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AIA Issues Global Supply Chain Agenda, White Paper on Critical Minerals; Eric Fanning Quoted
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AIA Issues Global Supply Chain Agenda, White Paper on Critical Minerals; Eric Fanning Quoted

The Aerospace Industries Association has released two documents outlining its recommendations to ensure a resilient and secure global supply chain and promote investments in critical mineral supply chains.

AIA said Wednesday its global supply chain agenda takes a comprehensive approach to address vulnerabilities and building up domestic production and offers several recommendations.

These include expanding the U.S. government workforce’s understanding of the unique supply chain challenges facing the aerospace and defense industry, encouraging U.S. government reviews of compliance and regulatory burdens in consultation with industry and enabling U.S. investment in allied and partner industrial base capacity.

The AIA white paper lists at least 12 critical minerals that are important to the defense and aerospace industry and offers recommendations to secure the country’s critical mineral supply chain.

Recommendations include revitalizing the National Defense Stockpile in line with the $1 billion authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, investing in infrastructure to improve domestic production capacity for the identified minerals and incentivizing metals recycling.

“U.S. global leadership in aerospace and defense hinges on a secure and resilient supply chain – particularly for the critical minerals used in the production of cutting-edge aircraft technology,” said Eric Fanning, president and CEO of AIA.

“The aerospace and defense industry’s unique landscape and diverse needs must be prioritized as the country works to strengthen our global supply chains and securing access to key critical minerals. A diverse supply chain is vital to maintaining our competitive advantage and combating growing global threats,” added Fanning, a previous Wash100 awardee.

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Former DHS Official Soraya Correa Named Contract Management Institute Executive Director
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Former DHS Official Soraya Correa Named Contract Management Institute Executive Director

Soraya Correa, former chief procurement officer at the Department of Homeland Security, has been appointed executive director of the National Contract Management Association‘s Contract Management Institute.

She brings to the role decades of procurement and contract management experience and will lead the CMI as it seeks to reestablish itself as a regional hub for resources and collaboration opportunities for professionals and organizations, NCMA said Wednesday.

Correa retired from government service in 2021 after a more than four-decade public sector career.

At DHS, Correa led the establishment of the Procurement Innovation Lab framework and spearheaded the Education, Development, Growth, and Excellence mentoring program.

Her CV also includes senior leadership positions at Naval Sea Systems Command, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, General Services Administration and NASA.

“Contract management is pivotal to mission delivery and successful business outcomes. I am committed to providing today and tomorrow’s contracting professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to excel in their roles,” Correa said.

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Deltek Analysis Shows Growth in Federal Blockchain Spending
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Deltek Analysis Shows Growth in Federal Blockchain Spending

A new Deltek analysis shows that federal spending on blockchain technology increased by 140 percent from fiscal year 2020 to FY 2022, reaching $11.85 million in FY 2022.

Alex Rossino, advisory research analyst at Deltek, wrote in the article published Wednesday that federal investment in blockchain technology is rising driven by government concerns with tax evasion and cryptocurrency fraud.

In the last three fiscal years, Department of Defense components have devoted significant funds to blockchain-related research and development efforts, particularly in the areas of secure data sharing and supply chain tracking.

The FBI, Department of the Treasury, Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal agencies are investing in analytics tools designed to monitor cryptocurrency transactions.

According to Rossino, the demand for blockchain tech expertise is starting to reflect in solicitations for multiple-award contracts and small businesses could help meet that growing demand by developing a workforce of engineers with knowledge of the technology.

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MITRE Outlines Regulatory Considerations for AI Security
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MITRE Outlines Regulatory Considerations for AI Security

MITRE has released a new paper outlining a set of recommendations for establishing a regulatory framework for addressing potential security risks posed by artificial intelligence.

The paper, titled “A Sensible Regulatory Framework for AI Security,” lays out regulatory considerations in three categories of application: AI as a component or subsystem; AI as human augmentation; and AI with agency, MITRE said Wednesday.

“Differentiating these categories is important because the threats and risks differ based on how AI manifests in applications, as do the approaches to mitigating threats and risks,” according to the paper.

When implementing AI as a subsystem, MITRE recommends that organizations reduce vulnerabilities by enhancing industry-specific assurance approaches. This includes developing a response plan to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework.

To ensure the security of AI tools that aim to augment human capabilities, MITRE suggests requiring system auditability to hold individuals who misuse the technology to cause harm accountable.

Moreover, regulations that cover AI implementations that have a level of agency must reduce risks through critical infrastructure hardening.

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CDAO Continues CJADC2 Research With 6th Iteration of Global Information Dominance Experiment; Craig Martell Quoted
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CDAO Continues CJADC2 Research With 6th Iteration of Global Information Dominance Experiment; Craig Martell Quoted

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office kicked off another Global Information Dominance Experiment last week, marking the second of four such experiments for 2023, and the sixth in the entire GIDE series.

GIDE 6 will involve longer test periods and expanded collaboration among military and civilian personnel from the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD announced Wednesday.

The experiments leverage a unified, vendor-agnostic data layer to evaluate, measure and field combined joint all-domain command and control systems, processes and technologies, including those that incorporate AI and machine learning.

The fifth iteration of GIDE was held in January over a four-day period. GIDE 6 takes place from June 5 to July 26.

“We are excited to enhance globally integrated operations through workflows that allow for faster, more data-informed, human-in-the-loop decisions,” said Craig Martell, chief digital and artificial intelligence officer at DOD.

“Strengthening industry integration and collaboration domestically, and with our allies and partners abroad, we aim to showcase the transformative power of data, analytics, and AI for our warfighters,” the 2023 Wash100 Award honoree added.

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V2X President & CEO Chuck Prow Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson
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V2X President & CEO Chuck Prow Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

V2X President and CEO Chuck Prow was recently presented with his 2023 Wash100 Award during a meeting with Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and creator of the esteemed recognition.

The Wash100 Award, which celebrated its historic 10th anniversary this year, represents the highest honor for executives in the expansive government contracting realm. During the annual competition, nominees are put through a careful selection process that weighs each individual’s influence to determine who will join the ranks of GovCon’s most elite.

Prow’s win marks his ninth year as a Wash100 awardee. In 2022, his impact as a leader continued as he spearheaded the merger of Vectrus and Vertex to create what is now V2X. With Prow at the helm, the new organization has already established a strong growth trajectory. Click here to read his full profile.

While the Wash100 Award looks at past accomplishments, it also considers the anticipated future success of its winners.

Since Prow’s induction into the 2023 Wash100 class, V2X has already secured multiple major awards, including a $265 million contract modification from the U.S. Army to extend its provision of logistics support services at Fort Benning in Georgia.

More recently, the company won a potential $324 million Navy contract for base operations support services at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and held its spot on a $32.5 billion Air Force contract to develop modern training systems.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Prow on his 2023 Wash100 win and looks forward to seeing where he takes V2X next.

Watch: 5 Defense Experts Discuss Near-Peer Competition Focus Areas
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Watch: 5 Defense Experts Discuss Near-Peer Competition Focus Areas

As global tensions rise and the competition for global dominance intensifies, government and industry leaders in the United States are zeroing in on a few key areas they believe will catapult the country into a new era of superiority.

Executive Mosaic spoke with five GovCon leaders — Department of Defense CIO John Sherman, former Acting Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Mike Madsen, SAIC’s defense and civilian sector President Bob Genter, Amentum CEO John Heller and ECS President John Heneghan — to get insight into the priorities shaping the great power competition.

Watch the full video here to find out what these five Wash100 Award winners had to say.

The Honorable John Sherman highlighted the importance of “technologies we can bring to the fight,” including things like proliferated low Earth orbit satellite communications, new types of fiber transport and cloud computing, which has become an area of accelerated focus for the Pentagon in recent years.

Madsen brought attention to the need for more effective communication between government agencies and their industry partners and vendors. Sharing his government perspective, Madsen suggested that federal leaders shouldn’t overcomplicate requirements that the private sector may already be proficient in achieving.

Industry leaders Genter, Heller and Heneghan urged continued investments and faster developments in technology focus areas like autonomous systems, next-generation weapons, critical infrastructure protection, computer vision and satellite imagery.

How are public and private sector leaders gearing up for the future fight? Join the Potomac Officers Club’s Preparing for the Contested Logistics Era Forum on Sep. 14 to find out! Register here to hear insights from military leaders in person.

Watch: 5 Defense Experts Discuss Near-Peer Competition Focus Areas
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DISA Opens Orion Cyber Operations Center-Hill in Utah; Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner Quoted
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DISA Opens Orion Cyber Operations Center-Hill in Utah; Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner Quoted

The Defense Information Systems Agency has unveiled an active-active site located on Hill Air Force Base in Davis County, Utah, that will provide security capabilities for the Department of Defense Information Network.

DISA said the Orion Cyber Operations Center-Hill is part of the agency’s broader command and control modernization efforts and will work to enable improved data resilience during emergencies.

“The Orion Cyber Operations Center’s active-active capability is another indicator that DISA is postured and prepared for any crisis, conflict or competition,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, director of DISA and a 2023 Wash100 awardee.

The facility is located within the Ogden Data Center, which houses other DISA offices and is intended to foster a shared environment and stronger team collaboration.

“The Orion Cyber Operations Center-Hill is a first within DISA where the agency’s two largest Operational Service Managers are collocated with the Global Service Desk and our Cybersecurity Service Providers,” said Army Col. Michael Reeder, commander of DISA Global Field Command.

Reeder’s office is responsible for defending the DODIN area of operations to enable continuous operational capabilities for the U.S. military and its mission partners.

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GSA’s Laura Stanton: 2022 Federal Spending Through Health IT Services SIN Hit $750M
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GSA’s Laura Stanton: 2022 Federal Spending Through Health IT Services SIN Hit $750M

Laura Stanton, a General Services Administration official, said federal agencies spent more than $750 million on health information technology platforms and support services through the Health IT Services SIN on the Multiple Award Schedule in 2022.

The departments of the Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, the Air Force and the Interior were among the SIN’s top federal agency users, Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of IT category at GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

She noted that agencies seeking to improve health care delivery and patient outcomes, accelerate the procurement of health information technology services and enhance security should consider using the Health IT Services SIN on MAS.

Stanton talked about how an agency used the special item number to help 10 pilot hospitals in the southeastern part of the U.S. advance modernization efforts, such as sharing electronic health records and delivering connected services between hospitals.

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ARPA-I Instigates Initiatives to Help Modernize US Transportation Infrastructure
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ARPA-I Instigates Initiatives to Help Modernize US Transportation Infrastructure

The newly established Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure within the Department of Transportation announced several efforts to advance U.S. transportation infrastructure modernization, including a plan to work with DOT program offices to create a research agenda that complements investment areas in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

ARPA-I issued a request for information on Tuesday to solicit insights and ideas on potential research and development areas and will begin a listening tour with companies, researchers and entrepreneurs in the Pacific Northwest to reflect the priorities of R&D stakeholders within the transportation sector, the White House said Tuesday.

The agency also held its first summit on Tuesday to discuss its potential role in strengthening the resilience and sustainability of infrastructure and improving safety.

These include identifying challenges and opportunities in advancing the adoption of novel technologies in the infrastructure sector and developing ways for ARPA-I to help DOT improve accessibility for all and meet its safety mission.

ARPA-I collaborated with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to host the inaugural event.

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