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Mark Esper: DoD Eyes Commercial Sealift Vessels for FY 2022 Budget
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Mark Esper: DoD Eyes Commercial Sealift Vessels for FY 2022 Budget

Mark Esper, secretary of the Department of Defense (DoD) and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, has said that DoD plans to add commercial vessels for military sealift operations in its budget request for fiscal year 2022.

Esper said at a prior Heritage Foundation event that the DoD, including the U.S. Transportation Command, is looking into recapitalizing the country’s sealift fleet through commercial procurement.

The DoD also needs “sufficient munitions” to ensure conflict preparedness, according to Esper.

“When you look at those you got to make sure you understand the flow of forces, that strategic mobility you’re talking about. And when I think about strategic mobility I think about the airlift and sealift principally,” he noted.

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Westat Develops Interactive Skills Map to Analyze Adult Proficiency Levels; Tom Krenzke Quoted
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Westat Develops Interactive Skills Map to Analyze Adult Proficiency Levels; Tom Krenzke Quoted

Westat has recently developed the interactive U.S. PIAAC Skills Map to enable researchers to analyze state- and county-level estimates of adult literacy and numeracy proficiency. The company has created the Skills Map for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to provide researchers with data to better inform policymakers who plan and allocate resources and target educational interventions for specified populations, as well as to provide significant contributions to the areas of research and practice.

“The Skills Map answers the growing demand by policymakers for accurate data pertinent to their own state and counties,” says Tom Krenzke, vice president and associate director with Westat’s Statistics and Evaluation Sciences unit. “It also increases the level of information provided from the U.S. component of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Survey sponsored by NCES.”

PIAAC is an international survey sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that examines and assesses literacy, numeracy and digital problem-solving skills of adults ages 16 to 74 across participating countries.

This tool provides statistical comparisons of adult basic skills proficiency within two different areas at a time. The comparison enables state-to-state and county-to-county comparisons. Additionally, users can compare data from a state to a county or a state to the nation, allowing researchers to gain greater maneuverability when conducting studies. 

The interactive Skills Map creates a new cost-efficient way of producing data. To increase sample size, Westat combined information from surveys conducted from 2012 to 2017 and built a statistical model in conjunction with data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS has provided demographic characteristics for states and counties, including educational attainment, race/ethnicity, nativity, employment status, and poverty level. Westat used small area estimation to produce the state and county estimates. 

The Skills Map, was designed and developed by Westat’s Interaction Design (IxD) Studio. The studio manager, Angelica Paul, and solutions architect, Alex Schneider, met with NCES and other stakeholders early in the process to gather requirements and determine goals, and proposed a custom, 508-compliant solution that allows users to do state-to-state or county-to-county data comparisons. 

“Our team, using the data visualization library D3 and React framework, combined ingenuity with creativity to produce an innovative and effective solution. The framework is extensible and can be utilized to display any type of data. This kind of visualization product may be the future of how clients will be sharing data,” notes Paul. The IxD Studio conducted research on best-in-class mapping and data comparison solutions to create an inviting, modern, and responsive user experience. On the strategy to create the solution, Schneider responds: “By looking into the best that’s out there and using that as a basis to innovate, we were able to craft an easy-to-use, leading-edge tool and deliver it to the hands of everybody from policymakers to citizen researchers.”

The tool has led to a variety of published blogs and articles that have analyzed the literacy/numeracy skills levels in various states and counties. Westat maintains operability of the tool and has suggested a number of ways the Skills Map can be applied to current issues.

“For example, media outlets can use it to choose the language they use to report on issues like COVID-19 so they are better understood by people in their geographic reach,” explains Krenzke. “Some people might need a better explanation of what ‘flattening the curve’ means, and broadcasters may want to tailor their messages to the literacy level of adults in their broadcast area.”

In regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tool may assist employers who need to hire employees with specific skill sets. In addition, the tool can analyze COVID-19 mortality rates and correlate the data to literacy or numeracy proficiency skills.

“The Skills Map will undoubtedly have other applications, which makes this a very exciting tool, and new data will be available when we complete the next survey for NCES in 2022,” Krenzke concluded.

About Westat 

Westat offers innovative professional services to help clients improve outcomes in health, education, social policy, and transportation. We are dedicated to improving lives through research.

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VA Awards Halfaker DevOps Contract to Improve Security; Dawn Halfaker Quoted
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VA Awards Halfaker DevOps Contract to Improve Security; Dawn Halfaker Quoted

Halfaker and Associates has been awarded the four-year, $11 million Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Program Integrity Tool (PIT) DevOps contract to advance the VA’s fraud, waste and abuse detection and prevention. The PIT platform currently houses commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions that implement uniform claim payment processes and identify abusive billing rules.

“Halfaker is privileged to support the VA and its efforts to serve and honor American Veterans,” said president and CEO Dawn Halfaker. “As with all our VA work, we are deeply committed to providing IT solutions that ensure the delivery of timely care and benefits to Veterans with optimal use of taxpayer funds.”

Under this contract, Halfaker’s support will range across the VA’s claims processing systems. The company will work to protect taxpayer investments and the department’s ability to provide support to veterans.

Halfaker will also provide the VA with operation and maintenance (O&M), customization and enhancement to support the full DevOps life cycle of the Office of Community Care (OCC) Department of Program Integrity (DPI) PIT platform. The company’s support will strengthen the DPI’s mission to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse across the VA’s claims processing systems.

“We look forward to partnering with VA to carry out this critical task,” Halfaker concluded.

Halfaker’s recent award follows the company’s successful recompete of another fraud, waste and abuse contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Under the previous contract, Halfaker provided Anti-fraud Locator using EBT Retailer Transaction (ALERT) Application Support.

About Halfaker   

At Halfaker, we design, create, modernize, integrate, and secure mission critical systems and business applications for government organizations to improve the health, security, and well-being of all Americans. We are proud to be a service-disabled Veteran-owned, woman-owned, small business.

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Lockheed Martin Partners with Aerojet Rocketdyne Under NGI Contract; Sarah Reeves, Eileen Drake Quoted
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Lockheed Martin Partners with Aerojet Rocketdyne Under NGI Contract; Sarah Reeves, Eileen Drake Quoted

Lockheed Martin has partnered with Aerojet Rocketdyne on a proposal to compete for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) contract for The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Lockheed Martin reported on Friday.

“We support the MDA’s vision for NGI, particularly in light of the Redesigned Kill Vehicle termination and a fast-moving threat environment. Evolution of our deployed Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system to defend the homeland is critical,” said Sarah Reeves, vice president of Missile Defense Programs at Lockheed Martin. 

Under the contract, Lockheed Martin has offered an interceptor that will address all elements of environmental survivability. Aerojet Rocketdyne will power Lockheed Martin’s primary propulsion to address all U.S. Northern Command challenges.

“The strength of our team comes from an understanding of how to design and sustain radiation hardened strategic systems, the application of advanced digital engineering, and unmatched hit-to-kill performance. This includes more than 100 successful intercepts and over 50 successful target missions,” Reeves added. 

Lockheed Martin has projected to disclose the full composition of the NGI team in the near term. The team includes GMD incumbents and technology leaders to deliver on the mission.

“Aerojet Rocketdyne has provided propulsion on the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system since its inception, and we’re pleased to partner with Lockheed Martin on this next generation opportunity,” said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “Today, we’re evolving our propulsion solutions with innovative advanced technologies to improve performance at lower costs.”

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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FLIR Systems Wins US Army OTA to Advance Multi-Sensor Detection System; Roger Wells Quoted
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FLIR Systems Wins US Army OTA to Advance Multi-Sensor Detection System; Roger Wells Quoted

FLIR Systems has been awarded a $26 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement modification to support the U.S. Army’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicle Sensor Suite Upgrade (NBCRV SSU) program. 

“Our ability to build and integrate manned and unmanned sensing solutions across a wide threat space is where FLIR differentiates itself,” said VP and GM of the Unmanned Systems & Integrated Solutions business at FLIR, Roger Wells. “Incorporating UAV and UGV platforms into NBCRV aligns with our efforts to develop full sensing capabilities that can act as force multipliers and boost mission success for our troops.

FLIR will serve as the lead integrator under the OTA. The company will work to modernize the Army’s NBCRV system with improved and autonomous CBRN sensors. FLIR recently delivered initial prototypes of the NBCRV SSU system for a focused assessment. 

The FLIR prototype has sensed and rapidly avoided CBRN hazards in realistic battlefield simulations. With the OTA, FLIR will continue to develop the Sensor Suite and to deliver mature prototypes for government testing in 2021. The NBCRV Sensor Suite will deliver capabilities of the FLIR R80D SkyRaider drone and integrate a specialized version of the FLIR IBAC bio-detection sensor. 

Under the next phase of development, FLIR will also combine the NBCRV with a ground robotic vehicle to expand the system’s use with manned-unmanned teams, which will feature automation to reduce the cognitive burden on users and improve decision-making.

Work on the NBCRV program has begun and is expected to continue through 2022 at FLIR facilities in West Lafayette, Indiana; Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Elkridge, Maryland.

“Whether through air or ground-based detection systems, FLIR is uniquely positioned in the defense industry with deep expertise in both intelligent sensor and autonomous systems technology that keeps warfighters safe,” Wells added.

The OTA was awarded through the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND) as a follow-on to a $48 million contract announced in April 2019.

About FLIR Systems, Inc.

Founded in 1978, FLIR Systems is a world-leading industrial technology company focused on intelligent sensing solutions for defense and industrial applications. FLIR Systems’ vision is to be “The World’s Sixth Sense,” creating technologies to help professionals make more informed decisions that save lives and livelihoods.

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Aaron Weis: US Navy Transitioning to Zero Trust
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Aaron Weis: US Navy Transitioning to Zero Trust

Aaron Weis, chief information officer of the U.S. Navy and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the service is transitioning to a zero trust framework to better protect and defend its networks from cyber threats, FedScoop reported Thursday.

“It is an exciting time as priorities have shifted,” for how the Navy has advanced its information technology modernization efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, Weis said Thursday during the Nutanix Cloud Together Summit 2020.

He said the service will need time to reorganize its networks as it adopts the zero trust model and that “defense in depth” model or building perimeter-based cyber defenses will continue to exist as the Navy begins the transition.

“That is something that is starting, but it won’t happen overnight,” Weis said of the move to zero trust.

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Ryan McCarthy: Army Seeks to Free Up $10B More Through ‘Night Court’ in 2022
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Ryan McCarthy: Army Seeks to Free Up $10B More Through ‘Night Court’ in 2022

Ryan McCarthy, secretary of the U.S. Army and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the service intends to find $10 billion more in savings in 2022 through a “night court” process as it seeks to free up funds for modernization priorities and expects to make harder decisions in 2023, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

“In 2023, if even if assumptions are the same that they are today, we’re looking at ourselves and saying ‘How can you look at all of the big knobs where the funding for readiness and modernization and training and manning?’ We have hard choices in front of us,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday. “We’re watching very closely, it’s a challenging fiscal situation we face in the country.”

He noted that the service will need to make more cuts to its legacy systems in 2023 and 2024 as some major acquisition programs enter into the production phase in 2022 and 2023.

“We’re going to really hold the line on quality of life issues because people are our number one priority,” McCarthy said. “We we’re also looking at where there are ways to cut out costs and really focusing in on where the programs that can meet cost, schedule and performance.”

The Army found $10 billion in savings in 2021 through the night court process, which seeks to generate $25 billion in savings over five years.

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Elaine Chao Unveils Final FAA Rule on Commercial Space Launch, Reentry Licensing Requirements
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Elaine Chao Unveils Final FAA Rule on Commercial Space Launch, Reentry Licensing Requirements

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Thursday announced the publication of a final rule from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that updates the licensing requirements for commercial space launches and reentry missions.

The new rule combines four regulatory parts to implement a single set of safety and licensing regulations for commercial spaceflight launch and reentry operations, FAA said Thursday.

The Streamlined Launch and Reentry Licensing Requirements Final Rule encourages operators to suggest design and operational platforms to comply with regulatory standards and provides them the flexibility to meet the safety requirements. The new rule will take effect 90 days after publication in the Federal Register.

The updated application processes under the new regulation allow early assessment when applicants incrementally submit parts of their license applications, permit applicants to seek a safety element approval with a license application and provide more flexibility when it comes to demonstrating high consequence event protection.

“This historic, comprehensive update to commercial space launch and reentry licensing requirements facilitates greater growth in this industry and helps America to maintain our #1 position in the world,” Chao said.

FAA will accept public comments through Nov. 16 on three advisory circulars: High Fidelity Flight Safety Analysis, High Consequence Protection and Computing Systems and Software.

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David Markowitz Takes Army Chief Data Officer Role
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David Markowitz Takes Army Chief Data Officer Role

David Markowitz, formerly assistant deputy chief of staff at the U.S. Army's G-8 office, has been appointed to serve as chief data officer at the service branch. He will succeed Greg Garcia, who will continue to serve at the Army as acting chief information officer.

Markowitz will collaborate with his counterparts from other service branches to work on the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADCC2) project, an initiative that seeks to link military services' shooters, systems as well as joint partners worldwide.

He supported the Army's chief of staff in the areas of materiel requirements, strategic defense reviews, programming, studies and analyses under his previous role. He also assumed the role of technical director at the military service's Center for Army Analysis.

The Army and the U.S. Air Force have partnered to build mutual service interfacing and data-sharing standards in support of the CJADC2 effort.

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NRL, SDA Partner to Prototype Satellite Interoperability Testbed; Derek Tournear Quoted
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NRL, SDA Partner to Prototype Satellite Interoperability Testbed; Derek Tournear Quoted

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has partnered with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) to develop and test a simulation tool designed to assess the interoperability of satellites that will comprise a planned space defense layer. 

“The Space Development Agency appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with NRL on this important part of the process to develop the National Defense Space Architecture,” noted Derek Tournear, director of SDA.

NRL said Wednesday the hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop (HIL/SIL) testbed will serve as a simulation tool for validating commercial satellite buses that will make up the National Defense Space Architecture’s (NDSA) Tranche 0 layer. The lab noted that the HIL/SIL capability will help government entities ensure interoperability before launch to avoid integration issues between Optical Intersatellite Link-enabled (OISL) satellites.

Aaron Chilbert, a program manager at NRL, said the lab will perform interoperability testing on various payloads as part of two contracts with the SDA.

“The Space Development Agency appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with NRL on this important part of the process to develop the National Defense Space Architecture,” Tournear added. 

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