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DOD Working With Allies to Enhance Defense Industrial Base, Says Acquisition Lead William LaPlante
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DOD Working With Allies to Enhance Defense Industrial Base, Says Acquisition Lead William LaPlante

The Pentagon is prioritizing partnerships with allies to fortify the defense industrial base, according to Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante, a 2024 Wash100 Award recipient.

Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee, LaPlante said this increased focus on international collaboration was inspired by lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, specifically cooperative munitions production efforts, the Department of Defense reported on Thursday.

LaPlante noted an Army plan to start co-producing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and Precision Strike Missile munitions with allies as one way the DOD is pushing this goal forward.

“That’s where this is all headed. You’re going to see much more co-production, co-development and co-sustainment with allies and partners,” he stated.

Allies and partners, said LaPlante, have recognized the need to build up their own industrial bases.

“For all of the criticism that we give ourselves, rightfully so, they’re envious of what the United States has been able to do. We’re talking to each of these countries,” he said.

This shift, he continued, was driven by developments in military spending and output in both Russia and China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently replaced his defense minister with an economist, a move LaPlante said demonstrates that “they’re not in it for the short term.”

“They’re on a wartime footing,” said LaPlante, who called attention to recent estimates indicating that Russia’s military spending has reached seven percent of their gross domestic product.

China has also increased its military output and is currently carrying out its military-civil fusion development strategy to enhance its military power.

At the same time, the Defense Department is working to identify and address warfighter capability needs at a more rapid pace.

Effective acquisition, said LaPlante, is dependent on three things: the contract, the requirement and “having money in the right year.”

DOD Working With Allies to Enhance Defense Industrial Base, Says Acquisition Lead William LaPlante

Want to know more about the global government contracting landscape? The Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon International Summit on October 10 will bring together key public and private sector leaders to discuss partnerships, joint warfighting, emerging technologies and more. To access additional information and register to attend the event, click here.

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Commerce Department Lays Out Workforce Development Policy via New Administrative Order
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Commerce Department Lays Out Workforce Development Policy via New Administrative Order

The Department of Commerce has released a department administrative order, or DAO, that articulates its policy regarding the development of a workforce that is sufficiently skilled to ensure U.S. competitiveness through technological innovation.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that part of the policy is recognizing the inseparability of workforce development from economic development. Consequently, workforce development strategies must go hand in hand with the creation and expansion of regional clusters.

Also part of that policy are two sets of principles that guide the agency’s workforce development programs. The first set lists 11 attributes of effective workforce investments while the second lists eight principles that govern job quality.

A key proposal of the DAO is the establishment of the Commerce Workforce Council, whose function will be the development and implementation of the agency’s workforce programs, initiatives and policies.

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House Bill to Create AI Security Task Force at CISA
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House Bill to Create AI Security Task Force at CISA

Reps. Troy Carter, D-La., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., have introduced legislation that would require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to establish a task force dedicated to addressing security and safety concerns posed by artificial intelligence.

The CISA Securing AI Task Force Act would direct the agency’s director to create a task force consisting of personnel across CISA divisions and offices to coordinate efforts and policies related to the secure design, development and deployment of AI technologies, Carter’s office said Tuesday.

Task force members will evaluate safety and security initiatives relevant to AI and advise key stakeholders on potential risks associated with new AI tools.

“This Task Force will enhance the safe and secure design, development, adoption, and deployment of AI across critical sectors by bringing together diverse expertise within CISA. As AI continues to evolve and integrate into our daily lives, this measure highlights our commitment to proactive risk mitigation and preparedness,” Carter and Thompson said in a joint statement.

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NASA’s X-59 Supersonic Aircraft Passess Flight Readiness Review
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NASA’s X-59 Supersonic Aircraft Passess Flight Readiness Review

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has passed flight readiness review, paving the way for the aircraft to transition to the airworthiness and flight safety review phase.

Independent experts from NASA completed a study of the X-59 project team’s approach to public safety during ground and flight testing and examined the team’s analysis of possible risks and hazards, the agency said Wednesday.

“The Flight Readiness Review focused on specific aspects of the X-59 team’s work on the aircraft, but also served as an overview and update on the entire project,” said Jay Brandon, chief engineer for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project.

X-59 is being built by Lockheed Martin‘s Skunk Works subsidiary for NASA’s Quesst experimental mission, which aims to demonstrate technology that can travel faster than the speed of sound while reducing the loudness of a sonic boom to a quiet thump.

For the next phase, the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review Board will review findings from the flight readiness review and send a recommendation to the director of Armstrong Flight Research Center for airworthiness approval.

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US Air Force to Test New Combat Preparation Model for Airmen at Six Facilities
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US Air Force to Test New Combat Preparation Model for Airmen at Six Facilities

The U.S. Air Force has selected six bases to house air task forces as part of an initiative that seeks to test a new approach to prepare airmen for combat, Air Force Times reported Thursday.

The chosen bases are:

  • Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
  • Scott AFB
  • Joint Base San Antonio
  • Dyess AFB
  • Fairchild AFB
  • Seymour Johnson AFB

Under the task forces model, airmen will undergo training via the Air Force Force Generation cycle over several months before being deployed overseas. This process contrasts with practice following 9/11 where airmen from various bases have been combined into units overseas without training together first.

Under the leadership of colonels, the task forces will feature commanders and an executive staff, aircrews and maintainers and support squadrons.

ATFs are expected to complete the AFFORGEN cycle and deploy by fiscal year 2026.

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FCC Unveils Spectrum Steering Team; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Unveils Spectrum Steering Team; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission has established a steering team to help FCC implement the National Spectrum Strategy and develop and enforce spectrum policies.

FCC said Tuesday Susan Mort, deputy chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and Ira Keltz, deputy chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology, will co-lead the newly created Spectrum Steering Team.

Krista Witanowski, legal adviser within the commission’s OET, will serve as chief of staff of the new steering team.

The Spectrum Steering Team will work with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and other federal agencies and solicit insights from stakeholders on how the commission could help advance the implementation of the National Spectrum Strategy, including participation in the study of 2,786 megahertz of spectrum for repurposing across bands.

“Demand for spectrum is growing at a breakneck pace as wireless technology expands and transforms so much in our economy and modern life, so we need to get creative with spectrum policies,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

“The National Spectrum Strategy is a good start, and the Spectrum Steering Team will put its experience, talent and leadership to work helping to shape a bright wireless future,” added Rosenworcel.

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DOD Issues Funds to Canadian Companies to Bolster Critical Mineral Supply Chains; Laura Taylor-Kale Quoted
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DOD Issues Funds to Canadian Companies to Bolster Critical Mineral Supply Chains; Laura Taylor-Kale Quoted

The U.S. Department of Defense has issued funds to two Canadian companies – Fortune Minerals Limited and Lomiko Metals – to help build resilience in the cobalt and graphite supply chains.

Funded activities will align with the U.S.-Canadian Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals and advance the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy while growing support for the domestic production of critical materials, the DOD said Thursday.

Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, said these awards “exemplify the critical importance” of Defense Production Act funds, the partnership between the U.S. and Canada and “our shared commitment to strengthening North American material supply chains.”

Fortune received $6.5 million from the DOD as well as $5.6 million from the Canadian government to boost its cobalt sulfate and bismuth metal production capabilities. The awards will finance a feasibility study and enable the company to obtain the permits and authorizations necessary to bring its NICO mineral production project to a construction decision.

Lomiko was granted $8.4 million under the DPA. With those allocations as well as $3.6 million from the Canadian government, the enterprise will progress its La Loutre natural flake graphite project by conducting a pre-feasibility study, carrying out spherical graphite battery testing and value-added studies and performing a definitive feasibility study.

The completion of these tasks will enhance project design and build a technical foundation for the company to achieve a construction decision for a battery-grade graphite anode facility.

In total, the DPA has issued 15 awards valued at a combined total of $336 million in fiscal year 2024.

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NIST Awards Over $1.2 Million to Small Businesses to Advance Cybersecurity, Biopharmaceuticals, Semiconductors and More
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NIST Awards Over $1.2 Million to Small Businesses to Advance Cybersecurity, Biopharmaceuticals, Semiconductors and More

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has selected 12 small businesses to be recipients of Phase I Small Business Innovation Research awards for 2024.

The awardees will receive funding to support research and development of new products in a variety of critical areas, including quantum computing, cybersecurity and healthcare, NIST said Wednesday.

Under phase I, awardees will work to establish the merits of their projects and determine their feasibility and commercial potential.

The awardees are:

  • AMAG Consulting
  • Applied Imaging Solutions
  • Calimetrix
  • Dapple Security
  • EMode Photonix
  • HighRI Optics
  • Icarus Quantum
  • MyExposome
  • NUTS Technologies
  • ObjectSecurity
  • Tiami
  • Universal Schedule and Booking

 

NIST is releasing more than $1.2 million in funding for the effort.

Once they complete phase I, awardees are eligible to apply for funding under phase II.

Stacey Dixon: Information Sharing Key to Advancing IC’s Supply Chain Risk Management Efforts
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Stacey Dixon: Information Sharing Key to Advancing IC’s Supply Chain Risk Management Efforts

Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, highlighted the need for more supply chain security and risk information sharing to address “growing and evolving” threats to the U.S. supply chain during the National Counterintelligence and Security Center’s 10th Annual Supply Chain Technical Exchange Conference.

“The continued growth and increased participation in this conference is, to me, a demand signal that we need more supply chain security and risk information sharing, and this is something the DNI and I are committed to doing,” Dixon said.

According to Dixon, the intelligence community’s supply chain risk management, or SCRM, integrity efforts focus on areas such as microelectronics, quantum sensing, artificial intelligence and cryptology, warning that these technologies are included in China’s top priorities “to develop and overtake the United States.”

“If we fall victim to the PRC or any adversary that attempts to penetrate our systems, many of the advantages we have not only disappear, but turn into disadvantages. As a consequence, even if we ‘run faster,’ we will find ourselves falling behind, which is why ensuring supply chain integrity for critical capabilities is a no-fail mission,” Dixon said.

ODNI and NCSC have developed new SCRM guidance based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s process risk assessment to help organizations assess supply chain risks from multiple threat vectors, according to Dixon.

“[T]his SCRM guidance encourages organizations to understand supply chain risks when considering their risk tolerance, particularly as they incorporate critical technologies into their ecosystem,” she said.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 to learn about the dynamic and ever-evolving role of cyber in the public sector. Register here!

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Pentagon Releases Regional Sustainment Framework; William LaPlante Quoted
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Pentagon Releases Regional Sustainment Framework; William LaPlante Quoted

The Department of Defense has unveiled a new framework to facilitate collaboration with U.S. allies and international defense industrial base partners to establish a distributed ecosystem of maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.

DOD said Wednesday the Regional Sustainment Framework is aligned with the National Defense Strategy and the National Defense Industrial Strategy and has three primary goals to support the operations of the Joint and Combined Force in contested environments.

The three goals are prevailing in a contested logistics environment, enhancing military readiness and strengthening regional partnerships.

William LaPlante, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, released the new framework with Chris Lowman, assistant secretary of defense for sustainment.

“The RSF leverages our strong partnerships throughout the global defense ecosystem to deliver enhanced sustainment capabilities in theater,” said LaPlante, a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

“Doing so will create a distributed network of MRO facilities that is global in scale, but regionally aligned to the most relevant platforms and systems,” he added.

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