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Newly Established Advisory Group to Advise on FedRAMP’s Technical Direction
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Newly Established Advisory Group to Advise on FedRAMP’s Technical Direction

The General Services Administration has announced the establishment of a technical advisory group of federal experts to guide decision-making processes and advise on the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s operational, strategic and technical direction.

“This group will help make FedRAMP a smarter and more technology-forward operation that better meets its goal of making it safe and easy for federal agencies to take full advantage of cloud services,” Eric Mill, executive director for cloud strategy at GSA’s Technology Transformation Services, said in a statement published Tuesday.

The inaugural members of FedRAMP’s TAG are:

  • Brian Turnau, cloud authorization program manager, Office of the Chief Information Officer, GSA
  • Elizabeth Schweinsberg, senior technical adviser, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, Department of Health and Human Services
  • Grant Dasher, architecture branch chief, Office of the Technical Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
  • Laura Beaufort, technical lead, Federal Election Commission
  • Michael Boyce, director of Artificial Intelligence Corps, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security
  • Nicole Thompson, cybersecurity engineer, Defense Digital Service, Department of Defense
  • Paul Hirsch, technical lead, Technology Transformation Services, GSA

The newly created group will complement the Federal Secure Cloud Advisory Committee’s work, help FedRAMP make decisions on policies and processes and improve the way the program delivers emerging technologies to agencies in support of their missions.

“With their deep understanding of the challenges and complexities faced by federal agencies, the TAG is well-positioned to provide valuable insights into streamlining processes, enhancing security postures, and adapting to novel technology implementations so that agencies can leverage the full potential of FedRAMP,” said Laura Gerhardt, director of technology modernization and data at the Office of Management and Budget.

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Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo Calls for Pathfinder Programs to Showcase Benefits of Digital Engineering
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Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo Calls for Pathfinder Programs to Showcase Benefits of Digital Engineering

The U.S. Army will use the XM-30 Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle and Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft acquisitions alongside several other programs as inaugural pathfinders to demonstrate the benefits that digital engineering, or DE, can offer to the military service.

Establishing and monitoring pathfinder programs is a key component of the Army’s DE policy as articulated in and enforced by a memo issued Tuesday by Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo.

According to Camarillo, the Army must innovate not only its capabilities but also the means by which it develops them in order to meet the challenges posed by emerging threats, fiscal constraints and technological change.

The Army undersecretary says in the memo that using DE makes it possible to avoid the negative effects of traditional engineering — like increased costs and extended development timelines — brought on by manual processes, the need for physical documents and stove-piping across stakeholder groups.

In addition to showcasing the potential DE contributions, the pathfinder programs will also aim to highlight policies or processes still in effect that might prevent the implementation of DE while identifying ways to best advance the process in various scenarios.

Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo Calls for Pathfinder Programs to Showcase Benefits of Digital Engineering

Army officials, government leaders and industry executives will share their priorities, strategies and solutions to challenges at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Army Summit, which will take place on June 13. Register now to attend this important event!

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Pentagon Seeks Public Input on Actions to Support Industrial Base Adoption of AI for Defense Applications
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Pentagon Seeks Public Input on Actions to Support Industrial Base Adoption of AI for Defense Applications

The Department of Defense has started soliciting public comments on potential measures it can take to enable the defense industrial base to advance the adoption of artificial intelligence tools for defense applications.

DOD’s Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience will use input from the public to inform the development of policies and programs to support the integration of AI into defense systems, according to a notice published Wednesday.

The department’s Office of Policy, Analysis and Transition will also use the comments to develop its Trusted AI Defense Industrial Base Roadmap.

The Pentagon is asking the public about foundational DIB investments that should be made to further advance AI adoption in defense systems, specific vulnerabilities in the supply chain that should be addressed to support defense systems that incorporate AI and steps to implement to support the involvement of small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors in the development, testing and deployment of AI systems for defense applications.

Interested stakeholders can also share their insights on financing and acquisition mechanisms that could help incentivize the DIB to continue investing in AI tools for defense applications and views on how AI can improve acquisitions, supply chain management, regulatory compliance and information-sharing within the DIB.

Public comments are due July 22.

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DHA Appoints Phillip LaJoie as Market Technology Integration Office COO
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DHA Appoints Phillip LaJoie as Market Technology Integration Office COO

Phillip LaJoie, a federal health information technology executive, has joined the Defense Health Agency as chief operating officer within the Market Technology Integration Office.

He announced his move to DHA in a LinkedIn post published Thursday.

LaJoie will bring to the role over two decades of executive-level technical experience in both public and private healthcare sectors and expertise in electronic health records, digital modernization and data sharing.

Prior to DHA, he was vice president of federal migrations at Qbase, where he led the delivery of mission-critical platforms and services to customers across the Department of Defense and other national security agencies.

According to his LinkedIn profile, his industry career included time as director of operations at precision medicine company 2bPrecise, interim chief information officer for Resolute Health and VP of client services at CliniComp.

LaJoie also served as CIO at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and chief technology officer for health affairs within the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

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NASA Provides New Estimates of Orbital Debris Removal Costs, Benefits
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NASA Provides New Estimates of Orbital Debris Removal Costs, Benefits

NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy has released a new report assessing the costs and benefits of mitigating, tracking and remediating the risks posed by small and large orbital debris.

The Phase 2 report provides estimates of the risks posed to satellites by space junk orbiting the Earth, from the largest debris down to millimeter-sized fragments, and outlines new approaches to mitigating the creation of new debris and tracking existing debris, NASA said Monday.

The report simulates the evolution of the orbital debris environment over a period of 30 years, modeling the costs that space operators would incur from experiencing mission-ending collisions with debris, dealing with close approaches and maneuvering to avoid debris.

“By measuring everything in dollars, we can directly compare shielding spacecraft to tracking smaller debris or removing 50 large pieces of debris to removing 50,000 smaller ones,” said NASA analyst Jericho Locke, the lead author of the report.

“This study is part of NASA’s work to rapidly improve our understanding of that environment as outlined in NASA’s recently released Space Sustainability Strategy, by applying an economic lens to this critical issue,” said Charity Weeden, NASA’s associate administrator leading the OTPS.

NNSA Concludes 1st Subcritical Experiment in Nimble Series at PULSE Facility
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NNSA Concludes 1st Subcritical Experiment in Nimble Series at PULSE Facility

The National Nuclear Security Administration has concluded a subcritical experiment in the Principal Underground Laboratory for Subcritical Experimentation facility at the Nevada National Security Site to obtain information to support the safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons.

The experiment is the first in the Nimble series being carried out in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with support from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Department of Energy said Thursday.

Results from the experiment will be used to enhance DOE’s modeling and simulation capability as part of NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program aimed at ensuring the safety, reliability and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

“As NNSA Administrator Hruby announced in June 2023, we plan to increase the frequency of these subcritical experiments so we can continue to gather important data on nuclear weapons materials, with no technical need for a return to underground nuclear explosive testing,” said Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs at NNSA.

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Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues ‘Base Denominator’ of Navy Shipbuilding Delays
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Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues ‘Base Denominator’ of Navy Shipbuilding Delays

For Carlos Del Toro, the delays in the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding programs can fundamentally be attributed to manpower issues.

The secretary of the Navy and 2024 Wash100 winner told lawmakers during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that private and public shipyards in the U.S. “simply don’t have the people,” a problem that he traced back to the 1980s “when we gave up on commercial shipbuilding in this country.”

Del Toro made the remarks in response to Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who had described the Navy shipbuilding program as being “in disarray” and ascribed the problem to management issues.

The Navy official acknowledged proximate issues — a delay in a major component for the Virginia-class submarine, for example, resulting in a delay for the whole program — but considered manpower insufficiency, whether in terms of numbers or experience, to be foundational.

“That’s sort of the base denominator of it all,” Del Toro said.

Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues 'Base Denominator' of Navy Shipbuilding Delays

Naval leaders, experts and innovators from government and industry will discuss how they’re enhancing maritime security, driving technological advancements and fostering strategic cooperation during the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit, which will take place on Aug. 15. Register now to attend this important event!

Bill Hepworth Says Army PEO EIS Will Accelerate Agile Transformation Initiative
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Bill Hepworth Says Army PEO EIS Will Accelerate Agile Transformation Initiative

Bill Hepworth, the U.S. Army’s program executive officer for enterprise information systems, said that PEO EIS plans to accelerate its Agile transformation efforts and increase the speed of its key acquisition programs.

Speaking at AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days, Hepworth said PEO EIS has achieved its goal of becoming an Agile organization, with nearly 90 percent of its portfolio converted to Agile, the organization said Monday.

Increasing the speed of acquisition of enterprise software is one of Hepworth’s top priorities, aligning with the initiatives of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, or ASA(ALT).

“Right now, with Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the entire ASA(ALT) community is pressed to get equipment and supplies out to partners, so we need to respond faster across the board,” Hepworth said.

Besides speed, Hepworth’s office also focuses on digital strategy to streamline its programs, including the Enterprise Business Systems – Convergence and the Foreign Military Sales – Army Case Execution System.

POC - 2024 Army Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 9th Annual Army Summit on June 13. Register here to reserve your seat and hear from Army officials about their most urgent priorities for 2024 and beyond.

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Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted
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Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted

The Naval Surface Force within the U.S. Pacific Fleet has launched Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron, or USVRON, Three.

Led by Capt. Derek Rader, the new squadron will manage a fleet of small, unmanned surface vessels called the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, the Navy announced on Monday.

Rader said the integration of unmanned surface vessels into Navy and joint operations “will be accomplished through experimentation with the fleet testing and doctrine drafted by operators you see today, who embody and execute the warfighting that we need to achieve to enable the full potential of unmanned systems.”

The 16-foot GARCs were produced by the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation to support research, testing and operations and integration into surface, expeditionary and joint maritime forces.

These unmanned vessels will supplement warfighting capabilities held by the Navy’s legacy combatant force to strengthen the fleet’s tactical and strategic advantages. They are designed to work in harmony with carrier strike groups and surface action groups and can also function independently.

USVRON Three will be overseen by the Surface Development Group, or SURFDEVGRU, and will welcome the robotics warfare specialist into its teams to explore Robotic Autonomous System operations and maintenance and related capabilities. Its primary objective is to lay a foundation for advancements in small unmanned surface vessels.

“There are currently no boundaries, and we have an incredible opportunity to determine what right looks like within our sphere of influence,” said SURFDEVGRU Director Cdre. Shea Thompson.

Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted

Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of the Naval Surface Force, said the Navy has “put the right team in place” to overcome challenging obstacles.

“The Navy is placing unmanned systems in the hands of 400 of our most talented warfighters to help integrate, scale, experiment, and employ these systems,” he said.

Get a closer look at the Navy’s top priorities during the Potomac Officers 2024 Navy Summit! To learn more and register to attend the event, which will bring together key Navy officials and industry experts on August 15, click here.

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Curtiss-Wright to Provide Air Force With Encrypted Tactical Networking Tech for Deployable Comms
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Curtiss-Wright to Provide Air Force With Encrypted Tactical Networking Tech for Deployable Comms

Iron Bow has tapped Curtiss-Wright to deliver encrypted tactical networking technology to the U.S. Air Force to help the service branch optimize and enhance its deployable communications.

Curtiss-Wright will equip the Air Force with its PacStar 400 series modules and provide Commercial Solutions for Classified, or CSfC, integration under a potential $60 million contract, the company said Monday.

In addition to providing connectivity to Department of Defense Information Networks worldwide, PacStar 400 series modules will also utilize software automation for better connectivity and network security at multiple classification levels.

The initial award is worth $16 million and runs through the end of 2027. Work will be performed by Curtiss-Wright’s defense solutions division in the defense electronics segment.

“This contract represents a significant deployment for the U.S. Air Force using Curtiss-Wright’s PacStar product line, including its proprietary IQ-Core Software integrated network communications management tool, for deployable communications missions,” said Lynn Bamford, chair and CEO of Curtiss-Wright and a previous Wash100 awardee.

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