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IBM Closes R&D Operations in China, Eyes Other Overseas Facilities
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IBM Closes R&D Operations in China, Eyes Other Overseas Facilities

IBM is closing its research and development operations in China, a move that will affect more than 1,000 employees working at R&D laboratories and those focused on building and testing enterprise software and other products, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

During a virtual meeting, Jack Hergenrother, an IBM executive, told employees that the company is transferring its R&D operations to other facilities abroad amid the increasing competition IBM’s infrastructure business faces in China.

According to employees who were briefed on the move, IBM has started hiring engineers and researchers in Bengaluru, India, and other places abroad.

Some employees said the move the shut down R&D functions was a surprise after IBM executives recently discussed plans to pursue new business in China by leveraging the company’s capabilities in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

IBM said in a statement that it “adapts its operations as needed to best serve our clients” and that the move would not affect the company’s ability to support customers in China.

According to WSJ, many multinational companies have reevaluated their business operations in China due to geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and the East Asian country.

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Barry Tanner Named Deputy CIO at Department of the Navy
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Barry Tanner Named Deputy CIO at Department of the Navy

Barry Tanner is the new deputy chief information officer at the Department of the Navy, according to a LinkedIn post by the department Monday.

Prior to his appointment, Tanner spent almost four years as command operations officer at the Navy Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services. He also held the CIO and reserve component director position at the U.S. Navy Fleet Cyber Command.

Tanner served as the information professional community lead at the Navy Information Forces Reserve Command and as senior associate for more than 10 years at Booz Allen Hamilton before that. He was also a senior systems engineer at Echostone.

The executive spent 14 years in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He first served as commanding officer of the Office of Naval Research Reserve unit in 2001. He was then appointed special projects officer for the European region after eight years.

Tanner then joined the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command as commanding officer of unit 1020. He served in that position for two years before becoming the commanding officer of Naval Reserve Navy Information Dominance Forces Headquarters unit.

Farther back still, Tanner was the reserve program CIO at the Office of Naval Research and an instructor and division officer of the Navy.

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NASA Seeks Public Feedback on Draft LEO Human Activity Objectives
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NASA Seeks Public Feedback on Draft LEO Human Activity Objectives

NASA is seeking public input on a draft document that outlines the agency’s goals and objectives regarding the future of human activity in low Earth orbit.

NASA said Monday that the document details 42 key points across the six main areas of its LEO microgravity strategy, namely: science, operations, commercial LEO infrastructure, exploration-enabling research and technology development, workforce and engagement, and international cooperation.

Interested parties have until Sept. 27 to submit feedback, which the agency will discuss during two workshops set to take place that same month. One workshop will involve U.S. industry and academic representatives, while the other will involve international partners.

The strategy will be finalized after review of the feedback, according to Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

“Feedback is essential for shaping our long-term microgravity research and development activities. We are committed to refining our objectives with input from both within NASA and external partners, ensuring alignment with industry and international goals,” Bowersox said.

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Northrop Grumman Chosen for Army’s Improved Threat Detection System Program
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Northrop Grumman Chosen for Army’s Improved Threat Detection System Program

Northrop Grumman has been picked to participate in the first phase of the Improved Threat Detection System program of the U.S. Army.

The global aerospace and defense technology company said Monday its Advanced Tactical Hostile Engagement Awareness, or ATHENA, sensor was selected and will be developed under an other transaction agreement via the Consortium Management Group. This is on behalf of the Consortium for Command, Control and Communications in Cyberspace.

The ATHENA missile warning sensor offers always-on, 360-degree situational awareness that provides aircrafts with better protection and reportedly increases their survivability. The technology features a high-resolution, surround video and wide-band threat detection capability used for geolocating anti-tank guided missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and other electro-optical/infrared threats.

ATHENA has so far demonstrated its effectiveness during live-fire tests conducted by the government. It has also integrated easily into an aircraft equipped with flare or laser-based countermeasure systems like the Common Infrared Countermeasure system.

Dennis Neel, survivability development programs director at Northrop, highlights the sensor’s capabilities, saying, “ATHENA can see where pilots can’t, even looking through an aircraft floor. The sensor delivers safety in-flight through advanced threat warning capabilities and situational awareness previously limited to larger aircraft, making missions safer for pilots and aircrews.”

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NSA’s Kristina Walter to Keynote GovCon International Summit
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NSA’s Kristina Walter to Keynote GovCon International Summit

On Oct. 10, the Potomac Officers Club will take government contracting to a global scale with its first-ever GovCon International Summit. This event is set to feature dozens of expert speakers, and the list is still growing.

Kristina Walter, a 15-year National Security Agency veteran and the latest addition to the GovCon International Summit lineup, has just been confirmed to speak at the event. Keep reading for an in-depth look at the expertise she will bring to the summit.

Who is Kristina Walter?

Kristina Walter currently serves as director of the NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, which is focused on scaling intel-driven cybersecurity through partnerships with other federal agencies, industry organizations and international allies.

Walter has a deep history with the CCC, having helped establish the center in 2020. She has held two other positions — strategist and chief of defense industrial base for cybersecurity — within the organization. During this period, she guided the development of standards and operations for NSA’s DIB Services and the wider CCC mission. She later took on the role of director of the agency’s Future Ready Workforce Initiative, which she held until she was appointed to her current position in June.

Prior to the CCC’s creation, Walter helmed program build activities to provide NSA overseers with a validated, justified budget for the Consolidated Cryptologic Program and Military Intelligence Program.

Kristina Walter’s Priorities

Walter is a staunch advocate for workforce development and has spoken publicly about her strategies for training new NSA personnel and opening up more flexible work arrangements.

While still serving in her previous role, Walter said at an October event that the NSA is in the midst of a major hiring push, part of which includes evaluating new opportunities for telework, Federal News Network reported.

To make this vision a reality, the NSA is assessing what types of work could be done in unclassified environments. The agency is currently offering a pilot program in which new hires can begin working on unclassified problems as they move through the often slow security clearance process, and it hopes to build on that as a next step, according to Walter.

Kristina Walter to Keynote GovCon International Summit

Walter will share her insights as the morning keynote speaker at the GovCon International Summit, where government and industry experts from the United States and partner nations will gather to discuss government contracting on a global scale.

She will be joined by three other keynote speakers and numerous panelists. At the event, you will have the opportunity to learn about topics such as Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2; the AUKUS agreement, a trilateral security partnership between the U.S., U.K. and Australia; and the modern space race, among many others.

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Walter’s insights on the global GovCon landscape in person! Register to attend the GovCon International Summit on the Potomac Officers Club Website.

NSA’s Kristina Walter to Keynote GovCon International Summit
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DHS Names Zeke Maldonado as CIO, Director of Tech & Data Services for Intelligence & Analysis
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DHS Names Zeke Maldonado as CIO, Director of Tech & Data Services for Intelligence & Analysis

Zeke Maldonado, an experienced Senior Executive Service member, has assumed the role of chief information officer and director of technology and data services for intelligence and analysis within the Department of Homeland Security.

He announced his appointment in a LinkedIn post published Monday.

In this capacity, Maldonado oversees programming, planning, budgeting and execution of the architecture, acquisition and operation of information technology and data services that are critical to DHS’ intelligence mission, according to his profile on the professional networking site.

He also leads the design, maintenance and operation of the department’s Top Secret/SCI network, drives IT innovation, maintains interoperability with other classified systems across the government and manages data analytics and governance efforts.

Prior to joining DHS, Zeke Maldonado was the command information officer and director for the technology and innovation directorate, N6, within the Office of Naval Intelligence.

His career at ONI included time as chief knowledge and data officer, deputy department head for C4ISR and division head for platforms engineering, modeling and signatures.

He previously served as an electrical engineer at BAE Systems and as a biomedical engineering technician at Union Memorial Hospital-MedStar Health.

POC - 2024 Intel Summit

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19. Listen to top U.S. intelligence community officials and industry executives as they discuss the challenges opportunities and technologies shaping the future of American intelligence.

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Sandia Partners With ASU in Photonics R&D for Quantum Computing
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Sandia Partners With ASU in Photonics R&D for Quantum Computing

Sandia National Laboratories and Arizona State University have partnered on research and development on the use of light frequency to process information for quantum computing and networking systems.

The Quantum Collaborative, a network of academic and research institutions, is funding the partnership, which is covered by a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, Sandia said.

The state of Arizona provides financial support to the collaborative, while ASU manages the initiative.

The R&D effort focuses on integrated photonics, the miniaturization of the large optical systems used in quantum computing to chip-sized devices that can selectively reflect different light colors.

According to Sandia, the innovation for encoding data into qubits or quantum bits, the smallest of quantum information units, provides scalability and performance improvements in various applications including advanced computing and securing communications.

Nils Otterstrom, a Sandia physicist and integrated photonics specialist, said the laboratory’s Microsystems Engineering, Sciences and Applications complex has the fabrication capabilities needed for fundamental research to create next-generation quantum microsystems.

Sandia’s R&D resources was also highlighted in February when the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity selected the laboratory along with three other institutions for a new foundational research program to demonstrate universal fault-tolerant quantum computing for the potential use of the Intelligence Community.

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GSA Expanding Login.gov Reach to Local Government Applications
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GSA Expanding Login.gov Reach to Local Government Applications

The General Services Administration has partnered with various states and cities to expand the Login.gov identity authentication service to local government applications.

Login.gov, launched in 2017, supports over 10 million monthly active users and 40 million monthly sign-ins across nearly 50 agencies and states, GSA said Monday.

The agency began offering the identity authentication platform to state and local governments in 2022.

According to GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, expanding the adoption of Login.gov demonstrates the agency’s capability to provide the public with a secure and easy way to access state or federal government services.

California is one of the first states to adopt Login.gov to streamline access to Cal-ITP Benefits, a web application that enables contactless payment and provides discounted bus and train transit benefits for senior citizens and veterans.

The state has made the app available to Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District passengers, with plans to expand its implementation to 13 more transit operators.

The GSA also established an agreement with the Department of Labor to provide states with identity verification services to reduce fraudulent unemployment insurance claims.

Login.gov was integrated into the Labor Department’s UI system, with Arkansas as the first state to use the combined application, followed by Hawaii, Utah, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and West Virginia.

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GAO Says Recommendations Led to DHS IT Management, Disaster Response & Recovery Improvements
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GAO Says Recommendations Led to DHS IT Management, Disaster Response & Recovery Improvements

The Government Accountability Office identified 42 open priority recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security in June 2023 and found that DHS implemented 16 of them, which resulted in improvements across several areas.

In a report publicly released Monday, GAO said the implemented priority recommendations led to improvements in cybersecurity and information technology management, disaster response and recovery, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Transportation Security Administration’s assessment of pipeline risks, noncitizen processing at the southwest border and the strategy to counter violent extremism, among other areas.

The congressional watchdog offered 11 new priority recommendations and called on DHS to address them, along with the remaining 26 recommendations that were identified the previous year.

Of the 37 recommendations, one calls for DHS to ensure that special agents of the U.S. Secret Service meet annual training targets.

Most of the recommendations are classified into seven areas: IT and cybersecurity; emergency preparedness and response; border security; countering violent extremism and domestic terrorism; domestic intelligence and information sharing; chemical security; and infrastructure, acquisition and management.

IT and Cybersecurity Priority Recommendations

Under the IT and cybersecurity area, GAO has eight priority recommendations for DHS to help improve service delivery and enhance key department programs.

The recommendations include implementing practices for network security planning to help the U.S. Coast Guard mitigate risks related to disruption in network availability, incorporating scheduling best practices to address schedule delays in the department’s biometric identity management system modernization program and assessing the methods used to share cyberthreat information with critical infrastructure entities.

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Pete Waterman Named FedRAMP Director
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Pete Waterman Named FedRAMP Director

Pete Waterman has been named director of the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program at the General Services Administration, Federal News Network reported Monday.

The new FedRAMP director returned to government service six months after leaving the Technology Modernization Fund, or TMF, an investment program under which he worked as a senior technical adviser for more than a year.

In an email to Federal News Network, Eric Mill, executive director of cloud strategy at GSA, underscored Waterman’s extensive background in technology implementation and leadership across private and public sectors.

“Beyond Pete’s joining, there’s more growth to mention — FedRAMP has its second U.S. Digital Corps fellow starting today, as well as the first of a few key technical hires (with more to come) who will shape FedRAMP into a more technology-forward program that will be in a great position to collaborate and integrate with the work of many of you all across the Technology Transformation Service,” added Mill.

Prior to joining TMF, Waterman served as a staff engineer at the U.S. Digital Service for over three years. His private sector career includes time working as an engineer at Motorola, Seisint and Blackboard.

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