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DOD Requests Commercial Tech Ideas for Countering Multi-Domain Uncrewed Systems
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DOD Requests Commercial Tech Ideas for Countering Multi-Domain Uncrewed Systems

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering is inviting companies to submit technology proposals for countering threats posed by multi and cross-domain uncrewed systems.

A notice posted Monday on SAM.gov states that OUSD R&E is interested in technologies that can be included in future capability demonstrations and experimentation events and undergo rapid fielding to defeat swarms of autonomous UxS powered by artificial intelligence.

According to the Needs Statement, the technologies must be capable of impacting and impeding UxS navigation, recovering from physical and electronic UxS attacks and providing assessment capabilities to measure the effectiveness of the Counter-Autonomy/Counter-AI UxS platforms.

Technologies may include novel sensor systems with enhanced detection capabilities, autonomous defensive platforms that can operate alone or as part of a group and passive defeat tools that can divert autonomy or AI focus.

Selected companies are invited to attend an Innovation Outreach Solutions Meeting hosted by the OUSD R&E Innovation and Modernization Office on or around mid-July.

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NAVAIR Accomplishes 5-Day Sea Trial of CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter
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NAVAIR Accomplishes 5-Day Sea Trial of CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopter

The Naval Air Systems Command completed the second series of sea trials of the CH-53K King Stallion aboard the USS Arlington amphibious dock vessel.

The heavy lift helicopter was evaluated for performance in launch and recovery, shipboard compatibility testing and rotor start, as well as shutdown and blade fold, NAVAIR said Wednesday.

CH-53K underwent initial sea tests in 2020, as part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ plans to transition to the King Stallion from the CH-53E Super Stallion.

The latest trials took five days and nights, and were performed by 105 personnel, including Sikorsky pilots, engineers and technical experts. They also involved members of the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two One, H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office and the U.S. Marines’ Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 and Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One.

“The results of these tests will enable the CH-53K to provide critical ship-to-shore heavy lift capability for future Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments,” said Sarah Naiva, assistant program manager of test and evaluation for the CH-53K program.

Leidos’ Gerry Fasano Receives 2023 Wash100 Award
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Leidos’ Gerry Fasano Receives 2023 Wash100 Award

Leidos President of Defense Gerry Fasano accepted his 2023 Wash100 Award from Executive Mosaic CEO and Wash100 Founder Jim Garrettson at a recent visit to Leidos headquarters.

The Wash100 is the annual compilation of who the EM voting body discerns as the leading talents in the government contracting market and adjacent spaces. Winners are picked for exceptional leadership, innovation, vision and reliability, among other factors, as well as their bankability for future success. Among past winners are some of the most recognizable names in the game, as well as the hidden gems and quieter change-makers who have no less of an impact.

Fasano won the distinction — his fourth consecutive — for his persistent efforts to help support national defense objectives through projects like a Defense Information Systems Agency contract to merge and streamline information technology architectures throughout 22 Fourth Estate agencies. Additionally, Leidos is slated to aid in the Department of Defense’s command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functions via an October 2022-announced contract.

Read our full breakdown of Fasano’s qualifications and accomplishments at ExecutiveBiz here.

There’s still time to have a say in the winner of the 2023 Wash100 popular vote contest! Everyone gets 10 votes before voting closes April 28. Visit Wash100.com now to participate.

BWXT Advanced Technologies Widens ASME Certification to Support Nuclear Reactor Design Projects; Joe Miller Quoted
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BWXT Advanced Technologies Widens ASME Certification to Support Nuclear Reactor Design Projects; Joe Miller Quoted

BWXT Advanced Technologies has widened the purview of its ASME N-Type Certificate of Authorization to advance present and future nuclear reactor design projects.

With this expansion, the license now includes high-temperature reactor design under ASME Section III requirements and allows the company to begin operations at its newly-established BWXT Innovation Campus, the Lynchburg, Virginia-based enterprise announced on Thursday.

Joe Miller, president of BWXT Advanced Technologies, said that the organization has a “long history of high-quality nuclear design expertise and construction experience.”

He said that the broadening of the certification exemplifies the rigor of BWXT’s processes and the dedication of its workforce to reaching the standards of ASME Section III and N Stamp requirements and the expanding industry.

The comprehensive recertification process was completed alongside BWXT’s ongoing work to design a high-temperature gas reactor for the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office’s Project Pele, which is being conducted under a $300 million contract expected to conclude in 2024.

BWXT’s commercial arm also holds various ASME Certificates of Authorization regarding its efforts to design, fabricate, manufacture, assemble and construct an assortment of nuclear power plant components for both North American and international facilities.

“ASME certification for the nuclear and non-nuclear industries is considered by many to be the internationally recognized ‘gold standard’ of certification and accreditation programs,” said Michael Frediani, director of auditing and inspection at ASME.

The organization, he added, has over 100 years of experience certifying manufacturers and accrediting other companies.

It was established as a not-for-profit professional entity intended to drive collaboration, information sharing and skill development spanning every engineering field and emphasize the role of engineers in society.

Executive Mosaic Applauds Parsons’ Carey Smith & STRATCOM’s Gen Anthony Cotton in 2023 Wash100 Profiles
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Executive Mosaic Applauds Parsons’ Carey Smith & STRATCOM’s Gen Anthony Cotton in 2023 Wash100 Profiles

Parsons Chairwoman, President and CEO Carey Smith and United States Strategic Command Commander Gen. Anthony Cotton were individually celebrated on Thursday for their selection to Executive Mosaic’s elite 2023 Wash100 list. 

For the past ten years, the Wash100 Award has recognized the most powerful and influential leaders across the government contracting sector. Executives named to the distinguished list have not only demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and vision throughout their careers, but they’re also uniquely poised to deliver notable impact within the federal landscape in the coming year.

Smith earned her fifth Wash100 Award this year for her success in growing the Parsons enterprise through organic opportunities as well as key mergers and acquisitions. She has helmed Parsons for the past six and a half years thus far, and under her leadership, the company has grown its revenue to over $4.2 billion — with acquisitions accounting for $205 million of overall sales. 

Read more about why we selected Carey Smith for this year’s Wash100 Award here. 

Air Force Gen. Cotton made his debut on the Wash100 list this year for his work advancing the country’s nuclear recapitalization and deterrence objectives. During his inaugural year as the head of STRATCOM, Gen. Cotton has championed efforts to strengthen the country’s integrated deterrence capabilities as global competition increases. You can find more of Gen. Cotton’s achievements over the past year in his Wash100 profile. 

Did you know Executive Mosaic readers can cast 10 votes for their favorite GovCon leaders as part of the 2023 Wash100 popular vote competition? The voting period ends on April 28, so visit Wash100.com to cast your votes today! 

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Stacey Dixon Talks ODNI’s Personnel Vetting Reform Efforts at Senate Panel Hearing
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Stacey Dixon Talks ODNI’s Personnel Vetting Reform Efforts at Senate Panel Hearing

Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence, said the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has come up with guidelines and standards to improve the personnel vetting process as part of the implementation of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 framework.

“We revised the investigative standards and issued new performance management standards with measures and metrics to ensure that activities and services meet desired outcomes,” Dixon, a 2023 Wash100 awardee, told members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence during a hearing on March 29.

She said ODNI expects to release later this spring the updated National Training Standards for background investigators and security adjudicators in accordance with the goals of TW 2.0 and is finalizing the approval process for information collection related to personnel vetting questionnaire forms.

Dixon cited the introduction of a continuous vetting capability, which she said has helped ODNI identify adverse information in real time.

“ODNI has now certified 54 departments and agencies with national security sensitive populations as having compliant personnel security programs that are able to implement expanded capabilities through a combination of automated record checks and agency-specific information,” she noted.

Dixon told lawmakers about the role of industry in advancing changes to the vetting process.

“Industry has advocated for the elimination of periodic reinvestigations, reciprocal treatment of clearances, a single uniform policy structure, and a reengineered approach to personnel vetting processes,” she said.

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Coast Guard OKs Strategic Plan to Guide Unmanned Systems Use
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Coast Guard OKs Strategic Plan to Guide Unmanned Systems Use

Vice Adm. Peter Gautier, deputy commandant for operations of the U.S. Coast Guard, has signed a strategic plan to guide the service branch’s development and adoption of unmanned systems.

The Unmanned Systems Strategic Plan outlines the Coast Guard’s goal of unlocking opportunities and addressing risks presented by the use of autonomous platforms by finding ways to use such systems to execute its mission objectives.

According to the strategic plan, the Coast Guard must prepare for the impacts of the unlawful use of unmanned systems on its operations.

The framework also requires the service branch to regulate the lawful use of automation and unmanned systems in the Marine Transportation System.

The plan additionally highlights the need to establish resilient tactical communications networks to analyze and disseminate data and information collected from unmanned systems for operational commanders.

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Space Safety Coalition Amends Best Practices Guidelines to Address Sustainability, Collision Prevention
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Space Safety Coalition Amends Best Practices Guidelines to Address Sustainability, Collision Prevention

The Space Safety Coalition amended its best practices guidelines to emphasize proactive sustainability and address the growing risk of space collisions.

The changes have become part of the global “rules of the road” in the Best Practices for the Sustainability of Space Operations, SSC announced Tuesday.

SSC was established in 2019 to promote standards jointly developed by commercial and government satellite operators, manufacturers of spacecraft and launch vehicles, industry representatives and other key stakeholders from around the world.

The revisions recommend approaches to avoid intentional collisions or fragmentation. The document also includes guidance on post-mission disposal of launch vehicle and spacecraft, operational cybersecurity, and spacecraft anomaly root cause assessment. 

The updated guidelines were endorsed by 27 commercial space community representatives, including Charles Law, senior manager of flight dynamics at SES.

“These best practices clearly set aspirational targets to encourage all space actors to advance towards a safer, more responsible and sustainable use of space,” Law remarked. “Importantly, these best practices seek to stop intentional collisions and fragmentations, and it is encouraging to see a framework to coordinate between manoeuvrable [sic] satellites and to exchange orbit information.”

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SDA’s Derek Tournear on Building Resilience in Space Through Satellite Proliferation
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SDA’s Derek Tournear on Building Resilience in Space Through Satellite Proliferation

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency, said SDA is working to build resilience in space through the proliferation of satellite communications systems that are cost-effective, cyber-hardened and interoperable.

Speaking at the Navy League’s 2023 Sea Air Space Conference and Exposition, Tournear said that SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture satellites undermine the idea of shooting down satellites to disconnect them from ground assets as they are “more affordable than the missiles that you need to shoot them down,” the Department of Defense reported Tuesday.

“We made it to where … it’s really difficult to shoot those satellites down just by just by virtue of proliferation,” said Tournear, a previous Wash100 awardee.

SDA is also investing in boosting its satellites’ resilience to cybersecurity threats, according to Tournear.

“If there’s a common mode failure that can take out all your satellites or your ground systems, then you can’t proliferate your way out of that. So that’s a major concern. We have a lot of protections in place, and that’s something that we put a lot of resources on to make sure that we’re hardened against cyber threats,” the official said.

SDA launched on Sunday the first 10 satellites for PWSA’s Tranche 0 Transport and Tracking Layer aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The low-Earth orbit satellites will demonstrate low-latency military communications to enable warfighters to track missile threats.

US Navy Discusses Unmanned Maritime Systems Priorities With Military Partners, Industry
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US Navy Discusses Unmanned Maritime Systems Priorities With Military Partners, Industry

The U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants held a three-day hybrid event to discuss with military and industry partners the service branch’s unmanned systems development priorities.

More than two dozen government organizations and 430 companies, including small businesses, participated in the three-day event to discuss opportunities and capability gaps in unmanned surface vessels, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

“We’ve hosted a variety of industry days in the past, but nothing quite like this. Hundreds of companies are joining us in person and online with the chance to interact with representatives from a wide breadth of Navy unmanned topics,” said David Kelley, principal assistant program manager for acquisition for the Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office.

Rear Adm. Casey Moton, program executive officer for unmanned and small combatants, said there is a need to expand the unmanned industrial base to address demands for autonomous maritime systems that represent “an entirely new class of Navy weapons systems.”

The event took place from March 1 to 3 and saw participation from the Navy, Marine Corps and other industry partners,

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