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DOT CIO on Agency’s Move to Modern Development Techniques
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DOT CIO on Agency’s Move to Modern Development Techniques

The transition to modern development techniques, like advancing the adoption of DevSecOps methodology, is one of the top three priorities for Cordell Schachter, chief information officer of the Department of Transportation, Federal News Network reported Friday.

With DevSecOps, DOT is taking advantage of cloud services and low-code platforms.

According to FNN, the modernization of the RICE platform, which stands for registration, inspections, compliance and enforcement, is an example of DOT’s digital transformation efforts and security initiatives.

Schachter noted that all the digital modernization efforts are focused on aligning incentives with intentions.

“When we now replace legacy applications with low code or no code platforms, then that’s the kind of relationship that we want. It’s newer for us than the way we previously operated. The contracts we write, the solicitations that we let, are going to be different than what we have in the past. So we’re going to need partners who work with us to get it right,” he said.

“Our intention is to have a modern system that’s always available, that’s secure, that maintains privacy, that does what it’s supposed to do, and now the incentive should be, because vendors are in it to earn a reasonable profit that they do that, but accept the responsibility that goes with the intentions that I stated,” the CIO added.

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New Cyber Guidance Suggests Steps to Foil Russian Intel Threats
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New Cyber Guidance Suggests Steps to Foil Russian Intel Threats

The National Security Agency announced that U.S. and U.K. authorities have released a new joint cybersecurity guidance recommending measures for network defenders to address ongoing cyber threats from the Russian Federation Foreign Intelligence Service, or SVR. 

The joint advisory listed the common vulnerabilities and exposures that SVR is exploiting through various malicious tactics, such as spearphishing, password spraying, malware deployment, cloud exploitation and living off the land, or LOTL, attacks, the NSA said Thursday.

The new eight-page joint cybersecurity advisory, titled  “Update on SVR Cyber Operations and Vulnerability Exploitation,” is co-authored by the NSA, the FBI, the U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force and the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre, or NCSC.  

To reduce the potential SVR attack surface, the advisory suggests disabling unnecessary internet-accessible services, restricting access to trusted networks and removal of unused applications in workstations. 

Other advisory suggestions include multi-factor user authentication and regular audits of cloud-based accounts and applications 

Additional mitigation measures on Russian exploitation of cloud environments are contained in another joint cybersecurity advisory issued in February. The earlier guidance was spearheaded by the U.K.’s NCSC and supported by international partners including U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand security agencies.

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GovCon Index Kept Rising Last Week
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GovCon Index Kept Rising Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index maintained a winning streak last week, closing 0.65% higher than the previous week. This increase lifted the average to $5,505.35.

GovCon Index gathers and displays data on the stock market performance of 30 major government contracting companies in real time. With this information, users can evaluate the financial standing of each tracked organization and gain key insights into the broad trends characterizing today’s GovCon market.

V2X claimed the top spot last week with gains of 8.52%. Palantir (+8.04%) came in second, and Honeywell (+5.65%) was third. Aerovironment, which grew by 3.45%, secured fourth place, and The Carlyle Group (+2.88%) achieved the fourth spot in the ranks.

GovCon Index had a slow start last week, but an increase of 0.44% on Tuesday reversed Monday’s losses. Though Thursday brought a drop of 1.05%, Friday’s 1.44% rise pushed GovCon Index up overall, marking its fourth consecutive week in positive territory.

Check out last week’s market reports for a closer look at daily GovCon Index performance. Visit GovConIndex.com to view the complete list of tracked companies.

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DOD Seeks Comments on Proposed JV Eligibility DFARS Amendment
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DOD Seeks Comments on Proposed JV Eligibility DFARS Amendment

The Defense Acquisition Regulations System is seeking comments on its proposal to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement.

According to the proposed rule published in the Federal Register on Thursday, the DFARS amendment would revise the joint venture eligibility requirements and nonmanufacturer rule applicability to contracts awarded under the partnership agreement between the Department of Defense and the Small Business Administration.

The revision aims to align the DFARS with the Federal Acquisition Regulation changes allowing joint ventures to submit responses to solicitations for program acquisitions processed under the agreement.

This proposed rule also includes removing the kit assembler rule set and the nonmanufacturer rule requirements in the DFARS to align with the FAR’s nonmanufacturer rule, which specifies the requirements for all socioeconomic categories.

The DOD invites small businesses and other interested parties to comment on the expected impact of the proposed rule on small entities.

Responses are due Dec. 9.

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NSF Accelerator Issues Solicitation for Southeast Anchor
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NSF Accelerator Issues Solicitation for Southeast Anchor

The National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator has issued a solicitation aimed at establishing the regional anchor for the southeast region.

The NSF said Thursday the expansion into the southeastern United States, part of the three-year plan to expand to 10 regionally focused NSF Convergence Accelerators, is meant to drive advancement in research, innovation and workforce development and tackle societal and economic challenges within the area.

According to the notice, the NSF Convergence Accelerator is seeking an organization to serve as the southeast regional anchor. The selected party will supervise the implementation of the program’s model and oversee operations at the regional level as NSF’s representative. 

Only proposers from the southeastern U.S. are eligible for the funding opportunity. Interested parties have until Nov. 21 to submit their proposals.

Erwin Gianchandani, assistant director for NSF Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, or TIP, stressed the TIP directorate’s commitment to accelerating technology and innovation.

“With initiatives like the NSF Convergence Accelerator regionalization, we are sparking the development of cutting-edge technologies and delivering practical solutions for the everyday challenges Americans face, while also building a workforce comprising all Americans and fueling economic growth,” Gianchandani said.

Douglas Maughan, section head for the NSF Convergence Accelerator, added, “After a successful launch in the Midwest, we hope to continue to build momentum in the Southeast Region, seeking organizations with a diverse set of expertise and capabilities to implement our program.”

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Navy Secretary Addresses Small Business Leaders During SF Event
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Navy Secretary Addresses Small Business Leaders During SF Event

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, a Wash100 Award winner, attended a gathering of small business leaders held at the San Francisco SBA Business Office during San Francisco Fleet Week.

The U.S. Navy said Thursday Del Toro emphasized the significance of small businesses in supporting the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during his talk at the event titled “Breaking Barriers: A Department of the Navy & SBA Partnership for Small Business Success,” attended by representatives from the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, regional APEX Accelerators, the National Defense Industrial Association and other key stakeholders.

The Navy secretary noted that $526 million worth of contracts have been awarded to small businesses in the San Francisco area, mentioning Pleasanton-based Atomic’s $2.89 million contract for advanced tactical atomic clocks and the $451,000 contract secured by Arize AI of Berkeley for an artificial intelligence/machine learning technology to enhance underwater threat detection.

Secretary Del Toro said, “From my vantage point as Secretary of the Navy, a healthy, diverse industrial base made up of companies of all sizes – founded by American entrepreneurs from all walks of life – is absolutely crucial to the success of our Navy and our Marine Corps.”

The secretary participated in a roundtable discussion with entrepreneurs and industry leaders where they discussed possible collaborations and the needs of small businesses in the defense sector. Del Toro also encouraged them to ask for support in navigating the federal procurement process from the Office of Small Business Programs.

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New OMB Rule Ensures Trustworthiness of Statistical Agencies
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New OMB Rule Ensures Trustworthiness of Statistical Agencies

The Office of Management and Budget has published on the Federal Register the Trust Regulation, or more formally, the Fundamental Responsibilities of Statistical Agencies and Units rule.

The Trust Regulation aims to foster trust in recognized statistical agencies and units and the federal statistics they produce, which are used in policymaking as well as public discourse, Karin Orvis, the chief statistician of the United States, said in a column published Thursday on the OMB’s Briefing Room blog.

To achieve this goal, the regulation codifies and clarifies the responsibilities of federal statistical agencies, namely: the conduct of objective, credible and accurate statistical activities for the production and dissemination of relevant and timely statistical information; and the protection of the confidentiality of responses from information providers and respondents.

The regulation also outlines the requirements other agencies must meet to support the work that statistical agencies perform.

The formulation of the Trust Regulation incorporates input provided by agency employees and members of the public.

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NASA on Track to Cut Laser Space Comms Tech Cost
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NASA on Track to Cut Laser Space Comms Tech Cost

The Low-Cost Optical Terminal, or LCOT, at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was able to send its first laser communications uplink to the agency’s recently concluded TeraByte Infrared Delivery, or T-Bird, mission in low Earth orbit. 

LCOT is geared toward cutting laser communications technology cost through its use of slightly modified commercial hardware, NASA said Wednesday. 

Fibertek, a fiber optic product supplier, provided NASA with a laser technology that was integrated into the LCOT at Goddard.

NASA noted that LCOT’s first live uplink test delivered sufficient intensity for over three minutes of connection to the tissue box-sized T-Bird, one of the payloads of the CubeSat called Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3. 

The three-minute LCOT connection to T-Bird would suffice to draw more than five terabytes of data equal to over 2,500 hours high-definition video in one pass, the agency added. Laser communications’ ultra-high-speed transmission makes it possible for future science missions to farther destinations to maintain their Earth connection.

Through its Space Communications and Navigation program, NASA is pursuing laser communications technology development in various orbits, including the forthcoming Artemis II mission.

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DIA Nearly Ready to Run AI-Enabled Intel Repository on SIPRNet
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DIA Nearly Ready to Run AI-Enabled Intel Repository on SIPRNet

The Defense Intelligence Agency’s artificial intelligence-powered intel database on foreign militaries will soon be authorized to run on the Pentagon’s classified network.

The Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-repository System, a.k.a. MARS, is scheduled to become fully operational in 2026 and is designed to introduce new security strategies, Defense One reported Thursday.

At an Intelligence and National Security Alliance online event on Tuesday, DIA Chief Information Officer Doug Cossa said that MARS will be on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network “within the next few weeks.”

Cossa added that moving MARS to the SIPRNet will make it more accessible, noting that the repository will be deployed in one area and secure access will be managed through entitlements for users and devices.

He noted that MARS will allow the intelligence and defense communities to establish a common operating picture that employs each other’s data authoritatively.

According to Randy Resnick, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner and head of the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office at the DOD, pilots will be conducted in 2026 to test how MARS will operate and comply with an advanced zero trust level.

The DIA launched MARS in 2018 as a replacement for the Modernized Integrated Database, the Department of Defense’s main repository for information gathered on other countries’ militaries and infrastructure.

Since its introduction, MARS has received significant upgrades, such as new tools and AI capabilities.

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USSF Says Boeing-Built X-37B to Perform Aerobraking Maneuvers
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USSF Says Boeing-Built X-37B to Perform Aerobraking Maneuvers

The U.S. Space Force and Boeing will work together to enable the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle to perform a series of aerobraking maneuvers to alter its orbit around Earth while using minimal fuel.

The Space Force said Thursday the Boeing-built X-37B spacecraft will execute a series of passes using the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to change orbits and safely dispose of its service module in compliance with space debris mitigation standards.

“This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force’s commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space,” said Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.

Once aerobraking is complete, the spacecraft will resume efforts to meet its test and experimentation objectives.

“This first of a kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.

Kendall and Saltzman are both 2024 Wash100 awardees.

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