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PSC Addresses Chinese Supply Chain Rule in NDAA; David Berteau Quoted
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PSC Addresses Chinese Supply Chain Rule in NDAA; David Berteau Quoted

The Professional Services Council (PSC) has addressed the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council to provide clarification on the Interim Final Rule, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment. 

“PSC strongly supports the intent of the legislation and the Interim Final Rule to reduce risks and provide greater security in government contractor systems,” said PSC president and CEO, and Wash100 Award recipient David Berteau. 

Focused on Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the FY19 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), PSC has submitted comments concerning prohibitions on contractors’ use of products and services from certain Chinese telecommunications firms including Huawei and ZTE.

“For example, there is no definition for what constitutes “use,” nor is there any definitive list of both covered affiliates and subsidiaries and covered prohibited equipment and services,” Berteau continued.

PSC stated that the rule provided a short timeframe for agencies to seamlessly implement the regulation. The Council added that a proposed regulation would provide time for contractors to give feedback to government regulators and ease compliance. The letter also outlines nine areas where the FAR Council should take specific actions to address the concerns in the Interim Rule.

“Our comments lay out… there is more the government can do to improve implementation by addressing ambiguities and deficiencies in the final rule when it is issued,” said Berteau.

About PSC 

PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s more than 400 member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states.

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Northrop Grumman Wins Contract to Advance SATCOM Program; Cyrus Dhalla Quoted
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Northrop Grumman Wins Contract to Advance SATCOM Program; Cyrus Dhalla Quoted

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Space Force for the rapid prototyping phase of the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) program, the company reported on Thursday. 

“Northrop Grumman looks forward to building on more than 40 years of successfully delivering protected satellite communications solutions to our customers,” said Cyrus Dhalla, vice president, communications systems, Northrop Grumman. 

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman will develop a modernized strategic communications space segment with enhanced resilience and cybersecurity capabilities. During the rapid prototyping phase, the company will deliver the preliminary design for ESS’ space segment and a ground-based demonstration.

The ESS program will work to replace the Space Force’s existing Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system, replacing AEHF’s mid-latitude system capability and extending its survivable communications capability to the North Polar Region. The program will provide secure satellite communications to strategic users. 

As a prime contractor on the ESS program, Northrop Grumman will leverage its experience in protected MILSATCOM payloads for programs including Milstar, AEHF, Enhanced Polar System (EPS) and Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R).

“ESS is critical to extending our nation’s secure satellite communications infrastructure, as it will provide strategic users with assured, uninterruptible connectivity without fear of discovery anywhere on the globe,” Dhalla added.  

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an American global aerospace and defense technology company. With over 85,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of $30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and military technology providers.

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NASA-Lockheed X-59 Supersonic Jet Now Under Assembly
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NASA-Lockheed X-59 Supersonic Jet Now Under Assembly

NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunkworks are assembling an upcoming supersonic aircraft designed to perform quiet flights. The X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft is under construction at a Lockheed-owned facility in Palmdale, California, NASA said Thursday.

QueSST would collect data on how quiet the aircraft would appear to the public during flights. The aircraft features the eXternal Vision System, a forward-facing camera that uses augmented reality to provide the pilot with visual awareness.

Skunkworks is using its Combined Operation: Bolting and Robotic Auto-drill (COBRA) system to accelerate drilling activities for QueSST's wing assembly.

NASA has scheduled QueSST for initial flight in 2022 and plans to begin gathering the sought public reaction data in 2024. Federal regulatory bodies and international authorities will receive access to findings so that they may use the gathered data to inform supersonic flight policy. Major ground trials might begin in 2021.

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Hon. Ellen Lord: Military Needs to Modernize Nuclear Deterrence
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Hon. Ellen Lord: Military Needs to Modernize Nuclear Deterrence

Hon. Ellen Lord, who serves as undersecretary of defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD) A&S) and four-time Wash100 Award recipient, said the state of U.S. nuclear deterrence requires immediate action to avoid negative consequences, DoD News reported Thursday.

Lord emphasized the Department of Defense’s (DoD) need to modernize its nuclear deterrence, the demonstration of U.S. nuclear power intended to show adversaries what the country is capable of doing.

“Today, we face a stark reality: the long-standing and repeated warnings about the need to modernize and recapitalize the U.S. nuclear deterrent is no longer a warning about the future,” she said in testimony with the Senate Armed Services Committee.

She and U.S. Navy Adm. Charles Richard, leader of U.S. Strategic Command and fellow 2020 Wash100 Award winner, made a statement that attributes the weakened state of U.S. nuclear deterrence to changing policies and reduced emphasis on the matter.

The U.S. military is now working to fortify the country’s nuclear triad that consists of nuclear submarines, bomber aircraft and ground-based nuclear missiles. Lord said DoD is working with the Department of Energy (DOE) on this effort.

Hon. Ellen Lord: Military Needs to Modernize Nuclear Deterrence

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 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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Gerry Fasano, President of Leidos Defense Group, Receives First Wash100 Award From Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson
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Gerry Fasano, President of Leidos Defense Group, Receives First Wash100 Award From Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson

Gerry Fasano, president of Leidos’ defense group, was presented his 2020 Wash100 Award for the first time in his long career in the government contracting (GovCon) sector. Fasano received his first Wash100 Award from Jim Garrettson, founder and CEO of Executive Mosaic, on Thursday.

Fasano was influential in the advancement of information technology capabilities for the U.S. military and the federal government while also driving revenue and exponential growth for Leidos.

Most recently, Leidos was awarded a $649 million task order on Aug. 10th under the U.S. Army’s Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services contract to provide follow-on operations and support services to the Special Operations Command’s Tactical Airborne Multi-Sensor (SOCOM) Platforms mission.

“We are proud to support the SOCOM community with tactical ISR operations, system integration and sustainment for commercial derivative aircraft for the Special Operations Command,” said Fasano.

In addition, Leidos secured a potential eight-year, $7.7 billion contract from the U.S. Navy in February 2020 to unify, run and maintain shore-based networks and manage data under the service management, integration and transport portion of the Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN) Recompete recompete contract.

Under Fasano’s leadership, the company also secured a number of major contracts, including a potential 10-year, $6.5 billion contract from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in December 2019 to support operation, maintenance and security of a system to connect U.S. military and federal government personnel globally.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Gerry Fasano and Leidos on his first 2020 Wash100 Award selection. His expertise and leadership to grow the company’s spot in the federal market while also developing the capabilities of U.S. service branches has greatly improved our nation’s national security.

About Wash100 

The Wash100 Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the most influential executives in the GovCon industry as selected by the Executive Mosaic team in tandem with online nominations from the GovCon community. Representing the best of the private and public sector, the winners demonstrate superior leadership, innovation, reliability, achievement and vision.

Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2020 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2020.

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Competitive Intelligence Spotlight #2: Chad Ehrmantraut, Senior Director of CI/PTW with Perspecta, Explores Competition, Tools, Ethics in CI
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Competitive Intelligence Spotlight #2: Chad Ehrmantraut, Senior Director of CI/PTW with Perspecta, Explores Competition, Tools, Ethics in CI

The ‘Competitive Intelligence Spotlight Series’ continues with Chad Ehrmantraut, senior director of Competitive Intelligence (CI) and Pricing To Win (PTW) with Perspecta. Click these links to read the full interview with Chad Ehrmantraut and ArchIntel.

In the second interview of the series, Ehrmantraut spoke with ArchIntel to provide an overview of the competitive intelligence sector, including how competitive intelligence tools and research can be applied to grow a business in the highly competitive federal sector as well as provide an advantage over your competition and the ethics inherent in that process. 

“Companies can overlook or devalue how competitors will attempt to exploit our own weaknesses. Much like we look at competition, our competitors around the beltway are sitting in boardrooms analyzing Perspecta’s strengths and attempting to exploit our weaknesses.” 

Click here to read ArchIntel’s full interview with Chad Ehrmantraut. You can also gain further insight into competitive intelligence and market intelligence by reading all available interviews in ArchIntel’s ‘Competitive Intelligence Spotlight Series.’

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.

Please join ArchIntel for its first virtual event on October 22nd to hear from the esteemed minds of competitive intelligence on the opportunities and challenges arising from artificial intelligence technology as well as how CI professionals can adapt and thrive in a post COVID-19 technological world.

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

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CyberSheath Services Leverage Microsoft Offerings to Launch CMMC Managed Services for Defense Contractors
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CyberSheath Services Leverage Microsoft Offerings to Launch CMMC Managed Services for Defense Contractors

CyberSheath Services International has launched its Managed Services for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) to ensure compliance with the new cybersecurity standards for commercial contractors for the federal government. The company will leverage  Microsoft-focused technology stack to support CMMC policy changes and new implementation requirements.

The company will integrate Azure Government Blueprints, Microsoft 365 Government (GCC High) and the Department of Defense (DoD)-approved Microsoft security portfolio within CyberSheath’s Managed Services.

“The Microsoft technology behind CyberSheath’s managed services is designed to meet the unique and evolving requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense. With its technology stack aligned with its mission, CyberSheath is better able to ensure its clients’ security and compliance,” said Mandana Javaheri, global director, Security Partner Development at Microsoft.

Cybersheath’s managed services include a Shared Security Compliance Framework to guarantee compliance for both DFARS Clause 252.204-7012, NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC requirements. Integrating Cybersheath Assess, Implement, Manage (AIM) methodology, the company will  provide standards for existing regulatory requirements and the proper CMMC level.

CyberSheath will offer five CMMC levels of assured compliance, ranging from premise-based technology companies to cloud-driven FedRAMP High environments. CyberSheath will integrate any needed changes and revise architectures to maintain desired levels of CMMC compliance.

The company will also leverage a Shared Responsibility Model, a concept uniquely adapted from cloud providers and applied to CMMC Managed Services, to dictate the security obligations of a CMMC compliance environment and its users.

The framework will ensure accountability and define how security measures should be applied, with a special focus on CUI and other sensitive government data to provide a self-reinforcing model that will reduce the burden on government contractors and ensure compliance.

“When I launched CyberSheath nearly a decade ago, it was to solve this very problem for Defense Industrial Base companies, and CMMC is simply the next evolution in what has been a nearly thirteen-year journey with the DoD,” said Eric Noonan, founder and CEO of CyberSheath Services International.

CyberSheath Services Leverage Microsoft Offerings to Launch CMMC Managed Services for Defense Contractors

Join Potomac Officers Club for its Fall 2020 CMMC Forum on Oct. 7th, 2020 to learn about the requirements and priorities of implementing the certification, including scoping of CMMC assessments, supply chain impacts and C3PAOs, as RFPs quickly approach.

Katherine Arrington, chief information security officer (CISO) for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition (OUSDA) for the Department of Defense (DoD) and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, will be featured as the keynote speaker. Don’t miss out on this must see event! Click here to register for the Fall 2020 CMMC Forum.

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AI Commission Talks Digital Academy, Reserve Corps at House Subcommittee Hearing; NCSAI Chairman Eric Schmidt Quoted
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AI Commission Talks Digital Academy, Reserve Corps at House Subcommittee Hearing; NCSAI Chairman Eric Schmidt Quoted

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) told a House subcommittee Thursday that bold measures are needed to enhance the government’s artificial intelligence workforce and one of NSCAI’s recommendations is the creation of a “digital academy,” FedScoop reported Thursday.

The digital academy would run as a fully accredited, independent entity with students performing civilian work in the government in exchange for free tuition.

The commission also suggested the creation of a digital reserve corps that would require participants to perform tech work within the government on an annual basis for at least 38 days.

Eric Schmidt, chairman of NCSAI and former CEO of Google, said the digital reserve corps would be the digital academy’s “watered down” version.

“We need a next generation of talent, and they need to be in the government,” Schmidt said in his opening statement during a hearing of the House Armed Services subcommittee on intelligence and emerging threats and capabilities.

AI Commission Talks Digital Academy, Reserve Corps at House Subcommittee Hearing; NCSAI Chairman Eric Schmidt Quoted

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.

Please join ArchIntel for its first virtual event on October 22nd to hear from some of the most esteemed minds in competitive intelligence on the opportunities and challenges arising from AI technology and how CI professionals can adapt and thrive in a post COVID-19 technological world.

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

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Gen. Paul Nakasone on Influence Operations; VADM Robert Sharp Quoted
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Gen. Paul Nakasone on Influence Operations; VADM Robert Sharp Quoted

Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, said information warfare in the form of influence operations will be the next major disrupter facing the intelligence community, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

“We’ve seen it now in our democratic processes. I think we’re going to see it in our diplomatic processes. We’re going to see it in warfare. We’re going to see it in sowing civil distrust in different countries,” Gen. Nakasone said of influence operations during the Intelligence and National Security Summit on Wednesday.

Nakasone, also commander of U.S. Cyber Command, discussed how technology enables threat actors to spread fake messages, sow doubt or question authority.

“I think influence operations just in general will be for us, one of the things that we’ll be dealing with not just every two or four years, but this is the competitive space that we’re going to be in as intelligence agencies and as our nation,” he added.

VADM Robert Sharp
VADM Robert Sharp

Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and fellow 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, concurred with Nakasone’s views and noted that the strategic environment is going through revolutionary and evolutionary changes.

“How do you have confidence in the ones and zeros that you’re using for making decisions based off of?” Sharp asked. “So that revolutionary side is really, I think, our challenge and our opportunity and our competition space. It’s going to define our investments and how we operate over the next decade,” Sharp explained.

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NASA’s Human Exploration Directorate Completes Reorganization; Kathy Lueders Quoted
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NASA’s Human Exploration Directorate Completes Reorganization; Kathy Lueders Quoted

Kathy Lueders, associate administrator of NASA’s human exploration and operations (HEO), said the HEO mission directorate has completed a reorganization and received approval from NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk with regard to the move, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

“It addressed some of the concerns that folks have had and is really getting us set up for our future missions going forward,” Lueders said of the reorganization during a Washington Space Business Roundtable webinar Wednesday.

A program status assessment conducted early this year cited some of those concerns, including issues with the oversight of the Artemis program’s systems engineering work.

The reorganization created a new systems engineering and integration division within the HEO mission directorate. Marshall Smith oversees the SE&I division.

Tom Whitmeyer serves as acting head of the directorate’s exploration systems development division, while Mark Kirasich leads the advanced exploration systems division.

Phil McAlister is responsible for the commercial spaceflight development division, which now includes the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space and low Earth orbit commercialization.

Benjamin Neumann manages the human spaceflight capabilities division, which covers human research programs and rocket propulsion testing efforts.

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