/
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds: Network Modernization a Top Priority
Published on
Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds: Network Modernization a Top Priority
Lori Reynolds
Lori Reynolds

Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds, deputy commandant for information at the U.S. Marine Corps, said she has four priorities in 2020 and the first focuses on the service’s network modernization effort, C4ISRNET reported Monday.

“Our first priority (…) is this whole idea of assured enterprise command and control — so all the work that we’re doing [is] to build and fight a modernized network,” Reynolds told reporters during a media availability Friday. She said the effort includes the integration of a more mobile cloud, adoption of artificial intelligence and a plan to bring software developers to the service.

Her three other priorities are the development of integrated naval operations in the information environment, modernization of multidomain intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and institutionalization of information as a warfighting function.

Reynolds also discussed the establishment of Marine Expeditionary Force Information Groups.

/
Brad Smith Appointed CMS Senior Adviser, Innovation Center Director
Published on
Brad Smith Appointed CMS Senior Adviser, Innovation Center Director
Brad Smith
Brad Smith

The Department of Health and Human Services has appointed Brad Smith, former chief operating officer of the diversified business group at health insurer Anthem, director of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation.

He will also serve as senior adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar on value-based transformation matters, the department said Monday.

“Delivering better value in healthcare is a key piece of how we’re executing on President Trump’s healthcare vision," Azar said, adding that Smith will help expand CMS Administrator Seema Verma's initiatives to ensure delivery of health care services to Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries.

"I am excited that we have selected Brad to join the ranks of CMS and help us build on the important work the Trump Administration has undertaken to transform our healthcare system to deliver better value to patients," said Verma.

Smith helped establish and previously led Aspire Health as CEO.

Trump Administration Eyes February Submission of FY 2021 Budget Request
Published on
Trump Administration Eyes February Submission of FY 2021 Budget Request
Trump Administration Eyes February Submission of FY 2021 Budget Request

The White House plans to send to Congress its proposed budget for fiscal year 2021 on Feb. 10, Defense News reported Monday.

The budget request is expected to continue to support the Pentagon’s efforts of implementing the National Defense Strategy. In December, President Donald Trump signed into law the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes $738B in defense funding.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: House to Limit Trump’s Military Actions Against Iran With Resolution
Published on
Rep. Nancy Pelosi: House to Limit Trump’s Military Actions Against Iran With Resolution
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the lower chamber will vote this week on a war powers resolution to restrict President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran.

The resolution “reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days,” Pelosi wrote in a Sunday letter to House Democrats.

She said the resolution is similar to a measure crafted by Sen. Tim Kaine’s, D-Va., and will be led by Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.

The missive was in response to Trump’s order to launch a U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a high-ranking Iranian military official.

“For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution,” Pelosi added.

Army, Virginia Tech Develop Methods to Increase Network Survivability
Published on
Army, Virginia Tech Develop Methods to Increase Network Survivability
Army, Virginia Tech Develop Methods to Increase Network Survivability

The U.S. Army and Virginia Tech jointly conducted a study on network adaptability resulting in strategies that will enable continued operations amid component failures and cyber attacks.

The Army said Friday that Virginia Tech and the Army Research Laboratory developed a computational simulation with limited nodes, which may come from robots or cell phones. The nodes were assigned to tasks of varying priorities, including communication support, surveillance, search-and-rescue and distributed processing.

Terry Moore, an Army researcher, said the study sought to ensure that the Army's networks can "provide the services it needs."  

"A key result of this work is showing that typical measures of performance for network resilience do not apply to mission-oriented or task-service networks," he said. "We mathematically prove that without consideration of the resources or task priority, network connectivity is not a sufficient measure for determining mission success."

The study, titled “Network Adaptations Under Cascading Failures for Mission-Oriented Networks”, was published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Network and Service Management’s September 2019 volume.

NASA Lists This Year’s Launch Services Missions
Published on
NASA Lists This Year’s Launch Services Missions
NASA Lists This Year's Launch Services Missions

NASA plans to pursue three science-related missions in 2020 under the space agency's Launch Services Program.

The three missions will seek to further understand Earth's oceans, the Sun and Mars, the space agency said Friday.

The first of which is SolarOrbiter, a partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency to study the Sun's poles, solar wind and outer atmosphere via an Airbus-made spacecraft. This mission will launch this February.

The second, known as the Mars 2020 mission, is scheduled to launch in July. This effort would deploy a rover to collect rock samples, study geology and seek signs of microbial life on the red planet.

The last of the three, another NASA-ESA partnership, will launch two satellites that would measure the altimetry of Earth's oceans. The Sentinel-6 mission will take place later this year.

“LSP is incredibly excited to execute the 2020 launch manifest,” said Tim Dunn, launch director of LSP.

Dunn added that the program will also advise on crew and resupply missions for the International Space Station this year.

/
USAF Squadron Performs Live Mission With New Control Tech
Published on
USAF Squadron Performs Live Mission With New Control Tech
USAF Squadron Performs Live Mission With New Control Tech

The U.S. Air Force's 752nd Operations Support Squadron has conducted the unit's initial live mission with a new ground-based weapons system.

The squadron used the AN/TYQ-23A Tactical Air Operations Module from Tinker Air Force Base to command and control aircraft across the U.S., USAF said Sunday.

Tinker is among the four active-duty holders of the AN/TYQ-23A system across the Air Force. The technology is designed to facilitate a base's coordination with airborne units countrywide.

The squadron first received the technology in September and underwent usage training over a span of weeks.

“The fact that we are now able to run missions shows how we, the Control and Reporting Center community, continue to adapt and overcome to achieve mission success,” said Brian Zbydniewski, CRC systems integration technical advisor with the 752nd OSS.

Zbydniewski said his team transformed an old building into a control facility that housed various communications equipment.

The squadron now plans to hold two simulated missions with the new system weekly and two live ones monthly.

/
Finance Vet Jay Hoffman Lands Role as USPTO CFO
Published on
Finance Vet Jay Hoffman Lands Role as USPTO CFO
Jay Hoffman
Jay Hoffman

Jay Hoffman, former chief financial officer of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, has joined the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to fill the same role.

He will supervise activities on an over $3B budget and provide financial advisory support to USPTO officials, the agency said Friday.

Hoffman holds over 22 years of financial management experience in the federal sector. He advised CPSC's chairman on financial matters in his most recent role as the agency's CFO.

The finance expert also contributed to the Senior Executive Service as a member over a 15-year tenure.

“Jay brings extensive strategic financial management skills coupled with decades of leadership in government to this critically important role," said Andrei Iancu, undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and USPTO's director.

Hoffman continues the work of Sean Mildrew who served as USPTO's acting CFO up to the former's full-time start of the role.

/
Retired Lt. Gen Michael Nagata Joins CACI to Improve National Security; John Mengucci Quoted
Published on
Retired Lt. Gen Michael Nagata Joins CACI to Improve National Security; John Mengucci Quoted
Retired Lt. Gen Michael Nagata Joins CACI to Improve National Security; John Mengucci Quoted

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Nagata of U.S. Army has been named a senior vice president and corporate strategic advisor (CSP) by CACI International to enhance the position of CACI’s national security related expertise and technology offerings, the company announced on Monday.

“We are extremely pleased and proud to welcome Mr. Nagata to the CACI team. Mr. Nagata’s depth of policy and combat experience, including senior counterterrorism policy and operations posts, will be critical to ensure CACI continues to anticipate and meet the needs of our national security customers.” said John Mengucci, president and CEO of CACI.

Lt. Gen. Nagata will bring increased value to our customers' missions and utilize over three decades in top posts with the Army Special Forces, the Intelligence Community and the Diplomatic Service.

Most recently, he served as the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center’s Directorate of Strategic and Operational Planning (DSOP). Since joining the U.S. Army in 1982, he served in a wide range of ascending positions, including Commander of Special Operations Command Central, which notably campaigns against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Lt. Gen. Nagata has won numerous awards including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, one Bronze Star, and induction into the Legion of Merit. 

About CACI

CACI’s 22,000 talented employees are vigilant in providing the unique expertise and distinctive technology that address our customers’ greatest enterprise and mission challenges. Our culture of good character, innovation, and excellence drives our success and earns us recognition as a Fortune World's Most Admired Company. As a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies, the Russell 1000 Index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Index, we consistently deliver strong shareholder value. Visit us at www.caci.com.

//
DISA Awards Accenture Federal $7.5B IDIQ Contract to Improve IT Processes for Soldiers; Vince Vlasho Quoted
Published on
DISA Awards Accenture Federal $7.5B IDIQ Contract to Improve IT Processes for Soldiers; Vince Vlasho Quoted
DISA Awards Accenture Federal $7.5B IDIQ Contract to Improve IT Processes for Soldiers; Vince Vlasho Quoted

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has given Accenture Federal Services (AFS) a potential ten-year, $7.5 billion, Systems Engineering, Technology and Innovation (SETI) award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract award on Monday. 

“We’re honored to be selected as an innovation partner to DISA as it advances its future mission requirements,” said Vince Vlasho, AFS Defense portfolio lead. 

AFS and its partners will compete for task orders to provide cloud, application and cyber solutions with an emphasis on innovation. AFS will provide systems engineering and technology solutions for the Department of Defense (DoD). 

The company will also assist DISA streamline critical engineering functions for the research, design, development, integration and optimization of defense IT capabilities, systems and solutions.

“AFS’s experience in bringing together technology innovation with Defense mission needs enables us to help DISA design and deliver solutions with advanced technologies quickly that improve their service and combatant command capabilities now and into the future,” Vlasho added. 

In addition to the SETI contract, AFS will be working on six-year, $75.8 million hybrid contract to provide support services for the U.S. Army's unified enterprise resource planning system,  which was awarded on Dec. 10, 2019.

The contract will include a five-year base with a five-year option period and a ceiling of $7.5 billion. The SETI contract will address current and future mission requirements and increase IT capabilities through disruptive innovation. 

About Accenture Federal Services

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Accenture Federal Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, is a U.S. company with offices in Arlington, Virginia. Accenture’s federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations. Accenture Federal Services transforms bold ideas into breakthrough outcomes for clients at defense, intelligence, public safety, civilian and military health organizations.

1 … 1,600 1,601 1,602 1,603 1,604 … 2,624