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Nuclear Regulatory Commission Solicits Comments on Draft AI Strategic Plan
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Nuclear Regulatory Commission Solicits Comments on Draft AI Strategic Plan

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun seeking feedback on its draft Artificial Intelligence Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

NRC drafted the AI Strategic Plan as part of efforts to ensure its readiness in reviewing the use of AI in agency-regulated activities, according to a Federal Register notice published Tuesday.

The draft document comes with five strategic goals and these are ensuring NRC readiness for regulatory decision-making, creating an organizational framework to review AI applications, strengthening and expanding AI partnerships, cultivating an AI proficient workforce and pursuing use cases to establish an AI foundation across the agency.

Interested stakeholders can offer recommendations and enhancements that can be considered in developing the strategic plan and suggest goals and objectives that can be modified or added to the plan.

NRC also wants to identify near-term AI initiatives when finalizing the strategic plan and potential challenges when preparing to assess the potential use of AI in nuclear applications.

NRC personnel will host a virtual public meeting on Aug. 3 to gather feedback from participants on the draft plan.

Comments on the draft strategic plan are due Aug. 19th.

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DOE Announces Release of Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model Version 2.1
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DOE Announces Release of Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model Version 2.1

The Department of Energy has launched the latest version of its Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model, a tool meant to help companies assess their cyber capabilities, to reflect key changes to the model based on user feedback and testing.

The office of cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response at DOE led the update to C2MC using feedback from a working group composed of 145 cybersecurity professionals from 77 organizations in the energy sector, the department said Thursday.

Members of the working group created small teams to carry out a dozen technical sweeps to assess how the model addresses information and operational technology and emerging threats. To test the model, CESER facilitated nine pilot assessments performed by oil, electricity and natural gas organizations.

C2MC Version 2.1 includes several modifications, including the addition of a cybersecurity architecture domain focused on designing, planning and overseeing the cybersecurity control environment and incorporation of information sharing domain activities into situational awareness and threat and vulnerability management domains.

The C2MC refresh included two phases that led to updates to the model to address zero trust and other cyber approaches; ransomware, supply chain risks and other threats; and tech advancements such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cloud.

The updated model comes with free PDF- and HTML-based tools meant to help organizations conduct self-evaluation.

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Investment Sector Veteran Mike Gerber Named FRTIB Chair
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Investment Sector Veteran Mike Gerber Named FRTIB Chair

President Biden appointed Mike Gerber, a partner at asset management firm FS Investments, as the new chair of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board.

Gerber replaced David Jones, who served as acting chairman of the government agency responsible for administering the Thrift Savings Plan in the past two years, FRTIB said Thursday.

The Senate confirmed Gerber on June 9 to serve on the board for two terms, with the first expiring in September and the second ending in September 2026.

He previously served as a trustee of Pennsylvania’s State Employees’ Retirement System and is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Gerber also holds an adviser role at Intrinsic Capital Partners, a life sciences and technology investment firm he also co-founded, and a board seat at the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.

He worked for the law firm now known as Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath earlier in his career.

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Latest GMU Center for Government Contracting Paper Discusses AI, Predictive Maintenance Military Usage; GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn Quoted
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Latest GMU Center for Government Contracting Paper Discusses AI, Predictive Maintenance Military Usage; GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn Quoted

GovCon Expert Jerry McGinn, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, has revealed the publication of the newest white paper from George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting.

Entitled, “Don’t Get Ahead of the Data: Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Maintenance in United States Department of Defense,” the study explores the advantages and adjustments that come with applying AI technologies in military settings, McGinn explained in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday.

“The trajectory is promising, but the complexity and heterogeneity of maintenance data and numerous other factors make it clear that the utilization of AI/ML techniques in this area requires continued iteration and user feedback,” GovCon Expert McGinn elaborated.

Alongside McGinn, the white paper was co-authored by GMU CGC Senior Fellows Benjamin McMartin and Richard Beutel. McMartin is also a managing partner at Public Spend Forum and Beutel is a managing principal and founder of government market strategy and legislative advisory firm Cyrrus Analytics.

In the paper, McMartin, Beutel and McGinn detail how improved data sets, refined algorithms and strengthened tools have caused predictive maintenance strategies to blossom. The authors additionally put forward their suggestions on data, metrics, prioritization and establishing faith in maintenance systems, aiming to help the DOD achieve their implementation goals.

You can read the white paper here and, if interested, register for a webinar on the subject occurring July 14, hosted by McGinn and special guests.

The predictive maintenance-focused white paper follows the May publication of the GMU CGC’s last white paper edition, which discussed responsible approaches to artificial intelligence-based data licensing.

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Curtiss-Wright Adds Aircraft Emergency System Capabilities to Arsenal with Safran Aerosystems Buy
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Curtiss-Wright Adds Aircraft Emergency System Capabilities to Arsenal with Safran Aerosystems Buy

Curtiss-Wright Corporation has finalized its $240 million, all-cash purchase of fixed-wing aircraft emergency system manufacturer Safran Aerosystems Arresting Company.

The acquisition is positioned to expand the market reach of Curtiss-Wright’s services, given that SAA conducts the majority of its business internationally, including to many NATO allies, the Davidson, North Carolina-headquartered company said Tuesday.

Lynn Bamford, CEO and president of Curtiss-Wright, shared that the buy bolsters the company’s ability to meet defense clients’ needs for the maintenance of equipment such as the F-35 and said SAA’s offerings are “a logical extension to our existing helicopter landing and recovery systems.”

“SAA’s critical safety systems have a strong alignment to our strategic priorities,” Bamford, who is a previous recipient of the Wash100 Award, concluded.

With over 5,000 systems produced for customers in over 70 countries, SAA brings an established track record of global sales to Curtiss-Wright. The former company is also historically significant for its development of the premier aircraft arresting system in 1960. In addition to this technology, SAA’s team furnishes aircrafts with energy absorbers, retractable hook cable systems and net-stanchion systems, as well as mobile systems for aircraft carriers.

Through the acquisition, Curtiss-Wright is gaining SAA’s staff of almost 140 and production facilities in Aston, Pennsylvania and Merpins, France. It will be absorbed by Curtiss-Wright’s Naval & Power business arm and is aimed to ameliorate revenue — SAA’s 2021 sales amounted to around $70 million and its accretive addition to Curtiss-Wright’s adjusted diluted earnings per share is expected to result in a free cash flow conversion rate that exceeds 100 percent.

The completion of the SAA acquisition follows Curtiss-Wright’s appointment of Bamford to chair its board in May, succeeding David Adams.

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US to Provide $820M in Additional Military Aid to Ukraine; Antony Blinken Quoted
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US to Provide $820M in Additional Military Aid to Ukraine; Antony Blinken Quoted

The U.S. government will provide an additional $820 million in military assistance to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

J. Todd Breasseale, deputy assistant to the secretary for public affairs at DOD, said in an announcement published Friday the latest security assistance package includes $50 million in assistance through the use of a presidential drawdown authority and $770 million in funds from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

The assistance is the fourteenth drawdown of military equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories and consists of additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

The Pentagon will also procure two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, up to 150,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition and four additional counter-artillery radars through the USAI program.

The additional funds bring the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to approximately $7.6 billion since the beginning of the Biden administration.

Antony Blinken, secretary of the State Department and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said in a separate announcement that the U.S. government continues to stand by the Ukraine government and its citizens to maintain their independence, security and territorial integrity.

“Our commitment to the Ukrainian people will not waver, and we will continue to stand united with Ukraine,” Blinken added.

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Office of Naval Research Taps Nakupuna for Award Management System Maintenance Support
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Office of Naval Research Taps Nakupuna for Award Management System Maintenance Support

Nakupuna Solutions has secured a seven-year, $24 million contract to help the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research maintain a computer system for managing awards given to universities and nonprofit organizations.

The company will administer payments, review purchasing methods and support indirect cost negotiations for ONR through the Contract/Grant Award Management Information System, the Department of Defense said Friday.

CAMIS is designed to help the ONR University Business Affairs monitor the spending of grant funds and also supports tracking of other awards delegated by DOD from issuance to the closeout process.

The first task order under the sole-source, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract is valued at $3.1 million.

Nakupuna Solutions is a Native Hawaiian Organization-owned small business that offers management consulting, business analytics and IT system design services to the government sector.

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Vectrus, Vertex Company Complete Merger to Form Global Mission Services Company V2X; CEO Chuck Prow Quoted
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Vectrus, Vertex Company Complete Merger to Form Global Mission Services Company V2X; CEO Chuck Prow Quoted

Vectrus has closed its transaction to merge with fellow defense and aerospace contractor the Vertex Company, together forming the new company V2X Inc.

The business combination is intended to yield an enterprise offering wide-ranging national security and technology modernization services to defense, civilian and international customers, the newly formed organization said Tuesday.

“We created a company with the scale and ability to compete for large integrated business opportunities by providing full life-cycle support across the converged environment,” commented Chuck Prow, the former CEO of Vectrus and eight-time Wash100 Award winner who is now CEO of V2X.

The converged environment Prow mentions is an element carried over from Vectrus that was introduced earlier this year. The concept aims to offer a unified physical and digital approach to address U.S. Department of Defense technological and operational needs. V2X’s team will perform services in operations and logistics, aerospace, training and technology.

The 11-member board of directors of V2X are populated by six Vectrus-appointed figures and five Vertex-assigned executives. Melvin Parker, Eric Pillmore, Chuck Prow, Stephen Waechter, Phillip Widman and Chairman Mary Howell are Vectrus’ instatements, while Vertex elected Ed Boyington, Dino Cusumano, Lee Evangelakos, Joel Rotroff and Neil Snyder.

V2X will inherit responsibilities such as the $250 million task order from the U.S. Army awarded to Vectrus for logistics support in February. Work under the contract will potentially extend through December 2026.

As a result of the merger’s finalization, prior Vertex stockholders now retain about 62 percent of V2X and past Vectrus investors own approximately 38 percent of the new company’s common stock. The transaction’s close moved 18.6 million shares of Vectrus common stock to Vertex shareholders. V2X’s stock will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “VVX,” effective July 8.

Vectrus was financially advised by Goldman Sachs & Co., with additional advisement by Ernst & Young and Wolf Den Associates, while Vertex received financial appraisal from RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Evercore, with additional advisement from Fairmont Consulting Group.

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Robert Costello: CISA Poised to Secure Procurement Authority
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Robert Costello: CISA Poised to Secure Procurement Authority

Robert Costello, chief information officer at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said CISA’s component acquisition executive is set to receive its initial procurement authority in early July and that the agency will operate with its own contract specialists, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“There’s a lot of work to do internally just on our own identity and culture,” Costello said. “Now we’re a component of equal rank to [the Transportation Security Administration] or CBP, so we’re developing our own culture here as well.”

According to CISA’s website, David Patrick, the agency’s chief acquisition executive, oversees the realignment of CISA’s procurement and acquisition initiatives and the transformation of the office of chief acquisition executive.

Budget documents indicate that CISA is seeking $6.2 million in funds for fiscal year 2023 to hire 50 personnel to form a procurement team within the office of the chief acquisition executive.

The new team will work with other CISA programs and divisions to help streamline procurement planning and implementation and identify and use existing contractual methodologies to meet the needs of end users, according to justification documents.

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Department of the Navy Holds Tabletop Exercise for Reducing Threat of Climate Change
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Department of the Navy Holds Tabletop Exercise for Reducing Threat of Climate Change

The Department of the Navy has conducted a tabletop exercise to prepare military and industry partners for the implementation of the recently released climate strategy.

DON said Wednesday war game experts at the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab created the scenario used in the Climate Tabletop Exercise held at Marine Barracks Washington to evaluate climate change impacts on warfighter readiness.

The scenario was sent in October 2030 when a typhoon disrupts an amphibious exercise between the Navy and a partner nation in the Western Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.

Representatives from the Department of Defense, Congress, federal agencies, think tanks, private companies and non-governmental organizations participated in the tabletop exercise to examine how to put the Climate Action 2030 into action.

The strategy, which was unveiled in May, is aimed at building a climate-ready force by reducing the threat of climate change on mission, readiness and warfighting capacity.

“The Navy and Marine Corps must address climate change in our readiness and operations in order to maintain every advantage to fight and win,” said Meredith Berger, assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations and environment.

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