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Johns Hopkins-led NASA Science Center to Continue Work on Solar Storm Model
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Johns Hopkins-led NASA Science Center to Continue Work on Solar Storm Model

NASA has extended the operations of the Center for Geospace Storms by five more years to complete a computer model that can provide a better understanding of space weather and physics.

Johns Hopkins University‘s Applied Physics Laboratory, CGS lead, said Wednesday work will continue on the Multiscale Atmosphere-Geospace Environment system that is expected to accurately simulate solar storms in the geospace.

With MAGE, APL researchers and colleagues across the U.S. are aiming at achieving an unprecedented feat of combining models of Earth’s magnetosphere, ionosphere and upper and lower atmosphere to help predict space weather events that could disrupt operations both in orbit and on the ground.

The system has already provided new insights into geospace physics that include the string of pearls phenomenon involving auroras.

“MAGE is bringing a capability that we haven’t seen in the community before: the ability to get down to smaller-scale features and help place them in a global context,” explained Mike Wilterberger, deputy director of CGS.

The five-year extension of CGS operations represents Phase II of the NASA Diversity, Realize, Integrate, Venture, Educate Science Center initiative.

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New Savannah River Center to Focus on Secure Nuclear Energy, Nonproliferation
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New Savannah River Center to Focus on Secure Nuclear Energy, Nonproliferation

The Department of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory has launched a new facility in South Carolina focused on aligning the advancement of nuclear energy with weapons nonproliferation efforts.

The Nonproliferation Applied Sciences Center will gather scientists, engineers and policy experts to research and develop security technologies that can safeguard nuclear materials used as an energy resource, SRNL said Wednesday.

Tammy Taylor, an SRNL associate laboratory director and NASC’s initial chief, explained that the center will “build on the reality that nuclear, as a form of clean energy, requires modern nuclear material security solutions; and be an innovation and collaboration hub for advancing new approaches and solutions to safeguarding nuclear materials.”

Among the center’s goals are advancing radiation detection and validation testing methods, developing capabilities for nuclear-related manufacturing, modernizing nuclear security technologies, and developing ways for the disposal of weapons-usable nuclear materials.

SRNL plans to select a permanent director for NASC in 2022.

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SAIC to Maintain IT Collaboration with County of Orange, California Under $64M Contract Extension; President Bob Genter Quoted
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SAIC to Maintain IT Collaboration with County of Orange, California Under $64M Contract Extension; President Bob Genter Quoted

Science Applications International Corporation has earned a potential four-year, $64 million contract extension from the County of Orange, California for information technology services.

The firm-fixed-price contract extension continues an eight-year delivery of managed services to various Orange County agencies and departments such as a data center, desktop, service desk and applications, the Reston, Virginia-based company announced Thursday.

Bob Genter, president of SAIC’s defense and civilian sector, remarked that the county’s continued faith in the company’s offerings “is a testament to our success in delivering high-performance IT managed services.”

SAIC will also be expected to aid the county’s networks, voice environment and security operations under the contract extension. The company’s team aims to help conserve financial resources, render the IT procedures more efficient and enhance user experience for citizens.

Genter attested that the county polled residents over the course of their partnership and received overwhelmingly positive marks regarding SAIC’s services.

The work will be carried out mainly in Santa Ana, California over a two-year base period with two subsequent one-year option periods. Their services will reach the County of Orange’s population of three million, whose government is organized into 25 departments and divisions.

SAIC and the county’s partnership will enable the digital operations of the key offices of public safety, public health, environmental protection and regional planning, as well as public assistance, social services and aviation.

The County of Orange acts as a regional service administration and planning agency for the aforementioned task forces.

In March, SAIC landed a potential $20.6 million U.S. Navy task order to strengthen interoperable communications for public safety officials and first responders. The project will entail research, development and testing and evaluation, in addition to documentation, training, workshops and communication planning.

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OMB Urges Agencies to Reduce Paperwork Burdens on Citizens; Sabeel Rahman Quoted
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OMB Urges Agencies to Reduce Paperwork Burdens on Citizens; Sabeel Rahman Quoted

The Office of Management and Budget has released guidance directing federal agencies to reduce administrative burdens that U.S. citizens experience when accessing social welfare programs.

The guidance orders agencies to identify time, financial and psychological costs imposed on people when applying for a benefits program and instructs them to design reforms to solve these challenges, Sabeel Rahman, senior counselor to the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday.

“Long forms, long lines, and lots of documents – these are the hurdles that can make it difficult and frustrating for individuals and communities to access government programs and services,” Rahman said.

The memo, signed by Shalanda Young, director of OMB, and Dominic Mancini, deputy administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, cites the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, which mandates agencies to reduce paperwork burdens when the government collects information from the public. 

Rahman said the memo aligns with the Biden administration’s effort to broaden access to public benefits programs and ensure that government services are delivered more equitably.

“As part of this effort, last year OMB submitted a report to the President that made clear how administrative burdens make it harder for communities in need to access critical services and programs – and agencies can do more to fix the problem,” Rahman explained.

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Grant Hagen of HII Discusses Leadership Pillars with Potomac Officers Club
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Grant Hagen of HII Discusses Leadership Pillars with Potomac Officers Club

President of cyber, electronic warfare and space for HII’s Mission Technologies division, Grant Hagen, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club. He discussed some of the most important elements of achieving success, and he shared his advice for keeping up with the rapid rate of change in technology across the federal sector. Hagen is a Project Management Professional who has enjoyed a 25-year career in government contracting.

In this excerpt from his interview, Hagen talks about his leadership strategy and how he works with his team to accomplish HII’s mission goals:

“As a leader, I focus on four key attributes to help drive success. First, I believe it is important to make timely decisions, and if needed, adjust on execution. 

‘Second, I strive for open communications and have an open-door policy with my team. I encourage vigorous discussion and push the team to get straight to the point, focusing on issues that matter versus those that distract from what needs to be accomplished. 

Third, I expect my team to elevate critical news quickly so we can address and mitigate it. Finally, I let employees know what is expected, provide them the authority to execute, and hold them accountable for results.”

Read the full Executive Spotlight interview with HII’s Grant Hagen at PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can learn more about the platform’s membership options.

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Micky Tripathi: ONC’s Network Interoperability Framework to Support Public Health Data Consolidation
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Micky Tripathi: ONC’s Network Interoperability Framework to Support Public Health Data Consolidation

Micky Tripathi, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, expects a new interoperability framework to help federal agencies accumulate and share data across multiple networks, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

Tripathi said at an FCW-hosted virtual event that an upcoming test of the Trusted Exchange Framework and the Common Agreement could include public health networks.

He thinks the departments of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs and Defense could exchange information faster with TEFCA.

His office worked with The Sequoia Project, a nonprofit organization in Virginia, to develop and implement TEFCA for compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act.

The national coordinator for health IT added that the agency aims to drive federal adoption of the framework and agreement to realize multinetwork interoperability.

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Col. Victor Argobright: Navy Program Office Eyes Unmanned Logistics Tech Market
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Col. Victor Argobright: Navy Program Office Eyes Unmanned Logistics Tech Market

The Navy and Marine Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program office has been conducting market research to identify available systems from the commercial sector that can support logistics operations.

Naval Air Systems Command said Wednesday the office, also known as PMA-263, sought information on unmanned logistics platforms in the past few months in a push to accelerate warfighter capability deployment.

“The market is shifting rapidly and we are focused on getting emerging capabilities into the hands of the warfighter,” Col. Victor Argobright, program manager for STUAS, said at a Navy League symposium.

“That may mean shorter procurement intervals and regular evaluation of what is available in the industry.”

PMA-263 is set to conduct an extended user evaluation of a cargo delivery drone for U.S. Marines under the Tactical Resupply UAS effort.

The office also partnered with Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to attract private sector participants to the ship-based Blue Water UAS program and asked for industry input on the availability of a medium system designed to handle more than 300 pounds of cargo while flying at a speed of 55 nautical miles.

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White House Unveils Strategy to Advance In-Space Servicing Capability Development
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White House Unveils Strategy to Advance In-Space Servicing Capability Development

The White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy launched a national strategy that seeks to facilitate collaboration between government agencies and the private sector to advance the development of in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) capabilities, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

The strategy outlines six goals to promote ISAM capability development: advancing research and development related to ISAM; prioritizing the expansion of scalable infrastructure; accelerating the emerging ISAM commercial industry; promoting international collaboration and cooperation; fostering environmental sustainability; and inspiring the future space workforce.

Each of the strategic goals comes with recommended actions. The expansion of a scalable ISAM infrastructure, for instance, calls for the U.S. government to identify and address gaps in ground-based research facilities to back ISAM development and determine commercial space capabilities to implement for use in ground and space demonstration programs.

Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, assistant director for space policy at OSTP, cited the need for a plan to implement the national ISAM strategy. 

“We are looking forward to putting together an implementation plan,” said Uzo-Okoro. “We don’t want a strategy that’s released and forgotten about a week later. We want implementation actions that show we are serious about maturing these capabilities and moving the sector forward.”

The ISAM interagency working group of the White House’s National Science and Technology Council developed the strategy. 

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CISA, FBI, DOE, NSA Issue Advisory on Hackers Targeting Industrial Control Systems, SCADA Devices
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CISA, FBI, DOE, NSA Issue Advisory on Hackers Targeting Industrial Control Systems, SCADA Devices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Energy, National Security Agency and the FBI have released a joint advisory on advanced persistent threat actors targeting industrial control systems and supervisory control and data acquisition devices.

Threat actors secure access to ICS and SCADA devices using custom-made tools that enable them to compromise and control such systems once they have gained access to the operational technology network, according to the advisory published Wednesday.

Using those tools or modules, cyberthreat actors can carry out reconnaissance on devices, alter device parameters and upload malicious code to targeted systems.

APT actors can target Windows-based engineering workstations using a tool that can undermine an ASRock motherboard driver with known cyber vulnerabilities.

The four agencies recommend several measures to protect ICS and SCADA devices from such threats, including the enforcement of multifactor authentication, development of a cyber incident response plan, adoption of a continuous monitoring platform for OT and implementation of a robust log collection and retention from ICS/SCADA systems and management subnets.

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Pentagon Announces $800M in Additional Security Assistance to Ukraine
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Pentagon Announces $800M in Additional Security Assistance to Ukraine

The Department of Defense announced that the Biden administration authorized an additional $800 million in security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian invasion.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Wednesday that the latest package brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $3.2 billion since the start of the administration and marks the seventh drawdown of military equipment from the department’s inventories for the Eastern European country since August 2021.

Military capabilities in the security assistance package include Howitzers and artillery rounds; AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars; Switchblade tactical unmanned aerial systems; M113 armored personnel carriers; Mi-17 helicopters; unmanned coastal defense vessels; and AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel air surveillance radars.

DOD will also provide armored high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles, optics and laser rangefinders, C-4 explosives and demolition equipment and M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions.

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