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LaunchDarkly Feature Management Software Achieves FedRAMP Validation; Sara Mazer Quoted
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LaunchDarkly Feature Management Software Achieves FedRAMP Validation; Sara Mazer Quoted

LaunchDarkly has received FedRAMP authorization at the moderate impact level for its LaunchDarkly Federal feature management software.

Sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, this achievement reportedly makes the program the first feature management platform to earn FedRAMP validation, the Oakland, California-based company announced on Tuesday.

“The public sector is tasked with continuously improving their platforms and applications – often with strict regulations and requirements around their development,” emphasized LaunchDarkly Federal CTO Sara Mazer.

“With this authorization, U.S. government agencies and commercial partners can leverage LaunchDarkly’s market-leading technology to standardize low-risk releases, accelerate software deployments, and progressively deliver new functionality to production environments,” she added.

LaunchDarkly Federal enables government agencies to conduct targeted rollouts, enhance release experiences and deliver new technology to a high number of users while supporting both connected and disconnected operations at the enterprise level.

The FedRAMP validation will better position LaunchDarkly to aid federal agencies and their industry partners in migrating and modernizing applications while maintaining safety and control.

These services align with government commitments to adopt zero trust architectures and secure cloud services while continuing their DevSecOps modernization endeavors, including the continuous integration/continuous delivery strategy.

In May of last year, LaunchDarkly announced that the software supports HIPAA standards, which allows the company to enter into Business Associate Agreements with clients requiring compliance or handling protected health information.

LaunchDarkly has already been used within CMS as an infrastructure for their websites, mobile applications and software and to deploy a new header for the CMS Medicare Authenticated Experience.

The program has also been adopted by U.S. national parks, which use LaunchDarkly to manage their Recreation.gov website, and government credit unions, who use the program to control releases while maintaining secure infrastructure.

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SDA’s Layered Military Satellite Network Renamed as Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture; Derek Tournear Quoted
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SDA’s Layered Military Satellite Network Renamed as Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture; Derek Tournear Quoted

The Space Development Agency has renamed the National Defense Space Architecture as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture to better describe SDA’s mission to provide the joint warfighter with space-based capabilities in support of terrestrial missions through the creation, implementation and operation of a proliferated satellite constellation in low-Earth orbit.

The Space Force said Monday SDA continues to incorporate its space operations and acquisition functions into the national defense hybrid space enterprise, including proliferated LEO advancements to assist with end-to-end missile warning, tracking and missile defense missions.

SDA Director Derek Tournear said Air Force Secretary and three-time Wash100 awardee Frank Kendall as well as Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisitions and integration, approved the name change for the agency’s layered satellite network. Breaking Defense reported this news.

Tournear, a previous Wash100 awardee, told the publication that SDA’s focus is “on proliferated” networks of satellites and efforts to quickly bring capabilities into the hands of warfighters.

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Leidos’ Mike Chagnon and Tim Freeman Take on New Roles in Leadership Reorganization
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Leidos’ Mike Chagnon and Tim Freeman Take on New Roles in Leadership Reorganization

Leidos has selected company veteran Mike Chagnon as deputy defense group president, a role he previously held before transitioning into the airborne solutions operations manager position in 2020.

Tim Freeman, formerly senior vice president for business development and strategy for Leidos subsidiary Dynetics, will succeed Chagnon as airborne solutions operations manager, the Reston, Virginia-based organization shared with ExecutiveGov on Tuesday.

“I am eager to assume the role of deputy group president to help the Defense Group achieve new heights in 2023 and beyond. I look forward to continuing to focus on supporting our customers’ critical missions by delivering innovative and transformative solutions across the enterprise,” Chagnon commented.

Chagnon has spent over three decades with Leidos, beginning as senior vice president and operations manager of the company’s Mission Systems Integration Operation, where he directed a large team focused on hardware and software development, systems engineering and integration, modeling and simulation and geospatial product development in support of command and control, maritime and live-virtual-constructive training systems.

In his earlier position as president of the former advanced solutions group, Chagnon supervised over 2,700 scientists and engineers and assisted with the creation of the Leidos Software Factory.

Freeman joined Leidos in 2018 as senior vice president of business development and strategy for the company’s defense sector.

“I am excited to be back with the Defense Group to lead one of the most dynamic teams in the company. With top-notch facilities and highly skilled workforce, this team delivers full-service aviation mission, support, integration, and maintenance capabilities,” said Freeman.

Prior to joining Leidos, Freeman held multiple leadership roles at Raytheon centered around profit and loss and business development responsibilities. During his time with the organization, he progressed upward into the role of business development executive, where he oversaw Raytheon IIS, Mission Support and Modernization, a product line valued at $1.2 billion annually.

Before entering the private sector, Freeman served in the U.S. Air Force for 27 years, where he held positions spanning engineering, flight testing, program management and acquisition.

Alongside these leadership changes, Tom Dove, the current deputy group president, will retire.

Leidos’ Mike Chagnon and Tim Freeman Take on New Roles in Leadership Reorganization

Leidos is sponsoring the Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual CIO Summit, which will host top industry CIO’s to discuss IT problems and solutions on April 13. To learn more and register for the event, please visit the Potomac Officers Club events page.

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DARPA Seeks Research Proposals for Liquid Mirror Tech Development Program
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DARPA Seeks Research Proposals for Liquid Mirror Tech Development Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting research proposals for a program that seeks to develop modeling tools, surface and field controls and structures aimed at facilitating the demonstration of scalable, tiltable and damage-resilient liquid mirrors to support future space and ground telescope systems.

The Zenith program is a research and development initiative composed of three phases that will run over a period of 50 months, according to a notice published Friday.

Per DARPA, respondents should be prepared to build modeling and simulation tools and numerical approximations to assess the hydrodynamic motion of a liquid material while under the electromagnetic field’s influence.

The agency is also interested in research proposals that seek to explore advances in the field of electromagnetic field control, optics, material science, optical devices or systems.

DARPA will accept abstracts through Feb. 3 and full proposals through March 16.

SEC Casts Net for Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee Applications; Gary Gensler Quoted
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SEC Casts Net for Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee Applications; Gary Gensler Quoted

The Securities and Exchange Commission is inviting members of the public to submit applications for appointment to an advisory committee that provides recommendations on regulations and policy matters related to small businesses.

Established by the SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016, the Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee advises and consults with SEC on rules and policies relating to small business capital raising, trading and public reporting requirements, SEC said Friday.

Committee members include industry leaders, investors and advisers with experience working with early stage private businesses and small public companies.

The advisory group also includes the SEC’s Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation and non-voting members appointed by the Small Business Administration, SEC’s Investor Advocate and the North American Securities Administrators Association.

“I look forward to working with the members of the Committee to continue to uphold the SEC’s mandate to facilitate capital formation for companies of all sizes, while ensuring investors are adequately protected,” said Gary Gensler, chairman of SEC.

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Jeff Smith Appointed Interim Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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Jeff Smith Appointed Interim Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Jeff Smith, former deputy for operations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been appointed interim director of ORNL as the laboratory searches for a permanent successor to Thomas Zacharia, The Oak Ridger reported Thursday.

Smith previously led a $400 million modernization effort at ORNL and oversaw the development of major scientific facilities during his tenure, including a neutron science facility, a carbon fiber technology facility and a supercomputer center.

He serves as the president of UT-Battelle Development Company, a special-purpose entity organized to support the development of facilities at ORNL.

Zacharia retired at the end of 2022 after more than five years as director of the science and energy laboratory.

UT-Battelle, which manages the national laboratory for the Department of Energy, has selected executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates to help fill in the top post at ORNL.

Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle Highlights Importance of Infrastructure Projects at AFRL
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Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle Highlights Importance of Infrastructure Projects at AFRL

Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, has underscored the importance of upgrading the infrastructure at AFRL sites across the U.S. to enhance science and technology capabilities for warfighters.

“Expanding, securing and upgrading the infrastructure at AFRL enhances our mission effectiveness while we pay close attention to its cost-effectiveness and sustainability,” Pringle said in a statement published Friday.

Among these projects are the installation of new equipment at AFRL’s Rocket Propulsion Division to advance the production of rocket components and the construction of a new gate and entry point at the Information Directorate in Rome, New York, to comply with the Department of the Air Force’s security requirements.

In November 2022, AFRL initiated the construction of a $4.5 million Facility for Radiation Tolerance Research on Electronics for Space and Strategic Systems at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The facility will operate as part of the Space Vehicles Directorate, which develops new technologies and capabilities for space missions.

AFRL also unveiled a new Advanced Munitions Technology Complex at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, that will support the development of next-generation weapon systems for the U.S.

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NIST Seeks Additional Public Input for Proposed Changes to Cybersecurity Framework
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NIST Seeks Additional Public Input for Proposed Changes to Cybersecurity Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has published a concept paper ahead of the launch of the second version of its Cybersecurity Framework.

The concept paper was released in an aim to gather additional input on proposed changes to the framework, including catering to more organizations from different types, sizes and sectors, NIST said Thursday.

CSF 1.1, more formally known as the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, was issued in 2018 to guide industries critical to economic and national security. It was developed for sectors such as defense, communications, banking and energy.

After soliciting public input, NIST decided to make significant modifications so that the framework could be applied to all organizations and foster international engagement and collaboration. CSF 2.0 will also be part of the institute’s new Cybersecurity and Privacy Reference Tool.

NIST is accepting feedback on the concept paper until March 3, in preparation for a draft CSF 2.0, which will be launched in the summer.

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Former STRATCOM Advisor Rich McManus Named Deputy Director of Space Force Design Integration Office
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Former STRATCOM Advisor Rich McManus Named Deputy Director of Space Force Design Integration Office

Rich McManus, former senior technical advisor to the U.S. Strategic Command, has joined the U.S. Space Force as deputy director of its Force Design Integration Office, he announced in a LinkedIn post.

He built his 27-year career in the Department of Defense, serving in positions in the Armed Forces as well as in combatant commands.

McManus began as a mission commander and function check pilot for the Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 5 under the U.S. Navy in Guam. He transferred to the Navy’s Helicopter Training Squadron 18 in Florida as an instruction pilot.

The executive’s first role in the U.S. combatant commands was chief of plans evaluation and research/experiments under the Strategic Command. He went on to become a crisis action planner for the Africa Command, and returned to STRATCOM as a strategic planner at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

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DOD’s Annual Weapon Test Report Details Findings on Digital Modernization Efforts, FLRAA Program
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DOD’s Annual Weapon Test Report Details Findings on Digital Modernization Efforts, FLRAA Program

An annual report of the Department of Defense’s office of the director of operational test and evaluation has recommended that DOD perform cyber survivability testing of all Digital Modernization Strategy enterprise information technology programs and projects in accordance with the department’s cyber guidance and policy, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

The DOT&E report found that many DMS initiatives lack a test strategy, systems integration process and program executive group to track performance factors and manage cost and schedules.

“Many DMS initiatives also use commercial cloud environments, but threat-representative cyber survivability testing on the commercial side of cloud environments is not currently being conducted by the DOD per the DOT&E memorandum, Procedures for Operational Test and Evaluation of Cybersecurity in Acquisition Programs, dated April 3, 2018,” the report reads.

For the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program, the report lauded the U.S. Army’s transparency and collaborative efforts when developing the acquisition strategy and supporting the test and evaluation strategy for the FLRAA initiative.

Other programs assessed in the report are the Individual Visual Augmentation System, Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier, Conventional Prompt Strike hypersonic weapon program and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

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