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Space Force Kicks Off Construction of New Satcom Gateway Site at Clear SFS
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Space Force Kicks Off Construction of New Satcom Gateway Site at Clear SFS

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command has started the construction of a satellite communications-dedicated site at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska as part of a potential $4 million site preparation contract.

SSC said Tuesday its Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation and Timing Directorate led the groundbreaking activity for the Enhanced Polar Systems-Recapitalization Gateway site.

The EPS-R Gateway segment, which includes facilities at Naval Base Point Loma and the Army’s Camp Roberts in California, will provide a connection for the new extremely high frequency military satcom system payloads.

“The EPS-R system is crucial to multiple military services for warfighters in the polar region. The Gateway and Terminal Segments are primed and ready to meet our EPS-R launch and operational needs,” said 1st Lt. Timothy Phelps, EPS-R Gateway and Terminals team lead.

The construction project remains on track for operational needs, according to SSC. The initiative is done in partnership with the Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

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DISA Outlines 4 Lines of Effort in Data Strategy Implementation Plan; Caroline Kuharske Quoted
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DISA Outlines 4 Lines of Effort in Data Strategy Implementation Plan; Caroline Kuharske Quoted

The Defense Information Systems Agency has unveiled a plan to improve DISA’s data utilization and integration, network and information technology capabilities and advance its capacity to use data as a strategic asset in accordance with the agency’s strategic plan for fiscal years 2022 through 2024.

The DISA Data Strategy Implementation Plan has four lines of effort that seek to meet the goals established by the Department of Defense’s chief information officer within the DOD Data Strategy, the agency said Tuesday.

These lines of effort are data architecture and governance; advanced analytics; data culture; and knowledge management.

“The IPlan will guide how DISA will manage and exploit data as a critical asset to deliver agile digital capabilities to the nation’s warfighter and achieve information dominance,” said Caroline Kuharske, acting chief data officer of DISA.

For the data architecture and governance line of effort, DISA’s office of the chief data officer will explore the agency’s state of data architecture and further develop it into a cohesive system that facilitates data collaboration, data sharing and transparency while meeting mission priorities and complying with laws, policies and best practices.

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US Digital Corps Implements Recruiting Best Practices in Fellows Selection
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US Digital Corps Implements Recruiting Best Practices in Fellows Selection

The U.S. Digital Corps selected 38 fellows out of more than 1,000 applications using recruiting best practices, such as hosting virtual information sessions, conducting proactive outreach to university and college student clubs, nonprofit organizations and other partners and offering an inclusive program design with career growth opportunities.

Eighty-three percent of these 38 fellows were first-time federal employees and USDC assigned all these fellows at 12 federal agencies with a focus on improving public-facing services, securing the country’s cybersecurity and expanding voting access in underserved communities, among other administration priorities, according to a blog post published Tuesday.

The General Services Administration and the U.S. Digital Service partnered to qualify and select Digital Corps applicants using the subject matter expert qualification assessments process.

The USDC team is preparing to recruit a second cohort of fellows in the summer of 2023 and expects applications to kick off this fall. 

In August, GSA teamed up with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the White House to launch the USDC fellowship as part of efforts to develop the federal government’s workforce of digitally skilled professionals in critical technology areas such as software engineering, cybersecurity and data science.

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Gen. Bryan Fenton Assumes Commander Role at USSOCOM
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Gen. Bryan Fenton Assumes Commander Role at USSOCOM

Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, formerly head of Joint Special Operations Command, succeeded the retiring Gen. Richard Clarke as commander of U.S. Special Operations Command during a ceremony held Tuesday at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida, DVIDS reported.

Fenton takes leadership as USSOCOM works to support integrated deterrence amid competition with China and Russia.

“General Fenton has served in and commanded at every level of Special Operations Forces,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

“He’s been a part of operations in nearly every region around the world and General Fenton has built up extensive expertise in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, he managed to get four consecutive assignments in Hawaii and it culminated in General Fenton becoming the first Special Operations officer to serve as the deputy commander at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command,” added Austin, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

He was commissioned as an Army infantry officer in May 1987 and since then, has served with Southern Command, European Command, Central Command and other combatant commands. His military career also includes time participating in Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Africa; Operations Joint Forge in Bosnia; Iraqi Freedom; and Odyssey Dawn in Libya.

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Inconsistent Funding Affects DHS HQ Consolidation Project, GAO Report Says
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Inconsistent Funding Affects DHS HQ Consolidation Project, GAO Report Says

A lack of consistent funding for the General Services Administration’s project to build a consolidated Department of Homeland Security headquarters at the St. Elizabeths campus in Washington, D.C., has affected efforts to finalize the project cost and timeline, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

In its 26-page report, GAO said it could not perform a comprehensive reliability assessment of pricing and schedule estimates for the DHS HQ consolidation work due to limited report details from the department.

A 2014 GAO review deemed initial estimates “unreliable” and law enacted in April 2016 requires the department to coordinate with GSA to submit updated data to Congress.

The government audit agency noted project appropriations stood at more than $2.8 billion as of June and DHS now expects consolidation efforts to conclude sometime in 2027.

GSA officials interviewed for the audit, which took place from March to August, are aiming to finish a reset of capital planning and investment associated with the consolidation project in 2023.

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NASA Halts First Artemis I Launch Attempt Following Engine Issue
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NASA Halts First Artemis I Launch Attempt Following Engine Issue

NASA halted Monday the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Launch System and the Lockheed Martin-built Orion spacecraft due to an issue with one of the rocket’s engines.

The space agency said the scrub was announced after launch controllers encountered an issue getting an RS-25 engine to the proper temperature range for liftoff.

According to NASA, launch controllers must thermally condition the four RS-25 engines before super cold propellant flows through them.

Several additional issues were identified and resolved during the approximately two-day countdown for the launch, including “a leak at the quick disconnect on the 8-inch line used to fill and drain core stage liquid hydrogen and a hydrogen leak from a valve used to vent the propellant from the core stage intertank,” NASA said in a blog.

The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft were scheduled to launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA has backup launches on Sept. 2 and 5 for the Artemis I mission.

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DCSA Unveils New Portal for Security Clearance Submissions
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DCSA Unveils New Portal for Security Clearance Submissions

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has completed the pilot program for a new portal for submitting security clearance applications, paving the way for the implementation of a federal-wide personnel vetting software, Federal News Network reported Monday.

The e-App is a portion of the National Background Investigation Services program that enables federal agencies to submit background investigations cases, according to Jeff Smith, NBIS executive program manager at DCSA.

The portal replaces the legacy Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system and is designed with a more user-friendly interface and error checking and correction features.

“It removes a lot of the errors up front, therefore reducing any turnaround time or the back and forth, ultimately speeding along the applicants clearance request, and/or the periodic re-investigation for future deferment into continuous vetting,” Smith explained.

DCSA, which assumed the responsibility for NBIS from the Defense Information Systems Agency in 2020, expects to decommission a suite of legacy background investigation systems in 2023.

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Jay Ribeiro Named Transportation Department CISO, Associate CIO
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Jay Ribeiro Named Transportation Department CISO, Associate CIO

Jay Ribeiro, a cybersecurity professional with more than two decades of government and industry experience, has landed the dual role of chief information security officer and associate chief information officer at the Department of Transportation.

Ribeiro assumes the new position after serving as the CISO of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for nearly four years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He previously served as director of information security and CISO of the Federal Election Commission and held various senior-level IT positions at the departments of State and Defense.

He also brings experience working as an information systems manager at the U.S. Army and deputy CISO at the Air Force. 

Ribeiro concurrently serves as a adjunct lecturer at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies.

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Octo, NVIDIA Join Forces to Accelerate AI Adoption in Government Organizations; Rob Albritton Quoted
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Octo, NVIDIA Join Forces to Accelerate AI Adoption in Government Organizations; Rob Albritton Quoted

Technology firm Octo has begun a collaboration with NVIDIA that will find the former company employing the latter’s resources to embolden its artificial intelligence offerings.

Through membership with the NVIDIA Partner Network, Octo is expected to be able to provide a deeper portfolio of AI tools and technologies to its federal government customers, the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company said Tuesday.

Rob Albritton, senior director of Octo’s Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, commented that NVIDIA’s technology arsenal and technical know-how will prove instrumental to the delivery of “the latest AI computational technologies.”

Albritton also noted that oLabs, the recently renovated facility in Reston that serves as Octo’s R&D hub, will now be partly operated by NVIDIA’s personnel.

Thus, oLabs and NIVIDA’s joint efforts will “enable us to train and deploy ML solutions faster and offer the most capable support possible to our customers, as we provide the most modern systems and software to help them meet their mission objectives,” Albritton continued.

oLabs is seen as a powerful attraction for automated technology specialists due to its large computing capacity and its direct project pipeline to the government and these features will only be bolstered by NVIDIA’s participation.

“With NVIDIA-accelerated infrastructure, Octo and its oLabs innovation center will be able to improve support for government agencies during natural disasters and strengthen cybersecurity using AI,” explained Craig Weinstein, vice president of the Americas Partner organization at NVIDIA.

Octo opened the remodeled and expanded oLabs hub in late May. Since then, the company has wasted no time in producing products in their new center. They released a platform configured for federal government agencies to collect, manage, safeguard and access analytical data in June.

In recent news, NVIDIA partnered with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to provide a central processing system to Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower Joins GOA-TSS as VP of Communications
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GovCon Expert Mark Amtower Joins GOA-TSS as VP of Communications

Mark Amtower, a managing partner of advisory firm Amtower & Co. and a member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, announced via LinkedIn that he has joined GOA-TSS (Growth Officers Association – Taking Sales Seriously) as its vice president of Communications.

In a relation-driven market, growing and managing your business network has never been more critical. For 37 years, Mark Amtower has advised companies of all sizes on the best practices in marketing to the government. 

GOA-TSS is a non-profit membership organization working to expand the network of growth leaders in the GovCon market. GOA-TSS provides a forum for growth executives to connect with other sales leaders and interact with GOA-TSS to help its members expand relationships across the industry and build a network of colleagues to meet.

The company was co-founded by Helene Johnson & Carol Papillo, who act as board chair and president for the company, respectively, to create a community-driven organization that supports growth officers in the government contracting community.

During a recent conversation where the co-founders highlighted the formation of GOA-TTS and detailed the impact of the pandemic “new normal, Helene Johnson said the following: 

“GOA-TTS offers advantages to both large and small businesses.  In addition, members of other associations in the federal space are typically below the growth executive whereas GOA-TTS appeals to # growth officers with focus on JVs, M&As and different teaming constructs,” she explained. 

About GovCon Expert Mark Amtower

Since 2009, Amtower has been coaching GovCon companies and individuals on leveraging LinkedIn. It’s not about learning how to be “on” LinkedIn. It’s about learning how to more fully leverage LinkedIn to market the Federal government in ways that were never possible before.

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