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House Bill Calls for Independent VA Cybersecurity Assessment; Rep. Frank Mrvan Quoted
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House Bill Calls for Independent VA Cybersecurity Assessment; Rep. Frank Mrvan Quoted

A bipartisan group of four House lawmakers has introduced a bill that would mandate an independent audit of critical information systems and cybersecurity practices at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Strengthening VA Cybersecurity Act also calls for the VA to implement timeline and budget development efforts to address any system vulnerability that assessors will discover, the office of Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., said Wednesday.

Mrvan sponsored the bill with fellow House Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.; Susie Lee, D-Nev.; and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.

VA officials reported a department data breach incident in 2020 compromised personal information of approximately 46,000 military veterans.

“This legislation will move us in the right direction to give VA the tools it needs to effectively protect against new and emerging cybersecurity threats and safeguard our veterans’ personal information,” said Mrvan, who serves as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee’s technology modernization subcommittee.

Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a companion measure to the House’s SVAC Act.

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Secret Service Appoints Ron Green Cyber Investigation Advisory Board Chair
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Secret Service Appoints Ron Green Cyber Investigation Advisory Board Chair

The U.S. Secret Service has named Ron Green, chief security officer of payment technology company Mastercard, chairman of the agency’s Cyber Investigation Advisory Board (CIAB). 

He will lead the 16-member group composed of government, industry and academic representatives who advise the Secret Service on efforts to investigate criminal activity in the cyber domain, the agency said Wednesday.

The advisory group also works to help federal law enforcement personnel explore technology, policy trends and opportunities to update mission priorities.

Green is a former U.S. Army officer and Secret Agent special agent with experience in fraud investigations. He was trained to conduct electronic evidence analysis and seizure procedures during his previous work at the agency.

Inn his current role at Mastercard, he is responsible for ensuring the security and safety of the company’s global financial network.

He also serves as a board member at Sailpoint Technologies, chairman of the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council and vice chair of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.

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GSA Issues Federal Building Material Standards; Administrator Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Issues Federal Building Material Standards; Administrator Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration has issued federal requirements for the use of concrete and asphalt as materials for the agency’s construction, modernization and paving projects nationwide.

GSA said Wednesday it worked with other agencies and more than 130 construction industry members to develop standards for the two building products as part of an initiative to promote clean manufacturing, catalyze clean energy innovation and reduce climate change impact.

Under the new rules, contractors must use concrete that was produced while not exceeding the agency’s greenhouse gas emission limits and adopt at least two environmentally preferable techniques when manufacturing and installing asphalt.

Contractors are now also required to submit a summary of primary environmental impacts throughout their building materials’ extraction, transportation and manufacturing.

The agency asked for market insights to inform the standards development effort through a pair of requests for information on SAM.gov and will incorporate the requirements in project solicitations.

“The feedback we received from industry is proof positive that combating climate change is also an opportunity to boost American innovation,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan.

“We were impressed by the industry’s overall ‘can-do’ response to our requests for information, and by the fact that over 44% of the manufacturers that responded were small businesses.”

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GAO: Pentagon Should Update AI Strategies, Develop Roadmap for AI Inventory Process
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GAO: Pentagon Should Update AI Strategies, Develop Roadmap for AI Inventory Process

The Government Accountability Office has recommended that the Department of Defense integrate all characteristics of a comprehensive artificial intelligence strategy in future AI plans and strategies.

GAO made the recommendation after it found that DOD’s nine strategies and plans related to AI lack full descriptions of risk and investments and resources associated with the adoption of AI-based technologies, according to a report published Wednesday.

The congressional watchdog also called on the Pentagon to come up with a roadmap that includes all requirements, milestones and activities to support DOD’s preparation of AI portfolio inventory.

“Such a plan would provide DOD with a high-level, end-to-end view of all the features necessary to accomplish the program’s goal to provide a complete and accurate inventory of AI activities to Congress and to DOD decision makers,” the report reads.

GAO said the Pentagon should finalize and release guidance and agreements that outline the roles and responsibilities of the department’s components that take part in AI activities.

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Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 4th Annual 2022 AI Summit this spring at the Hilton-McLean in Virginia to hear notable executive leaders within the GovCon sector talk about key AI advancements and development strategies.

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SEC Proposes Disclosure Requirements for Blank Check Companies; Chair Gary Gensler Quoted
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SEC Proposes Disclosure Requirements for Blank Check Companies; Chair Gary Gensler Quoted

The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed rules that seek to improve protection of investors in initial public offerings by requiring additional disclosures about sponsors of special purpose acquisition companies, sources of dilution and conflicts of interest.

The proposal would require disclosures about the fairness of merger transactions between private operating companies and SPACs and address issues with regard to projections made by SPACs and their acquisition targets, SEC said Wednesday.

“Functionally, the SPAC target IPO is being used as an alternative means to conduct an IPO. Thus, investors deserve the protections they receive from traditional IPOs, with respect to information asymmetries, fraud, and conflicts, and when it comes to disclosure, marketing practices, gatekeepers, and issuers,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

SEC said it would not require registration under the Investment Company Act for SPACs that meet conditions that limit their asset composition, activities, business purpose and duration.

The proposed rules will be open for public comments once published in the Federal Register or on the commission’s website.

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GSA, Kessel Run Develop Capability for Cloud Hosting Platform; Dave Zvenyach Quoted
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GSA, Kessel Run Develop Capability for Cloud Hosting Platform; Dave Zvenyach Quoted

The General Services Administration’s (GSA) Technology Transformation Services (TTS) and the U.S. Air Force’s Kessel Run software development unit have partnered to develop a capability that allows a cloud hosting platform to support up to 100 million users per hour as part of efforts to improve customer experience and digital capabilities.

“The capability developed as a result of this partnership is another milestone in our efforts to improve digital service delivery and ensure an effective, equitable, and secure digital infrastructure for the public,” Dave Zvenyach, director of TTS at GSA, said in a statement published Wednesday.

TTS collaborated with Kessel Run over a period of 10 days to increase the capacity of the cloud.gov platform in handling agency applications and hosting up to 100 million post requests per hour. The Bowcaster team from Kessel Run provided penetration testing, load testing and other services to enable the platform to handle sharp increases in usage.

Lindsay Young, acting director of Cloud.gov, said the new capabilities could enable the website to meet emergency needs and seasonal demand.

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Maximus Appoints Tim Meyers as VP of Federal Cybersecurity; GM Teresa Weipert Quoted
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Maximus Appoints Tim Meyers as VP of Federal Cybersecurity; GM Teresa Weipert Quoted

Maximus Cybersecurity Principal Tim Meyers has been elevated to the role of vice president of federal cybersecurity.

Meyers’ new position will involve overseeing and administering the entirety of cybersecurity services for Maximus’ public sector customers, the Reston, Virginia-based government services company said Wednesday.

Teresa Weipert, general manager of federal services at Maximus and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, stated that Meyers is a “valuable asset” to the enterprise and emphasized that his hire comes at a time of “tremendous growth” within its federal-facing department.

“Cybersecurity is woven into all of our programs, and we turn to Tim to lead our development of cybersecurity solutions as we continue to meet the most pressing challenges for federal agencies,” Weipert continued.

The newly promoted executive has been with Maximus for over four years, during which time he has been a director of cybersecurity with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR project. The job entailed spearheading changes and restructuring efforts for the agency’s data security and protection.

Before coming to Maximus, Meyers held cybersecurity positions at companies such as Seagate Technology, IBM and Accenture Federal Services. He also performed information technology security for the U.S. Army and the Air Force. His specialties include digital, memory and computer forensics, all manner of information security, as well as network administration.

In a statement, Meyers highlighted the increasing need throughout the government for more intensive cybersecurity measures and stressed Maximus’ “long, illustrious history” of partnering with government branches to secure data.

The promotion of Meyers follows two recent new federal-facing appointments by Maximus: Liz Anthony was named vice president of federal market and competition strategy and Scott Barr was hired as senior vice president for federal consulting. Both were announced earlier this month.

Proposed FY23 Budget Boosts NOAA’s Climate Change Mitigation Efforts
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Proposed FY23 Budget Boosts NOAA’s Climate Change Mitigation Efforts

The White House’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, released earlier this week, gives an $18 billion boost to climate resilience and adaptation programs across the federal government.

Specifically, the proposed budget allocates $6.9 billion to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which boosts the agency’s funding by $1.4 billion from the fiscal year 2022 Continuing Resolution.

NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said, “The FY 2023 budget will allow NOAA to scale our efforts to deliver accurate climate products and services to all Americans by building on our research, forecasts, and observations.”

Dr. Spinrad noted that while the release of the President’s budget is just one step in a larger federal budget process, he views the proposed funding as a “down payment in building the Climate Ready Nation we urgently need.”

The increased funding notably includes an investment of $2.3 billion in NOAA’s next generation of weather satellites, as well as added support for the agency’s efforts to deploy offshore wind energy, protect marine wildlife, catalyze wind energy and restore habitats.

At the start of March, NASA launched its third GOES-T satellite in a constellation that gathers weather data for NOAA and allows the agency to better predict and understand the effects of climate change-related weather events.

The FY23 budget was released amid predictions of worsening droughts in the American West and on the heels of the seventh warmest February on record, highlighting the urgency behind increased support to climate-focused agencies.

To learn more about NOAA’s work to mitigate climate change, join GovCon Wire Events for its NOAA: A Conversation With Mary Erickson Fireside Chat on Apr 5th. 

Proposed FY23 Budget Boosts NOAA’s Climate Change Mitigation Efforts

Mary Erickson currently serves as acting assistant administrator for weather services and the acting director of the National Weather Service at NOAA. In her role, Erickson has a focus on reducing the impacts of extreme weather and climate events on American citizens and organizations.

Click here to register for free today!

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DOE Argonne Lab Stands up 2 Organizations Focused on Decarbonization
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DOE Argonne Lab Stands up 2 Organizations Focused on Decarbonization

The Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has established a pair of new research organizations dedicated to developing safe nuclear and clean energy technologies.

The Nuclear Technologies and National Security directorate will focus on safe nuclear energy systems that can support decarbonization, Argonne said Tuesday.

Argonne Associate Laboratory Director Kirsten Laurin-Kovitz will lead the NTNS directorate, which will also work on improving the resiliency of critical infrastructure to both natural and manmade hazards.

The second organization, known as the Advanced Energy Technologies directorate, will address decarbonization challenges that impact generating, storing and distributing energy.

Under the leadership of Associate Laboratory Director Suresh Sunderrajan, the AET directorate will also tackle decarbonization projects applicable to buildings, transportation systems and energy material production. DOE’s new Undersecretary for Infrastructure Office will work with AET to pursue decarbonization goals.

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Navy Needs Info on Software Analysis Tool for F-35 Logistics System
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Navy Needs Info on Software Analysis Tool for F-35 Logistics System

The U.S. Navy seeks market information on software code scanning options that support the quantitative software architecture analysis of the F-35 aircraft’s Autonomic Logistics Information System.

The Navy said Tuesday in a SAM.gov notice it wants to eventually award a contract for a QSAA tool that can analyze defense-related software to inform cost estimates, schedules and feasibility.

ALIS centralizes and distributes maintenance and health information of F-35 aircraft across the globe. The system combines operations, logistics, supply chain, customer support, technical data, training and maintenance functions related to the F-35.

The future contractor would also provide related expertise and training services to help users utilize the tool and interpret results.

Naval Air Systems Command will use the gathered input to inform how it will procure the needed QSAA tool. Interested parties may send responses through April 12.

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