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AECOM Secures Air Force Academy Master Planning Work
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AECOM Secures Air Force Academy Master Planning Work

AECOM has received a sole-source contract to create a master plan and conceptual designs for the Department of the Air Force’s military academy development project.

The company said Wednesday it will analyze spatial data, perform cost estimation, plan for sustainability, recommend historic preservation methods and initiate a public outreach campaign to help modernize the Air Force Academy as part of the indefinite-quantity/indefinite-delivery contract.

“As the U.S. embarks on a historic period of infrastructure investment, we’re pleased to further our enduring relationship with the federal government and offer USAFA the strength and capacity of our local technical team combined with our global network of professionals to deliver comprehensive integrated services that will help the Academy further its mission in education, athletics, and training,” said AECOM President Lara Poloni.

USAFA serves as a campus for training basic cadets of the Air Force and Space Force.

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Biden Cites Need to Boost Domestic Manufacturing in State of the Union Address
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Biden Cites Need to Boost Domestic Manufacturing in State of the Union Address

President Biden’s first State of the Union address highlighted the need to increase domestic manufacturing to fight higher prices of goods and cited the coordinated actions of the U.S. and its allies in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure climbed 5.2 percent in January, the highest since April 1983. Biden said domestic production of semiconductors and automobiles should be ramped up and the country’s bridges and roads should be rebuilt to counter inflation.

“Economists call it ‘increasing the productive capacity of our economy.’ I call it building a better America,” the president said.

He cited the passage of the COVID-19 relief measure and bipartisan infrastructure bill in 2021 and called on Congress to introduce bills that would reduce the price of electric vehicles and provide investments and tax credits to help weatherize businesses and homes as part of efforts to cut energy costs.

Biden announced that the U.S. would ban all Russian flights from entering U.S. airspace and form a task force within the Department of Justice to pursue Russian oligarchs as part of additional economic measures against Russia.

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US Government Continues to Target Russia’s Defense Sector, Oil Refining Capacity With New Sanctions
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US Government Continues to Target Russia’s Defense Sector, Oil Refining Capacity With New Sanctions

The Biden administration has imposed full blocking sanctions on 22 Russian defense entities, including those that produce combat aircraft, missiles, infantry fighting vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems, as part of additional economic measures in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Department of Commerce will implement restrictions on technology exports that support Russia’s oil refining capacity and extend to Belarus export control restrictions that were imposed on Russia to “degrade both countries’ ability to sustain their military aggression and project power,” according to a White House fact sheet published Wednesday.

Other measures are adding to the entity list organizations that have contributed to the military, defense and security sectors of Russia and Belarus and closing off U.S. airspace to all Russian flights as part of efforts to further isolate and put additional economic costs on Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. offered $350 million in military aid to Ukraine to help the latter counter airborne, armored and other threats as a result of Russia’s invasion. 

“That brings our total security assistance to Ukraine in the past year to more than $1 billion – more than in any previous year,” Blinken, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner, said in his remarks Wednesday.

On Monday, the Department of the Treasury prohibited U.S. citizens from conducting transactions involving Russia’s central bank, national wealth fund and finance ministry as part of additional economic sanctions on Russia’s financial institutions.

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Report: Marshals Service CIO Karl Mathias to Join HHS in Same Role
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Report: Marshals Service CIO Karl Mathias to Join HHS in Same Role

Karl Mathias, chief information officer of the U.S. Marshals Service, has been appointed to serve as CIO at the Department of Health and Human Services starting March 14, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

FNN learned about Mathias’ appointment through an email and noted that he will join HHS nearly 10 months after former full-time CIO Perryn Ashmore stepped down.

The report said George Chambers, who replaced Janet Vogel as acting CIO of the department in January, will return to his permanent role as executive director of the HHS Office of Application and Platform Solutions once Mathias assumes office.

Mathias was appointed CIO at the Marshals Service in January 2015. He supervises approximately 350 government and contractor personnel and information technology modernization efforts at the federal law enforcement agency, according to his LinkedIn account.

He previously worked for the U.S. Air Force in civilian positions such as deputy director of information management at the AF headquarters, a program manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory and deputy head of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s electrical engineering department.

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DOD’s Mara Karlin: Troop Allocation in Eastern Europe to be Reviewed Amid War
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The Department of Defense is looking at a potential increase of U.S. military personnel in Eastern Europe following the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Defense News reported Wednesday.

Mara Karlin, assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans, and capabilities, told a House committee that the Pentagon leadership will reconsider its troop allocation plan to deter Moscow from attacking NATO-member countries in the Eastern European front.

“So we’re looking at what sort of troop presence – whether it’s rotational or permanent – is necessary given this current security environment, both in the near term and frankly, and in the long term,” she explained during House Armed Services Committee hearing.

The U.S., which has been supplying Ukraine with anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles and other material, has yet to commit military personnel into the embattled non-NATO member.

However, the superpower has already deployed around 14,000 troops, F-35 strike fighters and Apache helicopters to Hungary, Poland and the Baltics in a move President Joe Biden said was aimed at reinforcing allies’ defense and not engaging Russian soldiers.

Even before the invasion, NATO members near the Russian border have been asking for more military presence in addition to the currently existing alliance battlegroups in Poland and the Baltics for deterrence.

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Hughes Modem Provides Key Functionality for Army’s Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft; VP/GM Rick Lober Quoted
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Hughes Modem Provides Key Functionality for Army’s Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft; VP/GM Rick Lober Quoted

Satellite and network services company Hughes Network Systems has partnered with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to develop a modem for a U.S. Army unmanned aircraft system.

The two organizations recently put their work on display, providing evidence of the HM400 modem’s communication capabilities in support of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range unmanned aircraft systems, the Germantown, Maryland-based company said on February 22.

Hughes Defense Vice President and General Manager Rick Lober emphasized Gray Eagle’s requirement of a satellite communication system that is able to host an exchange of “high-quality, high-throughput data intelligence in any domain.”

“Employing software-defined technologies, the HM System is flexible and customizable, with an open architecture that interfaces with a variety of antenna technologies and satellite constellations to maintain information assurance, no matter where the Gray Eagle flies,” Lober continued.

The Gray Eagle is equipped to traverse both land and water environments and uses satellites to report its findings to warfighters stationed at potential thousand-mile distances. It is therefore a crucial intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance instrument of the Army.

The HM400 modem wields a container built for all environments, especially high-altitude, and a facility to toggle between geostationary and nongeostationary satellite beams and frequencies.

These features are intended to empower the Gray Eagle’s communication bandwidth to endure any conditions and maintain connectivity.

The project builds on a history of collaboration between Hughes and GA-ASI, for whom the company has lent its satellite communications equipment and integration services for a number of years.

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LinQuest Lands $48M AFRL Task Order for Engineering Support on Skyborg Program; Tim Dills Quoted
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LinQuest Lands $48M AFRL Task Order for Engineering Support on Skyborg Program; Tim Dills Quoted

LinQuest Corporation, a provider of air and space systems technology and electronic warfare solutions for U.S. defense and intelligence communities, has received a potential $48 million, five-year task order from the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Under the task order, the LinQuest team will provide services and engineering support as a part of a contract assisting the AFRL’s Skyborg Vanguard Program, an AI-powered aircraft teaming apparatus.

“LinQuest is excited to work with AFRL to facilitate the rapid development and integration of new technologies, solutions, and innovations into the Skyborg architecture,” said Tim Dills, LinQuest President and CEO.

Skyborg is a system designed to provide warfighters with information about potential air and ground threats, including an analysis of threat proximity and courses of action for rebuttal or evasion. It is an autonomous technology aimed not to replace human pilots a la drones but rather deliver the most up-to-date data for comprehensive human air combat.

LinQuest’s contributions to the Skyborg Vanguard Program are poised to decrease financial and industrial hurdles and expedite hardware and software developments. These efforts are intended to aid in acquisition, fielding and continuance of mission systems.

“LinQuest has proven its ability to combine relevant operations domain expertise with outstanding decision support tools and innovative analytical methodologies that continue to exceed the demanding requirements of the Skyborg Vanguard,” said the Skyborg Program Manager.

The task order was issued on January 31 and is a function of LinQuest’s Small Business Innovation Research Phase III contract. Work will be performed in partnership with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

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Jason Goodfriend Added to Akima’s RiverTech Team as General Manager; President Duncan Greene Quoted
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Jason Goodfriend Added to Akima’s RiverTech Team as General Manager; President Duncan Greene Quoted

Public sector business leader Jason Goodfriend has been appointed general manager of RiverTech, a defense and space contractor owned by Akima.

At RiverTech, Goodfriend will be expected to utilize the subsidiary’s OASIS Small Business contract and grow its global network of government clients, the Herndon, Virginia-based company said Wednesday.

“Jason’s experience in strategy development, business planning, and operations management will aid him in his new leadership role,” commented Duncan Greene, Akima Mission, Systems Engineering & Technology Group President.

Goodfriend’s expertise lies in creating and implementing market growth plans, handling large-scale government contracts and overseeing multi-purpose teams in leadership roles.

Previously, Goodfriend worked in executive positions at BAE Systems. He went on to spearhead small business graduation and acquisition integration as president of Illuminate Mission Solutions.

His time at Illuminate also included assimilating technical advancements and modernizations into the company’s intelligence and mission strategies.

Goodfriend expressed excitement to identify and infiltrate new markets as general manager at RiverTech.

“I look forward to building on the company’s many achievements and delivering mission-focused value to our customers across the globe,” Goodfriend added.

Goodfriend was initially hired by Akima in November 2020 before receiving his new RiverTech placement.

The executive’s appointment follows the November 2021 hire of Candy Curtin as Akima’s chief human resources officer. Akima President and CEO Bill Monet also received his third consecutive Wash100 Award in February.

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DOE to Invest $125M in Small Business-led Clean Energy R&D
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DOE to Invest $125M in Small Business-led Clean Energy R&D

The Department of Energy has opened a $125 million funding opportunity for small business projects on clean energy research and development.

DOE said Monday it will fund projects that tackle a range of clean energy topics including carbon removal, energy storage, renewable energy and grid modernization.

The department manages the funding opportunity under the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which aim to diversify participation in federal technology projects and bolster the commercialization of government-funded technologies.

Small businesses that have worked under previous SBIR or STTR awards from the department may apply for the funding opportunity. DOE is interested in businesses whose work includes electric vehicle batteries, carbon capture systems and cost reduction in solar module manufacturing.

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Transportation Department, FAA to Bar Russia From U.S. Airspace; Pete Buttigieg Quoted
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Transportation Department, FAA to Bar Russia From U.S. Airspace; Pete Buttigieg Quoted

The Federal Aviation Administration is blocking Russian aircraft, including commercial airlines, from entering U.S. airspace amid Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.

FAA and the larger Department of Transportation will issue a notice to air missions and regulatory orders that bar Russian aircraft operations from entering the U.S., effective March 2, DOT said Tuesday.

The bar to entry applies to cargo flights, passenger transport, commercial air carriers and civil aircraft operated by, leased by, registered under or in support of Russia.

“The United States stands with our allies and partners across the world in responding to Putin’s unprovoked aggression against the people of Ukraine,” said Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. secretary of transportation.

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