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Pentagon Issues Cost Analysis Guidance
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Pentagon Issues Cost Analysis Guidance

The Department of Defense has issued a document establishing policy and outlining the procedures for conducting cost analysis, cost estimation and cost data collection within DOD.

Susanna Blume, the department’s director of cost assessment and program evaluation or DCAPE, approved the latest DOD Instruction, which took effect Thursday, Oct. 24.

The issuance states that independent and sound cost estimates are key to acquisition oversight and support effective resource allocation decisions throughout the planning, programming, budgeting and execution process.

The document outlines the responsibilities of the DCAPE, deputy director for cost assessment and DOD component heads and provides details on cost estimation requirement and procedures.

DOD also added a section for cost analysis activities covering major capability acquisition, middle tier of acquisition, defense business systems, acquisition of services and software acquisition.

Users can also learn about the policies for independent cost estimates and those conducted for acquisition decisions, policies for DOD cost estimating and analysis activities and timelines for cost analysis activities.

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TechFlow Awarded Two Success Memos for EV Charging Prototypes
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TechFlow Awarded Two Success Memos for EV Charging Prototypes

TechFlow has been awarded two new success memorandums from the Defense Innovation Unit for its electric vehicle charging infrastructure prototypes.

The success memos recognize TechFlow’s delivery of self-sustaining EV charging prototypes through an open system design that allows Department of Defense customers to minimize costs, advance operations and strengthen energy resilience, the technology company announced Thursday.

Michael Genseal, vice president of energy and mobility solutions at TechFlow, said, “Scaling the federal government’s EV charging infrastructure is about more than just adding chargers – it requires fast, effective deployment that meets demanding mission readiness standards, and TechFlow is up to the challenge.”

During the evaluation periods at Naval Base San Diego and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, TechFlow’s prototype system showed a driver availability uptime exceeding 98 percent.

This most recent success memo builds off a previous memo authorized in November 2023. TechFlow’s EV charging infrastructure has now received a total of three DIU success memos, and the company aims to continue meeting the growing demand for zero-emission non-tactical vehicles.

“We’re proud to have developed our methodology in close collaboration with our DoD partners and DIU to help the federal government achieve its zero-emission goals while enhancing energy resilience, reducing costs and gaining the operational advantages that EVs deliver,” Genseal stated.

TechFlow is also reportedly nearing completion of a prototype project with the U.S. Air Force. If successful, it will be the fourth DOD service to issue a success memo for the company’s autonomous EV charging infrastructure prototypes.

The two new success memos recognize TechFlow’s continued work in the EV space. In September, TechFlow announced a $95 million contract from the U.S. Army Reserve to develop electric vehicle charging and microgrid infrastructures.

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NASA Kicks Off PTD-4 Spacecraft Solar Array Tech Demo
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NASA Kicks Off PTD-4 Spacecraft Solar Array Tech Demo

NASA has begun fielding the central boom structure of a deployable solar array, marking the start of the demonstration of a new power and communications system on the Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4 spacecraft.

The agency said Wednesday the PTD-4 spacecraft seeks to demonstrate the power generation and communications capability of the payload called Lightweight Integrated Solar Array and anTenna, or LISA-T.

“The LISA-T experiment is an opportunity for NASA and the small spacecraft community to advance the packaging, deployment, and operation of thin-film, fully flexible solar and antenna arrays in space. The thin-film arrays will vastly improve power generation and communication capabilities throughout many different mission applications,” said John Carr, deputy center chief technologist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

“These capabilities are critical for achieving higher value science alongside the exploration of deep space with small spacecraft,” added Carr.

LISA-T’s central boom has four solar power and communication arrays, also called petals.

NASA has confirmed proper checkout of the PTD-4 spacecraft’s on-board electronics and support systems, including a small onboard camera that will capture images of the tech demonstration during the mission.

PTD-4 Spacecraft

On Aug. 16, SpaceX’s Transporter-11 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to deploy the small spacecraft with the LISA-T technology to low Earth orbit.

The Marshall Space Flight Center designed and developed LISA-T and its supporting avionics system, while Terran Orbital developed the PTD-4 spacecraft bus, called Triumph.

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program funds and oversees the PTD-4 mission and the overall Pathfinder Technology Demonstration mission series.

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Astra Secures DIU Contract on Third Demo for Space Cargo Delivery Project
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Astra Secures DIU Contract on Third Demo for Space Cargo Delivery Project

The Defense Innovation Unit announced that it has awarded Alameda, California-based company Astra the third contract under its Novel Responsive Space Delivery, or NRSD, project to prototype commercial solutions for space cargo deliveries. 

Astra’s contract calls for prototyping flexible point-to-point cargo deliveries from Earth to space, vice-versa and between orbiting spacecraft, DIU said Wednesday.

Astra’s Flexible Launch Options Demo

According to Astra, its DIU contract, which has a $44 million ceiling, calls for advancing the capabilities of its Launch System 2 to send its Rocket 4 to orbit or sub-orbit through launches from the United States, Australia or other locations. The company added that the award will also demonstrate the automated welding capabilities in the Rocket 4 production and the advanced ground concepts of the Launch System 2 infrastructure. 

As of March 2022, Astra has sent 22 satellites into orbit after its first commercial launch of a low Earth orbit spacecraft in 2021.

The DIU awarded NRSD’s first contract to The Spaceport Company in May. This contract focused on developing a mobile, sea-based space launch system. Stoke Space took the second project award in August to prototype a solution for versatile point-to-point space cargo delivery.

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DOD Picks Hypersonic Infrared Research Team for FY25 ARAP Award Competition
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DOD Picks Hypersonic Infrared Research Team for FY25 ARAP Award Competition

The Department of Defense has selected the proposal of the U.S. Army DEVCOM ARL-led Hypersonic Infrared Target Sensing team, or HITS, as the winner of the Applied Research for the Advancement of S&T Priorities award competition, or ARAP, for fiscal year 2025.

HITS Research Project

DOD said Wednesday DEVCOM ARL, which stands for Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory, will work with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Missile Defense Agency and the Naval Research Laboratory on the three-year, $45 million project.

“Our approach encompasses innovative multi-physics modeling, meta-optical design, advanced fabrication techniques, and infrared optical characterization, with the ultimate goal of improving the precision of these weapons at longer ranges in more agile, lower cost platforms,” said Henry Everitt, senior technologist for optical sciences at DEVCOM ARL and the HITS team lead.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will also participate in the HITS research project, which will involve more than 50 federal scientists and engineers across the military service labs to help address the challenge of building infrared seekers for hypersonic weapons.

The research team will explore high-temperature infrared materials, locate targets throughout hypersonic flight and address thermal distortion through the seeker window, among other things. It will also work with industry and academia as it develops in-house capabilities through the multidisciplinary effort.

ARAP Award Competition

DOD centers and laboratories seeking to participate in the annual competition must submit applied research funding proposals addressing capability gaps or a specific technology and promoting collaboration across defense agencies and military agencies.

“The S&T Executive Committee received nine high-quality white paper submissions for this year’s competition and narrowed it down to three finalists,” said Aprille Ericsson, the assistant secretary of defense for science and technology and chair of the S&T Executive Committee.

DOD is soliciting white papers for the FY 2026 ARAP competition and will accept submissions through Nov. 13.

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DIA Releases Updated Report on Nuclear Threats to US
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DIA Releases Updated Report on Nuclear Threats to US

The Defense Intelligence Agency has released “Nuclear Challenges: The Growing Capabilities of Strategic Competitors and Regional Rivals,” the second edition of the 2018 report titled “Global Nuclear Landscape.”

Scope of DIA’s Nuclear Challenge Report

Whereas the earlier publication tackled the nuclear programs of China, Russia and North Korea, the newer one offers an updated, unclassified overview of the nuclear programs of the same countries plus Iran, the DIA said Wednesday.

The information contained in the report, considered current as of June 1, includes estimates of the nuclear weapon stockpiles of Russia and China, assessments regarding the extent to which Iran and North Korea have developed nuclear weapon technologies, and descriptions of each of the four countries’ capabilities to deliver nuclear weapons to targets.

Aim of DIA’s Report

The publication of the report contributes to a broader effort to provide information regarding challenges and developments in nuclear security, as well as future projections.

As the publication notes, “The United States continues to face challenges from strategic competitors and regional rivals who have and are developing new nuclear-capable delivery systems. The threats from more advanced cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and other novel delivery systems, coupled with growing nuclear arsenals, are threatening U.S. military advantages.”

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Army to Build Detachments for Combating Information Adversaries
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Army to Build Detachments for Combating Information Adversaries

The U.S. Army will build three Theater Information Advantage Detachments to strengthen efforts to combat adversaries in the information dimension, according to Lt. Gen. Maria Barrett, head of the Army Cyber Command.

At the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army on Oct. 14, Barrett revealed that the service will build TIADs in the Pacific, Europe and at ARCYBER headquarters in Fort Eisenhower, Georgia.

The newly established detachments will perform missions within their respective theaters, Aaron Pearce, ARCYBER’s director of Information Advantage, explained, adding that the ARCYBER TIAD will focus on national defense strategy priorities.

Pearce noted that in general, the TIADs will have standing teams operating in their environment, providing their commanders opportunities for information effects and standing by for quick action in times of crisis.

He stressed that the new detachments will become a permanent unit of information specialists.

ARCYBER Science Advisor and Chief Analytics Officer Mark Mollenkopf said the TIADs will use a combination of specialists and advanced technologies to counter adversaries in the information sphere. He added the detachments can access artificial intelligence and automation to enhance their capabilities and visualize data trends.

The TIADs will employ data scientists, software developers and intelligence professionals to allow the Army to better process the critical elements of the information dimension, Mollenkopf stated.

The Army targets to establish the first TIAD in 2025.

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USCIS Seeks Providers of Regulatory Comments Analysis Services
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USCIS Seeks Providers of Regulatory Comments Analysis Services

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a sources sought request for information with the aim of identifying vendors capable of supporting the mission of the Regulatory Coordination Division within the USCIS Office of Policy & Strategy.

Table of Contents

RCD Mission

The RCD is tasked with managing and analyzing the comments provided by the public regarding proposed regulations and policies related to the mission of the USCIS, according to the SSRFI posted Tuesday on SAM.gov. The division also works to promote immigration policies and programs as well as strengthen the infrastructure in support of the USCIS.

SSRFI Required Services

To help with these functions, the RCD is looking into vendors that can provide a variety of services, including data collection and management, comment and sentiment analysis and reporting. The division intends to issue a contract for these requirements.

Interested parties have until Nov. 5 to submit responses to the SSRFI. The information that will be received may be used in the preparation of a subsequent solicitation for proposals.

USCIS Seeks Providers of Regulatory Comments Analysis Services

Hear from various speakers to learn more about the various security concerns facing the U.S. and what’s being done to address them at the Potomac Officers Club’s Annual Homeland Security Summit, which will take place on Nov. 13. Register now for the Homeland Security Summit to attend this important event!

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SSC Commander Emphasizes Workforce Development, Stakeholder Engagement in New Organizational Plan
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SSC Commander Emphasizes Workforce Development, Stakeholder Engagement in New Organizational Plan

The head of the Space Systems Command has developed a plan to ensure that the United Space maintains access to reliable space capabilities amid the Great Power Competition. The SSC said Wednesday that the newly published plan, authored by  Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, provides a blueprint of organizational improvements designed to prepare the command for emerging threats. 

SSC’s Organizational Shift

At a recent forum, Garrant and U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Jacqueline Sauve, a senior enlisted leader at the SSC, introduced the command plan and answered questions from servicemembers. According to Garrant, the plan is aligned with the command’s focus on culture and stakeholder engagement to remain vigilant toward the future. 

“The people of this command are the drivers behind the mission, and it’s important that we know how we need to collectively work together to get after it,” he commented. 

The command plan, available on the Space Force’s official website, has three lines of efforts: align resources, develop a world-class workforce and deepen relationship with stakeholders. Garrant shared that the document optimizes the way the SSC organizes, trains and equips warfighters with space capabilities at the speed of need. 

He also said the SSC must invest time toward maintaining a “purposeful engagement” with stakeholders within and outside the command. 

“Efforts across the command have been doing just that but we must continue to find ways that generate valuable avenues to deliver against the toughest problem sets together,” Garrant told the audience. 

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CDAO Seeks Video Submissions for Generative AI Open Topic
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CDAO Seeks Video Submissions for Generative AI Open Topic

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office is soliciting technical volume video submissions from industry and the broader public as it explores generative AI tools to support its mission, promote collaboration and drive the growth of small businesses.

According to a notice published Wednesday, CDAO said the Small Business Innovation Research Open Topic for generative AI has strategic focus areas, including improving situational awareness and decision-making, increasing the safety of the operating environment and implementing predictive maintenance and supply.

Other strategic focus areas outlined in the notice are assuring cybersecurity, streamlining business processes, increasing autonomy and mobility of DOD systems and augmenting responsible AI capabilities and processes.

Video submissions should include a description of the technology and its application to the problem identified, the potential impact of the tech platform if adopted by DOD and a commercialization strategy, among other technical elements.

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