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DOE Appoints Dawn Zimmer as Principal Deputy CIO
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DOE Appoints Dawn Zimmer as Principal Deputy CIO

The Department of Energy has named Dawn Zimmer as principal deputy chief information officer.

Zimmer, who announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post on Friday, has served as the executive director for information technology experience and engagement at Virginia Tech since November 2019.

Zimmer’s Public and Education Sector Experience

Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she held various roles at the Federal Aviation Administration. She was the director of business partnership services responsible for ensuring secure and reliable access to air traffic support systems, establishing the FAA Customer Experience Division and improving user onboarding processes. Zimmer also served as the agency’s strategy manager for core services and customer engagement, chief of staff of the Office of Finance and Management and management operations manager.

She also spent time as a deputy director at the Department of Justice’s Office of the CIO, director of customer support and training at Ulticom, and product manager at GE Capital.

The new DOE deputy CIO replaced Brian Epley, who left the agency earlier in 2024 to assume the CIO role at the Department of Commerce, FedScoop reported. Current DOE CIO Ann Dunkin is also expected to leave the agency when the Biden administration ends. At that time, Zimmer would serve as acting CIO until DOE appoints a permanent replacement.

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NASA Seeks Orbiting Spacecraft Support for Medium Explorer Mission
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NASA Seeks Orbiting Spacecraft Support for Medium Explorer Mission

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center is looking for potential teaming partners to provide satellite and on-orbit support services for its upcoming heliophysics medium explorer mission.

GSFC is interested in working with qualified vendors that can host instruments on orbiting spacecraft, support the integration and testing of the completed observatories, perform services for mission operations and provide a mission operations center or ground station for control capability, according to a Nov. 22 notice on SAM.gov.

NASA Support Requirements

NASA has set a maximum budget of $300 million for the project, with the estimated costs to cover the instruments, spacecraft, instrument-to-spacecraft integration support, environmental testing, launch site operations and operations for up to two years. Notably, the projected costs exclude the launch vehicle and mission-specific adjustments.

Project’s Estimated Timeline

According to the space agency, shortlisted submissions will advance in a mission concept study stage in April 2026, which will culminate in a nine-month concept study report and be followed by a site visit. The government plans to start soliciting proposals in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2025 and targets launch readiness by January 2032.

Responses will be accepted until Jan. 6, 2025.

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DCMA Directorate Realignment to Boost Modernization
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DCMA Directorate Realignment to Boost Modernization

The Defense Management Contract Agency has undergone restructuring resulting in changes aimed at consolidating organizations and boosting the agency’s modernization initiative.

The agency said Thursday the realignment is meant to streamline operations, promote collaboration and strengthen the alignment within headquarters components.

Enterprise Analytics & Modernization

The Portfolio Management and Business Integration Directorate was renamed Enterprise Analytics & Modernization, or EA&M, effective July 28. The Program Support, Policy Guidance and Competency Planning and Industrial Analysis divisions are still based in the DCMA headquarters as part of EA&M.

In a related move, EA&M executive director Walter Eady tasked Chief Digital and Artificial Officer Craig Morgan to stand up the Agency Data Analytics and Optimization capability.

The establishment of EA&M aligns with efforts to enhance the monitoring of systemic performance trends by utilizing business business-intelligent and data analytics tools. Industrial Analysis is another key focus of EA&M. It enhances Defense Industrial Base Mission Assurance awareness and fosters collaboration aimed at supporting DOD risk management activities to boost warfighter capabilities.

Other DCMA Realignments

The Corporate Assessment Team and the Customer Engagement Teams, formerly part of the renamed directorate, were moved to the Corporate Operations Directorate. The Earned Value Management Systems Center was moved to the Cost and Pricing Command while the Reimbursable Team is now part of the Financial and Business Operations Directorate.

The Data Management division, formerly of Corporate Operations, is now under EA&M. This move is included in the first phase of establishing the Department of Defense-directed CDAO.

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Randy Resnick Says DOD Zero Trust Office Working to Secure OT
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Randy Resnick Says DOD Zero Trust Office Working to Secure OT

Randy Resnick, director of the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office within the Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, said his office has “pivoted” from strengthening the security of IT systems to protecting operational technology and weapon systems from foreign cyberthreat actors, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

“For OT and weapon systems, we are coming out with initial zero trust guidance. Why? Because the adversary is attacking,” Resnick told the publication.

“The adversary wants to get into weapon systems to prevent their launch, or mess with the GPS coordinates, so the DoD is looking to initially secure these things beyond what they are today,” he added.

Resnick’s office intends to fully implement zero trust for IT by the end of fiscal year 2027 with plans to release zero trust guidance for OT followed by another guidance for defense critical infrastructure.

“We are going to be coming out with guidance for OT, and that’ll probably come out at the end of summer [2025] and we’ll have a date beyond 2027 where we start establishing ZT [zero trust] into OT,” Resnick noted.

“Then, of course, we’re also concerned about defense critical infrastructure, so that’s another thing,” the 2024 Wash100 awardee added.

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GovCon Index Gains Positive Momentum From Mid-Week Rise
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GovCon Index Gains Positive Momentum From Mid-Week Rise

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index gained positive momentum this past week, increasing 1.05%, following its worst recorded performance period. The index closed with an average of $5,212.93 for the week.

GovCon Index provides site visitors with a real-time look into the stock market performance of 30 key government contracting organizations. Users can evaluate the index’s recorded data on each tracked company and gain insights into critical GovCon market trends. 

Top Momentum Gainers

Following six consecutive days of loss, a 0.68% gain on Wednesday instigated positive momentum for the rest of the week.

Booz Allen Hamilton is currently enjoying three days of positive movement after sustaining a seven-day losing streak. Fluor Corporation rose 7.45% for the period, while Boeing came in second with a 6.49% increase. Boeing’s weekly gain was viewed as surprising due to the company announcing over 2,200 job layoffs at the start of the week. 

Palantir Technologies, GCI’s top performer in 2024, topped Friday’s winners with a 4.87% increase. Maximus sustained a 7.69% drop, the most of any decline. 

Take a firsthand look at last week’s market report to review daily GovCon Index performance. Visit GovConIndex.com to see the complete list of tracked organizations.

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DISA Eyes Hybrid Cloud Communication Expansion
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DISA Eyes Hybrid Cloud Communication Expansion

The Defense Information Systems Agency plans to expand in fiscal year 2025 to more American units outside the continental United States its Joint Operational Edge, or JOE, cloud platform operating with a commercial system extension.  

JOE’s hybrid OCONUS cloud operation, currently confined within the Indo-Pacific Command following its introduction in August 2023, seeks to connect the gap dividing cloud and edge computing to overcome operational problems in denied or degraded communication environments, DISA said Friday.  

According to Adam Ringel, DISA J-9 Hosting and Compute Directorate OCONUS Cloud user experience chief, the JOE platform provides the physical computing hardware at the edge when a commercial provider is unable to deliver communication.

DISA Private Cloud Deployed

DISA is addressing the commercial shortfall through its private cloud Stratus, which is now operating in U.S. military units in Hawaii, Japan and Europe. The agency said Stratus is a multi-tenant platform with secure and scalable features complementing public cloud capabilities.

The platform can run applications that requires high bandwidth while also providing the flexibility and resource sharing provided by commercial cloud systems, DISA added.

JOE Contract Opportunities 

The agency is looking beyond Stratus in its continuing efforts to test and refine the JOE cloud platform, which uses AWS Outpost to deliver the capability to INDOPACOM.

The platform’s goal is to have its capabilities available not only through AWS but also via Microsoft, Oracle and Google under the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract, Ringel said. “These edge deployments will ensure that mission partners have the tools they need, no matter where they operate,” he added.

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New Missile Destroyer Christened at Keel Laying Ceremony
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New Missile Destroyer Christened at Keel Laying Ceremony

HII has laid the keel for the future USS Sam Nunn, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, during a ceremony on Friday at the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division.

Naval Sea Systems Command said Friday the initials of both the ship’s namesake and sponsor were etched into the keel plate by a welder. 

Honoring Senator Samuel Nunn

The ship, also known as DDG 133, is named after former United States senator Samuel Augustus Nunn Jr. He represented the state of Georgia and also served as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Sen. Nunn attended the ceremony himself along with his daughter Michelle Nunn, the ship’s sponsor.

USS Sam Nunn’s Advanced Capabilities

The future USS Sam Nunn, which will be part of the DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, will feature advanced capabilities such as the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and enhanced electrical power capacity and cooling systems.

Aside from USS Sam Nunn, HII is also building USS Ted Stevens, USS Jeremiah Denton, USS George M. Neal and USS Thad Cochran.

“The future USS Sam Nunn and all who sail aboard her will honor the legacy of Sen. Nunn and his dedication to the men and women serving our country,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office, Ships. “DDG 133 will be yet another player on the field providing the most advanced capability to our Navy and the nation.”

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Senators Propose Bipartisan Health Care Cybersecurity & Resiliency Act
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Senators Propose Bipartisan Health Care Cybersecurity & Resiliency Act

Four senators have introduced a bipartisan bill to improve cybersecurity in the healthcare sector and safeguard health data of Americans.

The proposed Health Care Cybersecurity and Resiliency Act of 2024 was developed by the lawmakers through a bipartisan healthcare cybersecurity working group that launched in 2023, Sen. Maggie Hassan’s office said Friday.

What Would the Bill Do?

The proposed measure would provide grants to health organizations to enhance cyberattack prevention and response, provide training to health entities on cybersecurity best practices and require the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to implement a cybersecurity incident response plan.

The legislation would offer best practices to rural health clinics and other providers on how to prevent cybersecurity breaches, improve resilience and coordinate with federal agencies.

The bill also seeks to improve coordination between HHS and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to facilitate response to cyberattacks in the healthcare sector.

“Cyberattacks on our health care sector not only put patients’ sensitive health data at risk but can delay life-saving care,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.“This bipartisan legislation ensures health institutions can safeguard Americans’ health data against increasing cyber threats.”

Cassidy, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s ranking member, introduced the bill with Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.

Register here for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11. Join this key event to explore the transformative trends and innovations shaping the future of the U.S. healthcare sector.

POC - 2024 Healthcare Summit
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GAO Says ONCD Should Lead Nat’l Quantum Cyber Strategy Efforts
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GAO Says ONCD Should Lead Nat’l Quantum Cyber Strategy Efforts

The Government Accountability Office recommends that the National Cyber Director take the lead in coordinating the U.S. strategy in quantum computing cybersecurity.

Lack of Coordinating Federal Agency

The government watchdog made the proposal in a recent report, released Thursday, where it was pointed out that within the next decade or two, a quantum computer may be developed that is capable of overcoming the cryptography being used to secure systems and data. Despite the threat posed by such a computer — known as a cryptographically relevant quantum computer, or CRQC — no single agency is tasked with coordinating the various efforts across the U.S. government that is being undertaken to build up a national strategy.

Strategy Objectives & Characteristics

According to GAO, a national quantum computing cybersecurity strategy would have three objectives, namely: the standardization of post quantum cryptography, or PQC; the migration of federal systems to PQC; and the preparation of all sectors for PQC. Such a strategy should also feature three desirable characteristics, namely: it offers a definition of the problem and a risk assessment; it articulates its purpose, scope and methodology; and it lists objectives, activities, milestones and performance measures.

GAO notes that due to the lack of a singular coordinating federal agency, these characteristics are not fully addressed in the multiple documents that comprise the emerging U.S. national strategy for quantum cybersecurity.

“If the [Office of the National Cyber Director] embraces this role and ensures that the strategy fully addresses the desirable characteristics, the nation will have a better-defined roadmap for allocating resources and holding participants accountable,” GAO said in its report.

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Trump Eyes Defense Investors for Deputy DOD Secretary
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Trump Eyes Defense Investors for Deputy DOD Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump is considering Trae Stephens, a partner at venture capital firm Founders Fund, and Stephen Feinberg, co-chief executive of investment firm Cerberus Capital Management, for the deputy secretary role at the Department of Defense, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

According to WSJ, the potential appointment of a defense tech startup investor as deputy DOD secretary would benefit new companies that have entered the military market but struggled to do business with the Pentagon.

The deputy secretary role is the second highest-ranking civilian position within DOD responsible for the defense budget and other daily operations.

Who Are the Candidates?

According to the report, Stephens co-founded Anduril Industries. He is a venture capitalist and a frequent public speaker who talks about the value of building for national security.

Stephen Feinberg previously led the intelligence advisory board during the first Trump administration. According to associates, the billionaire investor invested in hypersonics to help the U.S. regain an edge against competitors.

The publication noted that the incoming administration is considering other candidates for the deputy secretary position, including those from inside the Pentagon.

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