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DISA’s Brian Hermann on Agency’s Contributions to DOD’s JADC2 Effort
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DISA’s Brian Hermann on Agency’s Contributions to DOD’s JADC2 Effort

Brian Hermann, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) services development directorate, expects DISA to have an increasing role in the implementation of the Department of Defense's Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) intiaitive as it progresses, C4ISRNET reported Friday.

In an interview with the publication, Hermann said the agency would potentially support network transport and data hosting, and ensure DOD's access to spectrum to enable network function.

"Now what we have to do is we have to look at the JADC2 requirements for transport and we have to say, 'What do we do differently? Do I need to make them somehow more robust than what I had originally planned our connectivity between theaters or between specific sites?'"

Helping meet the network transport needs of the Joint Force is one area Hermann specified as where DISA’s role will evolve.

Thunderdome, a zero-trust cybersecurity initiative for addressing JADC2-related challenges; and the modernization of Global Command and Control System-Joint battlefield awareness platform and Joint Planning and Execution Services tool are some of the other agency efforts in support of JADC2.

“That said, the architecture of those [legacy command and control] tools is today not really very JADC2-focused because there are many enclaves around the department that provide separate pieces of the common operational picture that are then stitched together at the enterprise level.”

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GAO Presents Recommendation to Pentagon Over Post-Government Employment Restrictions
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GAO Presents Recommendation to Pentagon Over Post-Government Employment Restrictions

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Department of Defense (DOD) evaluate whether to integrate into acquisition regulations post-government employment lobbying restrictions.

PGE restrictions seek to prevent conflicts of interest and promote public confidence in the government and GAO said in a report published Thursday failure to assess whether to update regulations to incorporate a restriction on lobbying activities may lead to DOD to miss an opportunity to establish a “shared sense of accountability between the employees and the contractors who hire them.”

The congressional watchdog found that the Pentagon has improved certain processes to ensure compliance with PGE restrictions. These include processes for maintaining and issuing ethics opinion letters and training to raise employee awareness about PGE restrictions.

GAO reviewed 14 major defense companies and found that those contractors hired 1,718 former DOD senior military and civilian officials or former acquisition officials in 2019. The vendors reported that they use several practices to drive compliance with PGE restrictions.

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Executive Order to Direct Federal Contractors to Provide COVID-19 Safeguards to Workforce
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Executive Order to Direct Federal Contractors to Provide COVID-19 Safeguards to Workforce

The White House has issued an executive order that requires federal contractors to provide safety protocols to their employees to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as part of efforts to improve the economy and efficiency in federal procurement.

The policy directs executive departments and agencies to ensure that contracts and contract-like instruments contain a clause requiring vendors and subcontractors to comply with the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force’s guidance for workplace locations. for workplace locations, the White House said Thursday.

The task force should define terms and provide explanations of protocols by Sept. 24th to facilitate contractors’ compliance with COVID-19 workplace safety guidance, which will be reviewed and approved by the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

The document also requires the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation to facilitate the inclusion of the clause in contracts and solicitations. Agencies should take initial measures by Oct. 8th to incorporate the clause in contracts.

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Trade Groups Offer Recommendations to DOD Over CMMC Program
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Trade Groups Offer Recommendations to DOD Over CMMC Program

The Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council, National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and the Professional Services Council (PSC) have presented six recommendations to the Department of Defense (DOD) to better support the review of potential changes to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program and assessment practices.

PSC, NDIA and ITI wrote in a Wednesday letter to Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of DOD and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner, that the Pentagon should facilitate regular engagement with industry to improve the CMMC program and implementation of the requirements by creating a government-industry advisory board that would host monthly meetings.

The trade groups called on DOD to improve and standardize the marking practices for controlled unclassified information requiring protection and harmonize CMMC requirements with current and future federal cybersecurity directives to drive the implementation of a holistic risk management strategy.

“To that end, we encourage DoD to issue authoritative guidance on reciprocity with existing certifications and to harmonize not-yet implemented security requirements as appropriate,” the letter reads.

The three industry associations also recommended that the Pentagon clarify intergovernmental authorities for CMMC implementation; provide small businesses with additional implementation guidance and support; and assess and clarify remaining policy and process questions concerning the implementation of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement in relation to the CMMC program.

“With urgency and criticality, if DoD is considering major changes to CMMC, we strongly recommend that these be aired with industry before any final decisions are made since it is industry that bears the responsibility to meet the Department’s security requirements,” the letter notes.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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DOE Funds 5 Machine Learning Algorithm Development Projects
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DOE Funds 5 Machine Learning Algorithm Development Projects

The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $16 million to five research projects that will focus on developing artificial intelligence and machine learning (AL/ML) algorithms intended to support data-intensive scientific work. 

Four national laboratories and eight universities will participate in the projects with the goal to help scientists discover ideas and gain insights from data using AI/ML tools, DOE said Thursday.

Methods resulting from each project are eyed for use in electric power grid forecasts, extreme climate and weather predictions, analysis of DOE scientific user facility data and other scientific applications.

The DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) is sponsoring the projects as part of the department's scientific AI/ML opportunities that cover uncertainty quantification, machine learning-enhanced modeling and simulation, and intelligent automation and decision support.

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Shannon Curry Named Principal Investigator for NASA’s Mars Atmosphere Exploration; Bruce Jakosky Quoted
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Shannon Curry Named Principal Investigator for NASA’s Mars Atmosphere Exploration; Bruce Jakosky Quoted

NASA has appointed planetary scientist Shannon Curry to serve as principal investigator for the space agency's first mission to study the atmosphere of Mars.

She replaces Bruce Jakosky, who led the orbital operations of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission for seven years and will continue to work as a member of the mission team, NASA said Thursday.

Curry has been with the MAVEN science team since 2013 and is the deputy assistant director of planetary science at the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. The majority of her career was focused on exploring Mars and how the Sun’s changing activities affect the Martian atmosphere. 

Before she obtained her doctoral degree in planetary physics, Curry was a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin, which built the spacecraft for the MAVEN mission. 

“She knows how science and engineering work together,” Jakosky said, adding that he has observed how Curry gathers data during meetings to make better-informed decisions.

The new MAVEN leader has outlined the next chapter of the mission, emphasizing that one of the team’s main goals is to study the Red Planet's atmosphere under extreme conditions.

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Applied Insight Names Stacey Page as President, Chief Growth Officer; CEO Amanda Brownfield Quoted
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Applied Insight Names Stacey Page as President, Chief Growth Officer; CEO Amanda Brownfield Quoted

Stacey Page, former vice president of National Intelligence at Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), has been named president and chief growth officer of Applied Insight, the cloud-focused government technology contractor announced Thursday.

“Stacey is a powerful new asset to our organization, and I am delighted to welcome her to the leadership team,” said Amanda Brownfield, who was appointed Applied Insight’s CEO last month.

Page brings three decades of advanced experience in business development, operations management and software development to the newly created role, in which she will be responsible for company execution and growth.

In her previous executive-level positions in line and program management, Page notably led the business development for a $1.5 billion group with a $35 billion pipeline across the defense and intelligence sectors within SAIC/Leidos.

Amanda Brownfield
Amanda Brownfield, CEO of Applied Insight

“She is a uniquely talented leader who brings a rare combination of experience in IT engineering plus a proven track record of success in program execution, P&L and business development,” Brownfield said.

Brownfield went on to note that Page joins Applied Insight at a “critical time” in the company’s journey as it grows in its ability to offer innovative cloud and cyber analytics solutions at enterprise scale.

Applied Insight acquired Stratus Solutions and Applied Technology Group in Feb. 2019, to enhance and augment the company’s artificial intelligence, cloud, and analytics offerings for defense, intelligence and federal civilian clients.

Stacy Page’s extensive leadership in these key areas positions her to lead Applied Insight in its next phase of growth.

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Orbit’s GX30 Multi-Purpose Aviation Satcom Terminal Successfully Tested And Demonstrated On Inmarsat Global Xpress and Mil-Ka Networks
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Orbit’s GX30 Multi-Purpose Aviation Satcom Terminal Successfully Tested And Demonstrated On Inmarsat Global Xpress and Mil-Ka Networks

The Orbit GX30, a high-throughput multi-purpose terminal (MPT) that utilizes a 30 cm antenna to operate over Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) commercial and military Ka-band, has successfully completed its first phase of testing with government users, Inmarsat Government, Orbit Communications Systems and Boeing Commercial Satellite Services announced Thursday.

This is Orbit’s latest development following the delivery of the airborne communications solutions company’s GX46 MPT 46 cm antenna systems which are compatible with the new GX30 and have been in production since 2020.

The GX30 terminal, designed to maintain uninterrupted connectivity to the network during all flight phases, delivered a 126 Mbps+ forward link and a 29 Mbps+ return link in tests over Inmarsat GX and military Ka-band networks. These groundbreaking transmit speeds fulfill “anytime, anywhere” requirements and support missions in which sending large amounts of data is critical to connectivity solutions.

“The state-of-the-art GX30 30 cm antenna systems’ innovative technology is based on groundbreaking recent developments,” said Avi Shukrun, vice president R&D of Orbit. “The antenna’s compact system design exceeds the requirements and saves on operational costs by excelling in performance.”

At a weight of less than 10 kg, the GX30’s compact terminal design has the lowest weight on tail and the lowest power consumption of any 30 cm terminal currently on the market. 

The innovative, small-footprint MPT was designed to fit on a wide range of business jets, military aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and is compatible with Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) system, which makes the terminal’s functions complementary to Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

“This terminal opens up new market segments for Inmarsat Government,” said President of Inmarsat Government, Steve Gizinski. “It is a game changer for those that demand the very best in connectivity in one of the most difficult aero applications.”

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Military Seeks Expeditionary, Hybrid Satcom Services for the Future; Brig. Gen. Robert Collins Quoted
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Military Seeks Expeditionary, Hybrid Satcom Services for the Future; Brig. Gen. Robert Collins Quoted

Brig. Gen. Robert Collins, the U.S. Army's program executive officer for tactical networks, said the military wants to purchase end-to-end services and resilient hardware that can receive satellite communications in harsh environments.

He spoke Wednesday at the Satellite 2021 conference about the military's need for a tactical, expeditionary network, Space News reported the same day.

Clare Grason, who leads the U.S. Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office, said future warfare would require a system of multi-layer and multi-band satcom services.

The military is interested in satcom services that combine multiple satellites from across different orbits including low-Earth. She said USSF plans to base this future satcom approach on Iridium's existing model for expanded partnerships with the private sector.

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Vertosoft Named as New Distributor for Harness
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Vertosoft Named as New Distributor for Harness

Vertosoft announced on Thursday that the company has been named the new Government Distributor for Harness. Harness’ modern software delivery platform will now be available to Federal, state, and local governments through Vertosoft’s vast Partner network and robust Government Procurement Vehicles.

“We are thrilled to add Harness to our technology portfolio,” said Chet Hayes, Vertosoft’s chief technology officer. “As many government organizations and their system integrators mature in their DevSecOps process, they realize tools like Spinnaker and Jenkins are just not enough or are too inflexible. These organizations will benefit from the Harness platform which is designed to provide a simple, safe and secure way for engineering and DevOps teams to release applications into production.”

The Harness software delivery platform allows agencies to reduce the number of repetitive DevOps tasks by automating them in a single, unified pipeline. Building, deploying, and managing pipelines are now a bottleneck of the past. With Harness empowering agencies, they can shift their time and money to more pressing matters with the confidence needed to support the mission.

Paul Almeida, Harness’ Vice President of Public Sector commented that “Harness is excited to partner with Vertosoft as our public sector distributor. With their experience providing the government with new and innovative technologies, we look forward to bringing our government customers the industry’s first intelligent software delivery platform.”

About Vertosoft

Established in 2016, Vertosoft accelerates the adoption of innovative and emerging technology within the government. We bring the flexibility, agility, and responsiveness of a small company with the experience of a large organization. With our clear focus on emerging technology growth in government, Vertosoft is uniquely positioned to reduce complexity and provide scalable, cloud-ready technology solutions that enable government agencies to deliver smarter, client-centric digital transformations.

About Harness

Harness was created to help every company build and deliver software with the speed and quality of the world’s top software firms. Customers expect top tier software—but most companies don’t have the budget or developer time/talent to execute. Enter Harness: your ticket to becoming an elite performer in software delivery.

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