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L3Harris Recognized by Popular Science for VAMPIRE Technology; Luke Savoie Quoted
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L3Harris Recognized by Popular Science for VAMPIRE Technology; Luke Savoie Quoted

L3Harris Technologies has won a Popular Science “Best of What’s New” award, for its Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment technology.

VAMPIRE received this recognition, which spotlights novel inventions that impact human lives, society and the planet, for its ability to transform nearly any vehicle with a cargo bed into a mobile weapons system able to engage ground and airborne targets, the Melbourne, Florida-based company revealed late last month.

“This award speaks volumes about the L3Harris team and demonstrates what is possible using raw ingenuity, creativity and forward thinking in responding to our customers’ needs,” said Luke Savoie, president of the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sector at L3Harris.

The enterprise submitted the VAMPIRE prototype to the Department of Defense earlier this year, after which it was chosen to be included in the department’s $3 billion security assistance package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. It was designed to meet the DOD’s request for critical defense offerings needed to safeguard Ukraine from attacks on civilian infrastructure.

“VAMPIRE answered DoD’s call for a quickly produced capability that will help the people of Ukraine and hopefully save lives,” Savoie stated.

The modular, multi-purpose weapons system can be utilized against ground and air threats, which includes unmanned aerial vehicles. Its mission management system uses a WESCAM MX-10 RSTA targeting sensor with its weapons station, enabling an operator to swiftly and precisely engage targets. Users are able to tailor the system to the unique needs of each mission, as VAMPIRE can be configured with different sensors and weapons packages.

VAMPIRE was selected for use in Ukraine due to its affordable yet accurate nature. The Precision Kill Weapons System rocket delivers higher lethality for engaging small or soft targets when operated in tandem with L3Harris’ proximity fuse.

L3Harris began field testing the initial prototype in 2021 and continued range and durability tests of a more developed prototype this year.

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NASA’s Lunar Flashlight SmallSat Launches to Look for Moon’s Water Ice
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NASA’s Lunar Flashlight SmallSat Launches to Look for Moon’s Water Ice

A small satellite from NASA established communications with mission controllers following its launch on Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to perform its four-month journey to its target orbit and look for the presence of surface water ice in the dark craters of the moon’s South Pole.

The space agency’s Lunar Flashlight spacecraft took off as a rideshare with HAKUTO-R Mission 1 of Japan-based lunar exploration company ispace aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, NASA said Monday.

CNBC reported the ispace Mission 1 is expected to deploy a lunar lander on the moon’s surface by the end of April. Aboard the lander are small rovers and payloads for several companies and government agencies from countries, such as the U.S., Japan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight will use a type of green propellant and search for water ice using a reflectometer with four lasers that emit near-infrared light. 

Researchers will compare the data collected by the satellite with other observations gathered through other lunar missions to help shed light on the distribution of water ice on the lunar surface.

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory oversees Lunar Flashlight, which is funded through the Small Spacecraft Technology program within the agency’s space technology mission directorate.

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Report: White House Seeks to Simplify Approval for Space Activities With Executive Order
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Report: White House Seeks to Simplify Approval for Space Activities With Executive Order

The White House is working on a new executive order that seeks to streamline the approval process for rocket launches, satellite deployment and other private space activities as more companies express interest in investing in service satellites, private space stations and other projects over the next decade, Reuters reported Friday.

The EO would be part of the White House National Space Council’s effort to update U.S. space laws and could be ready for signing by early 2023, according to people familiar with the matter.

One of the sources said the order would direct the Department of Commerce to come up with an online tool to guide companies as they go through the licensing process for space-related initiatives and would serve as an initial step to simplify existing space rules.

According to the report, a team of U.S. officials working on the EO is exploring ways to drive congressional action that would authorize certain federal agencies to oversee space ventures.

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Senate Passes Bill to Prevent Quantum Computing-Enabled Data Breaches
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Senate Passes Bill to Prevent Quantum Computing-Enabled Data Breaches

The Senate has passed a bipartisan bill that aims to prevent data breaches enabled by quantum computers that are capable of decrypting protected information. 

The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act was introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and has a companion bill in the House introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C., Hassan’s office said Friday.

Portman, a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the legislation would require government agencies to inventory cryptographic systems and prioritize the transition of most at-risk systems to post-quantum cryptography.

“Data breaches exploited by quantum computing are a serious national security concern. America’s adversaries look for any vulnerabilities in our cybersecurity systems in order to threaten our infrastructure, data, and security,” Hassan said.

The legislation directs the Office of Management and Budget to prioritize the acquisition and migration of government information technology systems to post-quantum cryptography.

It also orders OMB to create guidance for assessing critical systems based on standards for the implementation of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

In addition, the agency would send a report annually to Congress summarizing progress and recommendations on the effort to migrate to post-quantum cryptography standards.

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Robert Turk Named Acting Director, CIO of DTRA IT Directorate
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Robert Turk Named Acting Director, CIO of DTRA IT Directorate

Robert Turk, a retired U.S. Army colonel, has been appointed as acting director and chief information officer at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Information Management and Technology Directorate, according to a LinkedIn post published Saturday.

In his new role, Turk is responsible for overseeing the agency’s network modernization and information technology reform initiatives and facilitating information sharing across the Department of Defense to support efforts to counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

Prior to his appointment, Turk was DTRA’s deputy IT director and deputy CIO and chief of the cybersecurity department.

He joined the agency in 2015 following a brief stint at CACI International as a senior cybersecurity engineer.

Turk held various leadership positions during his more than 25-year service in the Army, most recently as military assistant to the deputy assistant secretary of defense for research and deputy director for policy and plans at the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

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Biden Administration Appoints 15 Experts to Quantum Initiative Advisory Panel
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Biden Administration Appoints 15 Experts to Quantum Initiative Advisory Panel

President Joe Biden on Friday announced the 15 members of the new National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee.

The inter-agency initiative aims to maintain U.S. leadership in the field of quantum information science, which the administration deemed “a critical and emerging technology.”

NQIAC is expected to provide guidance on research, development, standards, commercialization and the economic, academic and national security applications of QIS. 

The advisory panel will be led by co-chairs Kathryn Ann Moler, dean of research at Stanford University, and Charles Tahan, assistant director for QIS and director of the National Quantum Coordination Office under the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The other appointees are:

  • Jamil Abo-Shaeer
  • Fred Chong
  • James Clarke
  • Deborah Ann Frincke
  • Gilbert Herrera
  • Nadya Mason
  • William Oliver
  • John Preskill
  • Mark Ritter
  • Robert Schoelkopf
  • Krysta Svore
  • Jun Ye
  • Jinliu Wang

They will convene their first meeting on Dec. 16.

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Gen. Anthony Cotton Starts Strategic Command Leadership Role
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Gen. Anthony Cotton Starts Strategic Command Leadership Role

Air Force Gen. Anthony Cotton, who has led the Air Force Global Strike Command since August 2021, assumed duties as the new head of U.S. Strategic Command at a ceremony that took place Friday at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, DOD News reported.

He was nominated by President Joe Biden to lead Stratcom in June and replaced Charles Richard, who retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of admiral after a four-decade military career.

As Stratcom’s 12th commander, Cotton will lead the organization that provides command-and-control support to the U.S. president, defense secretary, combatant heads and other national leaders.

“Strategic Command is here to deter conflict and keep the peace, and that means a safe, secure and effective U.S. nuclear arsenal as the ultimate backstop to deter strategic attacks on our country and our allies,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, said during the Stratcom change of command ceremony.

Cotton started his military service in 1986, when he joined the U.S. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He has since helmed different Air Force squadron, group and wing units.

Cotton earned his oak leaf clusters and rose to the rank of major in 1990. He became brigadier general in 2011, and was promoted to four-star general in August last year.

Some of his notable assignments include as deputy director of the secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, and senior military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. He also held senior positions at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, and Patrick AFB in Florida.

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Ukraine War Prompts DOD to Reassess US Munitions Stockpile; William LaPlante Quoted
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Ukraine War Prompts DOD to Reassess US Munitions Stockpile; William LaPlante Quoted

The Department of Defense is conducting a review of its stockpile of artillery shells, missiles and other munitions amid the large volumes of U.S.-built weapons supplied to Ukraine to support the Eastern European country’s counteroffensive against Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Defense officials and company executives said the huge quantities of munitions fired by Ukrainian forces against Russia, along with supply chain issues and workforce shortages, have resulted in the depletion of U.S. stocks of some ammunition and highlighted underinvestment in munitions production and procurement.

William “Bill” LaPlante, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at DOD and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, said the war in Ukraine offers an opportunity for the Pentagon to address such challenges.

“You have to have almost a political environment like we have now, where people see the urgency for it,” said LaPlante. “Because in times of peace and times of prosperity, it’s one of the first things that falls off the budget.”

According to the report, Russia has consumed so much of its weapons systems in its war with Ukraine and DOD intends to determine whether it could hold less ammunition in its arsenal given Kremlin’s current status.

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BAE Systems Wins $294.7M Award for Navy Ship Maintenance and Modernization; Mike Bruneau Quoted
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BAE Systems Wins $294.7M Award for Navy Ship Maintenance and Modernization; Mike Bruneau Quoted

BAE Systems has secured a $294.7 million U.S. Navy award for the maintenance and modernization of the amphibious USS Kearsarge assault ship.

Beginning in June, the ship will be drydocked for almost a year at BAE Systems’ Norfolk shipyard for the contract’s tasks to be executed, the U.K.-based company announced from Norfolk, Virginia on Monday.

“The extended sustainment period onboard the USS Kearsarge provides a great environment to apply BAE Systems’ substantial experience with ships of the same class and considerable production skills, and supports job stability across our shipyard and supply base,” stated Mike Bruneau, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair.

Under the contract, BAE Systems will be responsible for delivering expansive hull, tank and mechanical work, as well as rehabilitating all crew and embarked Marine living compartments on the ship and inspecting its boilers. The vessel will be available for maintenance starting in April.

The 29-year-old, 843-foot-long USS Kearsarge is the third ship in the USS Wasp class of Navy amphibious assault ships. BAE Systems is currently executing a similar initiative aboard the Wasp.

Work under the contract is expected to be completed in 2025.

“Through our maintenance and modernization efforts, the Kearsarge will be ready to deploy for many years to come,” Bruneau added.

This award follows BAE Systems’ numerous Navy contract wins for ship maintenance within the past year. Most recently, the enterprise was tasked with maintaining and modernizing the USS Ross under a potential $123.8 million contract with the same performance location.

Earlier, BAE Systems was awarded a potential $95.2 million contract for similar tasks on the USS Mustin as well as a $1.9 million contract for work on the USS Mitscher, both of which are guided missile destroyers.

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Baird’s Alex Sevilla Outlines Impacts of GRSi Acquisition by DLH
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Baird’s Alex Sevilla Outlines Impacts of GRSi Acquisition by DLH

On Thursday, it was announced that technology health and human services company DLH Holdings acquired Grove Resource Solutions Inc. for $185 million.

The latter, Bethesda, Maryland-based organization specializes in cybersecurity and cloud-based enterprise modernization, as well as systems engineering, technology insertion and other information technology support services aimed at the public sector, GovCon Wire reported Friday.

Baird was the financial advisor for GRSi on the transaction.

“The DLH acquisition of GRSi is highly strategic – the combined companies create a mid-tier powerhouse in strategic consulting and digital transformation to federal health agencies and beyond,” said Baird Managing Director of Global Technology and Services Alex Sevilla in an exclusive comment to ExecutiveGov.

The move was seen as part of an effort by DLH to deepen its portfolio of IT modernization, digital transformation and cybersecurity capabilities in its work with the federal government. GRSi is set to provide approximately $140 million of annual revenue as a wholly owned subsidiary of DLH going forward. The primary existing leadership of DLH are expected to remain in place.

GRSi brings a customer base of agencies and service branches such as the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and the National Institutes of Health to its new ownership.

According to DLH, the deal’s funding was made possible via an amendment to its secured credit facility. The purchase price consists of $178 million in cash and $7 million of equity. First National Bank of Pennsylvania was a participating agent and F.N.B. Capital Markets, Atlantic Union Bank and M&T Bank served as joint lead arrangers.

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