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BlackBerry Limited UEM Software Achieves DoDIN Approval; John Chen Quoted
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BlackBerry Limited UEM Software Achieves DoDIN Approval; John Chen Quoted

BlackBerry Limited’s Unified Endpoint Manager (UEM) software has achieved Department of Defense Information Network (DoDIN) approval as a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution, the company reported on Tuesday. 

"BlackBerry is extremely proud to be a partner of the United States Federal Government for over twenty years," said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO, BlackBerry.  "DISA is responsible for delivering world-class secure communications and collaboration tools across the DoD and BlackBerry is honored to receive approval to be on the DoDIN APL."

BlackBerry UEM is the only MDM solution on the DoDIN Approved Product List (APL). The DoDIN APL is a single consolidated list of communication and collaboration products that have completed Cybersecurity and Interoperability certification across the DoDIN.  

The approval was released by the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) chief information assurance executive (CIAE). The approval adds to BlackBerry’s capabilities to provide work to the federal government. BlackBerry also recently announced that its BlackBerry Government Mobility Suite has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization.

The company’s Government Mobility Suite is a cloud-based endpoint management solution developed specifically for U.S. government agencies. The solution will protect both stored and in transit sensitive data and will allow secure browsing and access to applications behind government agency firewalls.

BlackBerry Government Mobility Suite will eliminate the need for federal agencies to own, operate and constantly recapitalize on on-premises equipment. The BlackBerry Government Solutions U.S.-based and U.S. citizen-staffed Security Operations and Compliance teams will manage the FedRAMP continuous monitoring and remediation program. 

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including 175M cars on the road today.  Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint security management, encryption, and embedded systems.  BlackBerry's vision is clear – to secure a connected future you can trust.

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Airgility Develops Aerial Unmanned System to Support Defense Missions
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Airgility Develops Aerial Unmanned System to Support Defense Missions

Airgility has developed aerial unmanned systems that can fly anywhere, including areas where there is limited or no GPS access and in confined areas to support the national security and defense missions, the company reported last month.

“When you look at not just 10 years out, or 20 years out, we’re looking to design a future system from the ground up that’ll be fully AI enabled, perhaps, in some farther end of the spectrum in terms of autonomy. We’ll have legacy systems and hybrid systems on the way,” said Col. David Barnes, chief AI ethics officer for the Army AI Task Force, in regards to the future of autonomous vehicles.

The company’s advanced capabilities will enable Airgility to conduct the critical missions which include search and rescue, secure borders and deliver medical supplies to remote areas, among others. Airgility’s drones have leveraged artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to perceive surroundings, which has enabled the vehicle to map areas, track objects and provide analytical feedback in real-time.

Airgility has developed AI-powered aerial robots for public safety, security and defense, and the commercial sector that are capable of both outdoor and indoor autonomous, self-directed flight. The systems have been powered Airgility’s proprietary operating system, aerial robots can operate independently in complex environments.

The company has also begun development of drone platforms that do not rely on human control or GPS information. Airgility’s unique technology is built upon the fusion of multiple redundant sensors, mapping for obstacle avoidance, and autonomous flight.

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Emily Murphy: ASTRO Contract Vehicle to Use Section 876 Authority
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Emily Murphy: ASTRO Contract Vehicle to Use Section 876 Authority

Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration (GSA) and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, said the ASTRO master contract for unmanned, manned and robotic systems will be the first contract vehicle to use a provision in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that will require price as an evaluation criterion only at the task order level, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“While ASTRO will be the first contract vehicle to use the Section 876 authority, GSA anticipates that more will follow,” Murphy told the network in an email. GSA issued a solicitation for the ASTRO contract in late August.

She said ASTRO will be an assisted procurement effort on behalf of the Pentagon without the direct order components usually found on multiagency contracts and governmentwide acquisition contracts.

“This means GSA can closely monitor competition at the task order level and ensure in particular we see that competition in pricing,” Murphy said. “Second, ASTRO will serve as an opportunity to refine best practices for use of the Section 876 authority while the advance notice of proposed rulemaking (published on August 19, 2020)  to use Section 876 authority in the Federal Supply Schedule program proceeds.”

She also mentioned the potential benefits of the new approach to ASTRO to customer agencies and small businesses.

Emily Murphy: ASTRO Contract Vehicle to Use Section 876 Authority

GovConWire Events will host its “Navigating the Federal Marketplace, Upcoming Opportunities, and Winning Contracts” Virtual Event on October 20th. Click here to register for the event.

Featuring Brian Barnes, associate administrator for the Office of Small Business Utilization with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), as the keynote speaker, the event will educate and inform small to midsize GovCon professionals on the current Federal Marketplace and FY21 opportunities.

The event will also include an expert panel hosting federal and industry executives that will discuss how to navigate the GSA schedule and what industry can do to help. Join GovConWire’s virtual event to learn all about the latest topics within the federal marketplace. Click here to register for the virtual event.

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New IRS Office Starts With IT Pilot Projects to Simplify Business Processes; Mitchell Winans Quoted
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New IRS Office Starts With IT Pilot Projects to Simplify Business Processes; Mitchell Winans Quoted

The Internal Revenue Service’s newly established enterprise digitalization and case management office (EDCMO) is designing information technology pilot projects to improve taxpayers’ experiences by going paperless and streamlining business processes, FedScoop reported Monday.

“We’re going to be maintaining a test and learn approach, particularly early on,” Mitchell Winans, senior adviser within EDCMO, said during a recent ACT-IAC event. “I think we’re probably going to identify some specific use cases and try to take some targeted approaches on that just to see what we can learn about improving that experience for that particular customer or for that particular IRS employee.”

Winans said the new IRS office seeks to train personnel how to use machine-readable data and reduce paper volume at the agency. He also noted about the need to advance change management.

“There still is room for improvement when it comes to exploring, adopting and integrating different tools or technologies into our day-to-day activities,” Winans added.

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OMB Releases Interim Rule to Address IT Supply Chain Security Risks
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OMB Releases Interim Rule to Address IT Supply Chain Security Risks

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued an interim final rule detailing how the Federal Acquisition Security Council (FASC) will evaluate threat information and recommend issuance of orders to remove or exclude certain products from future procurements or information systems as part of efforts to protect the information and communications technology and services supply chain.

The interim rule directs the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to serve as FASC’s information sharing agency, which will help facilitate the operations of a task force for supply chain risk management (SCRM) and standardize procedures for disseminating supply chain data.

OMB said the SCRM task force will be composed of technical experts who will help the council carry out risk assessment, risk analysis and data sharing functions.

According to the document, FASC is an interagency council led by a senior-level OMB official and includes representatives from the departments of Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS), Commerce (DOC), Justice (DOJ), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the General Services Administration (GSA).

The interim final rule is slated for publication in the Federal Register Tuesday and will be open for public comments in the next 60 days.

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Navy Holds Christening for USS Savannah
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Navy Holds Christening for USS Savannah

The U.S. Navy has christened the future USS Savannah built by Austal USA at the company's facility in Mobile, Ala.

Dianne Isakson, wife of former Sen. John Isakson performed the christening as the vessel's sponsor, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Designated as LCS 28, USS Savannah is the Navy's 14th Independence-class vessel and the sixth ship to bear the name. The ship is built to carry out anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasure and surface warfare operations.

“Today we christened the sixth USS Savannah following an outstanding record of service named for a great American city," said Kenneth Braithwaite, Navy secretary.

Austal USA delivered the Independence-class USS Oakland ship to the service branch in June.

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Synthetik Receives DHS Funding to Develop Machine Learning Data for Airport Screening Tech
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Synthetik Receives DHS Funding to Develop Machine Learning Data for Airport Screening Tech

Synthetik Applied Technologies has secured $1M in funds from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the second phase of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to build machine learning data that could simulate baggage and human travelers.

The company will help update object detection algorithms to mitigate false alarms and augment screening processes through the development of synthetic training data, the department said Friday.

DHS noted synthetic data generation allows the rapid creation of complete, annotated datasets without the need to initiate human protocols and manage delicate materials.

Synthetik will build and demonstrate a prototype to secure Phase III funding from non-government sources and achieve commercialization for the technology as part of the Phase II award.

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JAIC Issues RFI on Alternative AI Procurement Methods
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JAIC Issues RFI on Alternative AI Procurement Methods

The U.S. Army and Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) are looking for information on potential acquisition business models that can be used to support rapid artificial intelligence prototyping efforts.

JAIC said in a notice posted Friday on the beta SAM website that it seeks to leverage new methods such as other transaction authorities to promote “collaboration and optimal teaming arrangements” with traditional and nontraditional contractors.

According to the request for information, JAIC intends to prototype an AI acquisition model to address procurement challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The JAIC model will also be utilized by the military branches and the Department of Defense (DoD) to partner with nontraditional firms, small businesses and academic entities for AI programs.

The model must additionally maximize automated procedures such as online portals and utilize the JAIC Joint Common Foundation (JCF) platform for AI development. JAIC noted that it plans to assess the feasibility of contracts that are not based on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as well as mixing FAR- and non-FAR contracts.

Responses to the RFI are due on Sept. 16.

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Perryn Ashmore Temporarily Fills Jose Arrieta’s Role as HHS CIO
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Perryn Ashmore Temporarily Fills Jose Arrieta’s Role as HHS CIO

Perryn Ashmore, Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) principal deputy chief information officer, will temporarily succeed Jose Arrieta as the department's acting CIO. The appointment became effective on Friday, following Arrieta's stepping down as CIO, the department said Friday.

Arrieta's resignation concluded over 15 years of service at HHS. Ashmore formerly served as chief technology officer of the General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service.

“We are immensely grateful for the work that Jose Arrieta did during his time at HHS, leaving a legacy of transformative advances in our department’s data work, better business practices that will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and stronger protections for our department’s networks from cyber attacks," said Eric Hargan, deputy secretary at HHS.

Army’s Paul Puckett on FY 2020 Cloud Modernization Updates
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Army’s Paul Puckett on FY 2020 Cloud Modernization Updates

Paul Puckett, director of the U.S. Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Office (ECMO), said the service branch is working to implement a common cloud security service in line with the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) standards.

Puckett told FCW in an interview published Friday that ECMO and the Army Analytics Group are working on establishing a “dynamic, resilient architecture” called cArmy that is centrally resourced and optimized for Army applications.

He noted that ECMO also stood up a Coding Repository and Transformation Environment (CReATE) team that handles cloud architecture replatforming and DevSecOps activities as well as other modernization initiatives to support the cArmy infrastructure.

CReATE will work to deploy an “ecosystem of software development tools” designed for the cArmy cloud environment, he added.

Speaking on other Army modernization activities for fiscal year 2020, Puckett said his office is in the middle of migrating and modernizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, accelerating the deployment of new tools to warfighters and implementing a common security baseline for classified information in a hybrid cloud environment.

Other initiatives that Puckett cited include reorganization activities for the Army’s chief information officer (CIO) units and efforts to implement a 100 percent telework environment for certain teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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