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DHS Develops Cybersecurity Readiness Metric for Potential Contract Awardees
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DHS Develops Cybersecurity Readiness Metric for Potential Contract Awardees

The Department of Homeland Security finalized a new metric for assessing the cybersecurity readiness of prospective contract awardees.

The Cybersecurity Readiness Factor resulted from the statistical analysis of the 2023 Cyber Hygiene Assessment Instrument Questionnaire, and involves meeting the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publications 800-171r2 and 800-172 on information security, DHS stated in a notice published Wednesday on SAM.gov.

The metric divides readiness into three levels of likelihood, based on whether they have partially, fully or not satisfied security requirements. For fiscal year 2024, DHS set the objective baseline at fifteenth percentile. The contractor’s resulting percentile will be sent to the DHS contracting officer for review during the pre-award stage.

DHS is inviting industry feedback on the Cybersecurity Readiness Factor until Nov. 17.

On Nov. 15, the Potomac Officers Club is hosting the 2023 Homeland Security Summit to shine a light on today’s most pressing U.S. security issues. Register now to join the event.

POC - 2023 Homeland Security Summit
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2 Weeks Out Preview: 2023 Baird Government & Defense Conference
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2 Weeks Out Preview: 2023 Baird Government & Defense Conference

Financial services company and investment firm Baird will host its 6th annual Government and Defense Conference on Nov. 15 at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in Virginia. The event will showcase some of the government contracting industry and federal sector’s most prominent names, with sessions featuring CEOs, military officials, intelligence community leaders and more.

“We try to go beyond the superficial and really go in depth in terms of the subject matter,” Baird Managing Partner and event organizer John Song told GovCon Wire. “Whether it’s AI or space-related topics, among many others, the speakers will be extremely thorough about the issues and considerations for those areas of the market.”

Song is a recipient of the Wash100 Award — the GovCon space’s most distinguished honor — and the conference will see a number of his fellow awardees take the stage, including CGI Federal President Stephanie Mango, Noblis CEO Mile Corrigan and CACI President of National Security and Innovative Solutions Todd Probert, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stacey Dixon and more.

For a more extensive preview of the conference, read GovCon Wire’s reporting here.

If you have further questions or would like to request an invitation, please contact Baird’s conference events team at IBEvents@rwbaird.com.

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Senate Bill Aims to Enhance Federal AI Testing & Evaluation Systems
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Senate Bill Aims to Enhance Federal AI Testing & Evaluation Systems

Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., have proposed a bill that aims to enhance the federal government’s capacity to assess and test artificial intelligence tools to protect national security and citizens and foster innovation.

The proposed Testing and Evaluation Systems for Trusted AI Act would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to work with the Department of Energy to come up with testbeds for the assessment of trusted AI tools to meet workforce needs and advance AI-related capabilities, Risch’s office said Tuesday.

The bill seeks to improve the trustworthiness and reliability of federal and commercial AI systems and develop classified testbeds to support safeguards meant to test and prevent misuse of AI tools.

“This will help harness the talent of our National Laboratories to boost our federal capacity to implement responsible guardrails that protect our national security, ensuring this technology is not misused or manipulated,” Lujan said of the TEST AI Act.

Risch and Lujan introduced the legislation with Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and John Thune, R-S.D.

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Kurt Campbell Nominated for Deputy Secretary of State Post
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Kurt Campbell Nominated for Deputy Secretary of State Post

President Joe Biden has nominated Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council, to serve as deputy secretary of the State Department.

Campbell served as assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs between 2009 and 2013, the White House said Wednesday.

He was the founding chairman and CEO of strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, co-founder and chief executive of the Center for a New American Security and director of the Aspen Strategy Group.

His government career included time as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, director of the Democracy Office at the NSC and White House Fellow at the Department of the Treasury.

Campbell, who authored several books and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, previously served as an associate professor of public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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Gen David Allvin Confirmed as Air Force Chief of Staff
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Gen David Allvin Confirmed as Air Force Chief of Staff

Gen. David Allvin has been confirmed as the Air Force chief of staff after a Senate vote on Thursday.

The four-star general will succeed Gen. CQ Brown, who was confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September, the Air Force Times reported Thursday.

Allvin has served as the Air Force’s acting chief of staff since October 2023 and as the vice chief of staff since November 2020. In July, Allvin was nominated to lead the Air Force by President Biden.

“Gen. Dave Allvin is the right leader for this defining decade, as our Air Force continues to adapt to the evolving global security environment, and ensure we have the culture, concepts and capabilities needed to compete and win in a highly contested environment,” Brown said in a statement released by the Air Force in July. “His expertise in strategy and planning will be crucial to the service’s success in this era of sustained strength and deterrence.”

Allvin’s confirmation comes after a monthslong block on military promotions catalyzed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., earlier this year. Brown’s confirmation as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman in September marked the first breakthrough of the blockade.

Two other top military officials were also confirmed on Thursday alongside Gen. Allvin. Adm. Lisa Franchetti has been approved as chief of naval operations for the U.S. Navy after serving in the role on an acting basis for several months. Franchetti is the first woman to lead the Navy.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney was also promoted to general and has been confirmed as the Marines’ new assistant commandant.

National Science Foundation Awards Funding for National Secure Data Service Project Proposals
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National Science Foundation Awards Funding for National Secure Data Service Project Proposals

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics at the National Science Foundation has awarded $7.5 million in total to multiple organizations to finance their proposals for the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project.

The demonstration project seeks to develop an NSDS ecosystem that would facilitate expanded data use — especially in decision-making — by streamlining data access, linkages and privacy protections, the America’s DataHub Consortium said Tuesday.

The awardees are:

  • Knexus Research Corp.
  • The Urban Institute
  • Mathematica
  • NORC at the University of Chicago
  • Regents of the University of Michigan Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
  • Duality Technologies
  • HealthVerity

The awardees were chosen following a competitive evaluation process.

“The breadth and depth of subject matter expertise our awardees bring will allow us to further explore potential shared services for a National Secure Data Service,” said Heather Madray, a program director at the NCSES.

DOE Selects 6 Projects for Quantum Information Science Research
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DOE Selects 6 Projects for Quantum Information Science Research

The Department of Energy Office of Science has selected six projects to receive $11.4 million in funding to conduct research on quantum information science for fusion energy sciences.

The funding will focus on advancing quantum algorithms related to fusion and plasma physics, developing high-sensitivity measurement techniques for plasmas and exploring high-energy density physics methods for QIS materials discovery and synthesis, DOE said Monday.

Jean Paul Allain, associate director of science for the Fusion Energy Sciences program, said the awards will enable FES to “take advantage of QIS sensing techniques and future quantum computing hardware.”

“The convergence of quantum science, fusion energy, and plasma science is an exciting and revolutionary emergent area of discovery and broader impact.”

The QIS research projects were competitively peer-reviewed and will run for up to three years. DOE will provide $3.8 million in fiscal year 2023 and $7.6 million in outyear funding.

DOD All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office Unveils New UAP Reporting Form
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DOD All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office Unveils New UAP Reporting Form

The Department of Defense All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office introduced a new mechanism for reporting unidentified anomalous phenomena on its website.

The new reporting form marks the second phase of AARO’s initiative to ensure secure submission of UAP sightings that will inform its congressionally directed Historical Record Report, DOD said Tuesday.

The latest reporting mechanism is for current or former U.S. government employees, service members, or contractor personnel that have direct knowledge of domestic UAP programs or activities since 1945.

The submissions will be investigated and used as a resource for the Historical Record Report, which is expected to be submitted to Congress by June next year.

AARO emphasized that the form is not for submitting potentially sensitive, classified or unclassified but not publicly releasable information.

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Space Systems Command Debuts Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator
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Space Systems Command Debuts Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator

The U.S. Space Systems Command unveiled a new accelerator program for space domain awareness technology, applications and process at its operations command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator is supported by the nonprofit Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp. and Mitre, SSC announced Monday.

The program was created as a venue for SSC to collaborate with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Air Force Office of Scientific Research in commercializing SDA prototype technologies.

Every year, it will have a maximum of four cohorts working together for three months on projects specializing in SDA, space battle management and threat warning and assessment. The Space Force or other government agencies may award follow-on contracts as needed, SSC said.

The accelerator’s first-ever cohort focuses on technologies that prevent adversaries from using direct ascent anti-satellite weapons on geosynchronous satellites.

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IperionX Secures DOD Investment for Titanium Powder Production
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IperionX Secures DOD Investment for Titanium Powder Production

IperionX has received $12.7 million in funding from the Department of Defense to increase titanium powder production for defense supply chains.

The award is part of the DOD’s Defense Production Act Investment — or DPAI — program, which works to invest in critical industries to strengthen the nation’s industrial base, DOD said Monday.

Titanium powder is a key ingredient in the production of titanium alloys, which are used in a wide range of defense applications, including aircraft, spacecraft and missiles. The DOD currently relies on foreign suppliers for a significant portion of its titanium powder, but the DPAI program is working to increase domestic production and reduce reliance on foreign sources.

IperionX is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based company that is developing a new process for producing titanium powder from either titanium minerals or recycled material. The company’s goal is to produce 10,000 metric tons of titanium metal powder per year within five years.

The DOD’s investment in IperionX is expected to help the company commission and scale up its facility in Halifax County, Virginia to a demonstration plant. This will increase the company’s titanium powder production to 125 metric tons annually.

The DPAI program has made 21 awards totaling $674 million so far in 2023. The program is overseen by the ASD(IBP)’s Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Program, which is part of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience.

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