously working to provide more value to our customers and scale our company in the years to come,” said Anuj Goel, CEO and co-founder, Cyware. “Zach and Anthony bring a unique blend of executive leadership and cybersecurity experience that will allow us to reach our next level of success.”

With Aon, Belfiore supervises the global operations for Physical Security, Cybersecurity, IT Risk, Fraud, Investigations and Business Continuity. He has more than 20 years of experience as security and technology business leader.

Prior to joining Aon, Belfiore was head of IT infrastructure with First Data Corporation (FDC). He also served as the global CISO for JP Morgan Chase. Belfiore has also held a variety of Cybersecurity and Information Risk Management leadership positions with UBS, Ernst & Young, KPMG, and Booz Allen & Hamilton.

“Cyware has been able to stand out in a crowded space in the cybersecurity market by focusing on solutions that bring real, lasting value to their customers. Their solutions provide quicker time to value for users, while also enabling them with sustainable optimizations and improvements to their security operations,” said Belfiore. “I’m thrilled to be working with this talented team and looking forward to contributing to Cyware’s future success.”

Sivertson brings experience in the operational, technical and private equity realms. Before joining Prelude, Sivertson was a product executive at Symantec. With Symantec, Sivertson supervised Product Management, pricing and strategy for a more than $1 billion cybersecurity portfolio.

Before Symantec, Sivertson held product positions at Blue Coat Systems, which was acquired by Symantec for $4.6 billion. He also served with WorkFront & Aplifi, which was acquired by iPipeline. Prior, Sivertson led IT operations at Sentry West Insurance, as well as started multiple technology companies spanning education technology and consumer communication.

“I’m honored to be working with Cyware at such an exciting time for the company,” said Zach Sivertson. “Cyware’s solutions deliver the critical capabilities and flexibility that are needed to protect organizations in today’s evolving and increasing threat landscape.”

/
Northrop Grumman Partners with US Army to Deploy JTAGS Capabilities; Kenn Todorov Quoted
Published on
Northrop Grumman Partners with US Army to Deploy JTAGS Capabilities; Kenn Todorov Quoted

The U.S. Army and Northrop Grumman Corporation have deployed enhanced Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) capabilities in South Korea to increase battlespace awareness and missile defense in the region, the company reported on Monday.

“This is a tremendous milestone in our decades-long mission of delivering missile warning and defense capabilities to protect our joint warfighters and allies,” said Kenn Todorov, vice president and general manager, combat systems and mission readiness, Northrop Grumman.

With the deployment, Northrop Grumman has completed phase one of the JTAGS modernization program. Phase one included the installation of JTAGS Block II in permanent facilities in Japan, Qatar, Italy and the Republic of Korea.

The modernization covered updates to hardware, software and communication systems, as well as enhancements to cybersecurity and the soldier-machine interface. The deployments included soldier training and exercise support capabilities.

JTAGS receives and processes data directly down-linked from the Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) constellation of satellites, including Defense Support Program and Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) sensors and other infrared satellite sensors.

After the data is received and processed, JTAGS will distribute near-real-time warning, alerting and cueing information on ballistic missile launches and other tactical events of interest throughout the theater, leveraging multiple communications networks.

Northrop Grumman has entered phase two of the JTAGS Pre-planned Product improvement (P3I) modernization program. In this phase, the company will deliver additional sensor processing capabilities and update software architecture.

“JTAGS is vital to warfighters and of growing importance as we create true Joint All-Domain Command and Control systems, especially as we find new ways to integrate and leverage space-based assets,” Todorov added.

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.

/
Expanse Names Tom Barsi VP of Business Development; Tim Junio Quoted
Published on
Expanse Names Tom Barsi VP of Business Development; Tim Junio Quoted

Expanse has appointed Tom Barsi as vice president of Business Development to support the company’s ongoing business development and channel efforts, the company reported on Monday. 

“Tom is a game-changing hire for Expanse,” said Tim Junio, CEO and co-founder of Expanse. “Tom’s wealth of knowledge and experience in business development and strategic partnerships will be instrumental towards leveraging the large Expanse ecosystem and significantly grow channel revenue.”

With over 20 years of experience in business development roles, Tom will support Expanse’s growing footprint in cybersecurity for both public and private organizations by building world class ecosystem technical alliance partners (ISVs) and strategic go-to-market partners (VAR/MSSP).

Barsi has a proven track record of leading the growth of several successful cybersecurity companies. Before joining Expanse’s executive leadership team, Barsi served with VMware as vice president, joining the company through the acquisition of Carbon Black. 

With Carbon Black, Barsi served as senior vice president of Business and Corporate Development, where he supervised business development and strategic partnerships. He also successfully supported Carbon Black’s efforts through IPO and led the partnership with VMware that contributed to Carbon Black’s acquisition. 

Before his role with Carbon Black, Barsi served as vice president of Proofpoint, where he drove strategic alliances and global channels, forging partnerships with a number of strategic partners that included Microsoft and IBM.

He was also vice president of Business Development with Verisign. In the role, he led business development for VeriSign's $400 million security and authentication business unit, which was sold to Symantec for $1.2 billion in August 2010.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Expanse and help build a world-class ecosystem around the Expanse platform,” said Barsi. “Expanse’s ability to identify unknown assets gives ecosystem partners the ability to monetize asset management and help enterprises understand and defend their ever-changing attack surface.”

//
Leidos Reports Third Quarter FY2020 Results; Roger Krone Quoted
Published on
Leidos Reports Third Quarter FY2020 Results; Roger Krone Quoted

Leidos Holdings has published financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, reporting revenues of $3.24 billion, compared to $2.84 billion in the prior year quarter, the company announced on Monday. 

The company’s revenues for the quarter included $302 million and $74 million related to the acquisitions of Dynetics, Inc. and L3Harris Technologies' security detection and automation (SD&A) businesses, respectively.

"Leidos' third quarter results reflect the hard work and dedication of our employees and close collaboration with our customers as we provided continuity of operations while accelerating our pandemic response plan. This is evidenced by record revenue, solid margins, record backlog and record operational cash generation in the recent quarter,” said Roger Krone, Leidos chairman, CEO, and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. 

Leidos’ operating income for the quarter was $258 million, compared to $249 million in the prior year quarter, increasing 3.6 percent. Operating income margin decreased to 8.0 percent from 8.8 percent in the prior year quarter. 

The company’s non-GAAP operating income margin for the quarter was ten percent, compared to 10.4 percent in the prior year quarter. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was $1.13, compared to $1.11 in the prior year quarter.

Non-GAAP diluted EPS for the quarter was $1.47, compared to $1.36 in the prior year quarter. The weighted average diluted share count for the quarter was 144 million compared to 145 million in the prior year quarter.

Leidos’ Defense Solutions Business revenues for the quarter increased by $357 million, 22.4 percent, compared to the prior year quarter. The company’s Civil Unit revenues for the quarter were $771 million, increasing 5.2 percent compared to the prior year quarter. 

Health revenues for the quarter of $520 million increased by $12 million, compared to the prior year quarter. Net cash provided by operating activities for the quarter was $592 million compared to $349 million in the prior year quarter. Net bookings totaled $4.3 billion in the quarter, representing a book-to-bill ratio of 1.3.

“While challenges still remain, we are pleased with the growth and margin trajectory as we enter the fourth quarter and beyond," Krone concluded. 

//
Vectrus to Support US Army Environmental Sustainability; Chuck Prow Quoted
Published on
Vectrus to Support US Army Environmental Sustainability; Chuck Prow Quoted

Vectrus has begun testing procured biodegradable materials with food waste from base dining facilities in a live composting demonstration at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in support of the U.S. Army’s environmental sustainability goals, the company reported on Monday. 

"We are excited to help lead this compost testing phase at Camp Arifjan that represents significant progress in meeting the Army's environmental sustainability goals in Kuwait, while supporting the local economy and improving base resiliency," said Chuck Prow, president and CEO of Vectrus and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient.

Vectrus has led the U.S. Army testing team of U.S. Army Central environmental contractors. The project will research new biodegradable materials and identify processes best suited for building base resiliency. The outcome of the tests will reduce waste sent to landfills and establish a legacy of environmental sustainability efforts on U.S. Army installations in Kuwait.

During testing, biodegradable bags filled with shreddings of the polylactic acid (PLA), including corn starch materials dining utensils, vegetable discards, eggshells, coffee grounds and base shrubbery, were emptied into a compost bin to determine how long it takes PLA materials to decompose in the specific environment. 

Vectrus’ testing is part of the U.S. Army’s effort to adopt environmental initiatives that help achieve base resiliency and enhance environmental stability. The process identified and demonstrated by Vectrus has decreased the time required for items in plastic bags and utensils to fully decompose from 80 years to three months or less.

All the compost materials used in the test were procured from Kuwaiti vendors to support the local economy

About Vectrus

Vectrus is a leading provider of global service solutions with a history in the services market that dates back more than 70 years. The company provides facility and base operations; supply chain and logistics services; information technology mission support; and engineering and digital technology services primarily to U.S. government customers around the world. 

Vectrus is differentiated by operational excellence, superior program performance, a history of long-term customer relationships and a strong commitment to its clients' mission success. Vectrus is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., and includes about 7,100 employees spanning 148 locations in 26 countries and territories. In 2019, Vectrus generated sales of $1.4 billion.

//
University of Illinois-Led CIRI to Develop Cybersecurity Network Plan for DHS; Bryan Ware Quoted
Published on
University of Illinois-Led CIRI to Develop Cybersecurity Network Plan for DHS; Bryan Ware Quoted

The Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI), a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign-led Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence, has received $2 million in funds from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate to devise a plan to help the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) build a national network of cybersecurity technical institutes.

CIRI will collaborate with the University of Tulsa, Purdue University and Auburn University to study and develop a strategy that employs an academic hub-and-spoke model to educate and train cybersecurity professionals, DHS said Friday.

"CISA sees the growing cybersecurity workforce shortage in the United States as a national security risk," said Bryan Ware, assistant director of cybersecurity at CISA. The award is in line with the agency's efforts aimed at reducing the cybersecurity workforce gap, he added. 

According to a report published by DHS and the Department of Commerce, 299 thousand active openings for cybersecurity jobs were recorded in 2017. The report also forecasts a cybersecurity workforce shortage of 1.8 million jobs in 2022.

“This is exactly the type of national need that the DHS Centers of Excellence network was established to help our nation address,” said Gia Harrigan, DHS S&T federal program manager for CIRI. “Building capacity to address critical workforce and education gaps across academia and the broader Homeland Security Enterprise is one of the things they do best.”

//
Ellen Lord: Acquisition Policy Rewrite Could Help DoD Address Sustainment Concerns With Hypersonics
Published on
Ellen Lord: Acquisition Policy Rewrite Could Help DoD Address Sustainment Concerns With Hypersonics

The Department of Defense updated its acquisition policy to help speed up the delivery of hypersonic weapons to warfighters and Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, discussed how the 5000 series rewrite could help address sustainment concerns for such weapons systems, DoD News reported Friday.

"Our biggest sustainment concerns with hypersonics are ensuring that subcomponents have a resilient supply chain with secure microelectronic components and that the services, the military services, have a strategy for spares and repairables that provide sufficient annual quantities to ensure predictability for suppliers and readiness for the warfighter," Lord said Friday at the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement's Hypersonic Weapons Summit.

"The 5000 rewrite, specifically the product support and sustainment functional policy, places more emphasis on designing and contracting for sustainment,” she added.

Lord also discussed the acquisition pathways in the Adaptive Acquisition Framework under the updated 5000 series and how AAF offers a way for program managers to quickly deploy hypersonic weapons systems and other capabilities with affordability in mind.

"It's paramount that we drive affordability into hypersonic weapons manufacturing to ensure that we can procure sufficient quantities," Lord said. "Previous efforts reduce technical risk by designing and producing developmental flight test demonstration vehicles. Now, we will prioritize manufacturability and producibility with hypersonic prototype development programs."

GovConWire will host its GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum on Nov. 12 to discuss the lastest initiatives and goals for the federal acquisition process. 

During GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum, notable federal and industry leaders will discuss the Defense Budget Reform, annual financial audit schedule adherence, Defense Acquisition System and implementation of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF).

Lt. Gen. David Bassett, director of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA), will be featured as the keynote speaker to address the technology procurement programs offered at DCMA, as well as how the marketplace will change moving forward.

To register for GovConWire’s FY21 Acquisition Forum, as well as see upcoming opportunities, visit GovConWire's Event Page.  

1 … 1,269 1,270 1,271 1,272 1,273 … 2,619