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NASA, HAARP Explore Asteroid’s Interior Through Experiment
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NASA, HAARP Explore Asteroid’s Interior Through Experiment

NASA and the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program have completed an experiment aimed at understanding the interior of an asteroid in hopes of supporting efforts to develop a potential defense against near-Earth objects that could pose a risk to Earth.

During the study, HAARP transmitted long wavelength radio signals into space that bounced off the surface of 2010 XC15, the asteroid that passes by Earth at two lunar distances and is estimated to be about 500 feet across, the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks said Thursday.

“We will be analyzing the data over the next few weeks and hope to publish the results in the coming months,” said Mark Haynes, lead investigator on the project and a radar systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“This shows the value of HAARP as a potential future research tool for the study of near-Earth objects,” Haynes added.

The Soccorro-adjacent University of New Mexico Long Wavelength Array and the Bishop, California-adjacent Owens Valley Radio Observatory Long Wavelength Array also participated in the experiment.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is responsible for operating HAARP through an agreement with the U.S. Air Force.

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House Lawmakers Urge Senate to Ensure Regular Order by Passing Version of NDAA
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House Lawmakers Urge Senate to Ensure Regular Order by Passing Version of NDAA

U.S. House of Representatives Congressmen Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Don Bacon, R-Neb., said the Senate should complete its duties and be serious in ensuring national security by considering and passing its version of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Although the fiscal year 2023 NDAA was signed into law in December, the upper chamber did not advance a “fair and transparent process with the House” by failing to pass its version of the defense policy bill for the second consecutive year, Golden and Bacon wrote in an opinion piece published Monday on The Hill.

“Without a Senate-passed bill, members of the Senate and House are not appointed as conferees, leaving the bill to be negotiated exclusively by leadership and select staff behind closed doors,” they wrote.

“This procedure also manufactures an 11th-hour authorization for all funding and programs for our entire national security apparatus. It is irresponsible for Congress to wait until the last possible moment to provide for the common defense,” the lawmakers added.

Bacon and Golden, who serve as co-chairs of the For Country Caucus, said the Senate should pass the defense authorization measure on time and ensure regular order to enable the Department of Defense to better counter the threats posed by China and Russia and offer certainty to military personnel and their families.

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PV Puvvada, NetImpact CEO, Talks Top GovCon Tech Trends in Q&A
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PV Puvvada, NetImpact CEO, Talks Top GovCon Tech Trends in Q&A

NetImpact CEO and six-time Wash100 Award winner PV Puvvada recently participated in an interview with GovCon Wire, during which he discussed a variety of technology trends currently influencing the federal landscape.

The Q&A, which was published on Tuesday, tackled cloud migration, the importance of digital dexterity and emerging technologies.

Here is an excerpt from the interview with Puvvada:

“At its heart, the concept of digital dexterity is the ability of organizations such as government agencies — and more importantly its workforce — to be able to be more effective in using digital tools. This digitally dexterous state could enable employees to be more collaborative and be more analytical in the way they approach their work especially by unlocking the use of the data that is underlying all their processes. Digital dexterity unleashes employees’ creativity rather than frustrations.”

Visit GovCon Wire to read the full conversation with PV Puvvada.

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Lockheed Martin Finalizes $30B Contract for F-35 Aircraft Delivery with DOD; Bridget Lauderdale Quoted
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Lockheed Martin Finalizes $30B Contract for F-35 Aircraft Delivery with DOD; Bridget Lauderdale Quoted

Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office have finalized a $30 billion contract for the production and delivery of up to 398 F-35 aircraft.

The contract includes the U.S., its international partners and Foreign Military Sales aircraft in Lots 15 and 16, with the option for Lot 17, Lockheed Martin announced from Arlington, Virginia last week.

“Continuing to add new countries to our global F-35 fleet further validates the capability and affordability of this aircraft in providing 21st Century Security to nations and allies,” emphasized Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program.

Under the award, Lockheed Martin will provide 145 aircraft for Lot 15, 127 for Lot 16 and up to 126 for the Lot 17 option, which includes the first F-35 aircraft for Belgium, Finland and Poland.

These aircraft will be the first to contain Technical Refresh-3, a modernized hardware necessary for utilizing Block 4 capabilities. The technology is equipped with a novel integrated core processor with strong computing power, a panoramic cockpit display and an improved memory unit.

Aircraft provided under the agreement will expand the global F-35 fleet, which reached 894 vessels following 141 deliveries in 2022. 

In the same year, Finland, Germany and Switzerland signed Letters of Offer and Acceptance to progress their procurement of F-35 aircraft.

“The F-35 is the world’s premier multi-mission, 5th-generation weapon system, and the modernized Block 4 capabilities these new aircraft will bring to bear strengthens not just capability, but interoperability with our allies and partners across land, sea, air and cyber domains,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, program executive officer of the F-35 Joint Program Office.

With participants across 17 countries, the F-35 program has trained nearly 2,000 pilots and more than 13,000 maintenance personnel. The fleet holds a total flight time of over 602,000 cumulative hours.

Lockheed Martin Finalizes $30B Contract for F-35 Aircraft Delivery with DOD; Bridget Lauderdale Quoted

Lockheed Martin is sponsoring GovCon Wire’s 2023 Space Acquisition Forum, which will bring experts in the field together to address global challenges, technological developments, emerging best practices and new threats within the space acquisition on January 18. To learn more about the virtual event and register to attend, please visit GovCon Wire’s events page.

DOD to Establish Digital Academy to Expand Cyber Workforce
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DOD to Establish Digital Academy to Expand Cyber Workforce

The Department of Defense will establish a digital academy to close the cybersecurity skills gap in the U.S. military under the recently signed defense authorization bill for fiscal year 2023, Federal News Network said Friday.

The newly minted Department of Defense Cyber and Digital Service Academy will provide scholarships to university students in exchange for five years of service in a civilian position focused on digital technology and cyber at the Pentagon. 

Under the program, DOD will promote cyber and digital service training in higher education by providing free tuition, books, laboratory expenses and other school fees.

Academy participants will also receive financial assistance for completing their internships while earning their degrees. 

Failing to complete the required service commitments will result in reimbursing the government.

The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act also outlines a plan for creating a consortium of universities that will be tasked with advising the secretary of defense on matters related to cybersecurity.

The defense authorization bill, signed into law on Dec. 23, allocates nearly $817 billion to DOD, $30.3 billion for national security programs in the Department of Energy and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board and $378 million for other defense-related activities.

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Peraton Books $2.3B DCSA Award for Background Investigation Services; Stu Shea Quoted
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Peraton Books $2.3B DCSA Award for Background Investigation Services; Stu Shea Quoted

Peraton has won a $2.25 billion contract from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency for background investigation field work services.

Under the five-year contract, Peraton will be responsible for supporting multiple different types of government background verifications through the provision of these services, the Reston, Virginia-based organization announced on Tuesday.

“As the incumbent for this contract and bringing over 19 years of experience as the leading industry provider, Peraton is proud to continue our relationship with the largest cleared network of nationwide background investigator services,” said Stu Shea, the company’s chairman, president and CEO and a six-time Wash100 Award winner.

“This award is a testament of our continued partnership to enhance DSCA’s mission success and provide comprehensive background investigation support services,” he added.

Specific government suitability determinations expected to be impacted by Peraton’s work include those regarding government employment, government contract personnel assignments, U.S. Armed Forces personnel acceptance and trusted access permission for federal facilities, information and information systems.

These duties will support DCSA’s role as the federal government’s primary investigative service provider. The agency performs over two million investigations each year for civilian and military applicants and employees, which includes contractors and consultants.

DCSA awarded CACI a parallel contract amounting to the same value and operating within the same time frame. Both are firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity awards expected to be completed in December 2027.

Peraton has previously worked with DCSA. In 2021, the company took over a $500 million contract originally awarded to its subsidiary, Perspecta, to build a modernized, central platform intended to enhance the background investigation process.

Treasury Department & IRS Clarify Clean Vehicle Tax Benefit Rules Under Inflation Reduction Act
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Treasury Department & IRS Clarify Clean Vehicle Tax Benefit Rules Under Inflation Reduction Act

The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have published information detailing specific provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to guide individuals and businesses that are eligible for clean vehicle tax benefits.

This information was released by the agency on Thursday and includes frequently asked questions and notices regarding the incremental cost and proposed regulations for eligible vehicles. 

As noted on the FAQ page, manufacturers have listed clean vehicles that they said meet the requirements for the tax credit. The agencies recommend that consumers should regularly check the list, which will be updated throughout the coming days and weeks.

The tax credit for commercial clean vehicles has a maximum of $7,500 for vehicles weighing below 14,000 pounds, while all other commercial clean vehicles can qualify for up to $40,000 in credit. It may still vary depending on whether the vehicle is gas or diesel-powered.

Regulations on the tax credit for new clean vehicles will also be introduced, including definitions to educate consumers about the changes.

The act will take effect January 1.

DHS, Shooter Detection Systems Develop Technology for Improved Response to Gun Violence; Dimitri Kusnezov Quoted
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DHS, Shooter Detection Systems Develop Technology for Improved Response to Gun Violence; Dimitri Kusnezov Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security‘s Science and Technology Directorate and Shooter Detection Systems have completed the development of a portable outdoor gunshot detection technology that is able to quickly supply information regarding outdoor shooting incidents to first responders.

The novel SDS Outdoor System can be deployed for temporary events including pop-up rallies, open-field concerts and other situations that lack infrastructure or fixed deployment support, the department announced on Thursday.

“Many U.S. gunshot detection technologies are not easily deployed in the field or at temporary locations,” DHS Undersecretary of Science and Technology Dimitri Kusnezov said. 

“This mobile capability will help responders approach gun violence incidents with greater awareness, reducing response times and increasing responder safety,” he emphasized.

SDS Outdoor is an improved version of the commercial Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System. Its dependence not just on the sound, but also on the flash of a gunshot, minimizes the risk of detecting false positives. 

Last month, the technology underwent trials conducted by the directorate’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory and the First Responder Technology Program in an Operational Field Assessment at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Feedback from the testing was used to make the system more effective.

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NIH Looks to Expand Cloud-Based Initiative With Future Data Management Policy; Susan Gregurick Quoted
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NIH Looks to Expand Cloud-Based Initiative With Future Data Management Policy; Susan Gregurick Quoted

The National Institutes of Health is working to implement a new data management policy in 2023, which will direct researchers to come up with plans for their data sharing and management activities and expand an initiative that explores the use of cloud in research, GovCIO Media & Research reported Wednesday.

Launched in 2018, the NIH’s Science and Technology Research Infrastructure for Discovery, Experimentation and Sustainability Initiative has used cloud computing platforms to streamline data access and use for the agency.

“One of our goals going forward now that we have STRIDES is to really broaden it and think about how all researchers in biomedical science can benefit from the cloud, but it’s going to take time and effort,” said Susan Gregurick, director of the NIH’s office of data science strategy.

Gregurick said she believes the policy will result in a culture change among researchers.

“We anticipate researchers will be sharing the data and the results from their scientific endeavors, and we want the data that makes your research reproduceable even if that data is not published,” she emphasized.

The policy will go into effect on January 25.

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CISA Updates Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog With 2 New Additions
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CISA Updates Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog With 2 New Additions

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added two known exploited cyber vulnerabilities posing serious risks to federal agencies to its catalog.

Federal civilian executive branch agencies are ordered to address the newly identified vulnerabilities by January 19 to protect their networks against active cyberthreats in compliance with the Binding Operational Directive 22-01, CISA said Thursday.

Vulnerabilities discovered include an information disclosure vulnerability in the TIBCO JasperReports Server as well as a directory traversal vulnerability in the TIBCO JasperReports Library.

While BOD 22-01 is only applicable to federal agencies, CISA suggests that all organizations correct these vulnerabilities in a timely manner.

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