• Chief Data Officers unclear on responsibilities: About half of CDOs are unclear on their responsibilities, according to a survey.
• Federal contract spending decreases again in FY22: Driven by DOD decreases, overall decline estimated at 7%, according to Deltek.
• Microsoft pledges Ukraine wartime tech innovation: Microsoft extends its help to Kyiv to access Microsoft cloud and public data centers.
• Federal HR employees given more guidance about using data: OPM is giving federal HR more guidance about using data in recruitment, such as exit interview data.
• NASA IMOC III, the $1.9B contract: NASA started its competition for a $1.93 billion follow-on contract to provide spaceflight mission support services to Johnson Space Center’s Flight Operations Directorate.

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

ICYMI Snippets

• Space Force lays out its 2023 timeline for rapid-response launch experiment.
• After Verizon pulls its protest, Lumen Technologies begins work on $1.5B DISA Indo-Pacific network contract.
• For the 10th straight year, DLA exceeded its DOD-assigned target by obligating over 40% of its contracts to small businesses against a 35.1% objective. DLA also topped its 3% goal in the HUBZone category at 3.5%.

Defense Contract Awards

• Lockheed Martin won a $765M IDIQ Navy contract for site activation/hardware requirements.
• Amazon, Project Kuiper, Microsoft, and SpiderOak Mission Systems won a DIU hybrid space architecture Ph2 project.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Firefly Aerospace has made its interim COO, appointed in May, a permanent one.
• DISA has named a new Assistant to the Director, a one-star Army general who helped strengthen interoperability between NATO and DOD networks.

Defense Job Openings

• DOD is hiring a principal deputy to the CIO.
• DOD is hiring a director of enabling technology.
• NASA HQ is hiring a lead IT cybersecurity specialist.

INTEL COMMUNITY

Industry group pushes for classified co-working spaces.

Could this be the start of a WeWork for spies? The Intelligence and National Security Alliance is pushing intel agencies to fund sensitive compartmented information facilities (SCIFs) to fund and certified shared SCIFs to give the cleared workforce more flexibility in where they work. Read more

Idaho National Lab working with NIST on cyber-informed engineering action plan for the electronic grid.

As a part of DOE’s National Cyber-Informed Engineering Strategy, Idaho National Laboratory is developing an action plan with NIST to ensure utility companies and the rest of the energy sector use cyber-informed engineering when connecting to the electric grid.  Read more

DOD’s unclassified National Defense Strategy.

DOD publicly released its unclassified National Defense Strategy. The strategy sets the strategic direction of the Department to support U.S. national security priorities, and flows directly from President Biden’s National Security Strategy. The National Defense Strategy includes the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the Missile Defense Review (MDR). Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• NGA posts Digital Facility Management RFI.
• DIA posts National Media Exploitation Center language exploitation RFI.

IC Contract Awards

• ECS has won a five-year, $430 million, recompete contract to support the Army Endpoint Security Solution.

Follow IC Leaders

IC Job Openings

CIVILIAN

OPM seeks to modernize federal HR.

As it implements the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, CISA officials are discussing it with stakeholders and leaning toward implementing a lower threshold for cyber incident reporting requirements. Read more

FCC launching a new space bureau.

Federal Communications Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that the agency will be launching a new space bureau. The new space office will come out of a reorganization of the agency’s International Bureau “to better manage marketplace realities,” according to Rosenworcel. Specifically, the reorganization will result in the new Space Bureau and a new standalone Office of International Affairs. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Check out FTC’s $100M settlement with Vonage.
• A senator criticized HHS and CISA for lack of coordination in cybersecurity during the last two years and called for a new HHS cybersecurity executive.
• Federal support for Hurricane Ian surpasses $1.88B.
• A greener GSA makes a commitment towards achieving a net-zero portfolio.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• CGI Federal has won $17.4M BPA with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help protect NRC from emerging cyber threats under its Global Infrastructure and Development Acquisition BPA.
• KBR awarded $120M in government space tech acquisition support contracts.

Follow Civilian Leaders

Civilian Job Openings

• VA is hiring a CFO and deputy CIO for IT budget and finance.
• EPA is hiring a director, registration division.
• DOJ is hiring a deputy director, courts litigation branch (National Courts Sector).

M&A CORNER

Maxar acquires Wovenware to expand AI/ML and 3D Data production capabilities,

Maxar Technologies announced the acquisition of AI and software development company Wovenware. This acquisition significantly adds to Maxar’s software engineering and AI capabilities and talent. Founded in Puerto Rico in 2003, Wovenware has roughly 150 employees specializing in software development, service design, artificial intelligence, and geospatial production. Read more

Federal judge blocks second DOJ attempt to halt Booz Allen buy of Everwatch.

A federal judge blocked a second DOJ to issue an interim injunction to block Booz Allen’s acquisition of signals intelligence company EverWatch, in an Oct. 31 court decision. Read more

OceanSound-based DMI buys Ambit Group

DMI, a portfolio company of OceanSound Partners, has purchased Ambit Group, a digital transformation services provider, to build DMI’s DOD and civilian market presence. Read more