Tag Archives: coronavirus pandemic

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a memo to election officials and digital voting providers warning them of “significant security risks" posed by online voting, CyberScoop reported Monday.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has asked the Department of Defense (DoD) to answer some questions about the increased progress payment rates for contractors. DoD released a memo in March that increases the progress payment rates to 90 percent for large businesses and to 95 percent for small businesses in an effort to ensure cash flow into the industrial base during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jennifer Santos, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy, said the Department of Defense (DoD) has witnessed a rise in “adversarial capital” in U.S. technology companies, including small drone providers, during the coronavirus pandemic, C4ISRNET reported Wednesday.

Julie Dunne, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, said GSA provided an overview of the agency’s information technology modernization efforts and COVID-19 response initiatives through its Federal Marketplace Strategy Spring 2020 Release.

The Department of Defense has increased engagement with small businesses through webinars, virtual Trusted Capital Marketplace activities and regular teleconferences with trade groups to protect such businesses from “adversarial capital” offered by foreign rivals during the coronavirus pandemic, FCW reported Monday.

Julie Dunne, commissioner of the General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service, said FAS is now moving forward with the e-commerce marketplace initiative after delaying the program during the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, Federal News Network reported Friday.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued a public statement Thursday saying that U.S. intelligence agencies continue to assess data on potential origins of the new coronavirus and currently agree with the “wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.”

Ellen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said DoD has seen an increase in the number of defense-related companies that have shut down and reopened since the coronavirus pandemic started, Defense News reported Thursday.

Three House lawmakers asked Alex Azar, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide information on Trump administration’s comprehensive plan to strengthen the country’s contact tracing efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he thinks Congress should prioritize public health in the next economic stimulus bill to respond to the coronavirus pandemic instead of including more funds for defense, Defense News reported Wednesday.