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NIST Report Focuses on Cyber Risk Management for Commercial Satellite Businesses
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NIST Report Focuses on Cyber Risk Management for Commercial Satellite Businesses

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a report outlining the fundamental concepts for managing cybersecurity risks in the commercial satellite industry.

The report is intended to introduce the Cybersecurity Framework to commercial space businesses by describing a method for applying the framework to a portion of commercial satellite operations, according to NIST.

The document lays out an abstracted set of cybersecurity requirements, outcomes and suggested controls and outlines example requirements that could be used by space companies to develop an initial baseline. It also includes sections that offer a high-level architectural view of commercial satellite operations, enumerate the steps of the Cybersecurity Framework and provide a notional example of how satellite businesses might apply the framework to their space vehicles.

NIST noted that the document focuses on unmanned commercial space vehicles that will not dock with crewed spacecraft.

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Biden Nominates Jon Holladay as USDA Chief Financial Officer
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Biden Nominates Jon Holladay as USDA Chief Financial Officer

President Biden has nominated Jon Holladay, a specialist leader at Deloitte Consulting since 2017, to serve as chief financial officer of the Department of Agriculture.

Holladay held the position during the Obama administration and provided strategic direction and leadership to 16 agencies, 12 staff offices and two wholly owned government corporations with approximately $150 billion of budget authority, the White House said Tuesday.

He served as the department’s acting CFO from September 2009 until his confirmation in November 2014.

During his more-than-two-decade career at USDA, Holladay held various positions including deputy CFO, program manager and associate CFO for financial policy and planning.

He is credited with implementing enhancements in USDA’s financial systems and processes and establishing the department’s modernized internal control program.

The Senate received Holladay’s nomination on Tuesday.

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Jen Easterly Says CISA Will Hire Regional Advisers to Strengthen Election Security
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Jen Easterly Says CISA Will Hire Regional Advisers to Strengthen Election Security

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has shared that CISA is taking actions to boost resources within the agency to increase the resilience of the U.S. election infrastructure.

In a blog post published Tuesday, Easterly said CISA will hire an election security adviser for each of its 10 regions to work directly with state and local election officials and regional directors to strengthen election security and impenetrability.

“Importantly, election security advisors will be experts in the infrastructure, jurisdictional requirements, and operating environments unique to their regions to offer more tailored guidance and support,” the two-time Wash100 awardee said.

According to Easterly, the hiring of the new election security advisers builds on CISA’s previous efforts, including the establishment of cybersecurity advisers and cybersecurity state coordinators, regional external affairs officers and regional training and exercise coordinators.

“As we gear up for upcoming elections, including the 2024 presidential election, we will continue to lean forward and do our part to ensure the American people can have confidence in the security and resilience of our democratic process,” she said.

Easterly announced the efforts at the National Association of State Election Directors’ summer conference.

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DOD Issues Updated Guide on Other Transaction Agreements
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DOD Issues Updated Guide on Other Transaction Agreements

The Department of Defense’s office of the undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment has released an updated guide on other transaction agreements.

The document outlines lessons learned related to planning, solicitation, evaluation, award and administration of production and prototype OTs and offers information on the three types of OTAs: prototype, research and production.

According to the guide, OTs seek to provide DOD access to novel technology platforms from traditional and nontraditional defense contractors through potential teaming arrangements, support dual-use projects and encourage flexible project design and implementation.

The document provides pre- and post-award information, processes and best practices, as well as additional resources—including myths, approval thresholds and other facts related to OTs.

DOD also addresses the use of consortia in production and prototype OTAs in the updated guide.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase Visibility Into US Investments in Adversarial Foreign Countries
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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase Visibility Into US Investments in Adversarial Foreign Countries

The Senate on Tuesday voted 91-6 to pass as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act a bill that would screen U.S. investments in national security industries in foreign countries of concern, such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

The Outbound Investment Transparency Act introduced by Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, would direct U.S. companies to inform the Department of the Treasury 14 days before making certain types of investments in artificial intelligence, advanced semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information science and technology, hypersonics, networked laser scanning systems with dual-use applications and satellite-based communications.

“This bill would increase the visibility of these investments, which will help the U.S. gather the information needed to better evaluate our national security vulnerabilities, confront threats from our adversaries, and remain competitive on the global stage,” Cornyn said in a statement published Tuesday.

The proposed legislation would direct the Treasury to develop a process for receiving notifications of covered activities.

The measure would also require the U.S. government to coordinate with allies and partner countries on the implications of a notification process and advance the implementation of a screening process for outbound investments in partner countries.

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State Department Counselor Derek Chollet Receives Presidential Nomination as Defense Undersecretary for Policy
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State Department Counselor Derek Chollet Receives Presidential Nomination as Defense Undersecretary for Policy

Derek Chollet, counselor of the Department of State, has been nominated as Department of Defense undersecretary for policy.

The nomination was announced by President Joe Biden and sent to the Senate on Tuesday, more than a week after Colin Kahl vacated the position.

Chollet previously worked at DOD as assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, overseeing U.S. policies affecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.

He was appointed as State Department counselor in January 2021. Prior to joining the agency, he was executive vice president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a nonpartisan organization focused on American public policy.

He spent most of his 24-year career in government and politics, with positions ranging from legislative assistant to former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., to serving as special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning at the White House National Security Council.

Accenture Federal Recognizes FSS Government Solutions With 2023 Small Business of the Year Award; John Goodman Quoted
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Accenture Federal Recognizes FSS Government Solutions With 2023 Small Business of the Year Award; John Goodman Quoted

Accenture Federal Services has selected FSS Government Solutions as its 2023 Small Business of the Year, AFS announced from its Arlington, Virginia headquarters on Wednesday.

FSS, a woman-owned information technology and project management consulting firm, is based in Annapolis, Maryland. The company offers project, program and portfolio management and technology and security support as well as financial, training and recruiting services.

John Goodman, CEO of AFS and six-time Wash100 Award winner, said that the company’s “trusted relationship” with FSS has endured for close to 10 years and represents its “steadfast commitment” to partnering with small businesses.

The chance to team with AFS, said FFS President and Owner Mary Fran Ebersole, has been an “incredible opportunity” for the woman-owned small business in its efforts to expand.

FSS Executive Vice President Keith Ebersole echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that AFS has “consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting small businesses.”

Elaine Beeman, who serves as AFS’ chief leadership officer and leads the company’s civilian portfolio, emphasized FSS’ strong understanding of cloud and Pegasystems, which she said has “been instrumental” to AFS’ work to provide public sector customers with “meaningful innovation.”

“FSS has been pivotal to helping us provide mission-critical systems support for a number of our valued clients, including the Social Security Administration,” said Beeman.

“This partnership demonstrates the best of what’s possible when large and small businesses successfully unite to get the job done. I’m thrilled to recognize FSS with this annual award,” Goodman remarked.

AFS introduced its Small Business of the Year award in 2013 to “show its dedication and appreciation to the small business community across the country.” The recognition is intended to highlight small businesses that exhibit impressive program management skills.

BWXT Selected to Deliver Nuclear Reactor Engine and Fuel for DARPA Spacecraft Project; Joe Miller Quoted
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BWXT Selected to Deliver Nuclear Reactor Engine and Fuel for DARPA Spacecraft Project; Joe Miller Quoted

BWX Technologies has been chosen under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to provide its reactor and fuels for the first demonstration spacecraft that uses nuclear thermal propulsion.

The company’s subsidiary, BWXT Advanced Technologies, will collaborate with team lead Lockheed Martin to finalize and deliver the fueled nuclear reactor for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, BWXT announced from its Lynchburg, Virginia headquarters on Wednesday.

BWXT Advanced Technologies President Joe Miller said that this selection reflects the organization’s ability to design and deploy nuclear reactors and fuel at an “unmatched” scale.

“This partnership with Lockheed Martin working for DARPA adds another important dimension to BWXT’s already-impressive line-up of nuclear reactor designs for commercial and defense applications,” he added.

As a collaborator, BWXT will support the launch of the DRACO spacecraft, which DARPA has planned for 2027. DRACO is designed to launch from earth by a conventional rocket with the reactor turned off, aligning with launch safety protocols. Once launched, the reactor will be powered on.

With the reactor’s propulsion-enabling energy, DRACO will be equipped to navigate through space at high speeds with agility over lengthy periods of time. The technology uses High Assay Low Enriched Uranium fuel to quickly heat super-cold gasses — such as liquid hydrogen — for safety and reliability. This process causes a quick expansion of the gas, creating thrust to propel the spacecraft more efficiently than chemical combustion engines.

“These more powerful and efficient nuclear thermal propulsion systems can provide faster transit times between destinations. Reducing transit time is vital for human missions to Mars to limit a crew’s exposure to radiation,” said Kirk Shireman, vice president of lunar exploration campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space.

Shireman said that the system is a “prime technology” to take humans and materials to the moon.

“A safe, reusable nuclear tug spacecraft would revolutionize cislunar operations,” he added.

The team will carry out the work primarily at BWXT’s Mt. Athos Road complex located near its Lynchburg headquarters.

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Marine Corps Achieves Flight Milestone With General Atomics-Built UAS
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Marine Corps Achieves Flight Milestone With General Atomics-Built UAS

The U.S. Marine Corps has recorded over 20,000 flight hours with its MQ-9A medium-altitude, high-endurance unmanned aircraft system.

USMC has received eight MQ-9A UAS from General Atomics‘ aeronautical systems business and uses two of the systems in operational missions, the company said Monday.

MQ-9A serves as the service’s Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Expeditionary or MUX platform. The service expects to receive 12 additional drones to meet its goal of having three squadrons in place by 2025.

GA-ASI President David Alexander said USMC’s acquisition of MQ-9A reflects its commitment to building up its aerial surveillance capabilities.

USMC expects to run a fleet of MQ-9A Extended Range systems equipped with new landing gear, wing-borne fuel pods, full-motion video, moving target indicator/maritime mode radar and a synthetic aperture radar to provide long-endurance surveillance and situational awareness capabilities.

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GAO Urges Congress to Address Gaps in Federal Regulation of Stablecoins & Trading Platforms for Crypto Assets
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GAO Urges Congress to Address Gaps in Federal Regulation of Stablecoins & Trading Platforms for Crypto Assets

The Government Accountability Office has recommended that Congress introduce a measure that would provide federal oversight of the spot market for nonsecurity crypto assets and stablecoins to protect consumers and investors from unfair trading practices.

GAO made the recommendation after it found gaps in regulatory authority over stablecoins and trading platforms for crypto assets that are not securities, according to a report publicly released Monday.

Per GAO, issuers often inform investors and consumers that reserve assets are backing stablecoins. However, there is a lack of standards for reserve levels or public disclosure of such reserves.

“This increases the risk that a stablecoin may not be able to hold its value and honor user redemption requests. To the extent these stablecoins become more integrated into the financial system, their failures could pose risks to financial stability,” the report reads.

The congressional watchdog also called on financial regulators to develop a coordination mechanism to detect and address risk related to blockchain.

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