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Frank Kendall: Air Force’s Plan to Buy 1,763 F-35s Remains Unchanged
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Frank Kendall: Air Force’s Plan to Buy 1,763 F-35s Remains Unchanged

Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 Award winner, said the service still sticks to its plan to purchase a total of 1,763 Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter jets despite its decision to reduce procurement of the aircraft in its fiscal year 2023 budget request, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

“The numbers come back up” after 2023, Kendall said. “We are not changing the goal.” 

The Air Force previously planned to buy 48 F-35s but decided to cut 15 units from its requested FY 2023 budget due to delays in Block 4 software upgrades and the need to reprogram funds to support the “Next Generation Air Dominance” fighter and a new aircraft engine program.

Kendall noted that the service is “15 years into production and we’ll be building F-35s probably another 15 years.”

The Department of Defense originally planned to purchase 94 F-35s but decided to reduce it to 61 aircraft for the coming fiscal year. DOD requested $11 billion in funding to procure 33 F-35s for the Air Force, 13 for the Navy and 15 for the Marine Corps.

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FBI Eyes Cyber Campus in Washington D.C. Suburbs
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FBI Eyes Cyber Campus in Washington D.C. Suburbs

The FBI said it considers establishing a consolidated cyber campus in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., to support its mission and workforce, the Washington Business Journal reported Tuesday.

The bureau said in a statement Tuesday that the FBI headquarters must remain in the downtown D.C. area, citing its proximity to the Department of Justice’s leadership, agency components and the public.

The General Services Administration said it would look for a site to build a federally owned facility in the suburbs to accommodate at least 7,500 employees and maintain a D.C. office for 750 personnel to support FBI’s daily engagements with DOJ, Congress and the White House.

A new search for a new FBI headquarters may be imminent as Congress and the Biden administration recognize the need for a facility to house the bureau’s workforce through the approved budget for fiscal year 2022 and FY 2023 budget request, according to the report.

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Amentum Instates New Leadership Team Following PAE Merger; CEO John Heller Quoted
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Amentum Instates New Leadership Team Following PAE Merger; CEO John Heller Quoted

Amentum has selected its new senior-level executive team, on the heels of the acquisition of defense and government services company PAE in February.

John Heller, the former PAE CEO who was announced as CEO of Amentum later in February, remarked he has “great confidence” in the roster of individuals now at the helm of the company.

“We look forward to working together to integrate the companies and enhance Amentum’s capabilities that support our mission critical customers across defense and intelligence, environment and energy, civilian agencies and technology services,” said Heller, a six-time Wash100 Award winner.

In the transition, Patricia Munchel will assume the position of chief people officer, in which she will lead the enterprise’s talent strategy and talent management efforts in order to enable a diverse workforce of all backgrounds. Munchel will also be in charge of real estate endeavors.

Munchel has been with PAE for seven years as its chief human resources officer. She attended University of Virginia for graduate school and specializes in human capital strategy, labor relations, marketing and communications.

Chico Moline will occupy the role of chief information officer. Moline will be responsible for the company’s transformation strategies, including those outside the bounds of technology, such as environment, health and safety, quality and routine acceleration.

Moline was previously president of national security solutions at PAE for five years. Prior to PAE, he served as vice president and general manager of Harris Corporation as well as senior vice president and general manager of Vectrus. Among his core capabilities are systems engineering, strategy, integration and program management.

Charlie Mathis will remain at Amentum as chief financial officer, a position he assumed in January. In the role, he will lead all finance and accounting, such as financial strategy, finance business operations, financial planning and analysis and more. Previously, he was CFO of SAIC.

Additionally, Amentum General Counsel Stuart Young will maintain his current position. The executive will build on nearly three decades with the company as he advises on a wide range of government contracting subjects such as company litigation, labor and employment law, compliance and export control.

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Army Trials Passive Sensors for Long-Range Strikes During Cyber Quest; Col. Daniel Holland Quoted
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Army Trials Passive Sensors for Long-Range Strikes During Cyber Quest; Col. Daniel Holland Quoted

The U.S. Army tested the capabilities of emerging passive sensor technologies to locate distant targets while undetected for long-range fires during the weeks-long Cyber Quest event at Fort Gordon, Georgia, FedScoop reported Monday.

According to officials, Cyber Quest helped the Army examine the participating capabilities’ performance when used together with traditional strike planning methods such as low-cost aerial sensors and command and control visualization platforms.

Passive sensors, which collect electromagnetic emissions without releasing detectable signatures, are considered a top priority by electronic warfare leaders in achieving the service branch’s modernization goal of striking targets over thousands of miles.

“[We] think this passive sensing where a sensor is sitting there, it’s not emitting, it’s not creating a signature, it’s just quietly listening, is a very attractive way to inform our long-range fires assets,” explained Col. Daniel Holland, Army EW capability manager.

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FCC Adds Russian, Chinese Comms Products to Security Threat List; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Adds Russian, Chinese Comms Products to Security Threat List; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission has added products made by AO Kaspersky Lab, China Telecom and China Mobile International to a list of equipment that may threaten national security.

The update expands an initial list published in March 2021 in line with the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act, FCC said Friday. 

The commission publishes and updates the list to provide awareness about unsafe communications products and services that risk U.S. security.

“Today’s action is the latest in the FCC’s ongoing efforts, as part of the greater whole-of-government approach, to strengthen America’s communications networks against national security threats, including examining the foreign ownership of telecommunications companies providing service in the United States and revoking the authorization to operate where necessary,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, who chairs FCC.

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Sen. Gary Peters Presents Bill to Mitigate Government-Industry Conflicts of Interest
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Sen. Gary Peters Presents Bill to Mitigate Government-Industry Conflicts of Interest

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., has introduced a bill that aims to address conflicts of interest between government-funded projects and commercial business opportunities open to contractors.

The Preventing Organizational Conflicts of Interest in Federal Acquisition Act would impose that federal contractors must disclose their business connections that conflict with a government-contracted task.

The bipartisan bill would also direct federal agencies to evaluate and update procedures used for determining conflicts of interest.

“This bipartisan, commonsense legislation will ensure federal consultants and contractors disclose other parts of their business that conflict with the work they are bidding to perform for the government,” Peters said.

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ManTech’s Justin Bristow on Navigating GovCon Sector, Finding Opportunities for Growth
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ManTech’s Justin Bristow on Navigating GovCon Sector, Finding Opportunities for Growth

Justin Bristow, executive director for ManTech, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to talk about how his time working with the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona has shaped the way he approaches his work today in the private sector across the areas of national and homeland security.

Bristow began as a Border Patrol agent over two decades ago, and he climbed the ranks to chief strategy officer in 2014. In this capacity, Bristow led the technical assistance, regulation development and implementation of the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014. In 2017, Bristow became the second uniformed border patrol agent in the Border Patrol’s history with his appointment as a Director at the National Security Council. 

In this excerpt from the interview, Bristow shares his advice for professionals looking to tap into the government contracting industry:

“It is important to stay focused on learning, continuously seek out new opportunities and take advantage of temporary promotions, training and opportunities for formal education that are offered. In the 22 years following the completion of my undergraduate degree at Rutgers and my Masters degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, I’ve had many new responsibilities, temporary details and assignments. That work experience helped me prepare for passing the PMP exam with ManTech, and I would strongly recommend the PMP for those entering our industry.”

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with ManTech’s Justin Bristow and to learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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L3Harris and Shield Capital Announce Strategic Cooperation; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted
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L3Harris and Shield Capital Announce Strategic Cooperation; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted

L3Harris Technologies has opted to strategically partner with Shield Capital, a venture capital firm, in a mutually beneficial agreement.

The collaboration seeks to propel the development and deployment of new defense and commercial technologies and offer clients quick-acting services, L3Harris said Tuesday.

Christopher E. Kubasik, CEO and vice chair of L3Harris, said the joint venture is prioritizing “customer demands” and attempting to preempt “global threats.”

“Through internal and partnered efforts, we are assessing and pursuing the most meaningful solutions that will impact across domains and deliver compounding effects,” Kubasik, a three-time Wash100 Award winner, continued.

According to Kubasik, members of Shield Capital’s National Security Board will prove helpful to L3Harris’ mission due to their experience in the national security field. This means they will be familiar with anticipating and identifying the adversarial maneuvers the company is trying to counter.

“The Shield Capital team is steeped in knowledge in these complex matters,” Kubasik commented.

The agreement looks to benefit Shield Capital by allowing other organizations under their umbrella to create and implement ascendent technologies and deliver them to customers in the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space sensing and autonomy industries.

Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, highlighted the lack of “typical bureaucracy that inhibits innovation and, ultimately, superiority capabilities” at L3Harris. He noted the company is “uniquely designed” to combat conflict with a mix of commercial and military technical services.

The announcement of the partnership follows L3Harris’ January reorganization of its core businesses from four segments to three: integrated mission systems, space and airborne systems and communication systems.

Earlier this month, the company also released its 2021 sustainability report, detailing its various environmental initiatives and laying out a roadmap for future environmental, social and governance activity.

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Former CISA Official: New Cyber Reporting Rule to Turn Agency to Regulatory Enforcer
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Former CISA Official: New Cyber Reporting Rule to Turn Agency to Regulatory Enforcer

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is set to become a “regulatory enforcer” after receiving legal authority to require cybersecurity incident reports from critical infrastructure entities, a former agency leader told Federal News Network Friday.

Taytana Bolton, CISA’s cyber policy lead from 2017 to 2020, explained that the new reporting rule will push the agency to depart from its previous practice of simply asking for cyber information from its industry partners.

Under an omnibus spending bill signed into law in early March, CISA has 36 months to finalize regulations that would mandate companies to report cyber incidents within three days and disclose ransomware payments within 24 hours

“I think you’ll see a bit of a shift in terms of the way that industry sees CISA and its power and authority,” explained Bolton, policy director for cybersecurity and emerging threats at the R Street Institute.

She suggested the agency take inspiration from the Federal Aviation Administration’s system for accepting confidential cyber reports and sharing related information to the aviation industry, pointing out that such a model focuses less on blaming victim companies and more on collecting data for cybersecurity.

CISA is currently required to release a rulemaking notice relating to the new reporting mandate in two years.

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Kathleen Hicks: FY 2023 Budget Request Positions DOD to Achieve National Defense Strategy
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Kathleen Hicks: FY 2023 Budget Request Positions DOD to Achieve National Defense Strategy

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said the Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal year 2023 aligns with the new National Defense Strategy, which recognizes Russia and China as top national security concerns.

Hicks said the $773 billion defense budget request, an 8.1 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, positions the U.S. military to preserve its competitive advantage against Russia and China and address threats pose by Iran and North Korea, DOD reported Monday.

“Even as we confront Russia’s malign activities, the defense strategy describes how the department will act urgently to sustain and strengthen deterrence with the [Peoples Republic of China] as our most consequential strategic competitor and pacing challenge,” Hicks said.

Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a first-time Wash100 Award winner, accompanied Hicks in unveiling the budget request and said the proposed funding ensures that the U.S. military maintains its lethality and capabilities in the 2030s and beyond.

The Pentagon requests approximately $56.5 billion for air power platforms, more than $40.8 billion for ship construction, $12.6 billion for the modernization of U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat vehicles and $34.4 billion for nuclear weapons upgrades.

DOD also calls for more than $130 billion for research and development projects. Hicks said roughly $16.5 billion of the research and development budget will be allocated to science and technology.

The budget also provides a 4.6 percent pay raise for military and civilian personnel, Hicks said, representing DOD’s largest pay raise in two decades.

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