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Maxar’s DOD Earth Intel Programs VP Chris Worley Speaks On Bridging Tech & Warfighter Needs With Potomac Officers Club
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Maxar’s DOD Earth Intel Programs VP Chris Worley Speaks On Bridging Tech & Warfighter Needs With Potomac Officers Club

Chris Worley, vice president of DOD Earth intelligence programs at Maxar, was featured recently in an exclusive Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to share his impacts in the public and private sectors as well as the cultural aspects of digital technology adoption. Worley also spoke on executives who have inspired him throughout his career, adapting through modernization challenges and the importance of vision and strategy in organizational success.

In this excerpt from the interview, Worley discusses how his liberal arts education has played an integral role in his efforts to bridge the gap between industry and the private sector in support of our nation’s warfighters:

“The great part about joining Maxar after a career in both the Air Force and industry is the diversity of opportunities, teams and challenges presented by the vast range of missions this company supports—from advanced Earth intelligence enabled by high-resolution satellite imagery, 3D data and AI/ML to commercial and civil spacecraft, space-based robotics and much more. I’ve spent most of my career in digital technology and intelligence applied across every phenomenology and mission. In each case, these landscapes were never static as they evolved and modernized. This taught me, through both success and failure, how to adapt, learn and apply what I gained to new challenges. 

My degrees are not in engineering or scientific disciplines. Rather, I studied liberal arts and languages. The emphasis on critical thinking, communication and building a bridge between technical jargon and warfighter needs is the foundation upon which I’ve built my career and the teams I’ve had the honor to work with in achieving mission goals.”

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Maxar’s Chris Worley and learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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Heidi Shyu Looks to Innovation Ecosystem to Help Address DOD’s Operational Challenges
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Heidi Shyu Looks to Innovation Ecosystem to Help Address DOD’s Operational Challenges

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense, said she believes the country’s innovation ecosystem and allies could help the Pentagon address complex operational challenges, DOD News reported Friday.

She was referring to federally funded research and development centers, companies and university affiliated research hubs as a key component of collaborative efforts aimed at maintaining U.S. military advantage in technology.

Speaking at a Defense Writers Group event Thursday, Shyu noted that tie-ups with external organizations and technical professionals are “critically important” for the department to shape its future capabilities.

The DOD technology chief reaches out to smaller businesses to understand the hurdles they encounter when pursuing defense programs and she hopes to formulate a mechanism to help them bridge the “valley of death.”

Heidi Shyu Looks to Innovation Ecosystem to Help Address DOD's Operational Challenges

Shiu will headline the Potomac Officers Club’s 8th Annual Research and Development Summit on Wednesday to discuss the Pentagon’s innovation priorities and the private sector’s role in efforts to maintain the military’s technological edge.

Click here to sign up for the virtual event and learn how to become an exclusive POC member.

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PSC Asks Supreme Court to Protect Battlefield Support Contractors From Tort Liability; CEO David Berteau Quoted
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PSC Asks Supreme Court to Protect Battlefield Support Contractors From Tort Liability; CEO David Berteau Quoted

The Professional Services Council has urged the Supreme Court to protect contractors from tort liability under state law for carrying out military support operations on foreign war zones.

PSC said Friday it filed an amicus brief with the high court asking it to review a case and provide a proper interpretation of the Federal Tort Claims Act’s combatant-activities exception in light of private contractors being allowed by several courts to be sued for conducting military support functions on battlefields.

“Exposing contractors to the risk of tort liability can negatively impact the ability of companies to enter into contracts as vetted partners of the military,” said David Berteau, president and CEO of PSC and a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

“Continued exposure will reduce available resources needed by the U.S. Armed Forces to deter or fight and win wars. Now is the time for the Supreme Court to provide contractors with the same protections afforded the troops they serve alongside,” noted Berteau.

Jennifer Zucker of law firm Greenberg Traurig acted as PSC’s counsel on the matter.

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Drew Myklegard, Eileen Vidrine Join Federal CIO Office to Advance IT Modernization, Cybersecurity Priorities
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Drew Myklegard, Eileen Vidrine Join Federal CIO Office to Advance IT Modernization, Cybersecurity Priorities

Drew Myklegard, most recently executive director of product engineering at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Eileen Vidrine, chief data officer at the Department of the Air Force, have joined the Office of Management and Budget to take on new roles within the office of the federal chief information officer, GovCIO Media & Research reported Friday.

Myklegard will serve as associate deputy federal CIO and Vidrine will assume the role of senior strategic adviser for data.

Vidrine and Myklegard are “proven leaders in deploying modern technology that’s secure by design and delivers more seamless processes for the federal workforce so they can better serve the American people,” said Federal CIO Clare Martorana.

Martorana noted that Myklegard and Vidrine will help advance information technology modernization and data initiatives and carry out the priorities outlined in the President’s Management Agenda and executive orders on cybersecurity and customer experience.

Myklegard previously served as senior adviser to the CIO and director of platform and IT innovation at VA. He spent nearly a decade as an intelligence analyst within the Army National Guard and worked as an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Vidrine held various roles at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including assistant director of national intelligence for human capital and enterprise learning technologies program manager. She also worked at the Department of Defense and helped develop data management strategies in support of the Joint All Domain Command and Control and artificial intelligence initiatives.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Encourage Domestic Rare Earth Elements Production
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Senate Bill Seeks to Encourage Domestic Rare Earth Elements Production

Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., have introduced a bill that would promote domestic production of rare earth elements and reduce dependence on China for such elements.

The proposed Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths Act would direct the departments of Defense and Interior to establish a strategic reserve of such elements by 2025, Cotton’s office said Friday.

In the event of a supply disruption, the reserve should meet the needs of the U.S. military, defense industrial base, critical infrastructure and tech sectors for a year, according to the bill.

The proposed legislation would require DOD contractors to disclose the country of origin of rare earth magnets used in military systems, prohibit use of rare earth metals from China in sensitive defense platforms by 2026 and direct the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate China’s unfair trade practices in the market and come up with a report for submission to Congress.

“The Chinese Communist Party has a chokehold on global rare-earth element supplies, which are used in everything from batteries to fighter jets. Ending America’s dependence on the CCP for extraction and processing of these elements is critical to winning the strategic competition against China and protecting our national security,” said Cotton.

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GAO: Agencies Share Lessons From 2 High-Profile Cyber Incidents
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GAO: Agencies Share Lessons From 2 High-Profile Cyber Incidents

Federal agencies realized the importance of government-industry collaboration while responding to the cyberattacks on SolarWinds’ network monitoring software and Microsoft’s Exchange email service, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

GAO found that the Cyber Unified Coordination Groups’ role as a central discussion forum helped agencies and companies work together during incident response efforts.

The government audit agency sought information from the 24 CFO Act agencies on lessons learned from the Russia-linked SolarWinds breach in late 2020 and the Microsoft Exchange server compromise that was attributed to China last year.

Agencies received joint advisories from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and the National Security Agency to help government personnel understand the malicious campaigns and implement measures to fix vulnerabilities associated with the two large-scale breaches.

However, agencies experienced coordination and response challenges due to some information sharing and evidence gathering practices, GAO noted.

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Boeing 757 Lavatory Design Entrusted to Collins Aerospace for Customizable Plan
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Boeing 757 Lavatory Design Entrusted to Collins Aerospace for Customizable Plan

The Boeing Company has tapped Collins Aerospace to design lavatories for the 737 family of aircraft in the long-term going forward.

The aerospace contractor announced Wednesday that they were interested in maintaining and growing their relationship with Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies-owned business, with whom they’ve been working since 2013.

“We believe this lavatory will be the standard for single-aisle aircraft for years to come,” added Troy Brunk, president of Interiors for Collins Aerospace.

Brunk continued, “The next-generation lavatory enables a degree of choice not typically afforded narrow-body operators, with the flexibility and integrated technology for simple and efficient customization and installation of upgrades.”

The newly designed lavatory features a modular design, touchless functionality, micro-LED lighting and a centralized computing system. The latter feature is expected to personalize the passenger experience, improve airline operability and prepare for future integration of technology.

Customization is a key attraction of the new 757 lavatories. Collins’ design is intended to be “bespoke” to a given customer’s needs, offering a number of a la carte details, including a variation accessible to passengers of all mobilities.

Lavatories will be equipped with standardized touchless faucets and available upgrades for touchless toilet flush, waste bin, soap dispenser and toilet seat/lid.

Of Boeing and Collins’ partnership, Cynthia Muklevicz, Collins Aerospace vice president of business development, remarked, “Years of cooperation, hard work and innovation have culminated in a final product that provides increased airline value, a clear path for future technology integration and improved passenger amenities.”

The new lavatories will premiere in 2025 on new 757 airplanes.

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Day & Zimmermann’s Ann Waynik Discusses Professional Brand Development With Potomac Officers Club
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Day & Zimmermann’s Ann Waynik Discusses Professional Brand Development With Potomac Officers Club

Ann Waynik, senior director of business development and capture at Day & Zimmermann, was recently featured in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club. She spoke on establishing a voice in the government contracting sector, fostering stronger and more diverse networks and optimizing the federal solicitations process.

Waynik discusses her strategies for accelerating professional development and advice for growing a personal brand in this excerpt from the interview:

“My advice would be to step into every role you can and learn as much as possible. I started out as a project scheduler at Martin Marietta and then grew into a systems and test engineer at Ford Aerospace on the U-2 Ground Station (DCGS). I’ve supported Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) contracts in directorates that included AS&T, COMM, SED, GED and satellite programs as a systems engineer across the IC. My line management included a contract of over 500 people. As I ventured into the roles of capture and business development, I learned more about the connections of those critical aspects in our business. Today, I understand the entire acquisition, program, engineering, and business development life cycles because of my drive to learn.

I also suggest volunteering across a wide variety of groups. This not only helps you learn more and get broader exposure, but most importantly, it expands your credibility and builds a powerful network. I have led monthly business development meetings and forums for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for years. I am the co-lead of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) NRO working group with Nick Buck, and I participate in the NGA working group. By immersing myself in these groups I have gained a better understanding of these agencies, their needs and their future strategies, while fostering connections with their executives.”

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Day & Zimmermann’s Ann Waynik and learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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Commerce Department Scouts for Members of Future IoT Advisory Board
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Commerce Department Scouts for Members of Future IoT Advisory Board

The Department of Commerce is in search of nominees for a future group that will advise the Internet of Things Federal Working Group on multiple matters.

Stakeholders and experts within and outside the federal government will compose the IoT Advisory Board to help the working group identify policies and efforts that hinder IoT development, scenarios where IoT can provide economic advantages and international opportunities related to IoT, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said Thursday.

The board will also provide advice on the opportunities and challenges faced by small businesses with regard to IoT.

“We would like this board to represent a broad spectrum of IoT experts from industry, academia and nonprofit organizations who can provide advice on IoT ranging from rural concerns to transportation, security and health care topics,” said Gina Raimondo, the secretary of commerce.

The Commerce Department will accept nominations through Feb. 28, 2022. NIST will perform administrative duties to support the future board.

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Air Force Needs Industry Input on Kessel Run Data Services
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Air Force Needs Industry Input on Kessel Run Data Services

The Department of the Air Force seeks market information on enterprise-wide data services for the Kessel Run software development unit, also known as Detachment 12 of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

Kessel Run wants to identify commercial enterprise capabilities for its data services including remote working and locally within the Boston, Massachusetts area or Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, the Air Force said in a SAM.gov notice published on Jan. 13.

The detachment’s data services team manages, visualizes and optimizes data to automate complex data sets, understand trends and create data-informed algorithms.

Kessel Run also applies machine learning via trial-and-error based on events and provides business intelligence dashboards to present performance metrics.

Interested parties may submit the requested information through Feb. 4th.

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