Aug 09 2023

QUICK HITS

• GovBrew is excited to announce a strategic partnership with our friends at OrangeSlices AI: Sharing intelligence, data, and resources.

• “Sudden surge” in cyberattacks on government: 40% rise since last year, according to BlackBerry quarterly report.

• To adopt DevSecOps, promote collaboration, tool diversity: Best practices for integrating DevSecOps with software development efforts.

• Three ways the proposed NDAA could change the way contractors do business: How soon can gov’t employees go work for private biz?

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

New Phone…Who dis? Why won't China pick up the military hotline?

Over the last few months, top Pentagon officials have sounded the alarm that their counterparts in China are ignoring their calls. But a senior US Navy official said he suspects that behind the diplomatic cold shoulder is Beijing’s belief that the US sees the hotline as a “safety net,” and that not answering could curb US actions in the region in the first place. Read more

Joint Chiefs of Staff to get a taste of Marine Corps modernization.

The U.S. military is in an interwar period that the USMC has been using to modernize its force, and it must continue to do so in order “to meet the current multi-domain threats and be able to maintain our competency as an institution on the fundamental core requirements", according to the new senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Read more

Lockheed, Northrop say they are on an “accelerated schedule” in race for Next-Gen Interceptor.

It’s a hot race for MDA’s multi-billion dollar effort to develop its Next-Generator Interceptor (NGI), and competitors Lockheed and Northrop are competing to fine-tune their schedules for delivering prototypes. The agency currently plans to buy 20 NGIs starting in 2028 to augment the current GBIs making up MDA’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program designed to defend the US. NGI is one of MDA’s biggest planned investments in FY24, slating $2.1 billion for its GMD program, which the agency’s budget overview says “features a multiple kill vehicle payload.” Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• All domain C2, data sharing key for Talisman Sabre: U.S. 3-star.

• Space Development Agency to expand satellite ground ops in North Dakota.

• To fill 1/4 of its vacant IT jobs, DOD releases a new implementation plan, and your HR dept can probably “borrow” half this plan for your co.

• Former “tech evangelist” and new AFRL CIO embracing ‘Bias to Action.’

• Leidos refining focus, crafting ‘North Star’ vision, CEO Tom Bell says.

• US can use tech as strategic tool to dissuade Chinese aggression, experts say.

Defense Contract Awards

• AF awards $1 billion Cyber Effects Operations Electromagnetic Spectrum to Webworld, Inflowlogistics, 1 Mission Partners, Innovative Approach JV, and Karthik Consulting.

• Army awards first multiyear munitions contract to IMT Defense.

• Boeing receives $146M Navy P-8 trainer modernization order.

• Navy awards Textron $241M contract to procure landing craft construction materials, support services.

• General Dynamics subsidiary to support Navy Nuclear Regional Maintenance Department under potential $183M contract.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• American Systems names a former SVP of BD from Raytheon, BAE Systems to lead as its new CEO.

• DZYNE Technologies announces retired Army officer as interim Chief Revenue Officer.

Defense Job Openings

• The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is seeking a Director for the Nuclear Technologies Dept.

• The DOD/Office of the Secretary of Defense is seeking a Deputy Senior Advisor for Congressional Affairs.

• DIA is seeking a Deputy Asst. IG for Management and Administration.

INTEL COMMUNITY

Former FBI official accused of working for Russian oligarch may change plea.

A former FBI agent accused by U.S. prosecutors of working for sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska may change his plea in relation to criminal charges of evading U.S. sanctions and money laundering, court records showed this week. Read more

IARPA wants new options to spot when large language models exhibit potentially harmful behavior.

The intelligence community’s primary research arm is exploring new ways to detect and combat vulnerabilities, biases and threats associated with emerging generative AI and large language model (LLM) technologies that are increasingly informing U.S. intel analyses. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• NRO to conduct responsive space mission with Firefly and Xtenti.

• Defense industry vet joins Ultra's intel, communications business.

CIVILIAN

GAO releases 2023 Priority Open Recommendations for the IRS: Cybersecurity remains the top concern for 5th straight year.

GAO’s 2023 Priority Open Recommendations for the IRS outlines 24 open recommendations that the tax agency should give precedence to, according to the watchdog. Cybersecurity has been recommended as a top priority for the IRS since May of 2019. Specifically, the recommendation calls on the agency’s commissioner to develop a governance structure or other form of centralized leadership, such as a steering committee, to coordinate all aspects of IRS’s efforts to protect taxpayer information while at third-party providers. Read more | Get the GAO report

State Department abandons AI-based project that aimed to forecast violence and COVID-19.

The State Department is no longer pursuing an artificial intelligence project that aimed to ‘test the statistical relationship between social media activity overseas and activity by violent extremist organizations.” The odd part is that the shuttered pilot is still listed on the agency’s AI use case inventory on the DOS website. Questions arise about how to catalog the technology. Read more

Agencies to get more than a dozen new cyber acquisition regs in the coming years.

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council is reviewing a dozen different proposals to expand cyber security requirements across federal procurement. Two of the rules working through the process are around secure software development and incident reporting. What are some other proposed rules that FAR could be focusing on? Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Amentum and Beast Code partner up.

• Congressional inquiries to OPM have surged: processing times, customer services, and best practices are in question.

• NOAA lifts many commercial remote sensing license conditions.

• Government contractors grapple with enforcement challenges of TikTok ban.

• Updated NIST cyber framework focuses on governance.

• Listen: IBM's blueprint for making a bigger impact across public sector (WT 360 podcast).

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Walden Security wins $2B in contracts to secure federal court buildings.

• VA awards $4M Get Well Software task order to Fedstore Corporation.

• VA awards Four Points Technology a $4M task order for Form 10-10SH Modernization SaaS.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• American Systems appoints its next chief executive.

Civilian Job Openings

• NASA is seeking an Assistant Administrator for the Office of Small Business Programs.

• The Dept of Treasury is seeking a Supervisory IT Program Manager.

• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks Associate Deputy Administrator.

M&A CORNER

Frontgrade Technologies acquires Aethercomm.

Frontgrade Technologies, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital and a leading independent supplier of high-reliability, advanced electronic solutions for space and national security missions, announced the acquisition of Aethercomm, a designer and manufacturer of high-power radio frequency (RF) solid state power amplifiers as well as transmit/receive and high-power RF switches. Read more

Versar acquires Louis Berger Services from WSP.

WSP Global Inc. announced that it has sold Louis Berger Services Inc. to Versar Inc., a global engineering, environmental, and security services company. LBS specializes in operations and maintenance services for complex infrastructure assets at mission-essential defense and civilian facilities worldwide and currently employs approximately 1,400 people. Read more

ICYMI M&A Activity

• Accenture acquires Anser Advisory.

• ICF acquires grid modernization company CMY Solutions.

• Acfield acquires Strategic Technology Consulting.

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

It happened! Fusion ignition for the 2nd time!

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully generated fusion ignition again following the lab’s groundbreaking experiment conducted in December 2022. Compared to nuclear fission — which splits atoms to produce energy and is the method employed by nuclear power plants today — fusion combines two atoms to create energy without the radioactive byproducts produced by fission. Read more

How are other countries trying to regulate AI?

Data from Stanford University's 2023 AI Index shows that 37 bills related to AI were passed into law throughout the world in 2022. In the UK, Sunak is convening a global summit on AI safety. Canada is considering formal legislation limiting it. China has a plan too, although it tends to be more supportive of the technology. Read more

How are Lionel Messi’s free kicks an artform?

There are seven principles of art: balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm and variety. You will find all of these in Lionel Messi’s free-kick collection — he is an artist at this part of the game. Commentator Ray Hudson once likened him to Mozart. His 94th-minute winner on his debut for Inter Miami against Cruz Azul was his 63rd career free-kick goal. What makes Messi such a brilliant free-kick taker? Read more

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