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GovCon Index Grew for 2nd Consecutive Week
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GovCon Index Grew for 2nd Consecutive Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index increased by 1.36% last week, ending with an average of $5,366.84.

GovCon Index tracks and displays real-time stock market data on 30 major government contracting enterprises. Users can leverage this information to examine the performance of each individual company and assess the overall state of today’s GovCon marketplace.

Last week’s top gainer was Aerovironment, which grew by 8.27%. Jacobs (+4.43%) and Mercury Systems (+4.27%) were second and third, respectively. Accenture Federal Services recorded an increase of 3.85%, taking fourth place, and Parsons (+3.61%) came in fifth.

GovCon Index started last week off strong, rising by 1.31% on Monday. Despite losses on Tuesday and Wednesday, gains on Thursday and Friday locked in a second consecutive week of growth.

Check out last week’s market reports to get even more information on daily GovCon Index performance, and visit the GovCon Index website to view the complete list of tracked organizations.

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USMC Demo Tests Link-16 Communication With Valkyrie Drone
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USMC Demo Tests Link-16 Communication With Valkyrie Drone

The U.S. Marine Corps has demonstrated for the first time off-board drone control using Link 16 communication on its recent third test flight of the XQ-58A Valkyrie unmanned aerial system at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. 

The test was accomplished in collaboration with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and industry representatives, the USMC said Thursday.   

The Marines added that the test’s results demonstrated that the prototype connection of Link 16 with Valkyrie meets the initial requirements for the needed autonomous tactical information exchange.

Using the satellite-based Link 16 significantly boosts the integrated and joint operations capability of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, which supports the Marines’ mission to deter conflict while also offering the opportunity to foil adversaries in evolving battlefields.  

The USMC conducted the Link 16-Valkyrie test as part of the preparations for Emerald Flag 2024, a technology-focused multiservice and multidomain training exercise on joint warfare set for October. 

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and the Air Force Research Laboratory previously co-developed the Valkyrie as part of the latter’s Autonomous Collaborative Enabling Technologies portfolio, which seeks to develop a collaborative combat aircraft and other autonomous platforms.

The USMC conducted the first Valkyrie test in October 2023 and the drone’s second demo in March.

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CHIPS for America Unveils Beta Version of METIS Data-sharing Platform
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CHIPS for America Unveils Beta Version of METIS Data-sharing Platform

CHIPS for America has launched a beta version of METIS designed to enable stakeholders to access research results of projects under the CHIPS Metrology program and help accelerate breakthroughs in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology said Thursday METIS, which stands for the Metrology Exchange to Innovate in Semiconductors, seeks to facilitate the exchange of data, models and other products to help transition microelectronics research to the marketplace.

The METIS beta version includes initial data from three CHIPS Metrology projects: High Speed Metrology for Magnetoelectronic Devices and Models; Multiscale Modeling and Validation of Semiconductor Materials and Devices; and CalNet.

According to NIST, the projects under the CHIPS Metrology program are aligned with seven grand challenges, including Metrology for Materials Purity, Properties and Provenance and Advanced Metrology for Future Microelectronics Manufacturing.

To date, CHIPS for America has distributed over $190 million in funding across 40 projects to help build new measurement instruments and measurement-informed simulations and models to advance the design and production of advanced microelectronics systems.

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DOE Awards 10 Projects to Enhance Energy Systems Security
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DOE Awards 10 Projects to Enhance Energy Systems Security

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected 10 projects to receive an estimated $23 million to strengthen the energy systems’ defense against various threats.

The awardees will conduct studies to develop tools and technologies to mitigate cyber, physical and natural threats to the energy sector, the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response announced on Sept. 27.

The selected projects and their leads are:

  • Brigham Young University’s quantum-based technology for enhanced distributed energy resource—or DER—communications within a zero-trust architecture
  • New York University’s enhanced physical security monitoring systems at substations using fiber-optics sensing technology
  • North Carolina A&T State University’s cyber-physical platform that simulates large-scale electric power grid with multiple DERs
  • Operant Networks’ use of zero-trust architecture to integrate security and access control across energy systems
  • SUNY Research Foundation’s fire spread prediction model and situational awareness system for critical energy assets and infrastructure
  • Southern California Edison’s technologies that enable DER to operate while mitigating cyber threats  
  • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s two climate-based projects, including the use of engineering software tools to prepare the electric grid for extreme weather, and the use of machine learning programming to detect failing devices and prevent fire
  • Texas A&M University’s integration of light, camera and siren systems into the GDI Gun Detection System to harden substation infrastructure
  • University of North Dakota’s use of sensors, machine learning algorithms and data systems to detect and respond to physical and climate-based threats to substations

Puesh Kumar, director of CESER, noting that the DOE is making strategic investments to secure energy systems, said “This work is accomplished through robust partnerships with academia, industry and technology companies. We know it will take the best and brightest to fully realize a secure and resilient energy future for all Americans, and the funding we are announcing today is a significant step toward that goal.”

CDC Announces $176M in Funding for 48 Public Health Partners
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CDC Announces $176M in Funding for 48 Public Health Partners

Forty-eight Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health partners are set to receive $176 million for the first year of a 5-year-cycle under the National Partners Cooperative Agreement, a funding mechanism that seeks to finance organizations with the ability to support the needs of the public health infrastructure and workforce.

Using the funds, the health partners will work to bolster the ability of various agencies and organizations to deliver services to bring about positive health outcomes, the CDC said Wednesday.

For CDC Director Mandy Cohen, the financial support being provided through the National Partners CoAg demonstrates her agency’s commitment to building a public health system that is strong and resilient.

Regarding public health partners, Cohen said they are “critical to building trust with communities and providing the essential services and capacity needed to face health threats.”

For her part, CDC Public Health Infrastructure Center Director Leslie Ann Dauphin said the funding awards “will help build a strong public health infrastructure with enhanced ability to detect and control diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide essential healthcare services to all communities.”

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DARPA to Develop Techniques for AI to Automatically Understand Human Languages
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DARPA to Develop Techniques for AI to Automatically Understand Human Languages

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a new program seeking to automatically translate obligations, permissions and prohibitions, known as deontic concepts, into logical programming language.

The Human-AI Communications for Deontic Reasoning Devops, or CODORD, program intends to reduce the required cost and time to transfer deontic knowledge, DARPA said Friday.

The project will develop innovative techniques for translating natural human language into a language form that artificial intelligence can readily process, according to CODORD Program Manager Benjamin Grosof.

CODORD will accelerate the transmission of deontic knowledge so AI researchers can take advantage of advances in large language models and logical programming languages, Grosof added.

DARPA projects that CODORD could enable automated and accurate deontic reasoning to support AI applications that comply with command orders, regulations, laws, operational policies, ethics and contracts.

The capabilities produced under the program are expected to advance military and civilian use cases, the agency noted.

Col. Robert Gerbracht, special assistant to the DARPA Director, said CODORD would assure commanders that an AI will transmit directives or intents “within the ethical, legal and moral guidelines.”

DARPA will hold a proposers day for the program on Oct. 8 and will publish a full solicitation on the effort in the weeks ahead.

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NASA’s JPL Secures NOAA Contract to Study RF Band Corruption
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NASA’s JPL Secures NOAA Contract to Study RF Band Corruption

Jet Propulsion Laboratory has booked a contract valued at $1.1 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study radio frequency band corruption.

The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service said Friday the contract that NOAA awarded on Sept. 10, aims to investigate the disruptions of RF bands used by Earth observation satellites.

JPL is responsible for detecting, identifying and characterizing harmful emissions interfering with a passive band. It is expected to provide possible measures to mitigate or reduce the impact of these issues.

The center will assess the risks, processes and modifications necessary to implement enhanced passive remote sensing globally. It will also develop methods and evaluate resources needed for the mitigation strategies.

Increasing RF emissions from congested band sources, including private satellites and advanced wireless services, can corrupt data from Earth’s satellites that are vital for weather forecasting.

The contract, a Joint Venture Partnerships broad agency announcement, is intended for research purposes. There are no current plans for an RFI detection or mitigation satellite mission.

The Office of Systems Architecture and Engineering’s Joint Venture Partnerships program, operated by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, is managing the contract.

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NSF, DOC Issue Solicitation for National Network for Microelectronics Education Coordination Hub
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NSF, DOC Issue Solicitation for National Network for Microelectronics Education Coordination Hub

The U.S National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Department of Commerce, has issued a solicitation for the creation of a Network Coordination Hub for the National Network for Microelectronics Education.

The Network Coordination Hub will establish and operate regional nodes across the United States, where educational programs will be implemented, according to a notice released on Sam.gov Friday.

These nodes will offer instructional materials, experimental opportunities and teacher professional development programs to help train the semiconductor and microelectronics industry’s workforce.

The NSF will manage the Network Coordination Hub with the help of the DOC.

Interested vendors may submit their proposals by Oct.28, at 4 pm EDT. An information webinar will be held on Oct. 4 to discuss the hub and the application process.

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MDA Chooses Northrop Grumman for Glide Phase Interceptor Program
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MDA Chooses Northrop Grumman for Glide Phase Interceptor Program

The Missile Defense Agency has selected Northrop Grumman as the single contractor to deliver services for the the Glide Phase Interceptor, or GPI, program, DefenseScoop reported Wednesday.

The GPI program is an initiative that aims to produce an advanced missile that can meet, counter and dispense with adversarial hypersonic weapons that can reach speeds of Mach 5 or greater. The system will look to intercept and defeat incoming hypersonics while traveling through the perimeters of the Earth’s atmosphere—the glide phase.

Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, MDA director and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said, “Today’s decision represents a turning point for hypersonic glide phase defense.”

The MDA is developing the program alongside Japan’s Ministry of Defense and expects Northrop Grumman’s selection to result in follow-on development and production.

“I’m very proud of the entire team including our industry partners, for all the hard work to get to this point. It is also an honor to have Japan as our partner as we move forward on this critical counter-hypersonic capability,” Collins added.

Northrop Grumman’s GPI design reportedly features an advanced seeker for threat tracking and hit-to-kill accuracy, a re-ignitable upper-stage engine for threat containment and a dual engagement mode to deal with threats across a wide range of altitudes, the company said in a release. Northrop Grumman beat out RTX for the continued development of the GPI. 

Wendy Williams, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and manager of launch and missile defense systems, said the GPI provides “mission critical” capabilities in warfighting situations where distance creates strategic opportunities. 

“Tailorable to a multitude of mission requirements, Northrop Grumman’s revolutionary solution is designed to perform in the evolving threat landscape,” Williams stated. 

MDA requested $182 million for GPI in its fiscal 2025 budget and plans for the missiles to reach initial operational functionality by the end of 2029 and full operational capacity by the 2030s.

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VA Begins Market Research for Data Management SaaS Platform
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VA Begins Market Research for Data Management SaaS Platform

The Department of Veterans Affairs has started soliciting information from industry stakeholders on a software-as-a-service platform that could meet its data management and data analytic requirements.

According to a presolicitation notice published Friday, the SaaS platform should be authorized at the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program High level and meet the Federal Information System Management Act, or FISMA 2014 High requirements.

The commercial-off-the-shelf platform should be fully configurable, deployed and ready for VA use within 14 days of award to facilitate ingestion of data, metadata and transformations and allow user configurations.

The contractor should sign a service-level agreement and provide the architectural diagram and artifacts representing the SaaS platform’s security controls.

VA expects the SaaS platform to ingest and analyze unstructured and disaggregated data from various sources and formats, provide operational decisional support to VA and its stakeholders and provide granular security controls.

According to the department, the platform should maintain data origin and reproducibility of all integrated data sources and develop a comprehensive analytics framework that links data to key analytic questions and decisions it informs to rapidly expand the data’s utility.

Responses to the request for information are due Oct. 3.

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