DOE Posts Draft RFP for Potential $90M Environment Management Contract
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DOE Posts Draft RFP for Potential $90M Environment Management Contract

The Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management has released a draft request for proposals regarding a potential five-year, $90 million small business set-aside contract for technical support services.

The Environmental Management Consolidated Technical Support Services contract, or EM CTSS, covers assistance with deactivation and decommissioning activities, infrastructure management, site closures and quality assurance and safety management, DOE said Thursday.

Tasks include developing tank waste strategies and technologies, creating new waste management technologies, carrying out EM waste and materials disposition, establishing policy and guidance on regulatory compliance and forming intergovernmental stakeholder programs.

Interested parties have until April 5 to respond to the draft RFP.

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Army Acting Deputy PEO EIS Rob Schadey Moving to Program Manager Role at DCSA
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Army Acting Deputy PEO EIS Rob Schadey Moving to Program Manager Role at DCSA

Rob Schadey, acting deputy program executive officer for enterprise information systems at the U.S. Army, has accepted a new position as National Background Investigations Services program manager at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.

This career transition was announced in the March edition of PEO Perspective written by PEO EIS Bill Hepworth, who offered his congratulations and noted that Schadey will remain in his current role until mid-March.

“This is a huge step in Rob’s stellar career, and I hope you all will join me in congratulating him!” Hepworth said.

Prior to assuming the EIS DPEO role in January, Schadey was assistant PEO. He has held multiple other positions within the Army, and earlier in his career, he served as an enlisted computer and network system specialist in the Marine Corps.

Schadey’s educational credentials include a master’s degree in information assurance from Capitol Technology University and, more recently, a master’s degree in national security and resource strategy from the National Defense University’s Eisenhower School.

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NSA Provides 10 Mitigation Strategies for Improving Cloud Security Posture; Rob Joyce Quoted
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NSA Provides 10 Mitigation Strategies for Improving Cloud Security Posture; Rob Joyce Quoted

The National Security Agency, in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has released a list of its top 10 mitigation strategies that organizations should take to enhance the security of their cloud environments.

Each strategy is accompanied by an associated Cybersecurity Information Sheet that describes in detail how organizations can improve their security practices as they transition their data to the cloud, NSA said Thursday.

“Using the cloud can make IT more efficient and more secure, but only if it is implemented right,” said Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity at NSA and a two-time Wash100 awardee.

NSA recommends that cloud users maintain the cloud shared responsibility model, use secure cloud identity and access management practices and utilize secure cloud key management practices. Other suggested strategies include implementing network segmentation and encryption in cloud environments and safeguarding data stored in the cloud.

Organizations are also encouraged to protect continuous integration/continuous delivery environments, enforce secure automated deployment practices through infrastructure as code, address complications that may arise when implementing hybrid and multi-cloud environments, mitigate risks from managed service providers in cloud environments and manage cloud logs for effective threat hunting.

NSA Provides 10 Mitigation Strategies for Improving Cloud Security Posture; Rob Joyce Quoted

Check out the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 to learn more about federal cybersecurity initiatives. Top cyber leaders from the public and private sectors, including opening keynote speaker David McKeown, deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and senior information security officer for the Department of Defense and a previous Wash100 winner, will convene at the event. To learn more and register to attend the summit, click here.

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DIU Issues Multiple Contracts for Aircraft Drag Reduction Technology Development
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DIU Issues Multiple Contracts for Aircraft Drag Reduction Technology Development

The Defense Innovation Unit, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Special Operations Command and the Air Force Operational Energy Office, has awarded multiple contracts to prototype technologies that could reduce drag on legacy logistics aircraft.

Reducing drag is expected to decrease the amount of fuel consumed by these aircraft and, consequently, lower the cost of airborne logistics missions, the DIU said Thursday.

One of the awardees is Vortex Control Technologies, which was selected to develop several drag reduction solutions, including the installation of “finlets” – small fins that enhance the aerodynamics of an aircraft’s fuselage – onto C-130J and KC-135 aircraft.

Another awardee is Metro Aerospace, which has been tapped to develop its commercially-available Microvane for use on the USAF’s C-130s. These 3D-printed structures are placed on an aircraft’s fuselage to reduce drag by altering airflow in the tail section.

The third contract winner is Australian company MicroTau, whose riblet film is set to be tested on a AFSOC C-130J within fiscal year 2024. Riblets are microscopic structures that boost aircraft efficiency by lowering drag. These films can be installed on an aircraft using adhesives.

DIU estimates that these technologies could result in up to 10 percent in fuel consumption as well as extended operational capability for these aircraft.

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Cara Abercrombie Sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition
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Cara Abercrombie Sworn in as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition

Cara Abercrombie has officially assumed responsibilities as assistant secretary of defense for acquisition.

Before she was sworn in on Tuesday, Abercrombie served as deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for defense policy and arms control for the National Security Council, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment announced on Tuesday.

She was nominated to the assistant secretary position at the Department of Defense in April 2023.

In her new role, Abercrombie will be the the principal advisor to the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, deputy secretary of defense and the secretary of defense on issues pertaining to the DOD Acquisition System and acquisition program management as well as the development of command and control, intelligence, tactical warfare and space systems and more.

Abercrombie has held various leadership roles at DOD since 2003. Prior to serving in her previous position, she was acting deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Earlier in her career, she served as principal director for East Asia policy, special assistant to the secretary of defense and human capital strategy adviser to the undersecretary for policy, among other roles.

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CISA Unveils Key Actions to Promote Open Source Ecosystem Security; Jen Easterly Quoted
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CISA Unveils Key Actions to Promote Open Source Ecosystem Security; Jen Easterly Quoted

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced new initiatives to help ensure the security of the open source ecosystem at a two-day Open Source Software Security Summit.

CISA said Thursday that the actions include close collaboration with package repositories to promote the adoption of the Principles for Package Repository Security framework, which details voluntary security maturity levels for package repositories.

The agency also revealed the launch of a new effort to facilitate cyber defense information sharing and voluntary collaboration with open source software infrastructure operators to improve safeguards for the open source software supply chain.

Another CISA initiative is the planned publication of materials from the summit’s tabletop exercise to make lessons learned available to the open source community, and several repositories are also working to align with the new security guidelines.

These projects include the Rust Foundation’s work to implement Public Key Infrastructure for the Crates.io package repository and the Python Software Foundation’s move to add new providers to PyPI for credential-less publishing, among others.

“Open Source Software is foundational to the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day,” said Jen Easterly, director of CISA and a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

“As the national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience, we’re proud to announce these efforts to help secure the open source ecosystem in close partnership with the open source community, and are excited for the work to come,” she added.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

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

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AI Advocates Young Bang & Dana Barnes Spotlighted for 2024 Wash100 Wins
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AI Advocates Young Bang & Dana Barnes Spotlighted for 2024 Wash100 Wins

On Friday, Executive Mosaic highlighted the accomplishments of Young Bang, principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology for the U.S. Army, and Dana Barnes, president of Dataminr’s government business unit, in honor of their 2024 Wash100 Award wins.

The esteemed Wash100 Award is the most prestigious recognition for government contracting industry executives. Each Wash100 class is hand-picked using a selection process that puts the past achievements of each nominee under a microscope and evaluates their forward momentum.

Bang, a first-time awardee, was chosen for his tireless commitment to Army technology development and acquisition initiatives. He has zeroed in on novel capabilities like artificial intelligence and is working to ensure that its adoption is done responsibly. He is also a passionate advocate for government-industry collaboration. Read his full profile here.

Barnes was welcomed into the ranks of Wash100 for the third time this year in recognition of his efforts to empower AI innovation. In 2023, Barnes repeatedly spoke about the benefits of AI and the necessity of making sure both public and private sector organizations embrace it responsibly. To read his full profile, click here.

Dataminr is sponsoring the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual AI Summit on March 21, which will gather experts in the field to discuss the future of AI technologies in the federal government. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.

The beloved Wash100 popular vote contest has returned! Visit Wash100.com to vote for your favorite 2024 winners.

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ISS National Lab Seeks Concept Summaries for In-Space Production Applications Funding Opportunity
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ISS National Lab Seeks Concept Summaries for In-Space Production Applications Funding Opportunity

The International Space Station National Laboratory is soliciting concepts that could advance in-space production applications in advanced materials and manufacturing as part of a new funding opportunity.

The ISS National Lab said Wednesday it is interested in proposed concepts that could demonstrate space-based manufacturing and production initiatives that reflect sustainable and scalable market opportunities with the potential to create demand for access to low Earth orbit.

The organization may grant funding to flight projects that could back mission operations and integration for research efforts on the orbiting laboratory.

The national lab will hold a webinar on March 25 and accept concept summaries regarding in-space production applications through May 2.

Selected participants may submit full proposals for the funding opportunity through July 8.

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FBI Report Reveals Top 3 Ransomware Targets in 2023
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FBI Report Reveals Top 3 Ransomware Targets in 2023

A report by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, has found that healthcare and public health, critical manufacturing and government facilities are the top three critical infrastructure sectors that were affected by ransomware attacks in 2023.

The healthcare sector landed the top spot with a total of 249 complaints, followed by critical manufacturing at 218 and government facilities at 156.

“The IC3 received 1,193 complaints from organizations belonging to a critical infrastructure sector that were affected by a ransomware attack. Of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors, IC3 reporting indicated 14 sectors had at least 1 member that fell to a ransomware attack in 2023,” the Internet Crime Report reads.

According to the report, Lockbit, ALPHV/Blackcat, Akira, Royal and Black Basta were the top five ransomware variants that had an impact on a member of a critical infrastructure sector in 2023.

There were 14,190 complaints of government impersonation received in 2023, generating losses of approximately $394 million.

Meanwhile, tech and customer support-related impersonation scams that were reported in the previous year reached at least 37,000 complaints with losses of about $924.5 million.

“Call centers overwhelmingly target older adults, with devastating effects. Almost half the complainants report to be Over 60 (40%), and experience 58% of the losses (over $770 million),” the report notes.

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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NIST Researchers Demo Novel Compact Microwave Chip That Can Benefit GPS, Radar
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NIST Researchers Demo Novel Compact Microwave Chip That Can Benefit GPS, Radar

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and their partners from other institutions have demonstrated a chip that converts light into microwaves while reducing small, random changes in microwave signal timing called timing jitter.

The improved stability of the microwave signals can benefit other technologies that depend on high-precision timing and communication, including radars, phone and internet connections and GPS, NIST said Wednesday.

The current phase of the work sought to demonstrate that the various components of the technology — including lasers, amplifiers and modulators — could work together, according to Frank Quinlan, a physical scientist with NIST. The next phase aims to integrate them into a single chip.

Another achievement in the demonstration is the miniaturization of the components. A system that would otherwise have come in the size of a tabletop was reduced to the size of a digital camera memory card.

The reduction of timing jitter at that scale reduces power usage.

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