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CMS Releases Presolicitation Notice for RMADA 3 IDIQ
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CMS Releases Presolicitation Notice for RMADA 3 IDIQ

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued the statement of work, or SOW, for the Research, Measurement, Assessment, Design and Analysis 3 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

Presolicitation Objectives

The purpose of the issuance is to provide vendors information regarding the requirements under RMADA 3 and allow for the development of appropriate business partnerships to address those needs, according to a presolicitation notice posted Tuesday on SAM.gov.

Contract Requirements

RMADA 3 calls for analytical support and technical assistance activities that will support various programs involving innovative care delivery and payment models as created or derived under current or future health reform legislation. The assistance activities will also support the demonstration efforts for those models.

The assistance activities will take various forms, including support for model design and operations; program, data and environmental analysis; model site implementation monitoring; and survey and data collection design and implementation.

CMS may also ask the contractor to help develop and implement learning systems to bring about accelerated learning, improvement and dissemination of promising practices.

Future RFP

CMS intends to issue task orders under RMADA 3 to meet these requirements, though the agency, as yet, is not calling for proposals.

Comments regarding the SOW may be incorporated into the document’s final version, which will accompany a future request for proposals.

Past RMADA Contracts

Positions on the second iteration of RMADA were awarded in late 2019. An additional 3 companies were added to the list of awardees in early 2020. RMADA 2 had a total potential value of $5 billion.

The original RMADA contract had a period of performance of five years and featured 15 vendors. That contract had a total potential value of $7 billion.

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NASA to Launch 2 Balloon Flights for December Antarctic Campaign
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NASA to Launch 2 Balloon Flights for December Antarctic Campaign

NASA will resume its annual long-duration balloon operation in Antarctica by launching two flights in mid-December for planned nine missions to near space.

The Antarctic campaign’s balloon flights will lift off from a camp near the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station on the Ross Ice Shelf to conduct astrophysics, space biology, heliospheric research and upper atmospheric research probes, the space agency said Tuesday.

Andrew Hamilton, acting chief of NASA’s Balloon Program Office, noted that carrying out an operation in a remote location was made easier with support from NSF, the New Zealand government and the U.S. Air Force. “Antarctica is our cornerstone location for long-duration balloon missions,” he explained.

Critical NASA Missions in Near Space

For the 2024 campaign, one of NASA’s chief missions is to identify anti-matter particles produced by dark matter interactions that can be observed only in space. Spearheaded by Columbia University in New York, the experiment aims to better understand the dark matter’s unexplored energy regime.

NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility will also conduct the Salter Test Flight Universal mission to test and verify long-duration balloons and subsystems. Within the effort, the agency will support smaller payloads or piggyback missions, such as studying how a fungus called Aspergillus niger adapts to thrive in harsh environments. A deeper knowledge of the fungus could prompt the development of treatments to protect astronauts from high radiation exposure.

Data Gathering Operation

NASA employs zero-pressure balloons in the Antarctic campaign to take advantage of the region’s stable wind conditions, enabling the balloon missions to remain in near space for an extended period to collect massive amounts of scientific data.

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Lockheed Missile Interceptor Demos Guam Defense
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Lockheed Missile Interceptor Demos Guam Defense

Lockheed Martin and the Missile Defense Agency have demonstrated a live exo-atmospheric intercept of an in-flight, medium-range ballistic missile through the company’s Aegis Guam System, or AGS, at the western North Pacific island. 

The demo, dubbed Flight Experiment Mission-02, or FEM-02, supports the Department of Defense and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s capability to defend Guam, Lockheed said Wednesday.

Rapid Systems Integration

Paul Lemmo, Lockheed vice president and general manager of integrated warfare systems and sensors, noted that the company’s partnership with MDA enabled the transition from contract award to intercept flight demo in less than two years. “This rapid integration of capabilities to demonstrate the defense of Guam was enabled by leveraging proven systems and Lockheed Martin’s systems engineering, production and test excellence,” he said.

According to Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, Joint Task Force-Micronesia commander, the test confirmed the INDOPACOM unit’s capability in detecting, tracking and engaging a target flying missile, which increases defense readiness against evolving enemy threats, Breaking Defense reported.

First End-to-End Missile Radar Tracking

In the FEM-02 demo, Lockheed deployed its AN/TPY-6 Radar, Vertical Launching System, or VLS, in the AGS at Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base. The VLS fired a standard Missile-3 Block IIA to counter an air-launched medium-range ballistic missile.

“The AN/TPY-6 radar tracked the target shortly after launch to intercept in the first end-to-end tracking use of the radar during a live ballistic missile flight test,” the Pentagon said in the Breaking Defense report.

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SAIC Readying Mobile Command Vehicle Delivery to USMC
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SAIC Readying Mobile Command Vehicle Delivery to USMC

SAIC is set to begin its contracted delivery of mobile command vehicles to the U.S. Marine Corps in January 2025. The Reston, Virginia-based company won the contract in June.

The Marine Corps said Tuesday the initial delivery of 18 MCVs will begin in January and is expected to be completed in July.

Contract Details

The contract is meant to support the modernization efforts of the Marine Corps, particularly in their capacity to engage and defend against emerging warfare capabilities. The current threat landscape involves advanced surveillance, targeting and electronic warfare tactics that make it easier for fixed positions to be targeted.

The Marine Corps intends to address the need for mobile and resilient command and control systems with distributed precision fire capabilities. It aims to bridge the gap by enabling swift emplacements, displacements, and command, control and communications on the move. The procurement of the MCVs is one way the military is attempting to adapt to modern warfare.

The first 18 MCVs to be delivered will be utilized by Marine Littoral Regiments Medium-range Missile firing units, which fall under the USMC’s Artillery Modernization Plan. The Marine Corps is expected to procure another 18 MCVs, with deliveries slated to begin in August 2025 and potentially end in early 2026.

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Booz Allen’s Judi Dotson on the State of Public-Private Partnership
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Booz Allen’s Judi Dotson on the State of Public-Private Partnership

In recent years, the U.S. federal government has signaled a clear need for closer collaboration with the private sector. In today’s era of rapidly evolving technological advancements, these partnerships are more important, urgent and consequential than ever before.

“Well, the good news is I would say we are collaborating. But we all agree that there’s more to do, just given how fast everything is moving,” said Judi Dotson, president of the global defense sector at Booz Allen Hamilton and a two-time Wash100 Award winner, during a new video interview with Executive Mosaic.

Booz Allen’s Judi Dotson on the State of Public-Private Partnership

Hear about the latest public-private partnerships and collaborative efforts at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 23. Join the 2025 Defense R&D Summit to meet and learn from the government and industry executives leading defense innovation. 

Key Government Innovation Efforts

Dotson highlighted a few promising efforts and initiatives underway within the federal government to bolster commercial collaboration. First, the national defense strategy has provided a clearly communicated and outlined path for industry to take in its support of government missions.

“I think that the national defense strategy put out a framework that is very helpful for startups and other innovators,” said Dotson. “[It] makes it very clear that there’s a whole-of-nation approach that’s needed to be sure that we are working together to bring the best to our troops and to the best to the fight.”

Another example Dotson shared was the establishment of the Office of Strategic Capital in 2022. Dotson noted that OSC has been working to “help those companies that are developing critical technologies get the funding that they need” in order to support innovation in the defense landscape.

“Overall, the message from DOD is clear, it’s loud: Bring me your innovations,” Dotson said.

Barriers to Federal Innovation

While the innovation directive is loud and clear, there are still some hurdles that remain in achieving such innovation. One hurdle is around clarifying urgency and speed.

“Urgent threats in regions are not yet translating to the level of speed necessary to really achieve the deterrence that we need to put in place,” said Dotson. “DOD is working hard to change this, as is industry, but we still have to deal with realities like rigid multi-year planning cycles, like political consequences of failure.”

Dotson said that in the process of innovation, failure is not only inevitable but necessary. Today, there may be serious consequences for failure, but Dotson hopes that changes on a cultural level.

“We need to be able to fail fast and we need to be able to win together. And winning together means everybody coming together and bringing their best. And that isn’t really the way we’ve been aligned historically, but it’s certainly what we need going forward,” the Booz Allen president commented.

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US, Japan Mark Completion of QZS-6 Satellite With US Payload
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US, Japan Mark Completion of QZS-6 Satellite With US Payload

The U.S. Space Force and its Japanese partners celebrated on Nov. 18 the integration of a U.S. payload with the first of two Japanese host satellites that will launch from Japan’s Tanegashima National Space Center in early 2025.

Space Systems Command said Monday the Japanese satellite, QZS-6, with the U.S. space domain awareness optical payload has also been cleared for delivery to the launch site.

In December 2020, the U.S. Space Force and Japan’s Office of National Space Policy signed a memorandum of understanding to launch two U.S. payloads on Japan’s Quasi Zenith Satellite System, or QZSS.

“We went from a signature on an international agreement to a launch-ready capability with our Japanese partners in less than four years,” said Joy White, executive director of SSC.

“Hats off to the entire program team. This is an amazing accomplishment. Not only does this mission serve as the benchmark for successful allied partnership, but it also delivers a much-needed space domain awareness capability. It took a lot of effort and collaboration between our two nations to get to this point,” added White.

The MIT Lincoln Laboratory designed and built the space domain awareness optical payloads for Japan’s host satellites.

SSC said Japan is performing assembly, testing and integration work on the second host satellite, QZS-7, which is expected to launch in early fiscal year 2026.

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Kenyatta Jackson Joins FCC’s Inspector General Office as CTO
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Kenyatta Jackson Joins FCC’s Inspector General Office as CTO

Kenyatta Jackson, a technology expert with years of leadership experience in government, has assumed new responsibilities as chief technology officer and assistant inspector general of management at the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Inspector General. He confirmed his new position in a recent post on LinkedIn.

Who Is Kenyatta Jackson?

Jackson joined the FCC from AmeriCorps, where he also served as CTO at the agency’s OIG for four years. At AmeriCorps, he oversaw the agency’s IT division and led the development of technology-related strategic and operational planning documents. He also served as a technical adviser to the inspector general and assistant inspector generals. 

Before AmeriCorps, Jackson held the role of chief information security officer at the Department of the Treasury. As CISO, he was involved in the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program and was the Treasury’s SIGTARP representative for in-agency meetings, conferences and workshops.

The technology expert’s career in government also includes positions at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of the Air Force and the Department of the Army.

Jackson has a master’s degree in cybersecurity management and policy from the University of Maryland, as well as both a master’s in business administration and a bachelor’s in technology management from Saint Leo University.

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Ty Brown on DOE’s Use of Automation to Counter Cyberthreats
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Ty Brown on DOE’s Use of Automation to Counter Cyberthreats

Ty Brown, director of cybersecurity operations at the Department of Energy, said DOE is advancing automation and intelligence-sharing to detect and prevent cybersecurity threats, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“We are under attack right now. We’re being scanned, probed every second. So what we have to do is leverage a fair amount of automation to get that volume out of the way,” said Brown. “Have we seen this before? And that goes back to the documentation and sharing of intelligence.”

The cyber operations chief pointed to information-sharing practices within the department to help prevent cyberattacks.

“We try to handle these things at the lowest level possible, but we’re always making sure that the proper parties are informed and that we’re sharing what we’ve learned from these incidents. It’s not a matter of just flipping a switch to turn off the bad thing,” he noted.

Brown also discussed how DOE implements artificial intelligence in the cybersecurity area.

“AI is the new guy, and like anybody that’s new to the office, you’re going to eventually give it some work and you’re going to keep a very weather eye on it and make sure that it’s performing as expected,” he said. “I don’t see it being cut loose anytime soon, but it’s very glad to have that second opinion.”

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DIU Seeking Forward Counter-Drone C2 System Concept Prototypes
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DIU Seeking Forward Counter-Drone C2 System Concept Prototypes

The Defense Innovation Unit announced it is seeking concepts for forward counter unmanned aircraft system command and control, or FCUAS C2, solutions enabling a single operator to engage multiple drone targets, as well as manned aircraft.

The FCUAS C2 system sought under the DIU’s area of interest solicitation should be solely operable through a portable device, such as a tablet or laptop. In addition, the solution should be interoperable with current or emerging C2 systems and can rapidly integrate new third-party sensors.

The solicitation’s participants must demonstrate their solutions in an expected live-fire CUAS test in the summer of 2025, including an interface with a government-supplied simulation tool.

Terms of the Solicitation

Partnerships are encouraged in FCUAS C2 prototype concept solicitation, particularly the collaboration of artificial intelligence/machine learning companies and integrators of counter-drone technologies. One recent counter-drone partnership with an AI focus involves Anduril Industries’ collaboration with ChatGPT developer OpenAI.

Individual companies that can deliver the entire solution to the FCUAS C2 system can also apply in the prototyping solicitation. They have to indicate though if subcontractors would be involved along with their roles. Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems are among the companies that recently demonstrated AI capabilities in their counter-drone systems.

An other transaction agreement awarded on the FCUAS C2 prototype may result in a follow-on production contract without further competition. The value of the follow-on contract could be significantly larger than the prototyping agreement, as several Department of Defense units may order the FCUAS C2 system.

The deadline for the prototype concept submission is on Dec. 23.

GAO Says VHA Should Improve Healthcare Oversight Capabilities
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GAO Says VHA Should Improve Healthcare Oversight Capabilities

The Government Accountability Office is calling on the Veterans Health Administration to implement four recommendations to enhance its oversight capabilities and ensure the delivery of quality healthcare to veterans.

The recommendations are part of a GAO report that was publicly released on Monday, in which the agency noted that VHA had previously faced challenges in overseeing veterans healthcare. These concerns prompted GAO to add Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare to its High-Risk List in 2015.

Full Implementation of Leading Risk Management Practices

First, GAO says its six leading practices for managing risk should be fully implemented by VHA’s Office of Integrity and Compliance, which works to implement an agencywide approach to understanding the combined impact of various risks to VHA’s mission. In its report, GAO noted that the office had only partially implemented these six practices, and that full implementation would enable VHA to “better respond to risks that could potentially interfere with the timeliness and quality of veterans’ health care.”

Clearer Definition of Internal Audit Function

Second, the purpose of VHA’s internal audit function should be clearly defined in the form of an updated policy directive for the Office of Internal Audit, which was established in 2016 to provide VHA leadership with information regarding how well various aspects of its healthcare system are working. GAO noted in its report that the office had an unclear reporting structure and oversight role, and so an updated policy directive should also address these deficiencies.

Enhanced Monitoring and Recommendation Capabilities

Third, VHA should bolster the monitoring capabilities of the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, which was established to serve as the body that would govern VHA’s oversight. GAO noted, however, that from fiscal years 2021 through 2024, the committee did not review relevant oversight findings. Neither did the committee provide recommendations that might bring about system-wide improvements, which is also part of its function. The committee’s ability to offer such recommendations should also be enhanced.

Workforce Plan Needed

Fourth, a workforce plan should be developed for VHA’s oversight offices. Such a plan should be based on the number of people required for the offices to effectively carry out their compliance, risk management, internal audit and medical investigations functions.

GAO Says VHA Should Improve Healthcare Oversight Capabilities

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit will explore the transformative trends and innovations shaping the future of the healthcare sector. Join the event, which will take place tomorrow, Dec. 11.

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