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Jay Raymond Highlights Space Command’s Key Priorities
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Jay Raymond Highlights Space Command’s Key Priorities


Jay Raymond Highlights Space Command's Key Priorities
Jay Raymond

Gen. Jay Raymond, head of the U.S. Space Command, has said that preparing for space warfare and preventing conflict in space will be the command’s first area of focus, C4ISRnet reported Tuesday. In a recent event at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Raymond outlined four key priorities that must be addressed as Space Command begins its operations.

He said the command will handle offensive and defensive operations to protect the space interests of the U.S. and its allies. He added that Space Command must ensure the delivery of combat assets to joint and combined forces while fostering the development of lethal space forces.

“We find ourselves at a strategic inflection point where there’s nothing we do as a joint force that isn’t enabled by space, and yet, simultaneously, we can no longer have the luxury of assuming space superiority,” said Raymond.

Space Command was officially established as the 11th unified combatant command in August.

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ACT-IAC CEO David Wennergren on Cloud Smart Policy
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ACT-IAC CEO David Wennergren on Cloud Smart Policy


ACT-IAC CEO David Wennergren on Cloud Smart Policy
David Wennergren

David Wennergren, CEO of the American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council, wrote in an FCW commentary piece published Monday that the Office of Management and Budget’s Cloud Smart policy touches on several ideas and one is its emphasis on application rationalization.

“The term of art is ‘application rationalization’ — recognizing that while every legacy application doesn’t need to be tossed out, without a focused plan to address all of these systems, agencies will still have IT budgets skewed to sustaining the old rather than implementing the new,” he wrote.

He mentioned the opportunity to purchase “applications as a service” and how it could help agencies in their performance optimization and cost management operations.

Wennergren discussed the policy’s focus on cybersecurity and data layer security. He cited how zero trust networks could help agencies transition to risk management from risk aversion and advance the implementation of commercial best practices.

He said the policy also provides insights on the workforce and acquisition. “Just as cybersecurity efforts are adopting a risk-based approach, our acquisition efforts must similarly move away from approaches that are imagined to minimize risk but that in reality stifle innovation and speed to market,” he noted.

Final Rule to Ban Government Use of Kaspersky Products
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Final Rule to Ban Government Use of Kaspersky Products


Jeff Brody

The Department of Defense, NASA and the General Services Administration are set to publish a final rule Tuesday to prohibit defense and civilian agencies from using cybersecurity products developed or provided by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, Nextgov reported Monday.

The new policy will replace an interim rule released in June 2018 and meet a provision from the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which seeks to address concerns that some executives at Kaspersky have links to Russian government officials.

The final rule also extends the prohibition to contractors and subcontractors providing support services to agencies, procurements below the acquisition threshold and commercial off-the-shelf offerings. Kaspersky said he believes the provisions in the final rule “were unconstitutional, were based on unsubstantiated allegations, and lacked any public evidence of wrongdoing by the company.”

“Through its Global Transparency Initiative, Kaspersky continues to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to assuring the integrity and trustworthiness of its products and the protection of its users’ data,” the company added.

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Potomac Officers Club Announces Stuart Hazlett of U.S. Army as Panelist for 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd
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Potomac Officers Club Announces Stuart Hazlett of U.S. Army as Panelist for 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd


Potomac Officers Club Announces Stuart Hazlett of U.S. Army as Panelist for 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd
Stuart Hazlett

Stuart Hazlett, deputy assistant secretary for procurement at the U.S. Army, will be featured as an expert panelist during during Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd.

Click here to register for the 4th Annual Army Forum on October 2nd.

Hazlett was appointed to his current position in October 2017. He provides executive leadership and supervision of all aspects of the Department of the Army’s procurement mission. Under his cognizance, the Army executes approximately 297,000 contracting actions with obligations over $74 billion annually.

He is responsible for over 270 Army contracting offices worldwide executing contracts in direct support of Army operational readiness, supporting: major weapons systems, research and development, supplies and services, information technology, installation support, construction, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and operational contracting in support of deployed forces.

He ensures the proper execution of Federal, Defense and Army regulations for acquisition, procurement and related business practices. As the Functional Career Representative for Contracting, the DASA(P) oversees the recruitment, training, certification and professional development of the 8,000 Army military and civilian contracting workforce, worldwide.

Prior to his current role, Hazlett served as the director of contracting and head of contracting activity for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He obligated 53,000 actions at $16 billion annually in support of the USACE mission supporting military programs, civil works, real estate and research and development.

In addition, Hazlett is a member of the Army Acquisition Corps. He’s certified as a Professional and Federal Contracts Manager and is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Level III certified as well.

Hazlett has also been awarded four Meritorious Civilian Service Awards, the 2015 Presidential Rank Award, the Department of the Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service and the Bronze de Fleury Medal.

Potomac Officers Club Announces Stuart Hazlett of U.S. Army as Panelist for 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd

On October 2nd, Potomac Officers Club will host the 4th Annual Army Forum at the 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, Va. Dr. Bruce Jette of the U.S. Army will be the keynote speaker for the event. A full expert panel of GovCon leaders will also be featured during the forum with the panelists to be announced over the coming weeks.

Click here to register for the 4th Annual Army Forum on Oct. 2nd.

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Raytheon Partners with Hanwha Systems to Upgrade ID Systems; Barbara Borgonovi Quoted
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Raytheon Partners with Hanwha Systems to Upgrade ID Systems; Barbara Borgonovi Quoted


Jeff Brody

Hanwha Systems and the Raytheon Company have signed a technical cooperation agreement to produce Identification Friend or Foe Mode 5 systems for the Korean military, Raytheon reported on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, Raytheon will provide its IFF technology and industry leading expertise while Hanwha Systems will oversee domestic production. Mode 5 IFF systems allow operators to positively identify friendly aircraft using a secure, encrypted code, reducing the potential for fratricide and increasing situational awareness.

“Our Mode 5 IFF solutions help lift the fog of combat,” said Barbara Borgonovi, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Communication Systems. “Cluttered airspace, crowded battlefields and uncertain seas characterize today’s operational environment. We are providing the latest technology that gives coalition forces the ability to distinguish between friend and foe with absolute certainty in the midst of these challenging conditions.”

For more than 70 years, Raytheon has been a leader in Identification Friend or Foe systems. Together with its global partners, Raytheon has delivered, installed and maintained more than 130,000 IFF systems on over 120 different types of aircrafts, ships and land vehicles across the world.

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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Battelle Awarded Extension from National Science Foundation to Operate the National Ecological Observatory Network; Mike Janus Quoted
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Battelle Awarded Extension from National Science Foundation to Operate the National Ecological Observatory Network; Mike Janus Quoted


Jeff Brody

Battelle announced on Tuesday that the National Science Foundation (NSF) has extended the company’s cooperative agreement to continue operating the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) through the beginning of fiscal year 2022.

“We’re very pleased to learn we’ve been awarded an extension to continue the important work we’ve been doing,” said Mike Janus, Battelle vice president for Environment and Infrastructure. “We are committed to help enable science for the ecological research community and want to do everything we can to contribute meaningful data to advance ecological research.”

The recommendation to issue the optional extension was made by NSF Director Dr. France Cordova to the National Science Board, the body that provides oversight to the NSF. Battelle has managed NEON since 2016, completing construction of the network in early 2019, and has now moved into full operations.

The NEON program is a continental-scale ecological observation network that collects and provides open access data and archival samples from 81 field sites across the United States that characterize and quantify how our nation’s ecosystems are changing. The data and samples will contribute to a better understanding and more accurate forecasting of ecosystem change and how society can more effectively address critical ecological questions and issues.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries.

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QTS Realty Trust, Inc. to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences
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QTS Realty Trust, Inc. to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences


Jeff Brody

QTS Realty Trust announced on Monday that the company management will be participating in the following upcoming investor conferences:

  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2019 Global Real Estate Conference scheduled for September 10-11, 2019 at The Wagner Hotel in New York, NY.
  • BMO Capital Markets 14th Annual Real Estate Conference scheduled for September 17– 18, 2019 at The Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago, IL.
  • Goldman Sachs 28th Annual Communacopia Conference scheduled for September 17-19, 2019 at the Conrad Hotel in New York, NY. QTS is scheduled to present on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, at 3:45 p.m. ET.

About QTS

QTS Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: QTS) is a leading provider of data center solutions across a diverse footprint spanning more than 6 million square feet of owned mega scale data center space throughout North America and Europe. Through its software-defined technology platform, QTS is able to deliver secure, compliant infrastructure solutions, robust connectivity and premium customer service to leading hyperscale technology companies, enterprises, and government entities.

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CDM Prepares to Release Cybersecurity Assessment Results
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CDM Prepares to Release Cybersecurity Assessment Results


Jeff Brody

The Continuous Diagnostics and Monitoring program will release cybersecurity risk scores of different agencies on Oct. 1 to allow for federal assessments, Fedscoop reported Friday. CDM uses the Agency-Wide Adaptive Risk Enumeration algorithm to quantify how well an agency implements basic cybersecurity measures.

Kevin Cox, CDM program manager at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said a total of 53 agencies are ready to receive AWARE scores, with 40 more on the way. CISA will be the sole federal agency to have centralized access across all scores.

“We want to be careful not to share the scores out publicly because we know adversaries will be looking to see which agencies are having problems so they can go target them,” Cox told Fedscoop at the Billington Cybersecurity Conference.

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DLA Looks to AI for Predictive Logistics Capabilities
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DLA Looks to AI for Predictive Logistics Capabilities


Jeff Brody

Jesse Rowlands, data scientist for the Defense Logistics Agency’s Analytics Center of Excellence, has said that the agency has been partnering with industry on artificial intelligence research and development efforts, National Defense Magazine reported Friday.

Rowlands told the publication that AI has “unlimited applications” at DLA, incuding predictive capabilities that can provide estimates on demand, lead time and component requirements. The agency may also leverage the value of AI in small iterations and models, he noted. 

“That’s not a groundbreaking newspaper story, but you do a bunch of those and you’re having a big effect on the bottom line of the agency that you’re working at,” he added.

According to Rowlands, the recently established Joint AI Center may help Department of Defense agencies establish governance structures and streamline AI implementation.

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OMB Updating CyberStat Security Assessment Program Ahead of FY20
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OMB Updating CyberStat Security Assessment Program Ahead of FY20


Jeff Brody

The Office of Management and Budget is planning to modify its CyberStat program for evaluating agencies’ cybersecurity posture ahead of the next fiscal year, FCW reported Wednesday.

Grant Schneider, the federal chief information security officer, said that the agency is making assessments on the CyberStat initiative, which he confirmed will take place next year, during the Billington Cybersecurity Summit in Washington, D.C. Brig. Gen. Greg Touhill, the previous federal CISO, noted that prior CyberStat efforts weren’t able to leverage programs like Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation, which was still undergoing development at that time. 

According to Schneider, more recent CyberStat reviews have implemented increasingly holisitic approaches to analyzing agencies’ potential obstacles to meeting foundational cybersecurity standards. Multiple agencies also reported that CyberStat helped improve their cybersecurity practices, according to a prior Government Accountability Office audit.

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