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CISA Seeks Chief Information Security Officer
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CISA Seeks Chief Information Security Officer

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security has begun its search for a chief information security officer that will help establish and maintain a data security and risk management program.

The CISO will directly report to CISA’s chief information officer and oversee the agency’s security operations center, security architecture and incident response efforts, according to a USAJobs notice posted Thursday.

Other responsibilities are directing cyber leaders and teams to meet compliance requirements in accordance with CISA’s core values and principles, oversee agency finances and mitigate cybersecurity risks; assisting the CIO and other senior officials at DHS with decision-making and measures related to various data security priorities; and developing incident response and investigation processes and procedures.

CISA is looking for potential candidates with a comprehensive understanding of emerging cyber issues, threat landscape and supply chain risks and have experience in evolving cyber defense capabilities to quickly address changes in the threat landscape.

The agency will accept applications through May 7th.

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Kathleen Hicks Mulls Over Potential Options to Help Startups Navigate DOD Acquisition Process
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Kathleen Hicks Mulls Over Potential Options to Help Startups Navigate DOD Acquisition Process

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary at the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said she was beginning to think about some potential approaches DOD could carry out to help technology startups navigate the “valley of death” and other challenges after hearing some of the issues raised by executives during a roundtable discussion, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

“There will not be government solutions to all of the challenges that the government is facing, with regard to how to kind of manage through that full innovation cycle. That said, I think there’s a lot more that we can do,” she told the publication.

Hicks hinted at making some adjustments to existing incentives to help speed up the acquisition process for startups.

“My view isn’t like, I’m going to magically unlock special secret approaches that haven’t been touched before,” she told reporters. “I think it’s more about how you start to shift the incentives. Are you coming at the right time to solve some of these problems?”

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DLT Solutions Makes Cloud Service Available to Department of Navy Under Licensing Agreement; Mark Johnson Quoted
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DLT Solutions Makes Cloud Service Available to Department of Navy Under Licensing Agreement; Mark Johnson Quoted

Public sector software reseller DLT Solutions has supplemented its licensing agreement from the Department of Navy with a program from Oracle.

The Herndon, Virginia-based company said Monday that it will implement Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in its work under the Oracle II enterprise licensing agreement. The DON intends to migrate some of their applications and content from the data center to the cloud.

“Adding OCI to the Oracle II Enterprise Licensing Agreement provides the DON with a cloud option that increases performance and operational efficiency of traditional and cloud-native applications in a secure and reliable environment,” said DLT Solutions President Chris Wilkinson.

OCI is a hosted environment program through which government users can construct and enact a variety of applications and services. Its features include compute functions and large storage capabilities, along with high-grade security measures built for handling sensitive materials.

The program’s introduction is intended to serve DON needs and mission requirements. Its multi-cloud structure will assist with their elaborate data management and analytics procedures.

Per Oracle Vice President of Federal Cloud Sales Mark Johnson, DLT’s addition of OCI will additionally help “streamline procurement, increase IT asset visibility, and significantly reduce costs for the DON.” Johnson is a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

DLT’s licensing agreement with the DON is beginning its final option year and the contract is worth over $370 million over its whole lifespan. The company is using its own enterprise agreement platform to arrange and negotiate the terms and rollout of the Oracle II enterprise licensing agreement. It is a competitive program that seeks to empower vendors and contract collaborators to maximize revenue and overcome hurdles.

Clearwater, Florida-based information technology distribution company Tech Data Corporation acquired DLT Solutions in October 2019.

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BigBear.ai Adds ProModel Corporation to Its Toolkit; GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers Quoted
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BigBear.ai Adds ProModel Corporation to Its Toolkit; GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers Quoted

Artificial intelligence and cyber engineering company BigBear.ai has purchased predictive analytics software creator ProModel Corporation.

The Columbia, Maryland-based company said Monday that the acquisition aims to strengthen its appeal in commercial markets due to ProModel’s suite of offerings, including the AutoCAD program.

GovCon Expert Reggie Brothers, CEO of BigBear.ai, explained that ProModel’s client base will also now enjoy the benefits of the former company’s “AI-powered decision support technology.”

“ProModel’s solutions uncover new insights to improve quality and efficiency in manufacturing, distribution, and many other industries, making them a great fit for our commercial strategy,” continued GovCon Expert Brothers, who is also a two-time recipient of the Wash100 Award.

The accretive acquisition follows the company’s December 2020 ProModel Government Services buy, which allowed BigBear to bring their modeling and simulation applications to more federal customers. Now, the companies’ combined forces will expand their private sector scope and lend organizations knowledge about supply chains, market behaviors, equipment maintenance, capacity strategy and process efficiency.

All ProModel partners and staff members will join BigBear.ai’s team.

ProModel maintains a relationship with Datech Solutions, their distributor and Autodesk, a popular software provider. These organizations already help to deliver programs such as AutoCAD to over 500,000 enterprises across the globe.

Jeff Dyer, president of the commercial division at BigBear.ai, says ProModel’s ties to Datech and Autodesk in addition to their accessible software, will enable BigBear and ProModel to reach a wide swathe of customers.

Dyer also remarked the partnership will “allow us to unlock critical new insights for predictive maintenance and process optimization, helping customers achieve efficiencies and responsiveness not previously possible.”

It is predicted that through the acquisition, BigBear.ai will gain hundreds of new clients in upwards of 30 countries. This is part of a new push for private sector business now that the company is an established force in the public sector, where U.S. Department of Defense and intelligence agencies have utilized their programs for years.

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IARPA Seeks Info to Characterize Biomanufactured Materials
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IARPA Seeks Info to Characterize Biomanufactured Materials

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity asks the public for information on ways to characterize the functional, structural and synthesis pipelines of biomanufactured materials.

IARPA said Friday it believes new predictive technologies are needed for national security as the industrial role of biomanufacturing increasingly grows and presents both opportunities and challenges.

Biomanufacturing uses a living organism or its components to create a product and presents the flexibility to produce different kinds of materials. According to IARPA, the technology has the potential to replace 60 percent of traditionally derived material inputs and half of industrial chemical feedstocks relevant to U.S. defense by 2050, but also creates openings that can be used to illegally evade intellectual property laws.

The agency posted a request for information on the SAM.gov platform to gather input on databases, metrics, approaches and methods that can characterize these materials.

Interested parties may electronically submit PDF-formatted responses to IARPA through May 06.

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IPEC Reports Biden Admin’s Approach to Protecting US Intellectual Property
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IPEC Reports Biden Admin’s Approach to Protecting US Intellectual Property

The Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator has provided an overview of the Biden administration’s intellectual property enforcement strategy during fiscal year 2021 in its annual report to Congress.

IPEC detailed the policies enforced across the federal government to defend the U.S. intellectual property against adversarial threats, the White House said Friday.

Specifically, the report tackled coordinated efforts of the departments of Commerce, Defense, Agriculture, Homeland Security, State, Health and Human Services and Treasury, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Copyright Office.

Among the programs highlighted in the report are the IP training initiative of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service that educates scientists on insider threats and export controls reviews and the Commercial Law Development Program of the Commerce Department that aims to help enhance protection of intellectual property rights in foreign countries.

The report also discussed the Pentagon’s Protecting Critical Technology Task Force established in 2018 to protect the defense industrial base and assess foreign investment and acquisition risks.

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Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson Assigned to Lead AF Materiel Command
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Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson Assigned to Lead AF Materiel Command

Lt. Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, military deputy at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, has been appointed to lead Air Force Materiel Command.

Richardson will also receive a promotion to general and be assigned at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to command AFMC, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.

He oversees research, development, testing and modernization activities valued at over $60 billion yearly in his current role. The U.S. Air Force officer joined the service in 1983 to serve as an avionics technician and later on underwent officer training.

His military career includes materiel-related assignments for the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center and U.S. Special Operations Command.

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BAE Suppliers Discuss Combat Vehicle Opportunities at Virtual Event
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BAE Suppliers Discuss Combat Vehicle Opportunities at Virtual Event

Over 400 suppliers from the U.S. industrial base discussed their challenges and opportunities with regard to combat vehicle production in a virtual conference hosted by BAE Systems.

The event tackled opportunities that BAE’s combat vehicle supplier base can pursue with customers from the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and was attended also by congressional representatives, the company said Friday.

Approximately 1,000 suppliers from 45 states compose BAE’s U.S. industrial base for combat vehicle production.

“The work being done by the folks that make up our defense industrial base is critical to our national security,” said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

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Patent Lawyer Kathi Vidal Confirmed USPTO Director
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Patent Lawyer Kathi Vidal Confirmed USPTO Director

Kathi Vidal, a managing partner in the Silicon Valley office of law firm Winston & Strawn, was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote Tuesday to become director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property.

President Joe Biden nominated Vidal to head USPTO in October 2021 and the White House described her as “one of the leading intellectual property lawyers in the country.”

She is known for handling high-profile patent cases that involved complex technology, such such as semiconductors and medical devices, and spent 25 years in private practice as an IP litigator.

“I have seen our intellectual property system at its best: incentivizing research and development that leads to new technologies and improvements to existing technology,” Vidal told senators at a hearing.

“I have also seen that we can do better—that we can work together to build an intellectual property system that is more predictable, reliable and transparent.”

She worked for General Electric and Lockheed Martin as an engineer before joining the legal sector.

Vidal will replace Drew Hirshfeld, who has been performing the duties of commerce undersecretary for IP and USPTO director since 2021.

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Air Force’s Unfunded Priorities List Includes $921M for 7 More F-35s
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Air Force’s Unfunded Priorities List Includes $921M for 7 More F-35s

The U.S. Air Force submitted to Congress its unfunded priorities list worth $4.6 billion, including $921 million for seven additional F-35 fighter jets, Air Force Magazine reported Friday.

The service requested to procure 33 F-35s in its fiscal year 2023 proposed budget, down from a total of 48 aircraft units it bought in FY 2022 and down from 60 jets in FY 2021.

“The Air Force unfunded list would add just seven F-35 jets, less than half of what’s needed to match the 48 requested in each of the past three years,” said Bruce Wright, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and president of the Air & Space Forces Association.

“Indeed, in 2020 and 2021, Congress increased the Air Force request from 48 to 60 and we would urge lawmakers to do the same in 2023,” added Wright.

Other unfunded priorities in the Air Force’s list are weapons systems sustainment, EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft and hypersonic testing with F-15s, F-16s and B-52s.

The Space Force’s FY 2023 unfunded priorities list requested $327 million in funds for classified programs, $200 million for missile warning and missile tracking systems and $112 million for weapons systems sustainment efforts.

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