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GSA Needs Market Info for Authentication Broker Service
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GSA Needs Market Info for Authentication Broker Service

The General Service Administration seeks market information for the creation of a federated authentication service.

GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) team requires a service that would authenticate users from multiple agencies to log into a federal website, GSA said Dec. 1st in a SAM.gov notice.

TTS’s Cloud.gov platform-as-a-service would onboard user agencies onto the site, which would employ an authentication broker to accommodate users.

GSA seeks an authentication broker that supports multiple federal agency identity providers and at the same time aligns with federal encryption and security standards.

If the authentication broker is a software-as-a-service, it must also comply with Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) standards on a high or moderate level by the middle of 2022.

Interested parties may submit market information through Dec. 15th.

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US, UK to Launch Prize Challenges for Privacy-Enhancing Technologies; OSTP Director Eric Lander Quoted
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US, UK to Launch Prize Challenges for Privacy-Enhancing Technologies; OSTP Director Eric Lander Quoted

The U.S. and the U.K. have announced new bilateral innovation prize challenges aimed at innovating technologies that use data while protecting privacy and intellectual property.

Starting in the spring of 2022, the two countries will task participants from the academe, industry and government to address technical gaps and challenges related to adopting privacy-enhancing technologies, the White House said Wednesday.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards will work with the U.K.’s Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to develop the PET challenges.

“It is imperative that we come together as democracies to develop approaches to unlock the economic, scientific, and societal benefits of emerging technologies while protecting shared values such as privacy, accountability, and transparency,” shared Eric Lander, OSTP director.

“This prize challenge will build on the UK’s comprehensive National Data Strategy and help to raise the profile of these technologies on both sides of the Atlantic, laying the foundations for future collaboration,” added Nadine Dorries, U.K. state secretary for digital, culture, media and sport.

The two countries first announced the partnership at the Summit for Democracy, a part of the International Grand Challenges on Democracy-Affirming Technologies. Initial results of the effort will be released at the second summit.

CACI Enters MOU with Yubico to Secure Mobile Government Communications; Todd Probert Quoted
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CACI Enters MOU with Yubico to Secure Mobile Government Communications; Todd Probert Quoted

CACI International has established a memorandum of understanding with Yubico to enhance the security and authentication protocols of its mobile platforms for the company’s government customers.

Under the MOU, Yubico will provide CACI with its YubiKey 5 FIPS series of multi-factor authentication products for the company’s software-defined key loading devices, CACI said Thursday. The MOU also establishes Yubico as the exclusive provider of MFA services for CACI’s mobile platforms.

Todd Probert, president of national security and innovative solutions at CACI and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said the partnership will provide trusted communications technology to military and government agencies in support of national security missions.

“CACI and our partners are bringing this state-of-the-art multi-factor authentication tool, combined with the most-advanced mobile hand-held device for trusted mobile platforms to the market,” Probert said of the MOU.

The YubiKey 5 FIPS series of multi-protocol security products leverage two-factor, multi-factor and passwordless authentication to combat account takeovers and phishing attacks. The products are approved by the National Security Agency for Department of Defense use and follow National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines.

Additionally, Yubico CEO and co-founder Stina Ehrensvärd, said the partnership aligns with the government’s recent efforts to bolster national security through initiatives like its Draft Zero Trust Strategy and the executive order on cybersecurity.

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President Biden Issues Executive Order on Sustainability; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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President Biden Issues Executive Order on Sustainability; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

President Biden has issued an executive order that directs the federal government to pursue sustainability and foster the use of clean energy across U.S. industries in support of national economy.

The EO directs agencies to transform how the government purchases, produces and manages electricity and related facilities into a cleaner, more sustainable manner, the White House said Wednesday.

The order aims to achieve a U.S. electricity sector free of carbon pollution by 2035 and economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

Each agency will set priorities and annual progress goals in alignment with the EO, which seeks efforts related to energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, supply chain sustainability, sustainable procurement and other areas that support the environment.

These efforts will include policy reform, climate adaptation analyses and the creation of federal food policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“President Biden is leading by example and working on behalf of the American people to tackle the climate crisis and DOE is in full support of the administration’s whole-of-government strategy,” Jennifer Granholm, secretary of energy, said in a statement posted Wednesday.

Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Awards $196M to 24 States; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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Economic Development Administration’s American Rescue Plan Awards $196M to 24 States; Gina Raimondo Quoted

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $196 million in American Rescue Plan grants to 24 U.S. States and territories.

The American Rescue Plan stimulus package, signed into law in March 2021, allocates its $3 billion in funding across six different programs with specific initiatives to advance a range of economic recovery and resilience efforts in communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recently awarded grants are funded through the rescue plan’s Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program and will support marketing, infrastructure, workforce and other projects to encourage safe leisure, business and international travel, EDA said Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said the grants will help rebuild the travel and tourism industry and restore the nation’s position as a global competitor while aligning with the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better initiative.

The $750 million Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program is comprised of $510 million in State Tourism grants as well as $240 million in Competitive Tourism grants.

“The State Tourism grants give states and territories the flexible opportunity to boost their local tourism industry and ensure that jobs are restored and tourists return safely,” Raimondo explained.

All 59 U.S. states and territories have received State Tourism grants with this most recent batch of awards.

In November, EDA awarded 34 states and the District of Columbia with the first round of grants under the Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program, and the administration also awarded 30 states with $1 million grants as part of its Statewide Planning Program.

States awarded through this round of grants include:

  • Alabama
  • American Samoa
  • California
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Guam
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Kentucky
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Republic of Marshall Islands
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Mississippi
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • Oregon
  • Republic of Palau
  • Pennsylvania
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia
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Lumen Technologies to Provide Network Services for Army Reserve Command; Zain Ahmed Quoted
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Lumen Technologies to Provide Network Services for Army Reserve Command; Zain Ahmed Quoted

Lumen Technologies has been awarded a potential 11-year, $23 million task order from the U.S. Army Reserve Command to support over 650 Army Reserve locations with Virtual Private Network services.

The communications and network services company said Thursday that the task order, awarded under the General Services Administration’s 15-year, $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions contract vehicle, also covers remote access services in support of USARC’s missions.

“Our secure, high-speed networking services will help Army Reservists accomplish their mission wherever they are,” commented Zain Ahmed, senior vice president of Lumen’s public sector business.

Ahmed added, “Lumen is providing the Army Reserve with modern networking services, including remote access solutions, that enable them to conduct important operations that help keep America safe.”

Lumen Technologies provides services including adaptive networking, edge cloud, information technology modernization and security to government agency customers using its carrier-class fiber network.

The USARC task order covers a one-year initial term with 10 one-year options.

The recent award extends Lumen’s previous work with the Army Recruiting Command, following the company’s July 2021 win of a $52 million task order covering high-speed connectivity services.

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Saule Omarova Withdraws From Consideration for Key Treasury Post
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Saule Omarova Withdraws From Consideration for Key Treasury Post

Saule Omarova, President Joe Biden’s nominee for comptroller of the currency at the Department of the Treasury, has decided not to push through with the confirmation process for the role.

Biden said in a statement published Tuesday that he will continue to find a nominee for the position, which plays a role in regulating approximately 1,200 national banks within the federal banking system.

The president said Omarova “was subjected to inappropriate personal attacks that were far beyond the pale” at the start of her nomination.

CNBC reported Omarova’s decision came after some lawmakers expressed concerns over her views and writings as a legal scholar and personal background of being born and raised in the former Soviet Union.

“I deeply value President Biden’s trust in my abilities and remain firmly committed to the Administration’s vision of a prosperous, inclusive, and just future for our country,” she said in a statement.

Omarova, a professor of law at Cornell University, was nominated for the comptroller post in September. She previously worked at New York-based law firm Davis, Polk & Wardwell and as a special adviser for regulatory policy to the undersecretary for domestic finance at the Treasury.

POC - Digital Currency and National Security Forum

On Jan. 27, the Potomac Officers Club is bringing together distinguished government and industry leaders to offer the GovCon community an insight into the national security aspect of digital currencies.

POC’s Digital Currency and National Security forum will feature National Cyber Director Chris Inglis and Juan Zarate, global co-managing partner and chief strategy officer at K2 Integrity, as keynote speakers.

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Pravina Raghavan Joins NIST as Manufacturing Extension Partnership Director
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Pravina Raghavan Joins NIST as Manufacturing Extension Partnership Director

Pravina Raghavan, a two-decade business advisory professional, has joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as director of NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

She will lead the public-private partnership that backs manufacturing companies in new product development, supply chain and business expansion pursuits, NIST said Tuesday.

Raghavan rejoins the federal government from Empire State Development, where she worked as executive vice president in the small business and technology development division of New York’s primary economic development agency.

Her government service also includes time as a senior adviser at the Department of Commerce and deputy associate administrator of the Small Business Administration’s Office of Investment and Innovation.

Earlier in her career, Raghavan spent more than six years at AT&T.

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Adm. Christopher Grady Talks Joint Requirements Process, Weapons Systems at Senate Confirmation Hearing
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Adm. Christopher Grady Talks Joint Requirements Process, Weapons Systems at Senate Confirmation Hearing

Adm. Christopher Grady, the Biden administration’s pick to serve as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he would use threat-based analyses and data to help address parochialism and reform the joint requirements process once confirmed for the vice chair role, Defense News reported Wednesday.

“Strong leadership in the [Joint Requirements Oversight Council] and consultation with my colleagues on the panel has to ensure a very disciplined approach to that, so we don’t get that mission creep, which can be very parochial at times,” Grady, who serves as head of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, told Senate Armed Services Committee members during his confirmation hearing Wednesday.

He said weapons systems should leverage advances in artificial intelligence, software development and quantum computing.

“A very important element of any new system will be the ability to get past a hardware-oriented weapons system development to one that is software oriented, such that you can spin in new technologies in an app-based approach,” he noted.

Grady also fielded questions regarding nuclear triad modernization efforts and China’s advances in the field of hypersonic weapons.

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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Creates Chief Digital and AI Officer Position
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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Creates Chief Digital and AI Officer Position

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary at the Department of Defense and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, has issued a memorandum announcing the creation of a new position to oversee DOD’s artificial intelligence, data and digital initiatives.

DOD expects the office of the chief digital and AI officer (CDAO) to achieve initial operating capability by Feb. 1st and full operating capability no later than June 1st, Hicks wrote in the memo released Wednesday.

The office of the CDAO, which will directly report to Hicks, will act as the successor organization to the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and intervening supervisor for the Defense Digital Service. It will also be operationally aligned with the office of the chief data officer, which will continue to report to the secretary and deputy secretary of defense through the Pentagon’s chief information officer.

James Mitre, senior adviser to the deputy secretary of defense, will come up with an implementation plan by Jan. 15, to meet the IOC and FOC milestones for the new office.

A senior defense official said the organizational change is part of efforts to advance DOD’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept, C4ISRNET reported.

“JADC2 is the integration of disparate data sources into a common architecture that allows us to have clear, senior-leader-down-to-operator decisions to drive warfighting improvements,” the official said. “To do that. you need a range of capabilities from common data architecture to a common development and deployment environment that allows you to take your applications either digital or AI-enabled and move them to the warfighter.”

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