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ManTech’s Justin Bristow on Navigating GovCon Sector, Finding Opportunities for Growth
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ManTech’s Justin Bristow on Navigating GovCon Sector, Finding Opportunities for Growth

Justin Bristow, executive director for ManTech, was featured recently in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to talk about how his time working with the Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona has shaped the way he approaches his work today in the private sector across the areas of national and homeland security.

Bristow began as a Border Patrol agent over two decades ago, and he climbed the ranks to chief strategy officer in 2014. In this capacity, Bristow led the technical assistance, regulation development and implementation of the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014. In 2017, Bristow became the second uniformed border patrol agent in the Border Patrol’s history with his appointment as a Director at the National Security Council. 

In this excerpt from the interview, Bristow shares his advice for professionals looking to tap into the government contracting industry:

“It is important to stay focused on learning, continuously seek out new opportunities and take advantage of temporary promotions, training and opportunities for formal education that are offered. In the 22 years following the completion of my undergraduate degree at Rutgers and my Masters degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, I’ve had many new responsibilities, temporary details and assignments. That work experience helped me prepare for passing the PMP exam with ManTech, and I would strongly recommend the PMP for those entering our industry.”

Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with ManTech’s Justin Bristow and to learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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L3Harris and Shield Capital Announce Strategic Cooperation; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted
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L3Harris and Shield Capital Announce Strategic Cooperation; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted

L3Harris Technologies has opted to strategically partner with Shield Capital, a venture capital firm, in a mutually beneficial agreement.

The collaboration seeks to propel the development and deployment of new defense and commercial technologies and offer clients quick-acting services, L3Harris said Tuesday.

Christopher E. Kubasik, CEO and vice chair of L3Harris, said the joint venture is prioritizing “customer demands” and attempting to preempt “global threats.”

“Through internal and partnered efforts, we are assessing and pursuing the most meaningful solutions that will impact across domains and deliver compounding effects,” Kubasik, a three-time Wash100 Award winner, continued.

According to Kubasik, members of Shield Capital’s National Security Board will prove helpful to L3Harris’ mission due to their experience in the national security field. This means they will be familiar with anticipating and identifying the adversarial maneuvers the company is trying to counter.

“The Shield Capital team is steeped in knowledge in these complex matters,” Kubasik commented.

The agreement looks to benefit Shield Capital by allowing other organizations under their umbrella to create and implement ascendent technologies and deliver them to customers in the cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, space sensing and autonomy industries.

Raj M. Shah, managing partner of Shield Capital, highlighted the lack of “typical bureaucracy that inhibits innovation and, ultimately, superiority capabilities” at L3Harris. He noted the company is “uniquely designed” to combat conflict with a mix of commercial and military technical services.

The announcement of the partnership follows L3Harris’ January reorganization of its core businesses from four segments to three: integrated mission systems, space and airborne systems and communication systems.

Earlier this month, the company also released its 2021 sustainability report, detailing its various environmental initiatives and laying out a roadmap for future environmental, social and governance activity.

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Former CISA Official: New Cyber Reporting Rule to Turn Agency to Regulatory Enforcer
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Former CISA Official: New Cyber Reporting Rule to Turn Agency to Regulatory Enforcer

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is set to become a “regulatory enforcer” after receiving legal authority to require cybersecurity incident reports from critical infrastructure entities, a former agency leader told Federal News Network Friday.

Taytana Bolton, CISA’s cyber policy lead from 2017 to 2020, explained that the new reporting rule will push the agency to depart from its previous practice of simply asking for cyber information from its industry partners.

Under an omnibus spending bill signed into law in early March, CISA has 36 months to finalize regulations that would mandate companies to report cyber incidents within three days and disclose ransomware payments within 24 hours

“I think you’ll see a bit of a shift in terms of the way that industry sees CISA and its power and authority,” explained Bolton, policy director for cybersecurity and emerging threats at the R Street Institute.

She suggested the agency take inspiration from the Federal Aviation Administration’s system for accepting confidential cyber reports and sharing related information to the aviation industry, pointing out that such a model focuses less on blaming victim companies and more on collecting data for cybersecurity.

CISA is currently required to release a rulemaking notice relating to the new reporting mandate in two years.

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Kathleen Hicks: FY 2023 Budget Request Positions DOD to Achieve National Defense Strategy
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Kathleen Hicks: FY 2023 Budget Request Positions DOD to Achieve National Defense Strategy

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said the Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal year 2023 aligns with the new National Defense Strategy, which recognizes Russia and China as top national security concerns.

Hicks said the $773 billion defense budget request, an 8.1 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, positions the U.S. military to preserve its competitive advantage against Russia and China and address threats pose by Iran and North Korea, DOD reported Monday.

“Even as we confront Russia’s malign activities, the defense strategy describes how the department will act urgently to sustain and strengthen deterrence with the [Peoples Republic of China] as our most consequential strategic competitor and pacing challenge,” Hicks said.

Navy Adm. Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a first-time Wash100 Award winner, accompanied Hicks in unveiling the budget request and said the proposed funding ensures that the U.S. military maintains its lethality and capabilities in the 2030s and beyond.

The Pentagon requests approximately $56.5 billion for air power platforms, more than $40.8 billion for ship construction, $12.6 billion for the modernization of U.S. Army and Marine Corps combat vehicles and $34.4 billion for nuclear weapons upgrades.

DOD also calls for more than $130 billion for research and development projects. Hicks said roughly $16.5 billion of the research and development budget will be allocated to science and technology.

The budget also provides a 4.6 percent pay raise for military and civilian personnel, Hicks said, representing DOD’s largest pay raise in two decades.

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National Science Foundation Unveils Goals, Objectives in 2022-2026 Strategic Plan
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National Science Foundation Unveils Goals, Objectives in 2022-2026 Strategic Plan

The National Science Foundation has released a document outlining its four strategic goals and objectives – empower, discover, impact and excel – for the next five years.

The 2022-2026 Strategic Plan seeks to achieve such goals by empowering STEM talent to participate in science and engineering; developing new knowledge about the universe, world and people; benefiting society by transforming knowledge into solutions; and exceling at NSF operations and management.

These strategic goals come with key objectives. For the first goal, strategic objectives are ensuring accessibility and inclusivity by increasing the participation of communities underrepresented in STEM and unleashing STEM talent by building up a diverse STEM workforce to accelerate progress of science and technology.

For the second strategic goal, NSF called for the advancement of the frontiers of research and enhancement of research capability through investments in people, ideas and infrastructure to accelerate discovery and efforts to pursue the state of the art in research practice by promoting innovation and strengthening partnerships between industry, academic researchers and other stakeholders, among other measures.

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GAO Reports Increase in Number, Value of DOD’s Sole-Source 8(a) Contracts Above $22M
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GAO Reports Increase in Number, Value of DOD’s Sole-Source 8(a) Contracts Above $22M

The Government Accountability Office has found that the number of sole-source contracts over $22 million that the Department of Defense awarded through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program rose from six in fiscal year 2016 to 65 in FY 2021.

DOD awarded 159 sole-source 8(a) contracts over the six-year period and the total value of these contracts reached $3.4 billion in FY 2021, up from the FY 2016 figure of $143.5 million, GAO said Monday.

The congressional watchdog observed a fluctuation in the number of competed 8(a) contracts above $22 million. These contracts rose from 100 in FY 2016 to 186 in FY 2020, but dropped in FY 2021.

Despite the decline, the total value of these competitively awarded contracts hit $9.5 billion in FY 2021, up from $3.3 billion in FY 2016. The number of 8(a) contracts over $22 million that the Pentagon competitively awarded over the six-year term was 738.

GAO studied data from the Federal Procurement Data System between FY 2016 and FY 2021 to report on DOD’s adoption of authority that requires a written justification and approval for sole-source 8(a) contracts in accordance with the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

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NITAAC Gets 801 Certification to Offer Assisted Acquisitions to DOD; Brian Goodger Quoted
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NITAAC Gets 801 Certification to Offer Assisted Acquisitions to DOD; Brian Goodger Quoted

The National Institutes of Health Information Technology Acquisition and Assessment Center (NITAAC) has secured 801 Certification that enables it to provide assisted acquisition services for the Department of Defense.

The 801 designation permits DOD to use assisted acquisition services from NITAAC to facilitate procurement of property or services through its three IT governmentwide acquisition contracts without the need for a special waiver, NITAAC said in a March 23 news release.

“With Assisted Acquisitions, the DoD will benefit from the capabilities and expertise of our contracting officers, as well as the efficiencies and economies associated with leveraging resources and requirements,” said Brian Goodger, acting director of NITAAC.

Since GWAC launch, NITAAC has supported DOD acquisitions valued at more than $8.7 billion. Some of the agencies that have turned to NITAAC to help with IT modernization, cybersecurity and analytics programs are the Defense Information Systems Agency, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and the Department of Homeland Security.

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US, Canada to Enter Final Phase of F-35 Procurement Process
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US, Canada to Enter Final Phase of F-35 Procurement Process

Canada is set to enter the final round of negotiations with the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin to procure 88 F-35 fighter jets to replace the Canadian air force’s CF-18 fleet.

The competitive sourcing process involved an assessment of aircraft offerings against a set of criteria such as cost, economic impacts and capabilities, Canada’s public services and procurement department said Monday.

In an earlier announcement, the Canadian government said it would more than $15 billion for the procurement of fighter jets, associated equipment and weapons, training and sustainment services.

The government has also started preparing the two main operating bases at 4 Wing Cold Lake and 3 Wing Bagotville to host the future fighter aircraft. Canada aims to receive a new fighter aircraft as early as 2025.

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Billy Nolen to Head FAA on Acting Basis
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Billy Nolen to Head FAA on Acting Basis

Billy Nolen, associate administrator for aviation safety at the Federal Aviation Administration, will assume leadership of the agency on an acting basis after Steve Dickson steps down from the administrator’s role on March 31st.

He will step in as the White House looks for a permanent replacement for Dickson, who has led FAA since August 2019 and announced his departure plans in February, the agency said Saturday.

Nolen assumed his current full-time position in January and supervises more than 7,600 personnel who support aviation safety initiatives.

Prior to joining FAA, he worked as vice president for safety, security and quality for WestJet Airlines in Canada. His industry career also included leadership roles at Qantas Airways, Airlines for America, American Airlines.

He also served as an aircraft pilot and safety officer in the U.S. Army. FAA tasked Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims to take on expanded responsibilities during the interim period to help oversee the agency workforce and domestic airports.

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U.S. Senate Office Contracts AMERICAN SYSTEMS to Maintain Emergency Threat Alert System; CEO Peter Smith Quoted
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U.S. Senate Office Contracts AMERICAN SYSTEMS to Maintain Emergency Threat Alert System; CEO Peter Smith Quoted

AMERICAN SYSTEMS has landed a contract from the Office of the Sergeant at Arms at the U.S. Senate to modernize and maintain a network platform for emergency threat alerts.

The contract award tasks AS with offering sustainment configuration and integration efforts to the Joint Emergency Mass Notification System reporting to various legislative branch organizations, the Chantilly, Virginia-based company said Monday.

“We are honored to have been selected by the Senate Sergeant of Arms office to augment their readiness communications channels with this proven solution,” said Peter Smith, president and CEO of AMERICAN SYSTEMS.

Smith went on to suggest that “recent events” in the geopolitical sphere have made an updated emergency notification apparatus more necessary than ever.

The AS-built system will send secure notifications to government branches such as the Library of Congress, the House of Representatives sergeant at arms and the House of Representatives chief administrative officer. The U.S. Senate sergeant at arms, the architect of the capitol and the U.S. Capitol Police are also recipients in the network.

The project is intended to boost situational awareness in times of emergency or tragedy for important government workers. To accomplish it, AS will leverage a help desk team operating 24/7 every day of the year, as well as the Blackberry AtHoc IWS Alerts client software.

AS has a proven history of manufacturing and administering emergency notification systems; in 2018, they launched the U.S. Air Force Emergency Mass Notification System.

Earlier this month, the company was awarded a $42.1 million contract to create a technological analysis system for U.S. Navy combat training environments.

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