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NIST Taps 4 Organizations to Build Manufacturing Tech Roadmaps; Mike Molnar Quoted
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NIST Taps 4 Organizations to Build Manufacturing Tech Roadmaps; Mike Molnar Quoted

Four organizations have received grants to develop technology roadmaps that can help the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) bolster U.S. manufacturing. 

The awardees will tackle a range of manufacturing topics including microelectronics, supply chain resiliency, biomanufacturing and vaccine production, NIST said Friday.

Individual awards are valued at up to $300,000 each, with a maximum work period of 18 months.

“The MTech awards build collaborative partnerships to set strategic technology objectives and develop a shared vision of how an industry can achieve transformational goals,” said Mike Molnar, director of NIST’s Office of Advanced Manufacturing.

The following awardees will develop the roadmaps to determine research goals, workforce requirements and efforts that accelerate technology development:

  • Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing
  • Purdue University
  • Semiconductor Research Corporation
  • The Regents of the University of California
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President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden Attend USS Delaware Commissioning
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President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden Attend USS Delaware Commissioning

President Biden and his wife Jill Biden attended the commissioning of USS Delaware, a fast attack submarine carrying the name of the state that the President formerly represented as a senator, DOD News reported Saturday.

The ceremony took place the same day in Wilmington, Delaware, in a non-traditional fashion due to COVID-19 restrictions. The vessel remained submerged during the commissioning.

“I’ve seen the heart of this crew and it makes me proud and humbled to be your shipmate for life,” said First Lady Jill Biden, who also serves as the submarine’s ship sponsor.

As a Block III Virginia-class submarine, USS Delaware features a pair of 87-inch diameter launch tubes with the capability of holding larger payloads. The Navy accepted delivery of the submarine from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in October 2019.

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Congressional Armed Services Committee Leaders Unveil Afghanistan War Commission Members
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Congressional Armed Services Committee Leaders Unveil Afghanistan War Commission Members

Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash; and Mike Rogers, R-Ala.; with Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I.; and Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., have announced their selections of members for the Afghanistan War Commission.

The Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act established the commission, which will comprehensively review how the U.S. military has made key decisions related to Afghanistan, the House Armed Services Committee said Friday.

The commission will assess actions from June 2001 to August 2021 to determine lessons learned and develop recommendations that inform future Congressional decisions. 

Members will create and submit a final report within three years of the commission’s initial meeting. The government will also disclose a public version of the report. 

The following will serve on the commission: 

  • Colin Jackson, chair of Naval War College’s Strategic and Operational Research Department
  • Jeremy Bash, formerly chief of staff for the Department of Defense
  • Michael Allen, formerly special assistant to President George W. Bush
  • Michael Lumpkin, president of Amida Technology Solutions
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FAA Considers Autonomous Drone Delivery Regulations Amid Rise in Commercial Operations
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FAA Considers Autonomous Drone Delivery Regulations Amid Rise in Commercial Operations

Zipline, Flytrex, Alphabet’s Wing subsidiary and other companies have begun launching commercial drone delivery services across the U.S., The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

San Francisco-based startup Zipline, for instance, uses fixed-wing drones to deliver packages and has authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly its drones provided that each flight operation is monitored remotely or kept in sight.

A spokeswoman for Zipline said the company is working to secure certifications that would allow its unmanned platforms to fly beyond visual line of sight.

In June 2020, Amazon announced that it secured FAA approval to perform tests of its drone delivery systems. The company plans to begin commercial tests in September in Texas and California and intends to run 145 launch stations for such drones and use such vehicles to deliver 500 packages on an annual basis, according to business publication Insider.

A spokeswoman for the FAA said the agency has unveiled plans to facilitate safe autonomous flight operations of drones to support goods delivery.

She noted that FAA announced in February that it would kick off field testing of an air traffic control system for unmanned platforms that fly under 400 feet by the spring of 2022.

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Sharothi Pikar Named JAIC Deputy Chief Digital and AI Officer, Acquisitions; DoD CIO John Sherman Quoted
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Sharothi Pikar Named JAIC Deputy Chief Digital and AI Officer, Acquisitions; DoD CIO John Sherman Quoted

Sharothi Pikar, command acquisition executive at U.S. Cyber Command, has been appointed deputy chief digital and AI officer, acquisitions, at the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

In her new role, she will oversee the development, acquisition and procurement of capabilities with DOD’s industry and academic partners, JAIC said in a LinkedIn post.

“Sharothi is perfect for the role, bringing her knowledge and expertise in acquiring new technologies for the department and coming into a team already working innovative and exciting contract vehicles here at CDAO,” said John Sherman, chief information officer of DOD and acting CDAO.

“Her hire along with the rest of our leadership really highlights the importance of CDAO,” added Sherman, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

Pikar previously served as associate director for cyber strategies within the office of the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering and senior cyber adviser within the Department of the Army.

Sharothi Pikar Named JAIC Deputy Chief Digital and AI Officer, Acquisitions; DoD CIO John Sherman Quoted

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit this spring. Visit the POC Events page to learn more about this upcoming in-person event in Virginia.

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USPS Board Nominees Dan Tangherlini, Derek Kan Talk Reforms Before Senate Panel
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USPS Board Nominees Dan Tangherlini, Derek Kan Talk Reforms Before Senate Panel

Dan Tangherlini, former head of the General Services Administration, and Derek Kan, former deputy director at the Office of Management and Budget, appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday to discuss priorities and how they would oversee reforms at the U.S. Postal Service if confirmed to the USPS’ board of governors, Federal News Network reported.

Some of the priorities discussed are the procurement of more electric vehicles and implementation of a data dashboard designed to monitor the service performance of USPS.

Kan highlighted the need for the agency to have the needed charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

“If we buy 10,000 electric vehicles and we deploy them to Montana, or to some rural parts of the country, there may not be the electrification of the grid to support these vehicles. I think a major pitfall is ensuring that all of the components needed for a procurement are in place,” Kan said.

Tangherlini also mentioned the need for infrastructure.

“The actual cost wasn’t the vehicles itself, but the infrastructure, and then the need to make sure that the service ultimately that you’re responsible for is being delivered. At its core, it doesn’t matter what the vehicle is, as long as the mail is getting to people’s residences,” he said.

Tangherlini shared his thoughts on the data dashboard and its potential benefits to service delivery efforts.

“Creating clear expectations in terms of service delivery, creating clear expectations in terms of even delivering the tools that Congress has given the Postal Service, then, for people to evaluate and see that performance, is a fundamental responsibility of a governor, and should I be confirmed, that will be my highest priority,” he added.

In November 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Tangherlini and Kan to serve on the USPS board of governors.

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Navy to Recompete Littoral, Riverline Tech Prototyping Contract
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Navy to Recompete Littoral, Riverline Tech Prototyping Contract

The U.S. Navy has published a presolicitation notice for the recompete of a science and technology prototyping contract in support of missions in littoral and riverine environments.

According to the notice on SAM.gov, the Navy plans to award a potential five-year contract for prototype technologies that would augment naval manned and unmanned vehicles, weapons and weapons control systems.

Technologies under the proposed indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract will be used in naval operations such as mine, amphibious and naval surface warfare, diving and life support, coastal and underwater intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

Naval Surface Warfare Center – Panama City Division scheduled a virtual conference on April 8 to discuss the presolicitation, with input from industry members expected by April 11th.

The organization will release the solicitation on April 27th and plans to select one small business to receive cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders during a one-year base period and a possible four-year extension period.

Serco is the incumbent on the existing prototyping contract.

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K2 Elevates Tom Bock, Chip Poncy to New Roles, Adds Jennifer Law as COO; Jeremy Kroll and Andrew Rabinowitz Quoted
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K2 Elevates Tom Bock, Chip Poncy to New Roles, Adds Jennifer Law as COO; Jeremy Kroll and Andrew Rabinowitz Quoted

K2 Integrity has promoted former chief operating officer Tom Bock to lead the company’s global financial crimes risk management division.

Succeeding Bock as COO will be new hire Jennifer Law and Chip Poncy has been elevated to global head of financial integrity, the New York City-based risk advisory firm said Monday.

Of the set of new appointments, Jeremy Kroll and Andrew Rabinowitz attested to K2’s “deep bench of extremely talented, mission-driven professionals.”

Kroll elaborated, saying that the “major market dynamics resulting from the decentralization and digitalization of finance” as well as “increased economic security risks and the regulatory impacts of rising geo-political tensions” have motivated the company’s decision to strengthen its FCRM team.

As head of the financial crimes risk management department, Bock will focus on establishing new strategic cooperations and client business while adding to the division’s legacy of advising on asset risk at a global scale.

He has worked at K2 for over a decade. Prior to coming aboard, Bock was senior manager of financial services at Ernst & Young and a corporate compliance contractor for CIT Group. His expertise lies in anti-money laundering sanctions, regulatory compliance and fraud investigations.

In Bock’s place as COO will be Law, who will leverage her C-suite experience from positions such as controller at ARK Investment Management and controller for Brahman Capital and Ramius. She was also chief financial officer and COO for the start-up Buzzup Digital, which she had a direct hand in building and scaling. Among Law’s core capabilities are accounting, financial planning and analysis, budgeting, forecasting and reporting functions.

Rabinowitz shared he has worked with Law for almost three decades and after watching her career succeed from afar, knows she will be “highly accretive” to K2’s customers, partners and team.

In the newly created role of global head of financial integrity, Poncy will be responsible for assisting the firm in attempting to digitize data and better combat illicit finance with technological strategies. He is a two-decade veteran of illicit finance prevention work and has been collaborating with K2 since 2019 on developing a public-private sector network as well as boosting financial crimes risk management efforts. He has accomplished the latter through the implementation of new products, services and approaches.

Previously, Poncy worked as director of the office of strategic policy for the U.S. Department of the Treasury for 11 years.

“I look forward to collaborating with Tom, Jen and the entire firm in our collective efforts to enhance the financial integrity and security of our clients and our global community,” Poncy said.

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New GSA Strategic Plan Details Modernization Initiatives for Next 5 Years; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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New GSA Strategic Plan Details Modernization Initiatives for Next 5 Years; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration has outlined a five-year strategy to modernize its real estate assets, acquisition processes, government operations, and customer experience and governance technologies.

GSA described Thursday the initiatives on its newly released strategic document as bold and sustainable that promote diversity and inclusion with its customers and suppliers.

According to the plan, the agency will adopt technologies and methods aimed at expediting transactions with client agencies, promoting interagency collaboration, and innovating real estate and acquisition.

“Now more than ever, GSA needs to continue to improve and evolve to meet the needs of our customers and the demands of a 21st-century economy,” wrote Administrator Robin Carnahan.

GSA currently manages a real estate portfolio of over 370 million in rentable square feet and approximately $84 billion in contracts for the federal government.

 

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Army Leaders, Intell Exec Stacey Dixon Talk IP Theft Prevention
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Army Leaders, Intell Exec Stacey Dixon Talk IP Theft Prevention

U.S. Army Futures Command officials recently discussed with Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence and three-time Wash100 Award recipient, collaborative efforts to protect intellectual property from being stolen by adversaries.

Dixon’s visit to AFC headquarters in Austin, Texas, came as the Army works with the intelligence community through technology protection and information review initiatives aimed at ensuring U.S. technological advantage over foreign powers, the service branch said Thursday.

Ed Mornston, AFC intelligence and security director, shared that preventing IP theft is a central part of the command’s plan in providing the Army with technological overmatch.

An improved protection posture would also make certain that innovations could be delivered to soldiers without interruption.

“Deep partnerships across government are essential to maintaining a competitive technological advantage for the U.S.,” shared Dixon. 

According to the Army, adversaries stole compromised technology data mostly through unclassified or improperly secured information in recent years.

Visit Wash100.com to cast a vote for Stacey Dixon as one of your TEN votes to advocate for your favorite leaders in the federal and government sectors. 

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