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DOD Urged to Improve Guidance on Defense Agencies Initiative Transition
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DOD Urged to Improve Guidance on Defense Agencies Initiative Transition

The Government Accountability Office has revealed in a new report that the U.S. Marine Corps followed data migration and conversion and change management procedures for its transition to the Department of Defense’s Defense Agencies Initiative but found that these procedures did not fully incorporate leading practices.

GAO said Monday DOD needs to ensure that the Defense Agencies Initiative standard operating procedures fully incorporate leading practices to avoid scheduled delays, understated costs and systems and processing disruptions.

The Marine Corps transitioned to the Defense Agencies Initiative from a legacy accounting system in October 2021 but did not enter normal operations until February 2024 due to challenges in estimating cost and schedule.

To guide future transitions, GAO made 14 recommendations on schedule, cost, performance measures, change management and data migration, to which DOD concurred with 13.

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Catalyst Accelerator Seeks to Help Air Force Address Digital Transformation Challenge Through Fall 2024 Cohort
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Catalyst Accelerator Seeks to Help Air Force Address Digital Transformation Challenge Through Fall 2024 Cohort

The Catalyst Accelerator Ogden in Utah has opened the application process for its Fall 2024 cohort as it seeks commercial technology capabilities that could help the U.S. Air Force’s Digital Transformation Office modernize the service branch’s operations and strengthen cybersecurity defenses.

The Catalyst Accelerator said Monday companies that specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, automation and data fusion and integration can apply and present their proposed tech platforms designed to reduce manual workload and generate actionable insights to improve the decision-making process, among other functions.

The Air Force is seeking platforms that could help address pivotal challenges, including the implementation of advanced cybersecurity measures, improved situational awareness through seamless data integration and predictive maintenance optimization.

The cohort will start on Aug. 19 or Aug. 26.

An in-person demo day will be held on Nov. 14 in Ogden, providing cohort companies an opportunity to present their technologies to industry, academia and government stakeholders.

In February, the Catalyst Accelerator announced a new cohort of seven companies offering innovative technology platforms designed to help the U.S. Space Force improve its space domain awareness.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Register here to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit. Listen to cyber experts, government and industry leaders on June 6 as they discuss the latest trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector.

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Gen. Randy George Outlines Desired Functionalities for Army’s Next Generation C2 Program
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Gen. Randy George Outlines Desired Functionalities for Army’s Next Generation C2 Program

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George laid out the new requirements for the Next Generation Command and Control program — dubbed NGC2 — and those include a consolidated network architecture, collaboration throughout the military branch and the use of Army-provided commercial mobile devices by service personnel, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

“I have been a customer of the network for most of my career. Nothing is more frustrating to me in doing this and going out as a brigade commander, as a division commander, or as a corps commander and seeing people struggling more with time to get the network to work than actually fighting the enemy,” George said Wednesday during a panel at a technical exchange meeting.

NGC2 is a joint effort between the Army and industry to establish a “data-centric” C2 platform facilitated through network transport and build a common data access layer, according to the report.

Under NGC2, the service branch seeks to revolutionize its operational software framework and enterprise data architecture.

With the new effort, George said the Army intends to build an open architecture that could enable service members to easily communicate through a single application using phones, computers, tablets and other technologies.

“So rather than having a truck or two trucks, and 10 people, you have an application and that’s where we have to go. This makes me more lethal, survivable on the battlefield and that tech exists,” the general added.

POC - 2024 Army Summit

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Army Summit on June 13 to hear military officials, government leaders and industry executives share their most urgent priorities, strategies and solutions to their toughest challenges. Click here to register.

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Biden Administration Issues New Border Policies
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Biden Administration Issues New Border Policies

The Biden Administration has released a list of executive actions updating policies associated with the U.S.-Mexico border.

These policies target a variety of areas, including illegal immigration, asylum screening and drug detection, the White House said Tuesday.

The first of these actions will prevent individuals who cross the border unlawfully from receiving asylum. This policy is temporary and “will be discontinued when the number of migrants who cross the border between ports of entry is low enough for America’s system to safely and effectively manage border operations,” according to the White House.

Other actions aim to modify the asylum screening process, accelerate the speed at which immigration cases are resolved and address human smuggling. The Biden Administration will also revoke visas of CEOs and government officials who profit from illegal immigration.

Improving immigration enforcement is another goal of these actions, and to do so, the Department of Homeland Security has increased the number of agents at the border. The final action focuses on fentanyl and includes the deployment of 40 new drug detection machines at various points of entry.

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AUVSI, Defense Innovation Unit Release Secure UAS Procurement Guidance
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AUVSI, Defense Innovation Unit Release Secure UAS Procurement Guidance

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International and the Defense Innovation Unit have published a memo providing procurement guidance and recommendations for public safety and government agencies and industry that perform sensitive missions using drones.

In a statement published Monday, David Michelson, director of the autonomy portfolio at DIU, said the move behind the effort with AUVSI is to increase the availability of National Defense Authorization Act-verified unmanned aircraft system components to the uncrewed industry and streamline the process for Blue UAS consideration.

According to the memo, Blue UAS is DIU’s effort to maintain, curate and improve a roster of policy-approved commercial UAS platforms that comply with NDAA for fiscal years 2020 and 2023. The program is designed to meet the needs of Department of Defense users.

“As we look ahead to a refresh of vendors and platforms on the Blue UAS Cleared List later this year, DIU is prioritizing UAS that have already been vetted as meeting the highest levels of cybersecurity and NDAA supply chain requirements,” added Michelson.

The new memo follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between AUVSI and DIU to establish a process for UAS component manufacturers holding Green UAS certification to directly share data with DIU.

Green UAS is designed to help secure drones for the rest of the non-DOD market and intends to address the gaps between the Blue UAS Cleared List and drones that meet non-defense needs.

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DOD Releases Additional Zero Trust Guidance; David McKeown Quoted
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DOD Releases Additional Zero Trust Guidance; David McKeown Quoted

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has published a comprehensive document to guide the department’s zero trust journey.

Titled “Zero Trust Overlays,” the 400-page document is intended to offer an additional asset for those responsible for zero trust implementation across the department, the DOD said Tuesday.

DOD Releases Additional Zero Trust Guidance; David McKeown Quoted

“The zero trust overlays are another tool in the department’s toolbox supporting components’ execution by providing clear guidance on which controls facilitate specific zero trust activities and outcomes,” explained David McKeown, deputy CIO for cybersecurity and chief information security officer at the Pentagon.

McKeown will speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on Thursday. Tickets are still available, so take advantage of this opportunity to hear even more of his insights in person. Register here.

The zero trust overlays grew from previous strategies such as the DOD Zero Trust Reference Architecture and the DOD Zero Trust Capability Roadmap, which previously identified seven pillars of zero trust: user; device; applications and workload; data; network and environment; automation and orchestration; and visibility and analytics.

They are intended to supplement baseline security controls laid out in the Risk Management Framework with more precise instructions for modifications relevant to the process of zero trust implementation.

In 2022, the department set a goal of implementing zero trust by 2027, but McKeown recently said that officials may move that deadline forward.

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NASA Selects 3 Industry Proposals for Advancing Future Space Telescope Technologies
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NASA Selects 3 Industry Proposals for Advancing Future Space Telescope Technologies

NASA has selected proposals from BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to help develop technologies for future large space telescopes and lay the groundwork for the agency’s Habitable Worlds Observatory mission concept.

The Habitable Worlds Observatory is a space telescope concept that would search for and directly image potentially habitable planets around stars and study their atmospheres for evidence of life, NASA said Friday.

BAE Systems will conduct high-fidelity modeling and subsystem demonstrations to support the future development of “ultra-stable” optical systems under its Ultra-stable Telescope Research and Analysis – Critical Technologies project.

Lockheed’s Technology Maturation for Astrophysics Space Telescopes project aims to advance the integrated modeling infrastructure for navigating design interdependencies and comparing potential mission design options.

Meanwhile, Northrop will mature technologies that support telescope features as part of its proposal, titled “STABLE: Systems Technologies for Architecture Baseline.”

The selected projects will receive two-year, fixed-price contracts worth $17.5 million combined and will begin by the late summer.

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HUD Eyes Consolidated Procurement Action for IT Operations & Maintenance Services
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HUD Eyes Consolidated Procurement Action for IT Operations & Maintenance Services

The Department of Housing and Urban Development intends to seek offers to provide support for information technology-related integration, operation, maintenance, deployment and eDiscovery efforts for all of HUD’s IT infrastructure.

HUD’s Office of the Infrastructure Operations Office is also seeking general support services capabilities and investments to support enterprise and end-user operational environments and help the department review, preserve and generate electronically stored information to meet its legal and business requirements, according to a special notice published Monday on SAM.gov.

According to the notice, the planned procurement effort will consolidate common use IT operations and maintenance services into a unified enterprise architecture task order contract under a single service provider.

Through the proposed acquisition, HUD will combine five contracts with a lifecycle value of approximately $363.6 million into a new consolidated requirement.

The new O&M procurement effort will have a five-year performance period and will be competed unrestricted through the General Services Administration’s Alliant 2 governmentwide acquisition contract.

MOMRP’s Andrew Midzak to Speak at the 2024 Army Summit
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MOMRP’s Andrew Midzak to Speak at the 2024 Army Summit

Dr. Andrew Midzak, the Military Operational Medicine Research Program’s (MOMRP) strategic research program integrator, is set to join the distinguished lineup of speakers at the 2024 Army Summit. With extensive experience in the defense research sector, he brings valuable insights into using technology to boost force readiness in multi-domain environments.

Midzak’s government contributions have earned him a spot as a speaker at the 2024 Army Summit. Discover more about his background and the qualifications behind his selection.

 

Who is Andrew Midzak?

A photo of Andrew Midzak during one of the Potomac Officer Club's events
Photo/ Executive Mosaic

Andrew Midzak is a prominent figure in the military health sector. His key skill sets include research integration, program management and biomedical countermeasures development.

As the strategic research program integrator for the MOMRP, Dr. Midzak is responsible for guaranteeing that the organization’s primary research initiatives are in sync with advanced material development. He closely monitors the organization’s ongoing research activities, particularly in critical areas crucial to military health.

Before assuming his current position, he was the product manager at the United States Army Medical Materiel Development Activity. In this role, he was in charge of modernization efforts for the Army’s medical laboratory, dental and preventive medicine.

Dr. Midzak earned a Physician Assistant degree with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctor of Medicine degree with a PH.D in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University. He is an active member of the Defense Acquisition Workforce and holds certifications in Program Management and Science and Technology Management.

 

What is the MOMRP and Its Role in Service Member Health?

Military service members face numerous physical and psychological challenges during training and missions, affecting their health, readiness and performance. Addressing these pitfalls is the core mission of the MOMRP.

The program develops biomedical solutions that counteract operational stressors and prevent injuries. It guarantees that service members remain healthy and prepared, no matter the adversaries they face.

MOMRP supports several military initiatives:

  • Army Human Performance Optimization and Enhancement (HPOE)
  • Human Dimension (HD)
  • Multi-Domain Battle (MDB)
  • Army Big 6 modernization priorities
  • DoD Total Force Fitness (TFF)

 

4 Key Areas of MOMRP’s Biochemical Research

MOMRP is pushing forward biomedical research to create and deliver health and fitness solutions for service members. The organization is divided into four main blocks:

 

1. Environmental Health and Protection

Service members grapple with severe environmental conditions, such as extreme heat, cold temperatures and high altitudes. They are also at high risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and materials. Coupled with operational stressors, these factors can easily wear down soldiers. 

To tackle these challenges, MOMRP creates guidelines to help mitigate these performance issues. A critical priority of the program is to develop biomarkers to detect toxic exposures and assess soldiers’ health risks.

 

2. Injury Prevention and Reduction

Service members are susceptible to physical injuries, some of which can be debilitating. In fact, one-fourth of all evacuated service members suffer from head and neck injuries. 

MOMRP’s research focuses on preventing these physical injuries by developing injury prediction models, designing equipment specifications and guidelines, assessing health hazards and formulating strategies to reduce musculoskeletal injuries.

 

3. Physiological Health and Performance

Service members are constantly on the move with back-to-back deployments. These fast-paced operations can significantly impact their physiological health and performance in the long run.

In line with this, MOMRP develops innovative nutritional strategies to keep service members healthy and well-prepared to fulfill their duties.

 

4. Psychological Health PTSD and Resilience

Frequent and often extended deployments can cause significant mental strain among service members. It’s no surprise that psychological health problems are the second leading cause of evacuation. 

One of MOMRP’s primary goals is to develop strategies to improve and sustain mental fitness for service members. These strategies include:

  • Creating effective prevention and treatment interventions for mental health issues.
  • Enhancing the screening and identification of concussion-related health concerns.
  • Formulating advanced clinical guidelines for healthcare providers.

 

Andrew Midzak, Panelist at the 2024 Army Summit

2024 Army Summit banner

Date: June 13, 2024

Venue: Hilton-McLean, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA

The 2024 Army Summit, hosted by the Potomac Officers Club, is gearing up to be a dynamic gathering of Army officials, government leaders and industry luminaries. This premier event presents an opportunity for public and private sector leaders to discuss the most pressing issues in the military today.

Among the esteemed panelists taking the stage is Dr. Midzak. His panel session, “Harnessing Technology for Force Readiness in Multi-Domain Environments,” will explore cutting-edge technologies and strategies for strengthening service members’ readiness and performance across diverse operational landscapes.

Capgemini’s Lisa Mitnick and the U.S. Army’s Rodney Davis will join Dr. Midzak at the panel discussion.

 

How Can Technology Enhance Force Readiness Across Multi-Domain Environments?

Emerging technologies are altering how the Armed Forces prepare for and engage in operations across multi-domain environments. 

Military training programs are increasingly embracing a more integrated approach through virtual and augmented reality technologies. For example, virtual gaming has been employed for over a decade to enable dispersed teams to train and coordinate operations in different domains.

In line with this, the U.S. Army is reshaping its space vision and strategy to integrate real fighters with virtual systems. The new strategy aims to utilize virtual, constructive and live environments and mirrors actual combat situations.

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GovCon Index Finished in the Red Last Week
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GovCon Index Finished in the Red Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index ended last week with an average of $4,998.95, a 1.13% decrease from the previous week and a shift away from a six-week growth trend.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks real-time stock market data from 30 key government contracting companies. It presents this data in a dynamic format that enables users to evaluate the performance of each of these organizations while gaining insights into the overall financial state of the GovCon marketplace.

Many companies demonstrated individual success in the midst of last week’s decline. With an increase of 4.28%, V2X was last week’s top gainer. Fluor Corporation achieved second place,  rising by 3.32%. Palantir (+3.09%) followed, and Boeing (+1.74%) claimed the fourth slot in the ranks. Fifth place was taken by RTX (+1.43%).

Though last week was characterized by general losses, GovCon Index rose from the ashes on Friday, when it grew by 1.12%.

Check out last week’s market reports to get a closer look at daily GovCon Index performance. Click here to view the complete list of tracked companies.

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