The Defense Innovation Unit has issued an area of interest, or AOI, solicitation for Phase 2 of the Department of Defense’s Finance First initiative seeking industry-made capabilities for resilient energy installations. The solicitation seeks proposals for installations that can be completed within two to three years and can deliver an acceptable per kilowatt hour cost with small or no upfront investment, DIU said.

The agency noted that AOI proponents have to provide alternative financing structures and operational strategies for cost-effective energy generation. The potential approaches to meet such goals include requesting access to DOD land and tax credit and awards grant applications.

Technical Capability Requirements

The proponents’ basic qualifications outlined in the solicitation include the technical capability to accomplish build-own-operate-and-transfer projects or similar delivery schemes. Pitches on the DIU solicitation should also include a letter of credit indicating a proponent’s capacity to undertake a project valued at over $50 million. The AOI solicitation’s response deadline is on Dec. 20.

The selected solution providers are eligible for other transaction contracts for follow-on production without further competition. The vendors may also be awarded contracts for solutions across the federal government.

The DIU initiated Finance First in March 2023, with an AOI solicitation for the Department of the Air Force energy installations as the focus.

The U.S. Air Force Armament Directorate has completed a test to evaluate the capability of the new tactical air-to-surface weapon to separate from an aircraft.

Eglin Air Force Base said Monday the Stand-in Attack Weapon, or SIAW, was launched from a 40th Flight Test Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon during a test held on Nov. 7 over the Gulf of Mexico. This was the first time the new air-to-surface missile was released from an aircraft.

Stand-in Attack Weapon Drop Test

The SIAW air-to-surface missile is designed to neutralize rapidly moving targets such as cruise and anti-ship missile launchers and jamming platforms. To test it, a jettison test vehicle was used. JTVs are tools used to assess the separation process of a weapon. This test missile does not have a rocket motor or internal electronics.

The SIAW drop test was a collaborative effort among different units of the 96th Test Wing. Test conductors were responsible for the planning and control of the test from the Eglin Central Control Facility. Engineers monitored the separation process while pilots and photographers captured aerial footage. The engineers will also conduct post-flight analysis.

Maj. James Tipton, assistant director of operations of the 780th Test Squadron, remarked, “Successful execution of this test was a testament to the outstanding teamwork from everyone involved.”

David Cattler, director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, said DCSA is advancing the adoption of Scaled Agile Framework, or SAFe, methodologies for software development to help ensure quality and timely delivery of platforms, DCSA reported Monday 

“While this method applies most directly to software development, we’re also embracing it across the agency as a whole,” Cattler said during DCSA’s second annual Acquisition Workforce Symposium held in November. 

“The traditional, hierarchical, waterfall methods we’ve used in the past no longer meet the demand for swift value delivery and adaptation to change,” he added.

He noted that the agency’s personnel security, industrial security and training functions could benefit from an Agile approach and stressed the organization’s commitment to developing an Agile mindset at every level.

According to Cattler, 264 agency employees had undergone agile training and 178 had passed the certification exam as of November.

A government report has recommended the establishment of a framework to manage and guide the equal sharing of the lower 37 GHz band for both commercial and defense use. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Defense said Tuesday in a joint press release that the recommendation was a result of its study conducted to comply with the requirements under the National Spectrum Strategy. 

Significance of the 37 GHz Band

The spectrum has for years been a cause of contention across industry and government. The 37.0 to 37.6 GHz presents an opportunity for commercial companies to enable the delivery of high-speed, low-latency 5G services for data-intensive applications. However, the DOD also wants to use the frequency to meet mission requirements. 

There are additional concerns over maintaining the security of the government and military sites using the spectrum. NASA’s receiving Earth station is in the 37 to 38.6 GHz band. The NTIA also revealed that are 15 military and two National Science Foundation sites in the 37 GHz band. 

Spectrum Sharing Possible

The study, conducted over 10 months, provides a two-phase path toward coordination in the spectrum. 

The first phase will determine whether there is an overlap between a proposed and existing site. If there is no overlap, operations may proceed. 

The second phase addresses overlap and would require operators to negotiate and coordinate operations. In case of dispute, the NTIA and the Federal Communications Commission will step in to resolve the issue. 

In addition, the agencies want to set up protections for operations in the 36 to 37 GHz band. 

The study includes public comments collected from a request for information the FCC issued in August.