HHS CIO Karl Mathias Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson
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HHS CIO Karl Mathias Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

Karl Mathias was recently presented with his 2023 Wash100 Award during a meeting with Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the coveted recognition.

Each year, the Wash100 Award highlights the top figures in the government contracting industry following a rigorous selection process that weighs the achievements of each nominee. The award’s remarkable 10th anniversary cohort is a prime representation of the high level of talent Wash100 seeks out.

Mathias, who joined the ranks of Wash100 for the first time this year, assumed his current position as chief information officer of the Department of Health and Human Services in March 2022. Since joining the department, he has publicly spoken about the necessity of strengthening national health information technology infrastructure and initiated the development of a new cybersecurity strategy for HHS.

Click here to read his full profile.HHS CIO Karl Mathias Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

While considering past accomplishments, the Wash100 Award also anticipates future successes. With Mathias’ dedication to upgrading HHS technology, there is no doubt that the department will reach new heights as the year unfolds.

Don’t miss the opportunity to select your 10 favorite 2023 Wash100 winners! The annual popular vote competition wraps up tonight at 11:59pm, and your vote may be the one that determines who comes out on top. To participate, please visit Wash100.com.

HHS CIO Karl Mathias Receives 2023 Wash100 Award From Jim Garrettson

Mathias will deliver a keynote address at the Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual CIO Summit on May 16. The event will bring together top GovCon CIOs to discuss IT challenges and opportunities in a variety of engaging speeches and conversations. To learn more and register to attend, please visit the Potomac Officers Club events page.

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Air Force Conducts 1st Operational Mission With Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
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Air Force Conducts 1st Operational Mission With Joint Light Tactical Vehicle

The U.S. Air Force has moved to modernize the security forces vehicle fleet to protect the nuclear arsenal by performing the first operational Joint Light Tactical Vehicle mission.

Security forces airmen from the 90th Missile Security Forces Squadron conducted the JLTV mission supporting maintenance at a launch facility in Harrisburg, Nebraska, the service branch said Saturday.

The JLTV program is part of Air Force Global Strike Command’s efforts to update and improve the capabilities of airmen to safeguard the nuclear enterprise and is meant to replace the Humvee, also known as the Up-Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.

“The JLTV is an extremely robust and versatile vehicle, offering improved point of view, responsive suspension systems, increased power and modern safety features,” said Lt. Col. William Brokaw, 90th MSFS commander.

Brokaw added that the vehicle demands investment in training to ensure the safety and further improve the skills of operators.

The Air Force procured the JLTV through a U.S. Army contract with Oshkosh.

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IARPA Selects Teams for AGILE Predictive Data Analysis Program
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IARPA Selects Teams for AGILE Predictive Data Analysis Program

The Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity has named the participants in a research program that aims to engineer computer architecture designs to support the intelligence community’s data analysis efforts.

Advanced Micro Devices, Georgia Institute of Technology, Indiana University, Intel Federal, Qualcomm and the University of Chicago have been selected to perform research and development activities under the Advanced Graphic Intelligence Logical Computing Environment initiative, IARPA said Friday.

AGILE seeks to develop new system designs to enable a predictive analysis of massive data from various sources to predict events with national security implications.

The resulting technology will be used depending on each agency’s specific data analysis needs and mission requirements.

“With AGILE, the intent is to provide a productive platform to agencies so they can apply it to various scenarios, whether classified or unclassified,” said William Harrod, program manager of AGILE.

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CISA Seeks Public Input on Proposed Self-Attestation Forms to Improve Software Security
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CISA Seeks Public Input on Proposed Self-Attestation Forms to Improve Software Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is seeking public feedback on requiring government agencies to obtain self-attestation forms from developers of new software to be installed within their organization.

The proposed requirement is part of the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance to improve the security of U.S. software supply chains, CISA said in a notice published Thursday on Federal Register.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed the self-attestation form in response to the OMB guidance, which mandates that federal agencies only purchase from software producers that can prove compliance with the secure software development framework established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

DHS, through CISA, is inviting comments on how to reduce the financial and time burdens expected from filling out self-attestation forms. The agency is welcoming suggestions on automation and other technological techniques to make annual electronic submissions of the pdf forms easier.

Respondents have until June 26 to submit their input to CISA.

On June 8, the Potomac Officers Club will host its annual Cyber Summit, a venue for government, military and industry experts to pool their insights on cyber’s impact on the public sector. This exciting event is now open for registration.

POC - 2023 Cyber Summit
ODNI’s 10th Annual Intelligence Transparency Report Notes Continued Decline in FISA Targets
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ODNI’s 10th Annual Intelligence Transparency Report Notes Continued Decline in FISA Targets

The number of “probable cause” court orders under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act declined from 430 in 2021 to 337 last year, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Annual Statistical Transparency Report.

The report, which was released Friday, also showed a decline in the percentage of probable cause targets who are estimated to be U.S. persons.

The Annual Statistical Transparency Report Regarding the Intelligence Community’s Use of National Security Surveillance Authorities discloses how the intelligence community uses FISA in alignment with the Principles of Intelligence Transparency.

ODNI noted lower cases of probable cause-based electronic surveillance and physical searches, targeting of U.S. persons abroad and pen register and trap and trace court orders and targets in 2022.

From December 2021 to November 2022, FBI reported 16 U.S. person queries for the purpose of retrieving criminal evidence. The agency arrived at the number using new methodology that eliminates duplicate inquiries and aligns closer to other IC elements.

Kathleen Hicks Discusses DOD’s Mission to Advance US Battery Supply Chain
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Kathleen Hicks Discusses DOD’s Mission to Advance US Battery Supply Chain

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has hosted discussions regarding the Pentagon’s mission to advance the domestic battery supply chain with executives from lithium-ion battery and critical mineral manufacturing companies.

The in-person roundtable involved dialogues addressing the challenges faced by the U.S. military as a battery customer, including lack of standardization across platforms, the Pentagon said Friday.

It also served as a platform for executives from Bren-Tronics, EaglePicher, Enersys, Forge Nano, General Motors Defense, and Our Next Energy to comment on possible solutions to the problems and converse about ways to build a more resilient industrial base for batteries. 

Lithium-ion batteries are used in a wide range of applications, including powering aircraft, munitions, unmanned vehicles and other defense systems.

Hicks said that advancing the domestic supply chain for batteries will help increase lethality and maintain the U.S. military advantage.

The roundtable also saw participation from Radha Plumb, deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; Halimah Najieb-Locke, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base resilience; and Joe Bryan, DOD chief sustainability officer and senior climate adviser.

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DSA Receives $50M Army Contract to Support Multi-Domain Operations Capabilities; Fran Pierce Quoted
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DSA Receives $50M Army Contract to Support Multi-Domain Operations Capabilities; Fran Pierce Quoted

Data Systems Analysts has booked a three-year, $50 million Responsive Strategic Sourcing for Services task order to assist the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center and Army G2.

The award calls for DSA to deliver advanced research and prototyping, technology identification, technology insertion/exploitation, integration and sustainment for Multi-Domain Operations capabilities, the Aberdeen, Maryland-based organization announced on Monday.

“We are honored to be selected to provide these critical services to the US Army DEVCOM C5ISR and Army G2. Our team is committed to delivering the highest level of service to support the mission of the US Army, and we are excited to help them achieve their strategic objectives,” commented DSA CEO Fran Pierce.

Contracting activities under the Technology Enabled Analytics task order will support proof of concept and pilot efforts, ongoing initiatives and currently fielded systems Army-wide. 

This win represents a continuation of DSA’s strategic focus on offering mission-critical support to the Army and intelligence community. In its efforts, the enterprise has reportedly built a longstanding relationship with the service branch. 

“With this award, DSA continues to be a trusted contractor supporting the entire Joint Force. We strive to support this critical mission in the protection of our nation’s warfighters,” Pierce said.

Prior to receiving this task order, DSA secured a spot on the Army’s Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-3 Services potential $12.1 billion, multiple award vehicle. Under this award, which will run through September 2023, the company is providing an array of information technology services for the military branch. 

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Lawmakers Propose Bicameral Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous AI Act
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Lawmakers Propose Bicameral Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous AI Act

Four lawmakers have proposed a bipartisan bill that would prevent artificial intelligence from making nuclear launch decisions.

The bicameral Block Nuclear Launch by Autonomous AI Act would prohibit the use of federal funds in launching a nuclear weapon using an autonomous weapons platform without “meaningful human control.”

The proposed legislation would codify the Department of Defense’s 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, which highlights the need to “maintain a human ‘in the loop’ for all actions critical to informing and executing decisions by the President to initiate and terminate nuclear weapon employment.”

“We need to keep humans in the loop on making life or death decisions to use deadly force, especially for our most dangerous weapons,” said Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

Markey introduced the bill with Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Don Beyer, D-Va., and Ken Buck, R-Colo.

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Lumen Veteran Jason Schulman Promoted to Regional VP of Federal Sales
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Lumen Veteran Jason Schulman Promoted to Regional VP of Federal Sales

Lumen Technologies has elevated Jason Schulman from his previous role as vice president of the company’s civilian and law enforcement business to regional vice president of federal sales, effective immediately.

In his new position, Schulman will head the organization’s federal arm comprising its U.S. Department of Defense, special programs and civilian sales units, Lumen said in an email to ExecutiveGov sent Monday.

As regional vice president of federal sales, Schulman will report to Lumen Public Sector Senior Vice President Zain Ahmed, who described the former as an executive who “leads with authenticity and openness while driving trust, transparency and teamwork,” both within the company and with its collaborators.

“Jason Schulman is absolutely the right person to be leading this business unit with his proven track record of continuous sales and profitable revenue growth.  His teams are customer obsessed and focused on providing great customer experiences that serve agencies’ missions,” Ahmed said.

A 15-year company veteran, Schulman joined Lumen’s predecessor, CenturyLink government, in 2008 as a senior sales executive and went on to lead public sector capture management, proposal management, business development and business analyst teams.

Prior to this promotion, he spent six years leading public sector sales teams, most recently the civilian sales branch.

Schulman began his career as a data network account executive at AT&T and held additional roles at Exodus Communications and SAP.

Scott Barnett, head of the DOD sales team, and Shari Synder, who leads the special programs sales department, will report to Schulman alongside other civilian sales executives.

Schulman’s appointment follows several major leadership changes made within the last year. In November, Kate Johnson was appointed as Lumen’s CEO, succeeding Jeff Storey. At the same time, she also joined the organization’s board of directors.

Later that month, Lumen selected Dan Klein as vice president of public sector program management.

In February, Jay Barrows was named Lumen’s executive vice president of enterprise sales and public sector. Ahmed reports to Barrows.

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Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus to be Assigned as Naval Research Chief
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Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus to be Assigned as Naval Research Chief

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, a program executive officer at Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, has been appointed to serve as chief of naval research.

Rothenhaus is among the nine appointees in a flag officer assignment list released Friday on the Department of Defense’s website. He has held the role of NAVWAR PEO for command, control, communications, computers and intelligence since May 2020.

His prior shore tours include work as program manager of the Navy’s tactical networks and commanding officer of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific.

He also completed assignments as an officer on USS Harry S. Truman, chief engineer on USS O’Brien and staff member on USS Fife.

The Navy commissioned Rothenhaus in 1992 after he graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree.

Throughout his career, he has received various military awards, such as the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.

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