Carlen Capenos, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency‘s Office of Small Business Programs, said the agency is promoting different measures to foster good working relationships with the small business community, C4ISRNet reported Tuesday.

In an interview with with C4ISRNet’s Brandon Knapp, Capenos said the agency has formulated its systems engineering, technology and innovation requirements to cater to small businesses and encourage them to work for the Defense Department.

To help smaller firms adhere to the DoD’s federal contracting standards, DISA conducts monthly seminars and gives primers on how to reach the qualifications that the department is looking for, Capenos said.

She noted that when it comes to spurring new technologies, small firms readily deliver; however, when it comes to addressing cybersecurity issues, some small businesses still find it challenging due to expense considerations.

“The challenge really is for DISA to keep up with small business. We need to learn how to be more flexible and less stagnant on how we approach small business, how we get them under contract, how we utilize [Other Transaction Authorities], and those are things we are working on,” Capenos said.

 

Dana Deasy, chief information officer at the Defense Department, has said he believes cloud provides DoD components with capabilities to update Pentagon’s technology systems and manage data assets “in an enterprise manner,” MeriTalk reported Monday.

“DoD is committed to maintaining a multivendor, multicloud environment,” he said Monday at a Defense Information Systems Agency-hosted conference.

“We will have a combination of general purpose clouds, and fit-for-purpose clouds.”

He noted that the Defense Enterprise Office Solutions contract exemplifies a fit-for-purpose cloud and cited the Pentagon’s decision to use the General Services Administration’s IT Schedule 70 for procurement.

“By using the flexibility of the GSA contract vehicle, it will allow the DoD to transition to the cloud with less schedule risk, and at a lower cost,” he said at the Forecast to Industry event in Linthicum, Md.

C4ISRNET reported that Deasy said he expects the new joint artificial intelligence center to help secure military networks and carry out cyber operations in partnership with U.S. Cyber Command and DISA.

Deasy, who oversees JAIC, said the center will focus on cross-service platforms.

“I believe AI will be a partner, no doubt, first and foremost, from a lethality standpoint,” he added.
 

Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, has said DISA believes that partnerships with industry could help lighten up the burden and result in stability that “can generate much-needed economic growth.”

Norton noted in her opening remarks at DISA’s 2018 Forecast to Industry event in Linthicum, Md., how the agency builds up partnerships, introduce reforms to the Defense Department and boost warfighters’ lethality in support of Defense Secretary James Mattis’ three lines of effort, DISA said Monday.

She discussed the event’s theme “Trusted Partnerships” and how collaboration with industry could help develop new capabilities for soldiers.

“Creating trusted partnerships supports DISA’s vision to be the trusted provider to connect and protect the warfighter in cyberspace,” Norton said.

Other speakers at the event include Dana Deasy, chief information officer at DoD; Tony Montemarano, DISA executive deputy director; and David Bennett, operations center director at DISA.
 

The Food and Drug Administration and the Defense Department have formalized the framework of an earlier plan to accelerate the development and availability of emergency medical products for the U.S. military.

FDA said Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding with the DoD’s Office of Health Affairs to commence with the program’s implementation, as provided for under House Resolution 4374 that was passed in 2017.

The MoU authorizes the FDA and the Pentagon to work toward faster deployment of medical products meant to diagnose, treat or prevent life-threatening conditions affecting U.S. service members, including those caused by chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents.

“It’s our honor and duty to support our military personnel by ensuring they have access to safe and effective medical products – especially products that meet the unique needs and settings in which soldiers may require medical treatment,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.