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Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron Talks Risk Management & Delivering Results With Potomac Officers Club
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Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron Talks Risk Management & Delivering Results With Potomac Officers Club

Vice President and Division Manager of the Analysis Solutions division of Leidos’ Intelligence Group, Lisette Bergeron, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to discuss the philosophy that drives her career and share her thoughts on succeeding in the ever-changing GovCon market.

In this excerpt from her interview, Bergeron highlights her core leadership strengths and shares her insights into using risk management to inform her professional strategy:

“Performing in different roles, domains and segments has nurtured my joy of problem-solving and has reinforced for me the power of diversity, open-mindedness and optimism. I am convinced that there is more opportunity in my future than there ever was in my past – and I find that incredibly encouraging. This is a philosophy that I share with my friends and colleagues each day: ‘With opportunity there is risk.’ Early on, I recognized that risk is the language of management. 

So, as I pursue operational excellence, mission understanding, effective communications, team building and more, I use risk – and opportunity – management to strategize on how to maintain schedule, increase quality and deliver within cost boundaries. By recognizing and speaking frankly about the imperfections, the risks and the opportunities that persist in all products and services, my teams succeed by accelerating problem solving and delivering critical-to-quality results that our customers value most.”

To read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron, visit PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can learn more about the platform’s membership benefits.

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David Padrino Named 1st OPM Chief Transformation Officer
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David Padrino Named 1st OPM Chief Transformation Officer

David Padrino, an executive director at the Office of Personnel Management, has been appointed to the agency’s newly created position of chief transformation officer.

He will be responsible for helping the office implement its strategic plan, initiatives under the President’s Management Agenda and other priorities for the agency director, OPM said Wednesday.

Padrino has led the OPM Office of Human Capital Data Management and Modernization since February 2021 and previously worked for the Colorado government in a series of leadership roles that include service as the state’s first chief performance officer.

He also held a seven-year career at Boston Consulting Group and served as assistant director of the New York City Workforce Investment Board.

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Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback Tapped for ISR & Cyber Effects Ops Deputy Chief of Staff Post at Air Force
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Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback Tapped for ISR & Cyber Effects Ops Deputy Chief of Staff Post at Air Force

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback was nominated to serve as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations of the service branch within the Department of Defense.

In a Thursday announcement, Lloyd Austin, secretary of the DOD and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said President Joe Biden’s nomination of Lauderback also includes appointment to the grade of lieutenant general.

She serves as deputy chief of space operations for intelligence within the Office of the Chief of Space Operations of the Space Force. Her experience includes providing advice on ISR policy formulation, planning and evaluation, as well as oversight and leadership of related Space Force capabilities.

Lauderback was also a senior military assistant to the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, a director of intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve for Southwest Asia and a commander at different military levels.

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Defense Innovation Unit’s Autonomous UAS Project Wraps Up Maiden Flight Test
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Defense Innovation Unit’s Autonomous UAS Project Wraps Up Maiden Flight Test

A Defense Innovation Unit prototyping project that seeks to develop multiagent teams of autonomous unmanned aircraft systems has concluded a five-day flight test event.

The Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuver project intends to provide situational awareness for warfighters and enable them to counter threats through a collaborative system of autonomous drones, DIU said Wednesday.

The AISUM prototype consists of the Shield AI-built Nova 2 UAS, the Skydio-made X2D drone and features ground control software and user interface from Auterion Government Solutions and multiagent UAS software from Systems & Technology Research.

During the initial test flight event, a single operator was able to control multiple small drones, which demonstrated their capability to communicate, carry out mission-type orders and avoid obstacles using onboard software.

According to DIU, the AISUM project builds on a swarm architecture developed through the OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Naval Research also works with DIU on the project.

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Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Feedback on 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation
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Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Feedback on 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is soliciting comments on a proposed five-step process for evaluating the cybersecurity of 5G systems. 

CISA worked with the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate and the office of the undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense on the proposed 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation, Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Goldstein said the process seeks to address gaps in security assessment standards and guidance that emerge driven by the launch of new 5G-related tech features and services and outlines 5G system security considerations, key threat frameworks, federal security guidance documents,  industry security specifications and related methods for conducting 5G cybersecurity assessments.

The five steps in the proposed evaluation process are defining the federal 5G use case; identifying the assessment boundary; identifying security requirements; mapping security requirements to federal guidance; and assessing security guidance gaps and alternatives.

The process also allows agencies to perform for system authorization the Prepare step in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Risk Management Framework.

“CISA views that repeatable process agencies can use during the RMF Prepare step as an essential tool for new federal 5G implementations,” Golstein wrote. “Such a process will provide assurance that the government enterprise system is protected and cybercriminals cannot gain backdoor entry into agency networks through 5G technology.”

Comments on the proposed process are due June 27.

CISA will use public insights to determine whether to issue additional security guidance and recommendations for federal 5G adoption.

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Space Force to Assess Satellite Operators’ Cybersecurity Via Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval Program
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Space Force to Assess Satellite Operators’ Cybersecurity Via Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval Program

The U.S. Space Force has unveiled a program meant to evaluate the cybersecurity of commercial satellite services providers doing business with the Department of Defense, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

The Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval program seeks to evaluate commercial satellite operators based on their cybersecurity systems and practices to identify those that will be included in a pre-approved list of companies. With this list, suppliers do not need to finish and submit required data about their cyber practices through a questionnaire for each contract proposal.

“Our office will begin accepting IA-Pre applications for a limited number of assets to perform assessments,” said Jared Reece, program analyst for the commercial services systems office at Space Systems Command.

The program “will ensure effective safeguards are applied and validated; and weaknesses are mitigated to reduce the cybersecurity risks which could impact DoD missions,” added Reece.

Space Systems Command will conduct on-site cyber compliance assessments using third-party auditors certified by the Space Force Security Controls Assessor and expects pre-trials to begin in June.

In 2020, the Space Force announced the development of the IA-Pre program, which seeks to improve the security posture of commercial satellite communications services that DOD procures.

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Michael Horowitz: DOD Eyes Release of Updated Directive on Autonomous Weapon Systems
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Michael Horowitz: DOD Eyes Release of Updated Directive on Autonomous Weapon Systems

Michael Horowitz, director of the emerging capabilities policy office at the Department of Defense, said DOD could issue later this year its updated directive on autonomous weapons systems that takes into consideration advancements in artificial intelligence, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

In 2012, the Pentagon issued the DOD Directive 3000.09 that outlined responsibilities, policy and review processes for designing, building and testing autonomous and semi-autonomous weapon platforms.

“Our instinct entering this process is that the fundamental approach in the directive remains sound, that the directive laid out a very responsible approach to the incorporation of autonomy and weapons systems,” Horowitz told the publication in an interview.

“But we want to make sure, of course, that the directive still reflects the views of the department and the way the department should be thinking about [autonomous] weapon systems,” he noted. “You know, it has been a decade. And it’s entirely plausible that there are some updates and clarifications that would be helpful.”

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Halcyon Debuts Anti-Ransomware Platform for General Availability; CEO Jon Miller Quoted
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Halcyon Debuts Anti-Ransomware Platform for General Availability; CEO Jon Miller Quoted

The flagship program of cybersecurity company Halcyon, which strives to enable users to intercept a ransomware attack at any point in its development, has entered the market for general availability.

The Halcyon Anti-Ransomware platform uses a two-pronged approach, fusing a group of proprietary prevention engines with artificial intelligence-powered models programmed to halt ransomware progress, the Austin, Texas-headquartered company said Thursday.

Jon Miller, CEO and co-founder of Halcyon, described the program as a necessary protection in an ever-evolving cyber landscape of threats and new attacks.

Miller pointed to the fact that current defensive technologies have not been able to keep pace with the siege of incoming cyber crimes, assuring customers that Halcyon’s program “keeps defenders ahead of the threat.”

Harnessing the knowledge bases of seasoned offensive security industry members, the Halcyon program’s proprietary engine is trained to hone in on ransomware attacks specifically, rather than just alert regarding cybersecurity breaches more generally. Sans internet connection, the platform’s pre-execution engine is reportedly able to extinguish a ransomware maneuver before it reaches completion.

Effectively, the program is designed to exacerbate common vulnerabilities of ransomware strategies in order to force quit the infection before it can spread and cause damage. In addition, the platform stores encryption keys created by ransomware incidents, which is intended to lessen any negative impacts from an attempted breach.

The Halcyon Anti-Ransomware platform is currently aimed at Windows users, with MacOSX and Linux editions of the software coming soon.

Earlier this week, Verizon’s annual Data Breach Investigations Report published that ransomware intrusions soared by 13 percent in just one year’s time. The timing of Halcyon’s program is well-suited to this statistic.

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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks: ‘Innovation Foraging’ on Social Digital Mediums
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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks: ‘Innovation Foraging’ on Social Digital Mediums

Chuck Brooks, a highly esteemed cybersecurity leader as well as an influential member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, recently published a feature breaking down the concept of “technology foraging,” or actions are taken to search for new innovations that may exist in research institutions to drive new solutions for whatever may be the challenges of the day.

During a feature article with Thinkers360, Cybersecurity and GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks explored the impact and value that digital-social platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter have provided in the importance of technology foraging and establishing brands and new companies.

Here’s an excerpt from the feature from GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks:

“For employees at a company or organization, foraging (and info sharing) on digital mediums as a corporate strategy can help drive collaboration between often aloof silos comprised of the c-suite, marketing, legal, and sales.

A social media platform can also foster company awareness & relationships, cultivate business networks, and can even be used as a research tool for due diligence. For both companies and individuals, social digital platforms can serve as a resource and enabler for innovation by sharing important data derived from foraging among informative posts.”

You can read the full article from GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks on Thinkers360.

David Zolet: Criminal Justice EO Addresses Need for Updated Safety Laws, Further Congressional Action
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David Zolet: Criminal Justice EO Addresses Need for Updated Safety Laws, Further Congressional Action

David Zolet, CEO of CentralSquare Technologies, has shared his thoughts on President Biden’s executive order to instate more structured and organized systems for policing and criminal justice in the U.S.

Zolet commended the Biden Administration for its efforts included in the EO that make progress for federal public safety reform, as well as the administration’s recent donation of $10 billion via the American Rescue Plan toward state- and local-level public safety entities. CentralSquare frequently partners with law enforcement and emergency response organizations.

“ Now, we call on Congress to act. Equip our law enforcement officers with the resources they need to keep our communities safe,” Zolet stated.

The President’s May 25 executive order sanctions the establishment of a national accreditation system for police departments and the conception of a national database that collects the records of federal officers who are the subject of disciplinary action or have been flagged for poor behavior.

The executive order additionally tasks federal law enforcement agencies with reassessing and rewriting policies that address the use of force. However, as Zolet indicates, an executive order does not have the power to make significant changes to protocols for state and local law enforcement.

“Equip our law enforcement officers with the resources they need to keep our communities safe – including effective training and community policing, enabling state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to modernize their technology infrastructures,” Zolet suggested.

The executive also named the NextGen 9-1-1 platform and “proven strategies like community violence interruption” as potential methodologies for combatting issues that have arisen. Biden’s executive order comes nearly two years after President Trump rubber-stamped a 2020 executive order that also dealt with police incident response.

“These are simple yet necessary actions that will build trust in the critical agencies within our communities. By working with our law enforcement communities, we can enable them to better serve communities, improve outcomes, gain efficiencies, and save lives,” Zolet concluded.

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