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Nikolai Joseph: NASA Looks at Viability of Space-Based Solar Power
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Nikolai Joseph: NASA Looks at Viability of Space-Based Solar Power

Nikolai Joseph, policy analyst at NASA’s office of technology, policy and strategy, said the agency is reevaluating the feasibility of space-based solar power through a short-term study, SpaceNews reported Saturday.

“As the technology has evolved, the feasibility of the system has changed over time,” Joseph said Friday at a conference. “This study is going to assess the degree to which NASA should support space-based solar power.”

The study will reevaluate previous concepts for gathering space-based solar energy for conversion to electricity on the ground.

Joseph said lower launch costs and advances in electronics, thermal systems and other technical areas prompted the space agency to reassess the viability of SBSP.

“The elephant in the room is launch costs, and launch has become significantly more accessible. That completely changes the way we look at this,” he stated.

Joseph noted that the agency plans to complete and present the study, which will also look at public perception of SBSP, in September at the International Astronautical Congress in Paris.

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CGI Promotes François Boulanger to COO, Steve Perron Becomes CFO; George Schindler Quoted
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CGI Promotes François Boulanger to COO, Steve Perron Becomes CFO; George Schindler Quoted

CGI has elevated two of its longest serving, high-profile executives, François Boulanger and Steve Perron, to new senior-level positions.

Boulanger will be president and chief operating officer and Perron will be executive vice president and chief financial officer, the Montreal, Quebec-headquartered information technology consulting firm said Friday. The pair of promotions are effective October 1.

“The appointments of François and Steve to these new roles reflect their deep understanding of CGI’s business and the IT services industry,” said George Schindler, CEO and president of CGI.

Boulanger has been with the company for 24 years. He has held positions such as VP and controller, leader of corporate accounting and shared services, before assuming his current role of EVP and chief financial officer of CGI eight years ago. Boulanger had a hand in establishing the company’s financial management environment and oversaw the integration of organizations that have merged with the firm over the years.

Prior to joining CGI, he worked for Deloitte as well as IT service companies Alex Informatique and SHLSystem House.

As COO, Boulanger will be responsible for CGI’s activities in North American commercial and state government business, Asia Pacific-based global delivery centers of excellence and global IP services. Schindler attests that the executive’s track record of nurturing global business for the company will bolster its capturing of new deals in both North America and internationally.

Perron has spent 23 years with CGI, climbing the ranks in various finance roles, including vice president of taxation, VP of corporate accounting and taxation and SVP of finance and treasury. His most recent role prior to his promotion was SVP and corporate controller.

As CFO, Perron will handle all of the firm’s financial portfolio and lead the staff that carefully maintains the company’s bookkeeping on a global scale. He will report directly to Schindler, who praised the executive as “a consummate ambassador.”

Schindler also lauded Perron as an unwavering steward of CGI’s financial performance.

Boulanger and Perron’s new appointments follow environmental consultant and atmospheric scientist Mark Flugge’s hire as sustainability and climate change lead at CGI’s federal government subsidiary in March.

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Nathan Jones: TaxBit Platforms Poised to Assist with Navigating Digital Currency Regulations
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Nathan Jones: TaxBit Platforms Poised to Assist with Navigating Digital Currency Regulations

Cryptocurrency exchanges totaling more than 500 are now obliged to be submitted as investors’ income to the Internal Revenue Service for the 2023 tax season as the result of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, according to Nathan Jones, senior vice president and general manager of the public sector division of TaxBit.

“To help ease the transition, the IRS has contracted with TaxBit, the crypto tax leader, as they try to make sense of America’s crypto tax collection. TaxBit is concentrating on catering to crypto enterprises first of all,” Jones commented.

TaxBit is a company that intends to ameliorate questions and doubts surrounding taxes and accounting about the growing digital economy through its software services.

Its platforms are aimed to help corporate institutions, government agencies and individuals navigate new laws that have begun to regulate and systematize the up-and-coming forms of currency.

The Draper, Utah-based organization’s offerings include a core accounting suite, customer management suite and form issuance. Their team has also developed a real-time ERP accounting platform for commodities, equities and other digital asset investments.

“The TaxBit Network enables users to easily integrate their cryptocurrency exchange, DeFi, and NFT data from over 500+ sources, see their tax calculations line-by-line, and download completed IRS Forms 8949 and Income reports,” Jones elaborated.

Jones came to TaxBit in February after nearly two decades with Red Hat. His appointment was part of the former company’s efforts to enlarge its presence with federal government clients.

In April, Jones shared his perspective on President Biden’s executive order on digital currencies.

“Although many policymakers historically have been hesitant to adopt digital assets, the EO is a signal that the Biden administration wants the U.S. to embrace digital assets as a source of financial innovation,” Jones told ExecutiveGov.

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DOE Presents Public Roadmap for Boosting Cybersecurity in Manufacturing Industry
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DOE Presents Public Roadmap for Boosting Cybersecurity in Manufacturing Industry

The Department of Energy has unveiled a set of priorities for enhancing competition, cybersecurity and supply chain management in the U.S. manufacturing industry for the next five years.

The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute’s Public Roadmap highlights the importance of protecting the sector from cyber threats as manufacturers increase their adoption of digital technologies and applications such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, DOE said Thursday.

The roadmap is primarily focused on large and small and medium manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers that support large-scale production of technologies.

The document includes a call for the manufacturing sector to facilitate collaboration on ensuring the secure deployment of energy-efficient platforms across the industry to boost overall cyber defenses.

“The initiatives detailed in this Roadmap will ensure that our protective measures keep pace with advancements in automation, digitization, and a range of advanced manufacturing technologies, protecting our domestic manufacturing and our economy,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, DOE’s principal deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

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Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron Talks Risk Management & Delivering Results With Potomac Officers Club
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Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron Talks Risk Management & Delivering Results With Potomac Officers Club

Vice President and Division Manager of the Analysis Solutions division of Leidos’ Intelligence Group, Lisette Bergeron, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to discuss the philosophy that drives her career and share her thoughts on succeeding in the ever-changing GovCon market.

In this excerpt from her interview, Bergeron highlights her core leadership strengths and shares her insights into using risk management to inform her professional strategy:

“Performing in different roles, domains and segments has nurtured my joy of problem-solving and has reinforced for me the power of diversity, open-mindedness and optimism. I am convinced that there is more opportunity in my future than there ever was in my past – and I find that incredibly encouraging. This is a philosophy that I share with my friends and colleagues each day: ‘With opportunity there is risk.’ Early on, I recognized that risk is the language of management. 

So, as I pursue operational excellence, mission understanding, effective communications, team building and more, I use risk – and opportunity – management to strategize on how to maintain schedule, increase quality and deliver within cost boundaries. By recognizing and speaking frankly about the imperfections, the risks and the opportunities that persist in all products and services, my teams succeed by accelerating problem solving and delivering critical-to-quality results that our customers value most.”

To read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Leidos’ Lisette Bergeron, visit PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can learn more about the platform’s membership benefits.

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David Padrino Named 1st OPM Chief Transformation Officer
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David Padrino Named 1st OPM Chief Transformation Officer

David Padrino, an executive director at the Office of Personnel Management, has been appointed to the agency’s newly created position of chief transformation officer.

He will be responsible for helping the office implement its strategic plan, initiatives under the President’s Management Agenda and other priorities for the agency director, OPM said Wednesday.

Padrino has led the OPM Office of Human Capital Data Management and Modernization since February 2021 and previously worked for the Colorado government in a series of leadership roles that include service as the state’s first chief performance officer.

He also held a seven-year career at Boston Consulting Group and served as assistant director of the New York City Workforce Investment Board.

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Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback Tapped for ISR & Cyber Effects Ops Deputy Chief of Staff Post at Air Force
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Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback Tapped for ISR & Cyber Effects Ops Deputy Chief of Staff Post at Air Force

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback was nominated to serve as deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations of the service branch within the Department of Defense.

In a Thursday announcement, Lloyd Austin, secretary of the DOD and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said President Joe Biden’s nomination of Lauderback also includes appointment to the grade of lieutenant general.

She serves as deputy chief of space operations for intelligence within the Office of the Chief of Space Operations of the Space Force. Her experience includes providing advice on ISR policy formulation, planning and evaluation, as well as oversight and leadership of related Space Force capabilities.

Lauderback was also a senior military assistant to the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, a director of intelligence for the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve for Southwest Asia and a commander at different military levels.

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Defense Innovation Unit’s Autonomous UAS Project Wraps Up Maiden Flight Test
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Defense Innovation Unit’s Autonomous UAS Project Wraps Up Maiden Flight Test

A Defense Innovation Unit prototyping project that seeks to develop multiagent teams of autonomous unmanned aircraft systems has concluded a five-day flight test event.

The Artificial Intelligence for Small Unit Maneuver project intends to provide situational awareness for warfighters and enable them to counter threats through a collaborative system of autonomous drones, DIU said Wednesday.

The AISUM prototype consists of the Shield AI-built Nova 2 UAS, the Skydio-made X2D drone and features ground control software and user interface from Auterion Government Solutions and multiagent UAS software from Systems & Technology Research.

During the initial test flight event, a single operator was able to control multiple small drones, which demonstrated their capability to communicate, carry out mission-type orders and avoid obstacles using onboard software.

According to DIU, the AISUM project builds on a swarm architecture developed through the OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Naval Research also works with DIU on the project.

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Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Feedback on 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation
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Eric Goldstein: CISA Seeks Feedback on 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is soliciting comments on a proposed five-step process for evaluating the cybersecurity of 5G systems. 

CISA worked with the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate and the office of the undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense on the proposed 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation, Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Goldstein said the process seeks to address gaps in security assessment standards and guidance that emerge driven by the launch of new 5G-related tech features and services and outlines 5G system security considerations, key threat frameworks, federal security guidance documents,  industry security specifications and related methods for conducting 5G cybersecurity assessments.

The five steps in the proposed evaluation process are defining the federal 5G use case; identifying the assessment boundary; identifying security requirements; mapping security requirements to federal guidance; and assessing security guidance gaps and alternatives.

The process also allows agencies to perform for system authorization the Prepare step in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Risk Management Framework.

“CISA views that repeatable process agencies can use during the RMF Prepare step as an essential tool for new federal 5G implementations,” Golstein wrote. “Such a process will provide assurance that the government enterprise system is protected and cybercriminals cannot gain backdoor entry into agency networks through 5G technology.”

Comments on the proposed process are due June 27.

CISA will use public insights to determine whether to issue additional security guidance and recommendations for federal 5G adoption.

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Space Force to Assess Satellite Operators’ Cybersecurity Via Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval Program
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Space Force to Assess Satellite Operators’ Cybersecurity Via Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval Program

The U.S. Space Force has unveiled a program meant to evaluate the cybersecurity of commercial satellite services providers doing business with the Department of Defense, SpaceNews reported Thursday.

The Infrastructure Asset Pre-Approval program seeks to evaluate commercial satellite operators based on their cybersecurity systems and practices to identify those that will be included in a pre-approved list of companies. With this list, suppliers do not need to finish and submit required data about their cyber practices through a questionnaire for each contract proposal.

“Our office will begin accepting IA-Pre applications for a limited number of assets to perform assessments,” said Jared Reece, program analyst for the commercial services systems office at Space Systems Command.

The program “will ensure effective safeguards are applied and validated; and weaknesses are mitigated to reduce the cybersecurity risks which could impact DoD missions,” added Reece.

Space Systems Command will conduct on-site cyber compliance assessments using third-party auditors certified by the Space Force Security Controls Assessor and expects pre-trials to begin in June.

In 2020, the Space Force announced the development of the IA-Pre program, which seeks to improve the security posture of commercial satellite communications services that DOD procures.

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