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DOE Announces Initiative to Support Electric Transmission Line Modernization; Secretary Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE Announces Initiative to Support Electric Transmission Line Modernization; Secretary Jennifer Granholm Quoted

The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched an effort to foster the development of high-capacity electric transmission lines in alignment with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

DOE said Wednesday its Building a Better Grid initiative aims to make clean energy more accessible, create new jobs and boost the U.S. power grid’s resiliency to climate change effects.

Building a Better Grid will bring state, tribal, community and industry stakeholders together to identify requirements for building high voltage transmission facilities.

The initiative will use over $20 billion in federal funds to support transmission projects. These funds include $3 billion from the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program, $2.5 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $10 billion for power outage prevention efforts across states and tribes.

“DOE’s new Building a Better Grid initiative is a job booster spurred by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and collaboration with communities to upgrade the nation’s grid, connect more Americans to clean electricity and broadband and reliably move clean energy to where it’s needed most,” said Jennifer Granholm, the secretary of Energy.

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NASA Considers $1B Astrophysics Missions Based on Decadal Survey; Paul Hertz Quoted
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NASA Considers $1B Astrophysics Missions Based on Decadal Survey; Paul Hertz Quoted

NASA has announced new mission plans based on input from the Astro2020 astrophysics decadal survey, which was published in November, Space News reported Wednesday.

The space agency said Tuesday at an online town hall meeting that it will pursue probe-class astrophysics missions, which fall in the middle of smaller Explorer-class and larger flagship missions.

Paul Hertz, who leads NASA’s astrophysics division, said at the meeting that NASA will follow a $1 billion cost cap per mission, excluding launch costs, international contributions and post-launch observer programs.

The survey recommended a focus on probe-class missions with a cost cap of $1.5 billion for each mission as concept studies suggest these efforts struggle to stay within $1 billion.

Hertz said NASA’s considered $1 billion cap combined with the excluded costs would amount to a total of approximately $1.5 billion, which follows the decadal survey’s suggestion.

The division director said NASA expects to launch one probe-class astrophysics mission per decade due to limits of the space agency’s astrophysics budget.

“If the astrophysics budget grows fast enough to accommodate the recommendations of the decadal survey plus an increased probe cadence, NASA would certainly be open to that,” he stated.

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ASRC Federal Space and Defense Wins Positions on GSA Astro for Robotics Work; CEO Jennifer Felix Quoted
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ASRC Federal Space and Defense Wins Positions on GSA Astro for Robotics Work; CEO Jennifer Felix Quoted

ASRC Federal Space and Defense (AS&D) has won prime positions on six pools of the General Services Administration’s ten-year ASTRO contract vehicle, which funds work on manned, unmanned and optionally manned platforms and robotics.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract award is offered by GSA’s Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM) and services the Department of Defense, the engineering solutions subsidiary said Thursday.

Jennifer Felix, president and CEO of ASRC Federal, who is also a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, expressed the company’s excitement for the opportunity the contract vehicle presents to build on ASRC’s relationship with the Department of Defense.

Felix continued, “Our experienced and mission-driven team will be eligible to provide systems integration and development, research and development, and support services for the Department and its military personnel in their efforts across all-domains, including space, maritime and ground.”

The six individual contract pools on which ASRC Federal Space and Defense won a spot include space, maritime and ground, as well as systems integration and development, research and development and support services.

The company’s mission support credentials and its history of supporting government government defense efforts were among the qualifications that attracted FEDSIM.

At first, the contract vehicle enables AS&D to partner with the Department of Defense, with the expectation of widening the outreach of services to other federal civilian agencies over the course of the ten-year period.

ASRC Federal Space and Defense is currently collaborating with the DoD in an ongoing mission to engineer, integrate, verify and validate mission platforms for the Rocket Systems Launch Program.

The potential nine-year, $225.5 million contract award was announced in December 2021 and will entail planning and analysis of logistics processes for component sustainment, booster assembly and testing, handling and transportation, and other tasks.

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Navy’s DDG(X) Ship to Feature New Directed Energy Weapons
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Navy’s DDG(X) Ship to Feature New Directed Energy Weapons

The U.S. Navy has revealed the design concept of the next-generation DDG(X) warship, which the service plans to equip with directed energy weapons and hypersonic missiles, USNI News reported Wednesday.

The Navy wants DDG(X) to feature advanced sensors and deliver laser power tenfold of existing counterparts.

DDG(X) will feature a combat system based on the Flight III ships equipped with the SPY-6 air radar.

“Capabilities that we’re going to need for the 21st century to continue combating the threat are increased missile capability sensor growth, directed energy weapons, which actually require a lot of power, increased survivability and increased power availability,” Katherine Connelly, deputy program manager at the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Ships, said Wednesday at the Surface Navy Association symposium.

The service plans to begin building DDG(X) in 2028 as a successor to Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Highlights Importance of Protecting Critical Infrastructure; Supply Chains in 2022
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GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks Highlights Importance of Protecting Critical Infrastructure; Supply Chains in 2022

GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks, a highly esteemed cybersecurity leader, recently published his latest feature in the January issue of the CISO MAG detailing the importance for federal executives to focus on protecting the critical infrastructure supply chain in IT and OT systems. 

“Protecting critical infrastructure Industrial Control Systems, Operational Technology, and IT systems from cybersecurity threats is a difficult endeavor,” said Chuck Brooks. “They all have unique operational frameworks, access points, and a variety of legacy systems and emerging technologies. Protecting the critical infrastructure supply chain in IT and OT systems will be a public and private sector priority.”

In addition, GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks discussed the potential cybersecurity workforce shortage that could exist in 2022. It was reported by Cybersecurity Ventures that roughly 3.5 million jobs in cybersecurity were left unfilled in 2021, which could pose significant operational challenges in the federal sector moving forward.

Brooks mentioned the Internet of Things (IoT) as an area to watch for growing cybersecurity risks. In particular, Brooks highlighted the challenge that IoT poses from having a lack of visibility and the ability to determine if a device has been compromised and not performing as intended. 

“The increased integration of endpoints combined with a rapidly growing and poorly controlled attack surface poses a significant threat to the Internet of Things,” Brooks explained. “Protecting such an enormous attack surface is no easy task, especially when there are so many varying types and security standards on the devices. It will only worsen in 2022 as connectivity grows.”

You can read the full article from GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks on CISO MAG.

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GAO Examines CFO Act Agencies’ FISMA Requirements Implementation
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GAO Examines CFO Act Agencies’ FISMA Requirements Implementation

The Government Accountability Office reviewed FISMA reports of 23 civilian Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 agencies and preliminary results showed inconsistency in agencies’ implementation of requirements under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014.

Although more agencies reported progress in meeting targets related to automated access management and intrusion detection and prevention, 17 of those 23 CFO Act agencies did not meet all 10 of federal cybersecurity targets in fiscal year 2020, GAO said Tuesday.

For FY 2020 FISMA reporting, inspectors general reported that only seven of the 23 agencies had effective information security initiatives. 

The congressional watchdog also interviewed agency officials from 24 CFO Act agencies and found that officials at all agencies stated that FISMA helped their organizations improve the effectiveness of their information security initiatives.

The officials also identified obstacles to their agencies’ FISMA implementation efforts, including lack of resources and insufficient time to implement new requirements and remediate findings. 

They also made suggestions to enhance the FISMA reporting process, such as increasing the use of automation, reducing the frequency of FISMA-required independent annual evaluations, enhancing the IG evaluation process and maturity rating model and updating the FISMA metrics to enhance their effectiveness.

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Derek Tournear: SDA to Field Tracking Layer Satellites for Hypersonic Threat Detection
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Derek Tournear: SDA to Field Tracking Layer Satellites for Hypersonic Threat Detection

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, said SDA will deploy satellites in low-Earth orbit as part of the tracking layer to help detect hypersonic glide vehicles by their heat signatures, DOD News reported Wednesday.

He said satellites of the tracking layer will communicate to the transport layer through laser optical cross links that can transmit large volumes of data.

Tournear discussed how the satellites of both tracking and transport layers would operate in support of the military’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept.

He noted that SDA plans to begin launching 144 satellites as part of the transport layer by September 2024 and send 28 tracking layer satellites to orbit by 2024 or 2025 to provide global coverage.

Space Acquisition Forum

GovCon Wire’s Space Acquisition Forum on Jan. 19th will feature Tournear as one of the speakers to share his insights on military acquisition reform and modernization efforts.

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DHS Unveils Climate Change Professionals Program; Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted
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DHS Unveils Climate Change Professionals Program; Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security has launched a two-year program to provide federal employees and recent graduates opportunities to contribute to efforts that could help DHS adapt to climate change and enhance resilience.

The Climate Change Professionals Program “will develop the next generation of climate experts, improve climate literacy throughout the Department, and help us execute our Climate Action Plan to remain mission-resilient while reducing our own impacts on the environment,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement published Wednesday.

The DHS’ office of the chief readiness support officer will run the program, which is one of the initiatives under the department’s Climate Change Action Group that Mayorkas, a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, created in 2021.

Participants that completed the program will get accreditation from the Association of Climate Change Officers and will be eligible for full-time positions at DHS.

FAA: Climate Change Priorities Fireside Chat

Our sister site GovCon Wire is scheduled to host the FAA: Climate Change Priorities Fireside Chat on Jan. 26, Wednesday. Join the conversation with Kevin Welsh, executive director of the Federal Aviation Administration’s office of environment and energy, as he talks about the agency’s mission to address climate change across all airports and facilities as well as critical plans and goals for FAA’s environmental compliance.

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Cubic Hits 100K Module Milestone with MS-SE, M3X Platforms; Mike Knowles Quoted
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Cubic Hits 100K Module Milestone with MS-SE, M3X Platforms; Mike Knowles Quoted

Cubic Corporation manufactured 100,000 rugged compute and networking modules to U.S. defense customers in 2021, in what the company considers a business milestone.

The two modules in the most demand from defense, first responders and aid agency customers are the MS-SE and M3X platforms, the San Diego, California-based contractor said on Wednesday.

“Our team’s obsession with engineering excellence and market-leading innovation, combined with strong customer partnerships, has helped build the well-deserved trust our customers place in Cubic products. My thanks go to the Edge Compute & Networking team for their incredible hard work enabling us to reach the important 100,000-unit milestone.” Mike Knowles, president of Cubic Mission and Performance Solutions.

The platforms are able to cater to specific mission requirements through their chassis-less and modular design, enabling users to choose from a variety of interchangeable computing, switching, routing and battery-backed power modules.

The M3-SE is ideal for command post locations that necessitate multiple advanced applications and many users due to its modular Intel processing, Cisco networking and large-capacity storage to the tactical edge.

The compute and networking platform uses a small form factor to deliver low power, high performance profiles paired with infrastructure support. It is able to satisfy mission requirements that usually demand larger 19-inch rack servers.

The M3X expeditionary platform also has low power-to-performance ratios, Intel Xeon processing, Cisco networking and storage to the tactical edge.

With its chassis-less design and patented Raised Angle Connector for power and data, it is best suited for battalions and small teams, and reduces weight while strengthening system modularity.

The features of the M3X, like integrated battery backup and its hardened aluminum case, make it operable in harsh environments. While Cubic is headquartered in San Diego, its 100,000th module was manufactured at its Ashburn, Virginia location.

The contractor also received a two-year contract amendment from Public Service and Procurement Canada to provide live simulation support to the Canadian Army in December 2021. It is likely that their M3-SE and M3X modules will be used in this work.

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Aerospace Safety Panel: NASA Should Establish Future Vision Amid Agency Changes; Patricia Sanders Quoted
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Aerospace Safety Panel: NASA Should Establish Future Vision Amid Agency Changes; Patricia Sanders Quoted

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel’s 2021 annual report reveals that NASA’s rebalancing of authorities has generally produced good results but also changed how the agency pursues its goals.

The panel advises NASA to create a strategic vision for space operations and create a board of directors focused on holistically supporting NASA’s mission, the space agency said Wednesday. The envisioned board would consist of NASA center directors and other key executives.

ASAP’s annual report also includes recommendations to manage the Artemis program in an integrated manner. NASA pursues Artemis in hopes of reviving manned space exploration.

“As NASA looks to the future and moves to expand human knowledge and operational capabilities beyond low-Earth orbit, it must recognize and adapt to the new environment and decide strategically how to forge humanity’s path outward while managing the risks in an appropriate manner,” said Patricia Sanders, who chairs ASAP.

The report assesses NASA’s safety performance and identifies associated issues and accomplishments. The panel examined the agency’s longer-term posture to strategically manage risks across operational, development and exploration functions.

These assessments come from fact-finding meetings, insight visits, direct observations of NASA, discussions with personnel and direct experiences of panel members.

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