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Brig. Gen. Wayne Barker to Head Army Intelligence & Electronic Warfare Office
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Brig. Gen. Wayne Barker to Head Army Intelligence & Electronic Warfare Office

Brig. Gen. Wayne Barker, deputy program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors at the U.S. Army since July 2021, has been tapped to head the Program Executive Office for IEW&S at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the White House announced Monday.

As deputy PEO, Barker oversaw the development, acquisition and fielding of new warfighting capabilities in electronic warfare, intelligence, navigation and timing, biometrics and target acquisition.

He will take over responsibilities from Mark Kitz, who assumed leadership at the PEO IEW&S in May 2021.

Barker previously served as the chief of staff to the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology. 

Before that, he was also the assistant PEO for enterprise information systems and led the integration of the Army’s Enterprise Resource Planning systems.

His military career additionally includes time as project manager for soldier warrior at PEO Soldier.

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GAO: Space Force Should Formalize Procedure for Acquiring Commercial Space Situational Awareness Data
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GAO: Space Force Should Formalize Procedure for Acquiring Commercial Space Situational Awareness Data

The U.S. Space Force should establish a process for identifying and evaluating the applicability of commercially provided data on its space situational awareness operations, the Government Accountability Office stated.

The government watchdog on Monday released findings from its study on 10 SSA companies and how their data can affect space object monitoring by USSF and the Department of Defense.

The research stemmed from a report by the House Armed Services Committee, which revealed challenges in DOD’s SSA capabilities as well as the status of the Space Force’s Unified Data Library. GAO analyzed the agency’s documents, interviewed their officials and chose 10 out of 50 SSA service providers.

GAO found that the Space Force has only conducted a few training sessions and studies to support its acquisition process for space situational awareness information. The agency’s SSA staff also did not regularly use the UDL since it was not integrated into daily operational systems, according to the report.

GAO called on the Secretary of the Air Force to lead the creation of an assessment process for commercial SSA capabilities and their compatibility with USSF needs. The accountability office also urged the utilization of the UDL in comprehensive data access and management for government SSA systems.

DOD has reportedly accepted the recommendations.

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QinetiQ Lands US Army Contract for Research, Technology & Integration Support; Shawn Purvis Quoted
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QinetiQ Lands US Army Contract for Research, Technology & Integration Support; Shawn Purvis Quoted

QinetiQ U.S. has booked a new contract from the U.S. Army’s C5ISR Center Research and Technology Integration Directorate.

Under the $12 million award, QinetiQ will provide an array of research, technology and integration support services to help the Army tackle various challenges using new technology strategies, the enterprise announced from Lorton, Virginia on Tuesday.

Shawn Purvis, president and CEO of QinetiQ U.S. and a three-time Wash100 Award recipient, noted the company’s long history of working with the Army and said that they are honored to partner with the C5ISR RTI Directorate.

She added that QinetiQ’s contracting activities will drive interaction with key Army stakeholders and aid the service branch in multiple high-visibility demonstrations.

The contract charges the company with assisting the directorate with identifying, prototyping and testing potential technical approaches in the areas of Electro-Optic Infrared modeling, tactical lasers, displays, optics, signal and image processing and counter-explosive hazards.

QinetiQ is also responsible for mechanical, electrical, electronics, design and systems engineering to support the directorate as it integrates C5ISR hardware, software, firmware, equipment and systems into both ground and airborne platforms as well as federal facilities and sites.

The C5ISR RTI Directorate is located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and concentrates its efforts on progressing network, cyber, electro-optic infrared, knowledge management, power and energy and radio frequency technology.

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ECS President John Heneghan Reveals Innovation Areas of the Future in New Video
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ECS President John Heneghan Reveals Innovation Areas of the Future in New Video

In a new video interview with Executive Mosaic, ECS President John Heneghan shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence adoption within the federal landscape and revealed the emerging technology areas he’s seeing as essential to innovation in the United States.

Data and AI are enabling information dominance and “truly transformative change,” according to Heneghan, but the really revolutionary breakthroughs and advancements will be the results of combined technologies.

“Cybersecurity, aided by AI, is helping us change the game in terms of protecting our nation’s most vital assets and really staying in front of an ever-changing threat landscape,” said Heneghan, a 2023 Wash100 Award winner, in conversation with Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt.

(Vote for John Heneghan and your other favorite Wash100 recipients in the 2023 popular vote contest right now at Wash100.com!)

“If you look further out, I think combining AI and predictive analytics with extended reality, immersive 3D, neural interfaces, cognitive automation systems — this is going to help us tackle mission challenges including better citizen engagement, therapy for veterans and others, and mission training and preparedness activities,” he added.

And even further beyond those innovations, in the long-term Heneghan foresees major developments in quantum computing.

“The advancements and application of quantum computing is another exciting area that’s really emerging. We’re just starting to investigate that, and we really believe there are going to be powerful solutions to previously unthinkable mission challenges. It will help us modernize our data on cyber challenges as well,” Heneghan said.

Watch John Heneghan’s full video interview here. Don’t forget to follow Executive Mosaic on LinkedIn and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay abreast of the latest developments in the GovCon landscape.

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Gen. Randy George Nominated as US Army Chief of Staff
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Gen. Randy George Nominated as US Army Chief of Staff

President Joe Biden has nominated Gen. Randy George, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, to serve as the military branch’s next chief, according to a nomination notice posted on U.S. Congress’ website Thursday.

George would succeed Gen. James McConville as the Army’s chief of staff if confirmed by the Senate, according to Defense News.

George “is a combat proven leader who is the right person at the right time and will guide the Army into the future,” McConville, who is set to retire in the summer of 2023, said in a statement to the publication.

Following a stint as the senior military assistant to the secretary of defense and commander of I Corps at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington, he assumed his current post in August 2022.

He served as director of force management for the Army G-3/5/7 and deputy director for regional operations and force management in the J-3.

Subsequently, he took command of the 4th Infantry Division as deputy commanding general responsible for maneuver after serving as executive assistant to the head of U.S. Central Command and executive officer to the Army’s 33rd vice chief of staff.

George also served as a fellow on the Council of Foreign Relations and chief of the strategic policy division for the Pakistan-Afghanistan coordination cell on the Joint Staff.

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Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough on Tactically Responsive Space Capabilities
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Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough on Tactically Responsive Space Capabilities

Lt. Col. MacKenzie Birchenough, materiel leader for Space Safari within Space Systems Command, said the U.S. Space Force intends to deploy tactically responsive space capabilities “by the 2025 or 2026 timeframe,” Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Birchenough said during a panel discussion at a symposium that the service branch wants to bring assets into space within 24 hours following a request and is looking at two different missions when it comes to responding to on-orbit needs.

“The first is the ability to rapidly respond to any kind of on-orbit threats. And then the second is, if any of our current assets on orbit were to be degraded or destroyed, having the ability to augment that capability on a very short timeline,” she noted.

Space Force is testing the concept through demonstrations, including the first one conducted in June 2021, when the Tactically Responsive Launch-2 mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket.

The service is preparing to launch another tactically responsive space demo in 2023 with the Victus Nox mission. Birchenough said the branch expects the trial to provide an opportunity to gain new lessons that would help inform future demonstrations.

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Alejandro Mayorkas Launches New DHS AI Task Force & 90-Day Departmentwide Sprint
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Alejandro Mayorkas Launches New DHS AI Task Force & 90-Day Departmentwide Sprint

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and a Wash100 awardee, has established a new DHS task force focused on artificial intelligence and a 90-day sprint to counter the threats posed by China.

The newly created AI task force will pursue four key tasks, the first two of which are integrating AI into efforts to enhance the integrity of supply chains and the broader trade environment and leveraging the technology to counter the flow of fentanyl into the country, DHS said Friday.

The other two priority tasks are applying AI to digital forensic tools to help identify and rescue victims of online child sexual exploitation and abuse and working with government, industry and academic partners to evaluate the impact of AI on the ability to ensure the security of critical infrastructure.

In a memo issued Thursday, Mayorkas directed Dimitri Kusnezov, undersecretary for science and technology at DHS, and Eric Hysen, the department’s chief information officer, to serve as co-chairs of the AI task force, which will develop a concept of operations and a progress report on the four initiatives within 60 days.

The departmentwide sprint will look at evolving threats in six key areas, such as defending critical infrastructure, protecting against China’s malign economic influence and advancing safety, security and economic prosperity in the Arctic and Indo-Pacific.

Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks Funding for Disposal of China-made Comms Equipment; Sen. Deb Fischer Quoted
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Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks Funding for Disposal of China-made Comms Equipment; Sen. Deb Fischer Quoted

A bipartisan Senate bill is proposing to redistribute unobligated COVID-19 relief funds to a Federal Communications Commission program to remove and replace purportedly risky network equipment made in China, the office of Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., announced Friday.

Sens. Fischer and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., led the introduction of the Defend Our Networks Act, which aims to pull out 24,000 Chinese-made communications systems across the United States to protect national security.

FCC’s Rip and Replace Program was established to reimburse small communications companies that dispose high-risk equipment made in the Asian nation. The project is experiencing a budget shortfall of $3.08 billion as of 2022.

The new legislation would use roughly 3 percent of unspent budget originally allocated for emergency COVID-19 relief efforts to finance the Rip and Replace initiative.

“The current program shortfall is preventing eligible carriers from accessing the resources they need to cover the costs of replacing dangerous network gear,” Fischer said. “I’m proud to introduce the Defend Our Networks Act with Senator Hickenlooper to prioritize protecting our nation from rising threats posed by the CCP and supporting our rural communities.”

President Biden Signs Executive Order on Community-Level Environmental Justice
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President Biden Signs Executive Order on Community-Level Environmental Justice

President Joe Biden signed an executive order that reinforces environmental justice initiatives, especially in tribal and overburdened communities.

The White House announced the EO on Friday, essentially creating the Office of Environmental Justice.

The presidential directive requires all executive branch agencies to embed environmental justice in their missions. This includes preventing and addressing uneven impacts of pollution and other climate-related factors on the health and ecosystems within communities.

Agencies are also directed to conduct tribal and other public consultations with regions that have environmental justice concerns. 

Under the EO, the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s National Science and Technology Council will have a new subcommittee that will oversee a coordinated strategy for identifying and resolving gaps in environmental justice research, data and science. The panel will work with government agencies to conduct cumulative impact assessments and ease public access to information about nature and health concerns.

In line with the signing of the EO, the Environmental Justice Scorecard was published by the Office of Management and Budget, White House Council on Environmental Quality, and U.S. Digital Service. The scorecard is based on recommendations from the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, as well as sector experts, stakeholders and the public.

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FCC Names Kerry Murray Space Bureau Deputy Chief & Chief of Staff
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FCC Names Kerry Murray Space Bureau Deputy Chief & Chief of Staff

Kerry Murray, deputy chief of the satellite division of the Federal Communications Commission’s International Bureau since March 2015, has been appointed deputy chief and chief of staff of the FCC’s newly launched Space Bureau, according to a recent LinkedIn post.

In her new role, Murray will assist Julie Kearney, chief of the Space Bureau, in overseeing policy and licensing matters related to satellite and space-based communications.

The newly promoted exec previously served as an adviser to the chief of the satellite division on space and Earth station licensing and regulation, spectrum usage and satellite broadband services.

Murray joined the FCC in 1994 as a senior adviser in the telecommunications division of the International Bureau and left the agency three years later to join MCI Telecommunications as director of international regulatory affairs.

In 2004, Murray moved to Dell, where she served as director of global government affairs and public policy.

The FCC launched the Space Bureau earlier this month as part of the International Bureau reorganization effort.

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