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Report: Senate Panel to Vote on John Ratcliffe’s Nomination for DNI Next Week
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Report: Senate Panel to Vote on John Ratcliffe’s Nomination for DNI Next Week
John Ratcliffe
John Ratcliffe

The Senate is slated to vote on Rep. John Ratcliffe’s (R-Texas) nomination for director of National Intelligence next Tuesday, Reuters reported Saturday. The Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to vote on Ratcliffe’s confirmation on a party-line basis, according to the publication’s sources.

Ratcliffe currently serves on the House’s intelligence, judiciary and ethics committees and previously served as chief of antiterrorism and national security for the Eastern District of Texas. He joined Congress in 2015 and was also the former chairman of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee.

Earlier this month, Ratcliffe appeared before the Senate panel for his confirmation hearing where he highlighted plans to address COVID-19 concerns if confirmed for the DNI post. President Trump first announced his intent to nominate Ratcliffe in March.

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AFRL, Lawrence Livermore National Lab Partner to Mitigate Metal 3D Printing Issues
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AFRL, Lawrence Livermore National Lab Partner to Mitigate Metal 3D Printing Issues
AFRL, Lawrence Livermore National Lab Partner to Mitigate Metal 3D Printing Issues

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are studying ways to mitigate issues in 3D printing or additively manufacturing metal parts.

An AFRL-based team has used serial sectioning, a 3D metallographic method, to address metal printing issues such as liquid splatters, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Friday. Other challenges addressed by the effort include defect prevention and the control of complex melt dynamics. These issues may result from small processing changes.

“The collaboration is an excellent example of how cutting edge materials characterization tools and advanced process modeling can be combined to investigate behaviors in the AM process that can lead to detrimental flaws,” said Eddie Schwalbach, research materials engineer at AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate.

The effort would require diagnostics and high-fidelity multiphysics to evaluate additive manufacturing stability, AFRL said.

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Juliane Gallina Makes Major Move to Second Place in Wash100 Popular Rankings; Voting Ends June 1st
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Juliane Gallina Makes Major Move to Second Place in Wash100 Popular Rankings; Voting Ends June 1st
Juliane Gallina
Juliane Gallina

Juliane Gallina, chief information officer (CIO) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made a significant jump from fifth to second place in the 2020 Wash100 Popular Vote over the weekend. Click here to vote for your favorite 2020 Wash100 executives in the GovCon sector! Voting ends June 1st.

Gallina secured her first Wash100 Award this year to drive the CIA’s information technology, cloud adoption and reach out across the industry to improve the agency’s success. She succeeded John Edwards as the CIO of the CIA in April 2019.

Since her appointment, she has been instrumental to advancing the agency’s IT capabilities and accelerating the emerging technologies, including cloud adoption’s pivotal role in the CIA’s future and secure mobility within the CIA.

During Potomac Officer Club’s CIO Forum 2020 on Jan. 23rd, Gallina, who served as a keynote speaker at the forum, described that her role in the CIA is to “keep the lights on.” The first step is to keep the lights on, but the greater challenges are buying more light bulbs and planning for the next mode of light bulb. Gallina has continued to navigate her blueprint for the agency into 2020.

The votes continue to flood in as this year’s Wash100 Popular Vote draws to a close on June 1st, and the government contracting (GovCon) community holds the power to determine the most significant executive of consequence to the sector for 2020.

With exactly two weeks left to cast your vote, your decision is more crucial now than it ever has been in the six year history of the award to choose the most notable executive of consequence. Gallina’s massive stride over just a few days demonstrates that the rankings are still anyone’s game. Click here to vote for your favorite 2020 Wash100 executives in the GovCon sector! Voting ends June 1st.

About The Wash100

This year represents our sixth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, 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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BAE Systems Secures Second Task Order from NAWCAD to Modernize DoN’s LAIRCM System; Pete Trainer, CAPT Steven Nassau Quoted
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BAE Systems Secures Second Task Order from NAWCAD to Modernize DoN’s LAIRCM System; Pete Trainer, CAPT Steven Nassau Quoted
Pete Trainer
Pete Trainer

BAE Systems has secured a prime position on a five-year, $26.7 million task order from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) Aircraft Prototyping Systems Division to install, integrate, and test the Department of the Navy (DoN) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) system, the company reported on Monday. 

“We understand how vital the KC-130J is to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and the enhanced capability the DoN LAIRCM system brings to the fight,” said Pete Trainer, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Air Force Solutions. 

BAE Systems will perform work on the KC-130J aerial transport and refueling aircraft. The DoN LAIRCM advanced missile warning system will improve aircraft capability and survivability by countering advanced infrared missile system threats.

“With more than 40 years of experience managing complex aircraft modernization and sustainment programs, we’re excited that NAWCAD has entrusted us to integrate this system onto their aircraft to ensure the safety of the aircrews and protect this vital capability,” Trainer added. 

The company will utilize its turnkey solution to provide program management, inventory control, engineering support, installation, and system testing of the DoN LAIRCM upgrade. Aircraft maintenance and support activities will also be provided as required. 

The contract represents the second task order awarded to BAE Systems under the Prototyping and Limited Production indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract. The work will take place in Crestview, Florida in partnership with Vertex Aerospace Aircraft Integration and Sustainment (AIS) Division.

BAE Systems’ Intelligence and Security sector has extensive experience in advanced aircraft engineering, fabrication, installation, modification, systems integration, and logistics support, and has performed more than 200 separate complex modification programs involving over 2,200 aircraft. 

The BAE Systems and Vertex AIS team have installed Directional Infrared Countermeasures and DoN LAIRCM systems for the U.S. Air Force and foreign military customers under previous contracts.

“This competitive award will allow the Marine Corps to move from government depot installation to industry without a gap in services. It is a great reflection on the dedication of the KC-130J Mission Systems Team and the contracts office. It also speaks to the flexibility of both the Navy and industry,” said CAPT Steven Nassau, program manager for Naval Air Systems Command’s PMA-207. 

In addition to BAE Systems’ 26.7 million contract, the company also secured BAE a potential five-year, $84.3 million contract to support direct labor engineering services for the NAWCAD in May 2019. 

The company’s technology solutions and services business will provide integration, requirements and solutions definition assistance, operation and sustainment, integration and installation verification and validation support under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract.

The company will work with the NAWCAD’s special communications mission solutions division, which supports special operations forces in command, control, communications, computers, combat systems and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

The service received three proposals for the IDIQ contract and work will occur in Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, California and Florida through May 2024.

About BAE Systems

A career at BAE Systems will ignite your passion to improve security, defend freedom and make the world a safer place. BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services.

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Fluor, BWXT Subsidiary Secure $13B Tank Closure Contract from DoE; Tom D’Agostino Quoted
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Fluor, BWXT Subsidiary Secure $13B Tank Closure Contract from DoE; Tom D’Agostino Quoted
Tom D’Agostino
Tom D’Agostino

Fluor Corporation announced on Monday that the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has selected Hanford Works Restoration (HWR), a joint venture between a subsidiary of BWX Technologies (BWXT) and Fluor, to lead the ten-year, $13 billion Tank Closure Contract at the DoE’s Hanford Site. 

“Fluor began its 13-year tenure at Hanford in 1996 with a contract to manage most of the site’s cleanup work and we have been an integrated part of the community ever since. We look forward to working with the incumbent Tank Farm employees, DOE, the regulators, and other Hanford contractors to shift to a unified closure mentality and safely accelerate the completion timeline,” said Tom D’Agostino, president of Fluor’s Government Group.

The joint venture will partner with two pre-selected small businesses, DBD and INTERA, which provide specialized modeling and regulatory expertise, respectively. HWR will provide services for the transition from the current tank operations contract to the tank closure contract. 

The team will support operations and maintenance of the single shell and double shell tank farms,  including volume management and secondary waste treatment facilities and the completion of construction and operations. 

Additionally, the joint venture will provide maintenance to equipment necessary to pretreat and feed low-level waste to the low-activity waste verification facility and a single-shell tank waste remediation and closure to support the Hanford Site environmental cleanup. 

Established in 1943, the Hanford Site's original mission was to produce plutonium for national defense. Operations to make the raw materials for nuclear weapons continued until the late 1980s. In 1989, Hanford's mission shifted from production of weapons material to waste management and environmental cleanup.

“We’re pleased that DOE has given us the opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new end-state contract approach to accelerate closing Hanford’s tanks and reduce DOE’s liability,” added D’Agostino.

BWXT also commented on the contract award. Rex Geveden, BWXT’s president and chief executive officer said, “This contract award demonstrates that BWXT’s nuclear operations and waste management capabilities are key differentiators for Hanford’s programs that are of critical importance to the nation and the State of Washington.” 

About Fluor Corporation

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) is a global engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction and maintenance company with projects and offices on six continents. Fluor’s 47,000 employees build a better world by designing, constructing and maintaining safe, well-executed, capital-efficient projects. With headquarters in Irving, Texas, Fluor has served its clients for more than 100 years.

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Accenture Acquires Byte Prophecy to Grow Enterprise-Scale AI, Digital Analytics Solutions; Piyush Singh, Athina Kanioura, Mrugank Parikh Quoted
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Accenture Acquires Byte Prophecy to Grow Enterprise-Scale AI, Digital Analytics Solutions; Piyush Singh, Athina Kanioura, Mrugank Parikh Quoted
Athina Kanioura
Athina Kanioura

Accenture has acquired Byte Prophecy, an automated insights and big data analytics company based in Ahmedabad, India, to meet the growing demand for enterprise-scale AI and digital analytics solutions across the region, the company reported on Monday. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“Beyond advanced technology capabilities, Accenture brings our clients a co-innovation mindset, and in Byte Prophecy we found a partner with the right mix of technology and consulting skills, and a client-centric innovation culture,” said Piyush N. Singh, Accenture’s market unit lead for India and sales lead for Growth Markets.

Accenture’s acquisition will add nearly 50 data science and data engineering experts that specifically focus on insight automation to the company’s Applied Intelligence. The purchase will expand Accenture’s consulting and technology capabilities to assist the company’s customers with data foundations and advanced analytics.

“Our team has already been working with Byte Prophecy over the past two years, and together we’ve helped clients build the strong data foundations that are the cornerstone for successful AI adoption,” said Athina Kanioura, Accenture’s chief analytics officer and global lead for Applied Intelligence. “Officially making Byte Prophecy’s people and capabilities part of Accenture is a testament to the shared vision of shared success we’ve seen in our joint efforts.”

Founded in 2011, Byte Prophecy has worked closely with Accenture Ventures since 2018 on open innovation efforts, collaborating and co-innovating with Accenture and its clients in Asia Pacific on advanced data and analytics projects.

“The opportunity to become part of Accenture Applied Intelligence will enable us to jointly build stronger assets and expand our services to more clients in the emerging markets. We are excited about our journey ahead and are looking forward to exploring the wide opportunities this union will bring to our people and clients,”  said Mrugank Parikh, co-founder, Byte Prophecy.

Accenture’s acquisition will deliver on existing and emerging client needs with speed and scale. Over the past year the company has made Applied Intelligence acquisitions in Australia, Spain, North America and the U.K. to enhance its portfolio of technologies and help clients across those markets scale AI.

In addition to the company’s acquisition of Byte Prophecy, Accenture acquired Pragsis Bidoop, a Spanish company with strong expertise in big data, artificial intelligence and advanced analytics in Sept. 2019 to boost the company’s portfolio and capabilities in those areas.

The acquisition will add more than 200 employees with deep machine learning, AI and big data engineering experience, along with its portfolio of end-to-end solutions to Accenture’s Applied Intelligence business.

Accenture Applied Intelligence employs more than 20,000 professionals, working to help clients scale AI, including 6,000 data scientists, data engineers and AI professionals worldwide. It has received several recognition from leading industry analyst firms in the past six months, including being named a worldwide leader in AI vendor services by IDC and ranking first in Google AI services by HfS.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all of these services. We combine unmatched experience and specialized capabilities across more than 40 industries — powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers.

With 509,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture brings continuous innovation to help clients improve their performance and create lasting value across their enterprises.

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ULA Successfully Launches Sixth Orbital Test Vehicle for the U.S. Space Force; Gary Wentz Quoted
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ULA Successfully Launches Sixth Orbital Test Vehicle for the U.S. Space Force; Gary Wentz Quoted
Gary Wentz
Gary Wentz

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 501 rocket carrying the USSF-7 mission for the U.S. Space Force launched on May 17, 9:14 a.m. EDT, from Space Launch Complex-41, the agency reported on Monday. 

ULA reported the launch on Friday. With the launch, the agency has made its 84th successful tak off of an Atlas V rocket, 139th launch for ULA, the second launch for the U.S. Space Force and the sixth flight of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6).

"The success of this mission resulted from collaboration with our customer while working through challenging, and ever changing, health and safety conditions," said Gary Wentz, ULA vice president of Government and Commercial Programs. 

Along with OTV-6, ULA also deployed FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to conduct experiments on orbit. 

The mission also carried two NASA experiments, including a material sample plate to determine the results of radiation and other space effects on various materials and an experiment which will assess space effects on seeds used to grow food. 

Another experiment sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory will examine the ability to transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy which could be transmitted to the ground.

ULA launched aboard an Atlas V 501 configuration rocket that included a 5-meter-diameter payload fairing. The Atlas booster was powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 engine, and the Centaur upper stage was powered by the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-1 engine.

ULA's next launch is NASA's Mars 2020 mission carrying the Perseverance rover on an Atlas V rocket. The launch is scheduled for July 2020 from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

"We were honored to partner with the U.S. Space Force to dedicate this mission to first responders, front-line workers, and those affected by COVID-19. It is truly a unique time in our history and I want to thank the entire team for their continued dedication and focus on mission success," added Wentz. 

About ULA

With more than a century of combined heritage, ULA is the world's most experienced and reliable launch service provider. ULA has successfully launched more than 135 missions to orbit that provide Earth observation capabilities, enable global communications, unlock the mysteries of our solar system, and support life-saving technology.

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Commerce Dept Seeks to Restrict Huawei’s Access to US Tech With Amended Rule
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Commerce Dept Seeks to Restrict Huawei’s Access to US Tech With Amended Rule
Commerce Dept Seeks to Restrict Huawei's Access to US Tech With Amended Rule

The Department of Commerce’s bureau of industry and security is amending its direct product rule to restrict access of China-based telecommunications equipment company Huawei to semiconductors that overseas foundries produced using U.S. technologies and software as part of efforts to protect national security.

“Despite the Entity List actions the Department took last year, Huawei and its foreign affiliates have stepped-up efforts to undermine these national security-based restrictions through an indigenization effort.  However, that effort is still dependent on U.S. technologies,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement published Friday.

“We must amend our rules exploited by Huawei and HiSilicon and prevent U.S. technologies from enabling malign activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests,” Ross added.

Under the new rule, Export Administration Regulations will apply to chipsets and related items produced by foreign companies using U.S. technologies and based on design specifications of Huawei and affiliates on the Entity List. Such items shipped within 120 days from the rule’s effective date are not subject to the licensing requirements.

The bureau placed Huawei and 114 of its affiliates on the Entity List in May 2019 due to national security concerns.

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Evaluation Criteria for Space Command HQ Selection Released
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Evaluation Criteria for Space Command HQ Selection Released
U.S. Space Command
U.S. Space Command

The Department of the Air Force plans to raise the number of sites eligible for consideration for U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters with the release of screening and evaluation criteria, the Space Force reported Friday.

Communities that meet the screening criteria will have an opportunity to present themselves as potential candidates for SPACECOM’s HQ location. The service will provide the potential candidates with additional information as part of the assessment process.

The release of the evaluation and screening criteria is part of the department’s updated approach that considers the organizational structure of the U.S. Space Force and seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of potential candidate locations.

The department plans to select the final location for the newly established command in early 2021. The city of Colorado Springs in Colorado serves as SPACECOM’s provisional headquarters.

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Guy Cavallo on SBA’s Move to Zero-Trust Framework
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Guy Cavallo on SBA’s Move to Zero-Trust Framework
Guy Cavallo
Guy Cavallo

Guy Cavallo, deputy chief information officer of the Small Business Administration (SBA), told Federal News Network in an interview published Friday that SBA plans to implement a zero-trust framework to continue to develop its cybersecurity strategy and tools.

“Our next step is to take all of this to every one of the 115 different SBA locations to zero trust networking and break apart from everything being connected and once you are on the SBA network, you are trusted, to not trust anything,” he said on the network’s Ask the CIO program.

Cavallo cited how the Department of Homeland Security’s TIC and Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation programs have helped SBA advance its transition to a zero-trust model. He also discussed SBA’s pilot initiatives to test the zero-trust framework and network modernization effort as part of its transition to the new model.

“Because of the cloud tools we are using, those cloud tools will allow us, in effect, [to] be the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) for each one of those 100-plus locations and see the same dashboards that we are seeing now through the traditional MTIPS approach. That for us will be a revolutionary change.”

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