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CISA Zero Trust Expert Sean Connelly Leaving Agency for Private Sector
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CISA Zero Trust Expert Sean Connelly Leaving Agency for Private Sector

Sean Connelly, the senior cybersecurity architect and Trusted Internet Connections program manager at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is leaving the agency after 11 years of service, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

Connelly’s last day at CISA is April 19.

His accomplishments at the agency include developing and releasing the TIC 3.0 update, the agency’s first zero trust model and its April 2023 update; co-authoring National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-207, which tackles zero trust architecture; and launching the CISA Zero Trust Initiative Office.

Connelly is reportedly moving to IT security company Zscaler, where he is expected to work to help foreign governments adopt zero trust.

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MDA’s Lt. Gen. Heath Collins: FY2025 Budget Request Covers Japan Partnership to Develop Hypersonic Interceptor
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MDA’s Lt. Gen. Heath Collins: FY2025 Budget Request Covers Japan Partnership to Develop Hypersonic Interceptor

U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, the director of the Missile Defense Agency and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, recently told lawmakers that his agency’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 covers a planned collaboration with Japan to develop the glide phase interceptor, a weapon meant to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles.

Collins explained during a House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on Friday that the formal agreement on the collaboration is expected this spring, under which Japan will fund and develop propulsion elements and other key components.

The MDA director also said his agency intends to decide by the end of fiscal year 2024 on a single GPI interceptor design for continued development. RTX company Raytheon and Northrop Grumman are currently under separate MDA contracts to develop the GPI concept, according to a report by The Defense Post.

FY2025 will see GPI technology maturation and risk reduction work, Collins added.

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JHTO Selects Finalists for Hypersonic Prototype Development Challenge
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JHTO Selects Finalists for Hypersonic Prototype Development Challenge

The Department of Defense’s Joint Hypersonics Transition Office, in collaboration with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, has selected the finalists for a two-phase challenge that aims to develop novel approaches to rapid development and flight testing of hypersonic prototypes.

L3Harris Technologies‘ Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary, Castelion Corporation, GoHypersonic, Northrop Grumman and Specter Aerospace will move forward to Phase II of the Hyper-AMPD! prize challenge to build a feasibility study on the white paper concepts they submitted for Phase I, NAVSEA said Friday.

JHTO is looking for novel ideas that can be developed and tested within 24 months to accelerate the integration of hypersonic weapons into the U.S. missile defense systems.

The office will select up to two winners of the challenge, which offers $500,000 in cash prizes.

“Submissions came from a wide range of idea generators, as well as created new partnerships in response to this challenge. It was incredibly difficult to narrow the selection for Phase II, but I am very excited to see the outcome of the feasibility studies over the coming months,” said Sarah Armstrong, Director of JHTO’s Systems Engineering Field Activity at NSWC Crane.

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Syneren Awarded WHS Contract for Defense Tech Security Administration Support Services
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Syneren Awarded WHS Contract for Defense Tech Security Administration Support Services

Syneren Technologies will provide the Defense Technology Security Administration Information Technology Enterprise and its users with a range of services under a potential $31.1 million contract from the Washington Headquarters Services.

The Department of Defense said Friday Syneren was initially awarded an $11.9 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for basic services, enhanced IT surge capabilities and training, as well as program, service and enterprise IT management.

Efforts are aimed at ensuring user satisfaction and compliance with applicable federal laws and regulations. The contractor will perform work at the Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia, through April 16, 2025.

Syneren provides digital transformation services in support of government and industry customers. Its offerings cover hardware and systems engineering, health IT, software development, data analytics, artificial intelligence/machine learning, robotic process automation, IT systems support, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, independent test evaluation and program management.

Gen. Timothy Haugh Highlights USCYBERCOM Efforts to Counter Adversarial Threats
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Gen. Timothy Haugh Highlights USCYBERCOM Efforts to Counter Adversarial Threats

Gen. Timothy Haugh, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, said CYBERCOM is optimizing its force and operations to stay ahead of adversaries like China and Russia in the cyber domain.

According to Haugh, China and Russia have integrated cyberattack capabilities into military planning and operations to gain a warfighting advantage and are increasingly using social media and state-sponsored disinformation sites to cause confusion and spread false narratives.

“We are particularly concerned with adversaries probing and exploiting our military and intelligence networks, compromising the U.S. defense industrial base networks in order to steal weapon system technology and accessing or attempting to compromise U.S. critical infrastructure,” the 2024 Wash100 awardee said.

To counter China’s cyber operations, USCYBERCOM aims to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command by providing mission-critical tools needed to defend its area of responsibility.

“Additionally, we work daily to counter PRC-based cyber threats to our homeland, allies, and partners,” Haugh said.

Haugh also highlighted USCYBERCOM’s partnerships with U.S. European Command to “support Ukraine’s independence and the success of its resistance to the Russian invasion.”

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 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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FY2025 Update to Strategic Management Plan Includes Performance Metrics for Military Departments
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FY2025 Update to Strategic Management Plan Includes Performance Metrics for Military Departments

The Department of Defense has released the updated version of the Fiscal Years 2022 – 2026 DoD Strategic Management Plan, with approval from Deputy Secretary of Defense and 2024 Wash100 winner Kathleen Hicks.

The DOD said Friday that the SMP serves as its framework for the management of its goals under the 2022 National Defense Strategy and is updated yearly to report progress on near-term and long-term objectives.

The SMP update for fiscal year 2025 focuses on five strategic priorities: workforce cultivation; the transformation of the foundation of the future force; making correct investments in technology; defense ecosystem resilience; and addressing institutional management priorities.

Unique to the FY2025 are the outcome-driven performance goals and measures for military departments. The purpose of these measures are to ensure accurate representation of the contribution of the military departments to strategic priorities and objectives.

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DARPA Solicits Proposals for Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance Program
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DARPA Solicits Proposals for Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has begun seeking proposals for a new program that aims to explore methods to predict the life of unique machine parts based directly on data captured during additive manufacturing.

A notice posted Friday on SAM.gov states that the Structures Uniquely Resolved to Guarantee Endurance, or SURGE, program seeks to develop and test model-based hardware life prediction methods that can be transferable across disparate materials, machines and geometries.

SURGE will converge existing process modeling, sensing technologies and microstructure-based fatigue life methods to predict the useful life of metallic parts produced using additive manufacturing during the production phase.

The program has a two-year Phase 1 base period and an option for a two-year Phase 2 effort.

The selected contractors will develop and validate their methods during Phase 1 and apply developed methods to complex parts and demonstrate transferability in Phase 2.

Responses are due July 1.

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GovCon Index Dropped for 2nd Consecutive Week
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GovCon Index Dropped for 2nd Consecutive Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index dropped by 2.42% last week, closing with an average of $4,780.55.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks data from 30 key government contracting companies in real time. Users can leverage this information to make their own assessments of how each organization is performing and evaluate the overall financial state of the GovCon industry.

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (+ 2.25%), Mercury Systems (+1.15%) and Northrop Grumman (+0.35%) were the only three companies tracked by GovCon Index that rose last week.

Though GovCon Index began the week with slight gains, it decreased by 1.09% on Tuesday and slipped further on Wednesday. A small rise on Thursday pointed to a potential rebound, but on Friday, the GovCon Index fell once again.

To view last week’s market reports and get an in-depth look at daily GovCon Index performance, click here. You can find the full list of tracked companies here.

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Space Force Launches Weather Monitoring Satellite to LEO
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Space Force Launches Weather Monitoring Satellite to LEO

The U.S. Space Force has launched its Weather System Follow-on Microwave, or WSF-M, satellite to low Earth orbit onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to provide warfighters worldwide with actionable weather intelligence.

The BAE Systems-built WSF-M satellite lifted off Thursday from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as part of the Space Force’s USSF-62 mission, the service branch said Thursday.

“The launch of the WSF-M satellite represents a significant step forward in our mission to enhance our nation’s space capabilities,” said Col. Mark Shoemaker, commander of Space Launch Delta 30.

“Our dedicated Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg ensure assured access to space, standing ready to support critical national security space launches when our nation calls,” Shoemaker added.

The WSF-M satellite will gather real-time data on ocean surface winds, snow depth, tropical cyclone intensity, sea ice and soil moisture to inform weather products used to conduct mission planning and operations.

The launch was conducted in partnership with Space Launch Delta 30 and Space Systems Command.

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SBA Introduces Digital Portal to Access Investing in America Opportunities; Isabel Casillas Guzman Quoted
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SBA Introduces Digital Portal to Access Investing in America Opportunities; Isabel Casillas Guzman Quoted

The Small Business Administration has launched a digital portal designed to provide small businesses with resources and link them to funding opportunities under President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

“The SBA’s new Investing in America Small Business Hub will help more small businesses connect to the resources, funding opportunities, and support they need to capitalize on these opportunities and strengthen their businesses,” SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman said in a statement published Thursday.

The digital platform includes technological assistance guides to help small businesses access grants, contracts and other market opportunities under the agenda and highlights the certifications such companies need to qualify for funding.

The online tool offers information on SBA resources that could help small vendors gain access to investment capital to advance growth initiatives.

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