Maj. Matthew Jordan, chief of product for the U.S. Air Force’s Platform One, said the program is working to receive authorization for one of its core DevSecOps offerings, Iron Bank, to accommodate controlled unclassified information and classified information, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Iron Bank is a hardened container image repository that offers vulnerability scanning, continuous monitoring and regular updates to advance modern software development across the Department of Defense.

Platform One has outlined its plans for Iron Bank and other tools and services in a new product road map, which includes ongoing work to get Iron Bank authorized to host DOD data at Impact Level 5.

“We ensure that we’re patched within our repository, and all of our downstream consumers are able to easily receive the cybersecurity benefits,” Jordan said.

Other tools included in the road map are the Party Bus platform-as-a-service and the Big Bang continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment platform.

Jordan is set to speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Air Force Summit on July 23. Register here to reserve your seats and hear from Air Force leaders and experts about important updates on cutting-edge technology adoption and modernization initiatives.

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, has released a memorandum to establish policy and guidance for the implementation of a due diligence initiative for the DOD’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

The Defense SBIR and STTR Due Diligence Program will help evaluate and mitigate security risks associated with small business concerns with links to foreign countries of concern, according to a memo signed by Hicks on May 13.

According to the document, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering should be responsible for ensuring that common minimum standards established through the policy for the Due Diligence Program are implemented across all DOD components that make awards under the SBIR and STTR programs.

“Working closely with the R&E leadership and DoD services and components, we will successfully implement this plan to vigilantly protect taxpayer funds and small businesses from foreign influence,” said Gina Sims, director of the Defense SBIR/STTR Program.

In early 2023, the Defense SBIR/STTR Program collaborated with military services and other DOD components to plan the implementation of the Due Diligence Program.

The Pentagon launched an online course on foreign ownership, control or influence to support small companies seeking funding under the SBIR and STTR programs.

The department also worked with the Small Business Administration to integrate due diligence requirements into the SBIR/STTR policy, including the incorporation of forms evaluating security risks into proposals being submitted to the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal.

The Department of Defense will provide additional capabilities to Ukraine under a $275 million security assistance package.

Produced using Presidential Drawdown Authorities, the new aid package will support Ukraine’s response to the Russian assault near Kharkiv, the DOD said Friday.

This package will pull from DOD inventories and include ammunition from High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems, 155 millimeter and 105 millimeter artillery rounds and 60 millimeter mortar rounds. It will also contain Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided missiles, Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems and precision aerial munitions as well as small arms, small arms ammunition and grenades.

Other capabilities set for delivery include demolitions munitions, anti-armor mines and tactical vehicles to recover equipment. The DOD will additionally provide helmets and body armor as well as chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment and spare parts.

The new assistance package marks the 58th round of equipment from DOD stock to be supplied to Ukraine since August 2021. In total, the Biden administration has sent over $51 billion to Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022.

According to William LaPlante, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, the defense industrial base has also been an important contributor to U.S. support for Ukraine.

As the DOD ships out equipment from its inventories, new capabilities must be acquired to maintain military readiness. That is where industry comes in.

The “truly historic” response from the industrial base, LaPlante said, has been “a nationwide effort that spans the full spectrum of our supply chains in nearly every capability area.”

Industry’s participation in these endeavors has played a role in the DOD’s wider work to rejuvenate the U.S. defense industrial base.

Join us at the Potomac Officers Club’s first-ever GovCon International Summit on October 10th for a closer look into the role of industry in today’s complex geopolitical landscape. To learn more and register to attend the event, visit the GovCon International Summit event page on the POC website.

The House Armed Services Committee has approved a draft version of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act via a vote of 57 in favor and 1 against, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The FY2025 NDAA authorizes $883.7 billion overall for defense spending, with $849.8 billion going to the Department of Defense.

Highlights of the bill include funding for the construction of a second Virginia-class submarine; the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets, albeit 10 fewer than the DOD originally requested; and the acquisition of F-15EX fighters in fiscal year 2026.

The bill also contains provisions that call for the audit of an ongoing review of the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program; empower Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Frank Calvelli to sanction contractors that perform poorly; and require DOD officials to provide lawmakers clarification on the agency’s Replicator program.

The bill will now have to be voted on by the whole House of Representatives then reconciled with the version that the Senate will produce. The Senate’s committee-level markup of the FY2025 NDAA is expected to begin in June.