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Navy Officials Say Contractors Outsource Work on Aircraft Carriers, Submarines
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Navy Officials Say Contractors Outsource Work on Aircraft Carriers, Submarines

Two U.S. Navy officials said some prime contractors are outsourcing construction work on nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers as they face difficulty in hiring enough workers, Defense News reported Friday.

Rear Adm. Jon Rucker, the program executive officer for attack submarines, said General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division outsource 1.1 million hours and 900,000 hours of work, respectively, each year as they develop new Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines. 

Rucker said the combined work hours of 2 million will increase to 5 million by 2025.

Rear Adm. James Downey, the service’s PEO for aircraft carriers, said he thinks outsourcing work will surge over time amid the labor shortage facing the sole shipbuilder for aircraft carriers.

Downey noted that companies like Virginia-based Fairlead Structures and South Carolina-based W International are constructing about 189 hull units for the future aircraft carrier Enterprise.

“Two dozen-ish have come in so far from various suppliers: so far, quality is OK,” he added.

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Army Acquisition Exec Douglas Bush Talks Rapid Prototyping, Software Reform
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Army Acquisition Exec Douglas Bush Talks Rapid Prototyping, Software Reform

Douglas Bush, assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology at the U.S. Army, said he is prioritizing “acquisition at speed” to shorten purchasing timelines especially for small businesses waiting for funding.

He told Government Matters in an interview aired Wednesday that his team is using Congress-approved authority to start programs much faster and digital engineering to kickstart prototype construction earlier.

Bush noted the Army was able to develop new firearms in 27 months under the Next-generation Squad Weapon program, and is testing the same rapid prototyping approach to replace old artillery and ammunition across the service.

The acquisition official added he would initiate software reform and biotechnology projects that take advantage of existing private sector accomplishments to expedite how the government purchases, develops, fields and sustains its technologies while supporting personnel.

When asked about Project Convergence, Bush said his team is testing robotics and network technologies to solve operational problems in joint all-domain command and control.

Bush made his remarks at the annual Association of the U.S. Army meeting, where he also talked about working with allies to secure the supply chain despite donating arms to countries like Ukraine.

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Report: Cyber Executive Order Drives Federal Zero Trust Adoption, Data Protection Tech Investment
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Report: Cyber Executive Order Drives Federal Zero Trust Adoption, Data Protection Tech Investment

Federal cybersecurity leaders have moved to adopt zero trust principles and pursued investments in data protection technology after the release of Executive Order 14028, according to the findings of a joint Zettaset-MeriTalk survey.

Fifty-seven percent of the 150 survey respondents said they experienced information security leaks in the last two years and 63 percent believed that over half of such incidents could be prevented through end-to-end encryption, Zettaset said Wednesday.

The EO prompted 67 percent of the respondents to invest in factor authentication, 57 percent in end-to-end encryption and 49 percent in data loss prevention tools.

In May 2021, President Biden ordered federal agencies to improve the protection of networks across the government in response to hacks involving SolarWinds, Microsoft Exchange and Colonial Pipeline.

“Zero trust is no longer a nice to have, but a necessary mindset in today’s evolving threat landscape,” said Zettaset CEO Tim Reilly.

“Borrowing a few of the core tenets from the Cyber EO’s zero trust blueprint can lead to an increasingly more secure and responsive security framework.”

The company helped conduct the survey in September.

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DIU Launches Pilot to Install EV Chargers at 8 Military Bases
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DIU Launches Pilot to Install EV Chargers at 8 Military Bases

The Defense Innovation Unit has selected TechFlow, a San Diego-based energy-saving technology manufacturer, to support a pilot project to install electric vehicle chargers at eight military bases across the U.S.

DIU said Thursday it will partner with the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the Army Reserve to place a combination of Level 2 and 3 chargers for both government and private-owned vehicles.

“EV technology is not novel, but its use in military installations is, especially when combining Level-2 and Level-3 chargers for overnight and fast-charging use cases within the same military base,” said Benjamin Richardson, director of the DIU Energy Portfolio.

The Department of Defense has plans to roll out EV chargers to additional domestic military installations in the future.

A total of seven vendors have been selected to support the EV charger installation effort. 

AIR to Conduct Study on Advancing Equitable Outcomes Through ARP Implementation
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AIR to Conduct Study on Advancing Equitable Outcomes Through ARP Implementation

The American Institutes for Research will conduct a multi-year study on programs funded by the American Rescue Plan to build evidence of their effectiveness in advancing equitable outcomes across the federal government.

The General Services Administration said Thursday the evaluation aims to determine whether the legislation delivers on its commitment to advance equity through a whole-of-government approach.

“This new evaluation will create a critical roadmap to ensure that the work of the Biden-Harris administration continues to provide effective and equitable benefits to the American people,” said Susan Rice, White House domestic policy adviser.

The ARP was signed into law in March 2021 to help Americans recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on public health and the economy.

The $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill provides financial assistance to employees, families, communities and small business owners affected by the pandemic.

“To date, ARP has helped power a historically equitable recovery,” said Gene Sperling, White House senior adviser and ARP implementation coordinator. 

GSA’s Office of Evaluation Sciences will support the study in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget’s Evidence Team and the ARP Implementation Team.
 

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Michael Duffy: CISA Cloud Project Unveils Microsoft 365 Security Configuration Baselines
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Michael Duffy: CISA Cloud Project Unveils Microsoft 365 Security Configuration Baselines

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released a set of recommended security configuration baselines for Microsoft 365 to guide cloud security projects across the federal government.

The baselines were released as part of the Secure Cloud Business Applications project launched in April to secure sensitive federal information assets stored in the cloud, according to Michael Duffy, associate director at CISA.

Federal civilian executive branch agencies are encouraged to pilot the recommended Microsoft 365 security configuration baselines and submit feedback to CISA.

SCuBA developed the baselines based on the foundational work of the Federal Chief Information Officers Council’s Cyber Innovation Tiger Team, a consortium of security experts from the government.

The project is scheduled to release another set of security configuration baselines for Google Workspace in the coming months to help agencies build up their network security practices.

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ClearShark to Offer Cybersecurity Software Products Under DOD Agreement
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ClearShark to Offer Cybersecurity Software Products Under DOD Agreement

ClearShark, a reseller of information technology offerings to the federal government, will distribute cybersecurity software products and services to Department of Defense organizations under an enterprise-wide blanket purchasing agreement.

The company said Thursday it will serve as a contract agent under the Enterprise Software Initiative BPA to provide DOD custoners access to cybersecurity software from 11 vendors including Forcepoint and Okta.

The contract also includes offerings from CyberArk, Fidelis Cybersecurity, Fortinet, Illumio, LogRhythm, Ping Identity, RedSeal, SailPoint and Tychon.

Brian Strosser, president of ClearShark, said EIS serves as a software acquisition platform through which defense and intelligence agencies can acquire cybersecurity products with pre-negotiated terms, conditions and price discounts.

ESI has a five-year base period of performance and five one-year options.

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Mitre’s OSTP RFI Response Affirms National Microelectronics R&D Strategy Proposal
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Mitre’s OSTP RFI Response Affirms National Microelectronics R&D Strategy Proposal

Mitre has validated the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s proposed national strategy to advance microelectronics research, development, supply chain security and manufacturing.

In a response to OSTP’s request for information, the nonprofit company proposed a systematic, time-based and nationwide approach to sustain the strategy after implementation.

The National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Microelectronics Leadership developed the strategy as part of efforts to drive future technological discoveries, bridge the transition from R&D to manufacturing, and expand, train and support the industry’s workforce.

The strategy is intended to serve as a guide for industry leaders to ensure that their activities align with the CHIPS and Science Act.

To help boost the strategy’s impact, Mitre’s Center for Data-Driven Policy analyzed the draft and enumerated six key challenges related to job creation in the industry. The team also cited intellectual property concerns but found no major omissions in the document.

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GAO: DOD Needs Department-Wide Biodefense Strategy
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GAO: DOD Needs Department-Wide Biodefense Strategy

The Department of Defense and its medical intelligence arm need to formulate a comprehensive strategy for emerging biological threat preparedness and response, the Government Accountability Office said.

In a report published Thursday, the government audit agency urged DOD, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s National Center for Medical Intelligence and intelligence agencies to work together to strengthen biodefense programs.

While the DOD coordinates with internal and external parties to conduct research and development on vaccines, it is not fully aware of the range of its biodefense capabilities and gaps, GAO said.

The office found similar limitations in the NCMI, which lacked formal roles and responsibilities for disseminating medical intelligence.

GAO recommended that the Defense Department identify strengths and gaps, bolster strategy and provide guidance on prioritizing biological threat responses in joint exercises. The office also called for better coordination and sharing of confidential medical data, including conducting outreach activities and clarifying roles and relationships with customers.

The report warned of a “top national security threat” arising from attempts by foreign entities such as China to obtain and exploit U.S. genetic information from laboratories that process COVID-19 tests. GAO suggested that the DOD fortify its partnership with policymakers in the monitoring and warning of such security and health risks.

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DOE Issues RFI for $250M Rural Utility Cybersecurity Support Program; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE Issues RFI for $250M Rural Utility Cybersecurity Support Program; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

The Department of Energy is soliciting public insights on a program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that seeks to improve the cybersecurity posture of electric utilities owned by small investors, rural communities and municipalities.

The current administration is allocating $250 million in funding for the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program over five years to help utilities improve incident response, enhance their workforce’s cybersecurity skills and strengthen their systems, assets and processes, DOE said Thursday.

The request for information seeks feedback on ways to improve threat information sharing, risks related to technologies fielded on the electric grid, opportunities to advance partnerships, national efforts to improve cybersecurity of rural utilities and selection criteria for funding awards, among others.

According to the department, the RMUC Program will offer technical and financial support to help municipal and rural utilities enhance operational capabilities, deploy cyber platforms and increase their access to cybersecurity support services.

“This new program reflects the Biden Administration’s commitment to improving energy reliability and connecting our nation’s rural communities to resilient energy infrastructure and the transformative benefits that come with it,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Responses to the RFI are due Dec. 19.

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