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Lawmakers Raise Concern About DOD’s Proposed Microsoft Software Upgrade
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Lawmakers Raise Concern About DOD’s Proposed Microsoft Software Upgrade

Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., have raised concerns about the Department of Defense’s plan to invest in Microsoft software upgrades as part of its zero trust strategy, Axios reported Thursday.

In a letter to DOD Chief Information Officer John Sherman, the lawmakers expressed “serious concern” that the Pentagon is planning to require department offices using Microsoft’s 365 software to upgrade to the E5 license.

“Although we welcome the Department’s decision to invest in greater cybersecurity, we are deeply concerned that DoD is choosing not to pursue a multi-vendor approach that would result in greater competition, lower long-term costs, and better outcomes related to cybersecurity,” the letter reads.

The lawmakers said the DOD is one of the largest buyers of cybersecurity services and its purchasing power can “shape corporate strategies that result in more resilient cybersecurity services.”

Schmitt and Wyden have requested Sherman answer a set of questions about the proposed plan before the Senate Armed Services Committee starts marking up the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 to hear from government and industry experts about the dynamic and ever-evolving role of cyber in the public sector. Register here!

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SDA Issues Solicitation for Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO Initiative
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SDA Issues Solicitation for Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO Initiative

The Space Development Agency has posted a solicitation for an acquisition program that seeks to establish a pool of nontraditional defense contractors that will compete for prototype orders to perform future flight demonstrations in low Earth orbit.

SDA said Friday the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO, or HALO, program intends to implement a fast contracting process to compete and award Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System projects through other transaction authority agreements and may increase the pool of vendors that can bid on future programs, including participation in future tranche layers.

According to the solicitation notice published Friday on SAM.gov, the HALO OTA agreements will have a performance period of three years.

“Prototype orders solicited under HALO will focus on rapid, end-to-end mission demonstrations designed to launch two (2) identical satellites 12-18 months after award,” the solicitation reads.

The prime contractor must at least supply the space vehicle bus.

SDA will host an unclassified industry day on June 17. Registration for the event will close on June 12.

Proposals for the HALO procurement effort are due July 11.

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L3Harris Pursues Portfolio Revitalization With $200M Sale of Antenna & Other Business Units
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L3Harris Pursues Portfolio Revitalization With $200M Sale of Antenna & Other Business Units

L3Harris has sold some of its antenna and test equipment businesses to a Kanders & Company affiliate for $200 million.

These business units previously fell under the organization’s Space & Airborne Systems arm and included 375 employees, L3Harris announced from its Melbourne, Florida headquarters on Monday.

As part of Kanders, the acquired business units will operate under Fisica, the firm’s defense technology platform. They will focus on manufacturing airborne and ground-based antennas as well as electromagnetic systems and simulators to support radar, communications, warning systems, remote sensing, nuclear effects testing and imaging activities.

L3Harris signed a definitive agreement to sell the businesses in April as part of its wider effort to divest non-core assets to revamp its portfolio.

In November, the company sold its Commercial Aviation Solutions business to an affiliate of TJC L.P. for $800 million, a move L3Harris CEO Christopher Kubasik, a previous Wash100 awardee, described as “consistent with our multi-year strategy to optimize our national security, technology-focused portfolio.”

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CDAO Solicits Commercial Computer Vision Tech Proposals for CENTCOM Desert Sentry
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CDAO Solicits Commercial Computer Vision Tech Proposals for CENTCOM Desert Sentry

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, or CDAO, has released a commercial solutions opening seeking technologies designed to enable and maintain computer vision capabilities for U.S. Central Command.

The CENTCOM Desert Sentry solicitation is looking for commercial platforms capable of ingesting data from local or cloud data storage, preparing videos and images for labeling, ingesting existing labeled data sets and conducting single- and multi-class object detection and instance segmentation for imagery and video, according to a notice posted on DOD’s Tradewinds AI platform.

CDAO also requires that the selected commercial technologies support functions such as automated label augmentation, automated model training and scoring, labeling and model containerization.

Responses to the CSO are due June 30. CDAO anticipates selecting participants for the pitch round from Aug. 5 to 16 and making pilot project awards from Sept. 16 to Oct. 4.

2024 Cyber Summit Panel Highlight: How CMMC Impacts Your Company’s Cybersecurity
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2024 Cyber Summit Panel Highlight: How CMMC Impacts Your Company’s Cybersecurity

Is your cybersecurity as a government contractor ready to fight against evolving cyber threats? 

In today’s fast-paced cyber environment, one of the panel discussions at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit — “CMMC: Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?” — aims to tackle the cyber-readiness of government contractors by leveraging the Department of Defense’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, or CMMC.

If you want to strengthen your organization’s cybersecurity, join the “CMMC: Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?” panel discussion at the 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6.

 

About the 2024 Cyber Summit

The 2024 Cyber Summit is one of the leading government contracting events by the Potomac Officers Club. The event is held annually to delve into the impacts of digital modernization and the cyber revolution in the federal government.

Attending the summit will treat GovCon organizations to keynote and panel discussions about uncovering cyber capabilities, increasing operational efficiency and advocating for digital transformation. Leading these discussions will be cyber experts and industry leaders with esteemed roles in the dynamic cyber landscape.

2024 Cyber Summit banner

Register for the 2024 Cyber Summit on June 06, 2024, happening at The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, 1250 S Hayes St. Arlington, VA 22202.

 

CMMC: Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?

This panel session will address the cyber measures that GovCon companies must take to ensure the highest level of cybersecurity when doing business with the government. Comcast’s Yasmine Abdillahi, the DOD’s Derrick Davis, the Cyber Readiness Institute’s Karen Evans, the Defense Acquisition University’s Kelley Kiernan and Edward Tuorinsky of DTS will be participating in this discussion.

Get to know the distinguished executives to grace this panel discussion at the 2024 Cyber Summit.

 

Yasmine Abdillahi, Executive Director of Cybersecurity Governance, Risk and Compliance and Business Information Security Officer at Comcast Business

Headshot of Yasmine Abdillahi
Photo/ Corporate Compliance Insights

As Comcast’s executive director of cybersecurity governance, risk and compliance, Yasmine Abdillahi heads the policy governance and security certifications. Her over two decades of experience in technology and cybersecurity equip her with the credibility to speak on the “CMMC: Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?” panel.

 

Derrick Davis, Director of Industrial Cyber Security for the Officer of Small Business Programs at the Department of Defense

Headshot of Derrick Davis
Photo/ Office of Small Business Programs

Derrick Davis is the director of industrial cyber security at the Office of Small Business Programs (OBSP). He oversees several OBSP programs, including the Project Spectrum cybersecurity outreach initiative. Davis’ focus on cybersecurity in the government sector will provide an excellent perspective to the 2024 Cyber Summit panel discussion.

 

Karen Evans, Managing Director at Cyber Readiness Institute

Headshot of Karen Evans
Photo/ Wikimedia Commons

Karen Evans has been at the forefront of cybersecurity policy for over 20 years. She currently is the managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute, where she handles the creation of cybersecurity tools for small and medium-sized businesses. 

 

Kelley Kiernan, Professor of Cybersecurity at the Defense Acquisition University

Headshot of Kelley Kiernan
Photo/ Cyber Security Hub

Kelley Kiernan is a professor of Cybersecurity and Information Protection at the DOD’s Defense Acquisition University. Her demonstrated work revolves around robust cybersecurity adoption in the acquisition processes of the Navy, Air Force and Space Force. Kiernan will join as a panelist at the 2024 Cyber Summit panel discussion.

 

Edward Tuorinsky, Founder and Managing Principal at DTS

Headshot of Edward Tuorinsky
Photo/ National Veteran Small Business Coalition

Edward Tuorinsky founded DTS in February 2011 and has served as its managing principal since. He has been a long-time advocate of cybersecurity, stemming from his experience in the Army and GovCon companies such as L-3 Communications. At the “CMMC: Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?” panel discussion Tuorinsky will serve as the moderator.

 

Here’s a sneak peek of the topics covered by these speakers in the panel discussion.

 

What is the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification?

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification is a program of the Department of Defense designed to protect sensitive unclassified information shared among its contractors and subcontractors. It ensures that the DOD’s information security requirements align with those of its Defense Industrial Base (DIB) partners.

As the DIB is susceptible to complex cyberattacks, CMMC increases industry assurance that cybersecurity requirements are met, particularly regarding acquisition programs and systems that process controlled unclassified information (CUI).

 

What is the CMMC 2.0?

The cybersecurity maturity model certification model

CMMC 2.0 is the next-generation iteration of the DOD’s cybersecurity model. It further emphasizes the importance of reinforcing DIB cybersecurity to support the nation’s information security and enable warfighters. 

Through CMMC 2.0, cybersecurity requirements are streamlined into three levels; each level aligns with the widely accepted National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity standards. It outlines the key features within the framework: a tiered model, required assessments and implementation through contracts.

Transitioning to CMMC 2.0 upgraded the program structure and requirements, targeting the primary goals of:

  • Protecting sensitive information to enable and secure warfighters
  • Ensuring DIB cybersecurity standards can fight evolving threats
  • Observing accountability while overcoming the barriers to DOD requirement compliance
  • Fostering collaboration for cybersecurity and cyber resilience
  • Upholding ethical standards and professionalism to maintain public trust

 

How CMMC Readies the Cybersecurity of Government Contractors

Cybersecurity is at the forefront of the federal government’s priorities amid the fast-changing cyber landscape. Programs like CMMC allow the federal government to protect its CUI while doing business with government contractors.

Similarly, contractors and subcontractors dealing with confidential data must ensure compliance with CMMC to keep CUI secure from internal and external cyber threats. Following this model is a protocol for GovCon companies that want to start doing business with the government.

 

Is Your Company Cybersecurity Ready?

Kip Gering, (on the podium) Linus Barloon II, Jodi Kouts, Laks Prabhala, Randy Resnick (from left to right) on the Cyber Hardening Critical Infrastructure Beyond IT Panel at the 2023 Cyber Summit
Photo/ Executive Mosaic

Are you looking to venture into government contracting or want to strengthen your cybersecurity as a GovCon organization?

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit and discover how to prepare your company’s cybersecurity for the fast-paced cyber environment. Plus, learn more about topics such as zero trust, supply chain security, cyber resilience and secure information sharing.

 

Read more: Emerging Federal Markets: Opportunities and Sectors on the Rise

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ORNL, Vanderbilt University Partnering to Develop Methods Ensuring Reliability of AI Systems for Defense Applications
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ORNL, Vanderbilt University Partnering to Develop Methods Ensuring Reliability of AI Systems for Defense Applications

Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced during the Tennessee Valley Corridor 2024 National Summit a partnership with Vanderbilt University to develop methods of training and testing artificial intelligence with the ultimate aim of accelerating the adoption of AI-powered systems by the Department of Defense.

The partnership covers research and development work to produce AI assurance methods that will reportedly guarantee the functionality and resilience of AI systems and tools when put to use in challenging mission-relevant environments, ORNL said Thursday.

Initial efforts will focus on helping the U.S. Air Force maximize the use of autonomous vehicles.

Commenting on the partnership, ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer said, “Working in close cooperation with Vanderbilt, I look forward to advancing the Defense Department’s deployment of AI-based systems for national defense.”

For his part, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said, “We are excited to partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to ensure AI-enabled programs are safe, accurate and reliable at a time when it has never been more imperative to do so.”

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NASA Releases Space-Based Air Quality Data From TEMPO Instrument
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NASA Releases Space-Based Air Quality Data From TEMPO Instrument

NASA has made air quality data available through its Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution instrument, a.k.a. TEMPO, a space-based spectrometer that collects information on air pollutants across North America.

The agency said Thursday new data collected by TEMPO is available from the Atmospheric Science Data Center at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

TEMPO, built by BAE Systems’ space and mission systems division, flies aboard the Intelsat 40e satellite and measures air pollutants such as formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone.

“NASA and the Biden-Harris Administration are committed to addressing the climate crisis and making climate data more open and available to all. The air we breathe affects everyone, and this new data is revolutionizing the way we track air quality for the benefit of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Xiong Liu, senior physicist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and principal investigator for the TEMPO mission, said air quality data from TEMPO will play a critical role in the scientific analysis of pollution.

“For example, we will be able to conduct studies of rush hour pollution, linkages of diseases and health issues to acute exposure of air pollution, how air pollution disproportionately impacts underserved communities, the potential for improved air quality alerts, the effects of lightning on ozone, and the movement of pollution from forest fires and volcanoes,” he said.

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Justin Fanelli Issues Memo on DON’s Structured Challenges Approach
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Justin Fanelli Issues Memo on DON’s Structured Challenges Approach

Justin Fanelli, acting chief technology officer at the Department of the Navy, has released a memorandum on a new approach designed to help DON confront prefixed problems to rapidly optimize capabilities for warfighters and maintain competitive advantage.

The DON Chief Information Officer announced the memo on the department’s Structured Challenges Approach in a LinkedIn post published Thursday.

According to the memo, a structured challenge is an organized event aimed at addressing specific problems and exploring innovative platforms.

The document states that structured challenges, including hackathons, seek to accelerate the adoption of new capabilities, minimize the risk of adopting unsuitable systems and improve the range and quality of capabilities by considering diverse perspectives.

Plan, execute and follow-up are the three steps that should be considered when implementing structured challenges.

The document outlines several best practices to consider when implementing the approach, such as considering world class alignment metrics for evaluating challenge results, maintaining detailed records and documentation in a designated DON CIO location and creating prize challenges where possible.

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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NSA Releases Guidance on Integrating Zero Trust Model’s Visibility & Analytics Pillar
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NSA Releases Guidance on Integrating Zero Trust Model’s Visibility & Analytics Pillar

The National Security Agency has released a new cybersecurity information sheet, or CSI, on advancing organizations’ zero trust framework by focusing on visibility and analytics.

According to the CSI, the zero trust model’s visibility and analytics aspect empowers organizations to utilize infrastructure, tools, data and techniques to enable proactive risk identification, mitigation and response.

“Visibility and analytics form the cornerstone of any ZT strategy, empowering organizations to harness infrastructure, tools, data, and techniques for proactively mitigating risks and for rapid identification, detection, and response to emerging cyber threats,” said Dave Luber, director of cybersecurity at NSA.

To fully utilize the visibility and analytics pillar’s capabilities, the NSA recommends that organizations perform activity logging, regularly use security and risk analytics, centralize security information and event management, develop user and entity behavior analytics, automate dynamic policies and integrate threat intelligence.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 to hear from government and industry experts about the dynamic and ever-evolving role of cyber in the public sector. Register here!

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New Engagement Guide to Ensure Effective Communication Between AFSC, Industrial Base
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New Engagement Guide to Ensure Effective Communication Between AFSC, Industrial Base

The Air Force Sustainment Center has released a new Customer Engagement Guide in order to more effectively communicate with various mission partners, including those in academia and industry, on how to do business with it.

Ronnie Hobbs, the director of small business for AFSC, describes interacting with the organization as “a daunting task” which necessitates “a clear standard,” according to an article posted Wednesday on the Air Force Materiel Command website.

“Vendor communications are key to an open dialogue between industry, acquisition personnel, and requirement offices,” Hobbs said, adding that the guide not only outlines the resources needed to work with AFSC but also gives mission partners “the ability to provide direct feedback to make future improvements.”

AFSC works to facilitate innovation to ensure U.S. warfighter readiness. This mission requires building relationships with large as well as small contractors, which, in fiscal year 2023 received $85.2 billion in prime contracts from the Department of Defense.

For Hobbs, interchanges with the industrial base “ensures the effective connection of industry capabilities to AFSC requirements.”

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