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CISA, NSA Unveil Recommended Security Practices for Software Suppliers
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CISA, NSA Unveil Recommended Security Practices for Software Suppliers

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Security Agency have jointly published a recommended security practices guide intended for software suppliers.

The document, titled “Securing the Software Supply Chain: Recommended Practices Guide for Suppliers,” outlines suggested procedures for software security checks and vulnerability response and management, the NSA said Monday.

NSA said that software suppliers act as a link between customers and developers and must implement additional security features to eliminate vulnerabilities.

The guidance was developed through the Enduring Security Framework, a public-private partnership that develops guidelines for securing the U.S. critical infrastructure and improving national security.

The framework is the second portion of a three-part joint publication series from ESF. The partnership released a version of the guidance for software developers in September and will unveil an edition for software customers in the future.

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Technology Modernization Fund Invests in AbilityOne’s Procurement List Software Enhancement; Clare Martorana Quoted
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Technology Modernization Fund Invests in AbilityOne’s Procurement List Software Enhancement; Clare Martorana Quoted

The U.S. AbilityOne Commission will receive investment from the Technology Modernization Fund to upgrade its software that connects the federal government with employers of individuals who are blind or severely disabled.

The General Services Administration said Monday the TMF investment will fund enhancements to the Procurement List Information Management System including improvements to system security and accessibility.

AbilityOne Commission maintains a Procurement List of products and services available to government agencies.

“During the pandemic, the AbilityOne program has been pivotal in keeping the federal government and U.S. military operating through nationwide surge to meet exponential increases in demand,” said Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer and chair of the TMF board.

Martorana, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, added that the $1.78 million investment from TMF will enable AbilityOne to ensure the continued provision of critical services to government agencies.

TMF is an investment program that funds technology modernization projects across the federal government.

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Doug O’Donnell Named Acting IRS Commissioner
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Doug O’Donnell Named Acting IRS Commissioner

Doug O’Donnell, the deputy commissioner for services and enforcement at the Internal Revenue Service, has been appointed to serve as acting head of the agency.

Charles Rettig, the outgoing IRS commissioner, said in a statement published Friday that O’Donnell will temporarily take the helm at the agency until the Senate confirms a permanent commissioner.

Rettig has been leading the revenue service since 2018 and will formally end his term on Nov. 12.

He said that O’Donnell will collaborate with Jeff Tribiano, deputy commissioner for operations, and other senior officials “to continue work on the Inflation Reduction Act provisions, including efforts related to IRS transformation, implementation of green provisions and other new tax law.”

In a separate statement, Janet Yellen, secretary of the Department of the Treasury, said O’Donnell will guide IRS’ work as it embarks on a transformative period of modernization.

O’Donnell has held various positions of increasing responsibility during his nearly four-decade career at the IRS, including as commissioner of the IRS Large Business and International Division.

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ODNI: FY 2022 Appropriations for National Intell Program Hit $65.7B
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ODNI: FY 2022 Appropriations for National Intell Program Hit $65.7B

Congress appropriated $65.7 billion in total funds for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Intelligence Program during fiscal year 2022.

NIP is one of the two major components of the U.S. intelligence budget and covers all projects, activities and initiatives of the Intelligence Community and other IC programs designated by the DNI and the U.S. president or the DNI and the head of an agency or department.

ODNI said Monday the appropriated budget figure for 2022 NIP includes supplemental funding.

The FY 2022 appropriated figure reflects a $3.4 billion increase from the requested budget for NIP activities – $62.3 billion – in the previous fiscal year and shows an 8 percent rise from the top-line figure allocated to NIP in FY 2021.

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Space Systems Command Preps LDPE-2 Spacecraft for USSF-44 National Security Mission
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Space Systems Command Preps LDPE-2 Spacecraft for USSF-44 National Security Mission

Space Systems Command encapsulated and linked the Long Duration Propulsive EELV Secondary Payload Adapter 2 spacecraft with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket in preparation for the scheduled launch of the U.S. Space Force-44 mission on Tuesday, Nov. 1, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

LDPE-2 is a satellite bus that can accommodate multiple payloads and comes with a modular design to facilitate payload integration, SSC said Monday.

“The LDPE-2 platform allows the USSF to cost-effectively prototype new elements of future space architectures before making major investments across the enterprise,” said Brig. Gen. Tim Sejba, program executive officer for space domain awareness and combat power at SSC.

“This capability has broad potential to fill capability gaps in our space systems architecture and provide helpful services for our mission partners with frequent and low-cost access to orbit,” added Sejba.

USSF-44 will lift off from a launch complex at Kennedy Space Center to deploy multiple satellites into orbit as part of the National Security Space Launch program.

LDPE-1 took off in December as part of the Space Test Program-3 mission and the LDPE-3A is set to launch under the USSF-67 mission in January.

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DOD Seeks Commercial Energy Storage Tech Options
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DOD Seeks Commercial Energy Storage Tech Options

The Department of Defense is eyeing commercial hardware and software platforms that can work with military-grade mobile generators to store energy and power microgrids in remote locations.

The Defense Innovation Unit described the requirement in a Commercial Solutions Opening notice as DOD aims to boost the performance of medium mobile power equipment operated with an advanced digital control system.

DIU is looking for vendors to develop a tool that has embedded microgrid control and employs open architecture for continuous battery cell and microgrid controller upgrades.

The device should have a storage capacity of 30 to 60 kilowatts, compatible with DOD’s 30 kW and 60 kW AMMPS generator sets equipped with ADCS, the agency noted.

Aside from design and build, offerors may also be required to provide preventive and corrective maintenance.

Proposers can fill out a submission form on the DIU website and send their responses until Nov 14. Army Contracting Command – New Jersey will act as the contracting activity for the CSO.

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AIA CEO Eric Fanning: Labor ‘Biggest Limiting Factor’ in Aerospace & Defense Supply Chain
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AIA CEO Eric Fanning: Labor ‘Biggest Limiting Factor’ in Aerospace & Defense Supply Chain

Eric Fanning, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, cited the rigid requirements for defense contractors and retention challenges as the key forces pushing sector employees away.

“The biggest limiting factor we’re finding in the supply chain is labor,” Fanning, a previous recipient of the Wash100 Award, said in an interview with Defense News.

Executives of publicly traded defense companies have attributed major challenges in supply chain and financial performance to the lingering labor instability in the U.S.

Boeing, General Dynamics and Raytheon Technologies leaders mentioned in their companies’ respective earnings calls that labor shortage and workforce turnover led to higher operational costs in their third fiscal quarter.

Their sentiments echo the results of the 2022 Aerospace & Defense Workforce Study conducted by AIA, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and professional services firm EY US.

The survey, which represented 800,000 employees globally and over 680,000 domestically, showed that compensation was the main reason that employees were leaving their jobs. Wages accounted for 78 percent of turnover, followed by 75 percent who left because of career advancement and 31 percent who resigned due to remote work or relocation opportunities.

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DOD Project Seeks to Advance Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Airbreathing Systems; Keith Devries Quoted
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DOD Project Seeks to Advance Additive Manufacturing for Hypersonic Airbreathing Systems; Keith Devries Quoted

The Department of Defense has asked interested stakeholders to propose prototypes for a project that seeks to advance additive manufacturing processes for producing complex parts of hypersonic weapons systems.

DOD expects the platforms that will emerge from the Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics project to help meet the temperature and propulsion requirements of new hypersonic airbreathing platforms, the DOD Manufacturing Technology Program said Friday.

The GAMMA-H initiative is meant to encourage nontraditional contractors and small businesses to take part in defense manufacturing.

Keith DeVries, deputy director of the office of the secretary of defense’s ManTech program, said platforms produced through GAMMA-H will help improve how to apply additive manufacturing to airbreathing hypersonics systems.

“This will only be achieved through the partnership of large companies, small businesses, and academia,” added DeVries.

DOD will accept questions regarding the project through Nov. 10 and proposed platforms through Dec. 12.

The department will issue the prototype opportunity using an other transaction agreement under the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems contract vehicle managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator.

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Nathan Kebede Joins Michael Baker International in New Leadership Position
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Nathan Kebede Joins Michael Baker International in New Leadership Position

Nathan Kebede, P.E., an experienced pavement engineer, has joined Michael Baker International as the practice lead of national pavement services, the pavement engineering firm’s newly-created position.

In his new role, Kebede will work across departments to select opportunities for Michael Baker to deliver pavement data collection and pavement management consulting support while guiding the organization in working with local, regional, state and federal agencies, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company announced on Monday.

“As we continue to reimagine Michael Baker by expanding our services and capabilities, Nathan will draw on his experience, expertise and passion to lead our Pavement Services team, serving as a trusted partner and adviser to our clients making pavement maintenance decisions,” said Dan Kieny, the company’s president of consulting and technology solutions.

He also commented on Kebede’s dedication to advancing pavement inspection technology and harnessing pavement management systems to ensure informed decision-making.

In his previous role as CEO of ARRB Systems America, Kebede guided the launch of modern pavement evaluation systems into the U.S. market. He has held multiple pavement management and engineering roles throughout his career, serving as a pavement engineer for Applied Pavement Technology and as a data services manager at Cartegraph.

Kebede has been an involved member of the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting since 2018 and works with many of its associated committees. He has also served as the Commissioner of both the Transportation and Environmental and Energy Commissions of Wilmette, Illinois.

Alongside his work at the corporate level, Kebede has participated in numerous studies that have been published in various journals.

Additionally, Kebede holds professional engineer licenses from the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Discusses ‘New Era For Cybersecurity,’ Metaverse & IoT Security
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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Discusses ‘New Era For Cybersecurity,’ Metaverse & IoT Security

Chuck Brooks, a highly esteemed cybersecurity leader and a significant member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, was featured on the cover of the 28th edition of the Adello Magazine to discuss the synergy of the Metaverse and how the Internet of Things (IoT) can raise productivity and security standards for the whole technology industry.

In his feature for the magazine entitled, “New Era For Cybersecurity,” GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks explained the growing connectivity and cybersecurity risk management for IoT as well as the importance of obtaining massive amounts of data to drive the success of the Metaverse.

“There is a growing understanding of the seriousness and sophistication of IoT cyber threats from our adversaries – nation-states, organized crime, and loosely affiliated hackers,” GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks explained. 

“Protecting IoT devices is a tall order, and knowing where the threats are coming from and how best to fortify our defenses and mitigate breaches is essential,” he continued. “The government has assisted in that challenging endeavor.” 

In addition, Chuck Brooks also discussed the critical and different aspects of this mission, including identifying the threats to IoT devices, using a risk management framework, developing IoT readiness as well as potential solutions and services. 

“There are no failsafe solutions, and the task of securing IoT is monumentally difficult, especially as the connectivity grows in parallel to the sophistication and the capabilities of threat actors,” Chuck Brooks. “But for the most part, these threat actors will go where there is the least resistance. Bringing IoT security ready should be a priority pursuit for everyone connected.” 

Visit Adello Magazine to read the full feature from GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks. 

About GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks 

Chuck Brooks, President of Brooks Consulting International, is a globally recognized thought leader and subject matter expert Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies.

Chuck is also Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Graduate Cybersecurity Risk Management Program where he teaches courses on risk management, homeland security technologies, and cybersecurity.

He is also IEEE Cyber Security for Next Generation Connectivity Systems for Quantum IOT Vice-Chair and serves as the Quantum Security Alliance Chair for IOT. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn.

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