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Senate OKs Bill to Raise U.S. Borrowing Limit
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Senate OKs Bill to Raise U.S. Borrowing Limit

The Senate on Thursday voted 50-48 to pass a bill that would increase the U.S. debt limit by $480 billion, which the Department of the Treasury said could help the country pay its bills through Dec. 3rd, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The measure is now headed to the lower chamber. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said lawmakers are expected to vote on the bill on Oct. 12th.

The White House said President Biden would sign the measure. It also called on Congress to address the borrowing limit beyond December. The U.S. government currently operates under a continuing resolution, which is also set to expire on Dec. 3. 

Defense Secretary and 2021 Wash100 Award winner Lloyd Austin issued a statement Wednesday citing the potential impacts on federal contractors and benefits of veterans and survivors, among others, if the country defaults on its obligations.

“If the United States defaults, it would undermine the economic strength on which our national security rests,” Austin noted.

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UK Implements Climate Commitment Policy for Government Contract Bidding
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UK Implements Climate Commitment Policy for Government Contract Bidding

The U.K. has implemented a requirement for companies pursuing domestic government contracts to develop carbon reduction plans as the country seeks to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

Vendors that bid for at least $6.8 million in annual contracts with Britain's central departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public entities must demonstrate their environmental commitments, the British cabinet office said.

The government is requiring potential suppliers to report some activities that contribute to a company's carbon footprint, such as employee commuting and business travel.

This policy took effect ahead of the COP26 global climate conference that is scheduled to kick off later this month in Glasgow, Scotland.

Some of the global aerospace and defense industry's government suppliers are headquartered in the U.K. including BAE Systems, Cobham and QinetiQ.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin are among the U.S.-based contractors with a presence in the British public sector.

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Stacey Dixon: Government Should Pursue Regulatory Reform in Commercial Remote Sensing Arena
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Stacey Dixon: Government Should Pursue Regulatory Reform in Commercial Remote Sensing Arena

Stacey Dixon, principal deputy director of national intelligence and a two-time Wash100 Award winner, said the Biden administration and the Intelligence Community are advancing efforts to promote competition and minimize regulatory burdens in the market for commercial remote sensing satellites, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

“It is important to realize and recognize that there’s a growing consensus, not only in the IC but also among policy-makers, that the kind of change that we’ve seen in launch services is the right way to go in other areas,” Dixon said at a conference Wednesday.

She noted that the U.S. government should pursue that change by advancing regulatory reform in the remote sensing area to help address the threats posed by foreign competitors.

“If we don’t adapt, others will set the rules and challenge our new leadership. We should set the rules. We should influence the standards, and do so in a way that is consistent with our democratic values,” Dixon said.

She said the IC is working to increasingly incorporate industry input into its deliberations to better understand the needs of commercial enterprises.

“We want to pare down the constraints you face to only those that are absolutely necessary, particularly when it comes to competing on capabilities that are commercially available from others,” Dixon noted.

“While lifting some restrictions will not be possible, because custom and classified GEOINT capabilities are still critical to helping us understand and confront core national security challenges, it should be possible to provide a unified clear response that will allow you to make the investments you need and want to make more quickly,” she added.

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Verizon Extends Internet Access to Eligible Families Through LA Unified School District Partnership; Jennifer Chronis Quoted
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Verizon Extends Internet Access to Eligible Families Through LA Unified School District Partnership; Jennifer Chronis Quoted

Verizon has expanded its partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District to extend its affordable, reliable internet access to eligible families in California and address the approximate 1.25 million households in the state that do not have internet access.

Through the partnership, Verizon plans to provide mobile broadband and voice service plans to eligible families through a range of state, local and non-profit organizations across California in an effort to “narrow the digital divide,” the company said Thursday.

2021 Wash100 Award winner Jennifer Chronis, senior vice president of Verizon’s public sector business said, “This new phase of our landmark partnership with Los Angeles Unified extends our remote learning program to include other populations in California that need internet access to continue their education, retrain for a job or complete other critical tasks online.” 

Through the partnership’s amendment, Verizon’s existing distance learning program will be expanded to California public libraries, which will have the same benefits and contract terms as K-12 schools in the state.

Chronis added that this amendment to the company’s partnership with the school district is the next step in Verizon’s new national digital inclusion program, which aims to provide affordable internet access to low-income families and individuals through support from state and local government agencies.

Other partners in the digital inclusion program include the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Georgia Department of Education.

Verizon first partnered with Los Angeles Unified in response to the March 2020 COVID-19-related school closures, enabling the school district to provide internet access to its students and families who would not otherwise have distance learning capabilities.

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NGA Speeds up Procurement via Bailment Agreements
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NGA Speeds up Procurement via Bailment Agreements

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is using bailing agreements, a contracting method, to test out commercial products before finalizing purchases, C4ISRnet reported Thursday.

Bailing agreements allow agencies to test technologies out, make assessments and send feedback to the commercial source before finally issuing contracts.

NGA first issued three bailment agreements in 2019, made another five in 2020 and now plans to have enacted 20 by the end of 2021.

Dave Gauthier, head of commercial geospatial intelligence at NGA, said bailment agreements have helped the agency access and integrate commercial technologies at faster speeds.

For example, the agency used this method on a contract for Geospark Analytics’ artificial intelligence platform, which forecasts threats based on open-source intelligence. NGA tested and assessed the tool via a bailment agreement before issuing a contract.

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AF Materiel Command Employs New Contract Vehicle for Enterprise Procurements; Brig. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted
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AF Materiel Command Employs New Contract Vehicle for Enterprise Procurements; Brig. Gen. Heath Collins Quoted

Air Force Materiel Command's Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base has created a new multiple-award contract vehicle dedicated to enterprise analytics, open system architecture, agile software development and digital procurements.

AFMC said Wednesday its Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract allows for up to $46 billion in awards over a 10-year work timeline.

“Through EWAAC, the entire weapons portfolio now has access to a multifaceted contract instrument to award and subsequently deliver capabilities faster than ever,” said Brig. Gen. Heath Collins, program executive officer for weapons and director of the Armament Directorate at the Air Force.

The contract vehicle has the potential to accelerate procurements and more quickly address technology needs.

The directorate has so far issued 55 contracts to small businesses and large companies, which are now accessible to Eglin AFB's armament enterprise. EWAAC opportunities are featured on the Sam.gov website.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Deborah Ross Propose Bill to Disclose Ransomware Data
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Deborah Ross Propose Bill to Disclose Ransomware Data

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., have presented a bill that would use ransomware payment data to inform cybercrime response.

The Ransom Disclosure Act would provide critical ransomware data to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which would then use this input to study how cybercriminals operate, Warren's office said Tuesday.

The bill would require ransomware-affected organizations to disclose information about attacks and resulting payments within two days after the incident.

DHS would publicly release this information from the previous year without identifying victims and create a website where the public can voluntarily report ransom payments.

The legislation would also task the secretary of homeland security to conduct research on common traits between ransomware attacks and the involvement of cryptocurrency in these cases.

“My bill with Congresswoman Ross would set disclosure requirements when ransoms are paid and allow us to learn how much money cybercriminals are siphoning from American entities to finance criminal enterprises — and help us go after them," Warren said.

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DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: TSA to Release ‘Security Directive’ to Railroad, Aviation Sectors
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DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: TSA to Release ‘Security Directive’ to Railroad, Aviation Sectors

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will impose a new “security directive” for railroad and aviation industries in an effort to strengthen cybersecurity strategies, CNN reported Wednesday. 

The cybersecurity regulations slated to be released by the end of the year will require critical transport and higher-risk railroad companies to disclose cyber incidents to the government, identify cyber officials and prepare contingency plans for cyberattacks. 

"Reducing cybersecurity risk is in every organization's self-interest, especially considering the indiscriminate nature of ransomware," Mayorkas, a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said in a cybersecurity summit. 

Railroad industry members, however, noted that they only had three business days to look at, evaluate and give feedback on the draft of the new security directive. A spokesperson for the Association of American Railroads said they are hoping that the “substantive comments” will be considered in the deliberations. 

Earlier in May, the TSA ordered owners of critical pipeline companies to submit breach incident reports to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency following the May 7 Colonial Pipeline hack. 

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DHS Awards Amentum $1.3B CBP Contract; Joe Dunaway Quoted
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DHS Awards Amentum $1.3B CBP Contract; Joe Dunaway Quoted

Amentum announced on Thursday that the company has been awarded a potential ten-year, $1.3 billion contract by the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations division. 

Under the hybrid firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive and cost-reimbursable contract, Amentum will provide CBP’s diverse fixed-wing and rotary-wing fleet with aircraft maintenance and logistics support, the company said Thursday.

“Amentum is 100 percent committed to the protection of our U.S. borders by providing the highest quality aviation maintenance service,” said Joe Dunaway, president of Amentum’s aviation business unit.

The company’s work under the contract includes ensuring the correct numbers and types of configured aircraft available for the U.S. government to meet operational requirements. 

CBP’s fleet consists of over 200 aircraft across multiple locations and includes a range of military and non-military, single- and multi-engine aircraft which may be modified or equipped with innovative sensor technology.

The contract consists of one base year plus nine option years and an additional three-month extension option. The CBP contract was initially awarded in January 2021, and work began October 1, 2021.

This contract follows Amentum’s recent win of nine pools, including Aviation, on the GSA’s ASTRO IDIQ contract for Department of Defense mission support. 

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Danielle Metz: DOD Sets 3 Goals in Overseas Cloud Computing Strategy
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Danielle Metz: DOD Sets 3 Goals in Overseas Cloud Computing Strategy

Danielle Metz, deputy chief information officer for information enterprise at the Department of Defense, said that DOD's cloud vision for military operations outside the continental U.S. comprises connectivity, computing power and talent cultivation goals, DOD News reported Wednesday.

She told GovernmentCIO in a virtual conversation that she believes the department can meet the three goals outlined in its OCONUS Cloud Strategy through collaboration with providers, legislators and other federal agencies.

Metz noted that DOD aims to help military personnel connect to cloud infrastructure and access information with the technology.

The official said that an overseas regional or mobile data facility could prevent data latency issues that would affect the decision-making process for warfighters.

DOD should educate and train service members on how to use computing systems, Metz added.

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