House Lawmakers Back Fiscal 2019 Dual Aircraft Carrier Buy
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House Lawmakers Back Fiscal 2019 Dual Aircraft Carrier Buy


House Lawmakers Back Fiscal 2019 Dual Aircraft Carrier BuyA group of 131 House members has sent a joint letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis expressing their support for a fiscal 2019 procurement of two new aircraft carriers.

The lawmakers told Mattis in the letter dated Dec. 20 that the Defense Department should request for funds to buy additional Gerald R. Ford-class carriers for the U.S. Navy in DoD’s next budget request.

The Navy and its industry partners estimate that a dual carrier buy would save the service branch $2.5 billion compared with a single-ship purchase.

House lawmakers also noted they believe that block buy efforts will help the Navy attain a fleet of 12 aircraft carriers and show the shipbuilding industry the government’s commitment to build a 355-ship fleet.

They added that such procurement method will work to provide workload stability for nearly 3,000 aircraft carrier suppliers across the U.S. and encourage industry to make investments.

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Sannadean Sims to Retire as DISA CFO
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Sannadean Sims to Retire as DISA CFO


Sannadean Sims to Retire as DISA CFO
Sannadean Sims

The Defense Information Systems Agency has announced that Sannadean Sims will retire as DISA’s chief financial officer, comptroller and resource management center director.

DISA said Wednesday it will host a retirement ceremony for Sims on Jan. 3 at the agency’s headquarters at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland.

She began her government service in 1987 after she spent 10 years at Exxon Mobil, where she managed budget, contracting and computing offices during her career there.

Sims previously held a position at the U.S. Army Europe’s 60th Ordnance Group in Germany and helped organize the service branch’s first information technology convention in Zweibruecken and directed resource management efforts for the military community in the German town.

She also worked in staff and leadership roles at the Executive Office of President, Office of Management and Budget, the White House Military Office and DISA.

 

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USDA, Michigan Tech Use Drones In Support of Hiawatha Land Management Efforts
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USDA, Michigan Tech Use Drones In Support of Hiawatha Land Management Efforts


USDA, Michigan Tech Use Drones In Support of Hiawatha Land Management EffortsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Technological University have partnered to support Hiawatha National Forest’s land management efforts through the use of drones.

The drones are deployed to collect data on the condition of wetlands within the area as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, USDA said Thursday.

The data collection aims to aid the area’s land managers in maintaining habitat for animal life, monitor water quality and deal with possible threats to Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan that are connected to the forest.

The effort also aims to study and monitor the impacts of topographic factors including levies, bridges and roads.

The Federal Aviation Administration granted authorization for the drones used in the effort.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was started in 2010 in aims to maintain the world’s largest system of fresh water on the surface.

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Robert Storch Becomes NSA Inspector General
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Robert Storch Becomes NSA Inspector General


Robert Storch Becomes NSA Inspector General
Robert Storch

The Senate has approved Robert Storch as the first presidentially-appointed inspector general for the National Security Agency.

He previously worked at the Justice Department‘s Office of the Inspector General in positions such as senior counsel to the IG and deputy IG, NSA said Dec. 22.

Storch also chaired the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Whistleblower Ombudsman Working Group and helped establish the Whistleblower Ombudsperson program.

His public-sector career has also included time as a federal prosecutor for the Northern District of New York, where he served as deputy criminal chief and counsel to the U.S. Attorney, as well as a DOJ resident legal adviser in Ukraine.

Nextgov reported that former President Barack Obama first nominated Storch for the NSA IG position in November last year, but the Senate failed to vote on his nomination before the elections took place.

The report said Storch was renominated by President Donald Trump in June.

NSA OIG monitors the agency’s compliance with law, regulation and policy; workforce management practices; and use of public resources.

THE TOP 17 GOVCON DAILY ARTICLES FOR 2017
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THE TOP 17 GOVCON DAILY ARTICLES FOR 2017


THE TOP 17 GOVCON DAILY ARTICLES FOR 2017(LISTED BELOW) For an end of year wrap-up, we are publishing the top 17 GovCon Daily stories for 2017. These articles were reviewed and analyzed to be the 17 stories with the highest readership for this year.

 

 

 

 

  1. Bloomberg: Air Force Halts Air Operations Network Modernization Program
  2. Gen. Scott Dingle to Lead Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic
  3. Army Intell Officer Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier Named Military Deputy to DIA Director
  4. White House Lifts Federal Hiring Freeze Following Release of OMB Govt Restructuring Guidance
  5. Textron Systems CEO Ellen Lord to Be Nominated as Pentagon Acquisition Chief
  6. President Trump to Nominate ViraCyte’s Brett Giroir as HHS Assistant Secretary for Health
  7. President Trump to Nominate Kari Bingen, Robert Story Karem to DoD Leadership Roles
  8. Andrea Thompson to Serve as Nat’l Security Adviser to Mike Pence, Deputy Asst to Trump
  9. Gen. Scottie Carpenter Named Army Reserve Command Deputy Commanding General
  10. Gisele Bonitz Named Space & Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific Commanding Officer
  11. DARPA Appoints Steven Walker Full-Time Director
  12. Vice Adm. Dixon Smith, Rear Adm. Mary Jackson Nominated for New Navy Leadership Roles
  13. House Oversight Panel OKs Bill to Restrict Use of LPTA-Based Contracts in Federal Procurements
  14. New Bill Seeks 3.2% Federal Employee Pay Raise for 2018
  15. Trump to Nominate Kearney & Co. Partner David Norquist as DoD Comptroller
  16. President Trump to Nominate Thomas Modly for Navy Undersecretary Post
  17. Report: DoD Says Contractors Must Have ‘System Security Plans’ by Year’s End

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Bloomberg: Air Force Halts Air Operations Network Modernization Program
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Bloomberg: Air Force Halts Air Operations Network Modernization Program


Bloomberg: Air Force Halts Air Operations Network Modernization ProgramThe U.S. Air Force has asked Northrop Grumman to cease development work on the air operations center modernization program “until further notice,” Bloomberg reported Friday.

Anthony Capaccio writes the stop-work request took effect Wednesday after the Senate Armed Services Committee refused to pass a plan to reprogram $66 million in funds from other accounts to pay for a part of the AOC 10.2 network’s overrun.

Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the Air Force, said the stop-work order does not terminate the contract, but has been issued due to lack of sufficient funds to further support the project this year.

The AOC network is designed to provide command-and-control functionality to help the service branch’s commanders plan and execute operations across air, cyber and space domains.

The AOC modernization program seeks to update the service branch’s operational-level C2 centers, advance the integration of new applications in support of warfighters and reduce data technology footprint through the development of a streamlined computing environment.

A November 2016 report to Congress obtained by Bloomberg News shows that the AOC 10.2 network program is now projected to record $745 million in development costs, up from its original estimated cost of $374 million, Capaccio reported.

This story was originally published on April 21, 2017.

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Brig. Gen. Scott Dingle to Lead Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic
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Brig. Gen. Scott Dingle to Lead Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic


Brig. Gen. Scott Dingle to Lead Army Regional Health Command-Atlantic
R. Scott Dingle

Brig. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, deputy chief of staff for staff operations at the U.S. Army Medical Command, has been named commanding general of the military branch’s Regional Health Command-Atlantic, the Defense Department announced Tuesday.

He previously served as director of healthcare operations at the Office of the Surgeon General and commander of the 30th Medical Brigade in Germany before he joined MEDCOM’s G-3/5/7 office in 2015.

Dingle also held various roles within the 75th Forward Support Battalion, 194th Separate Armored Brigade, McDonald Army Community Hospital, Medical Company and Medical Hold Detachment, 3rd Forward Support Battalion and the Division Medical Operations Center.

His previous assignments also include service at the 44th Medical Command, 18th Abn Corps, Combined Joint Task Force -180, 261st Area Support Medical Battalion, 18th Airborne Corps Surgeon’s Office and the 261st Multifunctional Medical Battalion.

The brigadier general is a recipient of awards such as Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Humanitarian Service Medal and the Order of Military Medical Merit.

Dingle holds master’s degrees in administration, national security strategy and military arts and science from the Central Michigan University, School of Advanced Military Studies and National War College, respectively.

This story was originally published on March 8, 2017.

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Army Intell Officer Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier Named Military Deputy to DIA Director
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Army Intell Officer Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier Named Military Deputy to DIA Director


Army Intell Officer Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier Named Military Deputy to DIA Director
Scott Berrier

Maj. Gen. Scott Berrier, commanding general and commandant of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence and Fort Huachuca in Arizona, will assume the role of military deputy to the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The Defense Department said Monday Berrier will be based out of Washington as part of his new role.

Berrier is a career Army military intelligence officer who has supported Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

He has also held assignments at MacDill Air Force Base, Fort Hood as well as in South Korea, where he served with the United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/U.S. Forces Korea.

He was deputy chief of staff for intelligence with the International Security Assistance Force before he assumed his leadership post at Fort Huachuca in 2015.

This story was originally published on May 2, 2017.

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White House Lifts Federal Hiring Freeze Following Release of OMB Govt Restructuring Guidance
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White House Lifts Federal Hiring Freeze Following Release of OMB Govt Restructuring Guidance


White House Lifts Federal Hiring Freeze Following Release of OMB Govt Restructuring GuidanceThe White House has lifted the federal hiring freeze after the Office of Management and Budget issued new guidance that recommends measures for agencies on how to reduce the federal workforce’s size, restructure missions and evaluate employee performance, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday.

Jason Miller writes OMB Director Mick Mulvaney released the 14-page guidance to agency executives in compliance with an executive order on government reorganization that President Donald Trump signed in March.

The document requires agencies to determine and submit their four-year workforce reduction plans by September as part of the budget request for fiscal 2019 and directs the Office of Personnel Management to give agencies templates for early retirement authority requests and expedite reviews for such requests within a month.

The memo also asks agencies to submit a plan to OMB on how to optimize employee performance and requires OMB to conduct a meeting with agencies to facilitate reviews of the organizations’ draft reform plans by June 30, Miller wrote.

OMB noted in the guidance that it will begin in February 2018 to monitor the agencies’ progress with their reorganization plans.

Mulvaney said he will hand over to Trump a final reorganization and restructuring plan for agencies by March 2018, the report added.

This story was originally published on April 12, 2017. 

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Textron Systems CEO Ellen Lord to Be Nominated as Pentagon Acquisition Chief
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Textron Systems CEO Ellen Lord to Be Nominated as Pentagon Acquisition Chief


Textron Systems CEO Ellen Lord to Be Nominated as Pentagon Acquisition Chief
Ellen Lord

President Donald Trump intends to nominate Ellen Lord, president and CEO of Textron Systems, as undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at the Defense Department, the White House announced Tuesday.

If confirmed, she will lead the current AT&L office and subsequently be undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment after DoD completes a mandated split of the organization into two functions by Feb. 1, 2018.

Lord assumed her current roles in 2012 after she served as senior vice president and general manager of Textron’s defense systems business.

She also held SVP and GM roles at Textron’s AAI Corp. subsidiary and VP of integration management at Textron Systems.

Lord is vice chair of the National Defense Industrial Association and a member of the Center for a New American Security’s task force on strategy, technology and the global defense industry.

She also sits on the board of directors of the Defense Technology Initiative, Naval Institute Foundation and the U.S. India Business Council.

This story was originally published on June 28, 2017.

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