DOT’s Federal Highway Administration Highlights Progress in EV Charging Infrastructure Plan
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DOT’s Federal Highway Administration Highlights Progress in EV Charging Infrastructure Plan

The Department of Transportation has finalized the minimum requirements for federally funded projects on electric vehicle infrastructure.

The final standards are among the latest actions announced by the Biden administration to reach its goal of building a 500,000-unit, made-in-America EV charging network by 2030, DOT said Wednesday.

DOT’S Federal Highway Administration issued the minimum standards to provide guidance on the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program for funding EV charging projects.

FHWA also released a notice on a temporary public interest waiver of Buy America requirements for EV charger materials, such as steel and iron, in an aim to expedite the completion of EV infrastructure contracts. The waiver will eventually be phased out in order to prioritize the Buy America policy.

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said the agency will soon open applications for community-based charging grants in addition to the implementation of the policies. The first round of funding through the new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program will distribute $700 million out of the $2.5 billion budget provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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NASA Requests Industry Input on Commercial LEO Destinations Development Program
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NASA Requests Industry Input on Commercial LEO Destinations Development Program

NASA’s Johnson Space Center has begun requesting information from U.S. industry sources on the development of future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit in preparation for the planned retirement of the International Space Station at the end of the decade.

A notice posted Monday on SAM.gov states that NASA is seeking input on the overall concept of operations and resource needs of the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program.

The program’s concept of operation describes the government’s requirements for a commercially operated space station as well as the strategies, policies and processes for developing, maintaining and retiring CLDs for government purposes.

NASA is also working with the ISS National Lab to identify capabilities of interest to conduct research and technology demonstrations and estimate resources necessary to support the program.

Responses to the request for information will guide the development of future utilization requirements.

Interested parties have until March 30 to submit comments and feedback.

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DIU to Develop Nasal Spray to Protect Warfighters From Respiratory Viruses
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DIU to Develop Nasal Spray to Protect Warfighters From Respiratory Viruses

The Defense Innovation Unit has selected Access to Advanced Health Institute and Ena Therapeutics to prototype a small-molecule nasal spray designed to improve the immunity of U.S. troops against respiratory viruses.

As part of the Department of Defense’s Project Panacea, Ena will produce a broad-spectrum antiviral immunomodulatory nasal spray that AAHI scientists will test against Nipah virus and pandemic influenza in preclinical studies, DIU said Wednesday.

The nasal spray will act as a prophylaxis for novel viruses and new variants of existing respiratory viruses.

The 18-month project was launched through the collaboration between DIU and the Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Medical under the Vaccine Acceleration by Modular Progression program.

“The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for the biotechnology industry to address viral threats through the application of novel technologies,” said Amanda Love, a joint product manager with the JPEO.

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Commerce Department Seeks Nominations for U.S.-EU Trade & Technology Council Talent for Growth Task Force
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Commerce Department Seeks Nominations for U.S.-EU Trade & Technology Council Talent for Growth Task Force

The Department of Commerce has begun to solicit nominations for six U.S. members of a newly established task force that seeks to help the U.S. and European Union achieve a trained workforce necessary to maintain leadership in existing and emerging technologies.

The department is looking for six private sector executives to induct into the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council Talent for Growth Task Force, which will offer recommendations to the co-chairs of the U.S. and EU TTC and carry out actions to “showcase training opportunities and increase public understanding of the promise of these careers,” according to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday.

Task force members will serve a one-year term and should come from the business sector, organizations that support training and those who represent labor unions.

The secretary of Commerce will name the U.S. members of the task force after a review of applicants.

Nominations are due Feb. 27.

National Cybersecurity Strategy to Include Guidance on Post-Quantum Cryptography
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National Cybersecurity Strategy to Include Guidance on Post-Quantum Cryptography

The forthcoming National Cybersecurity Strategy from the Office of the National Cyber Director will include guidance on standardizing quantum-resistant cryptography, NextGov reported Wednesday.

Dylan Presman, director of budget and assessment at the Office of the National Cyber Director, confirmed the inclusion of the guidance in the framework and said that the office “will take a strong stand” on the transition of networks to post-quantum cryptographic standards.

Speaking during an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center discussion, Presman acknowledged the transformational qualities and opportunities of quantum computers but noted that there are steps needed to be taken to secure U.S. networks and systems from adversarial threats.

According to Presman, organizations looking to transition to post-quantum cryptography must first conduct a thorough inventory of data and technologies used across the enterprise.

He said there are automation tools available in the market to assist government and commercial institutions in preparing for the transition.

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NTIA Appoints Amanda Toman as 5G Innovation Fund Lead
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NTIA Appoints Amanda Toman as 5G Innovation Fund Lead

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has chosen Amanda Toman, director of the 5G Transition Office and 5G cross-functional teams at the Department of Defense, as lead of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund.

Toman will oversee NTIA’s diversification efforts for the global wireless supply chain, which are expected to generate new jobs in the U.S., the agency said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

Toman has been at the helm of DOD’s 5G projects since May 2020. Prior to that, she was a program analyst at Arrowmaker and Science Applications International Corp.

Aside from Toman, NTIA also announced the appointment of Russell Hanser as associate administrator for policy analysis and development. He had been serving as senior policy adviser to the Department of Commerce before being selected by NTIA.

Hanser has 27 years experience in the legal field, from his tenure in various law firms to taking on jobs in the Federal Communications Bar Association.

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Naval Postgraduate School, Qualcomm Forge Emerging Tech R&D Partnership; Aaron Weis Quoted
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Naval Postgraduate School, Qualcomm Forge Emerging Tech R&D Partnership; Aaron Weis Quoted

The Naval Postgraduate School and Qualcomm Technologies have agreed to explore military applications of 5G, artificial intelligence and other emerging technology under a cooperative research and development agreement.

NPS said Monday the partnership will set up an innovation laboratory at the school campus in Monterey, California, as part of the limited-purpose CRADA.

San Diego-based Qualcomm will offer students and faculty members of the U.S. Navy-run graduate school access to the company’s Robotics RB5 and RB6 development kits, Cloud AI 100 inference and Snapdragon 8 mobile processor for use in experiments.

Both parties seek to identify the strengths and limitations of the products, as well as to determine how the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps can use these platforms.

Aaron Weis, chief information officer of the Department of the Navy, said the agreement marks a step in DON’s efforts to create an innovation culture and drive its competitive advantage.

“The CRADA will identify promising emerging commercial technologies so we can rapidly adopt them for full-scale implementation,” added Weis, a 2023 Wash100 awardee.

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John Sherman Releases DOD Manual on Cyberspace Workforce Qualification & Management Program
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John Sherman Releases DOD Manual on Cyberspace Workforce Qualification & Management Program

John Sherman, chief information officer of the Department of Defense and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, has issued a new DOD manual that seeks to modernize the department’s management of its cybersecurity workforce.

The Cyberspace Workforce Qualification & Management Program manual seeks to provide the department’s components with a wider set of options to achieve and manage a qualified workforce in the areas of cybersecurity, information technology, cyber enablers, cyber effects and cyber intelligence, DOD said Tuesday.

“[DoD 8140] provides a targeted, role-based approach to identify, develop, and qualify cyber personnel by leveraging the DoD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF),” Sherman said during his April 2021 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“The [policy series] will require workforce members to demonstrate a foundational understanding at the work role level while also addressing personnel capability and continuous professional development at the work role level,” he noted.

He added that the manual will help facilitate the management and tracking of cyber workforce capabilities across the enterprise.

DOD 8140 replaces the manual on Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program.

“The 8140 policy series unifies cyber workforce development efforts under a common umbrella and facilitates greater mobility across population types,” said Patrick Johnson, director of the workforce innovation directorate at DOD.

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Rank the 2023 Wash100 Elite; Vote for Your Favorite GovCon Leaders
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Rank the 2023 Wash100 Elite; Vote for Your Favorite GovCon Leaders

Executive Mosaic‘s editorial team is in its third week of publishing individual profiles on 2023 Wash100 selections, recognizing 35 first-time inductees and 65 repeat winners.

As the elite roster is gradually unraveled every week, the popular vote list is also taking shape. In 2022, three-time inductee Lauren Knausenberger, chief information officer at the Department of the Air Force, ended up being the favorite Wash100 awardee.

This year, a fair share of government and industry officials are filling the popular vote rankings, as peers express appreciation for their contributions to the federal acquisition and contracting sector.

Microsoft Federal President Rick Wagner and Vice President of Defense Wes Anderson are currently leading the list, representing two of the six industry officials in the top 10. The four remaining spots are taken by government officials, led by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Your vote can still shake up the lineup!

Show your support for colleagues who have made a mark in the GovCon industry. Make them the 2023 popular vote winner by choosing 10 of your favorite Wash100 executives. Polling ends on April 28.

As of Thursday morning, the top 10 most-voted awardees were:

Rank the 2023 Wash100 Elite; Vote for Your Favorite GovCon Leaders
Click on this banner to see the full list of 2023 Wash100 winners and their popular vote rankings
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Executive Mosaic Honors Microsoft Federal’s Rick Wagner & Max Peterson of AWS as 2023 Wash100 Award Winners
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Executive Mosaic Honors Microsoft Federal’s Rick Wagner & Max Peterson of AWS as 2023 Wash100 Award Winners

Two of the most influential leaders working in the government contracting sector today — Rick Wagner, president of Microsoft Federal, and Max Peterson, vice president of Amazon Web Services’ Worldwide Public Sector — were highlighted by Executive Mosaic in recognition of their 2023 Wash100 Award wins. 

Executive Mosaic — GovCon’s premier media, events and membership organization — carefully selects the top 100 executives shaping the GovCon ecosystem each year. These distinguished individuals comprise the annual Wash100 list, which highlights the leaders to watch for the coming year. 

Rick Wagner won his sixth consecutive Wash100 Award this year for his leadership in Microsoft’s cloud capabilities in support of national security missions and the Department of Defense. Notably, Microsoft was selected as one of four awardees on the DOD’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract, which marks a monumental step in the department’s cloud journey. Read Wagner’s Wash100 profile on GovCon Wire to learn more.

Max Peterson clinched his second Wash100 win this year through his work elevating AWS’ cloud innovation efforts and playing a pivotal role in bringing the company closer to its federal customers. AWS was also chosen for a spot on the DOD’s JWCC contract. Click here to read Peterson’s Wash100 feature on ExecutiveBiz.

Now, it’s your turn to participate in GovCon’s most exciting race! In April, Executive Mosaic will announce the winner of the 2023 Wash100 popular vote competition. Vote for Rick Wagner and Max Peterson as your favorite GovCon executives at Wash100.com! 

Executive Mosaic congratulates these two top-tier executives from JWCC awardee companies on their past, present and future contributions to the vital GovCon landscape.

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