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Terran Orbital Wins Space Force Hardware, Payload Integration Support Contract
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Terran Orbital Wins Space Force Hardware, Payload Integration Support Contract

Terran Orbital has secured a $15.2 million contract from Axient to provide hardware and payload integration services to the Air Force Research Laboratory to support specific U.S. Space Force missions.

The company said Tuesday it will deliver Ambassador Class satellite platforms outfitted with solar arrays and associated equipment beginning in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will support AFRL in integrating payloads for future space missions.

“These platforms are based on Terran Orbital’s commercial off-the-shelf Ambassador platform, similar to those provided for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites being delivered by Lockheed Martin,” said Marc Bell, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Terran Orbital.

The team will integrate payloads onto the ESPA Grande size space vehicle platforms to support the Space Force’s upcoming national security launch missions.

“Demonstrating Terran Orbital’s commitment to Responsive Space, these space vehicles will be delivered off Terran Orbital’s production line in less than twelve months,” Bell said.

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OSC Taps 2 Companies to Deliver SSA Data Quality Monitoring Services
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OSC Taps 2 Companies to Deliver SSA Data Quality Monitoring Services

The Office of Space Commerce within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tapped two commercial vendors to provide space situational awareness, or SSA, data quality monitoring services.

Colorado-based companies Kayhan Space and SpaceNav secured orders for SSA services via the Global Data Marketplace to assess the accuracy, quality and consistency of orbital products developed under the Consolidated Pathfinder project, the OSC said Tuesday.

“The Consolidated Pathfinder effort is designed to explore how commercial SSA capabilities can be tested and integrated by the government,” said OSC Director Richard DalBello.”

According to DalBello, the lessons learned from the Consolidated Pathfinder initiative will speed up the deployment of operational capabilities for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, also known as TraCSS, in late 2024.

The Consolidated Pathfinder project aims to build a cloud-based platform for SSA and traffic coordination services for commercial and civil space operators.

COMSPOC, LeoLabs and Slingshot Aerospace also secured orders to provide SSA data and services for the TraCSS initiative in January.

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Latest NSA Cybersecurity Info Sheet Promotes Network & Environmental Pillar of Zero Trust; Rob Joyce Quoted
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Latest NSA Cybersecurity Info Sheet Promotes Network & Environmental Pillar of Zero Trust; Rob Joyce Quoted

The National Security Agency has continued its series of cybersecurity information sheets, or CSIs, on zero trust maturity to elaborate on strengthening internal network defense.

The newest CSI focuses on the use of data mapping, software defined networking — a.k.a. SDN — and macro and micro segmentation to mitigate the risk of network breaches, NSA said Tuesday.

The zero trust framework is comprised of seven pillars, one of which is network and environment. This pillar defines and controls network access and data flows, using end-to-end encryption and segmenting applications.

Data flow mapping sets the foundation for segmentation and other network defense tools, while micro and macro segmentation break down the network to minimize the attack surface in case of a breach. SDN enhances segmentation by enabling added visibility through a distributed forwarding plane.

“This guidance is intended to arm network owners and operators with the processes they need to vigilantly resist, detect, and respond to threats that exploit weaknesses or gaps in their enterprise architecture,” NSA Cybersecurity Director and Wash100 winner Rob Joyce remarked.

As digitalization becomes a central element of society and industry, government contracting leaders are keeping their eye on the evolution of cyber and its national security implications. Join experts at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6, and share your insights into the future of the digital age. Register now.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit
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Harry Coker Offers Update on Federal Initiatives to Implement National Cybersecurity Strategy
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Harry Coker Offers Update on Federal Initiatives to Implement National Cybersecurity Strategy

The Office of the National Cyber Director has presented some of the efforts the federal government has launched to implement the five pillars of the National Cybersecurity Strategy introduced by the Biden administration in March 2023.

The strategy’s five pillars are defending critical infrastructure, disrupting and dismantling threat actors, shaping market forces to drive security and resilience, investing in a resilient future and forging international partnerships to achieve shared goals, National Cyber Director Harry Coker wrote in a White House blog post published Monday.

Initiatives across those pillars include ONCD’s development and publication of multiple exercise scenarios for various sectors, including public health, water and maritime transportation; the release of a summary of the Department of Defense’s new Cyber Strategy; and the creation of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy within the State Department.

Of the 69 initiatives outlined in the first iteration of the National Cybersecurity Strategy’s implementation plan, federal agencies completed more than 20 programs, according to Coker.

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.

Commission on PPBE Reform Outlines Recommendations to Strengthen Defense Resource Planning
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Commission on PPBE Reform Outlines Recommendations to Strengthen Defense Resource Planning

The Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution Reform, or PPBE, has released a set of recommendations for transforming and strengthening the Department of Defense’s resourcing processes to meet the current and future demands of the national security environment.

The PPBE Reform Commission’s final report outlines 28 recommendations divided into five critical areas of reform: improving the alignment of budgets to strategy; fostering innovation and adaptability; strengthening relationships between the Pentagon and Congress; modernizing data analytics and business systems; and upskilling the resourcing workforce.

First on the recommendations list are transformational changes to strengthen the connection between DOD’s strategy and resource allocation processes by instituting a new Defense Resourcing System.

To create a more flexible and agile resourcing process, the proposed DRS will focus on three processes: strategy, resource allocation and execution.

Key recommendations include establishing continuous planning and analysis, transforming the budget structure, mitigating problems arising from continuing resolutions and improving training for personnel involved in defense resourcing.

Commission Chair Robert Hale said the final report was based on extensive research and input from more than 400 interviews with 1100 interviewees.

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IARPA Looking to AI to Push Boundaries of Science & Engineering
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IARPA Looking to AI to Push Boundaries of Science & Engineering

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity is seeking public input to determine the feasibility of creating a generative artificial intelligence model that, after being trained on relevant data, can produce novel products based on prompts that advance, however incrementally, human knowledge in science and engineering.

Of particular interest to IARPA are generative AI models that can produce outputs in math, algorithm or signal processing modalities, such as equations or theorems, algorithms or sequences of steps and waveforms or modulations, according to the RFI posted Tuesday on SAM.gov.

IARPA underscores in the solicitation that it is not seeking generative AI that calculates math problems, executes algorithms or processes signals. Rather, the agency is seeking generative AI that produces new knowledge in MASP form, which pushes the boundaries of complex sciences, even if only marginally.

Since IARPA is at present merely evaluating the feasibility of such a model, even those that can generate already known MASP products would be acceptable responses to the RFI.

Interested parties are also being asked to address a variety of issues, including how training datasets might be acquired, how prompting would work and how an AI model might be evaluated.

Responses are due March 29.

IARPA Looking to AI to Push Boundaries of Science & Engineering

Federal leaders and industry experts will tackle the transformative power of artificial intelligence at the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit, which will take place on March 21. Register now!

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US Army SBIR Program Launches Phase I, Phase II Opportunities on AI-Enabled Sensors
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US Army SBIR Program Launches Phase I, Phase II Opportunities on AI-Enabled Sensors

The U.S. Army will begin accepting Phase I and Direct to Phase II small business proposals focused on the use of artificial intelligence in autonomous optical sensors and similar technologies.

The Army’s Small Business Innovation Research Program announced Tuesday that the new contract opportunities will also prioritize novel AI and machine learning approaches to positioning, navigation and timing signal classification.

The program is seeking AI/ML-enabled sensors that can be autonomous and portable, with high-speed imaging cameras that can be used to capture data during missile tests. This Phase I research opportunity is expected to take up to 6 months.

The branch is also interested in novel PNT signal classification techniques with real-time data gathering capability that does not rely on radio frequency signals to detect and minimize interference. They will issue Direct to Phase II contracts with a maximum duration of 24 months for this opportunity.

Interested companies may submit their applications from March 20 to April 23.

On March 21, the Potomac Officers Club will hold its yearly gathering of experts discussing artificial intelligence innovations in government contracting. Registration is still open for the 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit!

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit
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TCOM Secures Spot on $1.2B FMS Deal
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TCOM Secures Spot on $1.2B FMS Deal

TCOM was chosen as one of four companies that will deliver Airspace and Surface Radar Reconnaissance aerostat systems to Poland under a $1.2 billion Foreign Military Sale initiative.

The award is intended to further U.S. foreign policy goals and optimize Poland’s capabilities for countering threats from adversary air and ground weapon systems, TCOM announced from its Columbia, Maryland headquarters on Wednesday.

Working with fellow prime contractors Raytheon Intelligence and Space, ELTA North America and QinetiQ, TCOM will provide Airspace Airborne Early Warning radars with Identification of Friend of Foe capability, electronic sensor systems, mooring systems with powered tethers with embedded fiber optics and Ground Control Shelters.

These offerings will support the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, which seeks to increase connectivity across all components of the U.S. military services and international allies. By building out CJADC2 infrastructure, NATO countries will gain modern technologies that will enhance situational awareness and decision making.

TCOM has been included in many aerostat systems-focused FMS programs, one of which is a $450 million contract to deliver 10 systems to Saudi Arabia to boost interoperability between the U.S. military and the Royal Saudi Defense Force.

In 2019, TCOM was selected as the prime contractor for the U.S. Army’s Persistent Surveillance System-Tethered Program, under which it provides engineering, logistics and operations, manufacturing and program management services in support of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

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BAE Systems’ Tom Arseneault & DOD’s John Sherman Acclaimed as Top GovCon Talents With 2024 Wash100 Award
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BAE Systems’ Tom Arseneault & DOD’s John Sherman Acclaimed as Top GovCon Talents With 2024 Wash100 Award

Tom Arseneault, president and CEO of BAE Systems, and John Sherman, chief information officer of the U.S. Department of Defense, were lauded for their contributions to the government contracting sector today in two profiles published by Executive Mosaic.

Arseneault and Sherman are the recipients of the Wash100 Award, an annual list, extended rollout and jubilant celebration of GovCon’s best and brightest. Every year, EM’s voting bloc considers thousands of candidates who have positively impacted the sector, both from the public and private sides of the equation, to determine who are the GovCon leaders of tomorrow. After the hallowed full list is announced in January, the following months proceed with in-depth profiles detailing the winners’ accomplishments; the hand delivery of each award; and a popular vote contest amongst the recipients. Cast your votes today for the latter! Everyone who wants to have a say has one.

Under Arseneault’s leadership, BAE enjoyed a banner last 12 months in which they acquired Ball Aerospace in a monster $5.5 billion transaction and grew the company through a staggering series of contract awards that demonstrated immense support for the defense industry. Read about Arseneault’s achievements in his GovCon Wire profile here.

Sherman has steered the DOD’s information enterprise to great success, issuing and approving a number of important cyber and software modernization plans and courses of action.

Of Sherman, Wash100 founder and Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson said, “He fosters a spirit of cooperation and demonstrates a willingness to work closely with contractors to optimize solution development. John’s technological expertise and leadership continues to keep our nation on a trajectory toward tech superiority and advanced warfighter capabilities.”

Learn more about Sherman in his ExecutiveBiz profile here.

Congratulations to these two great leaders and their teams! And don’t forget to participate in the Wash100 popular vote contest, underway now.

Army Conducts 1st Flight Test of Launched Effects-Medium Range Prototype
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Army Conducts 1st Flight Test of Launched Effects-Medium Range Prototype

The U.S. Army and Aurora Flight Sciences have concluded the first system flight tests of a medium-range “launched effects” prototype to verify the functionality of the system components, DVIDS reported Monday.

The Launched Effects-Medium Range prototype system uses a modular open systems approach, or MOSA, and consists of the Air-Launched, Tube-Integrated Unmanned System 700, or Altius 700, built by Anduril’s Area-I company.

“MOSA is an integral component of the LE-MR and was part of the initial design discussions and the contract. This approach allows for continuous upgrades and integration of various payloads ensuring we remain ahead of the threat,” said Col. Danielle Medaglia, project manager for uncrewed aircraft systems.

A Northrop Grumman-developed radio frequency detect, identify, locate and report payload was among the payloads tested using a scalable control interface prototype.

The Army expects to make a rapid fielding decision in 2025 to finalize the deployment of launched effect capabilities to the warfighter.

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