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Senate Confirms Lt. Gen. Jason Evans for New Army Installation Leadership Role
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Senate Confirms Lt. Gen. Jason Evans for New Army Installation Leadership Role


Jeff Brody
Lt. Gen. Jason Evans

Lt. Gen. Jason Evans has received the Senate’s confirmation to serve as deputy chief of staff, G-9, at the Department of the Army.

His newly established role succeeds the former position of assistant chief of staff for installation management, an old function that the Army changed to correspond with a three-star rank, the service branch said Friday.

Evans will operate from the Pentagon to oversee the Army’s portfolio of installations as part of the service branch’s reformed approach to installation management. This portfolio includes projects on military construction, housing, energy and water security, child care and environmental management.

The lieutenant general will also function as a principal advisor to the assistant secretaries of the Army for installations, energy and environment and manpower and reserve affairs management.

The service branch launched its installation reform initiative in early March to reorganize Army Installation Management Command as major component of Army Materiel Command. AMC’s commander now also holds the task to co-chair installation management processes with the assistant secretary of the Army for IE&E.

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President Trump Nominates Pete Gaynor as FEMA Administrator
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President Trump Nominates Pete Gaynor as FEMA Administrator


Jeff Brody
Pete Gaynor

Pete Gaynor, a 12-year emergency management veteran, has been nominated by President Trump to serve as administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gaynor currently serves as deputy administrator at FEMA after he received approval from the Senate in 2018, the White House said Thursday.

Prior to his present capacity, Gaynor led the Office of Homeland Security and the Providence Emergency Management Agency as director. He also served as an emergency manager in Rhode Island. The certified emergency manager spent 26 years as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.

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NASA Announces New Tipping Point Partnerships for Moon and Mars Technologies; James Reuter Quoted
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NASA Announces New Tipping Point Partnerships for Moon and Mars Technologies; James Reuter Quoted


NASA Announces New Tipping Point Partnerships for Moon and Mars Technologies; James Reuter Quoted
James Reuter

NASA has selected 14 U.S. companies as partners whose technologies will enable the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach. Selections were based on the agency’s fourth competitive Tipping Point solicitation with a combined value of $43.2 million, NASA said Monday.

Here are the 14 companies that NASA has selected:

  • Blue Origin
  • OxEon Energy
  • Skyre
  • SpaceX
  • Infinity Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Inc.
  • Paragon Space Development Corp. of Houston
  • TallannQuest
  • Accion Systems
  • CU Aerospace
  • ExoTerra Resource
  • Blue Canyon Technologies
  • Astrobotic Technology
  • Intuitive Machines
  • Luna Innovations

These companies will work to address technology areas such as cryogenic propellant production and management, sustainable energy generation, storage and distribution, efficient and affordable propulsion systems, autonomous operations, rover mobility and advanced avionics.

“These promising technologies are at a ‘tipping point’ in their development, meaning NASA’s investment is likely the extra push a company needs to significantly mature a capability,” said James Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “These are important technologies necessary for sustained exploration of the Moon and Mars. As the agency focuses on landing astronauts on the Moon by 2024 with the Artemis program, we continue to prepare for the next phase of lunar exploration that feeds forward to Mars.”

Through firm-fixed-price contracts, STMD will make milestone payments over a performance period of up to 36 months. Each industry partner is required to contribute a minimum percent, based on the company’s size, of the total cost for each project.

STMD develops transformative space technologies to enable future missions. Tipping Point projects are managed by programs within STMD and in some cases include collaborations with NASA centers.

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PSC Comments on Department of Defense Draft Cybersecurity Framework; Wash100 Award Winner David Berteau, Alan Chvotkin Quoted
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PSC Comments on Department of Defense Draft Cybersecurity Framework; Wash100 Award Winner David Berteau, Alan Chvotkin Quoted


Jeff Brody

On Monday, the Professional Services Council (PSC) provided further feedback on the issues and concerns for the contractor community with regard to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) draft Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) framework. 

“PSC and our member companies welcome DoD’s high level of engagement and coordination with industry on the model, and we hope this collaboration will continue as the Department implements this,” said 2019 Wash100 Award winner, PSC President and CEO David Berteau. “This is a very big undertaking, so DoD and industry must continue to work together to get this right.”

A draft of the CMMC framework was released by DoD on Sept. 5. When finalized, the framework will require all companies doing business with DoD to obtain third-party certification that their company and their supply chains meet certain DoD-established cybersecurity standards. 

This new policy is expected to impact roughly 300,000 companies who provide goods and services to the Department, and the certifications are expected to be required for responses to DoD solicitations by the end of the 2020 federal fiscal year. 

“PSC supports DoD’s efforts to create a unified cybersecurity standard based on ‘best practices’ to secure the industrial base. However, PSC has some concerns, recommendations, and questions regarding CMMC and the implementation process,” said PSC Executive Vice President and Counsel Alan Chvotkin in the Sept. 25 letter. 

“Our initial review of the CMMC framework raises eight key issues and themes that we believe DoD needs to address prior to implementation to ensure clarity, fairness and competition in the standard.”

About Professional Services Council (PSC)

PSC is the voice of the government technology and professional services industry. PSC’s more than 400 member companies represent small, medium and large businesses that provide federal agencies with services of all kinds, including information technology, engineering, logistics, facilities management, operations and maintenance, consulting, international development, scientific, social, environmental services, and more. Together, the trade association’s members employ hundreds of thousands of Americans in all 50 states.

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Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems Selects Textron Systems for U.S. Army Combat Vehicle; Lisa Atherton Quoted
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Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems Selects Textron Systems for U.S. Army Combat Vehicle; Lisa Atherton Quoted


Jeff Brody

Raytheon Rheinmetall Land Systems has selected Textron Systems as the U.S. manufacturer for the Lynx Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Raytheon announced on Monday. 

“Textron Systems brings a decades-long heritage of supporting the U.S. Department of Defense and its allies with highly reliable and capable combat vehicles to enhance mission outcomes,” said Lisa Atherton, president and CEO of Textron Systems. “We are proud to be a part of the Lynx team and stand ready to support our teammates and our customer.”

The team of industry leaders is offering Lynx to meet the U.S. Army’s requirement for an Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle (OMFV). Textron Systems brings unique capabilities in hull fabrication, rolling chassis assembly, integration and testing to the OMFV program. 

The company will support final integration during the development and prototyping phase of the program. In parallel, Textron Systems will prepare to build the Lynx chassis during future production phases. Textron Systems intends to perform the work at its Slidell, Louisiana, manufacturing facility.

“Building Lynx in America will support U.S. manufacturing jobs and revitalize the nation’s defense industrial base,” said Sam Deneke, Raytheon Land Warfare Systems vice president. “Textron Systems is an experienced manufacturer central to our strategy of leveraging a reliable U.S. supply chain to deliver the world’s most advanced combat vehicle to the U.S. Army.”

The U.S. Army’s OMFV, scheduled for fielding in 2026, is expected to replace the legacy Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

About Raytheon

Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries.

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DHS, Pentagon Look at AI for Cyber Readiness Efforts
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DHS, Pentagon Look at AI for Cyber Readiness Efforts


Jeff Brody

The departments of Homeland Security and Defense plan to use artificial intelligence to improve their cybersecurity posture and allow their workforce to focus on more complex tasks, Federal News Network reported Friday.

Martin Stanley, a technical and AI adviser for DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the department plans to support its cyber analysts’ work with the use of AI platforms.

“As managers, we really need to start looking at ways that we can transition folks into new positions, and build these human-machine teams that allow the humans to do the thing that they’re good at — which is to deal with the unpredictable, very complex kinds of decisions,” Martin said.

Ray Cook, chief technology officer for the CIA’s science and technology directorate, said he thinks AI tools could help analysts manage large data workloads.

“We have a huge data problem … and we have a finite workforce that has no chance whatsoever of keeping up with the pace — the variety, velocity and volume of that data, without some automation,” Cook said.

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Derek Tournear on Responses to SDA’s Space Transport Layer RFI
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Derek Tournear on Responses to SDA’s Space Transport Layer RFI


Jeff Brody
Derek Tournear

Derek Tournear, acting director of the Space Development Agency, told Defense News in an interview published Sunday that SDA received technical data when it issued in July a request for information on the planned transport layer for its proposed architecture of satellite constellations.

“That will allow us to customize when we actually put out solicitations,” he said of the responses to the RFI. “A lot of that had to do with exactly what orbits, and the number of satellites, we needed to be able to field for different missions.”

Tournear said the agency expects to release a solicitation on a transport demo, which will involve “two optical cross-links talking amongst two satellites and also down to the ground.”

He also discussed some of the changes to the planned satellite architecture and SDA’s reprogramming request.

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DHS, Air Force Set Sights on Aviation Cybersecurity; Will Roper Quoted
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DHS, Air Force Set Sights on Aviation Cybersecurity; Will Roper Quoted


Jeff Brody
Will Roper

The Department of Homeland Security has revived a program to identify airliners’ risks to cyber attacks, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. DHS teamed up with the departments of Transportation and Defense on the reconstituted cybersecurity program, which will involve limited aircraft testing.

The U.S. Air Force plans to conduct its own initiative to look at the cybersecurity posture of commercial aviation systems. The service runs more than 5,300 aircraft, including converted commercial planes, and has mobilized internal teams to identify cyber vulnerabilities in its systems.

Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology, and logistics and a 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said he wants the military branch to take an urgent approach to finding potential weaknesses in aircraft. “If we don’t probe first, our adversaries will,” Roper said in an interview. “We’ve been a little complacent in not trying to attack all of the parts of the airplane.”

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DELTA Resources Appoints Rob Gardenier as New Director of Warfare Systems
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DELTA Resources Appoints Rob Gardenier as New Director of Warfare Systems


Jeff Brody

Robert (Rob) Gardenier, an accomplished engineer and acquisition professional with more than 30 years of experience, has been appointed the new director of Warfare Systems for DELTA Resources, Inc., the company announced on Friday. 

Gardenier will apply his expertise in management, engineering, and acquisitions to develop innovative solutions for Government customers involving Warfare Systems and will contribute to DELTA’s strategic company objectives.

As the Systems Integration PAPM in PMS515, Gardenier headed the FFG(X) Program’s GFE procurement, Test and Evaluation planning, Network Architecture and Cybersecurity design and planning as well as Aviation, C4I and Weapons Systems Integration. 

He’s led several SOCCOM and WARCOM funded efforts as the Technical Director for PMS Naval Special Warfare and served as the PAPM for New Technology Development for Special Operating Forces Undersea Mobility programs in PMS399.

In addition to his civilian career, he maintained a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer; retiring at the rank of CAPTAIN in 2017. His assignments at NAVAIR included: AIR 4.0X PGSS Program, PMA275 V-22 Osprey Program Office, PMA260 Common Support Equipment Programs, and more.

ABOUT DELTA Resources, Inc. 

DELTA Resources, Inc. is a woman-owned business, established in 2000 to provide support services to the Federal government and the private sector. With 350+ employees and annual revenues exceeding $50 million, the company maintains a steadfast focus and sustained growth in national security mission areas. DELTA achieves its corporate objectives through a partnership-oriented commitment to excellent customer service and employee development.

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Air Force Seeks Participants for ‘Air Force Explore’ Tech Dev’t Effort
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Air Force Seeks Participants for ‘Air Force Explore’ Tech Dev’t Effort


Jeff Brody

The U.S. Air Force is looking for technology development concepts to support its 2030 science and technology strategy. The service branch said Thursday that it will select participants from the government, industry and academic sectors who will receive awards worth up to $2 million as part of the Air Force Explore initiative.

According to the service, teams must address S&T priorities encompassing information sharing, persistent awareness and other areas for achieving combat dominance. Challenges may involve imagery-based vehicle tracking, personnel recovery equipment delivery and in-flight refueling and re-arming operations.

“Our goal is to establish partnerships that develop capability ideas and mature them into opportunity spaces for the Air Force,” said Reid Melville, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s lead for Air Force Explore program.

Interested parties may submit applications through Nov. 11 ahead of the service’s plans to release funding invitations by March 2020.

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