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Volpe Center Looking Into Sources for Mission Information Technology Support Services II Requirement
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Volpe Center Looking Into Sources for Mission Information Technology Support Services II Requirement

The Department of Transportation‘s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center has issued a sources sought notice to determine the availability of vendors that can meet the requirements under an anticipated indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract vehicle titled Mission Information Technology Support Services II.

Scope of Requirements

MITS II is intended to provide Volpe Center projects with a variety of support services covering technology assessment and modernization; system analysis, development, deployment, field support and analytical research analysis; system and enterprise architecture and framework support; and lab facility and operational support, according to the sources sought notice posted Monday on SAM.gov.

Contract Vehicle Details

The contract vehicle is expected to have an ordering period of five years. Resulting task orders may be of the fixed price, labor hour, time and material or hybrid variety. Interested parties have until July 29 to respond and an actual solicitation may be issued at a later date.

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Ultra Electronics Awarded Marine Corps Contract for Common Aviation C2 System Air Defense System Integrator
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Ultra Electronics Awarded Marine Corps Contract for Common Aviation C2 System Air Defense System Integrator

Ultra Electronics Advanced Tactical Systems will sustain and modernize the Common Aviation Command and Control System virtual air defense system integrator under a $39 million U.S. Marine Corps contract.

The Department of Defense said Monday the firm-fixed price and cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a five-year ordering period that will begin on July 30, 2024.

Ultra Electronics Advanced Tactical Systems will conduct contract work in Austin, Texas — where it is headquartered — until July 29, 2029.

The Marine Corps will use its fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance, and research, development, test and evaluation funds to finance the first delivery order under the IDIQ.

Ultra’s air defense systems integrator, or ADSI, is a real-time, tactical command and control system designed to provide tactical data link forwarding software paired with a number of tactical data link, radar and electronic intelligence interfaces. It is used on aircraft carriers, command ships and other applications to support critical missions.

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GovCon Index Recorded Growth Last Week
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GovCon Index Recorded Growth Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index closed with an average of $4,982.68 last week, a 2.06% increase from the previous week and a reversal of an ongoing downward trend.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that collects and presents stock market data from 30 notable government contracting companies in real time. With this information, users are able to monitor the performance of each tracked organization and assess the broad trends that characterize the GovCon marketplace today.

Fluor Corporation grew by 6.97% last week, earning the company the top spot in the ranks. Second place was claimed by The Carlyle Group, which rose by 6.80%. Mercury Systems, which recorded gains of 6.45%, took the third slot, and Jacobs (+5.00%) followed. V2X (+4.64%) also demonstrated significant growth.

GovCon Index began the week with a small increase of 0.14%, but fell slightly on Tuesday. Wednesday — the highest growth day last week — lifted GovCon Index back into the positive zone with an increase of 1.03%. GovCon Index maintained this upward momentum through Friday.

Check out last week’s market reports for more details on daily GovCon Index performance. To view the full list of tracked companies, click here.

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Marshall Space Flight Center Develops More Flexible, Cost-Efficient Rocket Motor Testbed
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Marshall Space Flight Center Develops More Flexible, Cost-Efficient Rocket Motor Testbed

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has unveiled an 11-inch hybrid rocket motor testbed that works to enable more rapid, low-cost hot-fire tests of propellants, composite materials and rocket engine components.

Benefits of the New Testbed

The result of a project that began in 2020, the hybrid testbed serves as a third option to the Marshall team’s existing 24-inch testbed, whose use may be too costly for some organizations, and conventional six-inch testbeds, which offer limited configurations, according to a news article posted Friday on the NASA website.

Chloe Bower, the subscale solid rocket motor manufacturing lead at Marshall, said the hybrid testbed addresses the requirement of partners for cost-efficiency and configurability and offers the ability to simultaneously accomplish multiple test objectives.

Technical Features

The hybrid testbed’s features include variable flow capability, a 20-second continuous burn duration and, most notably, an on-off switch.

“With a solid propulsion system, once it’s ignited, it will burn until the fuel is spent. But because there’s no oxidizer in hybrid fuel, we can simply turn it off at any point if we see anomalies or need to fine-tune a test element, yielding more accurate test results that precisely meet customer needs,” explained Precious Mitchell, the project’s solid propulsion design lead.

Testing of the hybrid testbed was conducted in June. Final data is expected to be turned over to NASA leadership later in the summer.

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Space Delta 2 OKs Consolidated Operational Data Archive’s Entry Into Trial Period; Col. Raj Agrawal Quoted
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Space Delta 2 OKs Consolidated Operational Data Archive’s Entry Into Trial Period; Col. Raj Agrawal Quoted

Consolidated Operational Data Archive, a.k.a. CODA, will now transition to the trial period after receiving approval from the head of Space Operations Command’s Space Delta 2 – Space Domain Awareness and Battle Management, or DEL 2.

SpOC said Friday CODA is an automated platform designed to provide U.S. Space Force operators with access to non-traditional and commercial data sources, broadening the amount of data that can be converted into actionable information.

“By breaking down barriers between government, coalition, and commercial space situational awareness data, CODA allows us to create a tailored, operations-relevant understanding that directly informs tactical fires and maneuver decisions,” said Col. Raj Agrawal, DEL 2 commander.

“This comprehensive picture is essential for maintaining competitive endurance in space and avoiding operational surprise. By staying informed and prepared, the Space Force can ensure they are not surprised, outmaneuvered, or outmatched in a potential space conflict,” added Agrawal.

According to SpOC, the trial period of CODA will evaluate test cases to integrate data streams into a standardized workflow, including data from ExoAnalytics and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Wide Area Search telescope system.

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Kim Sawyer to Succeed Stuart Henderson as Director of DOE’s Jefferson Lab
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Kim Sawyer to Succeed Stuart Henderson as Director of DOE’s Jefferson Lab

Kim Sawyer will assume the role of director of the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a.k.a Jefferson Lab, on Aug. 2.

The lab said Monday that Sawyer will bring extensive leadership experience, having served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer at Argonne National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories over the last decade.

She worked at Lockheed Martin for nearly 10 years before joining DOE. At the defense contractor, she held the vice president of technical operations role and a number of other leadership positions.

As the lab’s fifth director, Sawyer will have oversight of all activities supporting the research institution for exploring the nature of matter. She will succeed Stuart Henderson.

The appointment was announced by Jefferson Science Associates, a subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association responsible for managing and operating Jefferson Lab for DOE’s Office of Science.

“Kim is a respected professional who has achieved success driving cultural change and building strong relationships with stakeholders,” said Sean Hearne, president and CEO of Southeastern Universities Research Association and chairman of the JSA board of directors. “Kim delivers results, and we are confident her leadership and technical acumen will guide the lab as it begins its evolution to a multi-program laboratory.”

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Commerce Department, Natcast Launch Selection Processes for 3 CHIPS for America R&D Facilities
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Commerce Department, Natcast Launch Selection Processes for 3 CHIPS for America R&D Facilities

The Department of Commerce and the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s operator, Natcast, have unveiled the processes for selecting the first three research and development facilities that will be funded under the CHIPS and Science Act.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology said Friday an NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program—or NAPMP—Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility, an NSTC Administrative and Design Facility and an NSTC Extreme Ultraviolet Center will help address the gap between industry and research by bringing together partners across the semiconductor ecosystem.

The NSTC Administrative and Design Facility is expected to be operational in 2025 followed by the NSTC EUV Center in 2026.

Natcast and the department expect the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility to become operational in 2028.

The NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility will provide NAPMP-funded researchers and NSTC members with prototyping, packaging and research capabilities to facilitate advanced packaging and semiconductor research.

The NSTC Administrative and Design Facility will host Natcast administrative functions and support various activities, including advanced semiconductor research in electronic design automation, chip and system architecture, chip design and hardware security.

The NSTC EUV Center will provide members access to EUV technologies and space to perform research efforts.

Natcast and the department will release an ecosystem questionnaire to economic development organizations across the U.S. to help identify semiconductor ecosystems that could support the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility.

The Commerce Department and Natcast will use three separate site selection processes for the facilities. For the NSTC Administrative and Design Facility, they will use a two-phase selection process: identifying semiconductor design ecosystems and determining locations and performing diligence and negotiations.

Click here to learn more about the selection processes for the three CHIPS R&D facilities.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase DOE’s AI Adoption to Advance Scientific Discovery
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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase DOE’s AI Adoption to Advance Scientific Discovery

A Senate bill is seeking to harness the power of artificial intelligence within the Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories to achieve scientific breakthroughs related to national security, science and energy.

The bipartisan Department of Energy AI Act introduced by Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Lisa Murkowksi, R-Alaska, would require the DOE secretary to establish an AI program to perform research on the development and deployment of advanced AI capabilities, the office of Sen. Manchin said Wednesday.

The proposed legislation would also authorize the agency’s Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security and Technology initiative and require creating an AI risk evaluation and mitigation program to address the safety and security risks associated with the technology; developing a strategic plan that includes short-term and long-term AI deployment goals; and advancing AI-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and workforce development.

“This bipartisan legislation will leverage the agency’s existing world-class laboratory test facilities, scientific workforce, and advanced computing resources to strengthen our country’s AI capabilities to remain the superpower of the world in energy, national security, and economic competitiveness,” said Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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BG Jason Bartolomei Appointed 14th AFRL Commander
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BG Jason Bartolomei Appointed 14th AFRL Commander

Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei was appointed as the 14th commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory during a change of command ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday.

Bartolomei succeeds Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, who has held the role of AFRL commander since June 2023, the Air Force said Friday.

During the ceremony, Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Duke Richardson spoke on Bartolomei bringing operational laboratory experience to the AFRL.

“AFRL is trying to build that affordable, competitive, continuous pipeline of technologies that we can then put into programs of record and field, and that’s really the focus, General Bartolomei, of your tenure as you take on the lab,” said Richardson.

“I do think that this is the job you were meant for,” Richardson said to Bartolomei. “All of the jobs that you’ve been doing have been leading to this one.”

Bartolomei previously worked as the program executive officer for weapons and director of the Armament Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He managed a $92 billion weapons portfolio while facilitating all lifecycle programs for air-delivered artilleries.

Bartolomei emphasized his appreciation for being part of a unit as a driving factor in taking on a new commander role of AFRL’s team.

“I love being connected to others, and I really love doing something bigger than myself. I like to learn and grow,” Bartolomei stated. “I’m pretty sure that’s why I love the Air Force so much, and actually, I think this is why I have grown so excited about joining AFRL.”

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PEO C3T Deputy Chief Kevin Cheney Receives 1st Star From US Army
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PEO C3T Deputy Chief Kevin Cheney Receives 1st Star From US Army

The U.S. Army has promoted Col. Kevin Cheney, the deputy commander of Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical, to brigadier general during a ceremony at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

The promotion highlights Chaney’s previous service to the aviation and acquisition communities, PEO C3T said in a LinkedIn post.

According to Maj. Gen. Robert Barrie, the service’s program executive officer for aviation and host of the ceremony, the new appointee will execute the PEO C3T mission “to the greatest of his ability.”

Chaney received a commission in 1995 from the U.S. Military Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

He started in the Army as a maintenance platoon leader in South Korea and gradually moved up until becoming the acquisition military assistant to the Army’s acting secretary in 2016.

Prior to his current post as PEO C3T deputy, Chaney was selected as the project manager for aircraft survivability equipment and future attack and reconnaissance aircraft.

In his acceptance speech, the new general stressed he is “honored, humbled and thankful” to provide soldiers and warfighters the capability to do their jobs.

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