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Air Mobility Command Releases Update for Mobility Allocation System
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Air Mobility Command Releases Update for Mobility Allocation System
Air Mobility Command Releases Update for Mobility Allocation System

The Air Mobility Command updated a scheduling tool designed to help operational planners designate mobility aircraft and aircrews for several months.

Developed in partnership with Pivotal Software and the Air Force Operational Energy office, the Magellan mobility allocation system enables users to view information on aircraft location and crew availability and adjust to last-minute scheduling changes, the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.

The application's recent update allows Magellan to automatically update and synchronize crew and aircraft data in a move to lower the time spent on coordinating allocation cycles.

A team of fifteen airmen received software engineering training from Pivotal Software to complete Magellan's development in 2019.

“The software will alert you if there are too many tasks for each day and you need to adjust crew or [aircraft,]" said Dane Hansen, project manager for Magellan.

Magellan currently has around 200 users worldwide and is slated to handle classified data in June.

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David Shive Talks GSA Digitization Efforts Amid Telework Operations
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David Shive Talks GSA Digitization Efforts Amid Telework Operations
David Shive
David Shive

David Shive, chief information officer of the General Services Administration (GSA), has said that the agency experienced minimal disruptions even as 90 percent of its workforce have implemented a telework setup, FedScoop reported Wednesday.

Shive told the publication in an interview that GSA is a “largely mobile-enabled organization” and that current telework needs “didn’t require too much change” from the agency.

“We did some stress-testing beforehand just to make sure that all of our infrastructure was going to work well, that employees were trained who are not often teleworkers and did a little bit of tuning kind of around the edges,” he said. “But it really wasn’t a lot different.”

Shive added that GSA has been working to further develop its efforts to digitize its analog procedures including records management, signatures software and collaborative applications.

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Jim Bridenstine: NASA Must Bolster National Strategy, International Partnerships for Artemis
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Jim Bridenstine: NASA Must Bolster National Strategy, International Partnerships for Artemis
Jim Bridenstine
Jim Bridenstine

Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said he intends to implement common safety standards across all participants, including foreign entities, of the Artemis program, Space News reported Wednesday.

He announced this intention as part of a larger national strategy effort at a webinar with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His statement on national strategy stems from Congress' concerns with NASA's space exploration progress.

“From a strategic perspective, we need to be engaged with our interagency partners and with our international partners in a very robust way," Bridenstine said.

The administrator said he wishes for Artemis to gain the support of existing partners on the International Space Station, in addition to Japan, Europe and Canada, the report noted.

The Artemis program aims to revive manned exploration on the Moon, and then begin sending astronauts to Mars.

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Lisa Gordon-Hagerty: NNSA to Continue Producing Plutonium for Nuclear Arsenal
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Lisa Gordon-Hagerty: NNSA to Continue Producing Plutonium for Nuclear Arsenal
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty
Lisa Gordon-Hagerty

Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), said the agency intends to “press forward” with producing plutonium cores that serve as key elements of U.S. nuclear weapons, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Gordon-Hagerty wrote in a letter to Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., stating that the Department of Energy (DoE) component is working with a contractor to establish health precautions at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico as production continues amidst the pandemic.

NNSA intends to facilitate plutonium pit production in Los Alamos as well as the Savannah River Site in South Carolina through 2030. In a March 4 written testimony to the House Appropriations Committee, Gordon-Hagerty said that NNSA is “undertaking a risk informed, complex, and time-constrained” effort to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

She noted that the NNSA is the only organization that can help fulfill the Trump administration’s goals of sustaining the nation’s nuclear stockpile including U.S. Navy’s submarines and aircraft carriers.

“The U.S. nuclear deterrent is the foundation of our national defense and its credibility serves as the ultimate insurance policy against a nuclear attack,” said Gordon-Hagerty. “While the ultimate goal of eliminating nuclear weapons has been an aspiration for generations, we must recognize the reality of today’s evolving and uncertain international security environment.” 

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Maj. Gen. Dennis Crall Nominated as Joint Staff CIO, Director
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Maj. Gen. Dennis Crall Nominated as Joint Staff CIO, Director
Dennis Crall
Dennis Crall

President Trump has nominated Maj. Gen. Dennis Crall to assume the roles of chief information officer and director for command, control, communications, and computers at Joint Chiefs of Staff. At present, Crall serves as senior military adviser to the undersecretary of cyber policy at the Department of Defense (DoD), DoD said Wednesday.

Prior to his current role, Crall worked as the joint liaison officer to the 7th Air Force's 607th Air Support Operations Group in Korea. He also served at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Command as operations officer.

Crall performed 34 combat missions and held various roles during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Jacobs Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results; Steve Demetriou, Kevin Berryman Quoted
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Jacobs Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results; Steve Demetriou, Kevin Berryman Quoted
Jacobs Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results; Steve Demetriou, Kevin Berryman Quoted

Jacobs Engineering Group has reported its financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended March 27, 2020, the company announced on Thursday. 

"During this time our focus has remained on keeping our people safe, ensuring business continuity and shifting our focus to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts by delivering solutions for our customers.  Our cultural and portfolio transformation over the past several years provided the foundation for rapid, thoughtful decision-making at the beginning of the crisis," said Jacobs' chair and CEO Steve Demetriou.

Jacobs noted that the company’s gross revenue of $3.4 billion grew 10.9 percent year-over-year; net revenue grew 7.5 percent pro forma, an EPS from continuing operations of $0.92 and results include $1.94 charge from mark to market impact of Worley stock.

The company’s adjusted EPS from continuing operations of $1.39, including $0.07 in discrete tax benefits, backlog increased $2.6 billion to $23.3 billion and cash flow from operations of $152 million.

Jacobs' President and CFO Kevin Berryman added, "Our transformed portfolio has demonstrated strong financial flexibility in the face of one of the most abrupt shocks ever to the safety, health and economic well-being of the global community.”

“Our long-term outlook for the business, despite the short term challenges associated with COVID-19, remains intact and we expect to generate strong free cash flow for the remainder of 2020. We expect to emerge from the pandemic as a more agile company that is positioned for growth in fiscal 2021 and beyond," Berryman stated. 

The company has projected fiscal 2020 adjusted EBITDA of $950 million to $1,0502 million and adjusted EPS of $4.80 to $5.30. Fiscal second quarter 2020 adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations reflect an adjusted effective tax rate of 20.7 percent, excluding discrete tax benefit items of $9.5 million, or $0.07 per share.

Jacobs noted the valuable acquisition of John Wood Group's Nuclear Business on March 6, 2020. The company completed the acquisition of John Wood Group's Nuclear consulting, remediation and program management business.

"This has also enabled us to demonstrate new approaches to working on a global scale, maximizing our digital strategy and tools, to shape our 'new normal' – and reinforcing our global resilience and operational readiness.  And perhaps most importantly, our behaviors during this crisis have strengthened our brand with our people and allowed us to retain top talent, setting us up for long-term success," Demetriou added.

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. 

With $13 billion in annual revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sectors.

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CMS Business Division, Nuvotronics Provides Wide-Band Antenna to Enable NASA-GSFC SWESARR; Mike Twyman, Martin Amen Quoted
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CMS Business Division, Nuvotronics Provides Wide-Band Antenna to Enable NASA-GSFC SWESARR; Mike Twyman, Martin Amen Quoted
Mike Twyman
Mike Twyman

Cubic Corporation has announced Nuvotronics, operating within its Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division, has provided advanced multi-frequency antenna technology to enable the successful validation of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s (NASA-GSFC) Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer (SWESARR), the company reported on Thursday. 

“We are thrilled with the exceptional results,” said Mike Twyman, president of Cubic Mission Solutions and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. “The achievement of these critical milestones demonstrates our ability to leverage PolyStrata technology to build wide-band phased arrays from X to W band.”

NASA does not have a global high-resolution satellite mission to track and study the amount of water contained in snow, known as Snow Water Equivalent (SWE). Throughout the past year, Nuvotronics has provided wide-band multi-frequency antenna technology for use in an airborne data validation study for the SWESARR instrument during the NASA SnowEx campaign. 

Under the study, the company has collected ground measurements at multiple locations and analogous airborne measurements. Nuvotronics used a DHC 6 Twin Otter Aircraft operated by the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS). 

Nuvotronics’ microwave antenna technology enabled SWESARR to operate over six frequency bands from a single antenna aperture, ensuring overlapping measurements. Multi-frequency operation increases the quality of data collected, at a lower cost. 

The company’s technology collected natural radiation coming from layers of snow to infer the volume of water held in a snowpack. Nuvotronics’ contributions include a X-Ka Band 11×12 element line array and a X-W band Vivaldi array demonstrator. 

NASA-GSFC integrated the X-Ka band array with a 0.34-meter reflector and a Ka band digital beamforming back-end into the airborne instrument on an active roll compensation platform developed by another partner company. Nuvotronics’ PolyStrata technology enabled seamless integration, rich data collection and excellent noise performance in a compact radiometer.

“We are proud of the part we played in NASA’s mission to remotely measure Snow Water Equivalent, which is critical for water resource management and climate studies,” said Martin Amen, vice president and general manager of Cubic Nuvotronics. 

About 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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Bill Evanina Receives Senate Confirmation for Top Counterintelligence Role
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Bill Evanina Receives Senate Confirmation for Top Counterintelligence Role
Bill Evanina
Bill Evanina

The U.S. Senate confirmed William Evanina, a national counterintelligence executive, as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center’s director, Politico reported Wednesday.

The confirmation on Wednesday happened almost two years after President Trump’s decision to nominate Evanina for the role. Trump nominated Evanina in June 2018 with a renewal in March last year.

Evanina has contributed many years of work to the intelligence community, having held roles with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Buerea of Investigation (FBI). He oversaw a global anti-espionage team of 200 personnel during his time with the CIA.

“We have a qualified professional who is tailor-made for an important job,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the senate majority leader.

Richard Grenell, acting director of national intelligence, made a statement acknowledging Evanina’s confirmation.

“With more than 30 years of distinguished federal service, including nearly six years of leading NCSC, Evanina’s confirmation is overdue and well-deserved,” Grenell said in a statement.

Evanina has been NCSC’s leader since June 2014.

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CGI Secures NetApp Contract to Accelerate Digital Initiatives for Enterprise Customers; Sheila Rohra, Dave Henderson Quoted
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CGI Secures NetApp Contract to Accelerate Digital Initiatives for Enterprise Customers; Sheila Rohra, Dave Henderson Quoted
CGI Secures NetApp Contract to Accelerate Digital Initiatives for Enterprise Customers; Sheila Rohra, Dave Henderson Quoted

CGI has secured a 5-year contract contract award from NetApp, a leading cloud data services provider, to deliver managed professional services leveraging data fabrics, CGI reported on Thursday. 

"CGI's scale, industry expertise and unmatched service delivery are attributes NetApp seeks from a partner at a time when our clients are accumulating an unprecedented amount of data," said Sheila Rohra, NetApp Senior Vice President of Worldwide Services and Support.

CGI’s data fabric architecture will help simplify and integrate data management across cloud and on-premises to accelerate data-intensive digital initiatives and transformations. With NetApp, CGI will provide healthcare, manufacturing, financial services and government clients with access to specialized digital services and scalable end-to-end capabilities. 

"By integrating NetApp's strategy for helping customers build their data fabrics with CGI's end-to-end services, we'll help organizations across industries drive their data-intensive digital initiatives," said Dave Henderson, CGI President of U.S. Commercial and State Government Operations.

In addition, CGI will provide its offerings through a center of excellence (CoE) that specializes in NetApp services, utilizing a combination of local metro market expertise and its North American delivery centers.

"To successfully transform, our clients know that data must become the lifeblood of their organization, seamlessly flowing through it to enable new customer and citizen touchpoints through technology, create innovative business opportunities, and optimize operations," Rohra commented.

CGI's 2019 Client Global Insights report that 81 percent of executives interviewed cite analytics as their most frequently planned innovation investment within the next three years. While the amount of transactional and contextual data an organization captures continues to grow, the data is still stored in too many disparate, incompatible and closed systems to allow for meaningful analysis.

"We are proud to work with NetApp at a time when many will be contemplating new business models and practices to enable new ways of interaction. CGI is ready with services and insights for responding to unprecedented challenges, rebounding effectively, and reinventing ways of working," added Henderson.

About CGI

Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 78,000 consultants and other professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. 

CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With Fiscal 2019 reported revenue of C$12.1 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB).

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Lawmakers Call for $26B in Coronavirus Relief Funding to Support R&D Programs
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Lawmakers Call for $26B in Coronavirus Relief Funding to Support R&D Programs
Lawmakers Call for $26B in Coronavirus Relief Funding to Support R&D Programs

A bipartisan group of senators is seeking $26 billion from the Trump administration’s coronavirus relief package to sustain research efforts and personnel in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The office of Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said Monday that he and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., along with 31 other senators wrote to Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., calling for additional emergency relief funding to support the scientific research community.

The senators noted that despite the government’s prioritization of coronavirus-related research and development programs, most R&D initiatives saw delays or termination due to facility closures.

Funding will support the provision of research grants and fellowships as well as assistance for research personnel until facilities reopen to continue pre-pandemic activities, according to the letter.

“Research universities, academic medical centers, and national labs are major employers in all 50 states, and protecting the research workforce is critical to state economies,” the letter states. “Congress must act to preserve our current scientific workforce and ensure that the U.S. is prepared to continue our global scientific leadership once this crisis ends.”

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