/
Beth Killoran to Join GAO as CIO
Published on
Beth Killoran to Join GAO as CIO

Beth Killoran, deputy chief information officer at the General Services Administration, will serve as CIO of the Government Accountability Office, effective May 7, Fedscoop reported Monday.

Prior to GSA, she served as CIO at the Department of Health and Human Services for three years.

Killoran’s career additionally includes nearly four years at the Department of Homeland Security, where she served as director of the Program Management Office Enterprise System Development Office and deputy director of the office of program accountability and risk management.

She also served as director of program management and integration at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

According to Federal News Network, Killoran will succeed Howard Williams at GAO and will help the congressional watchdog improve its cybersecurity posture and advance information technology modernization efforts.

/
Lawmaker Raises Concern Over OPM’s Advantageous Position in Talent Acquisition
Published on
Lawmaker Raises Concern Over OPM’s Advantageous Position in Talent Acquisition

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, wrote a letter to the Office of Personnel Management expressing concerns about the potential conflict of interest posed by OPM’s dual role as competitor and regulator in the federal talent acquisition market, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“Aside from its role as a regulator of agency compliance with federal hiring laws and regulations, OPM sells hiring-related services to those agencies which it oversees via USA Staffing, even though there are many private firms that assist both the private and public sector with hiring and related human capital acquisition activities,” Comer wrote in a March 22 letter to OPM Director Kiran Ahuja.

The letter also raised concerns over USA Staffing’s advantage with its access to OPM policy decisions and planned software updates in advance of private competitors and cybersecurity issues associated with the staffing service.

Chuck Young, managing director for public affairs at the Government Accountability Office, told FNN in an email that GAO is working on a report that examines how OPM oversees the USA Staffing service. The report is expected to be released later this year.

/
Companies Pitch In-Transit Visibility Approaches at TRANSCOM Industry Day; Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck Quoted
Published on
Companies Pitch In-Transit Visibility Approaches at TRANSCOM Industry Day; Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck Quoted

Twelve vendors participated in an industry day last week to present systems they believe could help the U.S. Transportation Command to track shipments better.

Military and civilian members of TRANSCOM’s Joint Deployment and Distribution Enterprise considered in-transit visibility proposals from the commercial sector during the event at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, the command said Monday.

Each industry participant had the opportunity to demonstrate cargo tracking tools or methods across unit movement and deployment, sustainment and vehicle shipment scenarios within one hour.

Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, director of strategy, policy, programs and logistics at TRANSCOM, said military services lose visibility of equipment from ports of debarkation and he believes the private sector could help the Department of Defense transform ITV capabilities.

At the industry event, a panel of experts sought multimodal transportation processes from the presenters in hopes of addressing speed, data repository and flexibility challenges associated with DOD’s current radio frequency identification network.

“The hope is that these organizations can help the JDDE develop a better ITV network that will support improved data and, in time, feed data repositories that could leverage machine learning and artificial intelligence tools for better decision making,” said Josh Hunt, a TRANSCOM logistics management specialist.

/
Army Experiments With Deployable CBRNE Microsensors Concept
Published on
Army Experiments With Deployable CBRNE Microsensors Concept

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center is experimenting with a concept for a system of deployable microsensors for monitoring chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

The project is part of the third iteration of the Warfighter Innovation Leveraging Expertise and Experimentation program, which focuses on conceiving a concept of design for CBRN deployable microsensors, the Army said Monday.

As part of the initiative, the WILE-E 3.0 team developed a system of systems approach with five integrated modules: sensing, communication, processor, power and deployment.

The concept centers on system modularity, enabling multiple types of sensors and minimizing training to use the microsensors.

Jennifer Sekowski, lead for the WILE 3.0 team, said the goal of the program is to present an art-of-the-possible concept to guide “stakeholders and warfighters who are writing requirements today for the materiel of tomorrow.”

“Showing them what is possible lets them know we are starting down the path of technology development towards a product that the warfighter wants, needs, and will be happy to use in the future,” Sekowski said.

Sandia Collaborates With Industry to Speed Up Hypersonic Weapon Development
Published on
Sandia Collaborates With Industry to Speed Up Hypersonic Weapon Development

The Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories is working with industry partners to accelerate the development of the common hypersonic glide body for future deployment to the Department of Defense.

A team led by Scott Nance, a manager at SNL, has piloted a new way to transition technical designs to defense contractors for the hypersonic glide body that can travel at speeds greater than Mach 5, the laboratory said Monday.

Under the partnership program, approximately 200 industry partners received hypersonic weapon development training at Sandia.

The laboratory also hosted workers from seven companies, including Dynetics, a subsidiary of Leidos, which is under contract to produce the common hypersonic glide body.

Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch Jr., director of the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, said SNL’s collaboration with the Army, Navy and industry has been instrumental in keeping the military on its path toward achieving its first operational hypersonic capability.

DOD Finalizes Rule on Operational Contract Support in High-Risk Areas Outside US
Published on
DOD Finalizes Rule on Operational Contract Support in High-Risk Areas Outside US

The Department of Defense has amended its proposed rule on operational contract support in high-risk areas outside the United States, after reviewing 14 comments on the draft policy.

The final rule, which will take effect on May 31, includes the agency’s stance on medical care of defense contractor personnel and the disclosure of injuries and fatalities that occurred while they were in military facilities, DOD stated Monday on the Federal Register.

The agency initially published the proposed rule in January 2021 in compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act. Respondents to the draft policy raised issues such as monitoring and reporting human rights violations and the type of government support received by deployed contractor personnel.

On the issue of human rights violation reporting, DOD said that it is still developing procedures for reporting HRV allegations. The OCS regulation will be updated as soon as the processes are finalized.

DOD also clarified the issue of health care support for contractor employees at military facilities. It referenced the DOD Instruction entitled “Health Care Eligibility Under the Secretarial Designee (SECDES) Program and Related Special Authorities.” The department also adjusted the OCS rule allowing life, medical, mission, logistics and administrative assistance in certain military environments considered austere, hostile or non-permissive.

GSA Unveils Pilot Web Platform to Help Contractors Manage Product Catalogs; Sonny Hashmi Quoted
Published on
GSA Unveils Pilot Web Platform to Help Contractors Manage Product Catalogs; Sonny Hashmi Quoted

The General Services Administration is testing a web-based platform to simplify access and management of product information on the GSA Advantage! purchasing website.

GSA announced Monday the Federal Acquisition Service Catalog Platform is positioned to replace the Schedule Input Program currently used by multiple award schedule contractors.

The tool is integrated with the agency’s contract writing systems, provides automatic compliance and pricing reports and data validation checks, and features a central hub displaying catalog statuses and actions for review.

FAS Commissioner Sonny Hashmi noted the agency intends to ensure contractor catalogs are “current, compliant and competitive.”

The FCP pilot is being conducted with Office Supply Fourth Generation Special Item Number vendors, and will expand to more MAS product catalog companies beginning October.

“This new application promotes a strong federal marketplace for our customers and is a huge improvement for our industry partners,” added Hashmi, a prior Wash100 Award honoree.

2023 GSA Forum

On May 23, GovCon Wire will host the 2023 GSA Forum to shine a light on the agency’s initiatives and priorities in acquisition reform, supply chain and technology. Be part of the virtual event by registering here.

/
DIU, DAU Kick Off Application Process for 2023 Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program; Cherissa Tamayori Quoted
Published on
DIU, DAU Kick Off Application Process for 2023 Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program; Cherissa Tamayori Quoted

The Defense Innovation Unit and the Defense Acquisition University have launched a 12-month program designed to train acquisition professionals on the use of other transaction authorities and the Commercial Solutions Opening process when procuring commercial technology offerings in support of warfighters.

DIU and DAU will competitively select up to six contracting officers from military and civilian agencies within the Department of Defense for the 2023 Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program, DOD’s innovation arm said Monday.

In October 2022, DIU selected four inaugural fellows for ICAP. These fellows are expected to finalize their capstone projects in October.

“I am incredibly proud of the first ICAP team – they have set a very high bar for future cohorts,” said Cherissa Tamayori, acquisition director at DIU.

“We’ve seen that the team has learned first-hand from this program how to leverage the OT authority, how to acquire novel commercial technologies, and be change agents in the use of flexible acquisition methods within their organizations,” Tamayori added.

Applications for the 2023 ICAP are due July 7.

/
Senate Bill Strives to Ensure Responsible Use of AI in Federal Government
Published on
Senate Bill Strives to Ensure Responsible Use of AI in Federal Government

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has introduced legislation that means to facilitate the responsible use of artificial intelligence across the federal government by conducting a review of existing AI policies.

The Assuring Safe, Secure, Ethical, and Stable Systems for AI Act would establish a task force to provide recommendations on aligning the government’s AI tools, policies and regulations with the public’s rights and liberties, Bennet’s office said Friday.

The legislation could also mandate the AI Task Force to recommend standards for facial recognition, data protection and risk assessments.

According to the lawmaker, the federal government must lead by example to ensure it uses AI tools and services responsibly.

“Americans deserve confidence that our government’s use of AI won’t violate their rights or undermine their privacy,” Bennet said.

/
Intelligent Waves & Signify Join Forces to Create Non-RF Light-Based Wireless Offering; John Hammes Quoted
Published on
Intelligent Waves & Signify Join Forces to Create Non-RF Light-Based Wireless Offering; John Hammes Quoted

Intelligent Waves has formed a strategic alliance with Signify to integrate the latter’s Trulifi technology with the former’s GRAYPATH offering.

The combination of these tools will create an obfuscated, non-radio frequency product to support modern warfighting needs, Intelligent Waves announced from its Reston, Virginia headquarters on Tuesday.

“Intelligent Waves is thrilled to incorporate Signify’s light-based communication solution with our award-winning cyber defense platform, GRAYPATH, which currently serves the most demanding and secure special operators in austere environments, and we look forward to integrating Trulifi by Signify into our existing platform,” said John Hammes, chief strategy officer of Intelligent Waves.

When using the integrated technology, military forces on the ground will be able to communicate beyond the radio spectrum and conduct critical communications across scattered locations without deconfliction of the spectrum.

GRAYPATH Next-Generation enables the obfuscated transmission of sensitive data using any transport method native to all current airfield communication packages. It also permits transmission within host country communications networks that may be accessible during FEAS operations. By operating through asymmetric routing and employing all transport paths concurrently, GRAYPATH ensures the highest level of redundant communications.

Together, the technologies’ capabilities support the combination of low-bandwidth dishes to increase overall bandwidth and allow high-speed communications for photos, videos and other information sent to commanders.

Signify’s Trulifi light-enabled wireless communication tool operates on invisible light rather than on radio, which prevents the connection from jamming. Its integration with GRAYPATH is intended to deliver low-probability detection and low-probability intercepted communications in both enterprise and operational environments.

GRAYPATH offers quantum-resistant routing and encryption techniques and allows users to employ multiple methods of transport at the same time for flexible movement within the cyber domain. When LiFi technology is applied in an operational environment, signals from electromagnetic sources are removed, which allows users to quickly deploy an efficient and secure wireless tool.

The combined product will be presented at SOF Week on May 9-11.

1 … 564 565 566 567 568 … 2,619