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Space Officials Stress Partnership Need for Intelligence, Innovation
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Space Officials Stress Partnership Need for Intelligence, Innovation

Insights from four-time Wash100 Award winner U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency director, and first time Wash100 Award winner U.S. Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein served as one of the highlights of the 40th Space Symposium Tuesday. They focused specifically on opportunities and challenges for intelligence community collaboration, USSF said in a statement Wednesday.

Their discussion also covered space industry partnerships, innovation and data, topics which are among the underlying themes of the symposium hosted by the Space Foundation.

Minimizing Duplicative Efforts 

According to Guetlein, opportunities outnumber challenges when it comes to intelligence sharing in the space industry, both military and civil. “It is going to be absolutely imperative to the protection and defense of this nation that we can integrate and network (intelligence) capabilities and seamlessly share data, share situational awareness (and) not duplicate development efforts going forward (to) optimize the utility of our resources,” the USSF official said. 

Guetlein added that some duplicate efforts will be inevitable, in the same way that some duplication will be beneficial. “But what we want to do is reduce and eliminate as much of the duplication as we possibly can to save resources. That comes from a very close partnership between the organizations,” Guetlein remarked.

Success Stories in Partnerships

Sharing the USSF official’s view, NGA’s Whitworth cited the Joint Overhead Persistent-Infrared Center of the NGA, USSF and U.S. Space Command as an example of a successful partnership that eventually became the template for the Joint Mission Management Center. “It really is about ensuring unity and integration,” the NGA official stated.

Partnerships are also at play in USSF innovation, according to Guetlein. He cited collaboration with industry, academia and allied partners on a Unified Data Library and a Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications, and Processing Lab. “Space is too big for any organization to go at it alone, so we are absolutely dependent on our partnerships,” the USSF official stressed.

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Elbridge Colby Confirmed as DOD Under Secretary for Policy
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Elbridge Colby Confirmed as DOD Under Secretary for Policy

The Senate on Tuesday voted 54-45 to confirm Elbridge Colby, a former Department of Defense official, for the position of under secretary of defense for policy.

Colby’s confirmation marks his return to DOD, where he served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The Hill reported that Colby appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March for his confirmation hearing and fielded questions from lawmakers over his stance on various defense policy matters, including his views on Taiwan and NATO.

Elbridge Colby’s Career Background

As deputy assistant secretary at DOD, he was responsible for defense strategy, force development and strategic analysis within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

Prior to joining the Pentagon in 2017, he was the Robert M. Gates Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He also served as a principal analyst and division lead for global strategic affairs at CNA from 2010 through 2013.

Earlier in his career, the Harvard College and Yale Law School graduate served for over five years at DOD, the State Department and within the intelligence community, where he worked on strategic forces, weapons of mass destruction and intelligence reform matters.

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Tulsi Gabbard’s Task Force Seeks to Restore Transparency Within IC
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Tulsi Gabbard’s Task Force Seeks to Restore Transparency Within IC

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has established a new task force to help rebuild trust and restore accountability and transparency within the U.S. intelligence community.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Tuesday the newly formed Director’s Initiatives Group, or DIG, has begun executing tasks in compliance with President Donald Trump’s intelligence-related executive orders and presidential actions.

What Is the Director’s Initiatives Group Doing?

Under Gabbard’s direction, DIG is assessing IC’s structure, resources and personnel to eliminate wasteful spending and enhance efficiency.

The task force is also reviewing documents for potential declassification, including information related to the origin of COVID-19, Anomalous Health Incidents and Crossfire Hurricane.

“We are already identifying wasteful spending in real time, streamlining outdated processes, reviewing documents for declassification, and leading ongoing efforts to root out abuses of power and politicization,” said Gabbard.

“We are committed to executing the President’s vision and focusing the Intelligence Community on its core mission: ensuring our security by providing the President and policymakers with timely, apolitical, objective, relevant intelligence to inform their decision-making to ensure the safety, security and freedom of the American people,” she added.

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GAO Tasks DOD to Develop CJADC2 Framework
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GAO Tasks DOD to Develop CJADC2 Framework

The Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Defense to establish a comprehensive framework for its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control warfighting concept. In its new report published Tuesday, the congressional watchdog warned that, without establishing measurable goals and methods to assess progress, efforts to achieve CJADC2 will be slow and inefficient.

Potential CJADC2 Challenges

The CJADC2 concept is designed to coordinate U.S. and partner assets across space, air, land, sea and cyber domains. It is expected to enhance command and control and enable decision-makers to access and share critical data.

GAO pointed out that DOD previously attempted to guide CJADC2 efforts, but has yet to come up with a framework to guide investments.

According to the watchdog, DOD is also not sharing lessons learned from experiments among relevant parties, which could lead to duplicative efforts and may also slow down progress. GAO noted that the Pentagon’s over-classification of data is hindering data-sharing.

Moreover, the Defense Department does not have an entity working on the challenges identified in the report. CJADC2 leaders told GAO that the aforementioned issues are “beyond their purview.” 

How to Improve CJADC2?

The report provides three recommendations to DOD. 

First, GAO tasked the secretary of defense to develop a framework for CJADC2 that would guide investments and measure progress. The second recommendation calls for a mechanism for sharing CJADC2 lessons learned. Finally, the report encourages DOD to identify and address key challenges keeping the department from achieving its CJADC2 goals. 

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Army Launches Competition to Identify New Unmanned System Tech
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Army Launches Competition to Identify New Unmanned System Tech

The U.S. Army xTech Program has launched the xTechOverwatch competition to identify new technologies for advanced autonomous unmanned systems.

The competition aims to address critical military requirements through collaboration with small businesses capable of developing artificial intelligence and sensor technologies, the Army said Tuesday. Cash prizes of up to $35,000 and potential contract awards from the Army Small Business Innovation Research program await the participants.

Searching for Innovative Military Tech

Under the initiative, the Army Futures Command and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology seek innovative capabilities for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles and sensor networks. The competition will select 40 finalists, which will each receive a $15,000 cash prize and a chance to demonstrate their prototype technologies at the Army Human Machine Integration Summit in October.

From the pool of exhibitors, the Army will choose up to 20 winners, awarding each a $20,000 cash prize and providing the opportunity to submit proposals through the Army SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer program. The submissions could win up to $40 million in funding to help the businesses advance their prototypes to practical applications.

Interested U.S.-based businesses can submit their concept white papers from April 2 through May 21. The documents should detail the vendors’ technology alignments and their unique proposals’ advantages, technical approaches and commercial potential.

POC - 2025 Army Summit

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s Army Summit on June 18 to join the discussions on the service’s urgent priorities and challenges. Register now to participate in the important event!

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Rep. Ogles-led Bill to Address Chinese Cyberthreats
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Rep. Ogles-led Bill to Address Chinese Cyberthreats

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., and Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Chairman Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., have reintroduced legislation to address China-backed cyberattacks.

Enhancing Cybersecurity Against China-Backed Threats

The Committee on Homeland Security said Tuesday the “Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act” mandates the federal government to evaluate and neutralize the growing cyberthreats to crucial infrastructure coming from China, possibly with the involvement of the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP.

Laurel Lee, R-Fla., who initially introduced the bill, joins the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenar, R-Mich., as cosponsors of the bill.

In a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month, Green and Garbarino signified their concerns regarding the government’s handling of the widespread cyberattacks by alleged CPP-backed groups Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, which are considered advanced, persistent threat actors.

“The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest foreign adversary we face and Beijing continues to use cyberspace as a battlefield on which to undermine American sovereignty and interests,” said Ogles. “In the wake of attacks by CCP-backed actors against our critical infrastructure and even their intrusions into the campaign communications of President Trump and Vice President Vance, we must ensure the government is coordinating effectively to make sure this never happens again,” he added.

“I fear the recent ‘Typhoon’ intrusions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the CCP’s espionage and pre-positioning in our infrastructure. With new threats mounting every day, our response must be a coordinated, whole-of-government effort,” stated Green.

“This legislation directs a focused, interagency response to identify, assess and disrupt these persistent threats,” said Garbarino.

The Potomac Officers Club presents the 2025 Cyber Summit. Register now and learn what’s new in the GovCon cybersecurity world.

Rep. Ogles-led Bill to Address Chinese Cyberthreats
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NOAA’s GOES-19 Satellite Is Officially Operational
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NOAA’s GOES-19 Satellite Is Officially Operational

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that its GOES-19 satellite is officially operational as GOES East.

The agency said Monday GOES-19, the final GOES-R series satellite launched in June 2024, is now the primary geostationary satellite for the Western Hemisphere. It replaces GOES-16, situated 22,236 miles above the equator at 75.2 degrees west longitude. 

What Are the Main Functions of GOES-19?

GOES-19 will monitor hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean. It will also track environmental events such as extreme weather conditions, atmospheric rivers, volcanic eruptions and wildfires affecting the contiguous U.S. The satellite will provide data such as high-resolution visible and infrared images, atmospheric measurements and real-time detection of lightning activity to support weather forecasters, emergency managers and first responders. The data gathered by GOES-19 will also help the aviation and shipping industries.

Furthermore, GOES-19 will also observe the sun using advanced instruments, including the compact coronagraph, the first iteration of which has been dubbed CCOR-1. The CCOR-1 is capable of identifying and analyzing coronal mass ejections that can cause geomagnetic storms, auroras and disruptions to technology. Data gathered by the CCOR-1 will be used to determine potential geomagnetic storms, enabling NOAA to issue warnings early.

With the deployment of GOES-19, all GOES-R satellites are now in orbit and operational. As GOES East, the satellite will work with GOES-18, or GOES West, in tracking the weather over half of the planet. GOES-16 will serve as a backup for NOAA’s operational geostationary constellation.

“With GOES-19 now in operation, NOAA has delivered the full fleet of GOES-R satellites to orbit, providing the most sophisticated technology ever flown in space to help forecast weather on Earth,” said Stephen Volz, assistant administrator for NOAA’s satellite and information service.

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Space Force’s Orbital Watch Opens UCI Sharing With Industry
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Space Force’s Orbital Watch Opens UCI Sharing With Industry

A new platform under the Front Door office within the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command will streamline the two-way flow of unclassified information, or UCI, with the commercial space sector on threats deemed critical to USSF operations. 

Called Orbital Watch, the initiative will tap Front Door’s “vast ties to industry” as a conduit for threat information dissemination, Col. Richard Kniseley, senior materiel leader of SSC’s Commercial Space Office, said in the command’s Tuesday announcement of the program.

“This initiative is in direct alignment with the DOD Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the USSF Commercial Space Strategy, as well as congressional guidance,” the SSC official noted further.

SSC’s Phased-In Implementation Approach

Front Office is activating Orbital Watch in stages, with its initial beta phase aimed at providing industry with quarterly UCI assessments of risks evolving within the space domain. In its full operational capability phase, the platform will create a “Commercial Portal” to enable a secure two-way threat information-sharing between government and the commercial space sector.

To launch the platform, Front Door recently released to more than 900 commercial space services providers an unclassified threat fact sheet prepared by Headquarters Space Force Intelligence, SSC said.

“Front Door is the USSF organization with the technological capability and authority to disseminate unclassified threat information to a growing catalog of commercial space providers in a timely and organized manner,” noted Victor Vigliotti, SSC Front Door director.

IC, Pentagon Partners

Orbital Watch is being undertaken in cooperation with the intelligence community and the Pentagon’s Space Policy office, according to a Breaking Defense report. Interest from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence triggered the establishment of Orbital Watch, Kniseley also told Breaking Defense.

Front Door was established in October 2022 to facilitate SSC’s industry engagement through a team of personnel that can respond to inquiries of companies seeking to do business with the service branch.

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DOGE Efforts Promise GovCon Digital Transformation Opportunities
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DOGE Efforts Promise GovCon Digital Transformation Opportunities

The federal government’s consolidation or termination of what it deems unproductive digital transformation efforts promises to create business opportunities for government contractors, according to a three-time Wash100 Award winner.

Jerry McGinn, George Mason University Center for Government Contracting executive director, told ExecutiveGov on Wednesday that despite the cancellation or consolidation of certain programs, these IT modernization goals will not go away. These business opportunities, he said, focusing on using AI and more commercial approaches to IT modernization, will have to be competed in the next year in order to have an impact during the second President Donald Trump administration.

“This administration has an agenda, they have been looking for ways to cut personnel and cut what they call unproductive contracts,” McGinn said. “But they’re going to want to invest in areas they are focusing on.”

Be the first to learn about these digital transformation business opportunities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Hear from top federal IT executives and industry experts about how you can capitalize on the federal government’s $80 billion in IT spending. Sign up today!

Overlapping IT Procurement Authorities

The original January 20 executive order that created the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, specifically chartered the organization to modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. The White House wasted little time targeting overlapping procurement authorities in the procurement of IT within the federal government. Trump on March 20 issued an executive order designating the head of the General Services Administration as the executive agent for all government-wide acquisition contracts for IT within 30 days.

DOD on March 20 cancelled a human resources IT program that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deemed not a good use of taxpayer funds. A software development program for the Defense Civilian Human Resources Management System, or DCHRMS, was intended to streamline a significant portion of DOD’s legacy human resources program.

But DOD said the program, which started in 2018 and was supposed to take one year to develop at a cost of $36 million, was now nearly eight years behind schedule and $280 million over budget, an increase of 509 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars.

Why Is DOGE Targeting IT?

McGinn said DOGE is targeting IT procurement because of the federal government’s “big, big” business acquiring IT services. Government contractors who want to succeed in this new era of program cutting and consolidation, he said, need to be very attuned to the priorities of the Trump administration. Companies must also position and tailor their offerings and solutions to best address the administration’s priorities.

Take advantage of the opportunity to learn straight from DOD digital transformation leaders about their procurement priorities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Learn how to best position your firm ahead of competitors and gain market share in an unprecedented procurement landscape. Don’t miss out!

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Telos Opens 10 New TSA PreCheck Enrollment Locations
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Telos Opens 10 New TSA PreCheck Enrollment Locations

Telos has opened 10 new sites in eight states for the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program, bringing the total number of the program’s enrollment centers across the U.S. to 243.

The Ashburn, Virginia-based company said the new locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Maryland, Louisiana, Oregon and Washington started offering enrollment and renewal services on Monday.

“Telos is proud to bring TSA PreCheck to your neighborhood for an easy, convenient enrollment experience,” said John Wood, CEO and chairman of Telos. “Adding these new locations in California, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon and Washington expands TSA PreCheck enrollment access to more travelers.”

What Is the TSA PreCheck Program?

Launched in 2013, TSA PreCheck is a Trusted Traveler program of the Department of Homeland Security designed to expedite airport security screening for enrolled travelers. Enrolled passengers can get through security checkpoints without being required to remove their shoes, belts and light jackets. They can also keep their electronic devices and 3-1-1 compliant liquids in carry-on bags.

There are more than 20 million active members in the TSA PreCheck program, which has lanes at over 200 airports in the U.S. More than 90 airlines participate in the initiative.

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