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Baird’s Jean Stack Moderates Fireside Chat With EverWatch CEO John Hillen During 2021 Government & Defense Conference
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Baird’s Jean Stack Moderates Fireside Chat With EverWatch CEO John Hillen During 2021 Government & Defense Conference

Baird Managing Director and a previous Wash100 Award recipient Jean Stack hosted a fireside chat during the company’s 2021 Government & Defense Conference on Wednesday featuring EverWatch CEO John Hillen.

During the fireside chat, Jean Stack moderated a conversation with Hillen, also a former Wash100 Award winner, to discuss the latest news and initiatives from the EverWatch Corporation. Hillen discussed with Jean Stack during the third session of Baird’s annual conference how EverWatch continues to support the intelligence community and government agencies and provides advanced technology solutions for their intelligence, defense and other critical national security missions,

In addition, Hillen also explored the mission expertise and data science support that EverWatch provides to our government agencies as they address the latest trends and challenges that we face together in the federal sector as well as the use of complex data tools and frameworks that utilize the latest capabilities in machine learning and AI, high-performance computing and advanced data analytics to provide the necessary tools and solutions for our government’s biggest issues.

A recognized industry leader in the technology contracting space, Hillen served in 2012 and 2013 as the chairman of the Professional Services Council (PSC) and currently sits on the boards of several defense, intelligence, and energy firms. A decorated combat veteran and noted national security scholar, he has led four defense and intelligence technology firms in Northern Virginia.

Baird’s Annual Government & Defense Conference provides one of the most significant events of the entire year for the elite leaders across the federal landscape and industry to discuss and give their invaluable insights into the key industry trends and market outlook.

The event was available for in-person attendance and was also offered virtually to share the impressive presentations, fireside chats, industry panels and networking opportunities for anyone who could attend the conference across the globe.

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Senate Amendment to FY 2022 NDAA Would Add $25B for Navy Shipyards
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Senate Amendment to FY 2022 NDAA Would Add $25B for Navy Shipyards

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has introduced an amendment to the fiscal year 2022 defense policy bill that would add another $25 billion to help the U.S. Navy reinvigorate its public shipyards, Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.

The proposed amendment – Shipyard Act of 2021 – to the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act would provide the Navy with $21 billion in funds to advance the service’s plan to rebuild its four public shipyards. The Program Executive Office for Shipyard Infrastructure and Optimization oversees restoration efforts for those facilities.

The measure would allocate $4 billion for private shipyards that are performing construction and maintenance work for the Navy and another $350 million for the restoration of the U.S. Coast Guard’s facilities.

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., also introduced a House version of the bill earlier this year. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he will bring the FY 2022 NDAA to the floor this week.

On Nov. 10, the Navy awarded five companies positions on a potential $8 billion contract to support construction projects under the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program.

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Air Force’s Software Development Teams Formalize Collaboration; Lauren Knausenberger Quoted
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Air Force’s Software Development Teams Formalize Collaboration; Lauren Knausenberger Quoted

Two U.S. Air Force organizations have signed a memorandum to demonstrate support for one another in efforts to help the military develop software platforms.

Kessel Run and Platform One formalized the software factories’ collaborative work for the Department of Defense through the principles memo, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center said Tuesday.

Both parties agreed to pursue identical directions in Agile and DevSecOps initiatives, seek ideas from other software teams supporting DOD programs, contribute to the open source community and prioritize cyber talent pipelines.

“Together, these teams are moving the department forward by deploying awesome warfighting software and giving more and more Airmen the opportunity to learn agile processes,” shared Lauren Knausenberger, chief information officer at the Department of the Air Force and a 2021 Wash100 Award winner.

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CyberSeek Reveals Rising Demand for Local Cybersecurity Professionals
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CyberSeek Reveals Rising Demand for Local Cybersecurity Professionals

CyberSeek, a recruitment data analysis platform supported by the Computing Technology Industry Association and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, revealed that the supply of cybersecurity workers does not meet the demand for cyber professionals in the U.S.

Data from CyberSeek’s career pathway tool shows that employers nationwide posted 597,767 online job listings for cybersecurity-related positions from October 2020 through September 2021 and only 68 percent of the available jobs can be filled in by available local cybersecurity professionals, CompTIA said Tuesday.

Of the available jobs, only less than 9,000 were for entry-level cybersecurity specialists, compared with almost 28,000 job openings for mid-level analysts and more than 61,000 vacancies for advanced-level engineers.

Rodney Petersen, director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education at the NIST, said that the huge difference between the hiring for entry-level jobs and mid- to advanced-level cyber workers underscores the need for employers to create positions that offer growth and advancement opportunities.

Peterson noted that NICE outlines in its strategic plan the need to establish more entry-level positions “to recalibrate the availability of supply to the growth in demand.”

CyberSeek is a collaboration between NICE, nonprofit association CompTIA and job market intelligence provider Emsi Burning Glass.

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DHS S&T Helps CISA Create Cybersecurity Research Lab
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DHS S&T Helps CISA Create Cybersecurity Research Lab

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate has partnered with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to develop a laboratory for cyber research.

The CISA Cybersecurity Laboratory will provide a multi-cloud environment where cyber professionals can collaboratively work on and test cyber-related tools, datasets and tradecraft, DHS said Tuesday.

The laboratory will provide CISA boosted situational awareness via data analytics and help S&T assess computing approaches that support the entire DHS.

Users will access artificial intelligence, machine learning and other analytical tools to process data and develop models. The department expects the laboratory to eventually tackle a wider range of infrastructure security issues beyond just cyber.

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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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