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Executive Order Details Priorities, Forms Task Force to Guide Infrastructure Law Implementation
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Executive Order Details Priorities, Forms Task Force to Guide Infrastructure Law Implementation

President Biden has signed an executive order that outlines priorities and establishes a new task force to facilitate the implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

The six priorities laid out in the EO are investing public dollars in an efficient manner; increasing the effectiveness of the U.S. economy; creating job opportunities for Americans; investing public dollars equitably through the Justice40 Initiative; building resilient infrastructure that can withstand climate change’s impacts; and coordinating with local, state, tribal and territorial governments in implementing these investments, the White House said Monday.

The order also creates a task force to advance the implementation of infrastructure investments across all government levels and the administration’s priorities.

National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Mitch Landrieu, White House infrastructure implementation coordinator, will co-chair the task force.

The White House Office of Management and Budget, Climate Policy Office and Domestic Policy Council will also be part of the task force, which will include the secretaries of departments of Transportation, Interior, Energy, Commerce, Agriculture and Labor and directors of the Office of Personnel Management and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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US Space Leaders Say Debris From Russian Anti-Satellite Test Poses ISS Crew Safety Risk; Gen. James Dickinson Quoted
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US Space Leaders Say Debris From Russian Anti-Satellite Test Poses ISS Crew Safety Risk; Gen. James Dickinson Quoted

Top officials of NASA and U.S. Space Command have criticized Russia’s anti-satellite test activity for generating an orbital debris field they believe would endanger International Space Station crew and satellites in low-Earth orbit.

SPACECOM said Monday a direct-ascent Russian ASAT missile hit and broke the COSMOS 1408 satellite into over 1,500 trackable pieces during the test and the command determined after an initial assessment that the junk will pose a threat to outer space missions for years.

“Space activities underpin our way of life and this kind of behavior is simply irresponsible,” said Gen. James Dickinson, commander of SPACECOM. He added that the possible hazard could prompt additional collision avoidance maneuvers.

In a separate statement, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the orbiting laboratory’s astronauts and cosmonauts implemented emergency safety measures due to the incident.

Both SPACECOM and NASA intend to monitor the debris’ trajectory and provide spacefaring countries data necessary to protect on-orbit operations.

Constellis Receives 4th Consecutive Recognition as 2022 Military Friendly Employer
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Constellis Receives 4th Consecutive Recognition as 2022 Military Friendly Employer

Constellis has received Silver designation as a 2022 Military Friendly Employer for the fourth consecutive year.

This year’s recognition, awarded by Viqtory, marks Constellis’ sixth year to earn the designation, the company said Tuesday.

Beth Skoletsky, chief human resources officer for Constellis, said the company is proud to be selected for the Military Friendly Employer designation, and she highlighted the importance of partnering with veterans as an essential part of Constellis’ mission.

“Veterans and their families have been a fundamental part of our organization since its founding over 60 years ago,” Skoletsky said. “Their focus on the mission and their passion for safeguarding our communities is key to our culture as a company.”

More than 1,000 participating companies were evaluated for recognition based on data from public sources and a proprietary survey. 

“Companies earning the Military Friendly Employers designation create and elevate the standard for military programs across the globe,” said Kayla Lopez, director of military partnerships for Military Friendly.

Military Friendly Employer’s selections were determined by survey scores and an assessment of participating organizations’ ability to meet thresholds for an applicant, new hire retention, employee turnover and promotion and advancement of veteran and military employees.

To see Constellis’ full Military Friendly rating, visit militaryfriendly.com. 

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SPACECOM Plans to Establish New Joint Component Command
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SPACECOM Plans to Establish New Joint Component Command

Gen. James Dickinson, commander of U.S. Space Command, has approved the development of a new joint component command as part of a broader effort to reorganize authorities and responsibilities of combatant commands, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

The creation of the Joint Force Space Component Command is intended to consolidate SPACECOM’s mission outlined in the revised version of the Unified Command Plan.

According to the plan, SPACECOM is tasked with providing space-based capabilities, such as missile warning, to other combatant commands and defending the U.S. space assets from adversarial attacks.

The command has the authority to decide who gets to use communications satellites on the battlefield and what targets missile warning and space surveillance sensors should monitor.

The reorganization plan is still in early development, but a draft document shows that JFSCC will be responsible for designing, planning and executing global offensive and defensive space-based operations.

It will combine the Joint Task Force-Space Defense headquartered at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado with the Combined Force Space Component Command based at Vandenberg SFB in California.

Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of Space Operations Command, will be tapped to lead the new organization, according to SPACECOM sources familiar with the matter.

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Candy Curtin Named Chief Human Resources Officer for Akima; CEO Bill Monet Quoted
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Candy Curtin Named Chief Human Resources Officer for Akima; CEO Bill Monet Quoted

Akima, a global enterprise with more than 8,000 employees, delivering agile solutions to the federal government, announced on Tuesday that Candy Curtin, formerly of IDEMIA, has been named as the company’s new chief human resources officer (CHRO). 

“Akima is a strong company with the organizational agility to provide talent for a wide range of customers in the federal market,” said Curtin. “I am thrilled to be joining the company at a time of significant growth and as Akima addresses historic shifts in the market.” 

In her new role with Akima, Curtin will lead all aspects of the company’s human resources function, including the company’s employment and talent development programs. Curtin will be reporting directly to Akima President and CEO Bill Monet, who is also a two-time Wash100 Award winner.

Monet described Candy Curtin as a highly-skilled employee relations leader with a strong foundation in managing HR programs for large and diverse employee populations. 

“We are pleased that she is joining our leadership team as we develop transformational programs to support a consistent and rewarding employee experience across our portfolio of companies,” said Monet. 

Prior to joining Akima, Curtin served as the senior human resources executive for Serco North America and IDEMIA. She found great success redesigning benefits and change management programs, recruitment and corporate culture initiatives during her tenure for those organizations.

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Yext Offers Suite of Public Sector AI Search Products, Names 4 New Hires to Sales Team; Laurie Cook Quoted
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Yext Offers Suite of Public Sector AI Search Products, Names 4 New Hires to Sales Team; Laurie Cook Quoted

Yext has released a suite of artificial intelligence search products and hired new executives to its public sector sales team in an organizational shift aimed at helping government agencies reach their modernization goals and expanding the company’s public sector product offerings.

Established in response to the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) and supported by findings from a recent study conducted by Yext, the company has developed AI-powered search technology products for use in public sector organizations, Yext said Tuesday.

This offering builds upon Yext’s previous work implementing AI search technology for the World Health Organization, the U.S. State Department and the states of New Jersey and Alabama as part of their COVID-19 response efforts.

Laurie “LC” Cook, vice president of Yext’s public sector business, said, “Now more than ever, government agencies are looking for technology that will quickly and easily set them up to serve constituents more effectively online.”

In its recent survey, Yext found that constituents are 54 percent more likely to repeatedly seek information or advice from a government agency, versus an independent search engine if provided with an excellent overall website experience.

To address concerns and improve the overall user experience for government agencies’ online services, Yext’s new public sector AI product set includes a self-service portal, a site search feature, reputation management and search engine optimization capabilities.

Yext has also added four new hires to its sales team to support the projected growth of public sector sales. 

Geoffrey Glaser will serve as senior director of Yext’s federal, state & local government and education (SLED) and healthcare sectors. Additionally, Vernon Aldershoff has been named senior director of public sector sales, Christina Day will serve as director of public sector sales and David Hernandez has been selected as director of federal sales.

Cook added, “Our growing team is so excited to show them the potential they can unlock with Yext’s powerful Public Sector AI search solution set, a one-stop shop for all of their CX needs.”

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Mike Rogers Named Chairman of MITRE Board of Trustees; Jason Providakes Quoted
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Mike Rogers Named Chairman of MITRE Board of Trustees; Jason Providakes Quoted

Mike Rogers, former Michigan Congressman and Wash100 Award winner, has been elected chairman of The MITRE Corporation’s board of trustees.

Rogers, who joined the board in 2016 and has served as vice chairman since 2018, will succeed Donald Kerr, who has served as chairman for the last three years, MITRE said Tuesday.

Two-time Wash100 Award recipient Jason Providakes, CEO and president of MITRE, thanked Kerr for his service and welcomed Rogers as the company’s new chairman.

Providakes added, “Mike Rogers’ vast national security expertise and experience helps strengthen MITRE’s whole of nation impact in global strategic competition and our work to help secure our economy, industrial base, borders, climate, and airspace.”

Rogers is a leading national security and cybersecurity expert with extensive experience in data analytics, behavioral modeling and real-time threat assessment.

Previously, Rogers represented Michigan’s eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015. During his tenure as congressman, Rogers served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he oversaw a $70 billion budget funding 17 intelligence agencies.

Prior to his congressional career, Rogers served as a U.S. Army officer and a special agent with the FBI.

Currently, Rogers holds advisory and board member roles with IronNet Cybersecurity, Next Century Corporation, the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Trident Capital’s Cybersecurity Industry Advisory Council.

Following his departure from public office, he founded the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs.

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Jacobs Selected to Continue Architecture, Engineering Support for U.S. State Department’s Overseas Building Operations; Tim Byers Quoted
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Jacobs Selected to Continue Architecture, Engineering Support for U.S. State Department’s Overseas Building Operations; Tim Byers Quoted

Jacobs has received its third consecutive architecture and engineering support services contract from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Overseas Building Operations.

Under the potential five-year, $250 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, Jacobs will continue its 35 years of support to OBO spanning a range of design, construction management and support services, the company said Tuesday.

“We continue to leverage our capabilities, tools and technology to drive value, increase resiliency and sustainability, lower risk and provide best-in-class stewardship of OBO’s worldwide portfolio,” commented Tim Byers, senior vice president and general manager of federal and environmental solutions at Jacobs.

As part of the contract, Jacobs will provide program-level process- and procedure-improvement support as well as facilities surveys and analyses.

Additionally, the IDIQ covers a range of project-specific support services including master plans, site expansion studies, project phasing analysis, historic structures surveys and security mitigation studies.

Byers added that Jacobs will leverage its global footprint, qualifications and experience to “execute comprehensive professional services” for tasks under the contract.

This contract win follows Jacobs’ recent selection for a spot on the Department of Energy’s $8.3 billion Oak Ridge Reservation Cleanup Contract in October 2021.

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DHS Implements New Cyber Talent Management System; Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted
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DHS Implements New Cyber Talent Management System; Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security has rolled out a new system for hiring, developing and retaining federal cybersecurity professionals.

DHS said Monday it aims to screen candidates based on competencies and speed up the recruitment process through the Cybersecurity Talent Management System (CMTS). 

The department plans to initially use CMTS in efforts to help the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office of the Chief Information Officer fill high-priority roles before expanding the system’s application across the organization in 2022.

“As our nation continues to face an evolving threat landscape, we cannot rely only on traditional hiring tools to fill mission-critical vacancies,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of DHS and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner.

Applicants recruited via CTMS will become part of the DHS Cybersecurity Service, a team of federal employees tasked with protecting U.S. critical infrastructure.

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Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble: Army Eyes Native Data Analytics Capabilities
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Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble: Army Eyes Native Data Analytics Capabilities

Lt. Gen. Duane Gamble, deputy chief of staff, G-4, for the U.S. Army, said the service is seeking native data analytics capabilities as it works to update its enterprise resource planning systems in order to gain visibility into supply chain vulnerabilities, FCW reported Monday.

Gamble said the COVID-19 pandemic further advanced the Army’s efforts to implement business intelligence and analytics tools for its existing ERP systems in order to have a platform with “cooked in” prognostics that could enable the military branch’s enterprise, operational, tactical and strategic levels to perform continuous monitoring.

“I believe that using the tools we have today and in some cases the systems we have today — whether they are complex weapons systems or simple other systems — in a different way based on the insights that data gives us I think will lead us to, maybe, cost reduction,” said Gamble.

“Let’s not be surprised by the perfectly predictable,” he added.

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