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Jerome Powell Says ‘Disinflationary Process’ Has Started
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Jerome Powell Says ‘Disinflationary Process’ Has Started

Jerome Powell, chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, said inflation has started to ease but the process would take time and warned that the Fed could continue to raise interest rates in response to unfavorable economic data, CNBC reported Tuesday.

“The disinflationary process, the process of getting inflation down, has begun and it’s begun in the goods sector, which is about a quarter of our economy,” Powell said Tuesday during an event in Washington, D.C. “But it has a long way to go. These are the very early stages.”

He noted that the Fed will likely increase rates if data shows higher inflation.

“The reality is we’re going to react to the data,” Powell said. “So if we continue to get, for example, strong labor market reports or higher inflation reports, it may well be the case that we have do more and raise rates more than is priced in.”

On Feb. 1, the Fed voted unanimously to raise the interest rate by 0.25 of a percentage point to 4.5 percent to 4.75 percent. This marks the eighth increase in rates since March 2022, according to the report.

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Lawmakers Cite Need for US to Adjust Force Posture in Response to China’s Nuclear Buildup
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Lawmakers Cite Need for US to Adjust Force Posture in Response to China’s Nuclear Buildup

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and three other congressional members have issued a statement highlighting the need for the U.S. to strengthen its nuclear force posture and increase its capabilities as China ramps up its nuclear modernization efforts.

The statement was in response to a Jan. 26 report from U.S. Strategic Command that China has surpassed the U.S. when it comes to the number of land-based mobile and fixed intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.

“It is not an understatement to say that the Chinese nuclear modernization program is advancing faster than most believed possible,” the lawmakers stated.

“We have no time to waste in adjusting our nuclear force posture to deter both Russia and China. This will have to mean higher numbers and new capabilities,” they added.

Rogers issued the statement with Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., ranking member of HASC’s strategic forces subcommittee; Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., ranking member of SASC’s strategic forces subpanel.

The Wall Street Journal reported that STRATCOM informed Congress that China has not surpassed the U.S. in the number of ground-based intercontinental-range missiles and nuclear warheads mounted on such missiles.

U.S. officials said the notification to Congress does not cover long-range bombers and submarine-launched missiles, according to WSJ.

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Iridium’s Matt Desch & Splunk’s Bill Rowan Land 2023 Wash100 Award for Government Collaborations, Technology Innovation
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Iridium’s Matt Desch & Splunk’s Bill Rowan Land 2023 Wash100 Award for Government Collaborations, Technology Innovation

Today, two commercial industry power players, Matt Desch of Iridium and Bill Rowan of Splunk, were singled out for their achievements and recent induction into the 2023 Wash100. During 2022, the executives both demonstrated a high level of partnership with the federal government while helping their respective companies usher innovative new technologies into the marketplace.

For the last decade, the Wash100 Award has been the gold standard for recognizing the government contracting and federal sectors’ best and most brilliant change-makers. To receive consideration, an executive must both have a stellar track record and promise great things to come in the next year.

Desch this year earned his ninth consecutive Wash100 Award. He celebrated a company-best EBITDA of $105.9 million in the second quarter of FY 2022 and a subscriber base of 1.97 million by the end of the third quarter, attributed in part to a growing demand for Internet of Things technologies.

Read Desch’s profile at GovCon Wire here.

The Iridium CEO also spoke to Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt for a video interview in September 2022 that highlighted his career arc, what the future holds for the company and more. Watch the full video here.

Rowan won the attention of the Wash100 voting body for his expansive cybersecurity ambitions. He came to Splunk as public sector vice president in July 2022 after serving at software company VMware for over 12 years.

“Cybersecurity is not about just one platform — that’s what gets us into problems. We need to have a much more holistic view. When I was making the decision to join the company, I could see that Splunk was very well positioned to help attack that specific problem,” Rowan shared in an Executive Spotlight interview with ExecutiveBiz.

Read Rowan’s profile at ExecutiveBiz here.

Executive Mosaic extends its warmest congratulations to Matt Desch, Bill Rowan and the teams that support them. To throw your support behind these worthy candidates, visit Wash100.com and participate in the popular vote contest. Until the end of April, all 100 of the 2023 Wash100 inductees will compete for a place in the top 30. You get 10 votes to make your voice heard.

Top Raytheon Technologies Government Contracts Award
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Top Raytheon Technologies Government Contracts Award

Photo by Kristi Blokhin from Shutterstock.com

Raytheon Technologies, founded in 1922, has been a leader in the electronics and defense industries, serving the Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal government agencies. The company has designed and built machinery for both domestic and international clients. Discover the top Raytheon government contracts right here!

1. Civilian Cybersecurity Contract of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, $1 Billion

Civilian Cybersecurity Contract of U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Photo by Gorodenkoff from Shutterstock.com

  • Contracting activity: Department of Homeland Security
  • Value: $1 Billion
  • Contract type: IDIQ
  • Contract date: June 2017

The Department of Homeland Security awarded Raytheon a $1 billion contract in June 2017. The DOMINO (Development, Operations, and Maintenance) contract represents one of the biggest civilian cybersecurity orders in recent years. Raytheon, the prime contractor, was tasked with providing mission-critical smart solutions for the Department of Homeland Security’s Deployment division. It is responsible for protecting the systems from over 100 federal civilian government entities from advanced cyber threats.

2. Army Capability Drop 1 for U.S. Army Distributed Common Ground System

Army Capability Drop 1 for U.S. Army Distributed Common Ground System

Photo from Raytheon Missiles and Defense Official Website

  • Contracting activity: U.S. Army Contracting Command
  • Value: $876 Million
  • Contract type: Firm-fixed-price
  • Contract date: March 2018

Raytheon Company Intelligence and Information Systems was awarded a contract for the Distributed Common Ground System-Army Capability Drop 1 worth $876 million.

The DCGS-A system aims to aid warfighting functions by making it simpler to visualize incoming threats and providing commanders in command with vital intelligence information from various sources on the battlefield. Raytheon Co. will split the $876 million Distributed Common Ground System-Army Capability Drop 1 contract. Palantir Technologies Inc. and Intelligence and Information Systems Inc.

3. Raytheon Technologies SPY-6 Radar Contract

Raytheon Technologies SPY-6 Radar Contract

Photo from Raytheon Missiles and Defense Official Website

  • Contracting activity: U.S. Navy
  • Value: $3.16 Billion
  • Contract type: IDIQ
  • Contract date: April 2022

Raytheon Missiles and Defense received a prospective $3.16 billion contract award from the United States in April 2022. Navy. The first-year base award is $651 million. It could receive an added $2.5 billion if all multiple option periods are exercised.

Raytheon will manufacture up to 46 SPY-6 array radar varieties for the Navy’s missile systems and integrated air capabilities. These radars will be managed to install on naval vessels, aircraft carriers, and Flight III destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class. The radars are outfitted with anywhere from 9 to 37 modular arrays. SPY-6 is modular and scalable thanks to common radar module assemblies (RMA) for production in the United States and its partner nations.

4. Engineering Services Contract for the US Navy’s Zumwalt Destroyer

Engineering Services Contract for the US Navy's Zumwalt Destroyer

Image from Airforce Technology Website

  • Contracting activity: Naval Sea Systems Command
  • Value: $1.68 Billion
  • Contract type: Firm-fixed-price, Cost-plus-fixed-fee
  • Contract date: April 2022

Raytheon Missiles & Defense was awarded a $483 million contract in April 2022, with a potential total value of $1.68 billion if certain options were exercised. Raytheon will operate engineering services, maintenance and support, modernization, ship production, and stimulation of three Zumwalt-class destroyers under the contract while also working on its warfare capability development.

This exertion provides hardware/equipment support for Mission Systems and Total Ship Computing Environment Infrastructure (TSCEi). The contract includes integration, preservation, testing, regeneration, logistic support, product development, training initiatives, and other services.

5. NAVSEA’s Contract Modification for the Production and Distribution of Joint Strike Fighter Propulsion Systems

NAVSEA's Contract Modification for the Production and Distribution of Joint Strike Fighter Propulsion Systems

Photo from Airforce Technology Website

  • Contracting activity: Naval Air Systems Command
  • Value: $4.4 Billion
  • Contract type: Undefinitized modification to a previously awarded contract
  • Contract date: June 2022

Raytheon Technologies’ subsidiary Pratt and Whitney Military Engines has been awarded a contract modification worth $4.4 billion for the delivery and production of Lot 15 and 16 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) propulsion technology. Global necessities for backup engines, power components, and hardware are included in the scope of work.

Work begins in Connecticut, Indiana, Washington, Maine, California, and other states. The Naval Air Systems Command is in charge of contracting for the project, which is scheduled to be completed in September 2024.

6. National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems

National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems

Image from Raytheon Missiles and Defense Official Website

  • Contracting activity: U.S. Army Contracting Command
  • Value: $182 Million
  • Contract type: Firm-fixed-price
  • Contract date: August 2022

Raytheon Missiles & Defense has been awarded a $182 million contract to supply National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS). Raytheon’s NASAMS is an extremely adaptable, innovative air defense system that can substantially improve air defenders’ capability to detect, monitor, and eliminate opposing aircraft, UAVs, and cruise missiles.

7. U.S. Air Force Prototype Development of a Globally Connected Ising Machine Platform Using Superconducting Electronics

  • Contracting activity: Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Value: $11.9 Million
  • Contract type: Cost-plus-fixed-fee
  • Contract date: September 2022

Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp. was awarded a nearly $11.9 million contract on September 23, 2022, to bring software and hardware working prototypes for the Globally Linked Ising Machine Platform with Superconducting Electronics. The company will develop, manufacture, and integrate analog hardware, digital control hardware, an application programming interface, and mapping algorithms under this contract. The work in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is expected to last until October 2027.

8. AFLCMC Contracts for Advanced Multi-Domain Systems Development

Advanced Multi-Domain Systems Development

Image from the Raytheon Technologies Official Website

  • Contracting activity: Air Force Life Cycle Management
  • Value: $900 Million
  • Contract type: IDIQ
  • Contract date: December 2022

Raytheon is one of 92 companies awarded a $900 million ceiling value to develop a novel approach for advanced multi-domain systems. Characterization of the latest technologies and systems demonstrations, functional prototypes, and functionality transition support are all part of the scope of work.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management is obligated $1,000 from fiscal 2022 maintenance and operations funds per contractor through December 2032 under the IDIQ contract. The contracts are awarded based on an open and comprehensive competition of 94 responses.

About Raytheon Technologies

United Technologies and Raytheon Company merged to form Raytheon Technologies in 2020. Since 1922, the business has worked in aerospace, telecommunications, defense, and cybersecurity. The split made it the second-largest aviation and military firm after Boeing.

Since 2021, Gregory J. Hayes has led 180,000 personnel in 15 locations and four companies as Chairman and CEO. Raytheon Technologies ranks 58th in the 2022 Fortune 500 with $64.4 million in fiscal 2021 sales.

Advancing Solutions to Global Problems

Raytheon government contracts have advanced federal and partner technologies, systems, and infrastructure. The organization accelerates ideas and solves the toughest aerospace, aviation, and defense challenges.

Nanoscale 3D Printer Material Shows Promise as Protective Layer for Microelectronics
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Nanoscale 3D Printer Material Shows Promise as Protective Layer for Microelectronics

Stanford University engineers have discovered a nanoscale 3D printing material that could be used to create a lighter yet stronger protection for delicate components of microelectronics, drones and satellites.

The study involved combining nanoclusters with polymers to achieve greater energy absorption, recoverability and strength, according to the National Science Foundation, which funded the research.

The researchers tried combining metal nanoclusters with common 3D printing polymers to speed up the production process. 

They found that their novel material had double the energy absorption capacity, and printed 100 times faster than was previously recorded in nanoscale printing.

“There’s a lot of interest right now in designing different types of 3D structures for mechanical performance,” said Wendy Gu, Stanford mechanical engineer and co-author of the study. “What we’ve done on top of that is develop a material that is really good at resisting forces, so it’s not just the 3D structure, but also the material that provides very good protection.”

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NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment Wraps Up Space Environment Tests
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NASA’s Atmospheric Waves Experiment Wraps Up Space Environment Tests

A NASA experiment that seeks to better understand the space weather system from the International Space Station by observing gravity waves in Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 50 to 500 kilometers has completed space environment tests.

The space agency said Friday the Atmospheric Waves Experiment will gather data to help scientists analyze the characteristics and physics of atmospheric gravity waves and the impact of terrestrial weather on the ionosphere, which can disrupt satellite communications.

“AWE is a highly sensitive, precise science instrument designed to be fitted on the International Space Station and operate in the harsh space environment,” said Burt Lamborn, AWE project manager at Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory.

“To ensure that AWE will survive launch turbulence and operate as designed once in space, SDL put the instrument through its paces on the ground,” he added.

The university’s lab put the AWE instrument through electromagnetic interference testing to determine whether its signals could interrupt the orbiting laboratory’s other space equipment and conducted vibration and thermal vacuum testing to simulate launch conditions and extreme temperatures that the instrument will experience during flight.

Michael Taylor at Utah State University in Logan leads the AWE mission, which is managed by the explorers program office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

In February 2019, NASA agreed to execute the AWE mission, which is expected to cost $42 million.

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NIST Invites Feedback on Draft Supercomputer Security Guidance
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NIST Invites Feedback on Draft Supercomputer Security Guidance

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a request for public comment for a draft special publication on a zone-based high-performance computing system reference model.

NIST’s Computer Security Resource Center said Monday it published a guidance that includes an HPC system’s common features as well as its challenges and security aspects.

IT protection has become a challenge for supercomputers because of their complexity, size and continuous evolution. CSRC developed the reference model to address this vulnerability.

SP 800-223, also known under the title High-Performance Computing Security: Architecture, Threat Analysis, and Security Posture, was created in accordance with the National Strategic Computing Initiative. It aims to standardize the security status of HPC systems, which have become a widespread tool in science and industry.

The agency is accepting feedback for the initial public draft of the special publication until April 7.

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NITRD Requests Industry Input on Updated Federal Cybersecurity R&D Strategic Plan
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NITRD Requests Industry Input on Updated Federal Cybersecurity R&D Strategic Plan

The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development’s National Coordination Office has begun requesting industry input on the latest update to the federal cybersecurity research and development strategic plan.

In a request for information published in the Federal Register, NITRD said the updated plan will guide the development of cybersecurity standards and best practices and coordinate federally funded R&D efforts in the cyber domain.

The NITRD Cyber Security and Information Assurance Interagency Working Group is seeking input on new technologies that can potentially enhance the security, reliability, privacy and trustworthiness of digital assets and what commercially available technology can address deficiencies outlined in the previous strategic plan.

In addition, industry partners are asked to answer what research or topics mentioned in the 2019 Strategic Plan be prioritized in the updated plan.

The U.S. government is required to update the federal cybersecurity R&D strategic plan every four years in accordance with the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014.

US-EU Defense Cooperation Agreement Gets Approval From European Council
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US-EU Defense Cooperation Agreement Gets Approval From European Council

The European Council has approved a draft administrative agreement between the U.S. military and the European Defence Agency to strengthen their cooperation on defense initiatives.

EDA said Monday the administrative agreement, which awaits final signatures from the two parties, focuses on facilitating information exchange and dialogue on various defense topics of interest to the European agency.

According to EDA, the initial scope of the agreement will center on military mobility, supply chain challenges and climate change impacts on military activities across the U.S. and the European Union.

The agreement also includes invitations for the Pentagon to attend relevant meetings of EDA’s Steering Board and participation in the European Defence Standardisation Committee’s open sessions.

Negotiation for the deal was initiated in November 2021 and a draft proposal for an administrative arrangement was submitted to Defence Ministers in the EDA Steering Board in December 2022.

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Congress to Require DOD to Explicate Use of Streamlined Acquisition Authorities
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Congress to Require DOD to Explicate Use of Streamlined Acquisition Authorities

The Department of Defense is facing requirements from Congress to justify its use of Section 804 Mid-Tier Acquisition and other authorities that seek to simplify the procurement process to rapidly deploy military capabilities to warfighters, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

The fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations measure signed into law in late December includes detailed reporting requirements for DOD. Under the law, the Pentagon should include in its FY 2024 budget submission a documentation outlining programs that use MTA authorities, a rationale, long-term acquisition strategy and cost estimates for each program.

Bill Greenwalt, a former Senate appropriations staffer, shared his insights on the potential impact of the reporting language on DOD’s efforts to transform the traditional acquisition process.

The reporting requirement “is designed to slow the process down to the take these special authorities that allow the department to move faster, and to essentially try to conform them to [the old] peacetime predictive linear model, which of course will ensure that the United States falls behind its adversaries,” Greenwalt told BD in an interview.

Pete Modigliani, defense acquisition leader at MITRE, said the reporting language would hamper DOD’s abilities to facilitate rapid acquisition processes.

“The Middle Tier of Acquisition pathway is one of DoD’s most valuable tools to rapidly deliver capabilities … to deter China’s threat,” Modigliani remarked.

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