July 21 2023

QUICK HITS

• Nearly two-thirds of agencies are adopting emerging tech: A new GDIT study reports the trend is to accelerate transformation efforts.

• A GovCon expert's take on the Cybersecurity Awareness Act: A big step in the right direction.

• Small businesses scored record high in federal contracts in fiscal ‘22: Federal awards to small businesses rose by $8.7B from the prior year.

• Military testing smartphone app that could shoot down drones: Special Forces with U.S. Central Command testing them this week.

TRIVIA

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Ukraine War shows that commercial tech can be transferred faster than established programs.

One of the lessons learned for the Defense Department from the ongoing war in Ukraine is the speed at which commercial technologies can quickly be delivered to the Ukrainians in their fight against Russia than established DoD programs, a senior department official believes. Read more

CDAO wants "muscle memory" to speed up allied info-sharing.

The Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) wants to develop the “muscle memory” to overcome bureaucratic hurdles to sharing information with allies more quickly, and it wants to separately incorporate more data sets into the wide-ranging experiment. Read more

China and Russia are eroding our electronic warfare advantage.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers has said that the Pentagon needs to prioritize enhanced access and use of the electromagnetic spectrum to help counter future threats rather than just relying on Congress to take the lead in bolstering the U.S. military’s capabilities in this space. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Army reservists are leveling up fuel operations during QLLEX.

• Experts think the US is losing its AI edge to China.

• The Pentagon must look past price to achieve dominance in space.

• DISA looking beyond ‘technical solutions’ to help DOD integrate partners into CJADC2.

• Pentagon AI more ethical than adversaries’ because of ‘Judeo-Christian society,’ USAF general says.

• DARPA selects teams to develop new mental health screening tool for early detection of suicidality in military members.

Defense Contract Awards

• State Department OKs potential $3B air-to-air missile sale to Germany.

• Lockheed subsidiary awarded $220M high-energy laser development OTA.

• Pratt & Whitney secures $256M F135 maintenance contract mod.

• Army orders additional Oshkosh trailers for heavy equipment transport.

• Hypergiant secures Air Force JADC2 contract.

Follow Defense Leaders

• Hypori names its new Chief Customer Officer.

Defense Job Openings

• Air Force Reserve Command seeks a skilled Air Commander (Pilot/Navigator).

• NAVSEA seeks a Director, Advanced Submarine Propulsor Management Office.

• DOD is hiring a Deputy Director, Program and Financial Control.

INTEL COMMUNITY

IC's new data strategy to lay the foundations of AI's future.

The IC is setting a two-year roadmap for its workforce to become more familiar with data and AI tools — and is already charting progress toward those goals. The 2023-2025 IC Data Strategy lays out the steps all 18 intelligence agencies will take to develop a more data-savvy workforce and set the groundwork for the IC to use AI tools. Read more

AI is not a replacement for humans at Cyber Command, NSA.

AI is and will remain an enabler, not a replacement for humans, in the work of Cyber Command and the NSA, the nominee to head both told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “A human will be interfacing with that machine and that data,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh told the panel. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Leidos books $375M ODNI support contract.

• ESF members NSA and CISA publish second paper on 5G network slicing.

• RFI: FBI requests feedback on intelligence modernization.

• DIA charging ahead on managing, training open-source tech.

• Learn some tricks of the CIA's disguise trade.

CIVILIAN

Should Congress give up on the GSA-managed Technology Modernization Fund?

Last week, the Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee took an axe to GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund, proposing to rescind $290M in previously appropriated funding. This move follows related action by the House Appropriations Committee earlier this year to zero out funding for TMF in their fiscal year 2024 bill. Read more

At NASA, generative AI isn't yet cleared for takeoff.

Back in May, NASA’s CIO emailed the agency’s staff to make clear that tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Facebook Llama had not been cleared for any widespread use with “sensitive NASA data.” The email, which does not seem to have been publicized until now, also noted that a community of “potential early adopters” across the agency were working to investigate “certain” AI technologies. Read more

FTC, DOJ open comment period on M&A review process update plan.

The FTC and DOJ are seeking public comments on a draft update of guidelines meant to help federal regulators determine if merger and acquisition deals affect U.S. market competition. The FTC has said the draft enforcement manual outlines 13 guidelines agencies may use. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• Senators want assessment of AI-created biosecurity threats.

• GAO agrees to investigate generative AI.

• To satisfy mission needs, USDA leans heavier into SaaS.

• Power grid faces escalating cyber threats, experts warn.

• House Dem sounds alarm about AI in political messaging.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• NASA awards Integrated Mission Operations Contract III.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• Microsoft appoints the new president of its federal business unit.

• Carlyle appoints new CIO & tech transformation head.

• Former SAP NS2 CEO joins cBEYONData as executive chairman.

Civilian Job Openings

• The NNSA needs a Deputy Director, Nuclear Technology Division.

• Become NIST's Senior Advisor for CHIPS for America.

• NSF is seeking an Assistant Director, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).

M&A CORNER

Managed security firm CISO Global to buy SB Cyber Technologies.

Managed security services provider CISO Global has agreed to acquire endpoint security technology provider SB Cyber Technologies for an undisclosed sum. CISO said it expects to close the transaction this summer and plans to add SB Cyber’s Checklight platform to the vCISO portfolio. Read more

IMB Partners invests in business system specialist.

IMB Partners, a private equity firm focused on midsized companies in the government and highly-regulated industrial markets, has invested in a federal technology services provider focused on IRS business systems. ETelligent Group started in 2005 and is eyeing that backing as a means to scale its overall organizational infrastructure with the goals of pursuing larger contracts and exploring acquisitions of other businesses to expand into new customer sets. Read more

IronGate launches national security tech fund.

IronGate Capital Advisors, a Florida-based VC investment firm focused on dual-use national security technologies, announced the final closing and full allocation of its first discretionary fund. These funds enable IronGate’s mission to invest private capital into early-stage companies and venture capital partnerships to support technologies that are dual-use and dual-benefit. These technologies can strengthen U.S. and allied national security while creating industries, jobs, and innovative civilian applications that reshape every facet of society. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

What does defense spending look like by country?

We've stumbled upon a handy graphic that maps out the world's top 40 largest military budgets as of 2022, and you probably won't be shocked to hear that the US accounts for nearly 40% of global military expenditures, with its 2022 spend coming to $877B. Read more

If eliminating bias in AI is impossible, can it at least be tamed?

Should ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence systems be allowed to be biased? You might say, “Of course not!” And that would be a reasonable response. But some researchers argue the opposite: AI systems like ChatGPT should indeed be biased – but not in the way you might think. Read more

Is ChatGPT creating new risks for national security?

Large language models like ChatGPT come with significant risks that demand a coordinated effort among partner nations to forge a solid, integrated defense against the threat of malign information operations. Read more

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