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White House to Appoint New Chair, Members of Intelligence Advisory Board
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White House to Appoint New Chair, Members of Intelligence Advisory Board

James Winnefeld Jr., a retired U.S. Navy admiral and former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been selected to serve as chairman of the White House’s intelligence advisory board.

Winnefeld is among the four appointees to the advisory board to advise the president on the effectiveness of the U.S. intelligence community to meet the country’s intelligence requirements, the White House said Wednesday.

Janet Napolitano, who served as the secretary of the Department of Jomeland Security from 2009 to 2013, is appointed as a member of the intelligence advisory board.

She joins Gilman Louie, CEO and co-founder of America’s Frontier Fund, and Richard Verma, the general counsel and head of global public policy for Mastercard.

Victor McCrary, vice president for research and graduate programs at the University of the District of Columbia, and Julia Phillips, a materials physicist and former VP and chief technology officer at Sandia, were also appointed as members of the National Science Board, which establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation.

DOD Tells GOP Lawmakers Inflation Affects New Contract Negotiations
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DOD Tells GOP Lawmakers Inflation Affects New Contract Negotiations

Department of Defense Comptroller Mike McCord and three military department secretaries explained their observations on how inflation is affecting DOD programs and contractors in a joint letter to Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.

The missive from McCord and the Air Force, Navy and Army leaders was in response to the two Republican lawmakers’ March 17 request for information about projected and observed consequences of the price increase on DOD’s buying power.

They wrote that inflation uncertainty has a direct impact on new contract negotiations and the department is coordinating with acquisition personnel to establish a mutual understanding between government and industry on when to use contract clauses that allow vendors to request economic price adjustments.

“It is essential that decisions about these clauses be made early enough in the negotiation process so that they can inform subcontract negotiations throughout the supply chain,” the letter states.

Inhofe and Rogers said they believe Pentagon officials need to better understand the challenges the defense industrial base faces and urged the department to take a proactive approach to address inflation’s harmful effects.

“At the very least, they should be collecting necessary data, establishing a governance framework and conducting regular touchpoints with all stakeholders,” the two lawmakers added.

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DARPA Soliciting Proposals for Phases 2 & 3 of Nuclear Thermal Rocket Demo Program; Maj. Nathan Greiner Quoted
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DARPA Soliciting Proposals for Phases 2 & 3 of Nuclear Thermal Rocket Demo Program; Maj. Nathan Greiner Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for the second and third phases of a demonstration program that seeks to design, develop, fabricate and assemble a nuclear thermal rocket engine for spacecraft use.

DARPA said Wednesday that Phases 2 and 3 of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations program will center on the creation of a demonstration system for the nuclear thermal propulsion and its in-space flight test.

The DRACO initiative was launched in an effort to potentially expand the long-duration human spaceflight operations of NASA with the use of a nuclear thermal rocket engine, which is anticipated to provide high thrust-to-weight output and enhanced efficiency.

“Maneuver is more challenging in space due to propulsion system limitations. To maintain technological superiority in space, the United States requires leap-ahead propulsion technology that the DRACO program will provide,” said Maj. Nathan Greiner, program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

The first phase of the program focused on risk reduction activities. Responses to the presolicitation notice are due Aug. 5th.

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White House Seeks to Advance Quantum Information Science With Executive Order, National Security Memo
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White House Seeks to Advance Quantum Information Science With Executive Order, National Security Memo

President Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order and a national security memorandum to advance national programs in quantum information science as part of efforts to maintain the country’s competitive edge in quantum computing.

The EO calls for the establishment of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, which will advise the president and the National Science and Technology Council’s subcommittees on QIS and the economic and security implications of quantum science on the NQI program. The committee will be under the authority of the White House.

The advisory panel should conduct meetings at least twice a year; solicit ideas and information on QIS from the research community, academia, the private sector and other stakeholders; assess the national QIS strategy; and respond to requests from the president and committee’s co-chairs for information, evaluation, analysis or advice with regard to QIS and its applications.

The national security memorandum outlines the Biden administration’s plan to counter the risks posed by quantum computers to U.S. cybersecurity.

The memo will direct federal agencies to advance a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to maximize the scientific and economic benefits of QIS, require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to create a Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography Project at the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and establish requirements for agencies update cryptographic systems.

The document will also ask agencies to come up with comprehensive plans to protect U.S. research and development, intellectual property and other sensitive tech platforms from being acquired by adversaries.

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Commerce Department Announces Creation of National AI Advisory Committee
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Commerce Department Announces Creation of National AI Advisory Committee

The Department of Commerce has unveiled an advisory panel to provide the federal government with insights into matters related to artificial intelligence and complement its work with partners abroad.

The National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee consists of 27 members and is administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the department said Wednesday.

Don Graves, deputy secretary of Commerce, said NAIAC recommendations would help the country come up with a roadmap for inclusive and responsible AI that will help achieve economic equity.

Laurie Locascio, director of NIST and undersecretary of Commerce for standards and technology, introduced the members of the advisory committee during its first meeting.

Miriam Vogel, chair of NAIAC, officially created the law enforcement and AI subcommittee, and joined Vice Chair James Manyika in leading a discussion with panel members over its future activities.

POC - 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

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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Army Directive Clarifies Roles of Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Army Futures Command
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Army Directive Clarifies Roles of Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Army Futures Command

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has signed a directive stating that the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology will now oversee the military branch’s acquisition workforce and research and development efforts, including science and technology initiatives, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The commanding general of Army Futures Command will coordinate with ASA(ALT) on matters related to acquisition and R&D, act as operational architect and capabilities developer for the future Army and be responsible for force development and design and operation of the service’s research laboratories and centers, according to a May 3rd directive.

“AFC assesses and integrates the future operational environment, emerging threats, and technologies to provide warfighters with the concepts and future force designs needed to dominate a future battlefield,” the directive reads.

Ellen Lovett, a spokesperson for the Army, said the directives issued by the service following the creation of AFC “had the unintended consequence of creating ambiguity in long-established acquisition authorities.

“This administrative change eliminates that ambiguity with clearly defined roles consistent with statute, and will better facilitate collaboration in our modernization and equipping enterprise,” said Lovett.

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Booz Allen Sustains Maximum-Rating Appraisals from CMMI; CTO Susan Penfield Quoted
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Booz Allen Sustains Maximum-Rating Appraisals from CMMI; CTO Susan Penfield Quoted

Booz Allen Hamilton’s Digital Solutions arm has once again earned the highest distinctions from the Capability Maturity Model Integration Institute.

The management and information technology consulting firm said Tuesday that its CMMI Services score came in at a maturity level 5 and its CMMI Development score also achieved an ML5 rating, the maximum possible score for either category.

“Maintaining these high maturity ratings identifies us as a market leader that can rapidly deliver high-quality solutions to meet our clients’ missions,” said Susan Penfield, chief technology officer at Booz Allen and a three-time Wash100 Award recipient.

The CMMI Institute measures an organization’s performance in various categories and, in turn, its effectiveness for potential customers. ML5-rated companies are seen as holding a sophisticated understanding of business goals and execution needs. They are also known to possess an ability to reach necessary endpoints and targeted results for their services, hardware and software development and engineering through planned processes.

Businesses with ML5 notoriety are also guaranteed to consistently update and customize their technological capabilities over time. The latest CMMI ratings for Booz Allen puts the organization in the elite group of only a handful of Fortune 500 companies with CMMI Development ML5 distinctions and just one of two Fortune 500 companies with a CMMI Services ML5 valuation.

Penfield added that the ratings will assure current and future clients that Booz Allen will be at the forefront of evolving and innovating their digital portfolios.

The new CMMI appraisals come during a busy year for Booz Allen Hamilton. In March, the company acquired Reston, Virginia-headquartered government services company EverWatch and made a strategic investment in Delafield, Wisconsin-based artificial intelligence company Synthetaic.

These new investments will likely accelerate the firm’s capabilities to deliver and offer the services and development CMMI has praised.

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GovConPay, FCE Partner to Ensure DOL Compliance in Government Contracting Industry; Joe Young Quoted
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GovConPay, FCE Partner to Ensure DOL Compliance in Government Contracting Industry; Joe Young Quoted

GovConPay, a provider of payroll and human resources services to government contractors, has partnered with employee benefits firm FCE Benefit Administrators to help the government contracting sector comply with Department of Labor requirements. 

The partnership comes as DOL expands its enforcement team nationwide by adding 100 investigators to its wage and hour division that supervises the collection of back wages for workers under the Services Contract Act, GovConPay said Tuesday.

Jessica Looman, acting administrator of the DOL Wage and Hour Division, said the department expects to hire more investigators in fiscal year 2022.

“We listened to our clients across the country who are concerned about SCA compliance. With penalties and sanctions becoming more frequent and often substantial, now is the time to put a strategic partner to work for you and your bottom line,” said Joe Young, president of GovConPay.

The partnership will work to provide customized turnkey technology designed to help government contractors ensure compliance with DOL requirements.

Noncompliance with the SCA requirements can lead to fines and penalties. Approximately $230 million in back wages for workers were recovered in fiscal year 2021, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

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QinetiQ Appoints Steve Iwicki to Lead C5ISR Business as EVP; CEO Shawn Purvis Quoted
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QinetiQ Appoints Steve Iwicki to Lead C5ISR Business as EVP; CEO Shawn Purvis Quoted

Steve Iwicki, a military and industry executive specializing in intelligence, has been added to the QinetiQ US team as executive vice president and general manager of its C5ISR business.

Iwicki’s new position will find him boosting QinetiQ’s robotics and sensor services programs and aligning their work to public and private sector needs, the defense technology company said Tuesday.

Shawn Purvis, CEO and president of QinetiQ US and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, shared that she believes Iwicki will be “a tremendous asset” to the company’s expanding profile and said his adjoined military and industry history “will help to enable our position at the forefront of disruptive technology and expand into core areas of cyber and IT modernization.”

The executive brings two decades of experience as a U.S. Army intelligence officer to his new role at QinetQ. He will also apply a facility for strengthening organizational revenue growth and disciplined program execution from his time at Leidos, General Dynamics Information Technology, SOS International and Octo.

The main thrust of Iwicki’s work at the latter companies was delivering C5ISR platforms and strategies; he was responsible for the administration of programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, Dijbouti and various other CENTCOM-, EUCOM- and PACOM-occupied countries.

In addition, Iwicki has overseen business units with $350 million in annual revenue and task-forces of over 1,500 team members. Prior to coming to QinetiQ, he was chief operating officer at Ashburn, Virginia-based technology company VivSoft, which serves public sector clientele.

He is currently president of the National Military Intelligence Foundation and a member of the Industry Advisory Council of American Military University, as well as a published author and frequent spokesperson on defense and intelligence issues for government agencies and media outlets.

“I look forward to working together to build our portfolio of product and service offerings through creative problem solving and team development,” Iwicki commented regarding his new role.

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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Authors New Zero Trust White Paper; Anacomp CEO Tom Cunningham Quoted
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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Authors New Zero Trust White Paper; Anacomp CEO Tom Cunningham Quoted

Chuck Brooks, a highly esteemed cybersecurity leader as well as an influential member of Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Expert program, recently authored a new white paper with Anacomp, to discuss the how federal organizations can meet the guidelines provided by CISA and the DHS in order to implement cybersecurity and zero-trust data-centric strategies. 

GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks, an advisory board member of Anacomp, authored the new white paper in order to address the paradigm shift as a call for an inventory of all assets as foundational to implementing a Zero Trust Architecture. 

“Our new white paper can help organizations prioritize an actionable inventory of critical assets like data,” said Tom Cunningham, Anacomp’s CEO. “Anacomp’s D3 Data Discovery solution can aid organizations by automating identification and mitigation of high-value and high-risk unstructured and structured data before damaging data breaches occur.”

GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Authors New Zero Trust White Paper; Anacomp CEO Tom Cunningham Quoted

However, building Zero Trust in organizations represents a significant challenge due to the technology and training required to combat the growing sophistication of cyberthreats. 

As GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks explains in the latest white paper, planning for Zero Trust must start with a strong risk management framework, including a complete inventory of all assets such as data that is at risk. You can’t protect what you don’t know you have.

Please visit Anacomp.com to download the white paper.

About GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks

Chuck Brooks, the white paper’s author, has extensive expertise serving as a two-time presidential appointee, leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, teaching cybersecurity and risk management at Georgetown University, and authoring dozens of articles on cyber tech and policy for publications such as Forbes, Huffington Post, The Hill, and others. 

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