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DIU, GSA Seek to Speed Up Access of Agencies to Emerging Commercial Tech; Michael Brown Quoted
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DIU, GSA Seek to Speed Up Access of Agencies to Emerging Commercial Tech; Michael Brown Quoted

The Defense Innovation Unit and the General Services Administration have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a framework that would enable GSA to facilitate the transition of prototyped technology platforms at DIU to contract vehicles.

“Partnering with GSA to more easily bring proven, innovative, and emerging technologies to meet agency missions across the U.S. government is a win-win for both the taxpayers and for the commercial companies working with DIU,” Michael Brown, director of DIU and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Monday.

The MOU will enable GSA to easily bring innovative platforms to federal clients and provide agencies access to non-traditional tech vendors through GSA contracts.

GSA will also help Department of Defense and non-DOD organizations to scale commercial tech platforms across the U.S. DIU and GSA will also leverage the use of follow-on contracting, other transaction authority and FASt Lane process to facilitate collaboration with industry partners.

DIU focuses on six key emerging tech areas: artificial intelligence/machine learning; autonomy; cyber; energy; human systems; and space.

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Report: Lt. Gen. John Shaw, Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Among Potential Nominees to Lead Space Force
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Report: Lt. Gen. John Shaw, Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting Among Potential Nominees to Lead Space Force

Lt. Gen. John Shaw and Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting have emerged as potential candidates for the role of Space Force chief, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Sources said the White House is now considering the two names for potential nomination as it looks for a replacement to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond, who plans to retire in the fall. 

Raymond, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, previously served as commander of U.S. Space Command. 

Shaw currently serves as deputy commander of Space Command. Prior to this role, he was commander of Combined Force Space Component Command and deputy chief of Space Operations Command.

He joined the Air Force in 1990 after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering and a minor in Russian language.

Whiting is commander of Space Operations Command and oversees the preparation and sustainment of combat support forces, space, cyber and combat-ready intelligence.

He previously served as deputy commander of the Headquarters U.S. Space Force and commanded the 13th Space Warning Squadron. He entered the Air Force in 1989 following his graduation from the academy.

Army Engineers Plan Financial Management System Modernization Project
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Army Engineers Plan Financial Management System Modernization Project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a draft request for proposals for a potential five-year, $150 million contract to modernize and maintain USACE’s financial management system.

A presolicitation notice posted on SAM.gov says the public engineering services agency is seeking input from vendors or integrators to assist with acquisition planning efforts for its CEFMS II program.

The planned contract has a single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity structure with five-year base ordering period that includes four option years. Interested parties can submit questions and comments about the draft RFP document until May 27th.

USACE’s Finance Center is responsible for research, development, installation, analysis and maintenance activities related to financial and accounting systems of the agency.

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Decorated Marine Ryan Colvert Joins BWXT as SD, Government Relations
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Decorated Marine Ryan Colvert Joins BWXT as SD, Government Relations

U.S. Marine Corps veteran and defense scholar Ryan Colvert has been appointed senior director for government relations at BWX Technologies.

In his new position, Colvert will channel his defense knowledge and experience in the political arena to focus on BWXT’s relationships with members of U.S. Congress and the executive branch, the Lynchburg, Virginia-based company said Monday.

Colvert will also be expected to nurture and expand the defense manufacturing and engineering company’s status as the exclusive producer of naval nuclear reactors for U.S. submarines and aircraft. The organization is a trusted source of various intricate nuclear technologies used in defense and space settings.

The new BWXT senior director’s military career includes 16 years of service in the USMC, during which time he was an AV-8B pilot and forward air controller. He was deployed several times in Iraq and Afghanistan, flying over 400 combat ventures and administering hundreds of close air support missions and medical evacuations.

While in the Marines, Colvert earned distinctions such as the Meritorious Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation. He was a ten-time recipient of the Flight/Strike Air Medal.

Prior to joining BWXT, Colvert held the role of senior defense policy advisor to Senator Tim Kaine, who consulted Colvert on Army related issues and national security matters. Kaine was a participant in the Senate Armed Services Committee and Colvert holds a master’s degree in military studies from Marine Corps University.

Colvert’s skill set spans intelligence analysis, military logistics, counterinsurgency and contingency planning.

His addition to the BWXT team follows Jan Bertsch’s hire as chair of the company’s board of directors earlier this month, succeeding the retiring John Fees.

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Intelligent Waves Enters Agreement with Signify to Integrate Light-Powered Security Technologies; CSO John Hammes Quoted
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Intelligent Waves Enters Agreement with Signify to Integrate Light-Powered Security Technologies; CSO John Hammes Quoted

Government information technology organization Intelligent Waves has signed a strategic technology agreement with Signify, a company that has developed a LiFi service.

Intelligent Waves said Monday that in partnership, the two companies plan to integrate IW’s cyber-defense platform GRAYPATH with Signify’s LiFi endeavor Trulifi, effectively powering reciprocal wireless data communication with light waves.

John Hammes, IW chief strategy officer, shared that the company is “thrilled” to collaborate with Signify and the organization welcomes its new partner’s innovative offerings.

“Together, we will be able to better serve the most demanding and secure special operators in austere environments,” Hammes continued.

Jointly, the two platforms are intended to serve those in the defense community with a methodology for delivering data from high-risk mission-critical locations, eliminating the possibility of the transmissions being intercepted, tampered with or altered in any way.

The new combination operates by melding GREYPATH’s utilization of the cloud to sort and disseminate data through protected channels with Trulifi’s assigned USB access keys that grant physical security and maintain a fast-acting wireless connection via light. 

Richard Honey, head of sales for Trulifi at Signify, explained that as compared to conventional radio strategies like Wi-Fi and 4G/5G, light-based communication can be engineered within a contained space and doesn’t bleed through walls. Honey also said that the technology is already being adopted by the U.S. Army, Navy and Marines.

As the U.S. Army’s Joe Vano further discussed, “LiFi can enhance the Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection attribute on the battlefield. This secures the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) to a higher degree due to its insignificant and largely undetectable RF signature.”

The collaboration with Signify and Trulifi arrives on the heels of Intelligent Waves’ strategic partnership with Horizon3.ai to assist Department of Defense special operations personnel, announced last week. In that agreement, IW will use Horizon3.ai’s NodeZero autonomous penetration testing platform for security enforcement.

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DOD Concludes Two Capacity-Building Competitions in FY 2021
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DOD Concludes Two Capacity-Building Competitions in FY 2021

The Department of Defense has awarded a total of $14.6 million to 23 collaborative teams as part of two capacity-building competitions in fiscal year 2021 designed to increase the research infrastructure at higher education institutions in underutilized states and territories.

DOD said Friday it awarded up to $1 million to two winning teams of the Defense Established Programs to Stimulate Competitive Research program’s capacity building competition to develop the capabilities of higher education establishments to support military-related research.

Executive offices at New Mexico State University and the University of North Dakota will lead the two selected teams.

Finalists in DEPSCoR’s research collaboration competition received $600,000 each to conduct science and engineering research addressing key areas of the National Defense Strategy over a three-year period.

More than 120 white papers were submitted for the competition and 21 collaborative teams led by universities across the U.S. were selected as finalists.

“The Department’s research mission relies on an ecosystem of creative and insightful researchers in every State of the nation. DEPSCoR enhances our science and engineering research capacity both now and in the long term, and increases the number of researchers pursing research in DOD-relevant area,” said Bindu Nair, director of DOD’s Basic Research Office.

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ManTech to Be Acquired for $4.2B by Carlyle; Chairman Kevin Phillips Quoted
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ManTech to Be Acquired for $4.2B by Carlyle; Chairman Kevin Phillips Quoted

ManTech, the leading provider of innovative technologies and solutions for mission-critical national security programs, announced on Monday that the company has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Carlyle in an all-cash transition worth approximately $4.2 billion.

“Following a comprehensive review of strategic alternatives, our Board determined that this transaction is in the best interest of our shareholders and provides them with the most compelling value maximization outcome, offering liquidity at a significant premium,” commented ManTech President and CEO Kevin Phillips, who is also a six-time Wash100 Award recipient.

R.W. Baird & Co. is serving as the financial advisor following ManTech’s board of directors who unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022.

The transaction will still be voted on by ManTech’s shareholders, who are expected to receive $96 per share in case, which represented a 32 percent premium to ManTech’s unaffected closing share price of $72.82 on February 2, 2022.

Dayne Baird, a Managing Director on Carlyle’s Aerospace & Government Services, explained that MacTech’s unwavering commitment in supporting national security customers, which will help Carlyle to leverage their combined portfolio to accelerate the company’s growth and innovation while also driving greater value for their shareholders, customers and employees.

“We look forward to leveraging Carlyle’s deep knowledge and experience investing in and growing companies, as we deliver stronger outcomes for our customers and increased opportunities for our employees,” Kevin Phillips added.

About ManTech 

ManTech provides mission-focused technology solutions and services for U.S. defense, intelligence and federal civilian agencies. In business for more than 53 years, we excel in full-spectrum cyber, data collection & analytics, enterprise IT, systems engineering and software application development solutions that support national and homeland security.

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Biden to Nominate Laura Taylor-Kale as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy
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Biden to Nominate Laura Taylor-Kale as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy

Laura Taylor-Kale, fellow for innovation and economic competitiveness at the Council on Foreign Relations, will be nominated by President Biden to be the assistant secretary for industrial base policy at the Department of Defense.

The White House announced Friday Biden’s intent to nominate Taylor-Kale and other individuals to key leadership roles in his administration.

The CFR fellow has years-long experience in foreign economic policy, international development finance and industrial policy. Her previous work includes time as senior advisor for policy and operations at the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and as deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing at the Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.

Taylor-Kale also spent nearly a decade at the State Department, where she served as a financial economist and foreign service officer.

In a LinkedIn post, the nominee welcomed the announcement and expressed intent to work with the Senate on the confirmation process’ next steps.

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DOJ, EEOC Release Technical Assistance Documents on AI-Based Recruitment
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DOJ, EEOC Release Technical Assistance Documents on AI-Based Recruitment

New documents from the Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are warning against disability discrimination that may arise from the use of artificial intelligence tools by public and private sector employers.

The technical assistance documents, released Thursday, seek to raise public awareness of AI-based employment screening practices that can violate the rights of people with disabilities when they apply for a job.

“If employers are aware of the ways AI and other technologies can discriminate against persons with disabilities, they can take steps to prevent it,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows.

DOJ outlined the obligations of an employer under the Americans with Disabilities Act in the department’s guide titled “Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, and Disability Discrimination in Hiring” and advised organizations to consider the possible implications of decision-making support algorithms for disabled candidates.

Meanwhile, the commission recommended possible measures for employers to reduce the likelihood of ADA violations in the applicant screening process.

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Heidi Shyu Vows to Raise Funding for Defense Innovation Unit in FY24 Budget Proposal
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Heidi Shyu Vows to Raise Funding for Defense Innovation Unit in FY24 Budget Proposal

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, appeared before the House Armed Services Committee’s cyber, innovative technologies and information systems subcommittee Thursday and said she intends to increase funding for the Defense Innovation Unit in the fiscal year 2024 budget request, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

“You got to realize, by the time I came in … [the] budget was pretty much baked two weeks before I came in,” Shyu said in response to a question by Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., during the hearing.

“So my opportunity to influence is this year, in FY24. So you’ll see a much stronger request for funding for FY24,” she added.

DIU Director Mike Brown, a 2022 Wash100 awardee, is retiring in September and Shyu said she intends to find a replacement with experience in the commercial sector and who understands the acquisition process.

“Because that’s where the gap is — a lot of small companies, great ideas, have produced a lot of prototypes — it’s this funnel that’s going down to production,” she said. “And it’s the pull from the acquisition community that we need. So I think that’s what I want to focus on and this is where I think having somebody… with experience on both sides would help.”

Shyu’s office underwent restructuring by redesignating the three directors of defense research and engineering as deputy chief technology officers as part of efforts to help DOD speed up the transition of technologies into capabilities for warfighters.

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