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Pentagon Publishes New IT Strategy
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Pentagon Publishes New IT Strategy

The Department of Defense has released a new strategy to continue progressive change in the digital workforce.

The Fulcrum: DOD Information Technology Advancement Strategy will help the department provide capabilities oriented with warfighting mission goals. The strategy emphasizes quality user experience and infrastructure growth to tackle enhanced operation requirements, the DOD said Tuesday.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, a Wash100 Award winner, said, “To succeed, today’s warfighter requires information technology that is compatible with the complex demands of a dynamic operating environment and modern battlefield. Technology that enables functional, rapid, and secure support.”

“To achieve this objective, this strategy focuses on ensuring our IT systems are fully integrated, our capabilities are best-in-class, our infrastructure is resilient and secure, and our IT management processes are efficient and agile enough to move at the speed and scale needed to support and achieve our operational needs at any given moment,” Hicks stated.

Spread across four integrated lines of effort — providing joint warfighting IT capabilities; modernizing information networks and compute; optimizing IT governance; and cultivating a premier digital workforce — the Fulcrum Strategy will make sure the department efficiently supports the warfighters who serve them.

Through the second LOE, the DOD plans to leverage zero-trust cybersecurity principles to enable network modernization.

The strategy was originally approved and signed on June 20.

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State Department Counselor Derek Chollet Named DOD Chief of Staff
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State Department Counselor Derek Chollet Named DOD Chief of Staff

Derek Chollet, counselor of the State Department, will join the Department of Defense in July to serve as chief of staff.

In a statement published Monday, Defense Secretary and three-time Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin said Chollet “is one of the most distinguished, far-sighted, and skillful national-security practitioners of his generation, and I am grateful to him for taking on this key assignment at such an important moment.”

Chollet will return to the Pentagon, where he served as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 2012 to 2015.

His government career included time as special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning on the National Security Council and principal deputy director of the State Department’s policy planning staff.

Before moving to the State Department, he was executive vice president and senior adviser for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Tom Sullivan, deputy chief of staff for policy, as the department’s next counselor.

“Tom has an unmatched depth of knowledge about how national security policy is formulated and implemented, one that he brings to bear every day on behalf of the American people,” Blinken, a previous Wash100 awardee, said in a statement.

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GovCon Index Took Positive Turn Last Week
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GovCon Index Took Positive Turn Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index rose by 1.86% last week, reversing a three-week downward trend and lifting the average to $4,979.17.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks real-time data on the stock market performance of 30 major government contracting organizations. With the information it provides, users can come to their own conclusions about the financial state of the GovCon marketplace and assess the performance of each individual company.

With an increase of 8.75%, V2X led the way as GovCon Index swung back into positive territory. Accenture came in second with an increase of 7.21%, and HII, which grew by 4.20%, was third. Fourth and fifth place were claimed by Kratos (+4.12%) and L3Harris (+3.57%), respectively.

On Monday – the highest growth day of the week – GovCon Index rose by 0.84%. Its upward trajectory continued through Thursday, but came to a halt on Friday with a minor drop of 0.04%.

Check out last week’s market reports for more information on daily GovCon Index performance. Click here to view the full list of tracked companies.

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Ogden Air Logistics Complex Celebrates Work Done by Maintainers to Keep Warthog Flying
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Ogden Air Logistics Complex Celebrates Work Done by Maintainers to Keep Warthog Flying

Ogden Air Logistics Complex personnel recently held a ceremony marking the conclusion of the wing overhaul and repair program for the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, also known as the Warthog.

The work to replace and refurbish aging A-10 wings had been carried out by aircraft maintainers from the 309th Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Squadron and the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group since 1999 with support from various other units, according to a news article posted Friday on the Air Force Materiel Command website.

The Air Force has since entered into a contract with Boeing, which now handles the production of new wings for the A-10 aircraft.

The personnel involved in maintaining the A-10’s wings are now being transitioned by Ogden ALC to new roles.

Maj. Gen. Kenyon Bell, the commander of Ogden ALC, thanked the workers for the efforts during the ceremony, saying the event “is not just an end but a celebration of all the hard work and dedication you have put into this program.”

“Your efforts have ensured that the A-10 remained a critical component of our national defense strategy,” Bell added.

Ogden Air Logistics Complex Celebrates Work Done by Maintainers to Keep Warthog Flying

The 2024 Air Defense Summit will bring together top Air Force leaders and decision makers, alongside industry experts, to discuss the future of the service. Register now to attend this important event!

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NASA Researchers Test Next-Gen Space Technologies Through Parabolic Flights
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NASA Researchers Test Next-Gen Space Technologies Through Parabolic Flights

Research teams at NASA tested next-generation space technologies during a series of parabolic flights aboard Zero Gravity‘s G-FORCE ONE aircraft between February and April, enabling them to interact with their hardware in a reduced gravity environment.

For the Fundamental Regolith Properties, Handling and Water Capture — or FLEET — project, a team of researchers evaluated an ultrasonic blade technology in a regolith simulant at Martian and lunar gravities, NASA said Thursday.

The project’s flight test seeks to establish the magnitude of force reduction that an ultrasonic system could achieve on Mars and on the lunar surface.

The FLEET project will also test a separate payload, called the Vibratory Lunar Regolith Conveyor, to demonstrate a granular material transport system and assess the vertical transport of lunar regolith simulants in a vacuum under reduced gravity conditions.

Researchers from the agency’s On-Demand Manufacturing of Electronics project, also known as ODME, have tested 3D printing systems to facilitate the use of tools and electronics aboard the International Space Station.

The ODME Advanced Toolplate team assessed a set of small 3D-printed tools designed to reduce tool changeouts through a microgravity environment test. The project’s Space Enabled Advanced Devices and Semiconductors team tested an electrohydrodynamic inkjet printer technology that could be used to produce flexible electronics aboard the ISS.

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Penn State ARL Secures $1.4B Navy Contract Modification for National Security Tech R&D
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Penn State ARL Secures $1.4B Navy Contract Modification for National Security Tech R&D

The Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Pennsylvania State University’s Applied Research Laboratory a potential $1.39 billion contract modification for technology research and development efforts.

Under the latest award, scientists and engineers at Penn State ARL will perform R&D, engineering, and test and evaluation work for various Department of Defense programs, with a focus on guidance, navigation and control; advanced thermal propulsions; advanced propulsors; materials technology and manufacturing technology; atmosphere and defense communications; and public and mission-related services, the DOD said Friday.

Work will be performed in State College, Pennsylvania, through February 2028.

ARL, one of the DOD-designated University Affiliated Research Center laboratories, received the initial 10-year, $2.11 billion contract in 2018 to build technology platforms in support of U.S. national security efforts. It was awarded a $734 million modification in 2023 to continue its work on national security platforms.

The laboratory develops guidance and control technologies for undersea systems and vehicles; conducts research on communications, information processing, cybersecurity, electro-optics and directed energy; and operates the Navigation Research and Development Center for assessing positioning, navigation and timing systems.

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DISA Issues Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide
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DISA Issues Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide

The Defense Information Systems Agency has approved and released the Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide, or SRG, for cloud service providers looking to offer services to Department of Defense mission owners.

DISA said Friday the guide, which the security controls and requirements necessary for CSPs to , is downloadable from the DOD Cyber Exchange website or at the Cyber Exchange public webpage.

The Cloud Service Provider SRG reflects the transition to NIST 800-53 Rev 5 and focuses on CNSSP-32 for National Security Systems requirements.

It has a DOD mission owners document, which underscores their responsibilities, and a CSP document, which focuses on the cloud service providers’ requirements.

DOD’s cloud computing policy and the SRG follow an agile development strategy,  resulting in the guidelines’ constant evolution based on learnings on authorizations of cloud service offerings. DISA supports the strategy through a continuing public review, wherein it accepts comments focusing on vital issues, including coverage recommendations.

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Oshkosh Defense Books Army Order for Medium Equipment Trailers
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Oshkosh Defense Books Army Order for Medium Equipment Trailers

Oshkosh Defense will deliver Medium Equipment Trailers, or METs, to the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal under a recent $27.3 million order from ACC-DTA.

The Oshkosh business said Monday it will partner with Broshuis B.V. to fulfill the order of 57 six-axle drop deck trailers, which are designed for carrying, securing and transporting Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicles, Paladin and Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles.

The 70-foot-long trailer, when paired with the Oshkosh Enhanced Heavy Equipment Transporter System M1300 tractor, is capable of loading combat vehicles weighing up to 60 tons while meeting the European Highway Road Network Accessibility’s requirements for payloads up to 45 tons.

Commenting on the award, Pat Williams, Chief Programs Officer for Oshkosh Defense, said, “We are honored to provide the U.S. Army with advanced trailer systems designed to deliver mission-critical equipment and cargo across any terrain worldwide.”

In November 2023, ACC-DTA awarded a five-year, $342 million contract to Oshkosh Defense to manufacture the METs. Approximately 557 trailers are expected to be ordered under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

“The MET stands as a testament to Oshkosh Defense’s unwavering commitment to harnessing cutting-edge technology to deliver solutions that effectively address the complex logistical challenges faced by the U.S. Army and its international allies,” added Williams.

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Kimberly Jackson to Step Down as VA Chief of Staff
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Kimberly Jackson to Step Down as VA Chief of Staff

Kimberly Jackson will step down from her role as chief of staff at the Department of Veterans Affairs in July, Military Times reported Friday.

In a statement announcing her move, Jackson said she will leave VA to spend more time with her family. She will continue to serve as the department’s chief of staff through July 13.

Jackson assumed the chief of staff role at VA in October 2023, serving as a senior adviser to the department’s secretary and deputy secretary on delivering care and benefits to veterans.

Before her stint at the VA, she was deputy assistant secretary of defense for force readiness at the Department of Defense.

Her career at DOD included time as a planner in three special operations commands, special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation directorate and key positions related to security assistance policy within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Jackson allso served as an international and defense researcher at RAND and spent eight years as a naval reserve officer.

GAO Calls on Energy Department to Update Guidance for Contractor Diversity Plans
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GAO Calls on Energy Department to Update Guidance for Contractor Diversity Plans

The Department of Energy should update its guidance for providers of management and operation — or M&O — services to ensure that the contractors’ diversity plans include leading diversity management practices, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

GAO said in the report released Friday that the DOE’s diversity management guidance should make sure that, when developing their diversity plans, M&O contractors factor in diversity training requirements as well as succession planning with a focus on diversity.

Contractors should also work to involve their employees when formulating such plans.

GAO said the Energy Department agreed with all their recommendations.

The report is the result of a review the GAO conducted on the National Nuclear Security Administration’s report regarding contractor employee workforce diversity. The latter report, submitted in May 2023, was mandated by the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, as was the subsequent GAO review.

The GAO report is also based on DOE and contractor documents as well as interviews with various contractor and government officials.

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