SBA Unveils Updated Tool to Match Small Businesses With Lenders
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SBA Unveils Updated Tool to Match Small Businesses With Lenders

The Small Business Administration has launched a new Lender Match tool designed to connect small businesses seeking funding opportunities to a network of SBA-approved banks and private lenders.

SBA said Monday the updated online tool will more effectively link small businesses to lending products with competitive rates and fees to help them start and grow their businesses.

“Enhancing the SBA’s Lender Match tool is just one part of our unprecedented reforms to increase and streamline equitable access to affordable capital so small business owners can continue to innovate, create jobs, and be part of this Administration’s historic Investments in America,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman.

Through Lender Match, SBA receives 50,000 monthly funding requests from small businesses across the nation.

The platform has nearly 1,000 SBA-approved lenders, 257 of which are community-based, that can connect to potential customers.

Lender Match analyzes a small business’ credit history, business plan, financial projections and industry experience to generate a match.

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Federal Highway Administration Seeks Comments on Proposed Adoption of CISA’s Cybersecurity Evaluation Software
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Federal Highway Administration Seeks Comments on Proposed Adoption of CISA’s Cybersecurity Evaluation Software

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, or FHWA, is soliciting public comments on its proposal to allow transportation authorities to voluntarily use the Cyber Security Evaluation Tool to detect, respond to and recover from cyber incidents.

The tool, dubbed CSET, is a software platform designed to help organizations evaluate their cybersecurity posture, develop structured improvement programs, identify vulnerabilities and assess cybersecurity practices, according to a Federal Register notice published Tuesday. It was developed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

CSET also comes with a range of questionnaires and modules meant for different critical infrastructure sectors.

According to the notice, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requires FHWA to develop a tool that could assist transportation officials in identifying and protecting against cyberattacks.

“The CISA’s cybersecurity mission is to defend and secure cyberspace by leading national efforts to drive national cyber defense, resilience of national critical functions, and a robust technology ecosystem. The FHWA therefore thinks it is appropriate to leverage CISA’s expertise instead of attempting to create a separate and potentially duplicative tool,” the notice reads.

Public comments are due April 19.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

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

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Army’s Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus on Network Changes, Counter-UAS Plans
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Army’s Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus on Network Changes, Counter-UAS Plans

Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff at the U.S. Army, said network changes and counter-unmanned aerial systems are some of his priorities within the service branch, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Mingus said the military branch is focusing on its networks under the umbrella terms “C2 Fix” and “C2 Next” covering current and future programs.

Near-term projects fall under C2 Fix, which seeks to ensure that warfighters can communicate and fight on the battlefield.

C2 Next is the Army’s prototyping effort with industry focused on experimenting with a “data-centric” command and control system powered by network transport. The initiative is focused on scalability, open and advanced modular architectures and the ability to quickly iterate.

The general highlighted the critical need to advance the development of next-generation C2 platforms.

“We’re integrating a lot of things. We’re figuring out how to do things faster as a joint force but until we start to accelerate convergence, common platforms, common messaging, common standards, convergence of data, that’s got to be the next evolution out of this,” Mingus commented.

When it comes to counter-UAS, the former director of the Joint Staff hinted at the need for a joint organization responsible for developing and procuring systems for the services.

“We’re probably at a crossroads of not, you know, a complete wholesale reorg but how could we reorganize ourselves even a little better than we are now,” Mingus remarked. “Instead of independent services developing their own counter-UAS, maybe a joint entity that’s working that problem set together, the power of all the services together to try and solve that problem in scale and mass to keep pace.”

FedRAMP Solicits External Feedback for Proposed Updates to IT System Penetration Testing Guide
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FedRAMP Solicits External Feedback for Proposed Updates to IT System Penetration Testing Guide

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program launched a request for comment on a draft guide on the requirements for conducting and reporting on FedRAMP penetration tests.

The guidance aims to enhance aid to organizations dealing with potential vulnerabilities in their IT infrastructure, FedRAMP announced Monday.

Depending on public feedback, the updated FedRAMP Penetration Test Guidance may include additional threat and attack vectors and their potential applications.

The new draft also includes the fifth revision of a special publication of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which focuses on penetration testing, security assessment and red team exercises for all FedRAMP High and Moderate level IT products.

The public comment period will end on April 24.

The Potomac Officers Club is inviting interested participants to register early for the 2024 Cyber Summit, happening on June 6. The event will feature government and private sector experts speaking on digital transformation.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit
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Lockheed Secures $109M Navy Trident II Missile Integration Support Contract
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Lockheed Secures $109M Navy Trident II Missile Integration Support Contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin’s space business a potential five-year, $109.2 million contract to help integrate the Trident II D5 missile and reentry subsystems into the common missile compartment as part of the submarine construction programs of the U.S. and U.K. governments.

The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs in Washington, D.C., awarded the sole-source, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract in support of the U.S. government’s Columbia-class and British government’s Dreadnought-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Work will occur in Florida, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania and other locations through February 2029.

The service will obligate funds using the Navy’s fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion funds worth $80.9 million and $28.3 million in non-foreign military sales funds.

Trident II D5, which was first deployed in 1990, is a fleet ballistic missile currently aboard the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines.

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Google’s Karen Dahut & CIA’s Maura Burns Named to Executive Mosaic’s 2024 Wash100 List
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Google’s Karen Dahut & CIA’s Maura Burns Named to Executive Mosaic’s 2024 Wash100 List

Executive Mosaic is proud to recognize Google Public Sector CEO Karen Dahut and Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Chief Operating Officer Maura Burns as winners of its coveted 2024 Wash100 Award.

The Wash100 Award is the government contracting ecosystem’s most prestigious and respected recognition. Each year, the most promising and powerful public and private sector leaders are selected to the Wash100 list for their outstanding innovation, reliability, vision, leadership and achievements in GovCon.

Dahut earned her fourth Wash100 Award this year for “accelerating cyber and technology innovation and for spearheading growth through partnerships with other government contractors,” according to her Wash100 profile.

Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson said, “Karen’s keen ability to understand and impact the vast GovCon IT and tech landscapes are what make her not only an apt leader for one of the market’s biggest players, but also an obvious selection to our Wash100 list as well.”

Burns made her debut on the Wash100 list this year for exhibiting noteworthy dedication and leadership within the U.S. Intelligence Community. Burns stepped into the deputy COO role in 2021 and is responsible for managing and coordinating operations for the CIA’s five major directorates and mission centers. Click here to read more about Burns and why we chose her to win the 2024 Wash100 Award.

The Wash100 season isn’t over yet! Don’t forget to participate in the 2024 Wash100 popular vote competition by voting for your favorite winners. Visit Wash100.com to learn more and cast your ten votes.

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Midweek Gains Led GovCon Index Growth Last Week
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Midweek Gains Led GovCon Index Growth Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index rose by 0.09% last week, closing at $4,844.11.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that collects real-time data from 30 major government contractors. This information enables users to assess each company’s performance and analyze the overall financial state of the GovCon market while getting a glimpse into the broad trends shaping the field.

Last week, Palantir secured the top spot in the ranks, rising by 7.86%. Mercury Systems took second place with a 4.71% increase, and AeroVironment (+4.26%) trailed closely behind. The fourth and fifth slots were filled by Textron (+3.06) and The Carlyle Group (+2.13%), respectively.

GovCon Index’s growth last week was carried by midweek increases. It fell slightly on Monday, but bounced back on Tuesday with a 0.23% rise, beginning a growth trend that was maintained through Thursday. On Friday, GovCon Index fell by 0.15%.

Check out last week’s market reports for more details on daily GovCon Index performance. To view the full list of tracked companies, click here.

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Rockwell Automation Joins DOE Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems Program
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Rockwell Automation Joins DOE Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems Program

Rockwell Automation has joined the Department of Energy’s Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems program, also known as CyTRICS, to perform cybersecurity vulnerability testing of multiple critical infrastructure components.

Under the CyTRICS program, Rockwell Automation will submit critical infrastructure components to be tested for potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the Idaho National Laboratory, DOE said Thursday.

Rockwell Automation is the sixth private-sector company to join the vulnerability testing initiative, which aims to ensure the security of the U.S. energy sector supply chain by utilizing the analytic tools and capabilities at DOE’s national laboratories to assess the cyber resilience of high-impact energy systems.

“As we navigate an increasingly digital world, ensuring the security of our automation products is paramount to Rockwell and its customers. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity to leverage the National Laboratory’s industry-leading expertise, analytics, and capabilities to strengthen the security posture of our products and affirm our commitment to transparency,” said Tony Baker, chief product security officer at Rockwell Automation.

DOE also added Westinghouse Electric Company to the CyTRICS program in early February to test one of its instrumentation and control systems for nuclear applications.

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DISA’s Col. Richard Leach: Emerging Tech Presents Cybersecurity Challenges, Opportunities
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DISA’s Col. Richard Leach: Emerging Tech Presents Cybersecurity Challenges, Opportunities

Army Col. Richard Leach, director of intelligence at the Defense Information Systems Agency, said that in addition to the remote work arrangement, the adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies has transformed the cybersecurity landscape.

At a summit on Wednesday, Leach discussed how AI could enable hackers to immediately look for information on high-value individuals and find code that could allow them to breach internet-connected devices, DISA said Friday.

During the fireside chat, he also cited how AI could help analysts speed up their work.

“There’s no way I can hire enough analysts to sort through all of that, so we’re going to have to use those APIs and those large hybrid models to sort through the data,” he noted.

Leach additionally discussed DISA’s transition to zero trust and the importance of cyber education.

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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Air Force Intelligence Office CIO Col. Michael Medgyessy on Cloud Office Governance
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Air Force Intelligence Office CIO Col. Michael Medgyessy on Cloud Office Governance

Col. Michael Medgyessy, chief information officer of the Air Force Intelligence Office, said he believes cloud office governance could be a big deal in 2024 due to the office’s need to access and use platforms from agencies like the National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and U.S. Space Force, Federal News Network reported Friday.

With the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability vehicle and other programs, Medgyessy noted that the governance process could help ensure users adhere to guardrails the service branch developed for cloud services adoption.

“The shared inherited controls that you get when you using this way, the visibility and security cognizance of what’s going on in commercial cloud at any given time by the CIO is super important to trying to tame the Wild West, while not having to slow people down,” the colonel told FNN in an interview.

“We have to have an understanding that when you do come through the cloud office, yes, there’s going to be guardrails in place, but you’re also getting to go faster and you’re going to be more successful long term,” he added.

Medgyessy said his office is considering transitioning to an “as-a-service” model to accelerate the deployment of customer capabilities.

He also cited the Air Force Intelligence Office’s effort to hire a chief data officer and stressed the importance of Digital University and other initiatives to retain the service’s digital savvy airmen and women.

POC - 5th Annual CIO Summit

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual CIO Summit on April 17 and learn more about the latest modernization strategies and how industry can help meet the priorities of federal CIOs.

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