Aug 11 2023

QUICK HITS

• NATO creates a billion-dollar fund for tech startups: The U.S. and Canada, however, are yet to join the effort.

• DARPA, WH launch $20M AI, cybersecurity challenge: And an executive order restricts U.S. investment in Chinese advanced tech.

• To compete with China in STEM, the Pentagon must invest in HBCUs: Existing laws and new metrics can help edify universities.

• CIO-SP4 award is delayed until at least October: A bid protest is slowing things down.

TRIVIA

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Toilet paper is teaching the DOD about innovation.

What can the nation's defense leaders learn from a roll of toilet paper? The answer is, surprisingly, "a whole lot about smarter innovation." Whereas the DOD has relied heavily in recent years on Silicon Valley for lessons on adopting innovative tech, it seems that defense and thought leaders now have the chance to gain new perspectives to tackle their innovation problem. Read more

Pentagon memo to leverage $9B JWCC “to the greatest extent possible.”

The Pentagon’s latest memo on its JWCC aims to “lay out the conditions” for how the department and military services can leverage the contract “to the greatest extent possible.” Despite awards to some BIG businesses in March, it’s been unclear if or how individual departments or military services are meant to — or mandated to — use JWCC versus their own cloud options. Read more

Overwhelming force isn't a deterrent against China’s military modernization.

The U.S. needs to work to shape Chinese President Xi Jinping’s thinking that violence is not the only option, said an adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute, who believes that overwhelming force is not working as a deterrent against China’s across-the-board military modernization and expansion. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• RFP: Artificial Intelligence Chatbot

• DOD mobilizes support in response to Hawaii wildfire.

• Experts have been talking ethics in DOD's AI deployment.

• DOD IG audit: F-35 lacks accurate parts data.

• The USNI released a new report on its John Lewis class oiler program.

• Testicular cancer in military personnel linked to ‘forever chemicals.’ 

Defense Contract Awards

• Lockheed to continue precision strike missile production with $175M Army award.

• Boeing receives $115M Navy order for MQ-25A Stingray initial spares.

• IMT Defense lands $163M multiyear deal for Army artillery production.

• Nautilus Defense and Leidos both won a $10-12M Navy award for Smart Electrically Powered and Textile Systems.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Former DARPA PM joins Eqlipse as business development VP.

• Dedrone makes three new key hires: A CPO and two VPs.

• Former DOD policy chief joins Rivada board.

Defense Job Openings

• USAF seeks Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary (Financial Ops).

• Navy is seeking a Governmental Affairs Strategist.

DAILY FUNNY

(Source)

INTEL COMMUNITY

NSA director says China not ahead of U.S. in cyber, surveillance.

The NSA's director has said that working with the private sector is “tremendously important” when it comes to maintaining the nation’s edge over adversaries like Russia and China. He added that China is not ahead of the U.S. when it comes to offensive cybersecurity and surveillance. Read more

Mother knows best? Sailor's mother encouraged him to pass info to China.

The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer, telling her son it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday. Read more

ICYMI Snippets.

• Intel agencies ban together to protect remote sensing space assets.

• NRO seeks collaboration with industry and academia.

• DNI releases the ‘23 National Intelligence Strategy for the IC.

CIVILIAN

After three years, Congress' vision for its Commercial Platforms Initiative still not coming to fruition.

GSA’s commercial platforms are gaining steam, but data and other concerns persist. Although the vision Congress had for the Commercial Platforms Initiative isn’t necessarily coming to fruition, new data and analysis show that doesn’t mean it’s a failure by any means. Read more

USDS to pilot new project types, set new '24 objectives.

USDS will pilot new types of digital projects, establish fresh short- and long-term objectives to help hold itself to account and push for stronger partnerships with tech organizations in the government as part of a new strategic plan for 2024. Read more

The verdict on Pega's corporate espionage is gonna change some buying patterns.

A unanimous jury found Pega violated the Virginia Computer Crimes Act by infiltrating Appian and misappropriating Appian trade secrets. The jury and judge called Pega's conduct “willful and malicious.” The jury awarded Appian $2.036B. What's more? Pega's declined to appeal the verdict the court made. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• RFI: FEMA is seeking to develop cloud-based data, analytics platform.

• Submissions for VA disability benefits caused vets to get nothing but error messages; deadline is extended.

• NASA officials discuss plans for NASA+ streaming network launch.

• New database arms DHS with better resources to mitigate explosive threats.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Twenty companies win positions on a potential 10-year, $5B DOE contract vehicle.

• DOI awards 13 spots on $1.5B construction multiple award contract.

• DecisionPoint books $60M VA customer experience tech support contract.

• NIH NCI awards Affigent a $10M maintenance, updates, and technical support for Oracle Perpetual Software Licenses task.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• ONCD names its new cyber workforce and education leader.

Civilian Job Openings

• NASA's HQ needs a Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office.

• FPAC Business Center seeks a Director, Management Services.

M&A CORNER

CRDF Global buys Development Innovations Group.

CRDF Global has acquired Development Innovations Group (DIG) for an undisclosed sum to expand its security assistance and development offerings in support of customers’ missions. DIG is a privately held international development firm focused on supporting developing and transitioning economies and post-conflict and post-disaster environments. Read more

Hughes’ parent company agrees to merger with Dish Network.

EchoStar, the parent company of broadband satellite services provider Hughes, and Dish Network have signed an all-stock merger agreement with the goal of establishing a global connectivity provider to businesses, governments, and consumers. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

Reddit asks: "Folks with offices, how have you decorated your office?"

Are you a federal employee or contractor? Reddit's got a subreddit called r/fednews with a recent post that will send you down the rabbit hole of all things home decoration-related. A person in someone's agency in this thread has dozens if not hundreds of frog figurines, stuffed animals, and pictures in their cubicle. We are hoping you are not this level of unhinged. Read more

Is investing in leaders always a win for your people and your business?

GDIT's president Amy Gilliland thinks so (yeah kind of biased, right?) She makes a couple of interesting points, though, about how the people side of business is changing in such a way that supporting your people managers is now more important than ever before. Read more

Teens hacked Boston subway cards to get infinite free rides—and this time, nobody got sued.

In early August of 2008, almost exactly 15 years ago, the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas was hit with one of the worst scandals in its history. Just before a group of MIT students planned to give a talk at the conference about a method they’d found to get free rides on Boston’s subway system—known as the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority—the MBTA sued them and obtained a restraining order to prevent them from speaking. The talk was canceled, but not before the hackers’ slides were widely distributed to conference attendees and published online. Read more

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