GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training
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GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training

The General Services Administration has introduced a web-based tool for federal buyers and vendors to request specialized training in government professional services and human capital contracting processes.

Users of the new online form can also seek resources they believe will address their training needs, according to a GSA blog post published Tuesday.

The application includes a field for topics the requester is interested in, such as an overview of GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services and Multiple Award Schedule governmentwide contract vehicles.

GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training

A group of GSA officials will participate in GovCon Wire’s 2023 Government Technology & Acquisition Forum on Tuesday, May 23, to share their insights and perspectives on the current federal procurement environment.

Mukunda Penugonde, deputy director of GSA Technology Transformation Services, will headline the virtual event and his keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion.

Visit the GCW events page to register.

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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based Technology Development
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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based Technology Development

The International Space Station National Laboratory has begun seeking flight concepts that use the space-based facility to develop, mature and demonstrate advanced technologies for various applications.

ISS National Lab said Thursday the third cycle of its research announcement opens opportunities to use the government-funded national laboratory to address hardware product development gaps, demonstrate new spaceflight research and development methodologies and validate next-generation production methods and materials.

The space-based laboratory also seeks to support the design, development and demonstration of novel drugs and diagnostic services.

Interested parties may submit concept summaries until July 10. Full proposals must be submitted by Oct. 9.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the laboratory, scheduled a webinar on May 31 to provide further details on the research announcement.

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NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Adds 5 Research Teams for Lunar Studies
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NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Adds 5 Research Teams for Lunar Studies

NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has chosen five additional research teams that will get annual funding over five years to help advance human and robotic lunar exploration.

The teams are part of a cadre of 13 research groups that have been selected to collaborate with SSERVI since 2019, the space agency announced Friday.

The studies focus on lunar science and sample analysis in support of the Artemis program as well as the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The latest round of winning proposals will explore areas such as the evolution of the lunar magma ocean, conditions of the formation of the Earth and Moon and the origin and transformation of volatile components in lunar regolith.

The newly included teams are:

  • Lunar Structure, Composition, and Processes for Exploration (LunaSCOPE)
  • Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE)
  • Research Activities Supporting Science and Lunar Exploration (RASSLE)
  • Center for Lunar Environment and Volatile Exploration Research (CLEVER)
  • Center for Advanced Sample Analysis of Astromaterials from the Moon and Beyond (CASA Moon)

The groups are comprised of universities and research institutions, including Brown University, Southwest Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of New Mexico.

DOD, NTIA Back Proposal to Open 3300-3400 MHz for 5G
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DOD, NTIA Back Proposal to Open 3300-3400 MHz for 5G

The Department of Defense and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration have backed a State Department proposal to open the 3300 to 3400 MHz spectrum band for 5G mobile services in the Americas region.

NTIA said Monday the State Department is submitting the proposal to the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission for discussion during CITEL’s upcoming meeting in Mexico City.

The CITEL would then submit the regional proposal to the World Radiocommunications Conference to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November.

If adopted by the WRC-23, the international Radio Regulations would be amended to identify the band for 5G use in the Americas.

“By State Department submitting this proposal, the U.S. government is seeking to protect critical operations and capabilities while also use of the 3300-to-3400 megaband — or megahertz band for 5G mobile services by countries that wish to do so,” DOD press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a separate statement.

“Electromagnetic spectrum access in all bands remains essential to DOD operations as we conduct our national security mission worldwide,” Ryder added.

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Janet Yellen Repeats Plea for Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling
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Janet Yellen Repeats Plea for Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to congressional leaders warning that her department could default on its obligations if Congress fails to increase or suspend the borrowing limit as early as June 1.

“The actual date Treasury exhausts extraordinary measures could be a number of days or weeks later than these estimates,” Yellen wrote in the Monday letter.

She mentioned the potential impacts on the country’s credit rating, short-term borrowing costs and consumer and business confidence if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling.

“I continue to urge Congress to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by acting as soon as possible,” Yellen added.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office indicates that the U.S. government reached its statutory debt limit of $31.4 trillion on Jan. 19 and would not be able to pay its bills in the first two weeks of June if the debt ceiling remains unchanged.

“If the Treasury’s cash and extraordinary measures are sufficient to finance the government until June 15, expected quarterly tax receipts and additional extraordinary measures will probably allow the government to continue financing operations through at least the end of July,” the CBO report reads.

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Senators Ask DOD, State Department to Respond to Questions Over End-Use Monitoring Programs
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Senators Ask DOD, State Department to Respond to Questions Over End-Use Monitoring Programs

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have expressed concerns about how the departments of Defense and State track and monitor weapons systems that originated in the U.S.

The senators noted in a May 14 letter to DOD and the State Department about signs of misuse of U.S.-origin weapons in Yemen and their association with civilian casualties, Warren’s office said Monday.

In the letter, the lawmakers welcomed the creation of the Pentagon’s Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan and the administration’s release of the updated Conventional Arms Transfer policy in February.

The senators have asked federal agencies to respond by June 5 to several questions about their end-use monitoring programs.

DOD, for instance, should state the number of potential end-use violations the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has transmitted to the State Department since 2012 and the number of compliance assessment visits that have been conducted by the Golden Sentry program for U.S.-origin defense articles and services sold to the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia since 2012, the senators said.

The State Department, meanwhile, should indicate the number of reports of civilian harm linked to U.S.-origin weapons that it has received since 2012 and the criteria it uses if foreign military sales should be paused, canceled or reduced after receiving reports of unauthorized use.

The lawmakers are also asking the two agencies to provide a briefing on EUM capabilities no later than June 26.

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President Biden Names NCI Director Monica Bertagnolli as Potential NIH Director Nominee
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President Biden Names NCI Director Monica Bertagnolli as Potential NIH Director Nominee

Monica Bertagnolli, director of the National Cancer Institute, has been chosen by President Joe Biden as a potential nominee to the directorship of the National Institutes of Health.

President Biden expressed his plan to nominate Bertagnolli on account of her contributions to improving cancer prevention and treatment, as well as her efforts to expand access to quality care, the White House said Monday.

Bertagnolli’s career has maintained a longstanding focus on oncology, beginning at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center where she was an associate surgeon. She was also an attending surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital–Cornell, and later chief of surgical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

She was appointed as CEO of the nonprofit Alliance Foundation Trials, which is distinguished for its inclusion of rural communities in international cancer clinical trials.

As the first female NCI director, Bertagnolli oversaw the Cancer Moonshot program, which was revived by Biden in 2022 to improve the lives of cancer survivors and their families, and reduce the mortality rate from the illness by at least 50 percent in the next 25 years.

“Dr. Bertagnolli is a world-class physician-scientist whose vision and leadership will ensure NIH continues to be an engine of innovation to improve the health of the American people,” Biden said.

Lockheed Marks 1st HIMARS Launchers Shipment to Poland
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Lockheed Marks 1st HIMARS Launchers Shipment to Poland

Poland has received the initial shipment of Lockheed Martin-made high mobility artillery rocket system launchers from the U.S. government as part of efforts to equip the Polish armed forces with long-range precision strike capability.

Lockheed said Monday it will partner with Poland’s Armaments Agency of the Ministry of National Defense to integrate HIMARS components onto a Jelcz 6×6 purpose-built military truck under the Homar-A defense modernization program.

HIMARS is a multiple-launch rocket system that can accommodate six rockets and hit targets at a range of up to 300 km.

“The combat-proven HIMARS will provide credible deterrence against aggression and significantly increase capability of the Polish Armed Forces and their NATO allies,” said Jay Price, vice president of precision fires at Lockheed’s missiles and fires control division.

The initial delivery comes three months after the State Department approved Poland’s request to procure HIMARS launchers and related equipment under a $10 billion foreign military sales agreement.

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Senate Bill Would Provide AI Training for Federal Government Leaders
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Senate Bill Would Provide AI Training for Federal Government Leaders

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has introduced a bipartisan bill to train federal officials on the development and applications of artificial intelligence technologies.

The AI Leadership Training Act would direct the Office of Personnel Management to establish a training program to help federal government supervisors and management officials develop a better understanding of AI capabilities, risks and ethical implications, Peters’ office said Monday.

OPM would be required to stand up the training program not later than one year after the enactment of the legislation and update it every two years to incorporate new information on AI advancements.

“As the federal government continues to invest in and use artificial intelligence tools, decision-makers in the federal government must have the appropriate training to ensure this technology is used responsibly and ethically,” Peters said.

According to the senator, AI training would enable federal agency leaders to gain the expertise to ensure the emerging technology does discriminate or develop a bias.

The legislation addresses calls from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the National AI Advisory Committee to provide additional AI training for the federal workforce.

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White House, Lawmakers Hold Talks Over AI
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White House, Lawmakers Hold Talks Over AI

The White House and Congress are having a concentrated series of discussions over artificial intelligence amid the lack of a coordinated approach when it comes to regulating AI, NBC News reported Tuesday.

Approximately 20 senators attended an AI briefing organized by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Arati Prabhakar, head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, on May 3 at the White House, according to Durbin’s office.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he does not see a problem when it comes to adopting a bottom-up approach to creating AI regulations.

“I sort of see this phase as germinating ideas and coalescing around the ideas that make sense, but there doesn’t have to be a kind of, you know, top-down approach. I think, let 1,000 flowers bloom,” Blumenthal told NBC News.

The senator said the executive branch will play a role in spearheading efforts when it comes to developing AI regulations, citing the need for international cooperation.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is set to appear Tuesday before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy and technology led by Blumenthal and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to testify about AI.

Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, cited the potential benefits of generative AI to intelligence analysts, particularly in the areas of pattern analysis and clustering of concepts, according to a report by Defense One.

“It definitely can make us better, faster, stronger. We have to go carefully,” Berrier said of generative AI at an event Thursday.

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