GSA Seeks to Remove IT Schedule SIN for Refurbished Equipment
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GSA Seeks to Remove IT Schedule SIN for Refurbished Equipment


Jeff Brody

The General Services Administration is planning to remove the “grayware” special item number category under the IT Schedule 70 to eliminate government purchases of refurbished or overhauled information technology equipment, FCW reported Wednesday. GSA noted that it would no longer accept new offers for used tools under the SIN until its full retirement in mid-2024 as part of the agency’s efforts to modernize procedures and transition operations to the cloud.

Lawrence Hale, director of the IT security subcategory under GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, said during a recent cybersecurity conference that the agency intends to be “as proactive as possible” in addressing performance and shelf life issues of refurbished IT products.

GSA expects to implement the changes as part of its schedule consolidation effort slated to take effect by fiscal year 2020.

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Army Team Tests Cold Spray Repair on Bradley Turret Gun
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Army Team Tests Cold Spray Repair on Bradley Turret Gun


Jeff Brody

Engineers and scientists from multiple U.S. Army groups have teamed to develop a cold spray technology for repairs on the M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle’s turret gun mount. The team consisted of personnel from Army Research Laboratory, Ground Vehicle Systems Center, Armaments Center, Bradley Product Manager and Red River Army Depot, the service branch said Wednesday.

“This project demonstrated the ability to apply new manufacturing technologies to bring components back into service that would otherwise be scrapped during depot maintenance operations,” said Gehn Ferguson, ARL materials engineer at Army Combat Capabilities Development Command.

The cold spray process uses accelerated micron-sized particles to fill gaps on damaged surfaces. A repair using cold spray would cost only $1,000, compared to the $25,000 cost of a gun mount replacement.

ARL chose Bradley’s turret gun as a cold spray subject due to the laboratory’s experience with similar metals. Four to five more gun mounts will undergo cold spray repair over the next six months.  The Army’s Manufacturing Technology Program funded the project.

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Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty Eyes New Name for Army Cyber Command
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Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty Eyes New Name for Army Cyber Command

 

Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty Eyes New Name for Army Cyber Command
Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty

Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, head of Army Cyber Command, said he believes the command will adopt a new name to reflect its mission in the information warfare field, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

“The intent is to provide a proposal that will change us from Army Cyber Command to Army Information Warfare Command because we believe that is a more accurate descriptor of what I’m being asked to do on a daily basis,” Fogarty said Tuesday at TechNet Augusta.

He said Army commanders should have the ability to understand, sense, decide, act and evaluate faster than the adversary by integrating disparate capabilities in the information environment, which includes the cyber domain, operational security, military deception, public affairs, psychological operations and space.

“It’s more frequent that we will have task to conduct a cyberspace effects operation to generate an [information operation] effect,” Fogarty told the publication. “Or we’re going to deliver [information operations] content. We’re bowing to the reality that offensively, this is what commanders in many cases want us to do for them.”

 

NASA Seeks Lunar Payload Ideas Through University Student Challenge
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NASA Seeks Lunar Payload Ideas Through University Student Challenge


Jeff Brody

NASA has unveiled a new competition to encourage university student teams to propose technology concepts, systems or demonstrations to help the space agency explore the moon’s permanently shadowed areas.

Students and faculty advisers can submit proposals for sample payloads to support exploration of dark lunar regions through the 2020 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing Idea Challenge, NASA said Thursday. The BIG Idea Challenge also calls for technological ideas to utilize materials found in lunar polar regions.

According to NASA, it will select as many as 10 teams to receive funds ranging from $50,000 to $180,000. Universities affiliated with an agency-backed Space Grant Consortium may form groups with as many as 20 members to join the competition. Finalists will conduct tests and demonstrate working proof of concepts.

“This year’s challenge is a unique opportunity for NASA to strengthen relationships with space grant universities and develop a future workforce with experience developing new and exciting concepts that align directly with current space technology focus areas and capability needs,” said Erica Alston, deputy director at NASA’s National Space Grant Consortium.

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Jim Bridenstine: NASA to Downselect Candidates for Human Exploration & Operations Head
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Jim Bridenstine: NASA to Downselect Candidates for Human Exploration & Operations Head


Jim Bridenstine: NASA to Downselect Candidates for Human Exploration & Operations Head
Jim Bridenstine

NASA is still looking for someone to replace Bill Gerstenmaier as associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations directorate, Space News reported Wednesday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, a 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, told reporters that there are “very few people” with the appropriate program management and human spaceflight experience to fill the role during a press conference in Cleveland.

“At this point we have not even begun to narrow the field,” he said. “We’re going to start narrowing it down in the coming weeks, and we’ll be ready to announce a name, I would imagine, in the not-too-distant future.”

Bridenstine announced Gerstenmaier’s reassignment as special advisor to NASA Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard in July. Ken Bowersox replaced Gerstenmaier on an acting basis as part of the reorganization effort supporting of the Trump administration’s goal to commence the moon mission by 2024.

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Raytheon Expanding $5B Contributions to Texas with New Factory; Roy Azevedo Quotes
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Raytheon Expanding $5B Contributions to Texas with New Factory; Roy Azevedo Quotes


Jeff Brody

Raytheon announced on Thursday that the company will begin building a 200,000-square-foot facility supporting 500 new high-tech jobs at its Space and Airborne Systems headquarters in McKinney, Texas.

“This is an investment in the talented McKinney workforce,” said Roy Azevedo, president of Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. “It shows we are serious about our presence in Texas and that we are here to stay,” he added.

The University of North Texas Economic Research Group, which found Raytheon’s business operations in North Texas contribute $4.8 billion to the Texas economy. In 2018, Raytheon directly employed more than 8,000 Texans. Supply chain activity and employee spending supported an additional 10,000 jobs throughout the state.

Local and state officials joined Raytheon for the announcement, where they learned about the construction project and the economic impact study results. Construction of the facility will be completed in late 2020.

“McKinney has always been proud to have the prominent presence of Raytheon as our largest employer and we are excited at the opportunity for new corporate expansion in McKinney,” said McKinney Mayor George Fuller. “We have worked hard to build strong business relationships and create an environment that not only allows these businesses to grow but provides their employees with an incredible place to call home.”

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. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass.

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Benjamin Huebner to Oversee Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at ODNI
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Benjamin Huebner to Oversee Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency at ODNI


Jeff Brody

Benjamin Huebner, a former privacy and civil liberties officer at the CIA, has been named the chief within the Office of Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency. He functions as civil liberties protection officer and chief transparency officer at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in his new role, ODNI said Wednesday.

Before working with the CIA, the law graduate functioned as intelligence counsel for the Department of Justice’s assistant attorney general for national security. Kristi Scott succeeds Huebner as the latter transitions from the CIA to CLPT.

The CLPT office works to incorporate civil liberties and privacy security into policies and activities within the intelligence community. This work intends to ensure the protection of civil liberties, privacy and transparency across IC operations.

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ECS Awarded Google Cloud Premier Partnership; John Sankovich Quoted
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ECS Awarded Google Cloud Premier Partnership; John Sankovich Quoted


Jeff Brody

ECS has been named a Premier Partner for Google Cloud Platform for the second consecutive year, the company announced on Wednesday. 

This designation recognizes ECS’ expertise and technical proficiency in leveraging the Google Cloud Platform to deliver advanced cloud solutions. ECS uses the Google Cloud Platform to solve customers’ complex challenges and achieve agile, secure, value-driven cloud transformations.

“Through the Google Cloud Platform, ECS provides our customers with innovative solutions in areas such as application modernization, big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence,†said John Sankovich, ECS vice president of cloud solutions. “We are excited to be recognized at the highest levels as a Google Premier Partner and offer our customers this expert capability.â€

To achieve this distinction, ECS earned professional technical and product certifications, delivered innovative customer success, and generated consumption and adoption of the Google Cloud Platform. ECS offers cloud consulting, migration, managed services, and full and direct resale access to all Google Cloud Platform services through its Cloud Center of Excellence.

About ECS

ECS, a segment of ASGN, delivers advanced solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, application and IT modernization, science and engineering. The company solves critical, complex challenges for customers across the U.S. public sector, defense, intelligence, and commercial industries. 

ECS maintains partnerships with leading cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/ML providers and holds specialized certifications in their technologies. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, ECS has more than 2,700 employees throughout the United States.

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Fleet Readiness Center East Gets New Facility for Laser Shock Peening
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Fleet Readiness Center East Gets New Facility for Laser Shock Peening


Jeff Brody

The U.S. Navy has established a new facility to help Fleet Readiness Center East maintain its F-35 Lightning II aircraft via laser technology. Construction of the F-35 laser shock peening facility concluded in July, with full operational capability expected in 2020, the Navy said Tuesday.

A contractor for the laser shock peening will be stationed at the facility in early spring to prepare for the arrival of the first F-35 aircraft to undergo the service. The aircraft will arrive at the site in June 2020 for validation and verification.

Laser shock peening works to strengthen aircraft components without the need for additional metal, boosting an aircraft’s lifespan. The new facility will allow the U.S. Marine Corps to use the technology on F-35 aircraft.

Matthew Crisp, F-35 Joint Program Office site lead at FRCE, said the technology has been used for the F-22 Raptor and production of aircraft components such as engine blades. The facility measures 16K square feet and consists of two bays for laser shock peening activities.

“Being able to perform this laser shock peening process adds a huge strategic capability to our depot,” said Donald Jeter, portfolio manager of FRCE’s F-35 aircraft line.

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VA Inspector General Reviews Electronic Scheduling System Implementation
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VA Inspector General Reviews Electronic Scheduling System Implementation


Jeff Brody

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General released the results of an audit seeking to validate the Veterans Health Administration and the Office of Information Technology’s Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture Scheduling Enhancement effort. The audit confirmed the management team did not oversee the project to enable precise development of updates and help the system meet user standards, VA OIG said Tuesday.

OIG confirmed delays in the fielding of an updated version for VSE in 2017 and validated that VA placed a medical appointment scheduling system’s deployment on hold. OIG advised the agency’s assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer to strictly implement project management processes to help VA define planning requirements prior to project execution

VA’s OIT plans to introduce a program management review process to track the delivery and sustainment of project results. Additionally, the agency is slated to adopt a scheduling capability as part of modernization efforts for VistA.

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