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Siemens Government Technologies CEO John Ustica Talks Microelectronics & Chip Manufacturing
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Siemens Government Technologies CEO John Ustica Talks Microelectronics & Chip Manufacturing

The global COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain shortages it catalyzed have underscored the importance of microelectronics in the United States. As a result, the federal government is sharpening its focus on bringing semiconductor chip manufacturing back to the U.S. and lightening the country’s dependence on foreign manufacturers.

These issues that have emerged over the last few years have illustrated “how big of an impact microelectronics can have on the entire infrastructure and the entire manufacturing ecosystem,” said John Ustica, CEO and president of Siemens Government Technologies and 2023 Wash100 Award winner, in a new video interview with Executive Mosaic.

“I think that’s a place where things are rapidly transforming, and it’s a place where we think we can really help our customers,” he added. “Microelectronics is going to be a place that we continue to grow at Siemens.”

In August 2022, the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors or CHIPS Act was signed into law, injecting more than $50 billion into domestic semiconductor chip research, development and manufacturing. In his interview, Ustica predicted that we could begin to see the benefits of that increased investment in U.S. microelectronics “very soon,” as SGT is beginning to have conversations with customers on how to deploy the funds.

Ustica said Siemens has a portfolio of technologies that will support semiconductor manufacturing from the industry side of the GovCon ecosystem.

Siemens can deploy its digital twin technology to design fabrication plants, its automation technology for plant construction and its Electronic Design Automation technology to actually design the circuits, Ustica explained.

Hear what John Ustica has to say about energy resiliency, microelectronics, digital transformation and more in his full video interview with Executive Mosaic. Be sure to subscribe to Executive Mosaic’s YouTube channel to keep up with news and insights from GovCon executives.

SEC Announces Agenda for Upcoming Small Business Advisory Committee Meeting
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SEC Announces Agenda for Upcoming Small Business Advisory Committee Meeting

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee will hold a meeting on Feb. 7 to discuss key issues relating to the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises in the United States.

SEC said Tuesday the agenda for the upcoming meeting will focus on alternative approaches to small business capital raising, the SEC proposal on private fund reforms and the role of investment research for investors and smaller private companies.

The committee seeks to explore different options from traditional bank and venture capital funding for small public companies, during a session led by speakers Damien Dwin, founder and CEO of Lafayette Square, and Melissa Withers, managing partner at RevUp Capital.

Alpa Patel, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, and Charles Hudson, managing partner and founder of Precursor Ventures, are also set to tackle SEC’s proposed new rules to regulate private fund advisers.

A discussion on the availability of equity research prepared by broker-dealer firms will be led by Charles Bobrinskoy, vice chairman and head of investment group and portfolio manager at Ariel Investments, and Amy Natterson Kroll, a partner at Morgan Lewis.

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US, India Announce Bilateral Initiatives to Expand Tech Partnership at 1st iCET Meeting
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US, India Announce Bilateral Initiatives to Expand Tech Partnership at 1st iCET Meeting

Government officials from the U.S. and India discussed opportunities to advance cooperation in critical technologies and strengthen connectivity across innovation ecosystems during the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology on Tuesday.

India and the U.S. announced bilateral efforts to expand their technology partnership in the areas of defense innovation, semiconductor supply chains, telecommunications, space and science, technology, engineering and math, the White House said Tuesday.

To strengthen their innovation ecosystems, the two countries signed an implementation arrangement for a research agency that will enable the U.S. National Science Foundation and Indian science agencies to broaden their collaboration in quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced wireless, among other work.

The U.S. and India have moved to advance defense technology collaboration by establishing a bilateral Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap to explore development projects related to munition-related technologies and jet engines and introducing an “innovation bridge” between U.S. and Indian defense startups.

When it comes to the space domain, the two countries will create exchanges that will include training for an Indian Space Research Organization at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, advance bilateral commercial space partnership and broaden the U.S.-India Civil Space Joint Working Group’s agenda to include planetary defense.

Indian and U.S. officials discussed collaboration in human space exploration, Earth and space science, spaceflight safety and space situational awareness and global navigation satellite systems as part of the two-day meeting of CSJWG that kicked off on Monday.

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Federal IT Exec Charles Armstrong Appointed FEMA CIO
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Federal IT Exec Charles Armstrong Appointed FEMA CIO

Charles Armstrong, an information technology leader with more than three decades of government experience, has been appointed chief information officer at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to a LinkedIn post published Friday.

Armstrong previously served as CIO of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where he led the modernization of the agency’s IT infrastructure and the implementation of visualization and cloud products and services across the enterprise.

Prior to that, he was assistant commissioner for the CBP’s Office of Information and Technology and deputy CIO of the Department of Homeland Security.

His DHS experience also included roles such as cargo modernization program manager at CBP.

The technology executive started his career as a software developer at the U.S. Navy.

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NREL Report: Cybersecurity Should Be Implemented Early in Aviation Electrification
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NREL Report: Cybersecurity Should Be Implemented Early in Aviation Electrification

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has published a report to guide the aviation industry in the implementation of cybersecurity measures for electric aviation.

The study was funded by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is looking into the potential of airport electrification to help achieve air mobility goals in the U.S, NREL said Monday.

According to the report, security should be incorporated early into the design and procurement phases of electric aircraft production. During technology procurement, facility owners may employ assessments such as the Department of Energy Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model, and the Distributed Energy Resource Cybersecurity Framework, to identify potential vulnerabilities and protect energy assets.

The industry should also apply lessons learned from cyberthreats in ground EV charging, NREL stated.

To protect virtual information at airports, multiple stakeholders can scale intrusion detection systems or use the laboratory’s Module OT operational technology encryption platform. 

First Responders Want More Trustworthy, User-Friendly Communication Devices, NIST Survey Finds
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First Responders Want More Trustworthy, User-Friendly Communication Devices, NIST Survey Finds

A U.S. survey showed that first responders such as policemen, firemen and emergency medical personnel want public safety communications technology to be trustworthy, controllable and easier to use. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology on Monday published its report on the Voices of First Responders project, which aims to help tech developers improve communication devices used in emergency response.

The study involved 7,182 participants from rural areas to large cities nationwide. NIST spent three years analyzing data and wrote 14 publications on the findings. 

 Based on the results, the institute came up with guidelines for future development of public safety technologies. The devices must be tailored not only to first responders’ user behavior but also to the varying needs, disciplines, districts and contexts of use in response situations. 

They must be cost-effective for widespread distribution, and not divert attention from the primary tasks of the officers, according to the survey. NIST also found that officials prefer to see an enhancement to the devices they currently have, rather than getting new equipment.

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OSTP Names Mark Latonero National AI Initiative Office Deputy Director
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OSTP Names Mark Latonero National AI Initiative Office Deputy Director

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has appointed Mark Latonero, a former official at the Department of Commerce, to serve as deputy director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office.

Latonero shared in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday that he joined OSTP from the National Institute of Standards and Technology where he served as senior policy adviser for AI.

While at NIST, he worked with the Trustworthy and Responsible AI team to develop a framework for managing risks posed by AI systems.

Prior to joining NIST, Latonero was a senior consultant to the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations and a senior policy adviser to the nonprofit organization Partnership on AI.

In his new role at OSTP, Latonero will work as part of the technology and science and society team to help address the impacts of emerging technologies on socio-technical systems.

He will also lead the national initiative to boost AI technology use in federal agencies.

POC - 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

The Potomac Officers Club will hold its 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on Feb. 16 to discuss the federal government’s AI priorities and initiatives for 2023 and beyond. Click here to register and hear from the speakers, including Craig Martell, chief digital and AI officer at the Department of Defense, and Lakshmi Raman, director of AI at the CIA.

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CBO: US Military Needs to Overcome Technical Challenges to Deploy Hypersonic Weapons
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CBO: US Military Needs to Overcome Technical Challenges to Deploy Hypersonic Weapons

The Congressional Budget Office examined and compared the hypersonic weapons being developed by the Army, Air Force and the Navy with potential existing alternatives and found that the U.S. military must overcome technological challenges to deploy hypersonic missiles, including the need for these weapons to withstand extreme temperatures.

“Shielding hypersonic missiles’ sensitive electronics, understanding how various materials perform, and predicting aerodynamics at sustained temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit require extensive flight testing,” CBO wrote in a report published Tuesday.

According to CBO, ballistic and hypersonic missiles could operate beyond the anti-access and area-denial zones being developed by potential adversaries such as Russia and China.

The report noted that ballistic missiles with maneuverable warheads would be more survivable than hypersonic missiles against midcourse air defenses but could be vulnerable to highly effective long-range defenses.

Procuring 300 ballistic missiles and sustaining them for two decades would cost $13.4 billion in 2023 dollars, the office estimated, while a comparable number of hypersonic weapons would cost a total of $17.9 billion.

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Pentagon Launches Defense Management Institute; Kathleen Hicks Quoted
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Pentagon Launches Defense Management Institute; Kathleen Hicks Quoted

The Department of Defense has established a nonprofit research institute focused on improving the organization, management and enterprise business operations of DOD.

The Defense Management Institute will be managed by the Institute for Defense Analyses and will support efforts to continuously update the freshly conceived Strategic Management Plan and align it with the National Defense Strategy, DOD said Tuesday.

DMI will help the Pentagon by creating a defense management network of experts and a community of practice; performing research on management issues to inform decisions by DOD and Congress; and compiling a digital catalog of research and other resources on defense management issues.

“We owe it to the taxpayers to ensure that their resources are managed as efficiently and effectively as possible,” said Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.

“The DMI will contribute to that effort by learning from the best of the public and private sectors and helping us to constantly update and improve our management practices,” added Hicks, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s 2023 Wash100.

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Matt Tait and Gen. Chance Saltzman Spotlighted as 2023 Wash100 Award Winners
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Matt Tait and Gen. Chance Saltzman Spotlighted as 2023 Wash100 Award Winners

Executive Mosaic is excited to showcase the achievements of ManTech CEO & President Matt Tait and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, two first-time Wash100 Award inductees.

The annual award represents the highest honor for government contracting industry figures. In its historic 10th year, Tait and Saltzman emerged as top performers in the intensive selection process, which measures the impact of each executive’s past and future contributions to the community.

Beginning 2022 as ManTech’s chief operating officer, Tait took on a guiding role in conducting the sale of the company to the Carlyle Group in a $4.2 billion go-private transaction that ended the company’s two decades as a publicly traded organization.

After nearly five years with ManTech and close to three in his previous role, his accomplished leadership elevated him to CEO in October. Shortly after Tait assumed his new position, ManTech received an $862 million task order to provide the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Service Support with full lifecycle support for its mission-critical systems. To read Tait’s full profile, click here.

Saltzman’s career with the Space Force began in September 2022 following his confirmation as chief of space operations by the Senate.

Just over two months after his official installation into the role, Saltzman released his first commander’s note, which details three lines of effort to ensure the future success of the Space Force. These pillars include surrounding the fielding of combat-ready forces, amplifying the guardian spirit and partnering to win. Click here to read Saltzman’s full profile.

Matt Tait and Gen. Chance Saltzman Spotlighted as 2023 Wash100 Award Winners

The exciting Wash100 popular vote contest, which allows you to choose your favorite winning executive each year, has begun. To choose Matt Tait and Chance Saltzman as your favorite 2023 Wash100 Award winners, please visit Wash100.com.

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