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Geological Survey Taps Woolpert to Collect Aerial Lidar Data for 3D Elevation Program
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Geological Survey Taps Woolpert to Collect Aerial Lidar Data for 3D Elevation Program

Woolpert will collect Quality Level 1 lidar data and perform ground control survey across Southern California under a $6.8 million task order from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The company said Wednesday the acquired aerial lidar data will support the 3D Elevation Program and contribute to the update and improvement of the National Map.

Known as 3DEP, the USGS National Geospatial Program-spearheaded initiative will provide the first baseline of high-resolution topographic elevation data that local, state and national agencies could use in their decision-making activities regarding security, environment and infrastructure. The data will also be added to the National Map.

Woolpert’s data collection effort will span Inyo County and parts of the Mojave Desert and Death Valley National Park. It will use a Leica TerrainMapper to collect 23,007 square miles of QL1 data at 8 points per square meter.

John Gerhard, vice president and program director at Woolpert, shared that the company has been supporting 3DEP since its launch.

“Critical decisions that depend on accurate and available elevation data are being made every day, and we are incredibly proud to continue our support for the U.S. Geological Survey and its commitment to completing the nation’s first-ever baseline of consistent high-resolution elevation data,” he added.

Data is anticipated by fall 2024.

According to Gerhard, Woolpert’s aerial lidar data collection effort will also support the 3D Hydrography Program, which seeks to remap the U.S. hydrography since the original USGS 1:24,000-scale topographic mapping program.

Agencies Release Updated Climate Adaptation Plans for 2024 to 2027
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Agencies Release Updated Climate Adaptation Plans for 2024 to 2027

More than 20 federal agencies have released their updated climate adaptation plans for 2024 to 2027 that expand the Biden administration’s efforts to ensure that federal facilities and operations are increasingly resilient to climate change impacts.

The agencies coordinated with the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget to integrate climate risk across their operations, mission and asset management, the White House said Thursday.

Key efforts include retrofitting and upgrading federal buildings to reduce climate risks to infrastructure, establishing protocols to ensure continuity of operations and protect employees, developing climate-resilient supply chains, and applying climate data and tools to better understand climate risks and inform decisions and investments.

The updated climate adaptation plans support the implementation of the National Climate Resilience Framework, which guides and aligns climate resilience investments and activities across the federal government and the private sector.

The agencies releasing their updated plans include the departments of Defense, Commerce, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Education, Energy, Justice, Labor and Veterans Affairs.

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USPTO Names Farheena Rasheed as Deputy General Counsel, Solicitor
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USPTO Names Farheena Rasheed as Deputy General Counsel, Solicitor

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has appointed Farheena Rasheed, most recently acting solicitor at USPTO, as deputy general counsel for intellectual property law and solicitor.

In this capacity, Rasheed will serve as the agency’s chief litigator and as a senior counselor to Kathi Vidal, undersecretary of Commerce for intellectual property and USPTO director, to help develop, assess and implement new rules, policies and guidelines, USPTO said Thursday.

Vidal said she is excited to work with Rasheed to establish the legal strategy for the agency.

“As we lean in more heavily to shape U.S. law, and the interpretation of that law, in a way that advances U.S. innovation – especially in key technology areas such as artificial intelligence – Farheena’s proven leadership, deep knowledge of intellectual property law, and policy chops will help lead the Solicitor’s office to shaping and advancing our mission,” Vidal stated.

Rasheed started her career within the USPTO Solicitors Office in 2010, serving as an associate solicitor for patent litigation. She held roles of increasing responsibility, including senior legal counsel for patent litigation and deputy solicitor.

She previously served as a clerk to former Judge Marvin Garbis on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and former Judge Arthur Gajarsa on the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

She spent five years at law firm White & Case, where she focused on patent litigation.

NSF to Fund Construction of Quantum Device Fabrication Facility at University of Colorado Boulder
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NSF to Fund Construction of Quantum Device Fabrication Facility at University of Colorado Boulder

The National Science Foundation is investing nearly $20 million for the construction of the National Quantum Nanofab at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Funded by the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure 1 program, the NQN is a nanoscale fabrication facility that will house advanced instrumentation providing quantum device fabrication, characterization and packaging capabilities, the NSF said Thursday.

The facility will also serve as an educational hub and house workforce development initiatives.

NQN will be accessible to users from government, industry and academia, including students.

Commenting on the investment, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan underscored the need of U.S. researchers for “cutting-edge tools,” adding, “By strategically investing in infrastructure like NSF’s National Quantum Nanofab, we are strengthening opportunities for all Americans and positioning the U.S. as a global leader in quantum science and technology.”

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Oracle’s Sean O’Donnell Reflects on Core Values & Challenges for Government Contractors
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Oracle’s Sean O’Donnell Reflects on Core Values & Challenges for Government Contractors

Sean O’Donnell began his career in the U.S. Air Force, which laid a foundation for his move into the government contracting field. He now serves as senior cloud account executive at Oracle, and before joining the company, he held roles at VMware, Booz Allen Hamilton and Boeing.

O’Donnell recently participated in an interview with the Potomac Officers Club, in which he discussed his most valued leadership traits and shared his insights on innovation challenges that are often overlooked.

In this excerpt from the interview, O’Donnell offers a glimpse into his leadership style:

“I have a very open, candid personality and love being on winning teams – which don’t happen overnight and are not the result of a singular person. I am by no means an expert in everything, so I don’t try to get in the weeds and micro-manage everything. If I don’t understand something, I ask questions until I feel comfortable with the answers. I’d much rather get the experts together, provide the general direction for where we should go and allow broad leeway to get to the desired goal. If we need to course correct during the process, we can, but being a leader is about trusting your team and giving them the tools to be successful and accomplish the task at hand.”

To learn more about O’Donnell’s team-building strategy, read the full Executive Spotlight interview on the Potomac Officers website.

Do you want to participate in your own Executive Spotlight interview? This exciting opportunity to build your brand is available exclusively for Potomac Officers Club members. To browse our membership options and discover which package is right for you, click here.

DCSA Urged to Complete Implementation of DOD’s Planning Steps for Cybersecurity Risk Management
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DCSA Urged to Complete Implementation of DOD’s Planning Steps for Cybersecurity Risk Management

The Government Accountability Office has revealed in a new report that the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, which conducts background investigation operations for federal agencies, has not fully addressed the Department of Defense’s planning steps for cybersecurity risk management.

GAO said Thursday DCSA uses a combination of legacy information technology systems from the Office of Personnel Management and the new National Background Investigation Services systems, but it has not fully implemented privacy controls for the IT systems.

DCSA fully addressed 11 of the 16 tasks required to prepare the organization and its systems as part of DOD’s risk management framework. It partially addressed two and did not address three of the required tasks in this step.

GAO also found that while the agency has selected baseline security controls for its six systems categorized as high-impact risks, it used an outdated version of applicable guidance from the National Institute for Standards and Technology as the source for the control selections.

The government watchdog has outlined a set of recommendations for DCSA, including fully implementing risk management planning steps and selecting appropriate security controls using the updated NIST guidance.

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Jude Sunderbruch Retires as Executive Director of DOD’s Cyber Crime Center
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Jude Sunderbruch Retires as Executive Director of DOD’s Cyber Crime Center

Jude Sunderbruch has stepped down from his role as executive director of the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, or DC3, and retired from the Senior Executive Service and Air Force Reserve.

Sunderbruch has led DC3 in providing integrated services and capabilities — including digital and multimedia forensics, vulnerability disclosure and cyber training — to DOD components and the defense industrial base.

He joined the Air Force in 1994 and served as an active-duty Air Force Office of Special Investigations, or AFOSI, special agent from 1994 to 2001.

His government career includes roles such as executive director of the AFOSI, counterintelligence coordinating authority for U.S. European Command and special adviser to the assistant director of the cyber division at the FBI.

DC3 Deputy Director Joshua Black will lead the center on an interim basis.

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SDA Issues Solicitation for Advanced Fire Control Program Ground Segment Infrastructure Support
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SDA Issues Solicitation for Advanced Fire Control Program Ground Segment Infrastructure Support

The Space Development Agency seeks a ground segment infrastructure provider for the Advanced Fire Control program and has issued a request for proposals for the requirement.

The Advanced Fire Control Ground Infrastructure acquisition aims to reduce the cost of AFC prototyping programs by providing common ground infrastructure and resources, according to the RFP posted Thursday on SAM.gov.

AFC carries out prototyping and demonstration efforts to evaluate the scalability and utility of and provide a pathfinder for advanced fire control capabilities.

Notably, the AFCGI acquisition will be critical to the prototyping effort for the Fire-control On Orbit-support to the warfighter system, which will be carried out in fiscal year 2027, and any subsequent demonstration programs.

Work under the acquisition includes the delivery and management of ground segment resources, the management of a cloud environment, the management of the Demonstration Operations Center and the provision of various other services.

Interested parties have until Aug. 5 to respond.

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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin Emphasizes Need for Constant Growth in USAF
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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin Emphasizes Need for Constant Growth in USAF

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin has spoken publicly over the last week about how “reoptimizing” the way the Total Force trains, plans, modernizes and is equipped is vital for the Air Force to meet the challenges of near-peer adversaries.

At an Air & Space Warfighters session on June 13, Allvin stated that the Air Force is making progress through elements of a sweeping strategy to change how they develop people, sustain readiness, project power and develop joint capabilities.

The Air Force opened applications for airmen to become the first wave of warrant officers in information technology and cyber careers.

Allvin feels it is critical to retain the cyber personnel the Air Force spends time investing in.

“We believe this is going to be a good path to ensure that we have the talent for today and tomorrow in a very cyber-heavy force that we’re going to need,” Allvin said.

The following day, addressing reporters on June 14, Allvin discussed the need to be “one Air Force.”

“We are taking an Air Force that has been somewhat fragmented due to the strategic environment over the years and really better aligning it and coming back to be one Air Force with one force design, one unit of action type, and one Airmen development concept,” Allvin said.

Numerous efforts to assemble, train and deploy an Air Task Force are underway. The units will then enter the Air Force Force Generation cycle to serve as Units of Action in fiscal year 2026.

With competitor capabilities being at a level never seen before, Allvin believes the national defense and joint forces will need the Air Force’s assistance.

“We have a requirement to not only be able to participate in the joint force, we need to be leading it,” Allvin said. “The character of war is privileging the things that airpower has been doing for a long time.”

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Air Defense Summit on July 23 to hear updates on the service branch’s technology adoption and modernization initiatives. Register here to save your seat at the highly anticipated event.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin Emphasizes Need for Constant Growth in USAF
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DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Unveils Strategic Guidance on Critical Infrastructure Security
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DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Unveils Strategic Guidance on Critical Infrastructure Security

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has outlined strategic guidance and national priorities to guide critical infrastructure security and resilience efforts across the public and private sectors.

DHS said Thursday that the guidance focuses on key priority risk areas, such as addressing cyber threats posed by China, managing risks and opportunities presented by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and identifying and mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities.

The strategic guidance also highlights the need to incorporate climate risks into sector resilience efforts and address the critical infrastructure sector’s growing dependency on space systems and assets.

“The threats facing our critical infrastructure demand a whole of society response and the priorities set forth in this memo will guide that work. I look forward to continuing our work with partners at all levels of government and the private sector to better ensure the safety of all Americans,” Mayorkas said.

In April, the White House released the National Security Memorandum on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, which mandated that the DHS secretary provide strategic guidance and coordinate risk management and resilience efforts by the federal government.

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