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Julie Su Nominated to Serve as Next Labor Secretary
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Julie Su Nominated to Serve as Next Labor Secretary

President Biden intends to nominate Julie Su, deputy secretary of the Department of Labor, as the next labor secretary, succeeding Martin Walsh, who is stepping down from the position after two years of service.

Su received Senate confirmation to serve as the deputy secretary of labor in July 2021 and has since supported the Biden administration’s vision to develop an inclusive economy, the White House said Tuesday.

Biden called Su a “champion for workers” who has played a crucial role in providing job opportunities in critical sectors.

“She helped avert a national rail shutdown, improved access to good jobs free from discrimination through my Good Jobs Initiative, and is ensuring that the jobs we create in critical sectors like semiconductor manufacturing, broadband and healthcare are good-paying, stable and accessible jobs for all,” said Biden.

Prior to joining the Biden administration, Su served as secretary of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

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DOJ Investigating ‘Major’ Security Breach at U.S. Marshals Service; SpyCloud’s Joel Bagnal Quoted
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DOJ Investigating ‘Major’ Security Breach at U.S. Marshals Service; SpyCloud’s Joel Bagnal Quoted

A U.S. Marshals Service system that hosts sensitive information was breached on Feb. 17, prompting the Department of Justice to start a forensic investigation, NBC News reported Tuesday.

Drew Wade, a spokesperson for USMS, said the agency “discovered a ransomware and data exfiltration event affecting a stand-alone USMS system,” which was then disconnected from the network.

The affected system, said Wade, contains sensitive law enforcement information, such as administrative information, returns from legal process and the personal information of USMS investigations, third parties and select employees.

He noted that senior officials briefed on the matter determined that the breach constituted a “major incident.”

Joel Bagnal, director of federal at SpyCloud, said that “the real impact of an attack like this is the malicious use of data that the attackers collected,” Nextgov reported Tuesday.

He told the publication in a statement that he recommends individuals work to mitigate further damage by resetting passwords and invalidating sessions for important workforce applications that could be compromised.

“This enables security teams to quickly remediate much more than the infected device, re-securing affected applications and closing entry points for additional ransomware attacks,” Bagnal added.

ICF’s John Wasson & DIA Director Scott Berrier Garner 2023 Wash100 Recognition
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ICF’s John Wasson & DIA Director Scott Berrier Garner 2023 Wash100 Recognition

John Wasson, chair and CEO of ICF, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, were celebrated as 2023 Wash100 Award winners and featured by Executive Mosaic in individual spotlights on Wednesday.

For the past decade, the Wash100 has served as the government contracting sector’s go-to list of impactful executives and leaders shaping the federal landscape. Executive Mosaic is proud to single out each of its 100 winners every year to detail how their recent accomplishments and career milestones prime these executives for future meaningful contributions to government missions.

Wasson’s hand in ICF’s overarching company strategy and his commitment to pursuing growth landed him on the Wash100 list for the third consecutive year. Serving as ICF’s leader since 2019, Wasson has worked to better position the company in the federal digital modernization market via key acquisitions and contract awards. Read John Wasson’s full Wash100 profile here.

For Lt. Gen. Berrier, 2023 marks his first year of recognition with the competitive and coveted Wash100 Award. Berrier earned this accolade through his outstanding leadership in providing actionable intelligence to our nation’s defense agencies and global partners at the helm of the DIA. The global intelligence landscape has been volatile and rapidly evolving in the last year, and Berrier has served as an important ballast in the United States intelligence community during this critical time. Click here to read Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier’s profile.

If you’re inspired by Wasson’s and Berrier’s stories and achievements, you can vote for them as your favorite GovCon leaders in Executive Mosaic’s 2023 Wash100 popular vote competition! The winners of this year’s highly-competitive race will be announced next month. Visit Wash100.com to cast your votes today!

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DHS S&T’s Biometric Tech Rally Highlights Efficacy of Group Facial Recognition Systems
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DHS S&T’s Biometric Tech Rally Highlights Efficacy of Group Facial Recognition Systems

The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has released findings from the 2022 Biometric Technology Rally, an annual event that tested and compared facial recognition systems.

Results proved group biometric processing effective, and showed that the camera and not the algorithm was usually the source of error, if any, DHS S&T said Thursday.

The rally effort was launched in 2018 in an aim to improve national security and find more user-friendly equipment for security checkpoints. The 2022 rally sought technologies that allow small groups of travelers to undergo biometrics processing with accuracy and speed, despite the presence of bystanders in a crowded setting.

Over the course of of 11 days, the event utilized four face recognition systems matched with 10 algorithms. S&T’s Biometric and Identity Technology Center tested 575 participants from 54 countries. 

The researchers found that the best system-algorithm combination correctly identified 97 percent of individuals in less than two seconds when processing a group of two or four people. The systems only erroneously captured less than 1 percent of non-users or bystanders.

“The purpose of Rally 2022 was…to further challenge industry to develop technologies that address operational challenges and constraints, while also addressing privacy and civil rights and civil liberties concerns,” said Arun Vemury, senior advisor of the Biometric and Identity Technology Center. “Biometric technologies are continuing to improve in terms of accuracy, speed, and ease of use, so it is important that we ensure these capabilities also include privacy safeguards, including the option to opt out of biometric screening.”

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Col. Meredith Beg Leads the Way for SSC’s Space Access, Mobility & Logistics Program
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Col. Meredith Beg Leads the Way for SSC’s Space Access, Mobility & Logistics Program

Space Systems Command is looking to expand on-orbit capabilities through its new Space Access, Mobility and Logistics program and Col. Meredith Beg is leading the new mission as deputy director of operations with a focus on space mobility and logistics.

The new venture intends to focus on satellite refueling, orbital debris remediation and space tugs, among other capabilities, and is part of the command’s Assured Access to Space directorate under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, SSC said Monday.

“We’ve been successfully accomplishing the ‘space access’ part of SSC’s mission for a long time under AATS,” Beg said. “The new part of the mission is mobility and logistics; I was brought in to establish the Program of Record that will deliver those capabilities to our nation and our warfighters.”

Beg cited the need to work with NASA, industry and international partners to advance the responsible use of space. She mentioned that SSC is looking at how it could use commercial capabilities to service its network of satellites in geostationary orbit.

“There’s on the order of more than 50 start-ups and various companies that are investing in these capabilities from small-scale robotic arms with little pincers to grab things to big-blow-up nets (for space debris,)” Beg said. “The venture capital world is very excited about these possibilities.”

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OMB Memo Requires Agencies to Remove TikTok From Federal Devices
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OMB Memo Requires Agencies to Remove TikTok From Federal Devices

The Office of Management and Budget has issued a memorandum directing federal agencies to remove TikTok, a social networking service owned and operated by China-based ByteDance, from government devices. 

Agencies should identify the presence or use of the software application on information technology, develop an internal process to adjudicate limited exceptions, remove installations of the app on agency-owned IT systems and prohibit internet traffic from government IT systems to the app no later than 30 days following the release of the memo, according to the document released Monday.

The memo signed by OMB Director Shalanda Young directs agencies to ensure that contracts do not contain requirements that may include the use of TikTok in performing contract work within 90 days of the issuance of the implementation guidance.

Any contract modification should include a requirement to comply with the prohibition on covered applications, according to the memo.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, allows limited exceptions to the restrictions outlined in the memo for national security interests, security research and law enforcement activities. Agencies are required to submit the approved exceptions no more than 120 days after the date of the memo.

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Defense Logistics Agency Unit Develops Advanced Battery Technologies for Warfighters
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Defense Logistics Agency Unit Develops Advanced Battery Technologies for Warfighters

The Defense Logistics Agency’s Research and Development Office is working on two projects under the Battery Network Program to improve the shelf life and safety of batteries that power critical weapons systems.

One of the projects is a 6T battery prototype that is 35 percent lighter than currently available batteries and has a bipolar design that provide fuel savings capabilities, DLA said Monday.

The prototype, developed under the Conductive Polymer Bipolar Lead Acid Batteries Project, is also intended to lower distribution costs while improving batteries’ power rate, energy and longevity.

BATTNET is also working to develop a lead-acid battery with enhanced energy capacity, power, vibration resistance and shelf life. The U.S. Army Ground Vehicle System Center will test, qualify and approve two prototypes under the project later in 2023.

Launched in 2010, BATTNET partners with industry and develops advanced manufacturing technologies to deliver improved battery support to warfighters.

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Dawn Schaible Becomes Permanent Deputy Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center
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Dawn Schaible Becomes Permanent Deputy Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Dawn Schaible has been transitioned from interim to permanent deputy director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, with immediate effect.

The appointment was finalized seven months after she assumed the role on an acting capacity in June, the agency said Tuesday.

Schaible has been helping Glenn Research Center Director Jimmy Kenyon manage 3,200 civil servants and support service contractors. She transferred from the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where she worked as director of the Engineering Directorate.

Her experience at NASA also includes 18 years at the Kennedy Space Center, co-founding the NASA Engineering and Safety Center, and working as deputy chief engineer.

“Dawn has been a member of the NASA family for 35 years, and she brings a wealth of NASA research, engineering, and programmatic knowledge with her to Cleveland,” Kenyon remarked. “She’s done a phenomenal job while serving as acting deputy director. She jumped in and immediately began making an impact. I look forward to continuing to support NASA’s mission and people with her permanently on our leadership team.” 

Singapore to Buy 8 Additional Lockheeed-Built F-35B Jets
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Singapore to Buy 8 Additional Lockheeed-Built F-35B Jets

Singapore will purchase eight additional F-35B fighter jets, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, to bring its incoming fleet to 12 multirole combat aircraft, DefenseNews reported Monday.

The country’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told lawmakers that the acquisition followed a complete evaluation of the F-35 program, including the aircraft’s electronic systems and operational performance.

The State Department approved Singapore’s request to purchase up to a dozen units of the F-35 short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant under a potential $2.75B foreign military sales agreement.

The deal includes an initial order for four F-35B aircraft and an option for eight more jets.

Lockheed is set to complete the fleet delivery to Singapore by the end of the decade.

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Former Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin Named White House Office of Public Engagement Director
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Former Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin Named White House Office of Public Engagement Director

Stephen Benjamin, the former mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, has been appointed by President Biden as senior adviser and director of White House Office of Public Engagement.

Benjamin, who served as mayor of Columbia from 2010 to 2021, will succeed Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is stepping down as head of the office after more than half a year of service in the Biden administration, the White House said Monday.

As head of the local government, Benjamin focused on economic development, job creation and development of a diverse law enforcement department, according to Biden.

“As a former President of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the African American Mayors Association, Steve’s deep relationships with communities across the country will serve our Administration and the American public well,” the president said.

The Office of Public Engagement facilitates and coordinates direct dialogue between the Biden administration and local communities to inform the national government’s outreach and public events.

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