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Army Issues Unmanned Aircraft Engineering Support RFP
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Army Issues Unmanned Aircraft Engineering Support RFP

The U.S. Army has issued a solicitation for a potential $88 million small business set-aside contract to procure engineering support services for soldier unmanned aircraft systems.

Interested businesses can submit proposals until June 28, and the Army plans to will evaluate offerors using the “best value” sourcing method, according to a notice posted Wednesday on SAM.gov.

A selected contractor will help the military branch engineer Group I reconnaissance aircraft platforms and handheld ground control stations.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has a 12-month base ordering period, four 12-month option periods and an additional six-month extension.

Systems under the procurement effort include the RQ11B, RQ20A and the Tactical Open Government-Owned Architecture.

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GAO Assesses Pentagon’s Weapons System Acquisition Programs
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GAO Assesses Pentagon’s Weapons System Acquisition Programs

The Government Accountability Office has found that the Department of Defense has made efforts to accelerate the development and deployment of weapons systems, but most of DOD’s major defense acquisition programs continue to face schedule delays.

GAO reviewed 29 MDAPs and found that 17 of these programs reported delays in deploying capabilities in the past year, according to a report published Wednesday.

DOD is also ramping up its use of the middle tier of acquisition pathway in programs, but the congressional watchdog found that programs using the MTA pathway do not intend to secure ample product knowledge before kicking off follow-on efforts.

“This approach increases the risk that these follow-on efforts may encounter cost, schedule, or technical challenges during development or production,” the GAO report reads.

GAO recommended that the Pentagon update its instruction for industrial base assessments “to define the circumstances that would constitute a known or projected problem or substantial risk that a necessary industrial capability may be lost.”

The agency made the recommendation after it found that the department’s instructions do not clearly define certain phrases related to conditions under which programs should carry out industrial base assessments, which seek to help DOD ensure that certain industry capabilities are available and satisfy future and existing national security needs.

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DHS Rolls Out Mobile App for Intelligence Data Sharing
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DHS Rolls Out Mobile App for Intelligence Data Sharing

The Department of Homeland Security has released a new tool for federal personnel, law enforcement officers and first responders to share intelligence data from mobile devices.

Homeland Security Information Network users can download and install the DHS Intel app on iOS devices to gain access to relevant information, updates and reports, department officials Melissa Smislova and Eric Hysen wrote in a joint blog post published Wednesday.

HSIN was built in 2006 to help government organizations and their private sector partners exchange sensitive but unclassified data to address missions.

The new app allows a user to also receive alerts about the availability of intelligence products and bookmark materials for future use. DHS plans to release the tool for Android devices in the summer.

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John Sherman, Craig Martell Discuss Focus Areas; Initiatives of DOD’s Chief Digital and AI Office
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John Sherman, Craig Martell Discuss Focus Areas; Initiatives of DOD’s Chief Digital and AI Office

John Sherman, chief information officer of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, took part in a fireside chat alongside newly appointed chief digital and artificial intelligence officer at DOD Craig Martell, during a virtual symposium on Wednesday to discuss how they will work together and the initiatives that the office of CDAO will focus on going forward.

One of the initiatives Sherman and Martell talked about is the Artificial Intelligence and Data Accelerator, which Sherman said will be one of the office of CDAO’s flagship activities, DOD said Wednesday.

Sherman said ADA seeks to enable “AI data and visual service experts to really see what the problems are for the respective combatant commanders and what they need to be able to get after and unlock their data, think about what sort of AI and ML capabilities would help them get ahead of their particular problem sets.”

Sherman also discussed with Martell other focus areas of CDAO, such as enabling machine learning and AI across combatant commands to help advance Joint All Domain Command and Control and leveraging AI as DOD pursues zero trust adoption.

“Those are some of the main big things, but there’s going to be innumerable other things as we look at leveraging commercial SATCOM, as we look at other C3 areas, and as we work together just to make sure that CDAO has the very best technology to get after your mission sets,” he added.

During the discussion, Martell also talked about DOD’s relationship with industry and the need to build up the talent pipeline.

The CDAO office achieved full operating capability status on June 1 and will manage DOD’s policy formulation and strategy development for AI, data and analytics.

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Biniam Gebre Drops Out of Federal Procurement Chief Nomination
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Biniam Gebre Drops Out of Federal Procurement Chief Nomination

Biniam Gebre, former senior managing director at Accenture and head of management consulting for the company’s federal business arm, has withdrawn his name from consideration as the next administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget, Government Executive reported Wednesday.

“The nominee chose to forgo the confirmation process to pursue other opportunities,” a White House official told the publication in a statement. 

The official added the Biden administration will consider other nominees for the role. In August 2021, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Gebre to lead OFPP.

Gebre has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector and government, including time as acting commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He previously served as a partner at Oliver Wyman and McKinsey & Co.

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Gen. John Murray Bringing Military, Technology Experience to Hypori Board of Directors
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Gen. John Murray Bringing Military, Technology Experience to Hypori Board of Directors

John Murray, a recently retired U.S. Army general and two-time Wash100 Award winner, has been appointed to the board of directors of software-as-a-service company Hypori.

In his new advisory position, Murray will leverage his decades of military background to facilitate new discoveries and guide market expansion for Hypori, the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company said Wednesday.

Murray shared in a statement that he first experienced Hypori’s significant array of offerings during his time with the Army, including its “bring your own device solution,” which provides “the Department of Defense not only enhanced privacy and end-point security, but also the potential for significant cost savings.”

In his past work, the retired general was charged with liaising with the technology community to scope out what was available on the market and what was being researched by academic figures for potential opportunities in service branch modernization. Out of all the organizations he came across, Hypori stood out as most impressive to Murray.

Murray was instrumental in shaping and establishing the Army Futures Command, the organization concerned with identifying and developing the next generation of Army equipment and technologies. He was the AFC’s first commanding general.

He served in Afghanistan, Panama and Iraq, as well as occupied several deputy and director roles at the Pentagon and internationally. Over the course of his 39-year Army career, Murray earned a host of awards and distinctions, including the Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters.

Jared Shepard, Hypori CEO and president, said Murray is poised to aid in the company’s growth into larger markets in both the public and private sectors, domestically and abroad.

“Gen Murray’s passion for driving innovation will push Hypori to continually evolve our technology to focus on the edge customer and support the future warfighter,” Shepard added.

The election of Murray to Hypori’s board follows the retired general’s addition as a strategic advisor to Vita Inclinata’s board of directors in May. He retired from the Army in December 2021.

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Mitre Launches System of Trust Framework for Evaluating Supply Chain Risks
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Mitre Launches System of Trust Framework for Evaluating Supply Chain Risks

Mitre has introduced a new framework designed to help organizations evaluate and mitigate potential supply chain security risks, including concerns related to software acquisition. 

The System of Trust is a free and open platform that highlights the 14 risk areas organizations must consider when evaluating suppliers and service providers and offers a list of specific supply chain security risk questions, Mitre said Monday.

The framework works to enable organizations to rank suppliers based on their strengths and weaknesses. It also aims to ensure that organizations achieve a deeper understanding of supply chain security risks by providing a common vocabulary to reduce communication barriers.

Wen Masters, vice president for cyber technologies at Mitre, said the System of Trust platform continues the corporation’s mission of providing free cyber resources to help secure the entire supply chain and ensure “that goods and services can be delivered even in threatened and contested environments.”

Mitre unveiled the framework at the RSA 2022 Conference and will launch a follow-up report in July during the upcoming Supply Chain Summit.

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Siemens Software Suite FedRAMP-Approved for Government Usage
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Siemens Software Suite FedRAMP-Approved for Government Usage

The Siemens Defense Cloud software-as-a-service application suite from Siemens Government Technologies has been approved for secure usage in the U.S. federal government.

Deemed “ready” by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, Siemens Defense Cloud — which includes the Teamcenter X software — is now available for “high impact” product lifecycle management government agency deployment, the Reston, Virginia-based company said Wednesday.

“Teamcenter is a proven PLM software that aerospace and defense customers have trusted for years to successfully integrate mission critical, disparate repositories of data for cost-effective program development, acquisition and sustainment,” said Kristin Cochran, vice president of digital solutions at SGT.

Cochran also noted that the program suite has value for agencies at any stage of digital transformation or cloud migration and said the company is eager to retain a government sponsor to sanction its programs’ full-scale deployment.

The centerpiece application of the Defense Cloud suite, Teamcenter X is commonly used by Department of Defense clients and the aerospace industry and is reportedly trusted to digitally host sensitive, unclassified data. The U.S. Air Force selected Teamcenter for its acquisition and sustainment efforts of critical apparatuses and technologies.

The Siemens Defense Cloud intends to create a network of government personnel and activities, providing lines of communication and mutual data exchange between teams operating discretely.

In January, Siemens inked a deal with Lockheed Martin to furnish its Xcelerator program to assist LM’s digital engineering strategies, aiding in the management of program life cycles and digital transformation trajectories. The Teamcenter software is the digital thread variant of the Siemens Xcelerator as a service portfolio.

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Fulton Bank Names to Michael Landini to New Government Services Team; EVP Mark Smith Quoted
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Fulton Bank Names to Michael Landini to New Government Services Team; EVP Mark Smith Quoted

Fulton Bank announced on Tuesday that Michael Landini, formerly of J.P. Morgan Chase, has joined the company as its executive vice president and the director of its Commercial Credit Strategy.

In these roles, Landini will be responsible for continuing the development of Fulton Bank’s Government Services credit and lending market. Landini will bring his more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to the role.

“Michael is a talented individual with knowledge and expertise in many areas in which we are looking to grow at Fulton Bank,” said Mark Smith, executive vice president and director of Commercial Credit. “We’re confident that he will help drive growth in the Federal Government Services industry in addition to developing other key Fulton credit initiatives.”

Prior to his new role with Fulton Bank, Landini led the credit risk focus and market expansion efforts in the Mid-Atlantic, Eastern PA/Delaware and Mid-South regions with J.P. Morgan Chase as well as the company’s business in the aerospace, defense and government services industries across the globe.

About Fulton Bank, N.A.

Fulton Bank is a premier community bank in the Mid-Atlantic region. As part of Fulton Financial Corporation, a $26 billion financial services holding company, we offer a broad array of products and services at more than 200 financial centers across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

Census Bureau Modernizes Geocoding Tool
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Census Bureau Modernizes Geocoding Tool

The U.S. Census Bureau has launched Census Geocoder, a redesigned cloud-based web application for government agencies, businesses and other data users seeking to match geographic locations and entities with their respective addresses.

The agency said Monday it modernized Geocoder, which was initially unveiled in 2013, to speed up processing time and make it more efficient in geocoding addresses and coordinates.

The update includes an enhanced user experience for those utilizing desktops, tablets and mobile devices, as well as a more stable environment capable of delivering scalable and quicker lookup results.

The agency moved Geocoder’s processing elements to the cloud to provide a platform with faster response times while retaining the same functionality.

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