FAA to Open Application Period for New Drone Service Suppliers
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FAA to Open Application Period for New Drone Service Suppliers

The Federal Aviation Administration is looking for companies to provide Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability services to unmanned aircraft system operators.

The agency said Wednesday it will open the application period for new UAS service suppliers from May 2nd to June 3rd and review submissions from qualified applicants from June 6th to July 8th.

FAA will hold technical interviews from July to August and conclude formal onboarding on October 14th. LAANC automates the process for drone operators to request FAA authorizations to fly in restricted airspace.

The automated system was launched in 2017 and is available at approximately 735 airports. In February, FAA released its millionth airspace authorization for UAV pilots through LAANC.

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Airgility Progresses to Final Round of Autonomous Technology MoSAIC Challenge; CEO Pramod Raheja Quoted
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Airgility Progresses to Final Round of Autonomous Technology MoSAIC Challenge; CEO Pramod Raheja Quoted

Airgility, an autonomous and intelligent robotics company, has advanced to the final round of competition for the MoSAIC Challenge.

The College Park, Maryland-based company said Thursday it has been selected to move forward in the competition, which is designed to spur breakthroughs and modernizations in remote autonomous indoor missions.

The MoSAIC, or Mobile Standoff Autonomous Indoor Capabilities, Challenge is facilitated by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Merge Institute.

Pramod Raheja, Airgility co-founder and CEO, said the collaboration “is very interesting for Airgility as [the organizations’] combined interests for military and law enforcement tactical operations align well with our current and future aerial robotic solutions.”

The event is broken up into three virtual challenges and two physical challenges. The latter category entails indoor navigation, room mapping and human/object tagging, as well as tactical robotic systems and human presence detection.

For the tactical robotic systems aspect, Airgility will go to Israel and compete with its DS-1 Minotaur drone.

“We are excited to travel to Israel…the selected finalists for the tactical robotic systems demo are all very impressive and some have spent millions of dollars in development,” commented Evandro Valente, Airgility co-founder and chief technology officer.

Valente said the challenge is fitting for Airgility due to the company’s specialization in technologies such as “on-board autonomy algorithms, navigation-specific decision-making and mission-specific decision-making,” in addition to “GPS-denied operations and AI-based anomaly detection.”

Cash and other awards amounting to $600,000 will be distributed to the startup or innovator who crafts the most inventive product for the MoSAIC Challenge. There are prizes in each competition category.

In August 2021, Airgility was chosen to participate in the AFWERX Revolutionizing USAF Flight Line Operations Challenge with its MS-1 Kampe unmanned aircraft system.

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HII Lays Keel of Future Flight III Destroyer USS; Capt. Seth Miller Quoted
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HII Lays Keel of Future Flight III Destroyer USS; Capt. Seth Miller Quoted

Huntington Ingalls Industries has laid the keel of what would be the U.S. Navy’s third Flight III destroyer under the Arleigh Burke class.

Naval Sea Systems Command said Thursday it held a ceremony on March 9 to commemorate the future USS Ted Stevens‘ start of construction, where the ship’s modular components have been joined together at the land level.

Catherine Stevens, wife of the senator whose name the ship takes, and her daughters serve as the ship’s sponsor. HII had their initials etched onto the ship’s keel plate as part of the ceremony.

The ship, also known as DDG 128, will employ the AN/SPY-6(V)1 air and missile defense radar as part of the Flight III package, which includes updated electrical and cooling systems.

“Flight III ships like the future USS Ted Stevens will serve as a deterrent to our adversaries using the ship’s increased power projection capability as a result of the upgraded AEGIS Combat System and air and missile defense radar,” said Capt. Seth Miller, the Navy’s program manager, for the Arleigh Burke class.

Stevens was the country’s longest-serving senator under the republican party and had served as president pro tempore from January 2003 to the same month in 2007.

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Debbie Tuck Chosen to Lead Finance Operations as CFO at Cradlepoint
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Debbie Tuck Chosen to Lead Finance Operations as CFO at Cradlepoint

Financial executive Debbie Tuck has joined Boise, Idaho-based software company Cradlepoint as its chief financial officer.

Tuck brings nearly 30 years of finance, accounting, auditing, investor relations and management experience to her new position leading Cradlepoint revenue and all accounts-related activity, chief sales officer Mark Pugerude announced in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.

In the International Women’s Day-themed post, written by Tuck, the executive shared an appreciation of her new company for “elevating women into leadership roles and showing others that you can make a difference and achieve great things together, regardless of gender.”

Tuck began her career as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1988. She went on to hold various senior-level positions, such as corporate controller for BitSource and vice president of finance (among other roles) for VeriSign, where she established and administered the corporate finance team.

She was also vice president of corporate finance operations for BlackBerry. Recently, Tuck served as the chief financial officer of population geonomics company Helix for almost two years.

In her post, Tuck elaborated on how racial and gender biases in corporate environments have sometimes met her career journey with resistance.

“When you’re the only one that looks like you around the table, you feel you must work twice as hard to gain that respect and keep it,” Tuck said.

The executive’s skill set includes SEC filings, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring and mentorship, among others.

Tuck is co-chair of the 50/50 Women on Boards initiative, which seeks to instill gender equality in boards of directors nationally. She also volunteers time as a student mentor at Independence High School in San Jose, California.

In January, Cradlepoint’s senior vice president of solutions engineering Lisa Guess was chosen to represent the company and its parent organization Ericcson in the Federal Communications Commission’s Technological Advisory Committee.

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Antony Blinken: State Department to Help Implement Executive Order on Digital Assets
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Antony Blinken: State Department to Help Implement Executive Order on Digital Assets

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Department of State will play a key role in the implementation of an executive order on digital assets and its embassies worldwide will work with the private sector and international organizations to advance the development and use of digital assets in alignment with U.S. values.

Blinken, a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, said in a statement published Wednesday the department will launch efforts to help mitigate the risks posed by digital assets to consumers and investors, promote international cooperation and U.S. competitiveness and back the development and adoption of standards.

On Wednesday, President Joe Biden signed the executive order that directs the U.S. government to assess the potential benefits and risks of establishing a central bank digital currency and address other issues amid the rise in the adoption of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.

With the new policy, the State Department will also help prevent illicit finance, counter corruption, preserve interoperability, safeguard against unlawful surveillance, support financial inclusion and defend privacy and exercise of human rights. 

Blinken said the EO reflects U.S. determination to shape and lead financial innovation to promote democratic values, foster prosperity and prevent abuse.

“Financial innovation can produce great benefit for society, but it needs the right guardrails to prevent harm,” he added.

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GSA Cites Cybersecurity, Digital Services Projects Backed by ARP Investments; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Cites Cybersecurity, Digital Services Projects Backed by ARP Investments; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration highlighted several cybersecurity and digital modernization initiatives that were funded through the American Rescue Plan signed in March 2021.

GSA said Thursday ARP provided $1 billion for the Technology Modernization Fund, which has invested about $320 million in nine projects, including efforts at the Office of Personnel Management, GSA, Department of Education, Selective Service System and other agencies to protect citizens’ personal data.

TMF also invested in initiatives to improve public-facing digital services, including the authentication and identity verification features in Login.gov and the Southwest Border Technology Integration Program.

The law allocated $150 million for the Federal Citizen Services Fund and GSA said investments include the launch of the U.S. Digital Corps to help diversify and strengthen the federal technology workforce.

Other investments are updating the website USA.gov to improve its function as a centralized resource of government services and information and providing resources to facilitate access of families to the child tax credit.

“A simple, streamlined and secure digital infrastructure is critical to delivering the services and benefits Americans need, and the American Rescue Plan took major strides toward that goal,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “We look forward to building on this progress with reliable, secure, and intuitive digital services that improve the lives of all Americans.”

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MDA Uses Lockheed-Built THAAD System to Launch PAC-3 MSE Missile
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MDA Uses Lockheed-Built THAAD System to Launch PAC-3 MSE Missile

A Lockheed Martin official said the Missile Defense Agency used a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to fire an advanced variant of the Patriot missile against a simulated target during a Feb. 24 test held at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Defense News reported Thursday.

Scott Arnold, vice president of integrated air and missile defense at Lockheed’s missiles and fire control, said the test demonstrated that the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhanced or PAC-3 MSE missile can be integrated with the THAAD system, enabling warfighters to separately launch such missiles from a Patriot fire unit.

Arnold noted the demonstration shows that Patriot M903 launching stations and PAC-3 MSE interceptors can be fielded with the THAAD system using only the THAAD fire control and communications or TFCC and THAAD radar for support, giving U.S. forces a “critical multi-tier missile defense capability” to counter emerging and current threats.

Lockheed is the manufacturer of the THAAD system and PAC-3 MSEs.

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Kim Waiyaboon Named SDV International Chairman and CEO; President Jason Roys Quoted
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Kim Waiyaboon Named SDV International Chairman and CEO; President Jason Roys Quoted

Kim Waiyaboon has been promoted to chairman and chief executive officer from her prior role as chief operating officer at SDV INTERNATIONAL.

The Alexandria, Virginia-based information technology company said Thursday that Waiyaboon will helm a push to evolve and grow SDV’s technical capability strategies for its public and commercial sector customers.

“[Waiyaboon’s] leadership has enabled SDV INTERNATIONAL to expand into new markets to deliver science and technology solutions, including health IT and national security solutions that leverage artificial intelligence, cloud, and blockchain technologies,” remarked Jason Roys, president of SDV.

Waiyaboon was director of operations for SDV from 2017 to 2020 and chief operating officer since 2020. In the latter position, she spearheaded the certifications and compliance task forces and dealt directly with the regulatory compliance for the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

The executive has extensive experience as a consultant on topics of international commerce policy and international trade. She has acted as a counselor to large firms with global reach as well as to governments in the United Kingdom due to her land-use research accomplishments at Oxford University.

Before her time at SDV, Waiyaboon was director of operations at XMStart, where she oversaw contracts from the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, Department of Energy and the National Reconaissance Office. She has been a member of the National Contract Management Association since 2010, where she examines federal acquisition regulations.

The current leadership at SDV views Waiyaboon’s elevated status as a benefit to the company’s growth and future transformations and believes it will only expand the impacts of her skills in workforce optimization and talent engagement.

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USMC Redesignates Cyber Occupational Field to Consolidate Information Workforce
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USMC Redesignates Cyber Occupational Field to Consolidate Information Workforce

The U.S. Marine Corps has redesignated an operations occupational field with a renewed focus on integrating and operationalizing information.

The 17XX Cyberspace Operations OCCFLD has been redesignated as the 17XX Information Maneuver OCCFLD, which offers USMC a workforce for information-related needs, the service branch said Wednesday.

The 17XX IM OCCFLD will manage the careers of Marines specializing in cyber warfare, the electromagnetic spectrum, civil affairs, space and psychological operations.

USMC’s deputy commandant for information ordered the consolidation of military occupational resources for operations in the information environment. 

“Marines interested in future IM OCCFLD opportunities are invited to attend upcoming roadshow briefs,” said Maj. Audrey Callanan, IM OCCFLD manager.

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DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory Commercializes Carbon Capture Tech
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DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory Commercializes Carbon Capture Tech

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory is commercializing a range of carbon capture technologies as the government seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in the energy sector by 2035.

NETL said Wednesday its Carbon Capture Program portfolio features technologies that are being licensed for commercial use in power and industrial plants.

One example is the Cryogenic Carbon Capture method, which cools down a plant’s waste stream then desublimates carbon dioxide into dry ice.

Sustainable Energy Solutions and other partners are investing $10.5 million in the technology under a cost-share agreement with DOE, which announced almost $5 million for CCC’s implementation at a Sugar Creek, Missouri-based cement plant. NETL will manage this cost-shared project, which explores how CCC can reduce CO2 emissions in cement production.

“With NETL oversight and guidance, projects can advance from the conceptual stage to pilot studies and eventually to the point where they are ready for licensing and commercial application,” said Krista Hill, a federal project manager at NETL.

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