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Maria Roat: IT Changes During Pandemic Give Agencies Opportunity to Further Advance Modernization
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Maria Roat: IT Changes During Pandemic Give Agencies Opportunity to Further Advance Modernization

Maria Roat, deputy federal chief information officer at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said federal agencies’ move to cloud-based telework arrangement and adoption of new digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate continuity of operations highlighted the potential for modernization that agencies must continue in 2021, FedScoop reported Monday.

“The federal government has to continue to really thrive as it’s using advanced digital technology to make sure that we’re communicating with the public and that we’re interacting with service providers, that we’re leveraging all the technologies there,” Roat said at ACT-IAC’s virtual ELC conference.

“And as I look over the next year, these changes really give us opportunities to continue to innovate and challenge the norms and status quo. We did this this year — we cut through the bureaucracy,” she added.

Roat also cited the need for agency CIOs to double down on application rationalization and efforts when it comes to identifying legacy platforms that could be maintained and transitioned into modernized environments.

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White House Drops OPM-GSA Merger Plan
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White House Drops OPM-GSA Merger Plan

The White House has decided to drop its plan to merge the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Times reported Monday. An OPM official confirmed the move to the publication.

The move comes after the Trump administration faced opposition in Congress. Lawmakers questioned whether officials had performed enough work to prove that eliminating OPM and transitioning its responsibilities to GSA could help improve efficiency.

The National Academy of Public Administration entered into a contract with OPM in March 2020 to study the potential outcomes of the proposed merger of the office with GSA. NAPA is expected to hand over the report to Congress by March 2021.

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USTRANSCOM Eyes Study on Space-Based Global Logistics Ops; Gen. Stephen Lyons Quoted
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USTRANSCOM Eyes Study on Space-Based Global Logistics Ops; Gen. Stephen Lyons Quoted

U.S. Transportation Command plans to start evaluating the feasibility of integrating space-based transport into logistics operations next year ahead of a point-to-point proof of concept exercise with industry and Department of Defense partners.

USTRANSCOM is looking to address its doctrinal, statutory, diplomatic and organizational matters in its efforts to deploy commercial space launches for point-to-point logistics operations, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)  said Thursday.

Gen. Stephen Lyons, commander, USTRANSCOM, said at an Airlift/Tanker Association conference that a proof of concept in 2021 to use space technologies for global logistics and humanitarian assistance operations is “well within the realm of possibility.”

In March, SpaceX entered into a two-year cooperative research and development agreement with USTRANSCOM to asses commercial launch capabilities for the transport of DoD personnel and materiel.

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Air Force Looks to Release Strategy on Mobility Research Efforts
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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
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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.

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FAA Concludes UAS Integration Pilot Effort; Michael Kratsios Quoted
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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.

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Cyware Names New Executives to Board of Directors; Anuj Goel Quoted
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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.”

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Northrop Grumman Partners with US Army to Deploy JTAGS Capabilities; Kenn Todorov Quoted
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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.

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Expanse Names Tom Barsi VP of Business Development; Tim Junio Quoted
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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.”

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Leidos Reports Third Quarter FY2020 Results; Roger Krone Quoted
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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. 

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