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NASA to Wrap Up Operational Testing of Experimental All-Electric Plane in September
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NASA to Wrap Up Operational Testing of Experimental All-Electric Plane in September

NASA is set to finish the aircraft operations portion of the development of the X-57 Maxwell experimental all-electric plane by September.

The agency said Friday that it has collated lessons learned from the project and will continue documentation several months after the conclusion of operational activities.

The aim of the X-57 Maxwell program was not to create a prototype but to study the feasibility of an electric propulsion design and its regulatory implications. The vehicle was developed at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

The project ran into mechanical challenges that are causing delays to the aircraft’s first flight, including the unavailability of some critical hardware components.

The program provided “foundational information to industry through lessons learned, and we’re seeing the benefits borne out by American commercial aviation companies that are aiming to change the way we fly,” said Brad Flick, director of the Armstrong Flight Research Center. ”The future of electrified propulsion is possible because of their contributions.”

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Mark Kitz Selected as Army PEO for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors
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Mark Kitz Selected as Army PEO for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors

Mark Kitz, program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors of the U.S. Army, has been appointed as the service’s next PEO for command, control and communications-tactical, C4ISRNET reported Saturday.

Kitz, who is expected to leave IEW&S by the end of the month, will succeed Maj. Gen. Anthony Potts, who assumed command of PEO C3T in June 2022.

In his new role, Kitz will help oversee the Army’s network modernization initiatives to support communications systems that warfighters use to maintain information dominance in the battlefield.

Kitz was named PEO for IEW&S in May 2021 and has since provided oversight of the Army’s portfolio of electronic warfare; cyber; intelligence; target acquisition; and position, navigation and timing capabilities.

He served as the deputy PEO for IEW&S from June 2019 to May 2021.

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CISA Appoints David Carroll & Andrew Scott Associate Directors Within Cybersecurity Division
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CISA Appoints David Carroll & Andrew Scott Associate Directors Within Cybersecurity Division

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has appointed two associate directors to spearhead its cybersecurity division’s China and mission engineering operations.

Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, said in a blog post published Thursday that David Carroll will serve as associate director for mission engineering and Andrew Scott will be associate director for China operations.

Carroll’s 25-year career has taken him from Google to the U.S. Armed Forces and the Department of Homeland Security. He spent eight years as a combat communications and control specialist and joined the private defense sector through MITRE. He was the principal cyber security scientist and portfolio director of the company’s national cyber defense operations.

His other career highlights include tenure as the DHS chief information security architect and division director, principal program manager of Microsoft Azure and technical director of the chief digital transformation office under the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Scott joins CISA from the White House National Security Council, where he was most recently the special assistant to the president and senior director for cyber policy. He worked for six years in the private sector, and was later chosen by the Department of State for the role of chief of the Bureau of Human Resources’ systems operations branch.

The latter executive has been a cybersecurity and data analytics expert for NSC and other federal agencies for nearly 15 years.

Navy Puts USS Carl M. Levin Destroyer Ship Into Operation; Carlos Del Toro Quoted
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Navy Puts USS Carl M. Levin Destroyer Ship Into Operation; Carlos Del Toro Quoted

The U.S. Navy marked the commissioning of the USS Carl M. Levin guided-missile destroyer, built by General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works subsidiary, with an event that took place Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland.

At the event, the service branch celebrated the keel laying, mast stepping and christening of the Arleigh Burke-class combat vessel named after the late Sen. Carl Milton Levin, D-Mich.

Milton was a chairman and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, advocating for the wage increases and other policies for servicemen and their families. He served the Senate for a record 36 years, during which he pushed for initiatives to improve and maintain the global leadership of American manufacturing.

Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, said the destroyer “supports not just the strike force, but our entire nation by guaranteeing our unencumbered access to a free and open maritime commons and serves as the lifeblood of our economy.”

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii will homeport the 510-foot-long and 9,496-ton vessel.

Air Force’s Software Factory Debuts User Experience Monitoring Service
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Air Force’s Software Factory Debuts User Experience Monitoring Service

The U.S. Air Force’s Business and Enterprise Systems Product Innovation team has unveiled a user experience monitoring service designed to enable software developers to quantify product issues and performance.

BESPIN’s UEM service is powered by the open-source web analytics tool Matomo and works to track location, engagement behavior and content interaction, as well as a web page’s loading time, the type of device used and other user data, the Air Force Materiel Command said Thursday.

With the tool, mobile and web application teams can make more data-driven decisions about where to invest resources to enhance customer experience.

“The true value of focusing on user experience comes from understanding how the user interacts with your capability and using those actions of the end users to adjust and provide the best product possible,” said Lt. Col. Tyler Hough, chief operating officer for BESPIN.

The UEM service will soon be available to enterprise-wide users.

BESPIN is the Air Force’s software factory that supports digital transformation initiatives across the service.

POC - 2023 Annual Air Force Summit

Major Department of the Air Force officials are scheduled to speak at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Air Force Summit on July 18 at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia. Click here to register and hear from the presenters about how the DAF is applying modern technology to support national security missions.

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General Dynamics Business Books $712M Army Order for 300 Stryker DVHA1 Vehicles
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General Dynamics Business Books $712M Army Order for 300 Stryker DVHA1 Vehicles

A General Dynamics business has secured a $712.3 million order from the U.S. Army as part of a five-year contract awarded in 2020.

Under the order, General Dynamics Land Systems will deliver 300 Stryker DVHA1 vehicles to the service branch, the Sterling Heights, Michigan-based company announced on Monday.

“Stryker is the Army’s largest combat vehicle fleet – combat-proven, cost-effective, highly mobile, versatile, sustainable and transportable,” said Gordon Stein, vice president of U.S. operations at General Dynamics Land Systems.

Stein noted the 450-horsepower engine, 60,000-pound suspension, 910-amp alternator and in-vehicle digital network of the Stryker A1 vehicles.

By purchasing these vehicles, the Army intends to increase survivability and capability in its Stryker brigades.

“We are proud that our innovation, research, development and investment have evolved the Stryker into a next-generation platform for Stryker Brigade Combat Team formations and beyond,” Stein remarked.

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US Lawmakers & Defense Firms Want Reform of ITAR
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US Lawmakers & Defense Firms Want Reform of ITAR

U.S. defense companies, lawmakers and allies are calling for a revision of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which they say appear to hinder collaboration and could impact the alliance of the U.S. with Australia and the U.K. codified by the AUKUS partnership, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Under ITAR, the State Department approves the export of sensitive defense-related services, equipment and technical data from U.S. businesses to foreign entities. ITAR rules apply to components in missiles, aircraft, lasers, guns, spacecraft and other equipment.

“Reform of export controls, particularly ITAR, must happen to meet that mandate of urgency,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn.

“Aukus is not a run-of-the-mill sale of military kit by a U.S. contractor,” added Courtney.

Officials with the State Department said they are developing an interim mechanism that would allow a preapproval process for exports between AUKUS countries.

“We want export controls to be able to safeguard our technology,” said Mira Resnick, a deputy assistant secretary at the State Department. “We also want Aukus to succeed. And for Aukus to succeed, we know that we need to be able to have much more robust, agile, flexible information sharing.”

Some U.S. lawmakers have already introduced reform measures, including a bill that would enable the State Department to employ more personnel to assess defense-related export license requests and speed up the process for exporting certain defense equipment to the U.K. and Australia.

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Senate Armed Services Committee OKs FY24 NDAA
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Senate Armed Services Committee OKs FY24 NDAA

The Senate Armed Services Committee passed the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on Friday in a 24-1 vote.

The NDAA, which is now headed to the Senate floor for consideration, seeks to authorize a total of $886.3 billion in fiscal year 2024 funding for national defense.

Within the national defense topline, the measure would authorize $844.3 billion for the Department of Defense and $32.4 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy.

The proposed legislation would authorize increased funding for the LGM-35A Sentinel program, Hypersonic Targets and Countermeasures Program and Fleet Ballistic Missile Strategic Weapon System; support requested funding for the purchase of naval vessels, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, weapon systems and munitions; and authorize $1.9 billion to fully fund the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship LPD-33.

The NDAA is meant to authorize the U.S. Navy to enter into one or more contracts for the multiyear procurement of the next block of 10 Virginia-class submarines and establish the joint program of the DOD and the National Nuclear Security Administration to build a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile.

The bill “addresses a broad range of pressing issues, from strategic competition with China and Russia, to disruptive technologies like hypersonics, AI, and quantum computing, to modernizing our ships, aircraft, and combat vehicles,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., chairman of SASC.

On Thursday, the House Appropriations Committee voted 34-24 to approve a fiscal year 2024 bill that would fund the agencies and programs within the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.

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Elsevier’s Albert Chang Talks Career Background, Leadership Strengths & More
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Elsevier’s Albert Chang Talks Career Background, Leadership Strengths & More

Albert Chang currently serves as a government customer engagement lead at Elsevier, a role in which he applies his more than 25 years of leadership experience to support the organization’s public sector customers in streamlining processes to improve research outcomes.

Chang recently participated in an interview with the Potomac Officers Club, in which he discussed his career background, described his leadership style and shared his most significant accomplishments.

In this excerpt from the interview, Chang reflects on what he has learned throughout his career:

My career, which spans over 30 years, has been about change. Having worked in five different industries, I have learned to adapt and to recognize a lot of similarities across these fields. At the end of the day, we are all trying to solve problems. The challenge is knowing how to take advantage of your experiences and strengths to find solutions. The ability to think critically and apply methodologies in ways no one has thought of combined with continuous learning is where you find answers.

For more of Chang’s insights, read the full Executive Spotlight interview on the Potomac Officers Club website.

Each Potomac Officers Club has the opportunity to participate in their own Executive Spotlight interview! Click here to explore our membership options and take advantage of this exclusive brand-building program.

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NASA Reaches End of Initial Certification Tests for Redesigned Artemis RS-25 Engines
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NASA Reaches End of Initial Certification Tests for Redesigned Artemis RS-25 Engines

NASA accomplished initial certification tests of redesigned RS-25 engines manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne, which will be used for the Space Launch System rocket in the Artemis V lunar missions and beyond.

The 12-test series was completed at Fred Haise Test Stand at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and will be followed by a second and final round of certification trials in the fall of 2023, the space agency said Friday.

The experiment included 500-second hot fire tests, as well as four long-duration trials that lasted a total of 720 minutes. Engineers also performed a gimbal test to evaluate the component’s pivoting abilities, and pushed power levels from 80 percent to 113 percent.

“This 12-test series demonstrated our confidence level that our new designs have the same reliability and performance as their predecessors,” said Mike Lauer, Aerojet’s deputy program manager for RS-25. “We put the engine through a lot of different scenarios, and we are extremely pleased with the results.”

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