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DOD Eyes Improved Hypersonic Testing Capability With MACH-TB Project
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DOD Eyes Improved Hypersonic Testing Capability With MACH-TB Project

Scott Wilson, developmental test lead for hypersonics and advanced capabilities at the U.S. Navy, said the Department of Defense is building a new hypersonics test bed to reach its goal of conducting at least one flight per week, DefenseNews reported Tuesday.

DOD is working with an industry team led by Leidos subsidiary Dynetics on the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed development to advance the development and deployment of weapon systems capable of flying at speeds greater than Mach 5.

“We have to test more often to collect data and provide that data to our stakeholders so they can make evaluations on their weapon systems, what they want to transition, what types of technology can help feed them and help provide additional capability,” said Wilson.

The MACH-TB program aims to perform early tests in the spring or summer of 2023, focusing on higher-priority DOD programs, including the U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.

Dynetics, which will serve as the initiative’s prime integrator, has subcontracted Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to support the development of a modular experimental glide body for the test bed.

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University of Central Florida Wins DOE’s CyberForce Competition
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University of Central Florida Wins DOE’s CyberForce Competition

A team from the University of Central Florida won the eighth annual CyberForce Competition hosted by the Department of Energy’s cybersecurity office and Argonne National Laboratory.

The UCF team was the first among 144 university participants to complete a simulated mission that required the assessment of IT vulnerabilities and the development of cyber defenses for a model infrastructure, DOE said Monday.

The competition, which was held on Nov. 4 and 5, centered on a staged electric vehicle manufacturing facility whose recently acquired solar farms and infrastructure became exposed to IT threats.

Two UCF teams secured first and second place, while a group representing Pennsylvania State University won third place. The contestants came from schools across 35 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.

DOE established the CyberForce program to drive IT defense technology projects in accordance with the Biden administration’s skilled talent pool expansion goal.

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NIST Begins Market Research for CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment Project Support
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NIST Begins Market Research for CBRS Sharing Ecosystem Assessment Project Support

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has started soliciting information on companies that can provide services in support of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service Sharing Ecosystem Assessment project.

The CBRS SEA project seeks to collect the necessary data to enable Defense Spectrum Organization decision-makers within the Defense Information Systems Agency to assess the effectiveness of the CBRS sharing ecosystem and whether it can co-exist with the Department of Defense’s radar systems, according to a sources sought notice published Monday.

The CBRS SEA project is anticipated to run for five years and will be composed of three phases with the initial phase focusing on test plan development, measurement system design and prototype development and evaluation.

Phase 2 will deal with sensor development and deployment, data analysis and coordinated experiments, while Phase 3 will focus on long-term data collection and analysis.

NIST said it will compete the contract for CBRS SEA support services as a set-aside program for small businesses if at least two small companies that can meet the requirement are identified during the market research phase.

Interested stakeholders should submit their capability statements through Nov. 17.

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Software AG Links Up with DH2i for Technology Integration Venture; Jeff Estes Quoted
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Software AG Links Up with DH2i for Technology Integration Venture; Jeff Estes Quoted

Software AG Government Solutions and DH2i have joined forces to minimize downtime within Software AG’s SQL Server Availability Group Kubernetes Cluster through software integration.

The partnership will enable the incorporation of DH2i’s DxEnterprise Smart High Availability Clustering software into Software AG’s FedRAMP-authorized cloud to achieve this objective, DH2i announced from Fort Collins, Colorado on Tuesday.

Jeff Estes, senior director of systems engineering at Software AG Government Solutions, commented on the role of increasing stateful database container use in raising the demand for database-level high availability in Kubernetes.

“Container use is growing exponentially for digital transformation projects in the government, aerospace, and defense industries – particularly the use of stateful containers for databases such as Microsoft SQL Server,” he said.

DH2i’s DxEnterprise software allows for the quick adoption of highly available stateful containers and delivers SQL Server Availability Group assistance with SQL Server containers in Kubernetes clusters.

Additional components of the software include near-zero recovery time objective failover for database-level instances and containers, distributed Kubernetes AG clusters across availability areas and the cloud and system monitoring of multiple platforms, which allow customers to utilize containers efficiently with flexibility and security for improved operations.

DH2i CEO and Co-Founder Don Boxley additionally commented on the partnership, emphasizing Software AG’s history of providing secure technology to the U.S. government and the importance of DxEnterprise being included in the organization’s FedRAMP-certified services.

The government-wide FedRAMP program is a set of standards for security assessment, authorization and monitoring of cloud offerings, which aids in agency adoption of modern cloud technologies to ensure the security of federal information.

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DLA Set to Exceed FY 2022 Small Business Contracting Target
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DLA Set to Exceed FY 2022 Small Business Contracting Target

The Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Defense’s combat logistics support arm, is on track to exceed its small business contracting goals for fiscal year 2022.

More than 40 percent of DLA contracts have been set aside for small businesses, topping the DOD-assigned target of 35.1 percent, DOD reported Monday.

Dwight Deneal, director of small business programs at DLA, said the agency has taken new actions to expand its access to the small business industry, including setting outreach and coaching sessions for companies looking to land federal contracts.

“Having an outreach program that allows for that kind of targeted dialog is part of strengthening and deepening our industry engagement with small businesses,” explained Deneal.

DLA is also using existing programs including the Small Business Innovation Program to identify small businesses capable of meeting DOD’s specific requirements.

Deneal added that his team is focusing on increasing contracts with small businesses in the historically underutilized business zone and underserved business communities to help address the decline in DLA’s supplier base.

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Army Declares IOC Status for Northrop Infrared Countermeasures Tech
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Army Declares IOC Status for Northrop Infrared Countermeasures Tech

A Northrop Grumman-built automatic protection technology installed on more than 100 U.S. Army aircraft has reached initial operational capability.

The Common Infrared Countermeasures System IOC designation covered installation and training efforts at multiple installations, the Army’s Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors said Monday.

CIRCM is designed to protect different aircraft types from missile threats using laser energy, can interface with missile warning systems and employs a pointing and tracking system designed to identify and counter incoming missile threats.

“The system is a key enabler for Multi-Domain Operations in the Army 2030 Force and this marks an important step in Army modernization by fielding a critical capability that protects U.S. Army aircrews and aircraft against MANPAD threats in a contested environment,” said Lt. Col. Adrian Watts, product manager for infrared countermeasures.

In May 2021, Northrop received a $959.1 million contract from the Army to build the CIRCM after the service branch cleared the system for full-rate production following six months of initial operational test and evaluation work.

CIRCM utilizes modular and open systems architecture to enable the Army to add system enhancements and advancements in the future.

Air Force’s New F-15EX Fighter Jet Completes Environmental Acoustic Testing
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Air Force’s New F-15EX Fighter Jet Completes Environmental Acoustic Testing

A team at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida has completed a two-week series of acoustic tests for the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX Eagle II, a new model of the F-15 bearing GE-129 engines.

Eglin’s Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force, F-15 Section, led the testing activity and contracted Blue Ridge Research and Consulting to capture the sound data, Air Force Materiel Command said Monday.

The effort’s objective is to create a baseline noise level for the Department of Defense’s use in support of an environmental impact study on the aircraft. Over 35 microphones were used for the ground and flight tests of the Eagle IIs.

Zachary Arns, deputy mission support section chief of OFP CTF, said the team is “one step closer” to handing over the aircraft to warfighters. 

The activity marks the first time that an in-depth digital acoustic sound testing was done on any F-15 model.

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John Sherman: DOD to Award JWCC Cloud Contract in December
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John Sherman: DOD to Award JWCC Cloud Contract in December

John Sherman, chief information officer of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award, said DOD is preparing to award the potential $9 billion Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract in December, Defense News reported Monday.

The department is “getting ready to award JWCC in about a month, 30 days-ish, from now,” Sherman said Monday at an event in Maryland.

In July 2021, the Pentagon introduced JWCC as a multivendor procurement effort to replace the single-award Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud program.

In November 2021, DOD asked Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and Google to compete for the JWCC contract.

Sherman said the Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept is “utterly reliant on having an enterprise cloud capability that operates at all three security classifications, top secret, secret, unclassified, from the continental United States all the way up to the tactical edge.”

He added that JWCC will provide that enterprise cloud capability and serve as a key pillar of JADC2.

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CISA to Expand Cybersecurity Education Program for Students Nationwide; Jen Easterly Quoted
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CISA to Expand Cybersecurity Education Program for Students Nationwide; Jen Easterly Quoted

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has pledged to support a nationwide expansion of a state-funded virtual platform that helps K-12 students learn how to discover and defend against cyberattacks.

CISA will expand access to the CYBER.ORG Range, a Cyber Innovation Center initiative funded by $2 million from the government of Louisiana, through a grant under the agency’s Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program, the workforce development organization said Monday.

The range offers a protected virtual environment with free learning tools and primarily targets high school students who want to gain knowledge of cybersecurity concepts.

“Early cyber education is critical to our national security and tomorrow’s cybersecurity professionals are sitting in today’s classrooms,” said Jen Easterly, director of CISA and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

“The Cyber.Org Range will make hands-on cyber education accessible to students nationwide helping to build the foundation of our nation’s future cybersecurity.”

Easterly joined Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Cyber.Org personnel at a press conference on the range expansion effort.

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Jimmy Kenyon Takes on Permanent Director Role at NASA Glenn Research Center
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Jimmy Kenyon Takes on Permanent Director Role at NASA Glenn Research Center

Jimmy Kenyon, acting director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland since June, has been appointed to take on the role on a permanent basis.

Kenyon is responsible for managing a range of activities at the center, including leading the Gateway Power and Propulsion Element and supporting the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket as part of NASA’s Artemis mission, the space agency said Tuesday.

He previously served as director of advanced air vehicles program in the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, where he oversaw budget development, external coordination and outreach, program review and evaluation and strategic and program planning efforts.

Prior to joining NASA, Kenyon held program management leadership roles at Pratt & Whitney and served as a civilian in the Department of Defense for 17 years.

“With Jimmy continuing his service to NASA as center director, I know the NASA family at Glenn will continue to improve life on Earth by making our research and technology accessible for the benefit of all humanity,” said Bill Nelson, administrator of NASA.

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