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Carlos Del Toro: Access to Technical Data Could Help Navy Reduce Sustainment Costs
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Carlos Del Toro: Access to Technical Data Could Help Navy Reduce Sustainment Costs

Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said the Department of the Navy is working to reduce sustainment costs and industry could help by providing DON access to technical data required to maintain its weapons systems.

In an opinion piece published Wednesday on Defense One, the Navy secretary wrote that the department’s contracting workforce knows that access to technical data rights is a “must have” in procurement contracts.

“When the DON’s General Counsel convened the Taxpayer Advocacy Project two years ago to identify legal tools to protect DON interests in acquisition and sustainment, the team noted that obtaining the technical data for certain aircraft programs would help facilitate cost reductions,” Del Toro noted.

In the piece, he mentions how the U.S. Marine Corps exercised its legal right to gain access to technical data packages in order to maintain a new generation of tactical equipment.

Del Toro also cited industry’s role in supporting the defense industrial base, particularly the submarine industrial base, through investments in shipyards and shipbuilding programs.

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ARPA-H Seeking Capabilities to Detect AI Medical Tools’ Degrading Performance
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ARPA-H Seeking Capabilities to Detect AI Medical Tools’ Degrading Performance

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has launched a new program to develop capabilities that can detect and correct performance degradation of artificial intelligence-enabled medical tools.

The technologies developed under the Performance and Reliability Evaluation for Continuous Modifications and Useability [sic] of Artificial Intelligence—or PRECISE-AI—program can reportedly help maintain AI tools’ peak performance, making them more beneficial to clinicians and patients, ARPA-H said.

PRECISE-AI will develop techniques to analyze AI tools and pinpoint the root causes of performance deterioration, the agency described. It will also create a system to alert clinicians, developers, hospital administrators and regulators when performance degradation happens.

According to PRECISE-AI Program Manager Berkman Sahiner, the program will work on an optimal strategy to detect and mitigate AI model performance degradation and allow clinicians to provide better patient care.

To support the project, ARPA-H will conduct a solicitation for AI experts, health information specialists and clinicians to advance the required novel capabilities.

Depending on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds, the government expects to make multiple awards under the upcoming solicitation.

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ARPA-H Seeking Capabilities to Detect AI Medical Tools’ Degrading Performance
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Bipartisan House Bill Aims to Improve Cybersecurity on Healthcare Data
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Bipartisan House Bill Aims to Improve Cybersecurity on Healthcare Data

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., has teamed up with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Andy Kim, D-N.J. to file the Healthcare Cybersecurity Act, a bipartisan measure seeking to protect Americans’ healthcare information in the cyber domain. 

The proposed legislation follows a counterpart bipartisan Senate bill introduced by Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Todd Young, R-Ind., and Angus King, I-Maine in July, Crow’s office said Wednesday.

The office noted that a recent ransomware attack on the Change Healthcare payment platform indicates the current lack of cybersecurity preparation and training in the healthcare sector, which had over 133 million patient records exposed to cyberattacks in 2023. 

The House bill calls for the collaboration of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services in cybersecurity improvements and mobilizing resources for non-federal agencies to identify cyber vulnerabilities and formulate defense steps. It seeks to create a special CISA liaison that will collaborate with HHS during cybersecurity cases.  

“I’m leading this effort to bolster cyber defenses and protect some of Americans’ most personal and sensitive information from malicious actors,” said Crow, who also spearheaded the bipartisan bill passed during the last Congress to strengthen the Small Business Administration’s cybersecurity operations.

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Maximus Books $263M Pennsylvania DHS Contract for Application & Enrollment Services
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Maximus Books $263M Pennsylvania DHS Contract for Application & Enrollment Services

Maximus has secured a potential five-year, $263 million contract from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to provide application and enrollment support services for eligible state residents.

The company said Wednesday it will assist people with disabilities and seniors as they go through the Medicaid waiver application process to facilitate their access to home and community-based services.

The vendor will provide applicants with choice counseling support for provider and plan selection, assist with the appeals and grievances processes and implement digital tools for residents and their authorized caregivers to help reduce wait times and streamline service delivery.

“Pennsylvania has allocated significant resources toward aging-in-place solutions and supporting individuals with disabilities to live independently in their communities. We are proud of our partnership with the state to deliver timely and person-centered application and enrollment assistance,” said Ferdinand Morales, senior managing director of health services at Maximus.

Since 2016, Maximus has been providing independent enrollment broker services for Pennsylvania residents.

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CISA Awards Booz Allen $421M CDM DEFEND Task Order
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CISA Awards Booz Allen $421M CDM DEFEND Task Order

The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency has awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a three-year, $421 million task order to extend its services under the agency’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation, or CDM, DEFEND program.

Through the contract, Booz Allen is set to implement enhanced cybersecurity capabilities and incident support to advance zero-trust resilience throughout CISA, the McLean, Virginia-based company announced Thursday.

Kelly Rozumalski, senior vice president at Booz Allen and a leader in the firm’s national cyber defense business, said, “The threat environment is constantly evolving and growing more complex as the nation pivots to strategic competition.”

“Federal agencies must be able to respond quickly to emerging threats in a matter of minutes or seconds, not months or weeks, to mitigate risks to U.S. critical infrastructure and civilians,” Rozumalski stated.

Booz Allen will provide services in four areas—asset management, identity and access management, network security management and data protection management—and serve as an advisor to various agencies on adopting and maintaining a secure, zero trust posture.

Erica Banks, vice president at Booz Allen and leader of the firm’s CDM portfolio, said the company looks forward to continuing a partnership that has lasted since the inception of the CDM program in 2014.

“While we’ll continue to focus on sustaining operational visibility and implementing critical capabilities, this award also calls for us to reimagine how we can support CDM moving forward,” Banks emphasized. “We look forward to helping the nation’s agencies improve their own cybersecurity postures and help them perform critical data-enabled missions in service of millions of Americans every day.”

Booz Allen will provide cybersecurity tools to 13 government agencies throughout the CDM DEFEND contract, which has a ceiling of $1.2 billion.

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NASA SBIR Ignite Phase II Picks 9 Companies to Move Forward
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NASA SBIR Ignite Phase II Picks 9 Companies to Move Forward

NASA has awarded grants to nine small businesses through its 2023 NASA Small Business Innovation Research Ignite Phase II pilot program earlier this month.

The selected companies are tasked with developing technologies that can be used in future agency missions and the commercial space industry. If successful, the projects will be used in critical missions such as deep space exploration, low orbit missions and life preservation on Earth.

Some of the technologies being developed by the group of awardees are intended for wildfire detection, water management in agriculture, in-space debris detection, mineral mining from lunar regolith and in-space production. Each small business will receive up to $850,000 for their projects.

The SBIR Ignite Phase II awardees are as follows:

  • Astral Forge 
  • Astrobotic Technology
  • Benchmark Space Systems
  • Brayton Energy
  • Channel-Logistics
  • GeoVisual Analytics
  • Space Lab Technologies 
  • Space Tango
  • VerdeGo Aero

After being selected for Phase I of the 2023 SBIR Ignite program, the companies were given $150,000 and six months to work on their technologies.

Solicitation for the 2024 SBIR Ignite Phase I ended on July 30, 2024. Companies moving on to Phase II will be announced in Fall 2024.  The program is managed by NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

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DLA Aviation Transitions to New Warehouse Management System at Navy Sites
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DLA Aviation Transitions to New Warehouse Management System at Navy Sites

The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation has started using the Warehouse Management System at Navy distribution centers in California, North Carolina and Florida.

Set to eventually replace the agency’s Distribution Standard System, WMS supports ongoing efforts to enhance inventory management, operational efficiency and warfighter support, DLA said on Wednesday.

According to Angela Johnson, order fulfillment division chief in DLA Aviation’s Business Process Support Directorate, the new system improved the visibility of inventory location, movement and delivery to the customer.

She added that WMS, which was based on System Applications and Products, reduces the time required to deliver requisitions and enhances overall operational performance.

Notably, DLA Aviation in San Diego, California credited WMS for improving its accuracy and warehouse space utilization, enabling the facility to meet increasing demands.

The same goes for DLA Aviation in Jacksonville, Florida, which reported that the system allowed requisitions to flow to the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast customer with minimal delay.

Overall, WMS cut down requisition backlogs and improved delivery times, according to DLA.

Following WMS’ deployments at select Navy sites, DLA Aviation will finalize the development of its local delivery processes and conduct interoperability system testing between DLA and the Air Force, the system’s next user.

Johnson said WMS will receive constant updates and enhancements to ensure improved warehouse management and operational efficiency.

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CISA Issues Warning About Ransomware Threat From Iran-Based Cyber Actors
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CISA Issues Warning About Ransomware Threat From Iran-Based Cyber Actors

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released an advisory detailing the tactics, techniques and procedures used by a group of cyber threat actors with connections to the government of Iran and an unnamed IT company from the same country.

The Iran-based cyber actors, known as Pioneer Kitten, UNC757, Parisite, Rubidium and Lemon Sandstorm, conduct operations with the aim of deploying ransomware to obtain and develop network access and facilitating collaboration with affiliate actors for further attacks, CISA said Wednesday.

The advisory, which was prepared jointly with the FBI and the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, warns of the continued activity of the threat actors, which target U.S. and foreign organizations from various sectors, including government, education, finance, healthcare and defense.

To help organizations defend against attacks, the advisory also details indicators of compromise as well as mitigation guidance.

CISA Issues Warning About Ransomware Threat From Iran-Based Cyber Actors

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NASA Taps Harmony Myers as Acting Deputy Chief of Safety & Mission Assurance Office
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NASA Taps Harmony Myers as Acting Deputy Chief of Safety & Mission Assurance Office

Harmony Myers has been appointed acting deputy chief of the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA, according to the executive’s LinkedIn post shared Tuesday.

Myers takes on a leadership role overseeing safety and mission assurance activities across the agency’s different programs. She will be responsible for policy direction, functional management and coordination of the said activities.

The executive joined the agency in 2006 as a safety and reliability engineer before serving a variety of roles. She was later assigned to the NASA Safety Center at the Ohio Aerospace Institute in Cleveland, Ohio as director of the technical excellence office before her promotion to director of the center.

Prior to her move to NASA, Myers served as systems engineer and reliability engineer for United Space Alliance, where she got to work at the Kennedy Space Center. She also served as the region governor for the Society of Women Engineers.

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Antitrust, Labor Agencies Partner to Boost Information-sharing During M&A Reviews
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Antitrust, Labor Agencies Partner to Boost Information-sharing During M&A Reviews

The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, the Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of enhancing investigations carried out to assess the impact of mergers and acquisitions on labor markets, thereby protecting workers and ensuring fair competition.

The FTC said Wednesday that under the MOU, when it conducts a review of a merger or acquisition alongside the DOJ, the DOL and NLRB will, upon request, provide information, data and technical assistance in support of the investigation. The DOL and NLRB will also provide relevant training to personnel from the antitrust agencies.

The MOU calls on the four agencies to meet biannually to discuss the implementation of the activities covered by the agreement.

Commenting on the MOU, FTC Chair Lina Khan said, “By deepening partnerships with the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor, and the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the FTC will keep building on our whole-of-government efforts to ensure that all Americans can get a fair shot in our economy, free from unlawful coercion.”

For his part, Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said, “Our partnership with the FTC, NLRB, and DOL will help us identify and take action against mergers that threaten to harm competition for workers.”

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