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NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh & Sandbox AQ Exec Jen Sovada Recognized for GovCon Impacts With Wash100 Award
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NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh & Sandbox AQ Exec Jen Sovada Recognized for GovCon Impacts With Wash100 Award

Two quite different but equally impactful figures were lauded today in Executive Mosaic publications for their contributions to the government contracting industry.

Gen. Timothy Haugh, director of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, and Jen Sovada, president of global public sector at SandboxAQ, are both first-time recipients of the Wash100 Award.

Induction into this hallowed class of first-rate GovCon and federal change-makers is one of the highest honors in the Capital region. The list is composed of the C-suite executives, technologists, engineers, military generals and more who are shaping the future of the federal sector. EM vets thousands of candidates before assembling each year’s list. Then, once the list is public, a popular vote contest is held to determine the community’s most beloved recipient. A winner is crowned in May.

Cast 10 votes today in the contest at Wash100.com!

Gen. Haugh — the successor of past Wash100 honoree Gen. Paul Nakasone — was awarded this year for his considerable efforts to modernize NSA and Cybercom cyber defense systems. He made commitments like integrating Cybercom’s training standards into the preparation of tactical and expeditionary IT defense units across all service branches. Read more about his award-worthy work in the first year of his post at GovCon Wire here.

Sovada, meanwhile, is a tireless advocate for quantum education and implementation. The growing company, for whom Sovada leads the international government business, recently announced a partnership with Carahsoft and the acquisition of computational chemistry company Good Chemistry. Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson said “Jen’s leadership in the rapidly evolving quantum and AI fields is helping to drive advancements and adoption within the federal landscape.” Read her full profile at ExecutiveBiz here.

Congratulations to both Gen. Timothy Haugh and Jen Sovada! EM knows their best work is yet to come, so keep an eye on these two.

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Troy Meink: NRO Expects Lower Launch Costs for NSSL Phase 3
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Troy Meink: NRO Expects Lower Launch Costs for NSSL Phase 3

Troy Meink, principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, said the agency expects to see a decline in the cost of launch services to be procured under the third phase of the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch, or NSSL, program, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

“We are confident that the launch costs will continue to come down under the NSSL Phase 3 acquisition and are working closely with the Space Force on that,” Meink said.

According to Meink, the decline in launch costs would enable NRO to diversify its on-orbit force structure to include both small and large spacecraft using multiple orbital domains, allowing the agency to “provide greater revision rates, increased coverage and more timely information.”

“This significant reduction in cost to entry for launch not only opened the market for a new commercial space companies, but it has made new architecture approaches affordable to the government that were not a decade ago,” Meink said.

In October 2023, Space Force released solicitations for the two lanes of the NSSL Phase 3 contract, which is expected to be awarded in fiscal 2025.

Lane 1 covers lower-risk launch missions to commercial orbits and Lane 2 focuses on heavy-lift launch services.

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NASA Appoints Leslie Livesay as Deputy Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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NASA Appoints Leslie Livesay as Deputy Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Leslie Livesay, former associate director for flight projects and mission success at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has been named deputy director of the federally funded research and development center, succeeding Larry James, who held the role for over a decade.

Livesay, who brings to the role 37 years of experience in autonomous space exploration, Earth science and astrophysics, will work under Laurie Leshin, the first woman to lead the laboratory, NASA said Monday.

Her nearly four-decade career at JPL includes time as director for astronomy and physics, director for engineering and science, deputy director of the Astronomy and Physics Directorate and flight system manager for the New Millennium Deep Space 1 Project.

She also served as project manager for the Kepler space telescope mission to search extrasolar terrestrial planets.

“Leslie has blazed a path in numerous senior leadership positions across JPL. She brings remarkable experience and capabilities to the role as we look toward the enormous and exciting opportunities that lay ahead,” Leshin said.

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USMC’s Shery Thomas Says Network Consolidation Is Helping Marine Corps Advance Zero Trust
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USMC’s Shery Thomas Says Network Consolidation Is Helping Marine Corps Advance Zero Trust

Shery Thomas, cyber technology officer and technical director for Marine Corps Cyberspace Command, said network unification is enabling the U.S. Marine Corps to further advance its transition to a zero trust architecture, Federal News Network reported Monday.

Thomas told FNN in an interview that the Marines will no longer have to deploy cyber capabilities on individual networks and have been consolidating cloud instances into an enterprise network, dubbed the Marine Corps Enterprise Network.

“This will alleviate all of the problems in terms of individuals trying to get to that [zero trust] state, and then the entire Marine Corps, at one level, providing that,” Thomas said.

“A tail to that is once the unification happens on the Marine Corps side, this will help in terms of the joint all-domain command and control (JADC2) interoperability with our service partners and coalition with our bilateral or any other partner nations. And then there’s this Cyber Command of in terms of big data platform, so once it’s all together, it helps in terms of a single repository containing all the information. I am not putting it into one platform or one tool, it’s a mesh,” he added.

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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Online Government Repository for Software Security Attestation Forms Now Available
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Online Government Repository for Software Security Attestation Forms Now Available

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has made available a facility where software producers working with the federal government can upload, along with relevant artifacts, forms indicating their compliance with secure development practices.

CISA said Monday that the Repository for Software Attestation and Artifacts is part of efforts to reduce the cybersecurity risks to which the federal government is exposed by promoting the use of securely-developed software.

According to CISA Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Eric Goldstein, “The repository for software attestation and artifacts will enable a standardized process for agencies and software producers that provides transparency on the security of software development.”

The secure software development attestation form itself was released on March 11.

CISA said the use of the form reinforces secure-by-design principles, builds on Executive Order 14028 and furthers the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

DOD Urged to Improve Monitoring of Defense Sector M&A Activities
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DOD Urged to Improve Monitoring of Defense Sector M&A Activities

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have called on the Department of Defense to reform its approach to addressing risks from mergers and acquisitions in the defense sector.

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the lawmakers cited a report from the Government Accountability Office that found inadequacies in DOD’s processes in tracking, monitoring and assessing the risks that arise from M&A in the defense industry.

While the lawmakers acknowledged the important role the Pentagon plays in reviewing proposed transactions that may potentially impact competition in the defense industry, they raised concerns that DOD’s processes are “not proactive” and do not assess the full range of risks posed by M&A activities in the defense industrial base.

“These inadequacies can increase supply chain fragility and costs to the Department for products and services provided by an increasingly consolidated defense supply chain,” the lawmakers said.

To address these inadequacies, the lawmakers recommended that DOD update its M&A policy to specify which transactions require review; shift existing resources to increase M&A review staffing levels; be proactive in tracking and monitoring transactions; and consistently engage in post-merger analysis.

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DCSA Solicits Information on AI Tools for Contracting, Procurement Processes
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DCSA Solicits Information on AI Tools for Contracting, Procurement Processes

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has begun market research to gather information on industry partners that could provide commercial artificial intelligence tools and capabilities to assist federal contracting and procurement processes.

DCSA’s Contracting and Procurement Office identified examples of focus areas where AI could be used, according to a sources sought notice published Friday on SAM.gov.

CPO intends to use AI tools to facilitate reviews in compliance with regulations and policies, support clause selection to ensure procurement and contract compliance, provide answers to contract and procurement questions, create milestone plans, develop requests for proposals and reduce procurement action lead time to accelerate contract awards.

Interested stakeholders should state whether their AI tools use cloud-based services and require certification under the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

The agency is also asking vendors to submit a capability statement and provide information on data rights as well as pricing models, licensing options and maintenance fees associated with AI tools.

Responses to the RFI are due April 5.

DCSA Solicits Information on AI Tools for Contracting, Procurement Processes

Find out the latest developments and trends in the field at the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21. Register here to attend this important event.

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VTG to Equip Navy Destroyers With CANES Information Warfare Platform; John Hassoun Quoted
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VTG to Equip Navy Destroyers With CANES Information Warfare Platform; John Hassoun Quoted

VTG will equip a maximum of six U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with the Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services, or CANES, information warfare platform as part of a recently awarded $30 million task order.

The company said Tuesday it was tasked to produce and integrate the platform into ships in support of the Navy’s efforts to consolidate the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance networks and infrastructure of its surface vessels and submarines.

“CANES is the information warfare backbone of the Fleet and a critical-path capability for distributed maritime operations,” remarked John Hassoun, president and CEO of VTG. “We’re excited to ramp-up CANES production manufacturing at our facility and proud to lead a coalition of industry partners and vendors in integrating this tactical network across the fleet.”

In addition to production and integration efforts, VTG will also provide engineering services and perform logistics and testing support under the task order.

The award was made on the $4.1 billion CANES Full Deployment indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, which is managed by PEO C4I and the Tactical Network Program Office (PMW 160).

VTG is also working on another Navy task order announced in January. The $40 million award provides for engineering, logistics and manufacturing, assembly and testing activities in support of the service branch’s Aegis Combat System.

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SAIC’s Toni Townes-Whitley and DISA’s Robert Skinner Secure 2024 Wash100 Awards
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SAIC’s Toni Townes-Whitley and DISA’s Robert Skinner Secure 2024 Wash100 Awards

SAIC CEO Toni Townes-Whitley and Defense Information Systems Agency Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner have been recognized as 2024 recipients of Executive Mosaic’s coveted Wash100 Award.

Vote for Townes-Whitley and Skinner in the 2024 Wash100 popular vote competition at Wash100.com! Voting closes April 30, and the winners will be announced in May.

The Wash100 Award is an annual accolade recognizing the accomplishments and leadership of senior executives working in the federal government and the government contracting industry. As a forward-looking recognition, the Wash100 list honors those who are positioned to meaningfully shape the future of the GovCon industry in the coming year and beyond.

This year marks Townes-Whitley’s debut on the Wash100 list. The SAIC CEO won her first Wash100 Award for her strategic leadership of the organization and for spearheading its continued growth and success in the market.

“In just six months as the head of SAIC — a $7 billion enterprise providing engineering, digital, AI and mission support solutions to government customers — Toni has established herself as a strategic, influential and deeply knowledgeable leader who is well-equipped to take the reins of the enterprise and guide SAIC through its next phase of growth,” said Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson of Townes-Whitley. Read her full Wash100 profile here.

Lt. Gen. Skinner wins his third consecutive Wash100 Award this year.

“As DISA Director, Lt. Gen. Skinner oversees one of the world’s most complex global defense and communications networks, and he’s responsible for maintaining our nation’s readiness in the event of a conflict; the gravity of his work cannot be understated,” Garrettson said. Read Lt. Gen. Skinner’s Wash100 profile here.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Toni Townes-Whitley and Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner on their inclusion in this year’s Wash100 class.

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Parsons to Serve as System Integrator for NOAA’s Traffic Coordination System for Space; Carey Smith Quoted
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Parsons to Serve as System Integrator for NOAA’s Traffic Coordination System for Space; Carey Smith Quoted

Parsons has received a one-year, $15.5 million contract to provide system integration and cloud management services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS, program.

The company said Monday it will develop the software backbone for the operational TraCSS platform, including the application layer called TraCSS-SKYLINE and the repository for space situational awareness data dubbed TraCSS-OASIS.

NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce develops TraCSS to support private and civil space operators in spaceflight safety, space sustainability and international coordination.

Carey Smith, chair, president and CEO of Parsons, said the company will build on its national security expertise and experience in supporting satellite flight safety to support the OSC as it takes over responsibility of space traffic coordination from the Department of Defense.

“By strengthening the collaboration between industry, the government, and other TraCSS mission partners, we will establish a world-class system that safeguards vital space assets in a challenging, contested, and competitive environment,” the 2024 Wash100 awardee said.

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