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FCC, USAID Sign Agreement on Int’l 5G Deployment; Ajit Pai Quoted
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FCC, USAID Sign Agreement on Int’l 5G Deployment; Ajit Pai Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed an agreement to drive U.S. efforts to deploy 5G connectivity to developing countries.

The memorandum of understanding dated Oct. 14 states that FCC and USAID will work to “promote open, interoperable, reliable, and secure” 5G infrastructure in developing nations in line with the FCC’s 5G FAST Plan.

FCC noted that it also seeks to update its regulations on 5G connectivity to ensure competitiveness in U.S. communications services.

The agency noted that it is also prohibiting the allocation of Universal Service Funds (USF) to procure telecommunications services and associated equipment from “any company that poses a national security threat to the integrity of U.S. communications networks”.

“As Chairman, I’ve met with my counterparts from other countries and industry stakeholders and I know that our international partners look to us for 5G leadership in terms of technology, best practices, public policy, and establishing international standards,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

“This agreement will help ensure we can continue to meet those expectations, especially in developing countries.”

FCC, USAID Sign Agreement on Int'l 5G Deployment; Ajit Pai 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 the 5G Summit on October 27th.

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Boeing Expands Renewable Energy Initiative; Chris Raymond, Beth Schryer Quoted
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Boeing Expands Renewable Energy Initiative; Chris Raymond, Beth Schryer Quoted

Boeing has entered into a multi-state agreement to purchase carbon-neutral power for its Chicago headquarters and sites in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the company reported on Thursday. The purchase will expand Boeing’s  initiative to power worksites and manufacturing facilities using 100 percent renewable electricity.

“This announcement is another major step in Boeing’s drive to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations by procuring more carbon-neutral electricity in the United States,” said Boeing’s chief sustainability officer Chris Raymond. “These actions reflect Boeing’s commitment to innovate and operate to make the word better.”

Boeing appointed Raymond as chief sustainability officer to enhance environmental stewardship efforts, social progress and values-driven governance. Boeing has also expanded its procurement of renewable energy. 

The company’s recent agreement will help Boeing achieve its 2025 environmental goals, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent. Under the contract, Boeing will reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by about 50 thousand metric tons per year.

The carbon-neutral electricity will be distributed to several Boeing sites, joining others across Boeing that currently use carbon-neutral electricity, including locations in Washington state, Oregon, South Carolina and Arizona, as well as several sites in Texas. 

Boeing headquarters has already achieved the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, the system used by the U.S. Green Building Council to measure a building’s sustainability and resource-efficiency.

“As we celebrate U.S. Energy Awareness Month, we are thrilled to demonstrate that reliable, renewable energy to power our factories and worksites is a sustainable solution for the environment,” said Beth Schryer, vice president of Boeing Facilities & Asset Management.

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Lockheed Martin Names Subcontractors for OpFires Program; Steven Botwinik Quoted
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Lockheed Martin Names Subcontractors for OpFires Program; Steven Botwinik Quoted

Lockheed Martin, prime contractor on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Operational Fires (OpFires) program, has announced the company’s subcontractors on the program to advance hypersonic technologies, Lockheed Martin reported on Thursday. 

“OpFires and its unique throttleable booster make it a versatile platform to launch a variety of payloads over varied ranges and for this reason, OpFires is well-suited to address the Army’s Medium Range Strategic Fires needs,” said Steven Botwinik, director of Tactical and Strike Missiles Advanced Programs. 

Lockheed Martin has named three subcontractors to assist on the Weapon System Integration program: Northrop Grumman, Dynetics and Electronic Concepts & Engineering, Inc (ECE).

Northrop Grumman will develop the stage one solid rocket motor; Dynetics will deliver the cannister, all up round and fins, and support integration and test; and ECE will provide the booster power pyro module.

Lockheed Martin will develop an innovative ground-launched system to enable a hypersonic boost glide missile system to defeat modern enemy air defenses and rapidly engage time-sensitive targets.

Lockheed Martin currently leads Phase 3 of the OpFires initiative, which includes finalizing system architectures and vehicle integration as well as design, development and maturation of first-stage booster and launcher components.

The OpFires program may also cover full-scale static fire tests and subsystem assessments ahead of integrated flight tests, according to the agency. Lockheed secured the $31.9 million contract for the Phase 3 OpFires effort in Jan. 2020. 

Lockheed Martin has made significant investments in key technology and capability development, including hypersonic strike capabilities and defense systems against emerging hypersonic threats. The company has also supported the military across multiple hypersonic programs.

The company expects to complete its first live fire in 2021.

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BAE Systems Wins US Army Contract to Provide IT Services to ARCYBER; Peder Jungck Quoted
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BAE Systems Wins US Army Contract to Provide IT Services to ARCYBER; Peder Jungck Quoted

The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a one-year, $11.7 million contract to provide information technology (IT) services to the Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) to assist with the operation, maintenance, and technical aspects of the ARCYBER enterprise IT environment, the company reported on Thursday.

“We’re pleased to continue supporting ARCYBER’s G-6,” said Peder Jungck, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Intelligence Solutions business. “Our trusted, cleared IT and cyber experts are dedicated to meeting the needs of our customers and ultimately assisting warfighters with the defense of cyberspace and information operations missions.”

Under the contract, BAE Systems will provide system integration and management, including network and systems administration, as well as cyber and IT engineering support at ARCYBER Headquarters in Fort Gordon, Georgia.

BAE Systems will leverage its Federated Secure Cloud approach and processes to implement and maintain ARCYBER’s Multiple Independent Levels of Security (MILS) virtual desktop infrastructure.

The company will operate and maintain the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Management/Enterprise Information Technology Service Management environment for ARCYBER.

The contract award will expand BAE Systems’ history of IT support within the federal government. In Feb. 2020, the company secured a contract from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to update information technology infrastructure and maintain enterprise systems.

BAE Systems has supported the agency’s Office of the Chief Information Officer over the past two decades and will expand the scope of support through the FEMA Operations and Maintenance contract, which includes network, help desk and telecommunications services.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems is a leading systems integrator supporting militaries, governments, and U.S. intelligence community members across the globe. The company’s advanced technologies and services protect people and national security, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure across air, land, sea, space, and cyber domains.

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Oki Mek: AI, Machine Learning Could Help Speed Up ATO Processes
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Oki Mek: AI, Machine Learning Could Help Speed Up ATO Processes

Hackers are targeting federal information technology systems as employees transition to telework due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Oki Mek, a top IT adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said that highlights the need to accelerate the authority to operate processes, FCW reported Wednesday.

Mek, senior adviser to the HHS chief information officer and ReImagine project, said using artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate ATO processes could help speed up reviews of security controls on an IT system and generate an assessment within days or hours.

"When you assess a system for an ATO, there are about 500 – 600 security controls. You could run machine learning against each requirement," he said Wednesday during a webinar sponsored by the Institute of Critical Infrastructure Technology.

Oki Mek: AI, Machine Learning Could Help Speed Up ATO Processes

On October 22nd, ArchIntel Events will host the ArchIntel – AI in Competitive Intelligence Forum as its first virtual event featuring August Jackson, senior director of Marketing and Competitive Intelligence for Deltek, as the keynote speaker.

Register here to attend ArchIntel’s first virtual event: AI in Competitive Intelligence Forum.

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Stuart McGuigan: State Dept Expedites App Delivery in Support of Teleworkers
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Stuart McGuigan: State Dept Expedites App Delivery in Support of Teleworkers

Stuart McGuigan, chief information officer of the State Department, said the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the department to accelerate the deployment of collaboration and productivity tools to remote employees in order for them to perform critical work, FedScoop reported Wednesday.

“We had this existential demand that the longer we took to provide access to these applications, the longer people were unable to work at all,” he said Wednesday during the AFCEA Bethesda 2020 Tech Summit. McGuigan said he wants the culture change as a result of the pandemic to continue within the department.

“The ability to dynamically form a team, share information, share analytics, make a decision, and then execute is something we want to continue,” he said.

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Adm. Michael Gilday Eyes Navy Network for Crewed, Unmanned Ships Via ‘Project Overmatch’
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Adm. Michael Gilday Eyes Navy Network for Crewed, Unmanned Ships Via ‘Project Overmatch’

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday asked Rear Adm. Douglas Small, head of Naval Information Warfare (NAVWAR) Systems Command, to lead an effort called Project Overmatch to develop a network that will link manned ships, submarines and aircraft to unmanned vessels to facilitate targeting information and intelligence sharing, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

“Your goal is to enable a Navy that swarms the sea, delivering synchronized lethal and non-lethal effects from near-and-far, every axis, and every domain,” Gilday told Small in the Oct. 1 memo obtained by the publication.

“Specifically, you are to develop the networks, infrastructure, data architecture, tools, and analytics that support the operational and developmental environment that will enable our sustained maritime dominance,” the memo reads. 

Gilday expects Small to come up with a plan by December 2020. During a virtual discussion, Gilday noted that he expects the Navy’s version of a tactical network to connect to the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) system of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force.

The memo comes as the Navy prepares to release a shipbuilding plan, which could include over 200 unmanned ships equipped with sensors and weapons systems.

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DOE to Invest $65M in Power Grid Modernization Project; Dan Brouillette Quoted
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DOE to Invest $65M in Power Grid Modernization Project; Dan Brouillette Quoted

The Department of Energy (DOE) has earmarked $65 million in funds to extend its network of grid-interactive and efficient building communities in the U.S.

Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy at DOE, said in a statement published Tuesday the department aims to help the U.S. implement green power sources, enhance environmental performance and modernize its power grid via the Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings program.

"As our Nation’s energy system continues to undergo dramatic transformations, there is a growing need for solutions that integrate and optimize all of our energy resources on the grid to provide Americans with the most reliable and affordable electricity possible," said DOE secretary Dan Brouillette.

The department noted the effort may increase the number of testbeds supported by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy such as Reynolds Landing in Alabama.

According to a report by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Reynolds Landing utilizes 34 percent of power during winter and 44 percent of energy than other all-electric communities.

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DHS Taps SecureKey to Create Alternative Social Security Number Identifier
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DHS Taps SecureKey to Create Alternative Social Security Number Identifier

The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate has selected SecureKey Technologies to develop a blockchain-based technology for the social security number system under a $193,000 award.

Under the Silicon Valley Innovation Program, SecureKey will create and implement an alternative SSN identifier that does not expose personally identifiable information, DHS said Friday.

The alternative identifier would feature boosted security and be shareable with legitimate authorities and organizations. The identifier would not be reusable for tracking.

“SecureKey will implement a system based on World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards, such as Decentralized Identifiers, that will allow for the issuance of a globally unique, meaningless but resolvable and verifiable identifier that will not reveal personally identifiable information and cannot be used for tracking purposes," said Anil John, technical director of SVIP.

DHS issued the award under SVIP's Preventing Forgery and Counterfeiting of Certificates and Licenses solicitation.

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NASA Forms Principle-Based Agreement With Foreign Artemis Partners; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
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NASA Forms Principle-Based Agreement With Foreign Artemis Partners; Jim Bridenstine Quoted

NASA has signed a new agreement with multiple foreign countries for collaborative efforts under the Artemis program, an effort to revive manned space exploration. 

The Artemis Accords agreement sets guidance on the collaborative pursuit of the program's goals, the space agency said Tuesday. Artemis Accords' principles include transparency, interoperability, peaceful exploration, release of scientific data and preserving heritage.

NASA's international partners will help the space agency sustain human presence on the lunar surface as preparations are made for future Mars explorations.

“With today’s signing, we are uniting with our partners to explore the Moon and are establishing vital principles that will create a safe, peaceful and prosperous future in space for all of humanity to enjoy," said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient. 

Artemis aims to bring humans back to the moon in 2024. The initial Artemis mission will take place next year to test-fly the program's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft with no crew.

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