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VA Engages in Partnership to Help Veterans Stay Socially Connected; Robert Wilkie Quoted
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Robert Wilkie
Robert Wilkie

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with Facebook and the American Red Cross to support the mental health of veterans via social connection.

The partnership will provide over 7,400 video call devices that veterans, their families and caregivers may use to stay socially connected at home, VA said Wednesday. The American Red Cross’ Military Veteran Caregiver Network will facilitate the delivery of these devices.

“We believe this technology will help veterans who might otherwise be unreachable,” said Robert Wilkie, secretary of veterans affairs and 2019 Wash100 Award.

The program office for the President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide or PREVENTS fostered the partnership. The effort will deliver the devices to participants of REACH-VET and other VA care services programs.

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James Geurts Talks Navy Efforts to Accelerate R&D, Contract Awards
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James Geurts Talks Navy Efforts to Accelerate R&D, Contract Awards
James Geurts
James Geurts

James Geurts, assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy for research, development and acquisition and 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the service is revising its business procedures amid the current health crisis, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday.

Geurts told attendees at the virtual Sea-Air-Space conference that the Navy is “understanding how to collaborate better” while working to expedite research and development activities through partnerships with academic entities.

He added that the Navy is implementing a distributed research framework to allow concurrent operations between multiple organizations. The service is additionally deploying a three-phase approach to prevent program delays and accelerate contract awards, said Geurts.

“What we can’t afford to do is take a year or two off of research and development, lose those key performers because they are key to our readiness five and 10 years from now,” he noted. “We’re looking to be as aggressive with them, if not more so, than we are with our more traditional defense partners.”

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NATO Creates Tool to Address Signal Degradation
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NATO Creates Tool to Address Signal Degradation

NATO Creates Tool to Address Signal Degradation

The NATO Communications and Information Agency’s new software works to facilitate assessments of areas prone to degradation of signals from global navigation satellite systems.

The Radar Electromagnetic and Communication Coverage Tool or REACT allows users to estimate areas where interfering signals may affect the performance of GPS and other GNSS technologies that provide positioning, navigation and timing data, NCIA said Monday.

“NATO must take appropriate measures to ensure Allied forces can operate in a degraded or denied environment,” said Jean-Philippe Saulay, a NATO navigation and identification officer, who also noted that enemies have the means to deter GPS signals.

NATO member nations may obtain REACT for free as the tool continues to undergo testing.

REACT users must input a jammer’s technical and location information into the software that then maps areas where GNSS receivers may have trouble accepting signals due to interference.

The Trident Jupiter 2019 exercise demonstrated the use of REACT and gathered operator feedback.

NATO will further look into the software’s operation in classified networks under REACT’s next developmental phase.

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NASA’s Lori Glaze: Mars 2020 Rover Mission on Schedule for Summer Launch
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NASA’s Lori Glaze: Mars 2020 Rover Mission on Schedule for Summer Launch

NASA's Lori Glaze: Mars 2020 Rover Mission on Schedule for Summer Launch

Lori Glaze, director of the planetary science division at NASA, said the agency is trying to avoid delays in a Mars rover exploration mission slated to launch in July or August, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

Glaze told attendees at a virtual group meeting that NASA is working to balance health and safety requirements with the need to keep activities on schedule. NASA intends to launch the rover dubbed “Perseverance” between July 17 and Aug. 15 to avoid waiting for the next launch window in over two years.

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida received the rover earlier this year ahead of its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in February 2021.

According to Glaze, Mars 2020 is a top priority for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate along with the James Webb Space Telescope program which is currently facing delays.

Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA and former Wash100 Award recipient, previously cited Mars 2020 and the Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station as key programs for the agency in the coming months.

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FDA Accepts Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Biologics License Application for REGN-EB3 to Treat Quickly-Spreading Pathogens; Dr. George Yancopoulos Quoted
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FDA Accepts Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Biologics License Application for REGN-EB3 to Treat Quickly-Spreading Pathogens; Dr. George Yancopoulos Quoted

FDA Accepts Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ Biologics License Application for REGN-EB3 to Treat Quickly-Spreading Pathogens; Dr. George Yancopoulos Quoted

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for Priority Review a new Biologics License Application (BLA) for REGN-EB3, an investigational triple antibody treatment for Ebola virus infection, the company announced on Thursday.

“Developed using Regeneron’s proprietary VelociSuite rapid response technologies, REGN-EB3 was shown to save lives in the PALM trial, which evaluated multiple therapies against the current standard of care,” said George Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron.

The REGN-EB3 BLA is supported by data from the randomized, controlled PALM clinical trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Regeneron stopped the trial in Aug. 2019 once preliminary results showed that REGN-EB3 crossed the pre-specified superiority threshold for preventing death compared to the control arm, ZMapp.

REGN-EB3 demonstrated greater efficacy compared to ZMapp across multiple measures, including reduced mortality and fewer days until the Ebola virus was no longer detected in the bloodstream.

Regeneron’s VelociSuite technologies will enable the efficient creation and selection of potent fully-human antibodies against a specific biological target, which will be critical to address both new and quickly-spreading pathogens such as Ebola and COVID-19.

These technologies facilitate the rapid cloning and generation of optimized fully-human antibodies from both VelocImmune mice and convalescing human volunteers and allow for the rapid escalation of fully-human antibodies into manufacturing-quality cell line production and large-scale bioreactor manufacturing.

Once strong therapeutic antibody candidates are identified, the company’s in-house preclinical, clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities allow for fast scale-up and flexibility to adapt to current needs. REGN-EB3 has received Orphan Drug and Breakthrough Therapy designation from the FDA.

The technologies have been developed under an ongoing collaboration and with funding provided by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service.

“Regeneron is now applying this same approach to develop an antibody medicine that can potentially prevent and treat COVID-19, with initial clinical trials expected to begin in June,” Yancopoulos added.

About Regeneron 

Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for over 30 years by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to seven FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, all of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, infectious diseases and rare diseases.

Regeneron is accelerating and improving the traditional drug development process through our proprietary VelociSuitetechnologies, such as VelocImmune, which uses unique genetically-humanized mice to produce optimized fully-human antibodies and bispecific antibodies, and through ambitious research initiatives such as the Regeneron Genetics Center, which is conducting one of the largest genetics sequencing efforts in the world.

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1901 Group Enters $2.1M Agreement, Partnering with NTIS, to Develop NCFs; Paul Wilkinson Quoted
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1901 Group Enters $2.1M Agreement, Partnering with NTIS, to Develop NCFs; Paul Wilkinson Quoted

1901 Group Enters $2.1M Agreement, Partnering with NTIS, to Develop NCFs; Paul Wilkinson Quoted

1901 Group has secured a seven-month, $2.1 million agreement, under its joint venture partner agreement with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) for data innovation support, to assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) National Risk Management Center (NRMC), the company announced on Thursday.

“We are proud to continue our collaboration with NTIS in support of the DHS’s mission to remain resilient and protect citizens from homeland security threats,” said Paul Wilkinson, EVP Business Development at 1901 Group.

1901 Group will provide analytic research and innovation to further develop the National Critical Functions (NCFs) risk architecture framework. The project will be conducted in collaboration with NTIS. 1901 Group will deliver expertise and analysis to assist the NRMC in developing and documenting the analytic requirements to further define the threat landscape to the nation’s NCFs.

1901 Group provides comprehensive cybersecurity support using our FedRAMP Authorized Enterprise IT Operations Center and In³Sight security management platform to deliver best in class services that span on-premise, on the go, and in the cloud resulting in an improved cybersecurity posture.

The company’s cybersecurity division additionally provides identity, credential and access management, fully managed SOC, hybrid/co-managed SOC, traditional SOC, incident response, information security continuous monitoring (ISCM), vulnerability assessment, compliance and patch management.

“As data is becoming more crucial to agencies’ missions, we look forward to providing our expertise and emerging technologies to further protect specific activities that are crucial to our country,” added Wilkinson.

The agreement follows the appointment of Bob Beck as 1901 Group’s senior director of business development for the Department of Defense market in March 2019.

Beck is a well-known figure with over 30 years of experience in government business development, financial management, and implementing strategies within the public sector marketplace.

He joined 1901 Group after serving as vice president and general manager for IPsoft Government Solutions (IGS) building a portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing offerings including an AI ability to assist veterans in completing disability claim forms.

Beck served as the DoD Account Executive with CSRA (now General Dynamics Information Technology) doubling the company’s cybersecurity practice during the first year of implementation.

About 1901 Group, LLC

1901 Group is a leading provider of innovative IT services and solutions in the public and private sector. We improved service delivery by leveraging our FedRAMP authorized Enterprise IT Operations Center (EITOC) to provide 24×7 support of end-users, complex IT infrastructure environments, and mission-critical systems.

Our capabilities include cloud, cyber security, and enterprise-scale managed services to transition customers from traditional on-premise IT infrastructure and support models to hybrid cloud solutions that improve performance and reduce costs. We proudly support customers that span federal, state, and local governments, including law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and commercial markets. Customers benefit from our 24×7 Cloud Factory with FedRAMP authorization, ISO 9001 certification, and CMMI Maturity Level 3 appraisals.

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AAR Mobility Systems Secures $11.9M FFP Contract to Produce LMS for U.S. Army; Lee Krantz Quoted
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AAR Mobility Systems Secures $11.9M FFP Contract to Produce LMS for U.S. Army; Lee Krantz Quoted

AAR Mobility Systems Secures $11.9M FFP Contract to Produce LMS for U.S. Army; Lee Krantz Quoted

AAR’s Mobility Systems division has been awarded a five-year, $11.9 million sole-source firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract from the US Army to produce three variants of Lightweight Multipurpose Shelters (LMS), the company announced on Thursday. These shelters will be manufactured at AAR Mobility Systems in Cadillac, Michigan.

“AAR Mobility Systems is proud to continue providing this critical capability to support the warfighter. This sole-source firm-fixed-price (FFP) contract will ensure that the US Army will be provided the best equipment possible to meet the challenges of today and for years to come,” said Lee Krantz, senior vice president, AAR Mobility Systems.

Under the contract, AAR Mobility Systems will provide the US Army with a direct method for procuring three variants of LMS shelters for requirements to support multi-domain warfare operations. The products will be designed to support Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) and other operations while being vehicle-mounted.

The US Army contract adds to AAR’s history of supporting federal agencies. In Jan. 2020, the company was awarded a contract by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Troop Support in Philadelphia, US, for the supply of critical assets.

Under the $90 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, the company will be responsible for the manufacture of specialized shipping and storage containers.  Production of the containers will take place in Cadillac, Michigan.

Through this contract, the US Armed Forces and its allies can purchase quick deployment products from AAR directly.

“We take pride in providing these critical assets to support the warfighter… This contract will ensure that the US Armed Forces and its allies maintain their full spectrum dominance,” AAR Mobility Systems Business Development vice-president Jeffery Jackson said.

About AAR

AAR is a global aerospace and defense aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 6,000 people in over 20 countries. Headquartered in the Chicago area, AAR supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR’s Aviation Services include Parts Supply; OEM Solutions; Integrated Solutions; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Services. AAR’s Expeditionary Services include Mobility Systems and Composite Manufacturing operations.

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PredaSAR Names Eric Truitt CSO to Enhance Defense Intelligence; Roger Teague, Marc Bell Quoted
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PredaSAR Names Eric Truitt CSO to Enhance Defense Intelligence; Roger Teague, Marc Bell Quoted

PredaSAR Names Eric Truitt CSO to Enhance Defense Intelligence; Roger Teague, Marc Bell Quoted

PredaSAR Corporation has appointed Intelligence Community (IC) veteran Eric Truitt, as chief solutions officer (CSO), effective April 15, 2020, the company announced on Wednesday.

“Eric has a highly distinguished leadership background in rapidly transitioning state-of-the-art prototype technologies into warfighter- and commercial-ready products,” said PredaSAR CEO Roger Teague. “His expertise in innovating remote sensing technologies, as well as in designing and delivering mission solutions leveraging spacecraft constellations, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms, and scalable IoT architectures, primarily for defense and intelligence use cases, is a perfect match for PredaSAR.”

Prior to joining PredaSAR, Truitt served as chief of space and intelligence programs with the Georgia Tech Research Institute. In the role, he was responsible for developing strategic technological innovations for research sponsors in the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC).

Truitt has more than 20 years of service supporting the Intelligence and Department of Defense (DoD) as a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) expert. He also served as a senior advisor for Intelligence and Space technology applications.

Truitt graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with an MBA in Technology Management and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Augusta University. He served on Active Duty as a cryptologist in the US Navy for 5 years.

“Eric is a valuable addition to PredaSAR and CEO Roger Teague’s leadership team,” commented Marc Bell, PredaSAR Chairman and Co-Founder. “Eric will provide strategic leadership to align, produce, and deliver PredaSAR’s offerings to meet the most critical needs of both our defense and commercial customers.”

About PredaSAR

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, PredaSAR Corporation is building and will operate the world’s largest and most advanced commercially operated Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite constellation and ground network providing customized solutions to both government and commercial clients.

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KBR GS APAC Acquires 15 Defense Contracts from SMA; Stuart Bradie Quoted
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KBR GS APAC Acquires 15 Defense Contracts from SMA; Stuart Bradie Quoted

KBR GS APAC Acquires 15 Defense Contracts from SMA; Stuart Bradie Quoted

KBR has announced today that its Government Solutions Asia-Pacific (GS APAC) business has recently acquired over 15 new defense contracts from Australian company SMA, KBR announced on Thursday.

“KBR’s global Government Solutions business has enjoyed strong revenue performance, especially so in Australia where we have consistently delivered growth with healthy margins,” KBR President and CEO Stuart Bradie said.

The SMA contract acquisition will include a range of defense projects across Australia and will add depth and strength to KBR’s technical training services with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). With the acquisition, KBR will be positioned as the leading provider of technical training to the RAN and prepared to support the RAN’s commitment to upgrade its fleet across submarines, offshore patrol vessels and new frigates.

The majority of awards were from the Australian Department of Defence supporting the government’s investment in new military capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). These include major programs such as the integrated soldier system support program for the Australian Army, sustainment engineering for the largest ships in the RAN, Mission IT solutions and support across the ADF and workforce training for the Garrison Estate Management System project.

KBR will work as a Major Service Provider to the Department of Defence also accounts for a significant portion of the awards for multiple Defence System Program Offices spanning land, sea, air and joint domains.

“The addition of SMA adds to our continued success in the region and winning new work and contract extensions further demonstrates our operational strength and mission focus even as we maneuver through these unprecedented and challenging times.”

In addition to the company’s acquired contracts, KBR has also expanded its business through valuable company acquisitions. The company announced that KBR has acquired Isomerization Technologies from RRT Global to expand octane and clean fuel technology solutions for its customers in Aug. 2019.

As a result of the acquisition, KBR has acquired the patented technology with intellectual property rights to offer MAX-ISOM globally and to offer isomerization technologies for C4 and C7 streams.

Isomerization of C4 streams produces a more desirable feedstock for alkylation units such as KBR’s Solid Acid Alkylation Technology (K-SAAT). C7 isomerization can be applied to upgrade low octane C7 streams to produce isomerate that can be blended directly in the gasoline pool.

KBR, in alliance with RRT Global, has been offering MAX-ISOM™ catalytic distillation technology for the isomerization of C5 and C6 n-paraffins to boost gasoline pool octane since 2015. Isomerization of C5 and C6 streams is practiced to improve the octane rating of light straight-run naphtha.

“With the acquisition of these technologies, KBR now offers expanded Octane solutions including isomerization of C4, C5, C6 and C7 streams in refineries,” said John Derbyshire, president, KBR Technology Solutions. “MAX-ISOM is the technology of choice for the low-cost production of high octane isomerate, in a highly flexible and compact design with minimum energy requirements.”

About KBR, Inc.

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program lifecycle within the Government Solutions and Energy sectors. KBR employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 80 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses: Government, Energy and Technology Solutions.

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SDCRAA Awards Jacobs $35M Contract to Support SAN Terminal Expansion; Ron Williams Quoted
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SDCRAA Awards Jacobs $35M Contract to Support SAN Terminal Expansion; Ron Williams Quoted

SDCRAA Awards Jacobs $35M Contract to Support SAN Terminal Expansion; Ron Williams Quoted

Jacobs was selected to support the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) to continue the airport’s $3 billion expansion program to enhance the airfield and replace Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport (SAN) with a renovated, expanded terminal, the company announced on Thursday.

The SDCRAA has projected that the contract, with a value not-to-exceed $35 million, spans five years with the option for two one-year extensions.

“This landmark program will enhance airfield safety while providing sustainable solutions, including the largest water capture, treatment and reuse system to be installed at an airport in the United States,” said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President and West Regional Director Ron Williams.

Under the contract, Jacobs will provide construction and maintenance of airside aprons, taxiways, runway areas, landside roads, parking lots, storm water system, security blast wall and associated utilities.

The project will include relocation of existing parallel Taxiway B to meet FAA standards, building a second parallel taxiway to enhance capacity with safe movement of aircraft on the ground, a new aircraft parking apron to accommodate a future 30 gate Terminal 1 replacement and the capture, storage, treatment and reuse of all storm water on the airport site.

During the ADP development and subsequent California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act environmental analyses, environmentally sensitive areas were identified for necessary mitigation.

Jacobs’ efforts will address construction impacts utilizing aircraft simulation and modeling techniques to maximize aircraft movement around construction areas while keeping the airport open for business with minimal impacts.

“Partnering with SDCRAA to provide design services at San Diego International Airport is paramount to meet the needs of the airport’s growing passenger base and its important role in the region’s transportation and transit infrastructure,” Williams added.

This selection is the latest in Jacobs’ history of serving the SDCRAA at SAN through its work in support of the ongoing Airport Development Plan (ADP). Since 2005, Jacobs has provided strategic consulting services, most recently leading the development of the ADP. The company has successfully delivered the State Final Environmental Impact Report and has worked to finalize the Federal Environmental Assessment for the ADP.

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 revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.

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