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- January 5, 2024
January 5, 2024
MSI buys Ascolta, DOE Fermilab mgmt RFP, DHS pushes UX, DOD Vanguard RFI, Plum Book, DOD acquisition OpEd, new CMMC 2.0 rule
GovBrew
January 05, 2024
QUICK HITS
You can now search through every executive in federal govt: A modern 'Plum Book' will provide accurate information on top officials.
A new rule for CMMC 2.0 raises eyebrows: Some are questioning the balance between bottom-line security and regulatory burden.
Pentagon IG outlines 83 projects to undertake in fiscal '24: There'll also be 54 audits and 29 evaluations going on this year.
Check out this Q&A on the biggest cyber threats facing the nation: And learn what can be done to protect us against those threats.
TRIVIA
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Deputy SecDef selects Replicator capabilities; Pentagon to brief lawmakers.
The Deputy Secretary of Defense has selected a small number of “capabilities” that the Pentagon will prioritize for the initial tranche of her Replicator unmanned systems initiative. However, specific platforms haven’t been chosen yet. Read more
OP-ED: The Pentagon can move faster — it just needs to heed some lessons from a life-or-death acquisition story.
The Pentagon has long worried over its ability to move at the speed of conflict, as entrenched acquisition processes can delay getting the right weapons to the right warfighters. In this op-ed, one acquisition expert lays out how the DOD can improve by looking back at a previous success story. Read more
Army Materiel Command is taking lessons from Ukraine.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems to be providing Army Materiel Command with plenty of insights into what it needs to do to prepare for contingency in the Indo-Pacific region. “Think about Ukraine as an island … we are not allowed to cross the border.” Read more
ICYMI:
RFI: DOD seeks intelligence tech for Vanguard 2024 event.
Houthi strikes are targeting more than Israel-affiliated ships.
US forces in Iraq have neutralized the leader of an Iran-backed terrorist group.
See the Arctic Angels in action: soldiers in the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Defense Contract Awards
Lockheed Martin wins $1.1B IDIQ modification to provide site activation and hardware to support Navy aircraft.
L3Harris awarded $479M USSOCOM contract for tactical communications radio production.
HII books $67M USN work for DDG 1000 modernization.
Army awards contract to Bombardier Defense for first jet aimed at deep sensing.
Follow the Defense Leaders
Former Executive Director is now Axient’s VP of Business Development Operations.
Aretum’s new VP of Contracts was Arcfield’s former VP.
Vislink has a new MilGov Managing Director.
Defense Job Openings
The ANG is looking for a Program Manager.
The USMC is hiring a Deputy Director.
The ANG is seeking a Director of Force Support.
AROUND THE WEB
INTEL COMMUNITY
ICYMI:
Maxar wins contract to provide 3D imagery of Indo-Pacific region.
SOSi lands USAREUR-AF prime contract for intelligence technical support.
iNovex taps 15-year IC veteran as its new president.
NGA seeks Associate General Counsel (Science, Tech, IP Law).
The NGA needs an EEO Officer.
CIVILIAN
Watchdog finds USPS workforce diversity doesn’t always reflect in leadership ranks.
A GAO watchdog found white USPS employees held a disproportionate number of executive positions in FY2022, and that employees of color, in some cases, were less likely to receive promotions into leadership roles. Read more
DHS pushing "usability testing" to meet ambitious customer experience goals.
“Usability testing” is central to DHS’s big burden reduction goals; it's leveraging “usability testing” to meet its customer experience goals, and the department’s CX chief sees the potential for other federal agencies to follow DHS’ playbook. Read more
Education Dept. unveils its long-awaited update to the FAFSA application
It’s now a simpler online financial aid form; the redesigned form features as few as 18 questions instead of potentially more than 100. But the deployment of the form has faced some real bumps: users are face a restricted rollout, with some users getting locked out, some being put on “maintenance pauses,” and others languishing in a “digital waiting room.” Read more
ICYMI:
DOL launches "Open UI" modernization initiative with state agencies.
Challenge: FTC puts out a public call to help stop voice cloning robocalls. Top prize is $25k. (We’ve got loads more Challenge and Grants listed if you join GovBrew Insider!)
TSA to expand, modernize its customer experience technology initiatives this year.
RFP: DOE soliciting proposals for Fermilab operation, management contract.
Civilian Contracts Awards
IBM books $95M USAID contract to boost cybersecurity response in Europe, Eurasia.
Reston (RCG) wins first task under DOC CATTS IDIQ.
SAIC wins $20M USPTO PDSD Tech Support.
GDIT wins $386M Alliant 2 OBIM Support Services task order.
Follow Civilian Leaders
Senior Advisor becomes NSF’s new CIO and CTO.
Unqork’s new Head of Public Sector was a former GSA Official.
Former ASRC Federal Executive is now NetCentric’s CFO.
GSA announces new role to lead cloud strategy, governmentwide tech initiatives.
Civilian Job Openings
The IRS is looking for a Supervisory Contract Specialist.
The VHA is hiring for a Deputy Chief (Geriatrics & Extended Care).
The VHA is seeking for a Deputy Associate Chief of Staff.
The IHS needs a Deputy Director of Quality.
M&A CORNER
Kratos, Rancher Government Solutions announce strategic partnership.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. and Rancher Government Solutions have announced a strategic partnership to enable customers to deploy and scale virtual ground systems using Kratos’ software-based OpenSpace Platform. Read more
MSI plans to expand multiple capabilities with Ascolta purchase.
Management Science and Innovation has acquired Ascolta, an information security and software development services provider, for an undisclosed sum to expand its AI and DevOps capabilities. Read more
GOVBREW INSIDER
Check out this week’s 90+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.
Our team uncovered 55+ upcoming IT services opportunities at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in this week's recompete report.
See if your company qualifies for any of the latest grants & competitions.
Stay up to date on the upcoming events. Also, check out the GovBrew Insider discount on the upcoming GovCIO Defense IT Summit.
Keep track of the latest Agency Acquisition Forecasts.
Want to become a GovBrew Insider member? Join here
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
Why would Saudi Arabia and the UAE sit out the Red Sea initiative?
The Saudis and the Emiratis may have an obvious interest in secure shipping lanes themselves, according to one senior Pentagon official, "but [they] do not want to be seen as supporting Israel." Read more
How do hackers 'poison' artificial intelligence?
NIST is trying to raise awareness around the adversarial tactics hackers use that can corrupt AI software; a new paper from the Institute offers a complete taxonomy of cyber attacks dedicated to 'poisoning' the sets of data that AI models rely on for learning. Read more
How can you tell whether you're getting the tech you paid for?
In both industry and government, we buy a lot of technology. But how do we know if we are getting what we are paying for? Two experts on tech investing share their thoughts on how to know when you are getting what you paid for when you buy technology. Read more
TRIVIA ANSWER:
A - Explorer 1.
The Vanguard 1A was the first attempt, on December 6, 1957, but the launch failed. It fell back onto the launch pad and exploded. Explorer 1 was successfully launched on February 1, 1958. The satellite carried a cosmic ray detector, which led to Explorer Principal Investigator Dr. James Van Allen's discovery of radiation belts around Earth held in place by the planet's magnetic field. (Source)
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