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DoD’s Proposed Measure Seeks to Allocate Over $2B to End U.S. Dependency on China for Rare Earth Supplies
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DoD’s Proposed Measure Seeks to Allocate Over $2B to End U.S. Dependency on China for Rare Earth Supplies
Pentagon
Pentagon

The Department of Defense (DoD) has proposed a measure that seeks to advance direct investments to end the country’s dependence on China for rare earth elements used to produce munitions, hypersonic systems, missiles and other weapons systems, Defense News reported Monday.

The proposed bill would increase spending caps under the Defense Production Act to allow DoD to allocate up to $1.75B in funds for rare earth minerals for use in missiles and munitions and up to $350 million for microelectronics.

The Pentagon proposed the legislation, which would also remove spending caps involving hypersonic weapons, in early May for inclusion in the annual defense spending bill.

“China is currently the sole source or primary supplier for many chemicals required to make ingredients in missiles and munitions end items,” the DoD measure states. “A sudden and catastrophic loss of supply due to restrictions from foreign suppliers, industrial accidents, natural disasters, or wartime damages would impact critical DoD programs for many years and severely disrupt DoD munitions, satellites, space launches, and other defense manufacturing programs.”

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NASA Creates Int’l Agreements for Artemis Mission Participation; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
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NASA Creates Int’l Agreements for Artemis Mission Participation; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
Jim Bridenstine
Jim Bridenstine

NASA has established a bilateral agreement where countries interested in the Artemis deep-space exploration mission may participate in program activities in line with a set of principles, SpaceNews reported Friday.

The agreements, dubbed Artemis Accords, will cover all lunar exploration activities except for the lunar Gateway and support the establishment of “safety zones” to allow NASA and other stakeholders’ program operations without human interference.

Activities supporting the Gateway will be authorized through a separate intergovernmental agreement, according to SpaceNews.

Mike Gold, acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations at NASA, said at a prior interview with the publication that the agency may also provide incentives to participating countries that comply with U.S. principles.

Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said at a prior meeting that the agency needs a "framework for how we’re all going to cooperate on the surface of the moon.”

The announcement comes after NASA completed an interagency review in a move to secure approval to share program documentation with other countries, according to Gold.

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IT Expert Bobby Saxon Named Deputy CIO of CMS
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IT Expert Bobby Saxon Named Deputy CIO of CMS
Bobby Saxon
Bobby Saxon

Bobby Saxon, acting director of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ emergency preparedness and response operations, has been appointed to serve as the agency’s deputy chief information officer, Fedscoop reported Friday.

He will serve as one of the two CMS deputy CIOs, with the other being George Hoffmann, a former vice president at General Dynamics Information Technology.

Saxon first joined CMS in 2017 to serve as the CIO of Healthcare.gov, a health care service administered by CMS. The former serviceman also supported IT operations at the U.S. Army as a colonel.

Both Saxon will and Hoffmann will serve under Rajiv Uppal, CMS CIO.

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GSA Unveils Database for Governmentwide Contract Award Info
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GSA Unveils Database for Governmentwide Contract Award Info
GSA Unveils Database for Governmentwide Contract Award Info

The General Services Administration (GSA) has launched a web-based tool in a move to consolidate information on the agency’s governmentwide contracting activities and visualize the allocation of contract obligations.

GSA said in the Government-Wide Category Management Reporting and Analytics website that the public database includes an awards exploration tool as well as a simplified interface for searching various information at the award level.

The data source was initially restricted for federal employees and is now one of eight GSA tools accessible to vendors, according to a Federal News Network report. GSA noted that it intends to conduct training sessions and other activities with its data working groups as part of efforts to provide more accessible stakeholder tools.

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DoD Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Effort
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DoD Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Effort
DoD Introduces COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Effort

The Department of Defense (DoD) has unveiled an initiative that seeks to expedite the procurement of a COVID-19 vaccine by January 2021.

DoD said Friday that it will collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the private sector to manufacture around 300 vaccines by January as part of the Operation Warp Speed effort. Gen. Gustave Perna, commander at Army Materiel Command, has been tapped to co-lead the project.

Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs at DoD, said the Pentagon is in talks with the governments of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia in line with plans to increase the number of the department's workforce.

Hoffman added USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort concluded their work at Los Angeles and New York and are on standby for future assignments.

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Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris Nominated as AFLCMC Commander
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Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris Nominated as AFLCMC Commander
Shaun Morris
Shaun Morris

Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, commander at  Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center as commander.

Morris will receive the rank of lieutenant general upon the confirmation of the Senate, the Department of Defense (DoD) said Friday. Morris also serves as program executive officer for strategic systems at the U.S. Air Force.

Before his current capacity, Morris held the role of program executive officer for weapons at the service branch and led AFLCMC’s armament directorate as director. He also served as USAF’s lead F-22 program element monitor in 2002.

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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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