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GovCon Expert David Egts Joins MuleSoft as First Public Sector Field CTO
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GovCon Expert David Egts Joins MuleSoft as First Public Sector Field CTO

David Egts, a key member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, announced on Monday via LinkedIn that the more than 30-year technical and digital government veteran has joined MuleSoft as the company’s first-ever Field CTO for its Public Sector business.

In his new position with the company, GovCon Expert David Egts will act as the executive-level connective tissue between MuleSoft and the top public sector decision makers and influencers across the globe.

Most recently, Egts concluded his nearly 16-year tenure with Red Hat and most recently was the company’s chief technologist as well as the senior director of its Public Sector business in North America.  With MuleSoft, he’ll continue to draw from his extensive experience assisting federal agencies to accelerate their digital government efforts and improve service delivery.

In addition, David Egts will be responsible for communicating the corporate direction and product roadmap to public sector business and technology leaders. He will also have great influence over the company’s corporate and product strategy through industry expertise and synthesized field input.

GovCon Expert David Egts spoke with GovCon Wire for an Executive Spotlight interview back in June regarding the ways that federal agencies can improve their development processes to deliver better citizen experiences faster, including a greater focus on automation and reducing the amount of “sludge” that both IT professionals have to go through for government services.

“Sludge is all those little things that add up and impede the user experience and organizational efficiency…All that sludge mucks up the works internally,” Egts explained during the Executive Spotlight interview.

“Teams spend considerable amounts of time manually managing and keeping track of all the processes and tools, which prevents them from focusing on the users and improving their experience. And users suffer because they have to go through all these unnecessary steps on the front end,” he continued.

Visit GovCon Wire.com to read the full Executive Spotlight with GovCon Expert David Egts.

About MuleSoft

MuleSoft, a Salesforce company, is the top provider of the world’s #1 trusted integration and API platform, empowers any company to quickly unlock and integrate their apps and data to create seamless experiences, faster.

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FCC Adds PacNet/ComNet, China Unicom to Security Threat List; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Adds PacNet/ComNet, China Unicom to Security Threat List; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission has identified China Unicom Americas Operation, Pacific Network Corp. and its subsidiary ComNet USA as foreign national security threats.

FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau added the companies to its “covered list” after they were found to be under the Chinese government’s control, influence and exploitation.

The decision is in response to findings by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, which showed how China Unicom and PacNet/ComNet pose an “unacceptable risk” to U.S. national security.

“Earlier this year the FCC revoked China Unicom America’s and PacNet/ComNet’s authorities to provide service in the United States because of the national security risks they posed to communications in the United States,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said.

The commission released its list of communications equipment and services that could compromise national network security and privacy in March 2021 to comply with the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act.

Mitre Report: ODNI Should Establish Priority Intelligence Need Process
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Mitre Report: ODNI Should Establish Priority Intelligence Need Process

Mitre has released a report recommending that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence develop a priority intelligence need process across the Intelligence Community to facilitate integration and coordination.

Mitre said Wednesday its report found that the IC does not have processes to come up with a “unified set of prioritized needs” that could guide senior leaders in filling capability gaps.

“Developing a system to identify a unified set of prioritized gaps, or prioritized critical intelligence needs, would help senior leaders make informed decisions to better address the Community’s most pressing needs. It could also be used to help shape other key processes, such as developing future strategic guidance, future year fiscal planning, and mission value frameworks,” the report reads.

According to the report, establishing a process to prioritize requirements would enable the community to shift resources to reduce programmatic risks and prevent the loss of key programs, resource investments and capabilities.

Mitre said priority intelligence needs would help ODNI balance acquisition initiatives against the IC’s future and current prioritized needs and pursue a mission-based approach to advance future capability development initiatives, among others.

The report, which presents a notional prioritized intelligence needs process for the community, was authored by William Gray and Mihai Lungulescu, principal systems engineers at Mitre’s collection and tasking division.

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White House Names 6 Leaders to Oversee CHIPS for America Program Implementation
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White House Names 6 Leaders to Oversee CHIPS for America Program Implementation

The White House has announced the appointment of six executives to the leadership team that will be key in implementing a program that will invest $50 billion in the U.S. semiconductor industry in accordance with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Aaron “Ronnie” Chatterji, chief economist of the Department of Commerce, will serve as the White House Coordinator for CHIPS Implementation at the National Economic Council and oversee CHIPS Implementation Steering Council’s work as outlined in an executive order that President Biden signed in August, the White House said Wednesday.

Michael Schmidt, most recently a senior adviser at the Department of the Treasury, will serve as director of the CHIPS Program Office at the Department of Commerce.

Eric Lin, director of the Material Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will serve as interim director of the CHIPS Research and Development Office.

Todd Fisher, program director for the American Rescue Plan Funds at the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, will be the interim senior adviser within the CHIPS Program Office at NIST.

Donna Dubinsky, a serial entrepreneur and former CEO of Palm Computing and Handspring, will serve as senior counselor to the secretary of Commerce for CHIPS implementation.

J.D. Grom, who recently performed the duties of the assistant secretary for legislative and intergovernmental affairs at the Commerce Department, will be senior adviser to the secretary on CHIPS implementation.

“After outlining a thoughtful and comprehensive strategy for CHIPS for America, we are wasting no time building an office with experts and leaders who will efficiently execute this work,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. 

Raimondo noted that these leaders have decades of government, research and development and industry experience and their work will be key in improving U.S. supply chains, strengthening national security, creating jobs and driving investments in research.

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Senate OKs Bill to Reauthorize Small Business Innovation Research, Tech Transfer Programs
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Senate OKs Bill to Reauthorize Small Business Innovation Research, Tech Transfer Programs

The Senate unanimously approved a bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs through the end of September 2025.

“SBIR and STTR represent the best of government-industry partnerships—harnessing the creativity and ingenuity of American entrepreneurs to solve our nation’s most pressing public health and national security challenges,” Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said in a statement published Wednesday.

The proposed SBIR & STTR Reauthorization Act of 2022 includes new safeguards to protect technologies developed under the two programs from foreign adversaries as well as changes meant to help large award recipients bring their tech platforms to market.

“This bill will keep SBIR and STTR going for an additional three years, increase commercialization of technology developed through the programs, and protect our nation’s intellectual property. Passing this important bill gives our nation’s innovative small businesses and research institutions the certainty they need to continue developing the technology that will power the economy of tomorrow,” added Cardin, who introduced the measure with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

Under the SBIR program, federal agencies that spend at least $100 million annually on outside research should earmark 3.2 percent of the funds to support small businesses’ research efforts. 

With STTR, agencies that have an annual budget of at least $1 billion for outside research should appropriate 0.45 percent of the funds to back research initiatives of small companies and academic research institutions.

GAO: Federal Preparation for Climate Hazards Could Reduce Disaster Costs
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GAO: Federal Preparation for Climate Hazards Could Reduce Disaster Costs

The Government Accountability Office said the U.S. government needs to plan and prepare for extreme weather events caused by climate change in order to significantly reduce its spending on disaster assistance.

In a report released Monday, the agency called for strong leadership and a cohesive, strategic approach to mitigate federal fiscal exposure to climate change.

GAO cited the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which warned that the cost of disaster response and recovery efforts are projected to increase as extreme rainfall or drought become more frequent.

The government watchdog agency proposed establishing a national climate information system, assigning a federal entity to develop and update climate data, and building climate resilience into infrastructure and facility planning.

Lawmakers and federal agencies should review information on the potential economic effects of climate change so they can pinpoint significant risks and formulate better disaster responses, the agency added.

Government spending on disaster assistance amounted to $315 billion between its 2015 and 2021 fiscal years. GAO has petitioned since 2013 to limit federal fiscal exposure through enhanced climate resilience.

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Iridium Announces Operation Pacific Waves; Scott Scheimreif Quoted
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Iridium Announces Operation Pacific Waves; Scott Scheimreif Quoted

Iridium Communications has announced its Operation Pacific Waves (OPW), a series of partnership-driven field exercises involving more than 20 organizations to focus on the Indo-Pacific region, the company reported Wednesday.

“As home to more than half of the world’s population, almost two-thirds of the world’s economy, and some of the world’s largest militaries, the importance of the Indo-Pacific region cannot be understated,” said Scott Scheimreif, executive vice president of Government Programs with Iridium. “We’re especially proud to have new and returning partners eager to participate.”

OPW will deploy Iridium and Iridium Connected equipment in live scenarios highlighting the Iridium network’s resilient, real-time and truly global capabilities. OPW will highlight capabilities that directly support Indo-Pacific mission sets enabled by Iridium’s Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services (EMSS) contract with the U.S. federal government.

The EMSS contract provides unlimited narrowband subscribers and usage over a secure USG gateway. Innovative technologies and capabilities featured includes Iridium Certus broadband and mid band; Push-To-Talk (PTT). 

“It was a natural step to follow-up the success of Operation Arctic Lynx by exercising Iridium technology in the Indo-Pacific to showcase the Iridium network’s strength in providing real-time interoperability, communications-on-the-move, command-and-control, and developing and maintaining a common operational picture across a vast Area of Responsibility,” Scheimreif added.

Iridium SATCOM field demonstrations will take place, on Sept. 28th and Sept. 30th, 2022, in coordination with an international contingent of organizations including Iridium partners and existing customers like the U.S. Department of Defense, coalition partners and scientific research organizations. 

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Intelsat Attempts to Share Worldwide Internet Connectivity Through Partner2Connect Collaboration; CEO Dave Wajsgras Quoted
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Intelsat Attempts to Share Worldwide Internet Connectivity Through Partner2Connect Collaboration; CEO Dave Wajsgras Quoted

Satellite services company Intelsat has entered into an organization that is operated to boost underserved communities by providing technological resources.

Going forward, Intelsat’s team will work with the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition to bring about positive change through telecommunications services, including by filling in gaps where internet access is scarce and providing disaster relief, the Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company said Wednesday.

“The Partner2Connect Digital Coalition is a great initiative to accelerate and promote digital inclusion. Contributing to this common goal is part of Intelsat’s mission – and developing innovative, space-based technology that solves complex communications issues is central to our work,” commented Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat.

Wajsgras, who is a six-time Wash100 Award winner, also said that the collaboration with Partner2Connect is an important cause due to the billions of people internationally who remain without a network connection and thus unable to utilize its benefits, such as work or communication, or health, education and government services.

In their work with the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations, who founded the multistakeholder alliance that is Partner2Connect, Intelsat has made three pledges. The first is to use the company’s software-rooted, multi-orbit 5G unified network to amplify connectivity for communities across the globe. The architecture would reportedly be applicable to various technologies and endpoints.

Intelsat’s second pledge is to install internet access for rurally and remotely located schools over the next two years, hopefully encouraging digital literacy in children at a young age. They plan to ensure connectivity for 100 schools in support of the GIGA endeavor, put forth by UNICEF and the ITU.

Additionally, the second pledge holds that Intelsat is in favor of a memorandum of understanding that will lend a total of $500,000 worth of airtime, along with equipment that could assist during a natural disaster.

Lastly, through its third pledge with Partner2Connect, Intelsat will conduct studies and draw conclusions surrounding space sustainability and satellites as a mechanism for helping with digital transformation.

Wasjgras joined Intelsat from Raytheon Technologies this March.

In April, the company launched a service called Cloud Connect Media aimed to assist programmers securely access Amazon Web Services and the IntelsatOne Media Network.

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Johns Hopkins APL Execs James Miller, David Van Wie Join Defense Science Board
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Johns Hopkins APL Execs James Miller, David Van Wie Join Defense Science Board

James Miller, assistant director for policy and analysis at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and David Van Wie, head of the APL’s air and missile defense sector, have been appointed to serve on the Defense Science Board.

They join the 40-member federal advisory committee providing independent advice and recommendations to the Department of Defense on matters related to science, technology, acquisition process and manufacturing, APL said Tuesday.

Miller, who previously served as undersecretary of defense for policy, is responsible for overseeing the laboratory’s national security and research and development initiatives.

He brings to the board his expertise in missile defense, nuclear deterrence, cyber and space policy.

Van Wie is a four-decade veteran at APL who has previously supported the DSB, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board in various studies.

“The Defense Science Board pulls together distinguished technical leaders from across the community, and we are so fortunate to have James Miller and David Van Wie as members of our new board,” said DSB Chair Eric Evans.

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NASA Releases Revised Objectives for Deep Space Exploration Mission; Pam Melroy Quoted
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NASA Releases Revised Objectives for Deep Space Exploration Mission; Pam Melroy Quoted

NASA has released a revised set of deep space exploration objectives providing a framework for the agency’s Moon to Mars mission after receiving feedback from industry, academia and international partners.

The space agency identified 63 final objectives under four categories of exploration, namely transportation and habitation, Moon and Mars infrastructure, operations and science.

“These objectives are both practical and aspirational, and we were gratified by the thoughtful contributions of our workforce, industry, and international partners who will join us in shaping our future together,” said Pam Melroy, deputy administrator of NASA.

The space agency started working with an Agency Cross-Directorate Federated Board to develop the draft list of 50 Moon to Mars objectives in November 2021.

NASA released the objectives to its workforce and the public in May and released a request for comments in June, which gathered more than 5,000 inputs from industry and other stakeholders.

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