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Space Force Launches Weather Monitoring Satellite to LEO
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Space Force Launches Weather Monitoring Satellite to LEO

The U.S. Space Force has launched its Weather System Follow-on Microwave, or WSF-M, satellite to low Earth orbit onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to provide warfighters worldwide with actionable weather intelligence.

The BAE Systems-built WSF-M satellite lifted off Thursday from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the Space Force’s USSF-62 mission, the service branch said Thursday.

“The launch of the WSF-M satellite represents a significant step forward in our mission to enhance our nation’s space capabilities,” said Col. Mark Shoemaker, commander of Space Launch Delta 30.

“Our dedicated Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg ensure assured access to space, standing ready to support critical national security space launches when our nation calls,” Shoemaker added.

The WSF-M satellite will gather real-time data on ocean surface winds, snow depth, tropical cyclone intensity, sea ice and soil moisture to inform weather products used to conduct mission planning and operations.

The launch was conducted in partnership with Space Launch Delta 30 and Space Systems Command.

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SBA Introduces Digital Portal to Access Investing in America Opportunities; Isabel Casillas Guzman Quoted
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SBA Introduces Digital Portal to Access Investing in America Opportunities; Isabel Casillas Guzman Quoted

The Small Business Administration has launched a digital portal designed to provide small businesses with resources and link them to funding opportunities under President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

“The SBA’s new Investing in America Small Business Hub will help more small businesses connect to the resources, funding opportunities, and support they need to capitalize on these opportunities and strengthen their businesses,” SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a statement published Thursday.

The digital platform includes technological assistance guides to help small businesses access grants, contracts and other market opportunities under the agenda and highlights the certifications such companies need to qualify for funding.

The online tool offers information on SBA resources that could help small vendors gain access to investment capital to advance growth initiatives.

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Proposed Marine Amphibious Landing Ship May Cost Up to $600M Per Unit, CBO Says
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Proposed Marine Amphibious Landing Ship May Cost Up to $600M Per Unit, CBO Says

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Department of the Navy’s proposed medium landing ship, or LSM, program could cost as much as $21 billion in 2024 dollars, depending on the final design of the ship and the number of units to be ordered, both of which have yet to be finalized, even though construction is planned to begin by fiscal year 2025.

The CBO discusses this estimate and more in a report released Thursday that tackles the acquisition costs of the LSM, a small amphibious vessel that will work to transport and land U.S. Marine Corps littoral regiments.

As a baseline, the CBO says that a program to build 18 LSM units would cost between $340 million and $430 million per ship on average, for a total cost of between $6.2 billion and $7.8 billion. A program to build 35 LSM units would bring the total cost to between $11.9 billion and $15 billion.

For either program, the cost per unit would be the same because the CBO believes that whatever savings that might be accrued under the larger shipbuilding program would be offset by inflation, which would raise the costs over the longer production period.

These initial estimates are based on the assumption that the Navy would go for a design that combines commercial and military standards. A design that adheres strictly to military standards would increase the costs considerably.

Under the more stringent standards, each unit would cost between $475 million and $600 million on average, raising the total cost for an 18-unit program by $2 billion to $3 billion. For a 35-unit program, the total cost would go up by $5 billion to $6 billion.

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GSA’s Login.gov to Pilot Facial Matching Technology to Secure Identity Verification
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GSA’s Login.gov to Pilot Facial Matching Technology to Secure Identity Verification

The General Services Administration’s Login.gov platform will begin piloting facial matching technology in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Digital Identity Guidelines to achieve remote identity verification at Identity Assurance Level 2.

Beginning in May, Login.gov will enable users from existing agency partners to match a live selfie with the photo on their self-supplied ID, such as a driver’s license, and ensure that the images will only be used for identity verification purposes to ensure the privacy of its users, GSA said Thursday.

“We look forward to soon launching this new identity verification pathway for our agency customers that will protect user data, prevent fraud, and align with IAL2 guidelines – all while doubling down on our strong commitment to privacy, accessibility, and security,” said Ann Lewis, director of GSA’s Technology Transformation Services.

“This will be a key step in helping federal and state agencies who require an IAL2-compliant solution to more easily deliver benefits to millions of Americans in a secure, seamless, and timely way,” Lewis said.

Over the next few months, Login.gov will also provide a visible, upfront option to verify users’ in-person at over 18,000 participating U.S. Postal Service retail locations and launch a new pricing model for agency partners.

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CISA Asks Agencies to Take Immediate Action Against Russia-Backed Midnight Blizzard; Jen Easterly Quoted
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CISA Asks Agencies to Take Immediate Action Against Russia-Backed Midnight Blizzard; Jen Easterly Quoted

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released an emergency directive requiring federal agencies to analyze the content of potentially affected emails and reset any compromised credentials to help mitigate the risks posed by Russian state-sponsored cyberthreat actor called Midnight Blizzard.

The directive issued to agencies on April 2 calls for agencies to take additional measures to ensure authentication platforms for privileged Microsoft Azure accounts are secure, CISA said Thursday.

According to the document, Midnight Blizzard has exfiltrated email correspondence between federal civilian executive branch agencies and Microsoft through a compromise of Microsoft corporate email accounts.

The threat actor works to gain additional access to Microsoft customer systems by using information initially exfiltrated from corporate email systems.

“This Emergency Directive requires immediate action by agencies to reduce risk to our federal systems,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly.

“For several years, the U.S. government has documented malicious cyber activity as a standard part of the Russian playbook; this latest compromise of Microsoft adds to their long list. We will continue efforts in collaboration with our federal government and private sector partners to protect and defend our systems from such threat activity,” added Easterly, a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

CISA and Microsoft have informed all affected federal agencies whose email correspondence with the company was identified as exfiltrated by the threat actor.

In late February, the National Security Agency and international partners issued a joint advisory detailing the tactics, techniques and procedures used by Russian foreign intelligence service, or SVR, cyber actors to compromise cloud-hosted networks.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 and hear cyber experts, government and industry leaders discuss the latest trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector. Register here.

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DARPA Selects 4 Companies to Create Technology for Increasing Critical Materials Price Transparency
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DARPA Selects 4 Companies to Create Technology for Increasing Critical Materials Price Transparency

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected four companies to develop technology designed to enhance price transparency in the critical materials market under the Open Price Exploration for National Security, or OPEN, program.

Exiger and S&P Global Commodity Insights have been selected for OPEN’s first technical area to create a prototype system for estimating critical material input costs, DARPA said Thursday.

S&P Global Commodity Insights will also join Charles River Analytics and GE Research in the second technical area to develop a prototype system to forecast supply and demand for critical commodities.

“The OPEN performers will apply their expertise in what drives critical materials markets. The technology they develop for accurate and unbiased price, supply, and demand predictions may enable better-informed decision-making by the U.S. government and investors, and boost resiliency in the face of supply chain upheaval,” said Jonathan Doyle, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office.

DARPA launched the program in October 2023 in partnership with U.S. Geological Survey to develop technology designed to boost price transparency for critical materials producers and buyers.

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Treasury Department Seeks Public Input on Proposed Rules Enhancing CFIUS Authorities
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Treasury Department Seeks Public Input on Proposed Rules Enhancing CFIUS Authorities

The Department of the Treasury has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks to bolster the ability of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, to perform its national security mission.

CFIUS possesses the authority to review certain real estate transactions in the U.S. involving foreign persons as well as certain foreign investment transactions into U.S. businesses to determine whether they have an impact on national security, the Treasury Department said Thursday.

CFIUS also possesses authorities to enforce compliance with its statute and regulations. The proposed rules seek to enhance these authorities.

The proposals include expanding the kinds of information that can be required regarding transactions not filed with CFIUS; increasing the civil monetary penalty that can be imposed for violations of obligations under CFIUS statute and regulations; and expanding the coverage of CFIUS’ subpoena authority.

The Treasury Department is calling on the public to comment on the NPRM. Comments will be accepted within 30 days following the NPRM’s posting on the Federal Register.

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Army CIO Leonel Garciga Unveils Data Stewardship Roles, Responsibilities Through New Memo
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Army CIO Leonel Garciga Unveils Data Stewardship Roles, Responsibilities Through New Memo

Leonel Garciga, chief information officer of the U.S. Army and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, has issued a memorandum detailing data stewardship roles and responsibilities within the service branch.

The Army’s Office of the CIO announced the release of the memo in a LinkedIn post published Thursday.

The document serves as guidance for the Army to improve the management of Department of Defense data by controlling and safeguarding data assets at rest and in transit; establish a culture of data-driven decision-making while aligning with the department’s strategy for data, artificial intelligence and analytics; and advance the continuous improvement of the service’s data stewardship practices and technologies in support of the CIO’s strategic objectives.

The memo directs mission area leads to nominate mission area data officers, or MADOs, and submit the names to the Army Chief Data and Analytics Officer for approval and appointment within 30 days.

MADOs will identify and issue appointment memoranda for data stewards within their respective mission areas and assess and update data steward appointments as needed at least on an annual basis.

Data stewards will assess their functional mission and data products to determine what  functional data managers, or FDMs, are needed to ensure efficient data management in their domain, appoint FDMs and maintain proper registration of FDMs, data sources and products in the Army Data Catalog.

FDMs will oversee the implementation of data management and analytics lifecycle processes adopted by their data stewards.

POC - 5th Annual CIO Summit

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Brian Shimkaveg Named Senior Director of DOD & IC Sales at Rancher Government Solutions
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Brian Shimkaveg Named Senior Director of DOD & IC Sales at Rancher Government Solutions

Brian Shimkaveg was named senior director of Department of Defense and Intelligence Community sales at Rancher Government Solutions.

He has more than two decades of technology and public sector experience, previously serving as senior director of federal sales at Falkonry and account manager for national security programs at Red Hat, RGS said Thursday.

Paul Smith, CEO of RGS and a four-time Wash100 awardee, commented on Shimkaveg’s appointment, “His deep understanding of this space and his dynamic leadership skills make him the perfect fit to lead this strategic area of our sales organization.”

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual CIO Summit on April 17, Smith will introduce Ann Dunkin, chief information officer of the Department of Energy, for her keynote speech in the afternoon. Register here to join the in-person event.

Shimkaveg also worked at Boeing, leading company sales strategies and cultivating solid relationships within the public sector customer base. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Commenting on his move, Shimkaveg said, “The potential of the Rancher Platform stack to transform digital infrastructure is immense, and I am eager to drive our strategic initiatives forward, ensuring that our customers have access to the most advanced and secure technology solutions available.”

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Defense Intelligence Officials Push Congress to Renew Notable Surveillance Authority; Timothy Haugh & Jeffrey Kruse Quoted
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Defense Intelligence Officials Push Congress to Renew Notable Surveillance Authority; Timothy Haugh & Jeffrey Kruse Quoted

Defense intelligence leaders have expressed their support for the renewal of a surveillance authority.

Testifying before the House Armed Services’ Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee on Thursday, three officials advocated for the extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which enables the collection of electronic intelligence against non-U.S. persons overseas under federal court supervision, the Department of Defense said on Friday.

These activities are authorized by Section 702 of the act, which National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said “is absolutely critical to our foreign intelligence mission.”

“There is no substitute for this authority,” said Haugh, who also serves as commander of the U.S. Cyber Command. “The timely, actionable information it provides cannot be replicated by other means.”

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and a fellow 2024 Wash100 awardee, said reauthorizing FISA Section 702 is one way Congress “can provide its most effective support and defense of the nation.”

While DIA does not operate under this authority, “our all-source analysis mission, our ability to operationalize intelligence, and our support to Congress is dependent on those who do,” he added.

Milancy Harris, acting undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security, noted that keeping pace with China is still the DOD’s top priority.

“Our network of regional allies and partners is deep, wide, strong and committed to a shared vision of peace, stability and deterrence,” she said.

“The trajectory and rate of change in the national security arena is perhaps the highest and most consequential we’ve seen in our lifetime,” Kruse noted.

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