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200 Organizations Participate in CISA-Hosted Cybersecurity Drill; Director Jen Easterly Quoted
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200 Organizations Participate in CISA-Hosted Cybersecurity Drill; Director Jen Easterly Quoted

Nearly 200 public and private sector organizations took part in the eighth edition of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Cyber Storm exercise that assessed participants’ cybersecurity preparedness, incident response procedures and data exchange processes.

CISA said Monday more than 2,000 representatives from the participating domestic and international entities responded to a simulated cyberattack to test their capabilities against critical infrastructure security threats.

Scenarios at the three-day Cyber Storm VIII event involved ransomware and data exfiltration in operational and traditional enterprise systems.

“An important part of building cyber preparedness and resilience is exercising incident response capabilities, something CISA and our cybersecurity partners do regularly through exercises like Cyber Storm,” said Jen Easterly, director of CISA and an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2022.

Easterly urged agencies and companies to update cybersecurity defenses for key assets.

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La’Naia Jones Becomes CIA CIO; Jennifer Ewbank Quoted
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La’Naia Jones Becomes CIA CIO; Jennifer Ewbank Quoted

La’Naia Jones, a two-decade intelligence community veteran and former deputy chief information officer at the National Security Agency, has been named CIO of the CIA.

Jennifer Ewbank, the CIA’s deputy director for digital innovation and a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, wrote in a LinkedIn post that Jones will oversee information technology assets and the global communications infrastructure in her new position.

“Jones’ experience and leadership will help CIA harness rapidly evolving digital technologies and strengthen key partnerships to advance our national security mission,” Ewbank added.

The appointment comes six months after Juliane Gallina, a two-time Wash100 winner, transitioned from the CIO role to the position of associate deputy director for digital innovation at the agency, according to her LinkedIn account.

Jones concurrently served as the NSA’s deputy CIO and information sharing and safeguarding executive and previously worked as acting IC CIO at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

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Maj. Gen. Matt Easley on Army’s Cloud Adoption, Other Digital Transformation Efforts
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Maj. Gen. Matt Easley on Army’s Cloud Adoption, Other Digital Transformation Efforts

Maj. Gen. Matt Easley, most recently chief information security officer and director of cybersecurity of the U.S. Army, discussed the service branch’s efforts to advance digital modernization initiatives, including the Army’s work to develop and support hybrid cloud environments, Nextgov reported Monday.

Easley, who now serves as deputy principal information operations adviser to the undersecretary of defense for policy, told Nextgov over email that the military branch has been using in the past two years a model that guides how it procures, builds and secures cloud services.

“A lot of what we learned with how we buy multi-cloud and how we have been securing public multi-cloud offerings [is] within cARMY, the Army’s enterprise cloud environment that is helping inform how the Defense Information Systems Agency wants to structure Joint Warfare Cloud Capability and shape DOD policy around impact levels and distributed architectures,” he noted.

He discussed the service’s Digital Transformation Strategy and its progress with its data management platform, dubbed Army Vantage.

“Army Vantage is now being used by over 35,000 people worldwide to assist decision-making across Army echelons and is providing curated, authoritative data, dashboards, common operating pictures and custom tools for analysis,” Easley said.

He added that the service plans to develop accredited standard toolsets for machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation and enterprise data lake in the cloud in support of all mission areas.

Easley also highlighted the need for the Army to migrate information systems to its cloud ecosystem – cArmy – and come up with plans to implement a zero trust architecture in compliance with the cybersecurity executive order.

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Senators Seek Info on DHS’ Efforts to Protect Critical Infrastructure From Russian Cyberattacks
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Senators Seek Info on DHS’ Efforts to Protect Critical Infrastructure From Russian Cyberattacks

Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and 20 other lawmakers asked the Department of Homeland Security for information on DHS’ efforts to safeguard the U.S. from Russian cyberattacks and disinformation threats in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The lawmakers wrote a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of DHS and a previous Wash100 Award winner, asking whether the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has strategy in place should Russian state-backed hackers target U.S. critical infrastructure in retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russia, Rosen’s office said Monday.

“As we stand with the Ukrainian people, impose crushing sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime, and push for additional security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself, we also must work to secure the homeland from retaliatory cyber activities,” the bipartisan group of senators wrote in the March 13 letter.

The lawmakers also asked how CISA identifies and provides technical support to critical infrastructure operators and owners and works with international partners to advance operational coordination.

POC - 2022 CMMC Forum

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2022 CMMC Forum on May 18. Visit the Potomac Officers Club site to learn more about this event and view POC’s full calendar.

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Jeff Lau Named Executive Sponsor of GSA’s Commercial Platforms Program
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Jeff Lau Named Executive Sponsor of GSA’s Commercial Platforms Program

Jeff Lau, regional commissioner for the Northeast and Caribbean Region at the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, has been appointed executive sponsor of the Commercial Platforms program at GSA.

He will oversee the team and help shape the Commercial Platforms program’s future, Laura Stanton, assistant commissioner for the office of information technology category at FAS, wrote in a blog post published Thursday.

Lau said he sees an opportunity to streamline and modernize commercial procurement through the program.

“I am excited about growing the program and broadening the number of platforms participating in future contracts. This will be a significant focus area as part of my leadership,” he added.

As regional commissioner, Lau oversees four FAS portfolios that provide contracting and procurement platforms to federal, state and local agencies.

He joined GSA in 2004 as a contract specialist in the Northeast and Caribbean Region. He previously served as acting regional administrator and special adviser to the FAS regional commissioner.

The appointment came days after GSA started soliciting feedback from online portal providers on requirements that may be included in future contracts under the Commercial Platforms program. Responses to the request for information are due April 15.

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2021 Sustainability Report Showcases L3Harris Environmental, Social, Governance Goals and Results; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted
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2021 Sustainability Report Showcases L3Harris Environmental, Social, Governance Goals and Results; CEO Christopher Kubasik Quoted

L3Harris Technologies has released its yearly Sustainability Report enumerating the company’s various environmental initiatives over the course of 2021 and naming focus areas for its Environmental, Social and Governance program.

According to the report, published Monday, L3Harris made advancements in its objectives to reduce greenhouse and gas emissions by 30 percent and water consumption by 20 percent before 2026.

“We continue to make meaningful strides with our ESG efforts as they become engrained in the L3Harris culture,” said Christopher Kubasik, vice chair and CEO of L3Harris as well as a three-time Wash100 Award recipient. 

The company also said they have done work to meet their goal of reducing waste disposal in landfills by 75% before 2026.

During 2021, L3Harris began commercial work for Elm Branch, a solar farm that it owns and facilitates. The enterprise was built in collaboration with military veterans, spans 1,350 acres and is said to decrease CO2 emissions by 110,000 metric tons annually.

Kubasik also stated the company strengthened its climate data monitoring efforts during the last calendar year in order to ensure its ability to run ethically and sustainably for the foreseeable future.

“We initiated alignment with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures to advance our transparency in climate-related risks and opportunities,” Kubasik added.

The company reported a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and that all of its employees were trained on Global Trade Compliance Policy in order to ensure proper international trade conduct.

L3Harris team members logged 105,000 total volunteer hours in 2021, which exceeded the company’s prior high watermark in this category by almost 50,000 hours. In addition, the company noted its diversity, equity and inclusion statistics, reporting half of the workforce being women and nearly a quarter of jobs occupied by people of color.

“Together, we aim to cultivate an ethical, disruptive company that strives for excellence far beyond base policies and standards,” Kubasik concluded.

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Army Eyes Contractor Selection for New Mobile Protected Firepower Light Tank Soon
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Army Eyes Contractor Selection for New Mobile Protected Firepower Light Tank Soon

The U.S. Army officials revealed that a contract for the production of the service’s new Mobile Protected Firepower light tank could be coming in the third quarter of fiscal 2022, Defense News reported Saturday.

The announcement followed a limited-user test in fall 2021 during which Army soldiers tried out the light tank prototypes developed by BAE Systems and General Dynamics‘ land systems business.

“We got what we needed out of the competition, which was prototypes that went through a full range of testing, limited-user testing, soldier touch points,” shared Doug Bush, the Army’s chief acquisition officer, to reporters.

In 2018, the service branch selected BAE and GDLS to produce tanks prototypes that will provide a capability for mobile, protected and direct fires once they were initially deployed in fiscal 2025.

BAE is offering an updated version of the B8 Buford armored gun system with additional capabilities and components, while GDLS is presenting a lightweight chassis with a power pack, advanced suspension and a turret featuring M1 Abrams battle tank technologies.

Recent reports suggest that acquisition officials disqualified BAE from the competition, but the Army has yet to confirm the news’ validity.

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GSA Seeks Support Services for Defense Innovation Unit
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GSA Seeks Support Services for Defense Innovation Unit

The General Services Administration has released an advanced notice to inform potential contractors about an upcoming opportunity in support of the Defense Innovation Unit.

The potential five-year contract would provide for scientific, technical and subject matter expertise that can support DIU in multiple areas including artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomous systems, information technology, cyber, space technology, human systems and advanced energy and materials, GSA said Thursday in a SAM.gov notice.

Support tasks under the effort would also encompass program management, business operations and procurement.

Work would begin on Sept. 1st and take place at multiple locations including those in California, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Washington, D.C.

The government expects to allot $10 million per year for the effort, which includes a one-year base period and four option years through Aug. 31, 2027. Interested parties may submit expressions of interest through April 10.

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Army C5ISR Center Wants Info on Threat Forecasting Tech
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Army C5ISR Center Wants Info on Threat Forecasting Tech

The U.S. Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center has released a request for information on technologies that can predict a threat’s behavior and location.

According to the RFI on SAM.gov, contractor threat forecasting software is expected to help the C5ISR Center’s Engineering System Integration Directorate in developing requirements and prioritizing resources for ISR operations.

The service branch is interested in capabilities that use information from known threat tactics, techniques and procedures; terrain, intelligence, training and previous events to produce continuous forecasts of threat courses of action and high-value target locations that would improve wargaming, ISR collection and decision-making processes.

Interested companies can respond to the RFI on or before April 25.

The effort is part of the Army’s transition to the multi-domain concept, in which commanders need intelligence to view insights into adversaries’ upcoming actions and make decisions at a faster rate.

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Accenture Federal Services Secures $199M TSA Contract for Credential System Support; Maurine Fanguy Quoted
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Accenture Federal Services Secures $199M TSA Contract for Credential System Support; Maurine Fanguy Quoted

Accenture’s Federal Services, has received a seven-year, $199 million contract award from the Transportation Security Administration to perform information technology modernization services.

Under the contract, Accenture Federal Services will assist the Department of Homeland Security arm with threat response by streamlining the department’s credentialing apparatus from three programs into one, the company said Monday.

“TSA’s credentialing systems play a critical role in protecting our nation from a broad range of threats,” explained Maurine Fanguy, managing director and DHS lead at AFS.

Fanguy continued, saying the consolidated platform is aimed to increase efficiency and maximize business value for the agency’s Information Technology, Technology Solutions division.

AFS will employ an agile software approach for its program consolidation strategy. The company’s team will also be responsible for project management, cybersecurity and operations support services.

According to Anthony Pinheiro, managing director of AFS and TSA lead, the credentialing systems serve about 30 million people, such as transportation workers, airline crews and hazmat drivers. He attests the new program will enable the TSA to “more rapidly adapt to changing threats.”

“AFS is proud to continue our support of TSA’s mission to protect the nation’s transportation systems, ensuring freedom of movement for all Americans,” Pinheiro added.

This contract award follows AFS’ $200 million January task order to help the TSA with flight adaptive maintenance. In the same month, the company also landed a $73 million contract award from the IRS to work on their taxpayer income verification and fraud alert systems.

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