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Space Force Mulls Contractor-Owned System for Satcom Operations, Maintenance
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Space Force Mulls Contractor-Owned System for Satcom Operations, Maintenance

The U.S. Space Force is considering a contractor-owned, contractor-operated satellite communications management system and asking interested vendors for information on their capabilities to handle a satcom mission with government payloads.

USSF’s Space Systems Command released a sources sought notice Monday requesting industry input on the feasibility of using a COCO model for a mission comprising two commercially made space vehicles equipped with payloads from the government, Ka-band ground stations and mission support equipment.

The command wants to know how a potential contractor would deliver systems support 24/7 and manage equipment intended for communications, third-party integration and scheduling functions.

Possible requirements listed in the notice include ensuring safe space vehicle operations, managing software and databases, performing on-orbit functions, providing logistic support, conducting restoral and recovery actions, training personnel and offering technical guidance.

Responses are due June 26.

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GAO Updates Senate on Key Practices to Ensure AI Accountability
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GAO Updates Senate on Key Practices to Ensure AI Accountability

The Government Accountability Office has testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs on its key practices to ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence across the federal government.

GAO said Tuesday it has discussed with lawmakers its June 2021 framework to guide federal agencies and other organizations in developing and implementing accountable and ethical AI technologies.

The AI accountability framework centers on four principles: governance, data, performance and monitoring.

It aims to create processes to oversee AI implementation, ensure the quality and reliability of data sources, produce results consistent with program objectives and establish continuous or routine monitoring of AI systems.

The agency also tackled its November 2021 recommendation to build a federal academy to develop a pipeline of digital staff.

Oracle Receives FedRAMP Approval for Additional Government Cloud Services
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Oracle Receives FedRAMP Approval for Additional Government Cloud Services

Oracle has received approval from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program for its new cloud offerings aimed at defense, civilian and intelligence agencies.

The newly approved services are part of the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and are designed to enable government customers to manage virtual cloud networks, perform real-time data analysis and identify and address potential inefficiencies, among other things, Oracle said Tuesday.

Among the services are the OCI Network Visualizer, OCI Vulnerability Scanning Service, OCI GoldenGate, OCI Bastion, VPN Connect, OCI Data Integration and OCI Logging Analytics.

“Government agencies can confidently leverage our FedRAMP Authorized cloud services to meet their mission needs, knowing that we have taken extensive measures to protect their technology, processes, and people,” said Rand Waldron, vice president of global government sector at Oracle.

A third-party assessment organization evaluated the cloud services prior to being reviewed and approved by technical representatives from FedRAMP’s Joint Authorization Board.

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DOD to Replace ESS Program With Microsoft Cyber Tools; Redhorse’s John Zangardi Quoted
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DOD to Replace ESS Program With Microsoft Cyber Tools; Redhorse’s John Zangardi Quoted

The Department of Defense is moving to replace the Endpoint Security Solutions program with a suite of cybersecurity tools from Microsoft, Newsweek reported Tuesday.

Launched in 2007, the ESS program enabled DOD to buy and customized cybersecurity tools from different companies.

David McKeown, deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity of DOD and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, confirmed to the publication about the department’s adoption of Microsoft Defender.

“Microsoft Defender will provide DOD an integrated cybersecurity solution that promises to satisfy most, if not all, of the capabilities we require” to ensure the security of the U.S. military’s networks, McKeown said through email.

The move comes amid opposition from information technology experts that replacing the program with tools from the software company would make DOD more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

A former senior defense official told Newsweek that senior IT leaders from military branches were not in favor of the move and expressed concern about the Pentagon’s reliance on a single software company.

McKeown disputed the claims and expressed confidence in the capability of Microsoft’s security tools.

John Zangardi, CEO of Redhorse and a 2023 Wash100 Award winner, told the publication that he stressed the significance of “removing single points of failure” and “the importance of security tool diversity and redundancy” during his time as an IT executive within the federal government.

“Today’s digital infrastructures are incredibly complex, a bit like a modern commercial or military aircraft,” said Zangardi, who served as DOD’s acting CIO in 2017.

“Those aircraft are built with multiple backup systems. If one part of a system fails, the entire aircraft can still function safely with the backup systems. Redundancy is an added guarantee of safety and lets complex systems be more reliable than the sum of their parts. In the same way, security tool diversity can provide backup and redundancy for digital infrastructure,” he added.

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Vice Adm. Jeffrey Hughes Nominated as Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development
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Vice Adm. Jeffrey Hughes Nominated as Deputy Chief of Staff for Capability Development

Navy Vice Adm. Jeffrey Hughes deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development, N7, within the service branch’s office of chief of naval operations, has been nominated to serve as deputy chief of staff for capability development for Supreme Allied Command Transformation.

Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, announced Hughes’ nomination through a news release published Tuesday.

If confirmed, Hughes would succeed Lt. Gen. Dave Julazadeh and be responsible for developing strategic and operational capability requirements on behalf of NATO member countries.

Hughes previously served as commander of Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet; commander of Navy Recruiting Command, head of Expeditionary Strike Group 2; and deputy chief of naval personnel and commander of Navy Personnel Command.

He also held shore staff assignments, including executive assistant to the director, Air Warfare (OPNAV N98) and Navy Space Command Detachment Alfa officer-in-charge.

GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training
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GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training

The General Services Administration has introduced a web-based tool for federal buyers and vendors to request specialized training in government professional services and human capital contracting processes.

Users of the new online form can also seek resources they believe will address their training needs, according to a GSA blog post published Tuesday.

The application includes a field for topics the requester is interested in, such as an overview of GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services and Multiple Award Schedule governmentwide contract vehicles.

GSA Introduces Online Request Form for Professional Services Acquisition Training

A group of GSA officials will participate in GovCon Wire’s 2023 Government Technology & Acquisition Forum on Tuesday, May 23, to share their insights and perspectives on the current federal procurement environment.

Mukunda Penugonde, deputy director of GSA Technology Transformation Services, will headline the virtual event and his keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion.

Visit the GCW events page to register.

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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based Technology Development
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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based Technology Development

The International Space Station National Laboratory has begun seeking flight concepts that use the space-based facility to develop, mature and demonstrate advanced technologies for various applications.

ISS National Lab said Thursday the third cycle of its research announcement opens opportunities to use the government-funded national laboratory to address hardware product development gaps, demonstrate new spaceflight research and development methodologies and validate next-generation production methods and materials.

The space-based laboratory also seeks to support the design, development and demonstration of novel drugs and diagnostic services.

Interested parties may submit concept summaries until July 10. Full proposals must be submitted by Oct. 9.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the laboratory, scheduled a webinar on May 31 to provide further details on the research announcement.

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NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Adds 5 Research Teams for Lunar Studies
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NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute Adds 5 Research Teams for Lunar Studies

NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has chosen five additional research teams that will get annual funding over five years to help advance human and robotic lunar exploration.

The teams are part of a cadre of 13 research groups that have been selected to collaborate with SSERVI since 2019, the space agency announced Friday.

The studies focus on lunar science and sample analysis in support of the Artemis program as well as the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The latest round of winning proposals will explore areas such as the evolution of the lunar magma ocean, conditions of the formation of the Earth and Moon and the origin and transformation of volatile components in lunar regolith.

The newly included teams are:

  • Lunar Structure, Composition, and Processes for Exploration (LunaSCOPE)
  • Center for Lunar Origin and Evolution (CLOE)
  • Research Activities Supporting Science and Lunar Exploration (RASSLE)
  • Center for Lunar Environment and Volatile Exploration Research (CLEVER)
  • Center for Advanced Sample Analysis of Astromaterials from the Moon and Beyond (CASA Moon)

The groups are comprised of universities and research institutions, including Brown University, Southwest Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of New Mexico.

DOD, NTIA Back Proposal to Open 3300-3400 MHz for 5G
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DOD, NTIA Back Proposal to Open 3300-3400 MHz for 5G

The Department of Defense and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration have backed a State Department proposal to open the 3300 to 3400 MHz spectrum band for 5G mobile services in the Americas region.

NTIA said Monday the State Department is submitting the proposal to the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission for discussion during CITEL’s upcoming meeting in Mexico City.

The CITEL would then submit the regional proposal to the World Radiocommunications Conference to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November.

If adopted by the WRC-23, the international Radio Regulations would be amended to identify the band for 5G use in the Americas.

“By State Department submitting this proposal, the U.S. government is seeking to protect critical operations and capabilities while also use of the 3300-to-3400 megaband — or megahertz band for 5G mobile services by countries that wish to do so,” DOD press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a separate statement.

“Electromagnetic spectrum access in all bands remains essential to DOD operations as we conduct our national security mission worldwide,” Ryder added.

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Janet Yellen Repeats Plea for Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling
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Janet Yellen Repeats Plea for Congress to Raise Debt Ceiling

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letter to congressional leaders warning that her department could default on its obligations if Congress fails to increase or suspend the borrowing limit as early as June 1.

“The actual date Treasury exhausts extraordinary measures could be a number of days or weeks later than these estimates,” Yellen wrote in the Monday letter.

She mentioned the potential impacts on the country’s credit rating, short-term borrowing costs and consumer and business confidence if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling.

“I continue to urge Congress to protect the full faith and credit of the United States by acting as soon as possible,” Yellen added.

A report from the Congressional Budget Office indicates that the U.S. government reached its statutory debt limit of $31.4 trillion on Jan. 19 and would not be able to pay its bills in the first two weeks of June if the debt ceiling remains unchanged.

“If the Treasury’s cash and extraordinary measures are sufficient to finance the government until June 15, expected quarterly tax receipts and additional extraordinary measures will probably allow the government to continue financing operations through at least the end of July,” the CBO report reads.

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