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Milancy Harris Nominated as DOD Deputy Undersecretary for Security, Intelligence
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Milancy Harris Nominated as DOD Deputy Undersecretary for Security, Intelligence

President Biden has nominated Milancy Harris, deputy assistant secretary for irregular warfare and counterterrorism at the Department of Defense, to serve as deputy undersecretary for security and intelligence at DOD.

Harris was part of the Intelligence Community Agency Review Team during the Biden-Harris transition, the White House said Friday.

In her current role, Harris oversees the development of policy guidance and implementation of all DOD strategies and plans with regard to counterterrorism and irregular warfare, including the recruitment of special operations forces in irregular warfare, special reconnaissance and counterproliferation, among other areas.

In 2004, she joined the IC and worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency as an analyst. 

Her government career also included time as chief of staff of the directorate of intelligence at the National Counterterrorism Center; director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council staff; deputy director of the emerging issues division at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and as an intelligence briefer within the office of the secretary of defense.

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PSC Urges House Panel to Provide USAID With Funding, Authority to Hire Contracting Staff; David Berteau Quoted
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PSC Urges House Panel to Provide USAID With Funding, Authority to Hire Contracting Staff; David Berteau Quoted

The Professional Services Council has called on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to provide the U.S. Agency for International Development with the needed funding and hiring flexibility to increase the number of employees supporting program management initiatives.

“As foreign assistance needs increase, USAID must continue to plan and execute programs with both measurable goals and real impact,” PSC President and CEO David Berteau said in a statement published Friday.

“PSC recognizes that this only happens if USAID has the authority and funding to hire and maintain a capable and diverse workforce, including contracting professionals. Our CIDC member companies recognize and support this,” added Berteau, a two-time Wash100 Award winner. 

In a May 16 letter to the House panel, PSC said it supports USAID Administrator Samantha Power’s stand that USAID could better execute programs if it had adequate number of contracting personnel to review, manage and award projects.

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FedRAMP Gets 1st System Security Plan in Machine-Readable OSCAL Format
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FedRAMP Gets 1st System Security Plan in Machine-Readable OSCAL Format

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has received from a cloud service provider the first system security plan in a machine-readable format called Open Security Controls Assessment Language.

FedRAMP expects the adoption of the OSCAL format to help automate reviews of security packages and accelerate authorizations, the program said in a blog post published Thursday.

In June 2021, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and FedRAMP introduced the initial version of OSCAL.

In August 2021, FedRAMP unveiled the first set of OSCAL validation rules to enable CSPs and third-party assessment organizations to perform self-testing to see whether all the required data is included in their security packages prior to submission to the government.

The program also expects the validation rules to enable FedRAMP reviewers to offer feedback with structured markup and focus on the review’s more complex aspects.

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GAO Examines DOD’s Implementation of Selected Cyber Requirements for CUI Systems
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GAO Examines DOD’s Implementation of Selected Cyber Requirements for CUI Systems

The Government Accountability Office assessed the Department of Defense’s approximately 2,900 controlled unclassified information systems and found that as of January, DOD has reported the implementation of over 70 percent of four selected cybersecurity requirements for CUI platforms.

These requirements are categorizing DOD CUI systems accurately; implementing the 110 security requirements of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program; implementing 266 security controls for moderate confidentiality impact systems; and authorizing systems to operate on DOD networks, according to a GAO report published Thursday.

In October 2021, the office of the chief information officer at DOD released a memorandum outlining the requirements that must be met by CUI systems, including the implementation of additional controls for supply chain security and that all CUI platforms have authorizations to operate.

“In addition, the CIO reminded system owners of the March 2022 deadline for all DOD CUI systems to implement necessary controls and other requirements. The Office of the CIO has been monitoring DOD components’ progress in meeting this deadline,” the report reads.

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CentralSquare, First Due Aim to Ease Burdens for Emergency Responders with Joint Software; Dave Zolet Quoted
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CentralSquare, First Due Aim to Ease Burdens for Emergency Responders with Joint Software; Dave Zolet Quoted

The public sector-serving CentralSquare Technologies has entered an agreement with First Due to combine their resources and bring public safety agencies a streamlined records management and emergency response software.

CentralSquare and First Due’s collaboration looks to assist fire and EMS squads with pre-incident preparation, fire prevention, asset and inventory management, as well as personnel management and community engagement, the Lake Mary, Florida-headquartered company said Wednesday.

“Our partnership with First Due expands CentralSquare’s integrated Fire and EMS solutions, improving day-to-day operations for agencies, saving valuable time and reducing risks for first responders and their communities,” said Dave Zolet, CEO of CentralSquare and a four-time Wash100 Award recipient.

The united platform that CentralSquare and First Due are offering also aims to boost EMS and fire rescue personnel with their community protection goals by giving responders access to a larger repository of information and diminishing response times.

Additionally, the new joint software endeavor is aimed to meet the needs of public safety agencies looking for a single login system for their daily operations systems. By combining First Due and CentralSquare’s products, users will be able to mobilize data across platforms, as well as render dispatch response and incident reporting more accurate, in effect emphasizing cross-agency sharing of responsibilities.

According to FirstDue CEO Andreas Huber, using a surplus of applications for emergency response leads to “unnecessary cost, wasted time, and a lack of operational visibility,” problems that their new partnership with CentralSquare aims to solve.

The companies’ venture is timed to celebrate National EMS Week (May 15-21).

In October, CentralSquare was tapped by Grundy County, Illinois to install the company’s Public Safety Suite Pro as the county’s official public safety apparatus, including CAD, 9-1-1, RMS and Jail.

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DOD Announces Additional $100M Military, Equipment Assistance to Ukraine
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DOD Announces Additional $100M Military, Equipment Assistance to Ukraine

The Department of Defense announced that the Biden administration has authorized an additional $100 million in military aid assistance to help Ukraine respond to Russia’s invasion.

DOD Press Secretary John Kirby said Thursday the latest package includes 18 155mm Howitzers and tactical vehicles, three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars and field equipment and spare parts.

The move marks the 10th drawdown of military equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories for Ukraine since August 2021 and brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to $4.6 billion since President Biden took office.

The U.S. has committed a total of $3.9 billion in arms and equipment assistance to the Eastern European country since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24.

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Guidehouse National Security Director Jake Zimmerman On Leveraging Technology to Succeed
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Guidehouse National Security Director Jake Zimmerman On Leveraging Technology to Succeed

Director of Guidehouse’s national security segment, Jake Zimmerman recently spoke with the Potomac Officers Club in an Executive Spotlight interview focused on his navigation of the ever-changing federal landscape over the course of his career, as well as his advice for those looking to tap into the government contracting market.

In this excerpt from his interview, Zimmerman shares his thoughts on how organizations can leverage technology, while factoring in risk, to achieve mission success and realize their growth potential:

“National security requirements are evolving at an unprecedented rate, with several sectors converging around the need for sustainable and secure technology solutions. My clients recognize the growing and urgent need to understand how innovative ideas and emerging technologies can quickly be assessed and integrated to add value for their organizations. 

While cloud technologies have provided IT professionals with powerful tools, they have also increased risk exposure. The recent high-profile security incidents across the public and private sectors have served as a wake-up call; having separate IT organizations, disciplines and vendors within an organization has become increasingly untenable. 

Today’s reality is that these are all intrinsically linked, interwoven and, as a result, interdependent. I’ve been able to adapt to these new dynamics by investing in relationships that extend across organizational boundaries. From the C-suite and program leadership, to the procurement and finance organizations, to the small business office, I strive to share timely and relevant market intelligence and technology insights, paired with lessons learned, to deliver impactful mission solutions and effective acquisition recommendations.”

To read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Guidehouse’s Jake Zimmerman, visit PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can find out more about the platform’s membership benefits. 

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LMI Wins $10B DHA Contract in All Four Market Segments; Doug Wagoner Quoted
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LMI Wins $10B DHA Contract in All Four Market Segments; Doug Wagoner Quoted

The Defense Health Agency has awarded consulting firm LMI their OMNIBUS IV $10 billion contract in all four of its possible categories.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covers research and development; research and development support services; regulatory processes; and translational science support and services, the Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company said Friday.

“We are excited to take LMI’s extensive experience in medical and biotechnological portfolios and assist the DHA in meeting their goals and objectives,” said Karen LeDoux, director of LMI’s military health and veterans affairs submarket.

LeDoux also highlighted the company’s arsenal of “regulatory managers, clinical advisors, logisticians, scientists, and bioengineers.”

LMI’s services are designed to comprehensively cover the full medical technology lifecycle. They begin in the development stages with a systems engineering approach and see the process through its formulation; clinical, non-clinical, regulatory and quality application; licensure, marketing and post-marketing; and ensure that it is effective in its post-deployment activity.

Doug Wagoner, CEO and president of LMI, enumerated the company’s contributions to the government’s conception of “infectious disease, genomics, emerging technology and many other scientific fields” with its DHA partnership.

“I am proud of the value-added services and technical thought leadership, innovation, and objectivity LMI provides to the Defense Health Agency,” Wagoner, who is a three-time Wash100 Award winner, continued.

Through LMI’s efforts, the government has been armed with a multiplicity of medical countermeasures to deter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. They have recently worked to develop a monoclonal antibody drug substance for the fight against COVID-19.

This major contract announcement follows LMI’s March win of a spot on the $249 million test and evaluation blanket purchase agreement from the Department of Defense. Under the BPA, LMI will support the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center with AI development services.

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DARPA Intros Large Seaplane Concept for Sustained Cargo Transport Flight
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DARPA Intros Large Seaplane Concept for Sustained Cargo Transport Flight

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has presented a large seaplane concept envisioned to meet heavy airlift requirements while being capable of sustained flight and taking off or landing on turbulent water surfaces.

The Liberty Lifter project is aimed at demonstrating a boost in transporting very large and heavy payloads without compromising flight speed and duration, DARPA said Wednesday.

The program is focused on delivering complex flight and sea surface controls and enabling extended maritime operations while retaining full-scale affordable production.

“This first phase of the Liberty Lifter program will define the unique seaplane’s range, payloads and other parameters. Innovative advances envisioned by this new DARPA program will showcase an X-plane demonstrator that offers warfighters new capabilities during extended maritime operations,” said Alexander Walan, a program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Current airlift vehicles have payload limitations and require long runways.

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US, Europe, Japan Update Tri-Agency Earth Observation Dashboard
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US, Europe, Japan Update Tri-Agency Earth Observation Dashboard

NASA has updated an online repository of Earth observation datasets in partnership with the space agency’s counterparts in Europe and Japan to help the public understand environmental changes across the globe.

The Earth Observing Dashboard has been expanded to provide users an insight into agriculture, atmosphere, water and ocean, cryosphere, biomass and economic systems, NASA said Thursday.

Users of the free interactive tool can view data-driven stories and datasets on each theme and location-specific environmental indicators.

The European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency worked with NASA to produce content for the public resource.

“With our partners at ESA and JAXA, this is another important step to getting the latest information to the public about our changing planet, in an accessible and convenient way, which can inform decisions and planning for communities around the world,” said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division.

The trilateral collaboration launched the online platform in 2020 to share information on the global impacts of COVID-19 with scientists, decision-makers and the general public.

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