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- January 8, 2024
January 8, 2024
70M DOE grant opp, CDAO RFP, RTX new Raytheon Pres, DOS new Dep Chief Data Officer, 3 year DOJ AI pilot, DISA RFI, VA protests continue
GovBrew
January 08, 2024
QUICK HITS
Shutdown crisis averted: Congress reaches an agreement on spending levels, which involves $16B in addt’l spending cuts.
‘We’re out of money’: U.S. exhausts security funds for Ukraine. Weapons can’t be replaced despite $4.2B left in authority.
Houthis deploy unmanned kamikaze boat amid Operation Prosperity Guardian: One-way attack USV a concern to U.S.
Battles continue over $356M VA records contract: The back and forth between GovCIO and GDIT continues.
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
DOD is pushing digital engineering implementation.
DOD laid out new guidance last month covering how digital engineering practices should be implemented and used for developing and sustaining defense systems at the Pentagon. Read more
Not quite news, yet: Space Force nearly done finalizing its long-awaited commercial space strategy.
The U.S. Space Force is on the verge of finalizing a key strategy document outlining how it will partner with the burgeoning commercial space industry. After months of refinement, the Deputy Chief of Space Operations announced that the document is nearing completion. Read more
Marine Corps using exercises to mature new Information Command.
A year after its establishment, Marine Corps Information Command is focused on maturing regionally - specifically in the Pacific - with the longer-term goal of global integration and synchronization of information capabilities with traditional military operations. Read more
ICYMI:
CDAO RFP: DOD looking for Digital Contract Filing System.
Sources Sought: DISA seeks Joint Interoperability of Tactical Command and Control Systems (JINTACCs) Software Dev.
Sources Sought: Army is looking for new operational mission command suite.
Airborne Range Hawks enabling more hypersonic flight tests.
Air Force EMS doctrine frames strategy goals.
NASA and SDA optical campaigns could share terminals.
Defense Contract Awards
SDVOSB AMSG beats out eight to win USMC Capabilities Development Directorate planning & analysis support task order.
Connected Logistics wins 10th DLA JETS IDIQ prime task order.
SAIC secures $63M Navy hypersonics contract.
DHA awards MEDCIN a $19M Software Subscription contract.
Follow the Defense Leaders
Marine Corps' Mahlock takes reins of Cyber National Mission Force.
A new president of RTX Raytheon business has been installed.
Air Force veteran named chief product officer at Raft.
Defense Job Openings
OSD is hiring a Principal Director Secretariat for Special Operations Policy and Programs.
The Army is seeking a deputy to the Commanding General, Medical Research Development Command.
Navy seeking deputy CIO for policy, direction and oversight.
FUNNY
INTEL COMMUNITY
DIA: Israel’s talk of expanding war to Lebanon alarms the US.
The White House has warned Israel against a significant escalation in Lebanon. If it were to do so, a new secret assessment from the DIA found that it will be difficult for the IDF to succeed because its military assets and resources would be spread too thin given the conflict in Gaza. A spokesperson for the DIA did not offer comment. Read more
Space Force launches X-37B robotic space plane for new round of classified experiments.
Although details about the latest mission have been largely kept behind closed doors, the Space Force said that some tests will include “operating in new orbital regimes, experimenting with space domain awareness technologies and investigating the radiation effects to NASA materials.” Read more
ICYMI:
SOSi wins USAREUR-AF intelligence contract.
Bombardier wins Army contract for new spy plane prototype.
iNovex taps new president.
CIVILIAN
A DOJ AI tool has been in the pilot stage for over three years.
The system, which is called the Intelligent Records Consolidation Tool, was built with the help of an IT consulting group called the Savan Group and is maintained by the agency’s Justice Management Division. The software is supposed to assist in measuring the similarity of record schedules in order to reduce the time spent by the records manager. Read more
A “Rags-to-Power” story: Former top tech official at Commerce Department looks backwards and forwards.
André Mendes, who retired as Commerce Department CIO at the end of 2023, emigrated to the U.S. from Portugal at age 17 with $300.00 to his name. His plan was to study biology and genetics, but he ran out of money, so turned to technology for a career. Read more
Many agencies fail to meet 508 tech accessibility mandates.
“The government as a whole is not meeting the minimum standard or legal obligation to provide equal access to all members of the public and federal employees with disabilities,” the new GSA report reads. It’s focused on federal compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Read more
ICYMI:
TSA to modernize, expand CX Tech in 2024.
Grant Opp: Energy Department has cyber threats to infrastructure in mind with $70 million funding offer.
USAID warned employees not to share personal data on ChatGPT.
InfoSec Global Federal joins DHS CDM list.
Employees need drastic reskilling to deal with generative AI's data needs.
Civilian Contracts Awards
8(a) STARS III Prime SPatial Front beats 13 to nab $62M NOAA IT Operations and Maintenance (O&M) support contract.
Booz Allen Hamilton wins $419M NSF Information Technology Mission Application Support contract.
DHS FEMA awards $25M Test & Eval BPA to SHR Consulting, Accelgov, and Trillion Technology Solutions.
Two more protests dismissed: $5B+ ITSSS-2 IDIQ.
Follow Civilian Leaders
NSF picks new CIO as part of CHIPS Act IT organization.
Berntsen returns to State Dept as Deputy Chief Data Officer and AI Officer.
Labor Department names deputy CIO Louis Charlier as chief AI officer.
Ex-White House adviser to oversee cloud strategy for GSA’s Technology Transformation Services.
SAIC taps Kara Gerhardt Ross as SVP, Global Corporate Communications.
Civilian Job Openings
HHS is seeking an Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (Science and Data Policy).
USDA Food and Nutrition Service is hiring a Deputy Administrator for Policy Support.
USDA is hiring a Director - Office of Risk Assessment and Cost Benefit Analysis.
OPM is on the hunt for a new CDO who will also be its chief AI officer.
M&A CORNER
Acentra Health buys employee assistance program provider.
Acentra Health, which provides clinical services and government healthcare agencies, announced it is acquiring EAP Consultants LLC, a provider of workplace mental health and well-being programs. Read more
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
What the heck is ‘Evidence 2.0?’
Evidence-based policymaking thought leaders Nick Hart and Jason Saul recently heralded a new phase in the drive for evidence-based policymaking. ‘Evidence 1.0 is great: we’ve generated a wealth of better knowledge, and that is fantastic. But the real point is to make all that knowledge accessible and usable.” Evidence 2.0, they said, is all about the data. Read more
Recent signs show that government is getting open-source right. Is your organization?
Against a backdrop of increasing concerns about software security, the U.S. government has recently taken a series of actions to improve software security. This initiative began with the White House Executive Order 14028 on improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity and was followed by two OMB memorandums, M-22-18 and M-23-16, that set schedules and requirements for security compliance. Read more
How often does ChatGPT push misinformation?
A recently published paper reveals that tools based on large language models can perpetuate and even validate misinformation, a finding that complicates the Pentagon’s plans to harness generative AI and U.S. efforts to counter harmful lies. Read more
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