CSA, Nonprofit Make-A-Wish Collaborate on Operation Dream Maker; Amy Bleken Quoted
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CSA, Nonprofit Make-A-Wish Collaborate on Operation Dream Maker; Amy Bleken Quoted

Client Solution Architects has partnered with nonprofit organization Make-A-Wish to help fulfill the requests and needs of children of military veterans and active or reserve duty service members.

The company said Thursday its collaboration with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic on Operation Dream Maker aligns with the community-centric vision of CSA and reflects the values of its workforce, the majority of whom are veterans.

“Corporate responsibility is about understanding the role we play in society and the impact we can make on the lives around us,” remarked CSA CEO Amy Bleken. “This partnership is our way of giving back to the military families who give so much to us and the country we love.”

CSA exceeded its goal for 2023, granting three wishes instead of just two after having raised over $45,000 through an employee-driven campaign.

“We are building bridges of empathy, gratitude and support, and we do this through the beautiful wishes we help grant and the dreams that come true. That’s our commitment. That’s our responsibility,” the chief executive added.

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Former IRS Official Paul Selby Named Energy Department CISO, Deputy CIO
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Former IRS Official Paul Selby Named Energy Department CISO, Deputy CIO

Paul Selby, former deputy chief information security officer at the Internal Revenue Service, has assumed the CISO and deputy chief information officer roles at the Department of Energy, according to his LinkedIn post published Monday.

Selby joined DOE after a two-year career at IRS where he also served as acting deputy chief for facilities management and security services.

He commands over two decades of experience in sales, project management, operations and business leadership.

His industry career included roles as vice president of sales marketing at Edgeworth Security, VP of sales at IronBrick and president of the products, solutions and applications division at LGS Innovations.

The Wake Forest University graduate served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a supply officer.

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CISA Publishes 1st Progress Report on Vulnerability Disclosure Policy Platform
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CISA Publishes 1st Progress Report on Vulnerability Disclosure Policy Platform

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released the first annual report on the progress of its Vulnerability Disclosure Policy platform.

The report showed that since its inception in 2021, the VDP platform has onboarded 40 CISA programs and received more than 1,330 valid disclosures, 85 percent of which were remediated,  CISA said Friday.

The platform was established two years after the policy’s creation to serve as a streamlined tool for VDP reporting and adjudication. CISA’s goal was to help bolster vulnerability awareness and security posture among federal agencies.

As of December 2022, the VDP platform enabled the remediation of more than 1,000 vulnerabilities, some of which were identified in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. The service also helped the Department of Homeland Security detect 235 vulnerabilities when utilized in DHS’ pilot program for detecting computer bugs across 13 of its systems.

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NASA to Deploy Optical Communication Payload to International Space Station
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NASA to Deploy Optical Communication Payload to International Space Station

NASA is set to deploy a new laser terminal to the International Space Station to demonstrate the agency’s first two-way, end-to-end laser communication system.

The Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal payload will use an optical communications link to send data from the space station to the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration in geosynchronous orbit, NASA said Monday.

ILLUMA-T is designed to transmit information at a higher rate, enabling missions to send more images and videos to optical ground stations in a single transmission.

“Once ILLUMA-T is on the space station, the terminal will send high-resolution data, including pictures and videos to LCRD at a rate of 1.2 gigabits-per-second,” said Matt Magsamen, deputy project manager for ILLUMA-T. 

“Then, the data will be sent from LCRD to ground stations in Hawaii and California. This demonstration will show how laser communications can benefit missions in low Earth orbit,” he added.

The payload will launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for installation into ISS’ Japanese experiment module-exposed facility.

New INDOPACOM Directorate to Accelerate Emerging Technology Integration for Key Programs; Adm. John Aquilino Quoted
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New INDOPACOM Directorate to Accelerate Emerging Technology Integration for Key Programs; Adm. John Aquilino Quoted

Adm. John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, has introduced a new INDOPACOM directorate to accelerate the integration of military technologies and capabilities to support the command’s key innovation programs, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Aquilino said the Joint Mission Accelerator Directorate will help advance the deployment of emerging technologies for initiatives including the Joint Fires Network and the Stormbreaker artificial intelligence-enabled planning and wargaming program for multi-domain operations.

The new directorate comprises teams across the Department of Defense, including the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Defense Innovation Unit and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office.

According to Aquilino, DIU Director Doug Beck will assign a deputy director to help INDOPACOM “plug in innovation” and connect DOD with industry players to support the command’s critical mission requirements.

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Christopher Scolese: NRO, USSF Collab Mission to Serve as ‘Watchdog’ in GEO Belt
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Christopher Scolese: NRO, USSF Collab Mission to Serve as ‘Watchdog’ in GEO Belt

Christopher Scolese, director of the National Reconnaissance Office and a four-time Wash100 awardee, said a joint satellite launch mission of NRO and the U.S. Space Force will serve as a “watchdog” to help identify potential threats to high-value assets in geosynchronous orbit, Defense One reported Monday.

The SILENTBARKER/NROL-107 mission was scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Aug. 29, aboard United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket that will lift off from a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida but an impending tropical storm prompted the team to delay the launch.

“What SILENTBARKER is going to do is provide the indications and warnings so it can inform decisions about what we do or don’t need to do in terms of maneuver or awareness. So it’s a great increase in our understanding of what we’ll be able to do and will greatly improve our ability to determine future courses of action,” Scolese said.

The SILENTBARKER mission is expected to achieve full operational capability in 2026.

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Jimmy Hall on Top-Secret Cloud Strategy of State Department’s INR Bureau
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Jimmy Hall on Top-Secret Cloud Strategy of State Department’s INR Bureau

Jimmy Hall, chief information officer at the State Department’s bureau of intelligence and research, said the INR bureau’s first strategy to transition its top-secret network to the cloud provides a roadmap for modernizing information technology systems and achieving strategic objectives, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“We’re operating the AWS top secret cloud today and we’re in the process of refining our implementation plan. What I’ll do going forward is communicate that strategy and communicate our implementation plan to all the stakeholders,” Hall, who is also director of the bureau’s technology and innovation office, told FNN in an interview.

He discussed the bureau’s adoption of a multicloud approach and the move to expand the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System environment.

“We’ve adopted the international language for the JWICS as part of our fabric inside of the State Department. We call it the information network resource and information management system,” Hall stated.

He also talked about INR’s move to network segmentation and the importance of training its workforce responsible for managing cloud services.

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Marine Corps Systems Command Leads Acquisition Innovation Programs for Force Design 2030
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Marine Corps Systems Command Leads Acquisition Innovation Programs for Force Design 2030

Force Design 2030, the U.S. Marine Corps’ restructuring and modernization plan, has enabled the Marine Corps Systems Command and Program Executive Officer Land Systems to ramp up acquisition of next-generation technologies for naval expeditionary warfare.

MARCOSYSCOM and PEO Land Systems are collaborating with the acquisition community to foster innovation and facilitate fielding of new capabilities, which will equip the branch’s warfighters amid looming threats from China and other adversaries, the service branch said Thursday.

MARCOSYSCOM is investing in unmanned aerial and ground systems, human-machine teaming and anti-ship missiles to prepare for active engagement, such as the maritime territory conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region. 

The command is also upgrading technologies for small, distributed forces. For instance, its Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel is being developed to represent the future of amphibious vessels, tailored for manned, unmanned and human-machine hybrid systems.

“The benefits of the LRUSV prototyping effort allows the Marine Corps to understand the concept, costs, and [Doctrinal, Organizational, Training, Materiel, Leadership and education, Personnel, Facilities and Policy] implications before the Service becomes fully invested,” said Col. Paul Gillikin, former program manager for fire support systems at MARCOSYSCOM.

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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Launching ‘Replicator’ Autonomous Tech Program
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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Launching ‘Replicator’ Autonomous Tech Program

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a three-time Wash100 awardee, said DOD plans to deploy thousands of attritable, autonomous systems across multiple domains within the next 18 to 24 months as part of the Replicator program aimed at countering China’s military buildup.

“Replicator is meant to help us overcome the PRC’s biggest advantage, which is mass,” Hicks said Tuesday during her speech at a conference.

She said the attritable, autonomous platforms could serve as distributed, resilient systems in contested environments and will be developed in line with DOD’s ethical and responsible approach to artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

“But Replicator will galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many,” Hicks noted.

The deputy defense secretary said she will oversee the Replicator initiative with support of the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and director of the Defense Innovation Unit.

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CGI Secures $159M DHS Task Order for USCIS Records Systems Modernization; Clay Goldwein Quoted
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CGI Secures $159M DHS Task Order for USCIS Records Systems Modernization; Clay Goldwein Quoted

CGI Federal has booked a potential five-year, $159 million task order from the Department of Homeland Security to optimize digital immigration records systems.

Under the award, CGI’s agile development teams will help the department’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services advance its multi-year modernization plan by building, expanding and managing related technologies, CGI Federal shared with ExecutiveGov in an email sent Tuesday.

Clay Goldwein, senior vice president and national security and justice business unit lead at CGI Federal, said the organization is proud to broaden its longstanding partnership with USCIS and looks forward to expanding its support for federal missions through the digital transformation of U.S. immigration processes.

“CGI Federal’s ongoing innovation on behalf of USCIS ensures its systems and solutions meet current requirements and are ready for future growth and evolution,” he said.

Part of the Alliant 2 vehicle, the task order centers the streamlining and digitization of the current immigration benefits claim process. CGI’s efforts are expected to reduce processing times, protect resources and boost the accuracy of immigration claims through agile development systems integration and infrastructure services while also assisting USCIS with the accurate capture of records for preservation by the National Archives and Records Administration.

CGI’s previous work with USCIS has helped to connect agencies involved in the management of immigration processes. Most recently, the enterprise participated in a collaborative effort to deliver a technology that enables USCIS and the Department of State to electronically process Special Immigrant Visas and other digital tools for the border. For this work, the team was recognized with the USCIS Director’s Award for Ingenuity and Innovation in 2023.

The new task order follows multiple contract wins for CGI earlier this year. Last month, the company won a $49.7 million award from the U.S. Strategic Command for research and development support and sustainment services to improve its Global Integration Enterprise. CGI also won a $40 million contract from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March, under which it is providing continuous support for the commission’s financial management systems.

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