DOD Proposes Rule to Implement DFARS Section for Incentivizing Contracting with Employee-Owned Businesses
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DOD Proposes Rule to Implement DFARS Section for Incentivizing Contracting with Employee-Owned Businesses

The Department of Defense is requesting comments on a proposed rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, or DFARS, to implement National Defense Authorization Act provisions authorizing a pilot program to incentivize contracting with employee-owned businesses.

In a Federal Register notice published Thursday, DOD said it proposes to add new DFARS part 270 that would authorize the department to establish a pilot program that allows the noncompetitive award of certain follow-on contracts to employee-owned businesses meeting the definition of a “qualified business.”

The proposed rule would authorize contracting officers to award a sole source, follow-on contract to procure products or services similar to those acquired under predecessor contracts.

The pilot program is authorized under section 874 of the NDAA for fiscal year 2022 and section 872 of the NDAA for FY 2024.

The comment period is open until July 29.

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DOD Organizations Come Together to Elevate C4/Cyber Capabilities; Lt. Gen. David Isaacson Quoted
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DOD Organizations Come Together to Elevate C4/Cyber Capabilities; Lt. Gen. David Isaacson Quoted

Last week, representatives from various Department of Defense components gathered at the Joint Staff J-6’s yearly Command, Control, Communications and Computers—known as C4—Cyber Global Summit to discuss ways to improve C4/Cyber capabilities for the joint force.

Participating organizations included the 11 combatant commands, Defense Information Systems Agency, Office of the DOD Chief Information Officer, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office and Joint Staff, the department said Friday.

“Forums such as this one allow us to level set with the combatant commands and focus on things we can tackle collectively,” said Army Lt. Gen. David Isaacson, director for C4/Cyber and chief information officer of J-6, Joint Staff.

The event, he explained, aims to balance the demands of the readiness-focused combatant commands with the responsibilities of the military services to organize, train and equip the force.

At this year’s summit, participants evaluated the current and future state of C4/Cyber with a goal of assisting the development of modern operating approaches, accelerating the acquisition of novel capabilities and helping the joint force maintain competitive advantages. Conversation topics varied, covering issues such as joint force readiness, risk mitigation, modernization and innovation.

Keynote speakers called attention to the importance of a resilient defense ecosystem, efficient technology development and delivery and global integration.

“Our adversaries are modernizing; they’re not defending their homelands differently than we. They’re buying more capability, not less; they’re buying smaller capability, not larger; they’re going faster than ever before, not slower; and they’re maneuverable and not predictable,” said Isaacson.

To keep up, he continued, the Joint Staff wants to “maximize our strategic partnerships and optimize capabilities that allow the joint force to defend, deter, modernize and prevail in conflict when necessary.”

DOD Organizations Come Together to Elevate C4/Cyber Capabilities; Lt. Gen. David Isaacson Quoted

Events like these are one way the Pentagon is working to strengthen its cyber capabilities. The Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 will offer additional perspectives from top public and private sector officials, who will come together to dive into the most pressing challenges and priorities characterizing the federal government’s approach to the cyber domain. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.

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GSA Solicits Industry Input on Improving MAS Contractor Experience, Success
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GSA Solicits Industry Input on Improving MAS Contractor Experience, Success

The General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedule Program Management Office is seeking input from MAS contractors on ways to improve the experience and success of federal government suppliers.

In a request for information published Thursday, the MAS PMO said it is looking for feedback to better understand and eliminate roadblocks preventing contractors from meeting the minimum sales requirement.

The RFI is open to contractors in different socio-economic categories that have been providing services to federal government customers under the MAS contract vehicle.

MAS contractors may access the RFI on SAM.gov and submit responses by June 21.

Federal, state and local government agencies use MAS, also called Federal Supply Schedule, to buy commercial products and services assigned to different special item numbers.

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DIU Seeking Commercial Tech for Modular Spectrum Characterization
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DIU Seeking Commercial Tech for Modular Spectrum Characterization

The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking commercial technologies capable of autonomous operations and passive detection and collection of data primarily against wideband, high bandwidth electromagnetic spectrum.

According to a DIU posting for modular spectrum characterization, traditional methods of gathering electromagnetic spectrum signature are limited by several factors, including inability to capture wideband, high bandwidth signatures and size, weight and power constraints, and so the Department of Defense is seeking industry capabilities to address those hindrances.

Proposed tech must be capable of incorporating multiple configurable triggering methods like user-based and geofence boundary activation, and recording both Power Spectral Density and raw in-phase and quadrature data to on-board and/or attached storage media.

“The technology needs to be able to be packaged and operable when enclosed within an array of small form factor enclosures and withstand rudimentary physical inspection without drawing attention or causing alarm; it should also be secure against undesired examination,” the release reads.

Vendors interested in participating must submit their responses by June 11.

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PEO Digital Ruth Youngs Lew Announces Retirement
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PEO Digital Ruth Youngs Lew Announces Retirement

Ruth Youngs Lew, the program executive officer for digital and enterprise services at the Department of the Navy, is retiring at the end of May, concluding over 30 years of service.

Youngs Lew announced her retirement on LinkedIn, saying that, although the decision was difficult, she was now choosing to focus on her family.

The outgoing official described her tenure as PEO Digital and, before that, as PEO for enterprise information systems as “an amazing and transformative journey” and expressed pride at the work that she had done with her colleagues.

Youngs Lew was appointed PEO Digital in 2020, which put her in charge of a variety of projects concerning IT networks, enterprise services and digital infrastructure benefiting the Navy and Marine Corps.

“It has been an honor to support our Navy and Marine Corps missions by delivering the capabilities our Warfighters require, and it has been a pleasure to serve among the finest professionals throughout my career,” Youngs Lew said.

PEO Digital Executive Director Louis Koplin will hold the position of program executive officer on an acting basis until a permanent successor is chosen, DefenseScoop reports.

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Army Program, Working Group Formation Part of Biden Admin Push for Advanced Nuclear Technology
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Army Program, Working Group Formation Part of Biden Admin Push for Advanced Nuclear Technology

The U.S. Army seeks to deploy small modular nuclear reactors and microreactors to power several of its sites across the country and will soon issue a request for information for the program.

The Army’s plan to use advanced reactors is part of the Biden administration’s overall efforts to tap nuclear technology to achieve its goal of a carbon free electricity sector by 2035 while ensuring U.S. energy security, the White House said Wednesday.

The Army program, alongside similar initiatives by the Air Force and the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office, will be a source of information to guide regulations and supply chains that will facilitate future nuclear technology deployments.

Also part of the Biden administration’s nuclear thrust is the establishment of a Nuclear Power Project Management and Delivery working group, whose role will be to engage stakeholders and determine ways to make nuclear technology deployment efficient and cost-effective.

The working group will be composed of various federal government entities.

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NASA’s Starling Mission Demonstrates Autonomous Swarm Operations
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NASA’s Starling Mission Demonstrates Autonomous Swarm Operations

NASA’s four CubeSat spacecraft for the Starling mission have met all their key objectives, marking a successful demonstration of autonomous swarm operations in low-Earth orbit.

Over a ten-month period, the swarm of satellites completed the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy and Mobile Ad-hoc Network, or MANET, experiments, Starling Formation-Flying Optical, or StarFOX, demonstration and Reconfiguration and Orbit Maintenance Experiments Onboard, a.k.a. ROMEO, tests, the space agency said Wednesday.

The distributed autonomy experiment showcased the satellites’ data collection and information distribution abilities, while the MANET experiment demonstrated network communication among the spacecraft swarm. StarFOX, on the other hand, focused on autonomous swarm navigation, while ROMEO tests looked into onboard maneuver planning and execution.

“The success of Starling’s initial mission represents a landmark achievement in the development of autonomous networks of small spacecraft,” said Roger Hunter, program manager for NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program at Ames Research Center.

NASA plans to move on to testing Starling swarm’s space traffic coordination in partnership with the Starlink constellation of SpaceX.

“Starling’s partnership with SpaceX is the next step in operating large networks of spacecraft and understanding how two autonomously maneuvering systems can safely operate in proximity to each other,” shared Hunter. “As the number of operational spacecraft increases each year, we must learn how to manage orbital traffic.”

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Momentus Books DARPA Contract to Advance In-Space Construction Capabilities; John Rood Quoted
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Momentus Books DARPA Contract to Advance In-Space Construction Capabilities; John Rood Quoted

In-space transportation services provider Momentus has received a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to help develop technologies that could support construction projects in space.

Momentus’ work will support the agency’s Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials and Mass-efficient Design initiative, known as NOM4D, which aims to lay a foundation for building large-scale structures in the domain, the company announced from San Jose, California on Thursday.

John Rood, CEO of Momentus, said the organization is “delighted by the opportunity to partner with DARPA to work at the forefront of the future in-space infrastructure economy.”

As part of the NOM4D program, the enterprise will carry out experiments that could be incorporated into the Momentus Vigoride Orbital Services Vehicle while maintaining compliance with requirements for launch and in-space operations.

The vehicle is powered by the company’s water-based propulsion system, which will enable it to maneuver and modify orbit to achieve the demands of the project.

“Vigoride’s flexibility, payload capacity, and power make it well-suited to support the demonstration of NOM4D technologies that overcome current volume, load, and vibration constraints currently limiting the type and scale of in- space structures,” said Rood.

Throughout the duration of the program, Momentus will execute on-orbit demonstrations of NOM4D’s assembly and manufacturing technologies to improve its overall technology readiness level.

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Scott Flanders Elevated to Permanent CIO Role at Nuclear Regulatory Commission
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Scott Flanders Elevated to Permanent CIO Role at Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Scott Flanders, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s acting chief information officer since January, will assume the permanent CIO role on June 2.

He will manage the overall information technology functions, including cyber and information security, data management, artificial intelligence and enterprise governance, to enhance information access and improve performance across the NRC, the agency said Wednesday.

Before taking on the role on an acting basis, Flanders was deputy CIO responsible for planning, directing and overseeing resources to align IT and information management services with NRC’s mission objectives.

Flanders joined the NRC in 1991 as a reactor engineer intern and later served as director of the Office of New Reactors Division of Site Safety and Environmental Analysis and the deputy director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Division of Waste Management and Environmental Review.

“His experience with the government’s use of information technology and his deep understanding of the NRC mission will help the agency navigate the challenges of the future,” said Raymond Furstenau, acting executive director for operations at the NRC.

FAA Authorizes Autonomous Drone Swarm Exercises at LLNL Site
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FAA Authorizes Autonomous Drone Swarm Exercises at LLNL Site

The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Autonomous Sensors team to field test autonomous drone swarms at the main LLNL site.

The certificate of authorization enables the team to operate up to 100 drones during the daytime over the next two years as part of efforts to evaluate swarm controls and sensor payloads designed for national security applications.

Brian Wihl, systems engineer at LLNL and the initiative’s project lead, said the national lab seeks to apply artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to its autonomous sensors but could not field-test the technologies.

“Receiving this approval enables us to take the next step in our research. We’ll be able to apply swarming technology across several national security mission spaces to see how the swarms learn and respond in real-time,” Wihl said.

Jacob Trueblood, Autonomous Sensors electrical hardware team lead and principal investigator for the initiative, said the broad-use-case approval would enable rapid development of software tools and allow the lab to benchmark available software and recommend future updates.

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