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SDA Director Derek Tournear: Satellite, Launch Prices Have Dropped
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SDA Director Derek Tournear: Satellite, Launch Prices Have Dropped

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency (SDA) and 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said virtually in a Defense One panel that the military's goal to establish a network of low Earth orbit satellites is now more reachable as a result of commercialization.

Tournear said launches now cost tens of millions of dollars compared to a few years ago when they would cost hundred-millions of dollars, DOD News reported Monday.

"We now have 20 of our transport satellites on firm-fixed-price contracts at $14.1 million apiece," the director said.

Satellite prices have dropped as the commercial space industry aligns with the commoditization of space, he noted.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and commercial companies to establish the Department of Defense's space architecture.

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Former IBM Exec David Hathaway Named ManTech EVP, Defense Sector GM; Chairman Kevin Phillips Quoted
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Former IBM Exec David Hathaway Named ManTech EVP, Defense Sector GM; Chairman Kevin Phillips Quoted

David Hathaway has been named as ManTech International’s executive vice president and general manager of the company’s defense sector. 

In his new role, Hathaway will be responsible for leading strategic and operational initiatives for ManTech’s DOD customers and will report to COO Matt Tait, the company announced Tuesday.

“David is a respected technology expert with deep insights on all DOD military agencies’ missions and will be a great leader for the Defense Sector’s continued success,” said five-time Wash100 Award winner Kevin Phillips, Mantech’s CEO, president and chairman.

Hathaway’s previous experience notably includes his position as an active duty Communications-Computer Systems Officer for the U.S. Air Force, where he managed communications networks, IT acquisition and research and development programs at the Pentagon and at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

COO Matt Tait noted that Hathaway’s military duty, coupled with his experience in executive leadership and operational support, will help the new EVP drive the delivery of innovative technologies to ManTech’s defense customers.

“His deep knowledge of technology and first-hand experience managing large, successful enterprises in our space make him the perfect fit for ManTech and will take our leadership in the Defense sector to the next level,” Tait continued.

Prior to joining ManTech, Hathaway served as IBM’s vice president and partner of the Defense and Intelligence Industry, among other executive leadership roles with the company. Previously, Hathaway also held the role of senior vice president of programs at Vectrus Systems Corporation, where he supported DOD and IC customers.

Hathaway will succeed Andrew Twomey, who has served as ManTech’s Defense Sector leader since 2015 and will transition to a new strategic role within the company.

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Noblis Secures $263M DTRA Contract to Advise Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Implementation: CEO Amr ElSawy Quoted
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Noblis Secures $263M DTRA Contract to Advise Cooperative Threat Reduction Program Implementation: CEO Amr ElSawy Quoted

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has awarded Noblis with a five-year, $263 million prime contract to advance the implementation of the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program. 

Noblis said Tuesday that the science and technology strategy provider will advise the DTRA on key CTR Program missions that work to reduce or eliminate weapons of mass destruction threats and related materials. 

Two-time Wash100 Award recipient Amr ElSawy, president and CEO of Noblis, said the company will leverage their extensive federal advisory experience to “deliver efficient, rapid-response and forward-leaning solutions to help the CTR Directorate reduce threats to our Nation and allies."

Additionally, Glenn Hickok, president of Noblis MSD, said the company has “built a strong and diverse team” of large and small businesses that will assist in driving the contracted advisory services. 

In a recent Executive Spotlight interview, Hickok discussed the company’s latest addition to their team with the recent acquisition of McKean Defense, explaining that the move will further enhance Noblis’ defense offerings to government customers. Hickok noted that the Noblis team is currently “thriving and driven to help our clients advance their critical missions.”

Recently, Noblis was also awarded a spot on a $200 million DOT technical support contract from the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office. 

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White House, Semiconductor Industry Highlight Need to Promote Supply Chain Transparency
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White House, Semiconductor Industry Highlight Need to Promote Supply Chain Transparency

Representatives from the semiconductor industry reiterated their commitment to transparency efforts to address supply chain challenges associated with the global chip shortage during a meeting with Biden administration officials.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, met with industry participants Thursday to discuss industry’s progress in advancing supply chain transparency, including improved trust and communications across the supply chain, the White House said Thursday.

The departments of Commerce and State are collaborating to oversee an early alert system to manage potential supply chain disruptions in the chip industry associated with public health developments in trading partners.

Administration officials and industry participants discussed the need for Congress to propose measures to establish a supply chain resiliency program at the Department of Commerce and create a domestic semiconductor industrial capacity.

The Commerce Department has asked producers, intermediaries and consumers to provide information on delivery dynamics, demand and inventories to identify potential supply chain bottlenecks. Industry leaders have 45 days to respond to the request for information.

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General Atomics Develops Cloud-Based Fusion Reactor Simulation Method
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General Atomics Develops Cloud-Based Fusion Reactor Simulation Method

A team of General Atomics scientists collaborated with the San Diego Supercomputing Center and Canada-based technology company Drizti to create a process for simulating fusion reactor plasma in a cloud environment.

General Atomics said Monday the prototyping effort combined its CGYRO physics code with Microsoft's Azure platform and Drizti’s HPCBOX supercomputing as a service.

As part of the project, Drizti built a push-button function inside the Canadian company's technology to support fusion research work. The HPCBOX tool is designed to provide an HPC setup that includes Azure’s processing and networking features.

General Atomics noted that it is examining the feasibility of transitioning medium-scale fusion plasma simulations to the cloud-based supercomputing platform.

The San Diego-based energy and defense company hopes the approach it developed with SDSC and Drizti could help simplify the fusion reactor design process.

University of California San Diego established SDSC in 1985 under a cooperative agreement with General Atomics and the National Science Foundation.

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Navy Demos LVC Capability of Next-Gen Air Combat Training Tech
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Navy Demos LVC Capability of Next-Gen Air Combat Training Tech

The U.S. Navy conducted a demonstration in August to test the live-virtual-constructive capability of the Tactical Combat Training System Increment II in an operational environment.

The Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges program office, PMA-205, and Advanced Naval Technology Exercise-21 teams conducted the demonstration using F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft, an operational destroyer, Joint Semi-Automated Forces System, Next Generation Threat System, a guided missile and an F/A-18 simulator through the Navy Continuous Training Environment, Naval Air Systems Command said Monday.

“On the surface side, ships have been using a training LVC mode for a while, networking back and forth to exercise coordinators running complex scenarios. Now aviation is part of the mix through validation of TCTS Inc. II as the host system connecting live aircraft into a LVC environment,” Capt. Lisa Sullivan, PMA-205 program manager, said of the demonstration.

Chuck Kaylor, the PMA-205 TCTS Inc. II team lead, said the event marked the first time the TCTS Inc. II pod flew on a fleet aircraft and was used to establish an LVC surface-to-air engagement, among other firsts for naval aviation training.

“TCTS Inc. II is a critical enabler of Navy LVC, helping to close competition gaps in both operational security and training capabilities for the high-end fight, and this event comes with TCTS II already in production and approximately one year prior to initial operational capability,” said Kaylor.

The Navy will use the demonstration results to determine how to improve the use of TCTS Inc. II and LVC in naval aviation training.

In June, Raytheon Technologies’ Collins Aerospace business achieved Milestone C for TCTS Inc. II, marking the transition of the system to the production phase.

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NSF Awards $127M to Research Infrastructure Projects; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted
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NSF Awards $127M to Research Infrastructure Projects; Sethuraman Panchanathan Quoted

Ten teams have been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to receive $127 million in total funds to create facilities and tools that could help researchers perform scientific work.

NSF said Monday it will back efforts to design a superconducting magnet, internet security infrastructure, ocean-bottom seismographs and radar technology through the Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure-1 program.

The agency will also support the development of a deep soil testbed, an atmospheric measurement network, research centers for high-pressure materials and silicon carbide, an online human and platform behavior observatory and a data-driven instrumentation for heritage science.

Florida State University, University of California-San Diego, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Kentucky, Northeastern University, University of Arkansas, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Idaho and Associated Universities will lead projects under the Mid-Scale RI1.

“NSF is committed to filling this mid-scale space in the American scientific research infrastructure by investing in research facilities and instrumentation that advance next-generation discoveries,” said NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.

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DOE Plans FY 2022 Atmospheric System Research Grant
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DOE Plans FY 2022 Atmospheric System Research Grant

The Department of Energy is looking to award grants worth up to $14 million for scientific research of the interaction between aerosols and clouds.

DOE said Monday it plans to hold a competition for the funding opportunity for the Atmospheric System Research program and select awardees through a peer-review process.

Each grant will range from $200,000 to $900,000 and support three years of work that could begin in the government's 2022 fiscal year. The department expects fund recipients to use data from its Atmospheric Radiation Measurement laboratory and other agency-backed observations.

DOE added that the competitive grant program will be open to interested parties in the commercial, academic, nonprofit and federal sectors.

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FirstNet Authority Releases Emergency Management Resource Guide
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FirstNet Authority Releases Emergency Management Resource Guide

The First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has issued a document designed to guide emergency managers how to use the capabilities, products and services of a national public safety broadband network.

The Emergency Management Resource Guide provides information on the FirstNet broadband service offered by AT&T through a contract with the FirstNet Authority and offers an overview of technology platforms and tools available to users of the service.

The guide includes sections offering information on how public safety agencies can field the FirstNet service to meet the broadband communications needs of first responders and details on how to use Network Status and Uplift Request Tools.

Other topics discussed in the document are tips on how to select FirstNet Ready devices, considerations when building a device cache and ways to incorporate the service into communication plans.

The FirstNet Authority said it will regularly update the guide to provide information on new functions, features and other changes to the communications platform.

Air Force Decommissions B-1B Legacy Bombers Amid Fleet Modernization
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Air Force Decommissions B-1B Legacy Bombers Amid Fleet Modernization

A major command of the U.S. Air Force has wrapped up the retirement of 17 B-1B Lancer planes as the service branch moves toward adopting a Northrop Grumman-built bomber aircraft.

Air Force Global Strike Command said Friday it flew the last Lancer for decommissioning to an aircraft boneyard at Davis-Monthan AF Base in Arizona and the move will allow its maintenance crew to focus more on the health of the remaining 45 units in the active B-1B inventory.

“Beginning to retire these legacy bombers allows us to pave the way for the B-21 Raider,” said Brig. Gen. Kenyon Bell, director of logistics and engineering at AFGSC.

Bell added that keeping the now-retired Lancers would have cost the Air Force as much as $30 million per unit in maintenance costs until the next-generation aircraft enters service.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference that efforts are underway to assemble five test articles of the Long Range Strike Bomber.

The branch also awarded Rolls-Royce a $2.6 billion contract to provide replacement engines for B-52H Stratofortress bomber fleet as part of modernization efforts.

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