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- December 6, 2023
December 6, 2023
10B VHA IHT 2.0 drops, Medicare data shows elder abuse, AI at airports for TSA, NASA rideshare, UX of critical importance, Army Navy game
QUICK HITS
Senate approves 425 military confirmations on Tuesday: After Tuberville ends blockade.
$10 billion VHA Integrated Healthcare Transformation (IHT) 2.0 IDIQ droping soon: RFP is expected to hit in December.
Catch the Army-Navy football game this Saturday: The 124th playing of the nation's game kicks off at 3 p.m. ET.
Feds warn of continued Iranian hacker attacks: New advisory warns of hackers targeting U.S. water facilities.
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DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Seconds can save lives, and UX may be the next differentiator.
The military is executing missions with greater ease thanks to the user experience (UX), which is helping DOD contractors modernize software applications and design new ones. How can you make systems more robust and intricate without making it cumbersome to use? Read more
It’s not so secret anymore: Anduril unveils jet-powered interceptor designed by down enemy drones, missiles.
For the past two years, Anduril Industries has been secretly building what executives say is a first-of-a-kind, turbojet-powered craft that can down incoming drones or missiles, perform reconnaissance, and handle other missions. Called Road Runner, the six-foot, delta-winged craft can take off and land vertically and fly autonomously. So is it a missile or a drone? Read more
Bitcoin: An offset strategy of national strategic importance.
According to Space Force Astronautical Engineer Jason Lowrey, a 21st century "offset" strategy can be represented by a reusable proof-of-work networks like Bitcoin. In his open letter to the Defense Innovation Board, he stated that the concept uses technological advancements to negate or counterbalance the numerical superiority or traditional military strengths of an adversary. Read more
ICYMI:
Like Lyft, but for space! NASA updates its rideshare mission policy.
The need for counter-drone tech is like that of 155mm shells: production has to go through the roof.
On the flipside…demand for satellites is rising but not skyrocketing.
RFI: The Marine Corps is looking at small drone boats for spying on vessels.
OMB warns Congress about funding for Ukraine…like they need lots of money, now.
How a push to the cloud helped a Ukrainian bank keep faith with customers amid the war.
Defense Contract Awards
DARPA picks 14 vendors for lunar economy-building study.
Verizon was awarded a $15 million Navy MWR data services contract
General Atomics unit books $389M Army contract for latest variant of Gray Eagle drones.
Space Force keeps incumbent Gemini Technical Services for $350M training support contract.
Follow the Defense Leaders
CENTCOM hires data and technology leader to serve as CIO.
Soon to retire: US Air Force GenAI leader.
Defense Job Openings
USMC seeks Deputy Director at Kaneohe Bay MCCS (Hawaii).
DOD’s Office of the IG is looking for an Asst. IG for Strategic Planning and Performance.
INTEL COMMUNITY
Former U.S. ambassador shared secrets with Cuba for 40 years.
The DOJ has filed a criminal complaint accusing former U.S. Ambassador Manuel Rocha of being an agent of the Cuban government from November 1981 through December 2023, a period of more than 40 years providing Cuba access to U.S. secrets. Rocha appears to have been recruited before 1981 by Cuban intelligence while living in Chile during the early 1970s. Read more
Intel agencies look to build skills through public-private talent exchange.
Intelligence agencies are eyeing increased job flexibilities and more educational opportunities for the workforce, including a new talent exchange that is sending some intel officers to do assignments at space sector companies. Read more
ICYMI:
RFI: Air Force issues RFI for ISR sensors.
NGA taps new Deputy Chief of Staff for the IT enterprise.
NRO awards five SCE contracts to assess and leverage electro-optical capabilities.
DIA seeks Deputy General Counsel for Operations.
CIVILIAN
Using Medicare data to uncover hidden signs of elder abuse
The CMS regularly checks for signs of elderly abuse in its massive volumes of claims data. However, a recent IG audit found a staggering number of cases— way more than anticipated…30,000 cases—that could have been reported to state and local authorities if CMS had done a more rigorous analysis. Only 1 in 5 cases were actually reported. Read more
For TSA, AI is speeding up screenings at airports for travelers.
According to a top TSA official, the agency is looking to leverage AI—including facial recognition technology—to speed up airport security screenings for travelers. “In the future, AI-powered advancements signify an evolution driven by data science, analytics, and intelligent automation that reshapes TSA operations and the technology available to its travelers.” Read more
Total number of VA claims lost in online systems tops 120,000.
VA leaders acknowledge that more than 120,000 veterans who attempted to use department online platforms to file for benefits in recent years were stymied by technical problems, nearly 35% more than previously reported. Read more
ICYMI:
Why is NIST prioritizing creating a dictionary of AI development?
OPM advertising first federal cyber rotation jobs.
Rep. calls for legislative architecture, more funding for the TMF.
SAIC's new CEO gives first glimpse into her short term focus.
USA Jobs’s Shared Certificates tool was created to help agencies find candidates 'ready for hire.’
Civilian Contracts Awards
Three companies awarded spots on $125M NIST Cybersecurity & Privacy Support Services IDIQ.
JCS Solutions wins NOAA NOS Cyber Security Program support contract.
Affigent wins Treasury OCIO $11M PeopleSoft Licenses contract.
SBA GCBD awards Goldschmitt & Assoc. $25M VA Application Processing & Verification Services Support (VESS) contract.
Follow Civilian Leaders
GAO taps a new chief scientist and a new Chief AI Officer.
Beacon Global Strategies announces key appointments to Senior Executive Leadership Team.
USPS names longtime OCIO leader as Director to drive Product Technology Innovation.
L3Harris hires former Epirus CEO as finance chief.
Executive named Chief People Officer Role at Alteryx.
Ah, the mystery! VA hires unnamed senior executive to clean up website benefits issues.
Civilian Job Openings
Agricultural Marketing Service seeks an Associate Administrator.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks Associate Deputy Admin.
M&A CORNER
Thales completes Imperva acquisition.
French firm Thales announced that it has completed the acquisition of Imperva. The transaction is a key milestone for Thales, giving it more than 5,800 cybersecurity experts across 68 countries and double-digit growth expected from its cybersecurity work, including in civil and defense activities worldwide. Read more
Precise Systems acquires Excet.
Precise Systems, Inc., a portfolio company of Bluestone Investment Partners, announced it acquired Excet, Inc. Excet’s team will continue to execute physical sciences research. Read more
SHOWER THOUGHTS đźšż
Is it time to hold human operators accountable for AI in conflicts?
The Pentagon needs “to find a way to hold people accountable” for what AI technologies do in future conflicts, according to Air Force Secretary Kendall, who dismissed the Terminator 3 notion “of the rogue robot that goes out there and runs around and shoots everything in sight indiscriminately." Read more
What happens when you put an oil executive in charge of the UN climate summit?
In a meeting one week before the conference, Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber— who is the UAE minister of industry and advanced technology as well as the chairman of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company — told a panel he believed there was no science to suggest eliminating fossil fuels would help keep global temperature increases below the key threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The UN may want to rethink next year’s leadership messaging…Read more
Commentary: The case for an immediate, U.S.-led stabilization mission in Gaza.
More than 55 days since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Gaza campaign lacks a critical component, betraying a major strategic flaw: the absence of a plan to provide security, sufficient aid, and critical services to a largely displaced and vulnerable Palestinian population. Read more
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