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Chenega Unit Wins DHA Contract to Support Tricare Call Center
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Chenega Unit Wins DHA Contract to Support Tricare Call Center

A Chenega business unit has won a potential five-year, $15.8 million contract from the Defense Health Agency to manage contact center services for the U.S. military’s Tricare program.

Chenega Services & Federal Solutions will provide support to the Integrated Referral Management and Appointing Center, which helps beneficiaries navigate medical treatment facilities within the National Capital Region, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

DHA received 21 proposals for the single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract and will finance task orders with operations and maintenance funds for fiscal 2022.

The performance period comprises one base year and four one-year options that would extend work through  July 11, 2028.

White House Creates Process to Govern President’s Intell Priorities Development
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White House Creates Process to Govern President’s Intell Priorities Development

The White House has issued a memorandum that establishes a process governing the development and implementation of the President’s Intelligence Priorities for national security use.

“The PIP should inform the [Intelligence Community’s] budgetary, personnel, and other resource allocations to ensure collection and analysis of intelligence that provides insights, warning, or other illuminating information on the priorities contained therein,” President Biden wrote in the memo published Tuesday.

He instructed the National Security Council Deputies Committee to meet at least every two years to update the PIP and submit the updates to his office for approval.

Biden also directed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to work with NSC in efforts to improve the procedures for developing the National Intelligence Priorities Framework, which contains classified information that is used for setting national intelligence priorities and translating them into action.

The President emphasized the importance for IC agencies to coordinate and align their initiatives with the administration’s overall agenda as the country works to address nation-state and transnational threats.

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CIA, University of Florida Partner to Study AI Applications in Cybersecurity
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CIA, University of Florida Partner to Study AI Applications in Cybersecurity

The CIA has teamed up with the University of Florida to examine the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to prevent malicious attempts to access a network.

Researchers at the university-affiliated Florida Institute for National Security will carry out the cybersecurity study under an agreement with the agency, UF said Tuesday.

Dubbed as first of a kind, the collaboration will use a reinforcement learning approach — or trial and error — to initially test AI/ML applications on a simple security challenge and subsequently consider the possibility of scaling up such technology.

It marks the latest effort in the university’s $100 million AI initiative to incorporate the technology into education, research and industry partnerships.

UF said its supercomputing machine, called HiPerGator, supports work at the national security-focused institute.

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NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Hybrid Satellite Networks Cybersecurity Profile
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NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Hybrid Satellite Networks Cybersecurity Profile

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is soliciting feedback on a draft document that seeks to provide a means to evaluate the cybersecurity posture of hybrid satellite networks.

The document will look at the cybersecurity of all interacting systems forming HSN as NIST works to come up with a consistent approach to integrate security, understand the attack surface and improve the resilience of space systems that may be used by the Department of Defense, other agencies and critical infrastructure operators and owners, the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence said Tuesday.

NCCoE said these HSN systems provide services for communications, weather monitoring, remote sensing, imaging and position, navigation and timing.

NIST expects the Cybersecurity Profile to provide guidance for organizations engaged in the design, procurement and operation of satellite payloads or buses that involve HSN by helping them identify systems that provide HSN services, determine data that originated from HSN sources and address cybersecurity risk in their use and management of HSN data and services.

The profile is also designed to help organizations determine their cybersecurity risks and enable HSN users to prioritize cybersecurity measures based on their objectives.

Comments are due Aug. 9.

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Trio of Investors Acquires LMI Subsidiary, Splits into Nonprofit & For-Profit Entities; CEO Doug Wagoner Quoted
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Trio of Investors Acquires LMI Subsidiary, Splits into Nonprofit & For-Profit Entities; CEO Doug Wagoner Quoted

Management consulting and technology company LMI has signed an agreement to sell its subsidiary to a group of investment parties, creating two distinct organizations: a nonprofit independent entity and a for-profit organization still operating within the LMI brand.

Buyers Declaration Partners, Capitol Meridian Partners and 22C Capital reportedly hold experience working for government as well as carry technological proficiency that will help the newly bifurcated LMI and NobleReach Foundation serve the public sector, the Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company said Tuesday.

“Our people are our greatest asset. This opportunity expands our ability to attract and retain the best talent while maintaining our winning LMI culture,” remarked Doug Wagoner, CEO and president of LMI and a three-time consecutive recipient of the Wash100 Award.

Lisa Disbrow, chair of LMI, explained that the sale of the subsidiary and separation of the two organizations is aimed to strengthen LMI’s ability to meet its clients’ needs while also generating more profitability and value for both the company and the parts of society it touches.

The investing parties plan to collaborate with Wagoner and his team after the deal closes in order to capitalize on new opportunities arising from movements in modernization and digital transformation in the government space.

The transaction is expected to be finalized at the end of the third quarter of 2022. Its specific terms are not disclosed. LMI enlisted the help of KippsDeSanto & Co. for M&A advisement, while the investors sought assistance from Macquarie, as well as Latham & Watkins, Sidley Austin and Paul Weiss.

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Tom Watson to Be Serco CEO in September; Rupert Soames Quoted
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Tom Watson to Be Serco CEO in September; Rupert Soames Quoted

Promoting from within, government contracting company Serco Inc. is installing a new CEO on September 1st — Tom Watson, currently senior vice president in charge of Serco’s North America defense unit, will ascend to the company’s top U.S. position.

In his new role, Watson, who has accrued experience at SAIC and RCI during the course of a more than 30-year career, will oversee all of the organization’s day-to-day functions as well as lead its executive team, Serco said Tuesday.

Rupert Soames, CEO of Serco Group, described the hiring process for the new CEO as intensely thorough and inclusive of candidates from both within and outside the company. 

“Tom has done a tremendous job leading our North America defense business, and has demonstrated real commitment to Serco’s mission, customers, and colleagues; he has also been closely involved in the recent acquisitions of WBB and Alion’s naval systems business unit,” commented Soames. 

Watson started his working life with six years of active duty as an electronics technician in the U.S. Navy. He then channeled this experience to become an engineering technician for RCI — which was eventually purchased by Serco — servicing U.S. Navy intelligence systems. 

Subsequently, the executive began at SAIC as a field engineer, moving up the ranks through jobs such as vice president and operations manager before ending his 22-year tenure at the company with five years as senior vice president and customer group general manager of Navy and Marine Corps business. In the latter position, Watson presided over a 4000-person organization, managing business development, capture, strategy development and implementation and account administration. 

“Serco is an incredible company, and it is an honor to lead and work alongside the amazing people we have here.  I look forward to building on the great foundation and positive growth we have established over the past few years,” Watson shared.

Watson is succeeding two-time Wash100 Award winner Dave Dacquino as CEO, who is retiring after over seven years with the company. Watson thanked Dacquino for his “leadership, friendship, counsel, and collaboration over the years” and Soames praised his demonstrated growth achievements.

The CEO announcement comes on the heels of former Northrop Grumman executive Terri Malone’s instatement as Serco’s chief growth officer and senior vice president in May.

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NSF Announces New National Center for Diversifying Environmental Data Science
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NSF Announces New National Center for Diversifying Environmental Data Science

The National Science Foundation is investing $20 million over a five-year period in the development of a new national center for diversifying environmental data science.

The Environmental Data Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab will be led by the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with the agency’s CyVerse and facilitate collaborative scientific research involving diverse environmental data sources.

“Combining, analyzing and synthesizing the wealth of open environmental data will advance our ability to predict changes in the environment and for life on Earth. ESIIL’s efforts will make these data usable by everyone, from researchers to educators and policymakers,” said Joanne Tornow, assistant director of NSF’s Directorate for Biological Sciences.

ESIIL’s open Collaborative and Scalable Environment cyberinfrastructure will connect environmental scientists to various data sources such as NSF’s National Ecological Observatory Network, Long-Term Ecological Research Network, Ocean Observatories Initiative and Critical Zone Collaborative Network.

The center will also open internship opportunities for science, technology, engineering and mathematics students and faculty members from academic institutions that serve underrepresented groups.

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SSC to Hold Industry Day on Space Domain Awareness
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SSC to Hold Industry Day on Space Domain Awareness

Space System Command is slated to host an industry day on July 28 in Colorado Springs to meet with industry and government leaders for a discussion on space domain awareness.

SSC said Monday its officials and subject matter experts will seek information from the commercial technology industry on challenges facing the U.S. Space Force to help the service branch identify priority acquisition areas.

“Strengthening partnerships with industry and having valuable dialogue is critical as the space acquisition community seeks the most innovative and creative solutions in order to get after the threat and challenges facing the nation today in space,” said Col. Rich Kniseley, chief of the Enterprise Requirements and Architectures Division at SSC’s Space Systems Integration Office.

The event will follow SSC’s traditional industry day approach with a full agenda of presentations from the Air Force Research Laboratory and other SSC organizations.

It will also include so-called “reverse industry day” events where SSC officials will request industry inputs from company representatives on how to pursue problem sets.

In May, SSC held its most recent industry day in collaboration with the Aerospace Industries Association focused on tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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Madison Dearborn Partners To Acquire Majority Stake in Unison From Carlyle; Reid Jackson Quoted
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Madison Dearborn Partners To Acquire Majority Stake in Unison From Carlyle; Reid Jackson Quoted

Unison announced on Tuesday that the leading provider of procurement, supply chain and contract management software will receive a majority investment from Madison Dearborn Partners to help Unison enhance its innovative software offerings and growth trajectory.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new partners from MDP and look forward to their support as we continue to execute our strategy to provide innovative and reliable software solutions for federal organizations and government contractors,” said Reid Jackson, CEO of Unison.

Carlyle will sell its majority stake to MDP to provide additional resources and industry expertise. MDP will join as a major investor while Carlyle will remain a strategic partner as a minority investor. No financial terms have been disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2022 with Baird acting as the exclusive financial advisor.

“MDP brings a wealth of experience and additional financial resources that will allow Unison to accelerate our growth and deliver world-class software products to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Jackson explained.

Unison has offered its clients differentiated solutions to help them transact and manage contracts more efficiently and comply with complex federal contracting requirements since 1983. A trusted partner with longstanding relationships and a track record of customer-led success, Unison serves all 15 U.S. cabinet-level agencies and has more than 200,000 product end users.

“MDP’s track record of successful partnerships with vertical enterprise software, procurement and supply chain, and government services and technology companies will greatly benefit Unison as we enter this pivotal new chapter in Unison’s history,” Jackson added.

About Unison

Unison’s secure cloud and on-premise software, marketplace, and information products “Power the Business of Government” by supporting more than 200,000 users in leading federal prime contractors, all U.S. cabinet-level agencies, and major Department of Defense programs.

For more than 30 years, Unison has continually advanced software and insight solutions to help customers efficiently achieve their missions.

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DHS S&T Soliciting Software Supply Chain Visibility Tools; Melissa Oh Quoted
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DHS S&T Soliciting Software Supply Chain Visibility Tools; Melissa Oh Quoted

The Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security is soliciting tools capable of providing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency with visibility into software supply chains to address possible security gaps.

S&T said Monday its Silicon Valley Innovation Program released the “Software Supply Chain Visibility Tools” topic call to hear from interested parties about their technical capabilities that CISA could use to strengthen the security of digital frameworks for essential services.

“This topic call highlights core capabilities that will help bring transparency into the digital building blocks used by organizations in both their business operations and in their cyber defenses,” explained Melissa Oh, managing director of SVIP.

The  Software Bill of Materials is one of the focus areas of the solicitation. The machine-readable inventory contains information about software components and dependencies as well as their hierarchical relationships.

“By leveraging SBOMs as key elements of software security, we can mitigate the risk to the software supply chain and respond to new risks faster, and more efficiently,” said Allan Friedman, senior adviser and strategist at CISA.

Responses to the solicitation are due Oct. 3rd.

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