NNSA Concludes 1st Subcritical Experiment in Nimble Series at PULSE Facility
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NNSA Concludes 1st Subcritical Experiment in Nimble Series at PULSE Facility

The National Nuclear Security Administration has concluded a subcritical experiment in the Principal Underground Laboratory for Subcritical Experimentation facility at the Nevada National Security Site to obtain information to support the safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear weapons.

The experiment is the first in the Nimble series being carried out in partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, with support from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Department of Energy said Thursday.

Results from the experiment will be used to enhance DOE’s modeling and simulation capability as part of NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program aimed at ensuring the safety, reliability and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

“As NNSA Administrator Hruby announced in June 2023, we plan to increase the frequency of these subcritical experiments so we can continue to gather important data on nuclear weapons materials, with no technical need for a return to underground nuclear explosive testing,” said Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs at NNSA.

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Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues ‘Base Denominator’ of Navy Shipbuilding Delays
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Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues ‘Base Denominator’ of Navy Shipbuilding Delays

For Carlos Del Toro, the delays in the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding programs can fundamentally be attributed to manpower issues.

The secretary of the Navy and 2024 Wash100 winner told lawmakers during a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that private and public shipyards in the U.S. “simply don’t have the people,” a problem that he traced back to the 1980s “when we gave up on commercial shipbuilding in this country.”

Del Toro made the remarks in response to Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who had described the Navy shipbuilding program as being “in disarray” and ascribed the problem to management issues.

The Navy official acknowledged proximate issues — a delay in a major component for the Virginia-class submarine, for example, resulting in a delay for the whole program — but considered manpower insufficiency, whether in terms of numbers or experience, to be foundational.

“That’s sort of the base denominator of it all,” Del Toro said.

Carlos Del Toro: Manpower Issues 'Base Denominator' of Navy Shipbuilding Delays

Naval leaders, experts and innovators from government and industry will discuss how they’re enhancing maritime security, driving technological advancements and fostering strategic cooperation during the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit, which will take place on Aug. 15. Register now to attend this important event!

Bill Hepworth Says Army PEO EIS Will Accelerate Agile Transformation Initiative
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Bill Hepworth Says Army PEO EIS Will Accelerate Agile Transformation Initiative

Bill Hepworth, the U.S. Army’s program executive officer for enterprise information systems, said that PEO EIS plans to accelerate its Agile transformation efforts and increase the speed of its key acquisition programs.

Speaking at AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days, Hepworth said PEO EIS has achieved its goal of becoming an Agile organization, with nearly 90 percent of its portfolio converted to Agile, the organization said Monday.

Increasing the speed of acquisition of enterprise software is one of Hepworth’s top priorities, aligning with the initiatives of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, or ASA(ALT).

“Right now, with Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the entire ASA(ALT) community is pressed to get equipment and supplies out to partners, so we need to respond faster across the board,” Hepworth said.

Besides speed, Hepworth’s office also focuses on digital strategy to streamline its programs, including the Enterprise Business Systems – Convergence and the Foreign Military Sales – Army Case Execution System.

POC - 2024 Army Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 9th Annual Army Summit on June 13. Register here to reserve your seat and hear from Army officials about their most urgent priorities for 2024 and beyond.

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Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted
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Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted

The Naval Surface Force within the U.S. Pacific Fleet has launched Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron, or USVRON, Three.

Led by Capt. Derek Rader, the new squadron will manage a fleet of small, unmanned surface vessels called the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, the Navy announced on Monday.

Rader said the integration of unmanned surface vessels into Navy and joint operations “will be accomplished through experimentation with the fleet testing and doctrine drafted by operators you see today, who embody and execute the warfighting that we need to achieve to enable the full potential of unmanned systems.”

The 16-foot GARCs were produced by the Maritime Applied Physics Corporation to support research, testing and operations and integration into surface, expeditionary and joint maritime forces.

These unmanned vessels will supplement warfighting capabilities held by the Navy’s legacy combatant force to strengthen the fleet’s tactical and strategic advantages. They are designed to work in harmony with carrier strike groups and surface action groups and can also function independently.

USVRON Three will be overseen by the Surface Development Group, or SURFDEVGRU, and will welcome the robotics warfare specialist into its teams to explore Robotic Autonomous System operations and maintenance and related capabilities. Its primary objective is to lay a foundation for advancements in small unmanned surface vessels.

“There are currently no boundaries, and we have an incredible opportunity to determine what right looks like within our sphere of influence,” said SURFDEVGRU Director Cdre. Shea Thompson.

Naval Surface Force Forms New Squadron Dedicated to USVs; Derek Rader Quoted

Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of the Naval Surface Force, said the Navy has “put the right team in place” to overcome challenging obstacles.

“The Navy is placing unmanned systems in the hands of 400 of our most talented warfighters to help integrate, scale, experiment, and employ these systems,” he said.

Get a closer look at the Navy’s top priorities during the Potomac Officers 2024 Navy Summit! To learn more and register to attend the event, which will bring together key Navy officials and industry experts on August 15, click here.

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Curtiss-Wright to Provide Air Force With Encrypted Tactical Networking Tech for Deployable Comms
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Curtiss-Wright to Provide Air Force With Encrypted Tactical Networking Tech for Deployable Comms

Iron Bow has tapped Curtiss-Wright to deliver encrypted tactical networking technology to the U.S. Air Force to help the service branch optimize and enhance its deployable communications.

Curtiss-Wright will equip the Air Force with its PacStar 400 series modules and provide Commercial Solutions for Classified, or CSfC, integration under a potential $60 million contract, the company said Monday.

In addition to providing connectivity to Department of Defense Information Networks worldwide, PacStar 400 series modules will also utilize software automation for better connectivity and network security at multiple classification levels.

The initial award is worth $16 million and runs through the end of 2027. Work will be performed by Curtiss-Wright’s defense solutions division in the defense electronics segment.

“This contract represents a significant deployment for the U.S. Air Force using Curtiss-Wright’s PacStar product line, including its proprietary IQ-Core Software integrated network communications management tool, for deployable communications missions,” said Lynn Bamford, chair and CEO of Curtiss-Wright and a previous Wash100 awardee.

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SDA Seeks White Papers on PWSA Battle Management Software Applications
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SDA Seeks White Papers on PWSA Battle Management Software Applications

The Space Development Agency has released a broad agency announcement to solicit white papers about battle management mission applications in support of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

SDA said Monday the containerized software applications will provide substantial capability enhancements for future tranches of PWSA’s capability layers to help address emerging warfighter requirements.

Through the BAA, the agency is seeking applications and services to address knowledge gaps and support existing and new concepts of operations, system designs and risk reduction prototypes that could help improve mission capability for defined tranches of PWSA’s capability layers.

The BAA outlines five battle management mission focus areas: battle management command, control and communications management; power and resource management; Link 16 integration; automated network management; and cybersecurity.

The BAA reads, “Objectives for software solutions provided under this BAA include automating numerous processes within current architectures and providing additional capabilities for mission processing and data fusion.”

Interested stakeholders have until June 14 to submit white papers.

SDA said the BAA will run through May 19, 2025.

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Pentagon Issues Cybersecurity Reciprocity Playbook
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Pentagon Issues Cybersecurity Reciprocity Playbook

The Department of Defense has released a playbook designed to provide information on key DOD priorities for applying cybersecurity reciprocity in the department’s systems.

The Cybersecurity Reciprocity Playbook includes a definition of reciprocity, the benefits of using reciprocity and the risks of failing to leverage reciprocity.

According to the document, cybersecurity reciprocity highlights the importance of keeping a robust security posture while maximizing efficiency through the reuse of the body of evidence.

“Reciprocity is designed to expedite authorization through the re-use of assessments and artifacts, which leads to cost reduction,” the document reads.

The playbook, which was cleared for publication on May 15, offers information on several reciprocity use cases, including cloud service offerings and one-to-one scenarios, and discusses the role of various types of authorizing officials in reciprocity.

Through the playbook, the Pentagon cites security configuration guides and secure configurations and addresses the DOD chief information officer’s role in addressing reciprocity conflicts.

In early May, Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary at the DOD and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, released a memorandum aimed at addressing issues associated with cybersecurity reciprocity and the Risk Management Framework.

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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GovCon Index Ascended for 5th Consecutive Week
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GovCon Index Ascended for 5th Consecutive Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index rose by 0.39% last week, an increase that lifted the average to $5,051.61 and continued a five-week growth trend.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks stock market data from 30 essential government contracting enterprises in real time. This information offers users the opportunity to evaluate the success of each tracked company and gain an understanding of wider financial trends shaping the expansive GovCon marketplace.

Mercury Systems flew to the top of last week’s ranks with gains of 11.56%. Second and third place were claimed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (+5.61%) and Palantir (+5.33%), respectively. With a 3.80% rise, AeroVironment secured the fourth slot, and Boeing (+3.48%) came in fifth.

On Monday, GovCon Index fell by almost 0.50%, but it quickly bounced back on Tuesday and stayed positive through the end of the week. GovCon Index recorded its strongest performance, a 0.36% increase, on Thursday.

To get the full story on daily GovCon Index performance, check out last week’s market reports. Click here to view the full list of tracked companies.

NASA Develops Software for Digital Aircraft Modeling
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NASA Develops Software for Digital Aircraft Modeling

NASA has developed a computer-based digital modeling tool called Aviary to enable engineers to create simulations of conceptual aircraft designs featuring new technologies.

Aviary is designed to create a digital model of an aircraft based on information about its shape, range and other characteristics and allow engineers to test their models digitally, NASA said Friday.

The new software was built on two legacy NASA-developed codes: the Flight Optimization System and General Aviation Synthesis Program.

“The older legacy codes were not designed to handle these more modern-day concepts such as hybrid-electric aircraft. They viewed certain systems as more separated than they really are in the vehicles we envision now,” said Jennifer Gratz, lead of Aviary’s integration and development.

Aviary is available to aeronautical engineers for free, with its code and key documentation being hosted on GitHub.

“Aviary is flexible enough that you can decide what you want to learn more about, then configure it to teach you,” Gratz said.

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New Board to Advise DHS Leadership on Homeland Intelligence Initiatives
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New Board to Advise DHS Leadership on Homeland Intelligence Initiatives

The Department of Homeland Security has established a new advisory board that will advise the undersecretary for intelligence and analysis and the DHS counterterrorism coordinator on matters related to homeland intelligence and security.

The Homeland Intelligence Advisory Board will consist of up to 40 appointed members from the intelligence and homeland security sector, law enforcement, state and local government, academia and private industry, DHS said Friday.

Members of the new board will meet at least quarterly to discuss and assess the nation’s intelligence initiatives and inform DHS leadership on issues such as whether programs consider privacy and civil liberty concerns.

The new board may include 19 members of the Homeland Intelligence Experts Group, which advises the Office of Intelligence and Analysis and the Office of Counterterrorism Coordinator on intelligence and national security efforts.

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