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Lockheed Secures $109M Navy Trident II Missile Integration Support Contract
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Lockheed Secures $109M Navy Trident II Missile Integration Support Contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin’s space business a potential five-year, $109.2 million contract to help integrate the Trident II D5 missile and reentry subsystems into the common missile compartment as part of the submarine construction programs of the U.S. and U.K. governments.

The Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs in Washington, D.C., awarded the sole-source, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract in support of the U.S. government’s Columbia-class and British government’s Dreadnought-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Work will occur in Florida, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania and other locations through February 2029.

The service will obligate funds using the Navy’s fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion funds worth $80.9 million and $28.3 million in non-foreign military sales funds.

Trident II D5, which was first deployed in 1990, is a fleet ballistic missile currently aboard the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class and British Vanguard-class submarines.

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Google’s Karen Dahut & CIA’s Maura Burns Named to Executive Mosaic’s 2024 Wash100 List
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Google’s Karen Dahut & CIA’s Maura Burns Named to Executive Mosaic’s 2024 Wash100 List

Executive Mosaic is proud to recognize Google Public Sector CEO Karen Dahut and Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Chief Operating Officer Maura Burns as winners of its coveted 2024 Wash100 Award.

The Wash100 Award is the government contracting ecosystem’s most prestigious and respected recognition. Each year, the most promising and powerful public and private sector leaders are selected to the Wash100 list for their outstanding innovation, reliability, vision, leadership and achievements in GovCon.

Dahut earned her fourth Wash100 Award this year for “accelerating cyber and technology innovation and for spearheading growth through partnerships with other government contractors,” according to her Wash100 profile.

Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson said, “Karen’s keen ability to understand and impact the vast GovCon IT and tech landscapes are what make her not only an apt leader for one of the market’s biggest players, but also an obvious selection to our Wash100 list as well.”

Burns made her debut on the Wash100 list this year for exhibiting noteworthy dedication and leadership within the U.S. Intelligence Community. Burns stepped into the deputy COO role in 2021 and is responsible for managing and coordinating operations for the CIA’s five major directorates and mission centers. Click here to read more about Burns and why we chose her to win the 2024 Wash100 Award.

The Wash100 season isn’t over yet! Don’t forget to participate in the 2024 Wash100 popular vote competition by voting for your favorite winners. Visit Wash100.com to learn more and cast your ten votes.

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Midweek Gains Led GovCon Index Growth Last Week
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Midweek Gains Led GovCon Index Growth Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index rose by 0.09% last week, closing at $4,844.11.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that collects real-time data from 30 major government contractors. This information enables users to assess each company’s performance and analyze the overall financial state of the GovCon market while getting a glimpse into the broad trends shaping the field.

Last week, Palantir secured the top spot in the ranks, rising by 7.86%. Mercury Systems took second place with a 4.71% increase, and AeroVironment (+4.26%) trailed closely behind. The fourth and fifth slots were filled by Textron (+3.06) and The Carlyle Group (+2.13%), respectively.

GovCon Index’s growth last week was carried by midweek increases. It fell slightly on Monday, but bounced back on Tuesday with a 0.23% rise, beginning a growth trend that was maintained through Thursday. On Friday, GovCon Index fell by 0.15%.

Check out last week’s market reports for more details on daily GovCon Index performance. To view the full list of tracked companies, click here.

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Rockwell Automation Joins DOE Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems Program
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Rockwell Automation Joins DOE Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems Program

Rockwell Automation has joined the Department of Energy’s Cyber Testing for Resilient Industrial Control Systems program, also known as CyTRICS, to perform cybersecurity vulnerability testing of multiple critical infrastructure components.

Under the CyTRICS program, Rockwell Automation will submit critical infrastructure components to be tested for potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities at the Idaho National Laboratory, DOE said Thursday.

Rockwell Automation is the sixth private-sector company to join the vulnerability testing initiative, which aims to ensure the security of the U.S. energy sector supply chain by utilizing the analytic tools and capabilities at DOE’s national laboratories to assess the cyber resilience of high-impact energy systems.

“As we navigate an increasingly digital world, ensuring the security of our automation products is paramount to Rockwell and its customers. This collaboration provides a unique opportunity to leverage the National Laboratory’s industry-leading expertise, analytics, and capabilities to strengthen the security posture of our products and affirm our commitment to transparency,” said Tony Baker, chief product security officer at Rockwell Automation.

DOE also added Westinghouse Electric Company to the CyTRICS program in early February to test one of its instrumentation and control systems for nuclear applications.

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DISA’s Col. Richard Leach: Emerging Tech Presents Cybersecurity Challenges, Opportunities
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DISA’s Col. Richard Leach: Emerging Tech Presents Cybersecurity Challenges, Opportunities

Army Col. Richard Leach, director of intelligence at the Defense Information Systems Agency, said that in addition to the remote work arrangement, the adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies has transformed the cybersecurity landscape.

At a summit on Wednesday, Leach discussed how AI could enable hackers to immediately look for information on high-value individuals and find code that could allow them to breach internet-connected devices, DISA said Friday.

During the fireside chat, he also cited how AI could help analysts speed up their work.

“There’s no way I can hire enough analysts to sort through all of that, so we’re going to have to use those APIs and those large hybrid models to sort through the data,” he noted.

Leach additionally discussed DISA’s transition to zero trust and the importance of cyber education.

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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Air Force Intelligence Office CIO Col. Michael Medgyessy on Cloud Office Governance
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Air Force Intelligence Office CIO Col. Michael Medgyessy on Cloud Office Governance

Col. Michael Medgyessy, chief information officer of the Air Force Intelligence Office, said he believes cloud office governance could be a big deal in 2024 due to the office’s need to access and use platforms from agencies like the National Reconnaissance Office, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and U.S. Space Force, Federal News Network reported Friday.

With the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability vehicle and other programs, Medgyessy noted that the governance process could help ensure users adhere to guardrails the service branch developed for cloud services adoption.

“The shared inherited controls that you get when you using this way, the visibility and security cognizance of what’s going on in commercial cloud at any given time by the CIO is super important to trying to tame the Wild West, while not having to slow people down,” the colonel told FNN in an interview.

“We have to have an understanding that when you do come through the cloud office, yes, there’s going to be guardrails in place, but you’re also getting to go faster and you’re going to be more successful long term,” he added.

Medgyessy said his office is considering transitioning to an “as-a-service” model to accelerate the deployment of customer capabilities.

He also cited the Air Force Intelligence Office’s effort to hire a chief data officer and stressed the importance of Digital University and other initiatives to retain the service’s digital savvy airmen and women.

POC - 5th Annual CIO Summit

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual CIO Summit on April 17 and learn more about the latest modernization strategies and how industry can help meet the priorities of federal CIOs.

US, International Partners Convene for Project Convergence Capstone 4 Experimentation
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US, International Partners Convene for Project Convergence Capstone 4 Experimentation

The U.S. military and international partners have come together for a joint exercise aimed at showcasing next-generation technologies and capabilities for joint experimentation, multinational integration, command and control and data exchange, DVIDS reported Friday.

More than 4,000 service members and civilians from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and militaries from allied countries including the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and Japan are participating in Project Convergence – Capstone 4 taking place in locations around the West Coast.

Australian Army Joint Interface Control Officer Capt. Jack Hatton said the multinational exercise will experiment, test and validate the interoperability between mission partner forces to “achieve a fully integrated combined force in multi-domain operations.”

“This includes utilizing emerging technology and capabilities, blending military and commercial sectors, in a cooperative and operationally focused environment,” Hatton said.

The Department of Defense reported that the joint military exercise uses an extensive communications network to transmit information between different experimentation levels, validating the utility of modern capabilities and networks to accelerate data exchanges.

“The network has to be the No. 1 priority,” said Gen. Randy George, chief of staff of the Army. “You cannot communicate, you cannot command and control, everything we do across our warfighting functions depends on our network.”

Persisting Challenges Force NASA to Dissolve On-orbit Manufacturing Project
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Persisting Challenges Force NASA to Dissolve On-orbit Manufacturing Project

NASA has terminated the On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing 1 project in response to an in-depth independent review of the program.

The space agency on Friday cited continued challenges in technical, financial and collaborative aspects of the project as the reason for the shutdown.

NASA mentioned that it failed to secure a committed partner for OSAM-1 due to persisting technical and scheduling obstacles, as well as the sector’s increasing shift away from the practice of refueling unprepared spacecraft.

The project’s management team has notified Congress of the decision and is planning an organized shutdown, from sensitive hardware disposal to pursuit of alternative uses of the components and technologies.

The agency’s leaders are formulating strategies to address the workforce impact of the OSAM-1 cancellation at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

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Commerce Department Looks Into Potential National Security Vulnerabilities in Connected Vehicles; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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Commerce Department Looks Into Potential National Security Vulnerabilities in Connected Vehicles; Gina Raimondo Quoted

The Department of Commerce has kicked off the regulatory process to investigate the national security risks associated with foreign adversaries’ information and communications technology and services — a.k.a. ICTS — in connected vehicles, or CVs, by issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking.

The department said Thursday the notice seeks to solicit public input as it works on regulations aimed at securing the ICTS supply chain for connected vehicles.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the proposed rulemaking notice seeks to look into the national security risks of CVs, particularly China-made technology in the vehicles.

“We need to understand the extent of the technology in these cars that can capture wide swaths of data or remotely disable or manipulate connected vehicles, so we are soliciting information to determine whether to take action under our ICTS authorities,” Raimondo added.

The department is soliciting comments on how potential classes of ICTS transactions that are integral to CVs may pose risks to U.S. national security and implementation mechanisms to address such risks through mitigation measures or potential prohibitions, among others.

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Senate Bill Pushes for Increased Standardization Activities in Emerging Tech; Sen. Mark Warner Quoted
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Senate Bill Pushes for Increased Standardization Activities in Emerging Tech; Sen. Mark Warner Quoted

A new bill introduced by Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., seeks to fortify the standardization process for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

The Promoting United States Leadership in Standards Act of 2024 would authorize funding for a pilot program to support standard-setting meetings and require congressional progress reporting of standardization programs, according to a statement published Thursday in Warner’s official website.

The legislation directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to investigate U.S. involvement in international standard development activities and submit its findings to Congress.

It would also allocate $10 million in grants over four years to support domestic gatherings and assemblies relevant to AI and other critical and emerging technologies.

If passed, the bill would allow for the creation of a web portal containing existing international standards and instructions on how people can participate in AI and CET standardization activities.

“In recent years, the Communist Party of China has asserted their dominance in the global technology space, and as their status has risen, our authority and influence has fallen,” Warner stated. “This legislation clearly outlines steps we must take to reestablish our leadership and ensure that we are doing all we can to set the global standards for critical and emerging technologies,” added Warner, a three-time recipient of the Wash100 award.

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