DIA CIO Doug Cossa Discusses Efforts to Expand Allies’ Access to Top-Secret Information
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DIA CIO Doug Cossa Discusses Efforts to Expand Allies’ Access to Top-Secret Information

Doug Cossa, chief information officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency, revealed that the agency is leading an effort to build a simplified but secure digital network to facilitate the sharing of top-secret information with foreign intelligence authorities, Government Executive reported Thursday.

In his keynote speech at the Department of Defense Intelligence Information System Worldwide Conference, Cossa discussed ongoing collaborations with other relevant agencies to update and implement IT systems to achieve the so-called capability delivery pipeline.

“It has become commonplace where we develop everything in a no-foreign environment, and that model needs to flip,” Cossa said. “The capability delivery pipeline that we’re developing in DIA is that one front door, that one shared environment to where we can overlay those standards for cybersecurity, for interconnectivity across agencies, across the community, across the IC and DOD and across our federal partners.”

DIA plans to modernize the top-secret Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System by securing it with zero-trust architecture and adding autonomous features. It will also expand Torch, a collaborative tool with e-mail, chat and search functions as well as data warehouses for the Five Eyes, an alliance composed of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. Cossa intends to open its access to more international partners outside the group.

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Raytheon Showcases FlexLink Open-System Radio Technology in Project Convergence Demonstration; Phil Jasper Quoted
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Raytheon Showcases FlexLink Open-System Radio Technology in Project Convergence Demonstration; Phil Jasper Quoted

A Raytheon Technologies business has demonstrated FlexLink Adaptive Connectivity Solution, an open-system radio technology aimed at furthering the Department of Defense’s Joint All Domain Command and Control objectives.

During the U.S. Army’s Project Convergence exercise, Collins Aerospace‘s FlexLink showed success in connecting defense networks and simplifying U.S. Army interoperability and cross-platform communication, the Arlington, Virginia-based organization announced on Thursday.

“Providing resilient communications across networks is key for reducing decision-making time and supporting effective operations in any highly contested environment,” said Phil Jasper, president of mission systems for Collins Aerospace.

In conducting the test, FlexLink was installed on Army UH-60M helicopters and was able to create a joint command and control network at distances of over 200 nautical miles. The presentation connected four joint service and coalition networks, all of which operate at different security levels using a multi-level security cross domain solution to enable integrated communication across the battlespace.

“We demonstrated that our ready-now open systems radio can be integrated with existing platforms,” Jasper stated.

The technology is the first open-systems radio prototype to be integrated into Army platforms and was designed with modular, open systems architecture to ensure that capabilities may be added or updated efficiently and cost effectively.

FlexLink is said to provide resilient network connectivity and assured positioning, navigation and timing to connect the battlespace across numerous DOD communication networks including advanced tactical datalinks, legacy narrowband line-of-site, both wideband and narrowband SATCOM, high frequency, commercial mesh networking waveforms and new directional line-of-site resilient capabilities.

The demonstration marks a milestone in the Army’s Project Convergence initiative, which is the branch’s portion of the DOD JADC2 strategy. 

Two other Raytheon Technologies businesses, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, participated in Project Convergence exercises alongside Collins Aerospace. Capabilities demonstrated by the group include intelligent gateway technologies, zero trust cybersecurity offerings and the improved Multi-Functional Lightweight Command Launch Unit.

Raytheon has participated in a number of recent efforts to support the JADC2 program. In August, the company reached initial operating capability for an updated beyond line-of-sight communications system designed to provide secure data sharing technology to the Air Force.

Earlier this week, the branch selected Raytheon Intelligence & Space to develop a Common Tactical Edge Network to bolster its advanced battle management system. CTEN will allow operators to enable distributable battle management command and control in contested environments, which aligns with DOD goals for JADC2.

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GSA, USSOCOM Issue RFI for Enterprise Development, Application & Training Service Requirement
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GSA, USSOCOM Issue RFI for Enterprise Development, Application & Training Service Requirement

The General Services Administration and U.S. Special Operations Command have started soliciting industry feedback to help inform the development of an acquisition strategy for a contract that USSOCOM can use to procure enterprisewide information technology platforms and services.

GSA and USSOCOM expect to award a potential 10-year, $500 million contract in support of the command’s Enterprise Development, Application and Training service delivery environment, which is composed of integrated IT systems designed to integrate applications, information and processes throughout the command’s operations worldwide and across the Department of Defense’s organizational boundaries, according to a notice published Wednesday.

According to the statement of objectives, USSOCOM wants an umbrella contract that would support project requirement documents for services at global sites and back the implementation of new technology projects and development of enterprise architecture products.

Through the contract, USSOCOM plans to acquire data science and IT-related training assistance and services to come up with a “new technology pipeline” and support the development and maintenance of applications and databases on the cloud, containerized environment, mobile and other platforms to meet network standards.

Interested stakeholders could share their insights on a list of statements and questions, including plans to restrict the competition to 8(a) companies and potential impact of cybersecurity and supply chain risk management on the requirement.

Responses to the RFI are due Dec. 21.

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Jay Bonci: Air Force Looks at DOD’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability Contract
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Jay Bonci: Air Force Looks at DOD’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability Contract

Jay Bonci, chief technology officer at the Department of the Air Force, said the department is looking at the recently awarded Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract and what it could mean for its cloud adoption efforts as it aims to become “a cloud-first place” in the near future, Defense News reported Thursday.

Bonci cited JWCC saying the department has “some feelers out now to understand how they want to administer it, being IDIQ-based versus, sort of, reseller-based.”

On Dec. 7, the Pentagon awarded Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google and Oracle spots on the potential $9 billion JWCC indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, which will help facilitate the procurement of enterprisewide cloud service offerings across all classification levels and security domains.

Bonci shared his thoughts on the Cloud One platform and its successor, Cloud One Next, and noted that the department is examining a couple of economic models as it continues to scale and bring more applications to the cloud.

“Really, the focus is going to be on adoption,” he added.

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HII Mission Technologies’ Jerome Thomas Talks Navigating Change With Potomac Officers Club
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HII Mission Technologies’ Jerome Thomas Talks Navigating Change With Potomac Officers Club

In the government contracting landscape, policies, technologies, capabilities and missions are constantly evolving. To succeed in GovCon, executives within the market must not only embrace this state of flux, but harness it to drive innovation and differentiation in an increasingly competitive environment.

The Potomac Officers Club recently spoke with Jerome Thomas, general manager and director of programs at HII Mission Technologies, who highlighted the importance of finding solid footing in an ever-changing world. 

This excerpt from his Executive Spotlight interview sheds light on some of the tactics and approaches Thomas uses to overcome GovCon challenges:

“According to Heraclitus, ‘The only thing that is constant is change.’ Over the course of my career, I have been faced with constantly changing challenges in technology, requirements, contracts, designs, resources, funding, work scopes and schedules that have all become the usual. I have found that embracing change and forming teams and alliances are key to overcoming those challenges. In these situations is where true innovation and problem-solving occur to complete the mission and deliver a quality product to our federal customers.”

Read Jerome Thomas’ full Executive Spotlight interview here to find out which executives have inspired him most throughout his career.

Do you want to be featured in an Executive Spotlight interview? Check out the Potomac Officers Club’s membership options and benefits here.

SBA Partners With Bankers Association for Finance & Trade to Help Exporters Access Capital
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SBA Partners With Bankers Association for Finance & Trade to Help Exporters Access Capital

The Small Business Administration has entered into a strategic alliance memorandum with the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade to train and guide small business exporters and lenders on available financing opportunities.

SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman signed the agreement on Wednesday, attributing the initiative to the Biden administration’s pledge to support small enterprises.

The agency’s Office of International Trade currently provides small and midsized exporters access to capital, education and technical assistance in an aim to boost their products’ dollar value and encourage more companies to trade abroad. The strategic alliance with BAFT is expected to help address challenges in financing related to international trade.

“SBA’s new agreement with BAFT recognizes the impact and ingenuity of our small business exporters and the important role our lending partners play in funding their growth,” Guzman said. “Our joint efforts to increase resources to BAFT members and grow the number of lenders offering SBA international trade products will expand access to capital.”

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Dave Levy: AWS is Honored to Offer Cloud Services Under DOD JWCC Contract Vehicle
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Dave Levy: AWS is Honored to Offer Cloud Services Under DOD JWCC Contract Vehicle

Earlier this month, Amazon Web Services was selected for the potential $9 billion Department of Defense Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract vehicle alongside three other organizations.

The JWCC initiative is designed to provide military personnel with enterprise-wide, globally available cloud offerings spanning all security domains and classification levels, from the strategic level to the tactical edge.

“We are honored to have been selected for the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract and look forward to continuing our support for the Department of Defense,” said Dave Levy, vice president of U.S. government, nonprofit and healthcare at AWS and four-time Wash100 Award winner.

JWCC is a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract vehicle meant to enable the department to acquire commercial cloud capabilities and services directly from their providers to quickly meet mission needs.

In a blog post, Levy noted the specific offerings AWS has for the program, which include data support across all classification levels, available and resilient services, fortified security, data availability at the tactical edge, mainframe migration and modernization and cloud training and education.

“From the enterprise to the tactical edge, we are ready to deliver industry-leading cloud services to enable the DOD to achieve its critical mission,” the executive stated.

AWS has recently worked to expand its cloud services work with the department and holds almost a decade of experience handling federal workloads. Earlier this year, the company’s Wickr tool, an encrypted full suite collaboration application, was made available on the DOD’s Cloud One platform.

More recently, FSx for ONTAP, which is offered by a collaboration between AWS and NetApp, achieved FedRAMP validation and reached levels two, four and five of the DOD Cloud Computing Requirements Guide. These certifications opened the data and storage service for use within federal agencies.

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NSA’s 2022 Cybersecurity Year in Review Highlights Growing Partnerships; Rob Joyce Quoted
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NSA’s 2022 Cybersecurity Year in Review Highlights Growing Partnerships; Rob Joyce Quoted

The National Security Agency has released its annual Cybersecurity Year in Review, focusing on partnerships to improve the agility of its IT defense efforts.

One of the report’s findings was the growth in the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s industry partnerships, exceeding 300 collaborations in the past 12 months, NSA said Thursday.

The 2022 Year in Review highlighted the agency’s Adversary Defeat team, which takes part in whole-of-government campaigns against cyberthreats from U.S. adversaries. It also touched on international and domestic collaborations to publish defensive actions and address obstacles in quantum computing.

NSA reported that it launched the Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite 2.0, detailing the future requirements for quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms for the benefit of network security service owners, operators and vendors. In the past year, the agency also funded several education programs, from the CodeBreaker Challenge to the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity.

“By protecting the U.S. Government’s most sensitive networks, we cascade solutions that help secure critical infrastructure, U.S. allies, and businesses and consumers around the world,” said Rob Joyce, NSA cybersecurity director and two-time Wash100 awardee. “Our efforts to protect those networks help protect yours.”

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Maxar to Go Private in $6.4B All-Cash Advent International Acquisition; Dan Jablonsky Quoted
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Maxar to Go Private in $6.4B All-Cash Advent International Acquisition; Dan Jablonsky Quoted

Maxar Technologies, a space and geospatial intelligence-focused company, has agreed to be acquired by Advent International, a global private equity investor.

The all-cash transaction worth approximately $6.4 billion is aimed at positioning Maxar to accelerate its investments into satellite technologies and data understanding to better support its customers in both the public and private sectors, the two organizations announced from Westminster, Colorado and Boston, Massachusetts on Friday.

Commenting on Maxar’s definitive merger agreement with Advent, Dan Jablonsky, president and CEO of Maxar and a Wash100 Award winner, said, “Today’s announcement is an exceptional outcome for stockholders and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, the value Maxar has created and the reputation we have built in our industry.”

As determined by the agreement, Advent will acquire all outstanding shares of Maxar common stock for $53.00 per share in cash. This represents a premium of approximately 129 percent over Maxar’s closing stock price of $23.10 on Dec. 15, an approximately $135 percent premium to the 60-day volume-weighted average price prior to this announcement and a premium of approximately 34 percent over Maxar’s 52-week high.

The transaction will enable Maxar to leverage Advent’s reservoir of resources, operational experience and capacity for investment to further its initiatives including delivering the new Legion satellite constellation and launching Legion 7 and 8 satellites as well as expanding its Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure business through investments in future capabilities.

“Maxar’s mission has never been more important, and this transaction allows us to maximize value for stockholders while accelerating the company’s ability to deliver its mission-critical technology and solutions to customers over the near and long term,” emphasized Howell Estes, a retired U.S. Air Force general who currently serves as chair of Maxar’s board of directors.

Under the agreement, Maxar shareholders will receive $53 in cash for each share of common stock they own. The terms also include a 60-day go-shop period running through Feb. 14, in which Maxar’s board of directors will be able to actively initiate, solicit and consider acquisition proposals from third-party entities and will reserve the right to terminate the merger agreement to enter a preferable proposal subject to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement.

Maxar’s board unanimously approved the agreement for the deal, which is expected to be completed in mid-2023.

Following the close of the transaction, Maxar’s common stock will no longer be publicly traded. The transaction is subjected to customary closing traditions and is not subject to any conditionality regarding the launch, deployment or performance of Maxar’s WorldView Legion satellite initiative.

To ensure closing certainty, Advent has arranged committed debt and equity financing commitments to finance this transaction. Funding advised by Advent has committed an aggregate equity contribution of $3.1 billion. British Columbia Investment Management Corporation will provide a minority equity investment through a committed aggregate equity contribution equal to $1 billion. Both commitments are on the terms and subject to the conditions determined in the signed equity commitment letters.

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European Commission Releases Draft Decision on EU-US Data Privacy Framework; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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European Commission Releases Draft Decision on EU-US Data Privacy Framework; Gina Raimondo Quoted

The European Commission has issued its draft adequacy decision on a new framework that seeks to promote and ensure safe transfers of personal data from the European Union to U.S. companies. 

The commission said Tuesday the draft decision on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework comes following the October release of an executive order to improve safeguards for U.S. signals intelligence activities, along with regulations adopted by the U.S. attorney general.

The draft decision has been handed over to the European Data Protection Board for its opinion. The European Parliament and EU member states will have the opportunity to scrutinize and approve the draft before the commission can issue a final adequacy decision.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the draft decision marks a key step in addressing the EU court of justice’s ruling in the Schrems II case in 2020.

“Under the Framework, the United States has implemented strengthened safeguards for signals intelligence activities, developed a new redress mechanism, and updated privacy principles for U.S. organizations,” she noted.

“We are confident that these measures will restore stability to the data flows that thousands of U.S. and EU firms depend on – the lifeblood of the $7.1 trillion transatlantic economy,” Raimondo added.

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