Rep. Michael McCaul Requires Information on BIS’ Semiconductor Export Rules
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Rep. Michael McCaul Requires Information on BIS’ Semiconductor Export Rules

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, has requested the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security to provide information on its recently issued export controls on certain advanced computing semiconductor equipment.

McCaul, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the licensing data will enable Congress to assess how BIS is implementing the controls and determine the effectiveness of the rule enforcement in preventing China from misappropriating U.S. critical technology.

“By receiving this information, we can assess whether the spirit of these rules is being implemented effectively or undermined by an overly lax licensing process,” McCaul said.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, McCaul said the rules “appear aimed at addressing long-standing gaps in U.S. export controls” that Chinese entities have been exploiting to obtain U.S.-made technology to build out China’s high-performance computing sector.

McCaul has given BIS until Nov. 15 to submit the requested information.

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GAO: Bid Protests Dropped 12% in FY 2022
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GAO: Bid Protests Dropped 12% in FY 2022

The Government Accountability Office reported that the total number of protests filed with the agency to dispute federal contract awards reached 1,658 in fiscal year 2022, reflecting a 12 percent drop from the 1,897 cases recorded in the previous fiscal year.

GAO told congressional committees in a letter dated Tuesday that contractors filed 1,595 bid protests, 20 reconsideration requests and 43 cost claims in FY 2022.

According to the report, the congressional watchdog closed 1,655 bid protest cases and 344 of those cases were associated with GAO’s jurisdiction over task orders. 

GAO said it sustained 13 percent of protests resolved on merit in the previous fiscal year due to unreasonable technical assessments and flawed solicitations and selection decisions.

Nextgov reported GAO data shows that FY 2022 was the fourth consecutive year challenges to contract awards declined. The FY 2022 figure reflects a 36 percent drop in annual bid protests filed compared with the 2,607 cases reported in fiscal 2018.

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Brendan Carr Urges CFIUS to Take Action Against TikTok Over Data Security Concerns
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Brendan Carr Urges CFIUS to Take Action Against TikTok Over Data Security Concerns

Brendan Carr, a commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission, said the Council on Foreign Investment in the United States should initiate action to ban the social media platform TikTok due to concerns over the security of data of U.S. users, Axios reported Wednesday.

He told Axios in an interview about the potential for China to gain access to U.S. data and the risk of influencing U.S. political processes by a state actor through the video-hosting service.

“I don’t believe there is a path forward for anything other than a ban,” Carr told the publication.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is in talks with CFIUS to determine whether it can keep operating in the U.S. through a potential divestiture to a U.S. company.

“We are confident that we are on a path to reaching an agreement with the U.S. Government that will satisfy all reasonable national security concerns,” a spokesperson for TikTok said in a statement to Axios.

In September, a Senate panel held a hearing over the video platform’s access to U.S. user data and links to the Chinese government.

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Gen. Chance Saltzman Takes Over as Chief of Space Operations
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Gen. Chance Saltzman Takes Over as Chief of Space Operations

U.S. Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman officially succeeded the retiring Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, a three-time Wash100 awardee, as chief of space operations during the transition ceremony held Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

In his remarks, Saltzman pledged to “work relentlessly” to ensure a combat-ready and resilient Space Force amid rising challenges in maintaining U.S. national security interests in space, the service branch said Wednesday.

“Without the space capabilities you are designing, building, protecting, and operating, the Joint Force will not be capable of accomplishing its missions,” he said in his speech.

“A resilient, ready, and combat-credible Space Force is indispensable to deterrence today, tomorrow, and every day after that. In the worst case, if deterrence fails, the Space Force will be an indispensable component of our joint force at war,” Saltzman added.

Saltzman, most recently deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear, assumes the CSO role as the Space Force transitions into a phase that focuses on meeting the operational imperatives of the Department of the Air Force.

During his Senate nomination hearing in September, Saltzman said he would prioritize the development and deployment of space capabilities and ensure the training of guardians to enable them to counter the threats posed by strategic competitors.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Raymond and Saltzman during the ceremony.

Austin, Kendall and Milley are all previous Wash100 Award winners. 

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Lookout Study Finds Increased Mobile Phishing Attacks Against Government Agencies
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Lookout Study Finds Increased Mobile Phishing Attacks Against Government Agencies

Incidents of mobile phishing attacks on government personnel rose from 30 percent in 2020 to nearly 50 percent in 2021, according to a new Lookout report.

Conversely, the cloud security company reported an improvement in Android system upgrades among state and government users, with only 50 percent running outdated operating systems in 2021 compared to 99 percent in the previous year.

Lookout related the increase in remote work setups to federal, state and local government entities’ dependence on unmanaged mobile devices. It also found that more than 12 percent of the employees were exposed to threats of credential theft, putting agencies at great risk of potential attacks.

In 2021, mobile phishing encounter rates were 48 percent and 25 percent, respectively, among state and local governments whether they had managed or unmanaged devices. More incidents were reported in the first half of this year.

“It’s more important than ever for government agencies to keep pace with the evolution of the cyber threat environment. Regardless of whether devices are managed, protecting these modern endpoints requires a different approach — one that is built from the ground up for mobile,” said Tony D’Angelo, vice president of Lookout’s Americas public sector business.

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DOE to Fund 23 Clean Energy Transition Projects in Local Communities; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE to Fund 23 Clean Energy Transition Projects in Local Communities; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

Twenty-three research projects in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will receive $43 million in total funds from the Department of Energy to pursue strategies for clean energy transition and grid resilience in local communities.

The Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience program will finance 20 of the studies, while the three other projects will be conducted under the Energyshed funding initiative, DOE said Wednesday.

DOE listed Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, GE Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Navajo Technical University, and Wayne State University as awardees for the RACER program. 

These organizations will focus on community clean energy planning approaches to prevent disruption or restore power after extreme weather events. Their studies will be conducted in 30 localities in the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico.

The Energyshed funding recipients are Georgia Institute of Technology, Launch Alaska and the University of Vermont. Their objective is to develop tools that can help communities such as native groups and rural and metropolitan areas to harness local sources of electricity and establish grid sustainability.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the research efforts will “give local communities the tools to understand and make informed decisions about their own energy supply and needs.”

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LMI CEO Doug Wagoner Presented With 2022 Technology Good Scout Award
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LMI CEO Doug Wagoner Presented With 2022 Technology Good Scout Award

The Boy Scouts of America presented LMI President and CEO Doug Wagoner with the 2022 Technology Good Scout Award during an award reception and luncheon at the Tysons Corner Marriott hotel on Wednesday.

Wagoner, who is also a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, was recognized during the ceremony for his outstanding leadership at LMI, his contributions to the technology industry and his exemplification of BSA values.

Addressing the conference room packed with major GovCon figures, previous Technology Good Scout Award winners and industry leaders, Wagoner thanked Mike Daniels, chairman of CACI and honorary chair of BSA’s Technology Good Scout luncheon, for the “tremendous honor” of being selected as the 2022 awardee.

LMI CEO Doug Wagoner Presented With 2022 Technology Good Scout Award
Doug Wagoner (center) with his daughter, Lydia Wagoner (left) and wife, Raelene Wagoner (right)

The top LMI executive expressed his gratitude for receiving an “important and coveted” honor that recognizes influential leaders for “living a life of the Scout” and upholding the principles and values outlined in the Boy Scouts of America’s oath, which centers around serving one’s country.

“I like to think that all of us in this room have served our country — some more than others, such as those who have worn the nation’s colors or who have dedicated their life to civilian work for our national security,” Wagoner stated during his remarks.

“For lifelong contractors, like me and many of you in the room, I like to think that we’ve also served the country in a small way, always trying to get the best people and best technology to help our government customers. That, too, is part of the oath — to help people at all times,” he continued.

Wagoner paid homage to his fellow awardees from previous years, including Wash100 Award winner Nazzic Keene, CEO of SAIC, Donald Upson, founder and chairman of Government Business Executive Forum, and many other foundational figures in the GovCon sector.

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Navy’s Underwater Training Range Reaches Full Operational Capability Status
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Navy’s Underwater Training Range Reaches Full Operational Capability Status

The U.S. Navy’s Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges program office has declared full operational capability for the first increment of its underwater training infrastructure for submarines and surface vessels.

The Undersea Warfare Training Ranges Increment I achieved the status after it demonstrated its capacity to support multiple maritime exercises, including anti-submarine warfare training, Naval Air Systems Command said Tuesday.

L3Harris Technologies helped the Navy install an ocean sensor and shore electronics subsystems near Jacksonville, Florida, as part of the USWTR INC I effort.

The company secured a $393 million follow-on contract in 2021 to modernize and replace systems at other training ranges near Southern California, the Bahamas and Hawaii.

“These ranges are essential to our national security, and provide critical support to the helicopter maritime strike, maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and Navy ship communities,” said Capt. Kevin McGee, program manager of PMA-205.

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Deanne Criswell Names New Members of FEMA National Advisory Council
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Deanne Criswell Names New Members of FEMA National Advisory Council

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has unveiled the appointment of 19 members to an advisory council that provides recommendations to the agency on disaster preparedness and response efforts.

Jeff Hansen, director of community safety for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, has been named chair of the National Advisory Council replacing outgoing chair W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA said Tuesday.

Hansen, who previously served as vice chair of the council for four years, is the first tribal representative to hold the position of council chair.

He said the council will grow its members from 35 to 40 beginning in 2023 to include positions focused on climate change. The 16 new appointees and three returning members will begin their terms on Dec. 1.

The council has created approximately 400 recommendations to FEMA on a range of emergency management matters since its inception in 2006.

The full list and additional information on the council’s current members are available here.

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Report: Navy Plans to Block Buy Five Columbia-Class Ballistic Missile Submarines
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Report: Navy Plans to Block Buy Five Columbia-Class Ballistic Missile Submarines

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, program executive officer for strategic submarines, said the service branch aims to purchase five Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines through a potential block-buy deal, Defense Daily reported Tuesday.

Speaking at the annual Naval Submarine League symposium, Pappano said the plan would enable the Navy to stick to the program’s schedule and send a “positive demand signal” to the defense industrial base.

The official said that the Columbia-class program has an internal six-month schedule margin to reduce potential gaps in the transition from the legacy Ohio-class SSBNs in fiscal year 2030.

According to Pappano, the future USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826), the first submarine of the class, is down to only about one month of the planned margin.

General Dynamics‘ Electric Boat facility in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, commenced the full-rate production of SSBN-826 during a keel laying ceremony in June.

The Columbia-class program will include 12 new SSBNs that will replace the 14 aging Ohio-class submarines that the Navy expects to retire beginning in 2027.

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