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DHS Announces $1B Cybersecurity Grant Program for State, Local Governments
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DHS Announces $1B Cybersecurity Grant Program for State, Local Governments

The Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a four-year cybersecurity grant program that will provide $1 billion in funding to help state, local and territorial governments protect their information systems against cyberthreats.

The program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is aimed at supporting efforts to identify key vulnerabilities, implement mitigation measures and develop a cyber workforce for the 21st century, DHS said Friday.

DHS has released a notice of funding opportunity, providing a 60-day period for STL governments to apply for grants to fund their current or new cybersecurity programs.

About $185 million of the funding will be made available for fiscal year 2022 and a separate funding opportunity for tribal communities will be released later in the fall.

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of DHS and a previous Wash100 Award winner, has identified cyberattacks as one of the top threats to homeland security.

“In response, we continue to strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity, including by resourcing state and local communities to build and enhance their cyber defenses,” Mayorkas added.

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, encourages eligible entities to apply for grant funds to defend the U.S. critical infrastructure and communities from cyberthreats.

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GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Offers Analysis of DOD’s FY22 Investment Account Outlays
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GovCon Expert Jim McAleese Offers Analysis of DOD’s FY22 Investment Account Outlays

A McAleese & Associates report says the Department of Defense’s investment account outlays for fiscal year 2022, which include $147 billion in DOD procurement funds and $119 billion in research, development, test and evaluation funds, are -9 percent behind schedule.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 Award winner, reported that DOD’s operation and maintenance outlay are behind by about $10 billion, requiring a major push to obligate $299 billion in FY 2022 O&M funds by the end of September.

According to the report, the Pentagon’s RDT&E funding of $119 billion for the current fiscal year is about 11 percent or $12 billion higher than the appropriated research funding in FY 2021 and is “two-year money” that can be contractually obligated through FY 2023.

McAleese said the department’s FY 2021 procurement funding reflects a 3 percent increase from the previous fiscal year’s funding and is “three-year money” that can be obligated through FY 2024.

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Combined Program Office to Improve US Capability Against Advanced Missile Threats; Col. Brian Denaro Quoted
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Combined Program Office to Improve US Capability Against Advanced Missile Threats; Col. Brian Denaro Quoted

Space Systems Command is overseeing a new combined program office that seeks to enhance U.S. capability to counter, deter and win against threats posed by competitors in space.

Established in August, the CPO is composed of representatives from SSC, Missile Defense Agency and the Space Development Agency and will help develop and deploy missile warning, missile defense and missile tracking capabilities in support of the U.S. and its allies, the command said Thursday.

“Our adversaries continue to develop missile technologies that are faster burning, dimmer, and more maneuverable,” said Col. Brian Denaro, space sensing program executive officer and head of the new CPO.

“This Combined Program Office, in partnership with SDA and MDA, will drive critical integration across a new resilient multilayer architecture that will warn, track, and defeat these increasingly advanced and elusive missile threats,” added Denaro.

The CPO will help clarify roles, responsibilities and authorities for SSC, MDA, SDA and other mission partners, establish end-to-end system of systems accountability between requirements and weapon system delivery, develop and manage standards and integrate with operators and combatant commands.

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NSF Awards Quantum Info Science & Engineering Research Grants; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted
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NSF Awards Quantum Info Science & Engineering Research Grants; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted

The National Science Foundation has awarded a total of $21 million to multiple higher education institutions as part of a research program focused on quantum technology-driven data processing.

NSF said Friday awardees will take part in studies encompassing the fields of physics, computer science, materials research, engineering and chemistry through the Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering program.

The first track involves individual participants from Virginia Commonwealth University, Arizona State University, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Cleveland State University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Howard University, Morehouse College and UT Arlington. They will receive up to $800,000 over a maximum period of three years.

For the second track, groups composed of up to five members and their external collaborators will receive a maximum of $5 million for up to five years. Participants come from the University of Texas at Dallas, University of Wyoming and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

“Quantum information science has the powerful potential to advance nearly every field of science forward. NSF is expanding access and skills and fostering talent so the U.S. leads the quantum future,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said. 

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Senate Bill Seeks to Expand GSA Office of Executive Councils
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Senate Bill Seeks to Expand GSA Office of Executive Councils

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., have proposed a bill that would expand and make permanent a General Services Administration office that offers project management and administrative support to help federal agencies meet performance goals.

GSA’s office of executive councils supports governmentwide councils that are key to implementing the President’s Management Agenda and maintains records of federal funds used in agenda implementation, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Friday.

The proposed Governmentwide Executive Councils Administration and Results Improvement Act would streamline councils’ leadership responsibilities and roles to improve visibility into these councils’ project execution and decision-making processes.

The bill would direct each council to come up with strategic plans and publicly release such plans to enable Congress to understand the priorities of a specific council in support of the President’s Management Agenda.

The bipartisan measure seeks to provide “greater transparency and accountability on how federal agencies are using taxpayer dollars to meet their performance goals and better serve communities in Michigan and across the nation,” said Peters.

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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based R&D Projects
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ISS National Lab Solicits Flight Concepts for Space-Based R&D Projects

The International Space Station National Laboratory has released a new research announcement to solicit concepts for space-based technology development and demonstration.

ISS National Lab said Thursday it offers an opportunity to use the government-funded national laboratory to develop, test and mature products and processes that may have a direct or indirect impact on space exploration efforts.

The research announcement calls for the testing of hardware prototypes, demonstration of new methodologies for spaceflight research and development missions and testing of novel space materials.

The national laboratory also seeks flight projects in areas of translational medicine research. Interested parties have until Jan. 10th, 2023, to submit concept summaries and full proposals must be submitted by March 15th.

Selected flight concepts may secure funding to enable mission integration into projects that will be implemented on the ISS.

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Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion Deployed to First Training Exercise
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Marine Corps’ CH-53K King Stallion Deployed to First Training Exercise

The U.S. Marine Corps heavy lift helicopter, manufactured by Lockheed Martin‘s Sikorsky subsidiary, has been deployed to its first fleet exercise in Mountain Home, Idaho.

Marines assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 practiced external lifts with the CH-53K King Stallion, which was designed with increased lift capacity than its predecessor, the service branch said Thursday.

Staff Sgt. James Ganieany, airframes division chief for HMH-461, said the squadron has been training with the CH-53K since it conducted its first operational flight for the heavy-lift military helicopter in April.

The Marine Corps declared initial operational capability for the CH-53K program in April, paving the way for a full-rate production decision in 2023.

Lockheed said the service branch plans to buy as many as 200 CH-53Ks through the “Approved Acquisition Objective.”

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DIU Taps Private Industry to Speed Up Hypersonic Technology Development; Barry Kirkendall Quoted
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DIU Taps Private Industry to Speed Up Hypersonic Technology Development; Barry Kirkendall Quoted

Barry Kirkendall, technical director for space at the Defense Innovation Unit, said the technology accelerator is tapping into the private industry to accelerate the testing and development of new military hypersonic technologies, Forbes reported.

Kirkendall envisions that private sector capabilities and capital can reduce pressure on the U.S. missile infrastructure that could not support rapid testing of new technologies.

“So we find ourselves leaning on wind tunnels and test ranges that have hardly any availability. We can’t afford to build new infrastructure and new ranges so we’re looking for another solution,” Kirkendall said.

DIU has a new program, dubbed Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities, that calls for the development of a hypersonic test aircraft for the military that can fly and maneuver at a speed greater than Mach 5.

The high-speed vehicle must have the capacity to enable long-endurance testing of hypersonic platforms and related components and collect near real-time data on the performance of in-flight vehicles.

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5 Consortia Secure DoD Cooperative Agreements to Foster STEM Education; Heidi Shyu Quoted
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5 Consortia Secure DoD Cooperative Agreements to Foster STEM Education; Heidi Shyu Quoted

The Department of Defense has issued five cooperative agreement awards for academic organizations to elevate science, technology, engineering and math education at two-year institutions and community colleges.

Five consortia could receive up to $11 million each over a six-year period as part of the National Defense Education Program, DOD said Thursday.

DOD intends to grant $5 million to cover the base performance period of three years and may exercise options valued at $2 million annually over three years.

Awardees will aim to produce more certified graduates of training programs focused on DOD-critical technology areas and transition more 2YI/CC programs to four-year college degrees in STEM.

The cooperative agreement is giving special attention to veterans, their spouses and underserved and underrepresented populations, DOD noted.

“Two-year institutions and community colleges play a key role in educating, training, and transitioning students onto a path to a STEM career,” said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

Shyu, a two-time recipient of the Wash100 Award, added that these education investments are instrumental in “broadening the defense innovation base.”

The winning consortia are:

  • Denver Metro Engineering Consortium
  • Ohio TechNet Defense Industrial Base STEM Consortium
  • Pennsylvania-wide Community College Consortium for Enhancing STEM and Cybersecurity Education
  • The Military City USA Consortium
  • Inclusive Engineering Consortium 2to4 
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DIA’s John Huth: Military Rivals, Orbital Debris Threaten Space Security
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DIA’s John Huth: Military Rivals, Orbital Debris Threaten Space Security

The Defense Intelligence Agency is looking into Russia and China’s use of space exploration as a military-civil integration strategy, according to DIA official John Huth.

Huth, who serves as defense intelligence officer for space and counterspace at DIA, made the remarks in an interview with Government Matters, where he discussed the results of the agency’s “Challenges to Security in Space 2022” report.

He noted the two countries have increased their on-orbit assets by 70 percent, expanded space domain awareness and indicated plans to launch missions beyond the Moon.

Although both countries have publicly opposed the weaponization of space, the Russian and Chinese governments continue to develop tools to deny the use of space to the U.S., Huth told GovMatters.

Huth mentioned that other current threats are North Korea and Iran, which could militarize emerging space launch systems to deliver intercontinental ballistic missiles.

When asked about necessary counteractions from the U.S., he believes that the government has ramped up its efforts.

“We now have a space command. We now have a Space Force. I think the U.S. has responded to those threats,” he said.

Aside from findings about competitors, the report also details the expanded assessment of the threats from space debris.

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