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Office of Management and Budget Releases Circular on Improving Acquisition Data-sharing Between Agencies
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Office of Management and Budget Releases Circular on Improving Acquisition Data-sharing Between Agencies

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy will establish a framework governing the management of acquisition data from various agencies as part of the mandates of a new Office of Management and Budget circular that seeks to facilitate better acquisition data-sharing and help eliminate the duplication of information, tools and effort.

According to a fact sheet released by the White House, OMB Circular A-137, Strategic Management of Acquisition Data and Information, aims to establish “the policy and technical foundation that will allow each agency’s data to be scaled and leveraged by all agencies to achieve better contracting outcomes.”

The fact sheet goes on to note that the circular treats acquisition data as “a strategic Government-wide asset to be used, as appropriate, in the lifecycle management of Federal contract.”

As part of its work to establish a centralized data management policy framework — dubbed High-Definition Framework — the OFPP, which has also been tasked to manage the circular, will formulate a governance process with the aim of ensuring the security and appropriate management and use of data sets and data products.

Through the circular, the OFPP will also work to establish a data environment that will provide agencies with centralized access to acquisition data; develop centralized data standards and definitions; promote data-sharing technologies; require agencies to share their data; and facilitate other actions that encourage collaboration and data management.

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Chris DeRusha Stepping Down as Federal CISO
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Chris DeRusha Stepping Down as Federal CISO

Chris DeRusha is stepping down from his role as federal chief information security officer within the Office of Management and Budget, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Mike Duffy, associate director for capacity building in the cyber division at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, will serve as acting federal CISO and will start his detail in the coming week, according to an internal email obtained by FNN.

“Since day one of the Biden administration, Chris has been instrumental in strengthening our nation’s cybersecurity, protecting America’s critical infrastructure, and improving the digital defenses of the federal government,” Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer at OMB and a previous Wash100 awardee, said in an email statement to the publication.

DeRusha, a previous Wash100 awardee, has helped advance the implementation of the zero trust strategy and other cybersecurity priorities of the current administration since he assumed the federal CISO role in January 2021.

Before he became federal CISO, DeRusha was chief information security officer for the Biden presidential campaign. He also served as chief security officer for the state of Michigan and as a senior cyber adviser at the White House.

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Northrop Receives Army Contract Modification for Poland’s Integrated Air & Missile Defense System
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Northrop Receives Army Contract Modification for Poland’s Integrated Air & Missile Defense System

Northrop Grumman has secured a $49 million contract modification from the U.S. Army in support of the company’s work on the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, or IBCS, for the government of Poland.

The Department of Defense said Tuesday that the contractor’s defense systems sector will continue working at its Huntsville, Alabama, site through March 31, 2025.

In March 2019, Northrop was awarded a $349.4 million contract for the delivery of two complete battery sets of IBCS hardware and software to Poland as part of the Foreign Military Sales program. The procurement is a seven-year effort expected to conclude by June 30, 2026. The company was obligated the full contract amount from fiscal 2019 FMS funds at the time of the award.

For the modification, the Army Contracting Command, which serves as the contracting activity, also awarded Northrop the full amount from the fiscal 2024 FMS budget.

IBCS is a command and control system developed to provide militaries with air and missile defense. It has modular, open and scalable architecture that enables delivery of a single actionable picture of the full battlespace to warfighters to support their decision-making on defeating threats.

Poland intends to use the system as the centerpiece of its modernization strategy for the Wisla medium-range air and missile defense program.

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Army Solicits Proposals for 4 SBIR Logistics, Sensor Development Contracts
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Army Solicits Proposals for 4 SBIR Logistics, Sensor Development Contracts

The U.S. Army is soliciting proposals for four contract opportunities under its Small Business Innovation Research Program, a.k.a. SBIR, to develop logistics and sensor technologies for military applications.

The SBIR solicitations focus on key technology topics: advanced miniature mission processors for hyperspectral applications, miniaturization of hyperspectral sensors for unmanned aerial systems, multisystem mobile corrosion units and software-defined radios.

Three direct-to-Phase II contract opportunities worth $2 million each seek a size, weight and power-optimized mission processor prototype, a radio-agonistic software-defined radio head system and a small-scale sensor prototype for drone applications.

A Phase I solicitation was released to help the Letterkenny Army Depot deploy a mobile corrosion unit with corrosion preventative coating applications, cold sprays, laser ablation, plasma blasts, welding, sanders, blasters and supporting equipment and power requirements.

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DOD Issues Open Announcement for Research Projects Under Defense Industrial Base Consortium OTA; Laura Taylor-Kale Quoted
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DOD Issues Open Announcement for Research Projects Under Defense Industrial Base Consortium OTA; Laura Taylor-Kale Quoted

The Department of Defense has issued an open announcement to solicit white papers on proposed research ideas that could be developed into prototypes as part of a push to accelerate the delivery of critical capabilities to warfighters.

DOD said Tuesday the open announcement released through the Defense Industrial Base Consortium’s other transaction authority is open to companies from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K.

The white papers should fall within one or more of the critical sectors and areas of interest and will be evaluated to be considered for Defense Production Act Title III and Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment funding.

The critical sectors listed in the announcement are kinetic capabilities, energy storage and batteries, castings and forgings, strategic and critical materials, microelectronics and workforce development.

Additional areas of interest are small unmanned aerial systems, submarine industrial base, space industrial base and emerging manufacturing technology.

“This Open Announcement will solicit new ideas for research or prototype project solutions that will benefit our industrial base,” said Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy at DOD.

“Expanding sources of supply is a key element of the vision articulated in the National Defense Industrial Strategy to help build resilient supply chains,” added Taylor-Kale.

White papers are due Sept. 30.

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Space Force Unveils Strategic Action Plan for Data Analytics, AI
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Space Force Unveils Strategic Action Plan for Data Analytics, AI

The U.S. Space Force has released a strategic action plan for fiscal year 2024 outlining the military service’s unified approach to operationalizing data and artificial intelligence to support operations in austere environments.

The Data and Artificial Intelligence FY 2024 Strategic Action Plan aims to achieve data centricity through four lines of effort: maturing enterprise-wide data and AI governance, advancing a data and AI-driven culture, reoptimizing data and advancing analytics and AI technologies, and strengthening government and industry collaborations.

Col. Nathan Iven, acting chief technology and innovation officer for Space Force, said the service branch aims to build a unified approach across data and AI activities, develop a skilled workforce, advance research and rapid experimentation and strengthen partnerships with allies and partners.

“To deliver on this vision, the USSF Data and AI FY 2024 Strategic Action Plan identifies initial actions for organizations that are essential for establishing processes, building capacity, and aligning existing efforts to better leverage data as a strategic asset,” Iven said.

“This holistic enterprise approach mapped out within this new data action plan sets USSF forth a path to ensure there is never a day without space data for our nation, allies and partners,” said Chandra Donelson, chief data and AI officer for the Space Force.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Breaks Ground on New Innovation Center
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Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Breaks Ground on New Innovation Center

The Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has broken ground at the site of a new office and laboratory building to accommodate PPPL’s research efforts in microelectronics, quantum sensors and devices and sustainability sciences.

The laboratory said Monday it will invest $109.7 million in the construction of the 68,000-square-foot Princeton Plasma Innovation Center that will replace the Theory Wing and Administration Wing.

Steve Cowley, director of PPPL, said the new facility will contribute research to support the Biden administration’s goal to develop a decadal vision to achieve commercial fusion energy by 2035 or 2040.

“We’re strengthening our commitment to deliver fusion energy,” Cowley said. “We’re also using our expertise to help other parts of the economy, particularly in microelectronics and sustainable manufacturing. We’re going to need the labs and offices in PPIC in order to drive that vision forward.”

PPIC will have a virtual reality cube and a remote collaboration space to enable PPPL scientists to communicate with research and experimentation partners worldwide.

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Terran Orbital to Supply Buses for Lockheed’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Satellites
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Terran Orbital to Supply Buses for Lockheed’s Tranche 2 Tracking Layer Satellites

Terran Orbital will deliver satellite buses to Lockheed Martin for use on the latter’s development of missile warning/tracking spacecraft under the Tranche 2 Tracking Layer contract with the Space Development Agency.

The Boca Raton, Florida-based small satellite builder was awarded a subcontract for 18 buses that will be incorporated into Lockheed’s wide field-of-view satellites with infrared sensors and/or missile defense infrared sensors, Terran Orbital said Monday.

The award builds on Terran Orbital’s previous work of manufacturing 36 Beta satellite buses for Lockheed for the second tranche of the SDA’s data communications transport layer.

“This continued partnership signifies the confidence Lockheed Martin places in Terran Orbital’s capabilities. We are excited to leverage our expertise and deliver these advanced space vehicles to support the SDA’s mission objectives,” said Marc Bell, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Terran Orbital.

SDA launched the T2 Tracking Layer initiative to have a preliminary missile defense capability in addition to having global, persistent indications, detection, warning and tracking of conventional and advanced missile threats.

Terran Orbital will manufacture the satellite buses for the layer at its advanced robotic space vehicle production facilities located in California.

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Commerce Department Announces $120M in Proposed CHIPS Funding to Polar Semiconductor; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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Commerce Department Announces $120M in Proposed CHIPS Funding to Polar Semiconductor; Gina Raimondo Quoted

Polar Semiconductor could secure up to $120 million in potential CHIPS and Science Act funding through a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms it signed with the Department of Commerce.

The Commerce Department said Monday Polar will use the proposed funding to launch new technology capabilities and expand its manufacturing facility to double its production of power chips and sensors within two years.

“This proposed investment in Polar will crowd in private capital, which will help make Polar a U.S.-based, independent foundry. They will be able to expand their customer base and create a stable domestic supply of critical chips, made in America’s heartland,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

The proposed funding is expected to help generate over 160 jobs in Minnesota and will support more than $525 million in investments from Polar, private investors and state and local entities in support of the company’s chip production capacity expansion efforts.

Polar will back its construction workforce through a project labor agreement with its construction partner Mortenson.

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David Salvagnini Takes on Chief AI Officer Role at NASA
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David Salvagnini Takes on Chief AI Officer Role at NASA

David Salvagnini, chief data officer at NASA, has assumed responsibility as the agency’s first chief artificial intelligence officer tasked with supporting the development and risk management of AI tools and training throughout the enterprise.

In this role, Salvagnini will align strategic planning for the adoption and use of AI tools across NASA and help strengthen AI-focused collaboration with industry, academia and government partners, NASA said Monday.

“It’s important that we remain at the forefront of advancement and responsible use. In this new role, David will lead NASA’s efforts to guide our agency’s responsible use of AI in the cosmos and on Earth to benefit all humanity,” said Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA and a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

Salvagnini joined NASA in June 2023 after serving as director of the architecture integration group and chief enterprise architect at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

His government career includes roles such as deputy chief of enterprise information technology operations and cyber services, chief data officer and technical director at the Department of Defense.

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