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Army’s FLRAA Platform Gets Milestone B Approval
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Army’s FLRAA Platform Gets Milestone B Approval

The U.S. Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program will now transition to detailed aircraft design work after receiving Milestone B approval.

The Army said Friday the latest acquisition decision came after the completion of a preliminary design review in April and the Army Systems Acquisition Review Council’s meeting in June.

With Milestone B, the Army can now exercise contract options and advance the development of six prototype aircraft.

“This an important step for FLRAA and demonstrates the Army’s commitment to our highest aviation modernization priority,” said Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.

“FLRAA will provide assault and MEDEVAC capabilities for the future Army, adding significantly increased speed, range and endurance,” added Bush, a previous Wash100 awardee.

In December 2022, Textron’s Bell subsidiary won a contract from the Army to build its V-280 Valor tiltrotor for the FLRAA program.

FLRAA seeks to provide aircrews and ground forces with reach and standoff capabilities to perform air assault missions.

The Army expects the FLRAA platform to have its initial flight in 2026, move to low-rate initial production in 2026 and begin initial fielding activity in 2030.

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Mark Thomas Appointed CFO for Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
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Mark Thomas Appointed CFO for Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

Mark Thomas, a 20-year veteran in the field of financial management and accounting, has been chosen as the new chief financial officer of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or OCC.

The federal agency said Friday Thomas will also serve as the principal deputy comptroller for management of the OCC.

In his dual role, Thomas is mainly tasked with managing the OCC’s annual operating budget, from the planning stage to its execution. His other duties include supervising the agency’s financial systems and internal and financial controls program.

Thomas is also responsible for overseeing travel policy and operations, as well as the records management of the agency. Additionally, he will manage the compliance and strategic planning tasks of the Office of Management.

Before his appointment at the OCC, Thomas was a senior executive at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. At the FDIC, he was involved in acquisition management and financial quality assurance. He worked in the private sector, particularly in retail operations management, for almost nine years before going into federal service.

With his 20 years of experience in federal service, Thomas is well-versed in budgetary processes, government contracting and internal controls.

Thomas graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland.

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AFRL’s New Laboratory Enables Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology R&D
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AFRL’s New Laboratory Enables Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology R&D

The Air Force Research Laboratory has opened a new facility that will support its Digital Manufacturing Research Team—a.k.a. DMRT—in researching and developing advanced digital manufacturing technology for the Department of the Air Force.

The establishment of the Manufacturing, Industrial Technologies and Energy Division’s Collaborative Automation for Manufacturing Systems Laboratory aligns with the 2023 Air Force Material Command Strategic Plan to deploy Digital Materiel Management, an initiative aimed at accelerating the acquisition materiel lifecycle using digital technology, the Air Force said Friday.

The CAMS lab invested in artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies, including collaborative robotics and industrial extended reality hardware, to enable autonomous manufacturing.

It also features a motion capture system that allows creating a digital twin of the laboratory for virtual experimentation in a cloud environment.

According to Sean Donegan, the DMRT lead who played a key role in setting up the facility, CAMS complements the labs and partnerships the DMRT has developed and meets critical manufacturing requirements that could not be fulfilled through DMRT’s external partnerships.

“Our strategic research outlook targets necessities like point-of-need manufacturing and forward-deployed manufacturing assets,” said Donegan. “This technology will enable rapid refitting of systems in the field for quick turnarounds. This allows for resilient basing and agile combat employment.”

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Rear Adm. Chad Cary Confirmed as Director of NOAA Corps, Office of Marine & Aviation Operations
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Rear Adm. Chad Cary Confirmed as Director of NOAA Corps, Office of Marine & Aviation Operations

Rear Adm. Chad Cary will serve as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Commissioned Officer Corps and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations—a.k.a. OMAO—after receiving Senate confirmation.

NOAA said Friday Cary, who was confirmed by the Senate Thursday, will succeed Vice Adm. Nancy Hann, who will transition to the role of NOAA deputy undersecretary for operations.

“Rear Adm. Cary is a proven leader who has the skills, experience and dedication needed to advance NOAA’s science, service and stewardship mission,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.

In this capacity, he will lead the NOAA Corps and oversee the agency’s fleet of 15 research and survey ships and 10 specialized aircraft.

The rear admiral most recently served as deputy director of the NOAA Corps and deputy chief for operations at OMAO.

Cary has served as head of the NOAA Corps Commissioned Personnel Center, held command positions aboard the agency’s ships John N. Cobb and Reuben Lasker and supported NOAA Fisheries and the National Weather Service.

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NASA Calls for Entries to 2025 Academic Competition for Aerospace Innovation
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NASA Calls for Entries to 2025 Academic Competition for Aerospace Innovation

NASA has launched the 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage competition seeking proposals to develop new ideas on future deep space exploration.

The 2025 RASC-AL program will focus on three themes, including concepts for large-scale, long-term lunar surface habitation and technology demonstrators for Mars exploration, NASA said.

The program, one of NASA’s longest competitions, will also accept proposals on developing a small lunar servicing and maintenance robot.

Teams of undergraduate and graduate university students and their faculty advisers have until Oct.16 to submit a notice of intent to join the competition. The deadline for the proposals and videos of teams that submitted notices is Feb. 24, 2025.

NASA will select up to 14 team finalists, which will each receive a $6,500 stipend for them to present their concepts in a competitive design review at the 2025 RASC- AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in June 2025.

The top two overall teams selected during the forum will receive additional stipends to enable their concept presentation at an aerospace conference later in 2025.

Dan Mazanek, assistant branch head for the Exploration Space Mission Analysis Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, called the event “a wellspring for groundbreaking ideas,” fostering creativity and pushing space exploration boundaries.

“We are looking for innovative solutions that can advance our capabilities beyond Earth’s orbit and pave the way for sustainable lunar exploration and beyond,” he said.

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DOD Advisory Panel Calls for Integration of Commercial Capabilities Into National Security Space Architecture
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DOD Advisory Panel Calls for Integration of Commercial Capabilities Into National Security Space Architecture

The Defense Science Board Task Force on Commercial Space System Access and Integrity has released a study that calls for the incorporation of commercial space capabilities into national security space architectures to ensure resilience, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

The study’s recommendations include the implementation of a framework that would enable such an integration of commercial capabilities, the incorporation of commercial space services evaluations into institutional processes and the development of capabilities to monitor the use of commercial space assets by adversaries.

The DSB is a committee comprising civilian experts tasked with providing senior Department of Defense leadership with advice. The task force that prepared the report was co-chaired by Mandy Vaughn and retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski.

The report was commissioned by Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and 2024 Wash100 awardee Heidi Shyu in November 2022.

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Senate Bill to Prohibit Federal Procurement, Use of AI Tools From Countries of Concern
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Senate Bill to Prohibit Federal Procurement, Use of AI Tools From Countries of Concern

Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., have proposed a bill that would preclude the U.S. government and its contractors in the private sector from buying or using adversarial artificial intelligence tools and services.

Rubio’s office said Thursday the Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions Act would direct the undersecretary of Commerce for standards and technology to work with the Federal Acquisitions Security Council to develop a list of AI services and products from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and other countries of concern.

The proposed legislation would provide contractors doing business with the U.S. government two years to discontinue using AI products and services on the list.

“Communist China’s heavy investment in AI poses a serious national security threat, and the United States must have a plan to keep our nation safe on this front,” Rubio said. ”My Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions Act would ensure the federal government and its private sector contractors aren’t using AI designed by China, Russia, or other adversaries.”

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Federal Agencies Amend Acquisition Regulations About Multiple-Award Contract Protest Requirements
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Federal Agencies Amend Acquisition Regulations About Multiple-Award Contract Protest Requirements

The Department of Defense, the General Services Administration and NASA have released an issuance putting into effect a rule proposed in October 2023 that would amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

According to the final rule posted Tuesday on the Federal Register, the amendment implements changes put forward by the Small Business Administration that update and clarify requirements related to size and socioeconomic status protests concerning multiple-award contract set-asides and reserves, and orders placed under such contracts.

The agencies issued the proposed rule in October for public comment. The final rule incorporates changes based on public feedback.

The changes include the addition of text that specifies when a protest is due for multiple-award contract orders where the contracting officer requests re-representation for the order.

The changes also include modifications to the text clarifying when a protest is due when written notification is not required and other communication means are used.

The final rule goes into effect on Aug. 29.

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Navy Awards KBR $153M Contract for Flight Test & Aircrew Services Assistance
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Navy Awards KBR $153M Contract for Flight Test & Aircrew Services Assistance

The U.S. Navy has awarded KBR a $153 million contract to continue supporting the agency’s flight test and aircrew services.

Under the five-year recompete contract, KBR will aid Naval Test Wings Atlantic and Pacific Aircrew Services by further implementing engineering technical systems, independent analysis and technical support, the technology and engineering company announced Monday.

Byron Bright, president of KBR Government Solutions U.S. and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said over four decades of collaborating with the Navy has led to this contract.

“KBR builds upon our more than forty-five years of aircrew services and flight test support to the U.S. Navy,” Bright stated.

KBR will leverage the company’s developmental test experience to advance the Naval Test Wing’s air vehicle test mission. The contract will cover services such as test and evaluation, air vehicle operation and ground operations.

“This strategic win solidifies KBR’s commitment to bring unmatched capability and expertise to naval aviation,” Bright added.

Work will be conducted at Naval Air Station locations in Patuxent River, Maryland, Pt. Mugu, California and China Lake, California.

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CIA’s Juliane Gallina to Speak at 2024 Intel Summit
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CIA’s Juliane Gallina to Speak at 2024 Intel Summit

The Potomac Officers Club’s upcoming 2024 Intel Summit boasts an impressive lineup of intelligence experts from both the Intelligence Community and industry. During the event, which will be held on September 19, you will have the opportunity to learn from four keynote speakers and numerous panelists who will weigh in on today’s most relevant intelligence topics.

One featured speaker is Juliane Gallina of the Central Intelligence Agency. Keep reading for more information on her background and a sneak preview of what she may discuss at the event.

Meet Juliane Gallina

Gallina currently serves as deputy director of digital innovation at the CIA. She joined the organization in April 2019 as chief information officer and later assumed the role of associate deputy director of digital innovation before being elevated to her current position in January. She is a two-time recipient of the Wash100 Award.

Juliane Gallina’s Career Background

Gallina has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the CIA, she spent nine years at IBM, where she served as a partner before moving into the role of vice president of U.S. federal key accounts. She was also an executive at Edge Consulting, which was purchased by the National Interest Security Company in 2008. A year later, she was appointed as director of software at NISC.

Gallina’s experience in federal leadership roles began at the National Reconnaissance Office, where she spent over a decade, beginning as a senior system engineer and program manager and ending as a deputy program director. She has additionally served as a U.S. Navy commander and was a seminar leader for the Navy Reserve’s Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell.

Juliane Gallina’s Innovation Goals

While serving in her previous role, Gallina revealed her top five technology priority areas in a September 2022 video interview with Executive Mosaic. These points of focus include:

  • Artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Blockchain and cryptocurrency
  • Biotechnology
  • Microelectronics
  • Next-generation communications

Though these technologies offer many benefits for the United States, she noted that they are also “avenues for adversaries to disrupt American global economic superiority or strength, and they’re seeking to undermine it.”

Juliane Gallina to Keynote 2024 Intel Summit

Gallina will deliver the morning keynote address at the 2024 Intel Summit. During her speech, she will offer a look into the ways in which the CIA and wider Intelligence Community are harnessing the power of cutting-edge digital technologies to adapt to the needs of the modern intelligence landscape and stay ahead of U.S. adversaries in the race to achieve technological superiority.

To take advantage of the chance to hear from Gallina in person, secure your spot at the highly-anticipated 2024 Intel Summit!

CIA’s Juliane Gallina to Speak at 2024 Intel Summit
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