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Sohail Chaudhry: FDA Adopts User-Centric Approach in Digital Transformation
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Sohail Chaudhry: FDA Adopts User-Centric Approach in Digital Transformation

Sohail Chaudhry, the Food and Drug Administration’s acting chief technology officer, said the agency’s digital transformation plan is focusing on automation and user experience, Nextgov reported Monday.

He said the FDA will need to consistently test and adjust machine learning models as the agency adopts ML technology.

Chaudhry said he wants to ensure that users will not have much to worry about on how the digital transformation technologies are made and implemented.

The agency’s automation will span applications including language translation, handwriting recognition, content comprehension and dataset validation, the report noted.

The acting CTO noted that applying a user-friendly approach can promote the adoption of new information technology services across the FDA enterprise.

Aeyon CEO Sunny Singh Honored for Diversity Initiatives in 2022 Business Awards
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Aeyon CEO Sunny Singh Honored for Diversity Initiatives in 2022 Business Awards

Aeyon President and CEO Sunny Singh has been named an honoree of the Washington Business Journal 2022 Diversity in Business Awards.

The management consulting firm said Monday that the award, which dates back 15 years, has been extended to Singh in appreciation of his accomplishments as an executive of color in the Greater Washington area.

“The entrepreneurial spirit and professionalism of this group is inspiring, and it should serve to set an example for others in the Greater Washington minority business community to follow,” said Singh of his fellow honorees.

The 15th Annual Diversity in Business Awards will take place on March 24, 2022 in Washington, D.C, during which Singh will be recognized as part of its commemoration of workplace diversity and inclusion.

Aeyon came about as the result of a merger between data analytics and consulting provider Artlin Consulting and technology-empowered automation service company Sehlke Consulting, in September 2021.

Singh is a founder of the company as well as its CEO and previously served as CEO of Ace Moving and Storage, a partner of the Department of Defense.

He holds a masters in business administration from Ohio University and received executive education in leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

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NCI Lands Prime Contract from U.S. Navy to Engineer Fiber Optic Network Connections; CEO Paul A. Dillahay Quoted
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NCI Lands Prime Contract from U.S. Navy to Engineer Fiber Optic Network Connections; CEO Paul A. Dillahay Quoted

NCI Information Systems has won a five-year, $13.4 million prime contract to provide secure and efficient network connections for the U.S. Navy.

The information technology and professional services company said Tuesday that the contract calls for its team and collaborator IntelliBridge to engineer and implement the connections via fiber optic networking support services.

“The operational readiness and survivability of today’s warfighters are more closely tied to the speed and security of network technology than at any time in our nation’s history,” said Paul A. Dillahay, president and CEO of NCI and a four-time recipient of the Wash100 Award.

Dillahay stressed that the company’s combined efforts with IntelliBridge will “support fleet modernization and mission readiness at sea.”

This Installation Fiber Optic Networking Support Services contract was given out by the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division.

Through NCI and IntelliBridge services such as network designs, fiber builds and infrastructure mapping, the contract aims to build on system interoperability and network integration for NAWCWD and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

According to IntelliBridge Chief Operating Officer Alan B. Thomas, IntelliBridge wields an understanding of the Navy clientele as a longtime partner and NCI offers “network support services expertise.”

The goal result is to produce device connectivity for these institutions that is streamlined yet protected.

In August 2021, NCI won a prime position on the SeaPort-NxG contract from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, under which it is supplying program management, engineering services and a variety of other support efforts.

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BT Federal’s Mike Barthlow Talks Mission Goals, Leadership Tenets With Potomac Officers Club
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BT Federal’s Mike Barthlow Talks Mission Goals, Leadership Tenets With Potomac Officers Club

Mike Barthlow, president and CEO of BT Federal, was featured recently in an exclusive Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club, in which he discussed his public and private sector career milestones, the tenets that guide his leadership methods and what he hopes to accomplish across the government contracting landscape in the future. 

Barthlow assumed his current post at BT Federal in January 2021. Previously, he served as senior vice president and general manager of the mission communications and computing business at Cubic Corporation.

In this excerpt from the interview, Barthlow speaks on how a national tragedy strengthened his commitment and reinvigorated his mission focus on delivering support to critical government systems:

“I began my journey in the federal landscape as a Marine Corps communications and information systems officer. I had the opportunity to serve in an artillery battalion with the 11th Marines as an S-6 (staff communication officer) as my first assignment, and it truly challenged my skills and leadership having to bring together data and voice communications in a very fluid operational environment. I left active duty after my assignment at 11th Marines and went onto AT&T’s signature client group to help turn around the service delivery performance of the Sun Microsystem Lifecycle Management team. 

After having some great success in the assignment for almost 18 months, the attack on September 11th happened. As a result, I was gladly mobilized to serve in the global War on Terror at U.S. Central Command. Fortunately, I was deployed into a role as the chief of joint theater data networks, utilizing some of my recent experience in the commercial world to help build the largest warfighting network in modern history. That experience truly shaped my career, and I feel like I have been on a mission ever since to improve, modernize and deliver the most secure, capable enterprise communications and information systems possible to my federal customers.”

Click here to read the full Executive Spotlight interview with BT Federal’s Mike Barthlow. 

Are you a GovCon executive who’s interested in being featured in an Executive Spotlight? Visit PotomacOfficersClub.com to learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits.

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IRS to End Use of Facial Recognition Tech to Verify Online Accounts; Sen. Ron Wyden Quoted
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IRS to End Use of Facial Recognition Tech to Verify Online Accounts; Sen. Ron Wyden Quoted

The Department of the Treasury has informed the office of Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that the Internal Revenue Service is in the process of ending the use of facial recognition software for taxpayers to access their tax information online.

The Treasury’s move was in response to Wyden’s request for IRS to stop using the facial recognition service offered by company ID.me in verifying accounts of taxpayers and accessing tax records amid civil liberties and privacy concerns, the senator’s office said Monday.

In a Monday letter addressed to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, the senator asked the agency to transition to Login.gov, the government’s existing identity verification service that has been used by 40 million U.S. citizens to access 200 websites operated by 28 federal agencies.

“I understand the transition process may take time, but I appreciate that the administration recognizes that privacy and security are not mutually exclusive and no one should be forced to submit to facial recognition to access critical government services,” Wyden said in response to the Treasury’s action.

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David McKeown on 10 Cybersecurity Practices Defense Contractors Should Implement
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David McKeown on 10 Cybersecurity Practices Defense Contractors Should Implement

David McKeown, deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity at the Department of Defense, said safeguarding the defense industrial base from cyberthreats has become a priority for DOD and that there are 10 cybersecurity practices defense companies should adopt to make their organizations cyber resilient, DOD News reported Monday.

These cyber practices include keeping updated architecture diagrams with inventories of software and hardware to speed up cyberthreat response; patching and configuring security settings on all software and devices; implementing multifactor authentication; employing malware protection on networks; and encrypting data in transit and at rest.

“No two companies are alike or operate in the same way. However, these essential cybersecurity practices are a great start for any company to strengthen its cybersecurity posture,” said McKeown, who also serves as DOD’s chief information security officer. 

He called on companies in the defense industrial base to be vigilant and prepare to defend and recover from cyber incidents.

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Report: Frank Kendall Offers Commercial Space Suggestions to VP Harris
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Report: Frank Kendall Offers Commercial Space Suggestions to VP Harris

Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 Award winner, presented to Vice President Kamala Harris, who also chairs the National Space Council, a list of commercial space ideas through a six-page memo, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Kendall’s memo “was a proactive effort by the department to support the Vice President, and ensure the Department of Defense can support Biden Administration efforts to foster a broader role for the commercial space sector in supporting a more resilient space capabilities,” an official with the Department of the Air Force told the publication in an email.

According to the report, the document appears to be Kendall’s effort to suggest ideas that fit into the United Space Priorities Framework, which seeks to maintain a robust and responsible U.S. space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations and comes before the completion of another reorganization of Space Systems Command, the U.S. Space Force’s acquisition unit.

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Air Force Acquisition Head Andrew Hunter Assumes DOD Acquisition Undersecretary Duties
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Air Force Acquisition Head Andrew Hunter Assumes DOD Acquisition Undersecretary Duties

The Department of Defense has assigned Andrew Hunter, the Air Force’s new acquisition chief, to concurrently perform the duties of DOD undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment.

Hunter was sworn in as the Air Force assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at a ceremony held Monday morning at the Pentagon, five days after he received Senate confirmation, the service branch said.

In a separate announcement, DOD said Hunter assumed the additional role of acting USD(A&S) and his responsibilities include departmentwide acquisition, contract administration and defense industrial base oversight functions.

“With his extensive background in defense matters, Andrew is ideally prepared for both the responsibilities of the office and to deliver meaningful military capabilities into the hands of our service members,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 Award recipient.

Hunter most recently served as director of the Center for Strategic International Studies’ defense-industrial initiatives group and previously worked as director of the DOD’s Joint Rapid Acquisition Cell.

Air Force Acquisition Head Andrew Hunter Assumes DOD Acquisition Undersecretary Duties

ExecutiveGov’s sister site GovCon Wire is scheduled to host the Second Annual Air Force: IT Plans and Priorities Forum on March 9. Visit the GCW Events page to learn more about this upcoming virtual forum.

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Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth Confirmed to Lead NGA
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Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth Confirmed to Lead NGA

Navy Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth III, director of intelligence at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, received Senate approval Wednesday to serve as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

He will succeed Vice Adm. Robert Sharp, who has led NGA over the past three years and will retire after a 33-year military career, the agency said Friday.

Sharp, a two-time Wash100 winner, charted the agency’s plan to view and use data as a strategic asset in the GEOINT area.

The Senate confirmed Whitworth by voice vote less than four weeks after President Biden nominated the Joint Staff J2 head for assignment to the NGA leadership post.

Whitworth previously served as director of intelligence for the U.S. Africa Command, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the Naval Special Warfare Development Group.

He also commanded the Joint Intelligence Center Central, the Navy Element of U.S. Central Command and the Kennedy Irregular Warfare Center.

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Technica Lands Spot on Test and Evaluation BPA from JAIC to Support AI Programs; CEO Miguel Collado Quoted
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Technica Lands Spot on Test and Evaluation BPA from JAIC to Support AI Programs; CEO Miguel Collado Quoted

Cybersecurity network engineering provider Technica Corporation has secured a spot on a five-year test and evaluation blanket purchase agreement from the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

Under the BPA, Technica is expected to aid the JAIC through test and evaluation procedures for artificial intelligence, automation and autonomy programs, including those related to machine learning, deep learning and neural networks, the company said Monday.

Miguel Collado, president and CEO of Technica, commented that the company’s research and development lab is looking forward to bringing its engineering skill set to a collaboration with the JAIC.

Collado continued, saying the BPA will yield work that will make strides in “the development of new AI tools and services that can enable the DoD to rapidly test and validate AI capabilities developed for DoD operations and missions.”

Together, Technica and the JAIC intend to develop voice to text functions for conversational interface applications, as well as other speech-enacted products for government applications.

They will also be examining image analysis, with a focus on deep learning-based visual search and image classifier, as well as natural language processing-powered products.

Finally, their work will involve human-machine interfaces and build on ways to compute cognitive and physical warfighter workloads. This will entail augmented reality and virtual reality testing.

In July 2021, Technica won a $43 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to assist in maintaining the Blue Sensitive Compartmentalized Information network.

Under this contract, the company will create a system to centralize the network’s command and control capabilities.

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