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Booz Allen’s Steve Escaravage Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson
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Booz Allen’s Steve Escaravage Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson recently presented Steve Escaravage, executive vice president of artificial intelligence and analytics at Booz Allen Hamilton, with his 2023 Wash100 Award.

The esteemed Wash100 Award represents the highest honor in the vast government contracting industry. In its historic 10th run, the award’s voting committee once again put each candidate through a complex vetting process, during which each individual’s past accomplishments and potential for future success were carefully considered.

This year, Escaravage won his second Wash100 Award for his work to drive advancements in AI and bring the technology to the federal government. Throughout 2022, Escaravage spoke extensively about the potential for AI in the public sector in both interviews and written pieces and led the creation of Booz Allen’s partnership with C3 AI. Click here to read his full profile.

Since his induction into the 2023 Wash100 class, Escaravage has already taken Booz Allen’s AI business to new heights.

In March, the firm chose Latent AI to support the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office with developing and deploying AI and machine learning models at the tactical edge. More recently, Booz Allen’s corporate venture capital arm made a strategic investment in responsible AI-focused company Credo AI.

Booz Allen’s Steve Escaravage Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

Booz Allen is sponsoring ExecutiveBiz’s Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum, an event which will bring together AI experts to share their insights on the rapidly evolving field. Click here to learn more and register to attend the event on September 12.

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Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Assess US Competitiveness in Emerging Technologies
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Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Assess US Competitiveness in Emerging Technologies

Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Todd Young, R-Ind., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced bipartisan legislation that would establish a new federal office to analyze the U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence and other emerging technology areas.

The Office of Global Competition Analysis would assess the ability of the U.S. to win the technological race against adversaries such as China and inform policymakers on how to strengthen the nation’s leadership, Bennet’s office said Thursday.

Under the Global Technology Leadership Act, the new office would collect intelligence and commercial information to establish a data-driven approach to assessing U.S. competitiveness in strategic innovation.

“There is no single federal agency evaluating American leadership in critical technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, despite their significance to our national security and economic prosperity. Our bill will help fill this gap,” Young said.

Meanwhile, Warner highlighted the importance of tracking how the nation’s progress “stacks up against near-peers like China.”

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DOD Secretary Selects Adm. Samuel Paparo for Chief of Naval Operations Role
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DOD Secretary Selects Adm. Samuel Paparo for Chief of Naval Operations Role

Defense Secretary and a three-time Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin has put forward Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, for the position of chief of naval operations, NBC News reported Tuesday.

Senior defense officials told the publication President Joe Biden has yet to sign Paparo’s nomination, which was sent to the White House a week ago.

Paparo was commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces before assuming command of U.S. Pacific Fleet in May 2021.

He served as executive assistant to commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and to the 31st Chief of Naval Operations and as director of operations, J3, within U.S. Central Command.

He would succeed Adm. Mike Gilday, whose four-year term as CNO ends in the fall of 2023, if nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, according to a report by Politico.

DOE & GSA Invest in 2023 Green Proving Ground Program to Decarbonize Federal Buildings; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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DOE & GSA Invest in 2023 Green Proving Ground Program to Decarbonize Federal Buildings; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration and the Department of Energy are investing $30 million to fund research projects on American-made clean energy technologies.

The funds will be awarded through their Green Proving Ground program, which advocates for the decarbonization of federal buildings through renewable power and innovative systems, GSA announced Friday.

For 2023, GPG will focus on grid-interactive efficient buildings, electric vehicle supply equipment, germicidal ultraviolet technologies that use light-emitting diode and far-UV camera light, greenhouse gas accounting and onsite renewables.

The program will test technologies in various locations including GSA’s Applied Innovation Learning Labs. The agency will determine if some of them can be combined and replicated to achieve net-zero emission in government facilities.

Since 2011, GPG has tested 104 technologies and deployed 23 of them across federally owned buildings, resulting in $28 million in annual cost avoidance.

“Across the country, we’re turning federal buildings into testbeds for clean energy innovation – which will mean more good jobs, savings for taxpayers, and a healthier planet for our kids,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said.

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NTIA Receives Over 120 Applications for Wireless Innovation Fund; Alan Davidson Quoted
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NTIA Receives Over 120 Applications for Wireless Innovation Fund; Alan Davidson Quoted

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the Department of Commerce accepted 127 applications requesting funding from the $1.5 billion Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

Applicants sought $146 million for research and development projects related to interoperable and open wireless networks and $1.2 billion for testing and evaluation work, NTIA said Friday.

The Wireless Innovation Fund is a 10-year grant program funded under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and authorized under the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The fund seeks to advance the development of interoperable and standards-based networks.

Alan Davidson, administrator of NTIA and the department’s assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, said the fund was envisioned to address the need to improve the resilience, security and diversity of the wireless equipment market.

“The overwhelming interest in this first round of funding shows the private sector is stepping up to meet that need. These are the important first steps in this critical project to help us drive competition, strengthen our supply chain, and provide our allies additional trusted, innovative choices,” expanded Davidson.

Up to $140.5 million will be made available under the first funding round. NTIA will assess the applications and announce the initial awards in August.

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OMB Memo Extends Deadlines for Collection of Attestations From Software Providers
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OMB Memo Extends Deadlines for Collection of Attestations From Software Providers

The Office of Management and Budget has issued a memorandum reaffirming the importance of secure software development practices and extending the deadlines for when agencies should gather attestations from software companies.

Agencies should collect attestation letters for “critical software” no later than three months after the common attestation form issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is cleared by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act, OMB said in the memo published Friday.

OMB asks that attestations for all software should be collected no later than six months after the common form is approved by OMB under PRA.

The document provides additional guidance on the use of plans of actions and milestones by agencies when a software company cannot provide the needed attestation but intends to do so.

The memo signed by OMB Director Shalanda Young also clarifies the requirements for collecting attestations for third-party components, publicly available and freely obtained proprietary software and federal contractor-developed software.

NIST MEP Announces Funding Program to Strengthen Domestic Supply Chain
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NIST MEP Announces Funding Program to Strengthen Domestic Supply Chain

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program has awarded a total of $20 million in funding to each of its MEP National Network Centers to boost the resilience of domestic supply chains.

NIST said Friday the funding was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 and will support projects focused on workforce development and technology upgrades at small and medium-sized manufacturers, in addition to domestic supply chain resilience.

The funding will also help develop the Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network, a national database designed to support the coordination of supplier scouting services.

“Supply chain shortages are due to a lack of supply chain capacity. To address this issue, we’re creating an information system that lays out all the suppliers across various industries. This way, we can connect small suppliers to more opportunities in the supply chain,” said Pravina Raghavan, director of the NIST MEP program.

SCOIN will work to optimize supply chain network service offerings, connect original equipment manufacturers with small and medium-sized manufacturers and gather data on U.S. supplier capability and capacity.

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SSC, Sandia Review System Requirements of Next-Gen Nuclear Detection System
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SSC, Sandia Review System Requirements of Next-Gen Nuclear Detection System

Space Systems Command and Sandia National Laboratories have completed the systems requirements review for the ground segment of the former’s United States Nuclear Detonation Detection System.

SSC said Thursday its next-generation USNDS ground system is slated to undergo a preliminary design review in February 2024 in preparation for its scheduled deployment in 2028.

In collaboration with Sandia, the lead contractor of the USNDS, SSC reviewed the two critical components of the system, the NDS Analysis Package Ground Station and Sandia Data Analysis and Display System, in May at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The team initially reviewed the requirements of the Integrated Correlation and Display System USNDS ground systems in February.

The space-based USNDS system consists of sensor payloads hosted on GPS satellites that work to provide real-time information on nuclear events in Earth’s atmosphere and near space.

The current USNDS ground system has been operating on Cheyenne Mountain and in Denver, Colorado since 2013.

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Traci DiMartini to Join IRS as Human Capital Officer
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Traci DiMartini to Join IRS as Human Capital Officer

Traci DiMartini of the General Services Administration will join the Internal Revenue Service to serve as human capital officer, Federal News Network reported Friday.

Since 2020, DiMartini has been chief human capital officer at GSA with oversight of human resources functions for the agency’s 12,000 employees. She helped broaden hybrid and remote work arrangements for personnel and develop training programs for managers.

“With transformation work underway at the IRS, her experience in future of work initiatives and other projects positions her to help the IRS develop, build and retain a workforce that can help taxpayers and the nation. The IRS team is excited to welcome her to this critical position,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, said in an email statement to FNN.

DiMartini held the role of CHCO at the Peace Corps and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

She also served as acting director for human resources enterprise systems management at the Department of Agriculture and the Office of Personnel Management’s senior program manager for the CHCO Council.

Jeff Lau, regional commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service for GSA’s Northeast and Caribbean Region, will serve as GSA’s chief human capital officer on an interim basis while the agency looks for a permanent CHCO, according to FedScoop.

MITRE Creates Virtual Laboratory Network to Foster Innovation in Maritime Industry
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MITRE Creates Virtual Laboratory Network to Foster Innovation in Maritime Industry

MITRE has created a new online network that will improve the accessibility of maritime data and testing resources for businesses and other organizations.

BlueNERVE leverages MITRE’s distributed integration network to connect the nonprofit organization with 11 laboratories and similar institutions across New England, the company announced Friday.

The BlueNERVE Network is powered by MITRE’s NERVE technology, which intends to provides a secure virtual space for research, development and innovation. It features nodes that enable scientists to access data real-time and conduct experiments despite being in different locations. Its central operations will be based at BlueTech Lab, MITRE’s new facility set to open in this year in Bedford, Massachusetts.

The network includes the University of Massachusetts, Northeastern University, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Tufts University, and the University of Rhode Island. It also involves the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport and zero-equity startup accelerator MassChallenge.

“Understanding, exploring, and sustaining our oceans is a collaborative effort that cannot be done alone,” said Richard Murray, deputy director and vice president for science and engineering at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “We’re pleased to join MITRE’s BlueNERVE network as we work together to ensure the ongoing health and welfare of the oceans.”

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