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GovCon Index Fell for 3rd Consecutive Week
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GovCon Index Fell for 3rd Consecutive Week

Last week, Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index recorded its third straight week of losses, dropping by 1.34%.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that follows the stock market performance of 30 staple government contracting companies. Users are able to leverage the real-time information it offers to evaluate major trends shaping today’s GovCon landscape as well as the success of each tracked organization.

With an increase of 6.4%, Aerovironment took the lead last week, during which the majority of companies monitored by GovCon Index fell.

On Friday, GovCon Index closed at $4,886.91, a 0.42% decrease from the day before and a continuation of the ongoing downward trend. This year overall, GovCon Index has risen by 4.7%.

Check out last week’s market reports for an in-depth look into daily GovCon Index performance. To access the complete list of tracked companies, click here.

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House Bill to Mandate Chief AI Officer Roles, Create Interagency CAIO Council
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House Bill to Mandate Chief AI Officer Roles, Create Interagency CAIO Council

Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., have introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a permanent chief artificial intelligence officer role at each agency to oversee initiatives and policies regarding the development and use of AI technologies across the federal government.

The AI Leadership to Enable Accountable Deployment Act would also create an interagency Chief AI Officers Council and an AI board of senior officials at each agency to oversee the coordination and integration of AI activities, Connolly’s office said Wednesday.

If enacted, the bill would also require every agency to develop an AI strategy and hold agency heads accountable for ensuring responsible AI research and development at their organizations.

“Artificial intelligence is poised to have a profound impact on how the government carries out its mission,” Connolly said. “The federal government needs dedicated leadership to manage the potential disruption, risks, and promise of AI.”

“Codifying consistency in AI oversight, usage, and development across government agencies would aid coordination between agencies and ensure government is operating in lockstep in these areas,” Garbarino said.

The Senate counterpart of the bill, led by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in July 2023.

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Defense Innovation Unit Seeks Solution Briefs for Counter UAS NEXT Project
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Defense Innovation Unit Seeks Solution Briefs for Counter UAS NEXT Project

The Defense Innovation Unit has issued a commercial solutions opening to inform industry stakeholders of a U.S. Navy project that seeks a kinetic defeat platform against adversarial unmanned aircraft systems.

DIU said the Navy plans to rapidly prototype and perform a phased operational test and evaluation plan to validate the performance of proposed shipborne kinetic defeat counter-drone platforms under the Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems – NEXT project.

According to DIU, the service branch is seeking solution briefs for complete counter unmanned systems platforms featuring a kinetic defeat effector and launcher focused on group 3+ drones.

Proposed platforms must be able to support the full kill chain with human in/on-the-loop control modes and exist in a technically mature development state. The effector should be reloadable at sea and must not require heavy lift equipment to reload.

The Navy is seeking platforms that have a terminal guidance capability integrated into the effector, could demonstrate adaptability to evolving operational threats and could integrate into a naval vessel’s existing combat systems and ancillary support platforms.

Potential offerors should demonstrate their ability to deliver up to five production representative prototypes within 12 months of award.

Responses are due June 28.

POC - 2024 Navy Summit

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit on Aug. 15 and hear government and industry leaders, innovators and experts discuss the latest technological advancements, maritime security and more.

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Senate Panel Approves FY 2025 Defense Authorization Bill
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Senate Panel Approves FY 2025 Defense Authorization Bill

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday passed the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act in a 22-3 vote.

SASC said Friday the NDAA, which is now headed to the upper chamber’s floor for consideration, would authorize $878.4 billion for the Department of Defense and $33.4 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy.

The proposed legislation would require a strategy for countering drone technologies; direct a pilot program to optimize artificial intelligence-enabled software for the operations of DOD depots, manufacturing facilities and shipyards; and require the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to establish a Quantum Scaling Initiative to rapidly expand and support the development of quantum computing capabilities for DOD.

The bill would further develop U.S. combat power by authorizing an additional $1.43 billion for a third DDG Arleigh Burke-class destroyer; supporting the construction of a second Virginia-class submarine in fiscal year 2025; and requiring the development of a national integrated air and missile defense architecture.

The NDAA, which would authorize a 4.5 percent salary increase for servicemembers, has a total national defense topline of $923.3 billion.

Brig. Gen. William Rogers Assumes Air Force PEO for ICBM Role
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Brig. Gen. William Rogers Assumes Air Force PEO for ICBM Role

Brig. Gen. William Rogers, formerly program executive officer for bombers at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, has assumed the newly created PEO role for intercontinental ballistic missiles at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

In his new role, Rogers will oversee integrated weapons system management of the Sentinel and Minuteman III ICBMs from their inception to retirement, Air Force Materiel Command said Tuesday.

The creation of the new PEO role is part of the changes to several PEO positions across the Department of the Air Force to reoptimize for great power competition.

“We will provide our nation with strong strategic deterrence through sustainment and modernization of the land-based leg of the nuclear triad,” Rogers said.

The Air Force also transitioned the duties of Maj. Gen. John Newberry, AFNWC commander, from PEO for strategic systems to PEO for nuclear air delivered systems and nuclear integration.

Newberry will manage life cycle activities for air-delivered nuclear weapons and oversee nuclear materiel management across the Department of the Air Force.

“The consequence of failure in our nuclear mission is immeasurably higher than in any other mission set in the Department of Defense,” Newberry said.

Biden Administration Establishes Council Tasked With Ensuring Resilience of US Supply Chains
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Biden Administration Establishes Council Tasked With Ensuring Resilience of US Supply Chains

The Biden administration has issued an executive order calling for the establishment of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience.

To be led by the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the council will work to promote and coordinate efforts by the federal government to bolster U.S. industrial competitiveness, strengthen supply chain resilience and help agencies engage in collaboration with international partners to achieve the same, as well as address supply chain insecurities, the White House said Friday.

As part of its responsibilities, the council has been tasked to conduct a review of the supply chains of industries considered critical to national or economic security. The council will have to file a report about its findings by Dec. 31 at the latest and offer recommendations when appropriate.

The review will subsequently have to be conducted and the accompanying report submitted every four years thereafter.

Member agencies and offices will also have to designate within 30 days of the EO’s issuance officials who will be responsible for coordinating with the council.

The council is expected to meet twice a year.

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MDA Performs Maiden Flight of Hypersonic Test Bed; Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted
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MDA Performs Maiden Flight of Hypersonic Test Bed; Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted

The Missile Defense Agency and its partners carried out the initial flight of a testbed designed to provide a common platform for conducting hypersonic experiments.

MDA Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins said in a statement published Friday the Hypersonic Test Bed-1 represents a key step in advancing a hypersonic testing capability.

“HTB will allow the U.S. to pursue a broad range of state of the art technologies able to operate reliably in hypersonic flight environments,” added Collins, a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

MDA noted that the HTB-1 test provided the agency with a viewing opportunity for its Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, which gathered data after launch based on initial reports.

The agency will continue to evaluate flight data over the next several weeks.

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CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero Nominated to Take Over as Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair
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CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero Nominated to Take Over as Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair

President Joe Biden has nominated Christy Goldsmith Romero of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to succeed Martin Gruenberg as chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Goldsmith Romero has served as a CFTC commissioner since 2022, where she oversaw various CFTC-registered entities like banks and brokers and sponsored the CFTC Technology Advisory Committee, which tackled emerging technologies as well as cybersecurity, the White House said Thursday.

Before becoming part of the CFTC, Goldsmith Romero worked at the Department of the Treasury, where, from 2011 through 2022, she served as special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program. In that capacity, she helped develop an ability to uncover bank fraud, led numerous investigations and served on an inspectors general council that oversaw the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Commenting on the nomination, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, described Goldsmith Romero as “a strong, independent, and fair regulator who is not afraid to do what’s right” who, if confirmed, would “bring to the FDIC decades of financial services experience.”

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Patricia Obermaier Appointed to ASGN Board of Directors
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Patricia Obermaier Appointed to ASGN Board of Directors

Microsoft executive Patricia Obermaier has joined the board of directors at ASGN Incorporated.

She began advising the board in January and will now become a member of its strategy and technology committee, ASGN announced from Richmond, Virginia on Thursday.

“Patty brings a wealth of experience and insight from being a leader at one of the world’s largest technology companies,” said ASGN CEO Ted Hanson.

Her “strategic vision and operational expertise,” he continued, will be “invaluable” in the company’s work to expand its consulting business.

At Microsoft, Obermaier serves as chief growth officer and vice president of strategic initiatives for the company’s global health life sciences arm, a business unit valued at $12 billion. Her responsibilities in this position encompass the discovery of new opportunities and leveraging commercial resources to increase market share for the division.

Before coming to Microsoft, she was founder and CEO of Resigility, a firm that offers strategic advisory and information management services for public and private sector customers.

Commenting on her appointment, Obermaier said she is “delighted” to join ASGN’s board “at such a pivotal time in the company’s evolution.”

She emphasized the organization’s “strong track record” of service delivery to both government and industry clients and expressed her excitement to work “closely with my fellow directors to position ASGN for continued success.”

Along with Obermaier’s addition, ASGN also announced the retirement of Mariel Joliet, who was director of the board for nearly eight years.

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Kristina Walter Appointed Director of NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center
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Kristina Walter Appointed Director of NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center

Kristina Walter, formerly director of the National Security Agency’s Future Ready Workforce Initiative, has been named director of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, a.k.a. CCC.

Walter’s appointment marks her return to the center, having previously served as a strategist for the CCC and chief of defense industrial base cybersecurity responsible for shaping cyber standards for the sector, the NSA said Thursday.

She held various leadership roles during her over 15-year career at NSA including as executive assistant to the director of the Business Management and Integration Directorate.

Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the NSA, said Walter’s recent work as head of the Future Ready Workforce Initiative highlights her commitment to advancing the agency’s workforce, which will support the CCC’s future-focused mission.

“I look forward to working with her on this important collaborative endeavor to help safeguard the Nation against malicious cyber activity,” the 2024 Wash100 awardee said.

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