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Gen. Paul Nakasone Plans to Step Down as NSA Director, CYBERCOM Commander
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Gen. Paul Nakasone Plans to Step Down as NSA Director, CYBERCOM Commander

Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency and commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has shared with his colleagues that he plans to step down from the dual-hatted role in the coming months, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

An individual informed on the matter said that Nakasone intends to depart from his positions in August or September, while others said the possible retirement of George Barnes, deputy director at NSA, may alter the general’s plans.

It was not clear whether Nakasone would retire or take on a new position within the Biden administration, according to multiple sources.

With Nakasone at the helm, NSA has improved its collaboration with Silicon Valley and CYBERCOM has advanced the “persistent engagement” and “defend forward” doctrines, the report said. Nakasone has served in these positions for over five years.

The current administration has not yet named a possible replacement for the NSA chief, but sources said Air Force Lt. Gen. Tim Haugh, deputy commander of CYBERCOM, has been included in the shortlist of names.

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SSC Receives Control and Planning Segment for North Pole Satcom Payloads
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SSC Receives Control and Planning Segment for North Pole Satcom Payloads

Space Systems Command has formally accepted the Control and Planning Segment, a single software baseline built to integrate the preexisting Enhanced Polar System and upcoming EPS-Recapitalization payloads.

The Northrop Grumman-manufactured CAPS will streamline segment command, control and planning across the two payloads and provide space-based connectivity to U.S. forces in the North Polar region, SSC said Thursday.

Managed by SSC’s Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation and Timing directorate, The EPS-R program will provide continuous satellite communications services in the region until the deployment of the next-generation Protected Tactical SATCOM system in the early 2030s.

Currently, the EPS delivers secured tactical extremely high frequency satcom across the area.

Northrop secured a $429 million contract in 2018 to develop and deliver a pair of EHF eXtended Data Rate payloads for the recapitalization program.

The EPS-R payloads will be hosted aboard Space Norway’s Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, which is scheduled to launch in 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

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CISA CIO Bob Costello on Agency’s Priorities
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CISA CIO Bob Costello on Agency’s Priorities

Bob Costello, chief information officer at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said that modernization, streamlining a fragmented infrastructure and ensuring the cybersecurity of technology systems are major CISA priorities, FCW reported Thursday.

He noted that CISA’s focus on cybersecurity is critical as the agency receives data shared by both industry and other government agencies.

“As we mature our internal processes, we have very tight working relationships with the insider threat program and other aspects of CISA to ensure that if we do have something that goes wrong or if data gets out that shouldn’t, we know how to respond to it and we can identify it very quickly,” Costello said.

He mentioned several organizational changes enacted within CISA’s CIO office and discussed his office’s objective to ensure that the technology platforms it deploys meet the needs of users.

“How do we partner, particularly with the mission side, to ensure that we’re delivering systems that they can utilize, and also giving them enough freedom to operate the way that they need to?” said Costello.

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GSA Installs Clean Energy Technologies Into Oklahoma Federal Building; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Installs Clean Energy Technologies Into Oklahoma Federal Building; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration has successfully equipped the Oklahoma City Federal Building with grid-interactive and smart building technologies in line with the agency’s clean energy initiatives.

The deep energy retrofit project was intended to save roughly $400,000 per year in energy and water costs while reducing energy use by 41 percent and removing 3,100 metric tons of carbon emissions, GSA said Thursday.

“Right here in Oklahoma City, this project is a groundbreaking model for the kind of innovation that we hope to replicate across the country through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda – creating good jobs, saving taxpayer dollars through energy efficiency and ensuring a healthier, brighter future for our communities and our kids,” said Robin Carnahan, administrator of GSA.

Technologies included in the installation effort were grid-interactive efficient building tools, solar photovoltaic and battery energy storage systems and lighting controls as well as upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls.

Approximately $11 million in funding from the Department of Energy and GSA was used to finance the project via a Utility Energy Service Contract with Oklahoma Gas and Electric and Ameresco.

GSA Installs Clean Energy Technologies Into Oklahoma Federal Building; Robin Carnahan Quoted

For a closer look into GSA’s current programs and priorities, GovCon Wire will host its 2023 GSA Forum virtually on May 23. To learn more and register to attend the event, please visit GovCon Wire’s events page.

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NASA’s Laser Communications Payload Achieves Fastest Space-to-Ground Link
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NASA’s Laser Communications Payload Achieves Fastest Space-to-Ground Link

NASA‘s TeraByte InfraRed Delivery laser communications payload has demonstrated its ability to transmit data from satellite in orbit to a ground system at a rate of 200 gigabits per second, surpassing its previous 100 Gbps milestone achieved in June 2022.

TBIRD, which operates on the Terran Orbital-designed Pathfinder Technology Generator 3 satellite, allows the transmission of multiple terabytes of test data from space to Earth during just a six-minute pass over a ground facility, NASA said Thursday.

Beth Keer, the mission manager for TBIRD at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said the milestone “will change the way we communicate in space.”

“Laser communications is the missing link that will enable the science discoveries of the future,” she said.

The TBIRD payload was launched into space as part of NASA’s PTD-3 mission to demonstrate a direct-to-Earth laser communication link.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory designed and developed the payload in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

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AFRL Information Directorate Advances Quantum Research to Secure Military Data Communications
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AFRL Information Directorate Advances Quantum Research to Secure Military Data Communications

Researchers from the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate are working to advance quantum computing hardware research and development for future military applications, including enabling “ultra-secure” data communication.

Quantum computing has the potential to strengthen already secure communication systems as the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics make it more difficult for hackers to obtain useful information, AFRL said on Thursday.

According to the laboratory, quantum superposition and entanglement make quantum-based communication platforms more resistant to tampering than legacy systems.

To progress its quantum initiatives, AFRL’s Information Directorate is collaborating with industry partners, including IBM, IonQ and PsiQuantum.

In 2022, PsiQuantum secured a $22.5 million contract to help AFRL design, develop and produce quantum photonic chips at GlobalFoundries’ semiconductor chip fab in Malta, New York.

Top Healthcare Government Contractors To Watch Out For in 2023
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Top Healthcare Government Contractors To Watch Out For in 2023

The healthcare sector is one of the biggest contractors in the government contracting landscape. Top healthcare government contractors provide federal agencies with high-quality pharmaceutical, health, and human services to better serve American citizens and residents across the United States.

Note: The following list of healthcare government contractors is ranked in no particular order. The selection criteria are based on a variety of factors, including market capitalization, revenue, and overall industry impact. That said, while they are highly regarded in the industry, plenty of other companies also offer exceptional products and services.

How big is the healthcare industry in the U.S.?

How big is the healthcare industry in the U.S.?; Small business administration

The U.S. healthcare sector is a $4.1 trillion industry, accounting for approximately 26% of the nation’s GDP. Most of its revenue comes from government contracting activities of federal agencies such as the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs with healthcare providers, spanning small businesses to medical giants.

Get to know the top healthcare government contractors to watch out for in 2023.

1. Pfizer Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

  • Revenue: $100.3 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 1849
  • CEO: Dr. Albert Bourla
  • Headquarters: New York City, New York

Pfizer Inc. is a private-sector business leader in health and human services. With nearly 180 years of expertise in the business, the company has won several healthcare contracts focused on biopharmaceutical products, medicines, and vaccines.

Pfizer has been one of the key healthcare providers to develop a COVID-19 vaccine. While the federal government is one of the biggest customers of the vaccine, the company also supplied worldwide governments with millions of doses to minimize fatalities and eventually eradicate the virus.

Top Pfizer government contracts

Pfizer secured multiple contracts to provide COVID-19 vaccine doses and Paxlovid supplies for the U.S. government. One of the biggest awards the company received was a $10 billion purchase deal for 500 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including only the first two shots; boosters shots aren’t covered.

2. McKesson Corporation

McKesson Corporation

  • Revenue: $276 billion (FY 2023)
  • Established: 1833
  • CEO: Brian S. Tyler
  • Headquarters: Irving, Texas

McKesson Corp. is a prime pharmaceutical, health, and medical services contractor. The company pioneered the wholesale drug distribution network and has since been distributing medical supplies to doctors, hospitals, and government agencies in the U.S.

Employing over 49,000 employees across 16 countries, McKesson Corp. operates six business units accountable for distribution and technology. As one of the world’s top medical giants, the company has been crucial in providing disease control and medications for COVID-19, cancer, and more.

Top McKesson government contracts

In 2017, the Defense Logistics Agency awarded McKesson Corporation a $400 million contract to produce the Digital Imaging Network Picture Archiving Communications System (DIN-PACS). The system was developed to transmit electronic images and clinical reports quickly and efficiently.

3. Humana Inc.

Humana Inc.

  • Revenue: $92.9 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 1961
  • CEO: Bruce D. Broussard
  • Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky

Humana Inc. ranks among the top health insurance providers in the United States today. In its early years, the company operated as a nursing home operator and slowly transitioned into hospital management and ownership. Currently, the insurance provider operates across 22 cities in the United States, including Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Humana Inc. focuses on human health and well-being through its three segments: Group and Specialty, Retail, and Healthcare Services. One of its biggest subsidiaries is its government contracting business, where the federal government awarded the company to manage defense-related healthcare services under the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Top Humana government contracts

In 2016, Humana’s subsidiary, Humana Military Healthcare Services, secured a $41 billion multi-year agreement to administer TRICARE. The healthcare program was set to serve over 9.6 million active duty, reserve, and retired service members.

4. TriWest Healthcare Alliance

TriWest Healthcare Alliance

TriWest Healthcare Alliance manages the military health system offered by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The company is established to provide solely for military and veterans and military communities with convenient and affordable healthcare programs.

For over 17 years, TriWest Healthcare Alliance was responsible for administering the TRICARE programs in Regions 7 and 8. The company has since received several contract awards under DoD and VA, such as the Community Care Network Regions 4 and 5 and Community Care Support.

Top Triwest Healthcare Alliance government contracts

In 2022, Triwest Healthcare Alliance secured a $65 billion contract for managed care support of the Defense Health Agency’s TRICARE Program in the West Region, also known as the T-5 MCS contract. The program covers 26 states in the Western United States.

5. Merck & Co.

Merck & Co.

  • Revenue: $59.3 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 1891
  • CEO: Robert M. Davis
  • Headquarters: Rahway, New Jersey

Merck & Co. is a research-intensive biopharmaceutical company supplying special medical supplies, medicines, and vaccines for humans and animals. The company was founded as the American arm of the German organization before becoming a fully-fledged company in 1891. Merck & Co. operates as Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) outside the U.S. and Canada.

With over 130 years of history, Merck & Co. has been at the forefront of research and development to fight life-threatening diseases, such as COVID-19, Ebola, HIV, cancer, and more. Merck & Co. have produced some of the most popular drugs including Clarinex, Fosamax, Implanon, and NuvaRing.

Top Merck & Co. government contracts

Merck & Co. and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics secured various government contracts to supply Molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral pill against COVID-19. The joint venture finalized a $1.2 billion contract with the federal government for an initial supply of over 1.7 million courses. The JV procured another 1.4 million courses for $2.2 billion.

6. GSK

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

  • Revenue: ~$36.8 billion/ £29.3 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 2000
  • CEO: Dame Emma Walmsley
  • Headquarters: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company. The company’s formation in 2000 through the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham builds on a solid foundation of its predecessors dating back to 1715, which underscores its proven expertise..

GSK has two corporate offices in the U.S., focusing on commercial, research & development, manufacturing, and corporate functions. The company has over 15,000 global employees working on getting ahead of diseases and impacting the health of over 2.5 billion people in the next ten years.

Top GSK government contracts

In 2021, the federal government contracted GSK for a $280 million contract for storing, procuring, and distributing Sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody neutralizer treatment. Another contract worth $975 million was finalized for the 340,048 additional doses of Sotrovimab, including an option for additional 715,680 doses.

7. Abbott Laboratories

Abbott Laboratories

  • Revenue: $43.7 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 1888
  • CEO: Robert B. Ford
  • Headquarters: Abbott Park, Illinois

Abbott Laboratories is a private-sector business leader in nutrition, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, and more. The company has over 115,000 colleagues who serve a diverse portfolio of healthcare products and services in over 160 countries.

Abbott Laboratories owns a selection of featured brands used by thousands of people worldwide, including Similac, PediaSure, Ensure, Glucerna, and more. The company also owns a wide range of pharmaceutical brands to fight various diseases, such as cardiovascular, diabetes care, diagnostics, neuromodulation, nutrition, and medicines.

Top Abbott Laboratories government contract

Abbott Laboratories is a prime contractor of COVID-19 testing kits for the U.S. government. In January 2022, the company secured a $306 million contract for supplying rapid antigen tests. In March 2022, the company was awarded another $1.03 billion for additional supplies of COVID-19 testing kits.

8. Centene Corporation

Centene Corporation

  • Revenue: $144.5 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 1984
  • CEO: Sarah London
  • Headquarters: St. Louis, Missouri

Centene Corporation offers managed care support for government-sponsored and privately-owned insurance programs. The company provides high-quality healthcare, health programs, and solutions for members, employees, individuals, families, and communities.

Centene Corporation manages over 28 million members, accounting for nearly 1 in 15 individuals in the U.S. Over 67,200 employees work toward the company’s government contracting landscape, which covers Medicaid, Medicare, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans under the Health Insurance Marketplace and the TRICARE programs.

Top Centene Corporation government contracts

In 2019, Centene Corporation was one of the winners of a $10 billion contract for the Texas Medicaid contract. The contract provided care for the aged, disabled, and blind (ABD) population across 13 service areas.

9. AmerisourceBergen

AmeriSourceBergen

  • Revenue: $238.6 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 2001
  • CEO: Steven H. Collis
  • Headquarters: Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

AmerisourceBergen is a wholesale drug company with large-scale distribution and consulting network for medical business operations and patient services. The company was formed with the merger between Bergen Brunswig and AmeriSource in 2001, but its predecessor companies date back to 1871.

As one of the biggest pharmaceutical sourcing distribution services, AmerisourceBergen manufactures a line of pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter (OTC) products, and healthcare equipment. The company is a top provider of medical supplies for acute care hospitals, independent chain retail pharmacies, clinics, and other alternate site facilities.

Top AmerisourceBergen government contracts

AmerisourceBergen secured a $116 million contract to provide pharmaceuticals and related products for northern and southern regions. The 37-day bridge agreement was finalized by the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support to be used by Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and other defense-related customers.

10. Moderna

Moderna

  • Revenue: $238.6 billion (FY 2022)
  • Established: 2010
  • CEO: Stéphane Bancel
  • Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Moderna is a biotechnology company best known for developing a COVID-19 vaccine based on RNA technology. To produce an mRNA vaccine, the company uses RNA therapeutics which carries instructions for proteins to boost immune response. Amid its young history, only founded in 2010, the company has quickly become a top government contractor for healthcare.

While the COVID-19 vaccine is Moderna’s primary product, the company has various developments for vaccines related to influenza, HIV, chikungunya, Zika virus, and cancer. Since its inception, the company has played a transformative role in the medical and healthcare world through its advanced mRNA platform.

Top Moderna government contracts

Amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, the U.S. government contracted various contracts with Moderna for the procurement of the vaccine. In 2021, the company won a $3.3 billion contract to produce 200 million doses of the double-shot SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-1273 vaccine, which should inoculate at least 70% of American adults.

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Gen. Glen VanHerck Cites Need to Counter Hypersonic Weapons
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Gen. Glen VanHerck Cites Need to Counter Hypersonic Weapons

Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said it is imperative for the U.S. and Canada to counter hypersonic weapons as Russia and China move to deploy such capabilities that could avoid detection across several domains, DOD News reported Wednesday.

“Hypersonic weapons are extremely difficult to detect and counter given the weapons’ speed and maneuverability, low flight paths and unpredictable trajectories,” VanHerck said Tuesday during his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces on the defense authorization request for fiscal 2024.

The general cited the need for the military to recognize homeland defense as vital to the country’s contingency plans and power projection overseas.

“In an area of incredible innovation and technological achievement, inflexible, outdated processes are a greater impediment to success than many of our competitors’ advancements,” VanHerck said.

He told lawmakers that the U.S. and Canada should accelerate efforts to improve domain awareness and mentioned how over-the-horizon radars provide NORAD and USNORTHCOM the capability to detect and track potential threats to North America.

VanHerck said the Joint Force needs “predictable and timely funding” to improve capability and resilience and maintain readiness.

He also noted that the Department of Defense must continue to address hiring challenges and improve personnel management.

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DOD Selects 28 Academic Teams for Competitive Research Program Awards
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DOD Selects 28 Academic Teams for Competitive Research Program Awards

The Department of Defense has named 28 collaborative academic teams as awardees under a capacity-building program meant to improve the basic research infrastructure at higher education institutions in underutilized states and territories.

DOD said Wednesday it selected the teams by holding two fiscal year 2022 competitions — Research Collaboration and Capacity Building — under the Defense Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

The department selected 25 academic teams after evaluating over 115 white papers for the FY22 Research Collaboration competition. Each team will get up to $600,000 over three years to conduct engineering and scientific research in areas in support of the National Defense Strategy.

The Pentagon assessed over 25 white papers and picked three teams from George Washington University, University of South Dakota and the University of New Mexico for the FY22 Capacity Building Competition. The teams will receive up to $1 million each over a period of two years.

“DEPSCoR allows us to tap into institutions that have enormous basic research capability – but have been underutilized by DoD – to enhance U.S. science and engineering research capacity both now and in the long term,” said Bindu Nair, director of DOD’s basic research office.

Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop USV Performance Analysis Tool
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Johns Hopkins APL Researchers Develop USV Performance Analysis Tool

A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory is developing a metrics-based approach to evaluating the performance of uncrewed surface vehicles and their compliance with international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

The Performance Analysis Toolset builds on previous APL research on quantifying good seamanship for unmanned surface vehicle performance evaluation and aims to perform objective evaluations based on subjective collision avoidance protocols, the research center said Wednesday.

“To develop the tool, we sat down with subject-matter experts, asked them what qualities they look for in navigation tests, studied the COLREGS and turned that information into quantifiable metrics,” said Mike Heistand, a systems engineer and senior analyst in APL’s force projection sector.

“From there, we can feed USV navigation data into our scoring algorithm and share results with the sponsor that are consistent and objective,” Heistand explained.

Under the sponsorship of the Naval Sea Systems Command Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office, APL is testing PAT’s validity by completing a Performance Analysis Toolset – Human Operator Comparison in collaboration with Surface Warfare School Command.

“We want to shed light on how assessments of both autonomous systems and humans may evolve to a new reality where both interact in the real world,” said Kathryn Lahman, program manager for advanced autonomy test and evaluation at APL.

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