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Janet Yellen Calls for Further Study of Central Bank Digital Currency’s Pros, Cons
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Janet Yellen Calls for Further Study of Central Bank Digital Currency’s Pros, Cons

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said further study is needed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of adopting a central bank digital currency, Reuters reported Thursday.

“I see both pros and cons to doing it. And my own mind is not made up about this,” Yellen said Thursday in an interview.

She mentioned an upcoming Federal Reserve report on the digital currency and noted that the creation of the digital dollar would require consensus among the White House, U.S. central bank and Congress.

“This is a decision that’s important and needs to command consensus. There are some benefits, but there are also meaningful costs,” Yellen said. “It can work to disintermediate the banking system. And, you know, we need to work through the pros and cons. I don’t have a view yet.”

POC - Digital Currency and National Security Forum

On Jan. 27, the Potomac Officers Club will host a virtual forum to offer the GovCon community an insight into the national security aspect of digital currencies. Register here.

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DOD Asks Defense Officials to Report Vaccination Contract Clause Refusals
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DOD Asks Defense Officials to Report Vaccination Contract Clause Refusals

The Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment has released a memorandum requiring Department of Defense components to submit weekly reports about federal contractors who have refused to sign a contract clause to implement the White House’s vaccination mandate. The policy will take effect on Dec. 9th.

DOD leaders must report to Defense Pricing and Contracting when a company refuses to accept a new contract or modification worth $10 million and above or when the vendor’s refusal will have a major impact on military missions, according to a memo signed by DPC Principal Director John Tenaglia.

In September, President Biden ordered federal workers to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in a move to curb the spread of the disease.

The Safer Federal Workforce Task Force initially set the deadline for federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with the mandatory vaccination requirement on Dec. 8th. However, the White House pushed back the deadline to Jan. 4th in line with the new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the emergency temporary standard of the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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Leidos Chairman, CEO Roger Krone Recognized as COVID-19 Response Leader
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Leidos Chairman, CEO Roger Krone Recognized as COVID-19 Response Leader

Leidos Chairman and CEO Roger Krone, the only eight-time winner of the Wash100 Award, was recognized with Washington Business Journal’s COVID-19 Response Leader Award on Thursday for his leadership during the recent pandemic as well as the creation of the company’s Million Dollar “Move the Needle” Sweepstakes that launched back in July 2021.

During an interview with Washington Business Journal, Krone detailed the challenges Leidos faced during the pandemic and the crucial steps that Roger took to lead the company and safeguard its more than 39,000 employees, over 11,300 of those being local, through the trials of the pandemic. 

“I have an expression: ‘The alligator closest to the boat.’ If you’re in the boat, you have a weapon and you’ve only got one shot, which alligator do you shoot? You shoot the one that is today’s problem,” Krone said. “The problems changed over time.”

Leidos Chairman, CEO Roger Krone Recognized as COVID-19 Response Leader

In addition, Krone addressed the company’s Move the Needle campaign to promote vaccine awareness for Leidos employees and how the sweepstakes came together, the response it has received and how senior management continues to drive Leidos employees to get vaccinated. 

“For more than 50 years, Leidos’ mission has been to make the world safer, healthier and more efficient. Today we are doubling down on that charter,” said Krone. “Through this campaign, we are investing in our people and providing a tangible incentive to save lives. If it encourages even one person to get the vaccine, it’s money well spent.”

As the crisis continues, Krone spoke about how Leidos leadership continues to meet daily to address the latest developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and new variants as well as engaging with its workforce to ensure the safety of Leidos employees and its partners through the pandemic and beyond. 

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DOD Opens University-Affiliated Intell & Security Research Lab: Kathleen Hicks Quoted
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DOD Opens University-Affiliated Intell & Security Research Lab: Kathleen Hicks Quoted

The Department of Defense and University of Maryland held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for a new center that was established to conduct studies in artificial intelligence, advanced computing and other technology areas.

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at College Park is among the 14 university-affiliated research centers that DOD sponsors.

Kathleen Hicks, deputy defense secretary and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said that ARLIS works to help the department innovate to address potential threats from transnational, state and non-state actors.

“It is a flexible and responsive organization. It leverages technology and science to meet increasingly critical national security challenges. It could not have come at a better time,” Hicks added.

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White House Unveils Actions to Expand Small Disadvantaged Businesses’ Share of Contracts
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White House Unveils Actions to Expand Small Disadvantaged Businesses’ Share of Contracts

The White House has announced reforms to the federal procurement process to advance equity and increase the share of federal contracts to small disadvantaged businesses (SDB). 

One of the proposed changes is asking agencies to surpass the existing goal of 5 percent by spending 11 percent of fiscal 2022 contracting dollars on SDBs as part of efforts to meet President Biden’s goal of ensuring that 15 percent of federal contracting dollars go to such businesses by 2025, up from an average of 9.8 percent in the last five years, according to a fact sheet published Thursday.

The government will also provide updated goals for women-owned small businesses, HUBZone businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses and other socioeconomic categories.

Other reforms outlined in the document are the release of disaggregated data of federal contracting spend by ethnicity and race of business owner, efforts to increase the number of new small business entrants to the federal marketplace, adoption of key management practices to promote accountability and the need to ramp up contracting opportunities for underserved small companies through the introduction of major changes to federal agencies’ use of category management.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will release updated guidance on category management to help agencies adopt more equitable procurement practices.

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Commerce Department Seeks Members for New Microelectronics Committee
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Commerce Department Seeks Members for New Microelectronics Committee

The Department of Commerce has created an advisory committee that will help the U.S. government handle research and development, policy and production efforts related to microelectronics.

The department said its new Industrial Advisory Committee now seeks qualified members via the Federal Register. Experts from federal laboratories, academic institutions and industrial companies will compose IAC.

“Microelectronics are enabling technologies for industries of the future, like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, 5G and quantum computing,” said Gina Raimondo, secretary of commerce.

The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act tasked the Commerce Department to establish IAC with the consultation of the U.S. defense, homeland security and energy secretaries.

IAC will focus on science and technology that support the U.S. microelectronics industry and will discuss the effectiveness of a microelectronics leadership strategy made by the National Science and Technology Council.

The committee will also assess NDAA-authorized microelectronics programs and identify public-private partnerships that support microelectronics research and domestic production.

Magellan Federal Earns 2022 Military Friendly Employer Designation
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Magellan Federal Earns 2022 Military Friendly Employer Designation

Magellan Federal has received designation as a 2022 Military Friendly Employer across four categories.

Based on public and proprietary survey data from over 1,000 companies, Magellan Federal ranked in the top ten for the Military Friendly Gold Employer and Gold Spouse Employer categories in addition to earning recognition in the Military Friendly Supplier Diversity Program.

“This prestigious achievement affirms our decades-old commitment to hiring and empowering veterans, active-duty military members, and their families,” said Nicole McLain, Magellan Federal’s director of talent acquisition.

The recognition highlights Magellan Federal’s most recent work to support military families, spouses and children. 

In November 2021, Magellan Federal announced its participation in the White House’s Hidden Helpers initiative which provides programming and support to over 2.3 million children in military or veteran caregiving families.

Magellan Federal’s Military Friendly rating was based on a combination of the company’s survey score as well as an assessment of its ability to meet thresholds for applicants, retention, attrition and advancement of veterans and military employees.

To view Magellan Federal’s full Military Friendly rating, please visit militaryfriendly.com.

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VA to Implement Organizational, Scheduling Changes for EHR Modernization
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VA to Implement Organizational, Scheduling Changes for EHR Modernization

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has modified its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) plan to address challenges identified in a Congress-commissioned report. 

The Comprehensive Lessons Learned report prompted the VA to make both organizational and scheduling changes to the EHRM program, the department said Wednesday. VA will appoint a program executive director for EHR integration and a deputy chief information officer for the program.

The PED will oversee and coordinate cross-organizational and cross-functional communication and implementation strategies, spanning program management and technical matters. The DCIO will handle all program functions related to technology integration.

The department also plans to expand the role of its Office of the Functional Champion, which will work to ensure that clinical efforts support processing and patient safety.

The program’s revised schedule for EHR implementation across Veterans Integrated Support Networks covers pre-deployment activities for VISNs 10 and 20 and preparation work for VISNs 23 and 12, which includes a site in North Chicago. The revision augments the EHRM implementation plan through the early fiscal year 2024.

Cerner holds a $10 billion contract to help the VA implement a modernized EHR that integrates with the Department of Defense.

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CISA Announces Members of New Cybersecurity Advisory Committee; Jen Easterly Quoted
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CISA Announces Members of New Cybersecurity Advisory Committee; Jen Easterly Quoted

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has named 23 members of the cybersecurity community as members of a new federal advisory committee that will provide advice and recommendations on U.S. cyber defense initiatives.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Advisory Committee will advise the CISA director on key topics such as cyber workforce expansion, misinformation and disinformation campaigns and public-private collaboration, CISA said Wednesday.

The advisory group will also provide recommendations on how to expand the participation of the hacking community in defending the U.S. national security.

Among the members of the committee are Microsoft Executive Vice President Chris Young, Amazon Web Services Chief Information Security Officer Stephen Schmidt, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince and Apple VP George Stathakopoulos.

“We’re at a pivotal moment in our history—one that demands we think anew about ensuring the security and resilience of our digital infrastructure in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats,” Easterly said.

“That’s why I couldn’t be more pleased that some of our nation’s best thinkers have agreed to join our Cybersecurity Advisory Committee,” she added.
 

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Borenstein Group Named Among Top 25 B2B/B2G Brand Engagement Agencies in 2022; CEO Gal Borenstein Quoted
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Borenstein Group Named Among Top 25 B2B/B2G Brand Engagement Agencies in 2022; CEO Gal Borenstein Quoted

The Borenstein Group, a leading B2B and B2G digital marketing agency, was listed as one of the Top 25 national B2B Brand Engagement Agencies in 2022 by CHIEF MARKETER magazine as part of its annual Top 200 Chief Marketer Top Marketing Agencies for 2022.

“GovCon clients now seek agency partners that deliver evidence-based, synchronized engagement strategies that align their brand with their growth objectives. It’s what the Borenstein Group delivers,” said Gal Borenstein, CEO of the Borenstein Group.

The Borenstein Group has helped hundreds of startups, early-stage, growing, and mature companies maximize their brand promise and equity since its inception in 1995. Borenstein Group is a leading digital marketing communications company in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

Borenstein Group Named Among Top 25 B2B/B2G Brand Engagement Agencies in 2022; CEO Gal Borenstein Quoted

The company serves clients locally and globally in defense, aerospace, AI and machine learning, analytics, ISR, cybersecurity and information technology as well as professional services and high-tech manufacturing.

The winning agencies listed on Chief Marketer’s annual list of 200 honorees were selected based on several criteria including insightful client testimonials; outstanding case study submissions; high caliber, consistent work across programs and clients; innovative and creative executions; and bold and inspiring concepts, and ideas that are moving the industry forward.

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