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Gen. John Raymond: Space Force Nearing Completion of Planning for Systems-Focused Command
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Gen. John Raymond: Space Force Nearing Completion of Planning for Systems-Focused Command

Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, said the U.S. Space Force is in the final stages of planning a technology research-focused field command, Space News reported Thursday.

The service branch's future Space Systems Command would lead and manage efforts to design, develop and procure satellites and other space technologies. Raymond said Thursday at a virtual event that USSF expects to establish the command in spring next year. A three-star general would lead the future command.

The Air Force Association, the National Defense Industrial Association and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association co-organized the event where Raymond spoke. Space Systems Command would follow the recently launched Space Operations Command as part of USSF's planned field command trio. 

Raymond previously announced plans to establish a digital service within USSF to bolster the force's security and economic stability.

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Bipartisan Bill Aims to Support National Guard’s State Cybersecurity Contributions; Maggie Hassan Quoted
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Bipartisan Bill Aims to Support National Guard’s State Cybersecurity Contributions; Maggie Hassan Quoted

Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have introduced a bill to help the U.S. National Guard support cybersecurity modernization across state and local governments. 

The bill would allow state governors to request the National Guard for help to keep critical infrastructure systems secure, Hassan's office said Wednesday. These potential efforts would include cybersecurity services and training duties to be performed by the National Guard.

"Cyberattacks can jeopardize our national security, shut down electrical grids and threaten the operations of our hospitals and schools — we must ensure that the National Guard can help with these types of threats just like any other threat that states face," Hassan said.

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QTS Launches Mega Data Center to House Hyperscale Deployments; Chad Williams Quoted
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QTS Launches Mega Data Center to House Hyperscale Deployments; Chad Williams Quoted

QTS Realty Trust has opened a new 495 thousand gross square foot mega data center on its Atlanta Metro campus, the company reported on Friday. QTS Atlanta-Metro Data Center 2 (DC2) features 240 thousand square feet of data hall space and 72 megawatts of power capacity.

“We are opening our new mega data center on our Atlanta Metro campus to expand our growth opportunity with hyperscale, large enterprise and government organizations in the Southeast,” said Chad Williams, CEO, QTS. “Atlanta Metro DC2 represents QTS’ third mega data center in the greater Atlanta area, further solidifying our presence as Atlanta’s market leader.”

DC2 has been designed for large-scale enterprise colocation and hyperscale deployments, leveraging QTS’ innovative standardized Freedom Building design and specifications. The company utilized its de-risked approach for development and capital allocation.

The data center will enable QTS to deliver the lowest cost of power to its customers in the southeast data center market at less than 4 cents per kilowatt hour. QTS’ campus is expected to support more than 275 megawatts of power capacity.

QTS’ Atlanta-Metro data center has approximately 250 embedded customers. The campus will offer networking, including more than two thousand cross connects supported by diverse connectivity for cloud and hybrid colocation, direct fiber access to a multitude of carriers, access to multiple fiber routes and IP providers, multiple dark and lit fiber providers, redundant transport paths and access to cloud providers.

QTS previously signed anchor tenant leases with two existing strategic hyperscale customers, which amounted to more than 16 megawatts at the new Atlanta-Metro DC2 site. These customers chose to expand with QTS based on QTS’ operational maturity, speed to market and commitment to a premium customer experience.

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SAIC Publishes Report on COVID-19 Effect on Work Operations; Mark Forman Quoted
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SAIC Publishes Report on COVID-19 Effect on Work Operations; Mark Forman Quoted

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has published an independent survey, conducted by Market Connections, of C-level federal government executives. The survey gauged their opinions of how COVID-19 has shifted the workforce. 

“The pandemic introduced unprecedented challenges for federal agencies, especially those in agencies charged with public health and economic security,” said Mark Forman, vice president, digital government strategy, SAIC. 

The report found that the majority of respondents expect the integrated technology platforms, as a response to COVID-19, to become permanent ways of conducting business. Federal agencies have rapidly transitioned to virtual work environments. 

As a result, 84 percent of respondents reported they are more or equally as productive since shifting to remote work, with 82 percent stating that they expect remote work to continue into the future. The survey found that 41 percent of respondents expect to telework an average three days a week after the pandemic, and 41 percent expect to telework four or five days a week. 

The survey polled 300 federal government respondents on their perceptions surrounding the challenges and requirements faced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed a significant spike in federal telework. 56 percent of respondents reported they are somewhat more productive or a lot more productive as a result of increased telework.

“There is no question about the dedication of the federal workforce to perform their mission in the pandemic, but it would not have been possible without IT. And as the survey showed, people working in health-related agencies not only moved online, but worked on average more than five days a week. For that, we are very grateful,” Forman added. 

Respondents also identified a number of challenges associated with remote work; safely returning to the workplace; and guarding against fraud, waste, and abuse. 77 percent reported they found it extremely or somewhat challenging managing federal IT systems to maximize telework. 75 percent reported they found it extremely or somewhat challenging detecting fraud, waste and abuse during the pandemic.

“At the same time, the pandemic has changed government operations, with digital transformation now viewed as essential,” Forman concluded. “The work environment of the future will be built around secure online access to data, applications, and collaboration tools.”

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AECOM Completes $170M Healthcare Facility Project; Juan Alfonso Quoted
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AECOM Completes $170M Healthcare Facility Project; Juan Alfonso Quoted

AECOM has completed the $170 million project of Christine Lynn Rehabilitation Center for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at UHealth/Jackson Memorial, the company reported on Tuesday. 

“AECOM is proud to have partnered with Jackson Heath System to bring The Christine E. Lynn Rehabilitation Center to life for Miami-Dade County,” said Juan Alfonso, AECOM’s Florida program and project management lead. “This facility was made possible through the Miracle-Building Bond Program and will serve as one of the country’s elite facilities for patients recovering from traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, cancer treatment and other complex conditions.”

Under the project, AECOM provided program management and staff augmentation services to design and construct the modernized comprehensive rehabilitation center. The company provided a construction manager and design team. 

Additionally, AECOM delivered project management and planning, process improvement consulting, dashboard and e-Builder support, construction coordination, risk analysis and mitigation, cost estimating, and worked with local and state authorities through the approvals process. AECOM leveraged an integrated project delivery process with lean construction practices to deliver the facility.

The project was managed by AECOM the Jackson Health System’s $1.4-billion Miracle-Building Bond Program. The Miracle-Building Bond Program is working to advance the patient-centered Jackson Health System by modernizing the facilities to better attend to residents and patients. 

“This rehabilitation hospital combines world-class clinical care and the latest innovation and technology to improve lives. Every inch of this new facility was carefully planned and executed by a team that included Jackson’s facility, design and construction members, and our partners from AECOM. The results are extraordinary, as is the care provided within its walls,”  said Carlos A. Migoya, president and chief executive officer of Jackson Health System.

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Ntiva Acquires eGuard Technology Services to Grow Business Market; Steven Freidkin Quoted
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Ntiva Acquires eGuard Technology Services to Grow Business Market; Steven Freidkin Quoted

Ntiva has acquired eGuard Technology Services, adding a team of expert professionals that will deliver strategic value to businesses that integrate technology to drive growth, Ntiva reported on Friday. The acquisition will complement Ntiva’s expansion into the DC market.

“We are pleased to welcome the eGuard Tech team to the Ntiva family,” said Steven Freidkin, CEO of Ntiva. “eGuard Tech, founded in 2004, has a proven track record of providing outstanding services to their clients. As a company with a deeply rooted track record of building relationships and growing their employees, eGuard Tech is a perfect fit with the existing Ntiva culture.”

Ntiva’s acquisition of eGuard Technology Services will expand Ntiva’s footprint into Washington DC and the Baltimore area, and increase the client base to over 1400 organizations located across the U.S., including Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, New York, Southern Florida, and Southern California.

Ntiva is an IT services company that provides businesses across the U.S. with advanced technology expertise and support, including managed IT services, strategic consulting, cloud services, cyber-security and telecom solutions.

“eGuard Tech has long committed to differentiating our services by being the strategic technology and business consultant to our clients and delivering innovative technology solutions. Our partnership with Ntiva has offered us the opportunity to expand on these services while providing a deep bench in the crucial areas of security and cloud solutions,” said Khaled Farhang, CEO of eGuard Tech.

The acquisition follows the purchase of IN Communications Inc., a full-service telecom provider who specializes in business communications and collaboration solutions, in 2017. The combination of IN Communications with Ntiva’s broad IT expertise will continue to push Ntiva out front as the premier partner for businesses looking to use technology to foster growth and profitability.

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DoD Clarifies Issues on National 5G Network; Russ Goemaere Quoted
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DoD Clarifies Issues on National 5G Network; Russ Goemaere Quoted

Russ Goemaere, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense (DoD), said a request for information released in September 2020 that seeks to help DoD understand how dynamic spectrum sharing can back lethality, training and readiness, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

Goemaere told the publication in a statement that the department “does not intend to own and operate a national 5G network.” The clarification was made after the RFI has raised concerns among lawmakers that DoD plans to own and run a national 5G network.

“The Department believes that more spectrum sharing must be the norm and that technology is a way to achieve greater sharing,” said Goemaere. “As a result, DOD is looking for new approaches to spectrum policy, access, and use, and for innovative spectrum sharing technologies. This RFI seeks to expand DOD’s knowledge base, understand the state-of-the-art, and inform future DoD research, development and acquisition activities.”

DoD announced in early October 2020 that it made $600 million in awards to support 5G testing and experimentation projects with 15 companies at five U.S. military bases.

DoD Clarifies Issues on National 5G Network; Russ Goemaere Quoted

Join Potomac Officers Club for its 5G Summit on Oct. 27, 2020 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 October 27th.

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Katie Arrington: DoD Should Transform Workforce Culture Around DevSecOps
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Katie Arrington: DoD Should Transform Workforce Culture Around DevSecOps

Katie Arrington, chief information security officer at the office of assistant secretary of defense for acquisition and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the Department of Defense (DoD) should step up efforts to change the workforce culture around DevSecOps, Nextgov reported Thursday.

“You think about long-term sustainability, if we don't start to really emphasize DevSecOps as we go forward and build on the good work that has been done, we'll never see the actual return on investment in the life cycle that we need,” Arrington said Wednesday during a webinar hosted by AFCEA International’s SIGNAL Magazine Wednesday.

She noted that DoD should educate its personnel about DevSecOps and cited how the department’s Adaptive Acquisition Framework could help advance DevSecOps adoption.

Katie Arrington: DoD Should Transform Workforce Culture Around DevSecOps

Katherine Arrington will be featured as the keynote speaker for the Fall 2020 CMMC Forum on Nov. 17th. Visit Potomac Officers Club to register for the Fall 2020 CMMC Forum to hear the meaning of “process maturity” and the concept of “evidence” of maturity.

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Lt. Col. Matthew Jamison: U.S. Must Address Rising Drone Threat Risks
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Lt. Col. Matthew Jamison: U.S. Must Address Rising Drone Threat Risks

Lt. Col. Matthew Jamison, chief of the Joint Small Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office's policy and integration branch, said the security landscape is changing due to increasing drone use in the commercial sector. Jamison discussed this matter at the Counter-small UAS symposium that virtually gathered government and industry executives on Oct. 8th. 

“Our enemies are leveraging small unmanned aerial systems in order to achieve their objectives, so our efforts to align current and future counter-drone technology are absolutely critical," said Jamison.

The event fostered discussions on new developments, matters and future pursuits in the area of counter-drone technology. These discussions included those that tackled the development of an integrated base defense system and other technologies related to counter-UAS.

The Department of Defense (DoD) plans to issue a counter-UAS strategy in November 2020. The upcoming strategy would apply an enterprise-focused, open-architecture approach to counter-UAS practices.

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Space Force Launches First Field Command; Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Assumes Leadership
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Space Force Launches First Field Command; Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Assumes Leadership

The U.S. Space Force (USSF) has created and activated its first field command that will be led by Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, who received a nomination for the leadership post earlier this year. USSF said Wednesday that its Space Operations Command will function as one of the service branch's three field commands.

Gen. John Raymond, the chief of space operations and 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the new field command will accelerate modernization needed for space warfare readiness, in support of U.S. Space Command.

The new field command combines components of the U.S. Air Force's now-defunct 14th Air Force and USAF Space Command units. USSF commemorated Space Operations Command's activation at a ceremony held Wednesday at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

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