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- June 17, 2024
June 17, 2024
Merlin Labs buys EpiSys Science, USPS chief’s reform plans, Army INVICTA RFI, DOD secret misinformation campaign, Air Force One delayed again, procurement-verse trends
GovBrew
June 17, 2024
To honor Juneteenth, our newsletter will be on a brief hiatus this Wednesday. We are taking this time to reflect on the significance of this important holiday and will see you back in your inbox on Friday morning!
—The GovBrew Crew
QUICK HITS
US falling further behind in the AI race with China: US is under-investing in practical AI capabilities and stagnating in R&D.
Across the procurement-verse: Changing trends in the procurement function, from the Economist.
Survey says government worker burnout is decreasing: But it's still at a concerningly high level.
Bipartisan bill to improve small biz access to AI tools, training: DOC, SBA would develop, distribute AI tools to small enterprises.
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
SASC may shatter spending limits imposed by ‘23 debt ceiling.
The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a $911.8B topline for the NDAA. The bill greenlights a total of $878.4 billion for the DOD and $33.4 billion for defense-related activities in the DOE. When combined with an estimated $11.5 billion in non-NDAA defense activities, the total national defense topline sought by the SASC is $923.3 billion—blowing past the $895 billion defense spending cap imposed by the FRA. Read more
Read also: HASC approves FY25 Defense Appropriations Act.
Senate wants Pentagon to lay out counter-UAS strategy.
The Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Pentagon to lay out a counter-unmanned aircraft systems strategy and to establish a counter-UAS task force. Senate defense authorizers also advise DOD leaders of a c-UAS task force “to review guidance relating to c-UAS activities. Read more
Opinion: Would axing Sentinel save hundreds of billions of dollars—and make America safer?
The Air Force’s new Sentinel ICBM program is so massively over budget and behind schedule that it must be bailed out by SecDef Austin before July 9 or face termination. In either case, U.S. nuclear forces would remain sufficient to deter any adversary, including Russia and China, from a nuclear strike. Termination of Sentinel, however, would make the country much safer while saving taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars. Read more
ICYMI:
USSF turning to commercial satellites for in-space monitoring.
V-22 Ospreys will not resume full mission profile until 'mid-2025.'
USAF authorizes establishment of direct reporting unit to improve service readiness.
USSOCOM issued info on its upcoming Innovation Foundry event.
Delayed again! First flight of the new Air Force One jet slips to 2026.
Defense Contract Awards
49 companies awarded Navy unmanned surface vehicle family systems support contracts worth $982M (total).
8 companies secure spots on $3B NAVFAC construction services award.
Lockheed Martin won a $66M Army contract for Phased Array Tracking to Intercept of Target Advanced Capability-3 software.
Palantir won a $22M USAF contract for DaaS for AF-HQ.
Follow the Defense Leaders
Doing double-duty: CIO at DOD's OIG expands his role to include chief artificial intelligence officer.
OpenAI appoints retired Army general to board of directors.
Culmen International has appointed its new president and COO.
Defense Job Openings
Army Corps of Engineers seeks Deputy Chief of Staff.
NAVSEA searching for Director, Surface Systems Contracts Division.
FUNNY
INTEL COMMUNITY
Pentagon ran secret anti-vax campaign to undermine China during the pandemic.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus. The clandestine operation aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China. Read more
Red Sea Houthi attacks have affected 65 countries, says DIA.
"Despite seeking international legitimacy, Houthi actions have damaged regional security, impeded international humanitarian relief efforts, and put stress on global maritime trade," a new report from the DIA alleges. Read more
ICYMI:
RFI: Army seeks info to support the INVICTA capability.
Sources Sought: FinCEN seeks sources to enhance illicit financial research, analysis.
Ultra I&C awarded USAF BlackArrow encryption key management contract.
NSA names its new chief of the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.
USAF needs a highly qualified Intelligence Officer.
CIVILIAN
HUD's switch restarts debate about the role of the CIO.
HUD is looking for a new chief information officer. But unlike the DOD and HHS, the SBA, and the CMS, the HUD CIO didn’t leave the agency to create the job opening. The reason for the opening is purely political. HUD decided to move the CIO’s position back to a career one from a political one. Read more
VA extends EHRM contract with Oracle Cerner for 11 months.
The announcement comes after the VA and Oracle Cerner announced a one-month extension of the contract last month to give the two parties more time to negotiate terms that will support the long-term success of the program. Through the agreement, the VA and Oracle Cerner will partner to deploy the EHR system as part of the program “reset.” Read more
Lawmakers ‘deeply concerned’ with USPS chief's reform plans.
While Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says he is adamant about waging a battle against “the political bureaucracy” that defends the status quo, House Republicans say they are 'deeply concerned' with his plans to overhaul USPS operations. Read more
ICYMI:
White House showcases AI work that's underway at a dozen federal R&D agencies.
FISMA: Feds saw more cyberattacks, had better detection in 2023.
GSA to allow upfront payments for licenses for SaaS.
State Department launches limited online passport renewal.
Feds slated for 2% average pay raise in ‘25 per Appropriations bill.
Civilian Contracts Awards
NNSA awards potential $1.5B contract for Pantex Plant management, operations.
DHS awards $2.5M to Akira Technologies for Granicus GovDelivery task.
FAA awards $6M enterprise portfolio support services task to A3 Technology.
Follow Civilian Leaders
Senior IRS operations advisor announces retirement.
Microsoft executive joins board of directors at ASGN Incorporated.
Macro Solutions advances its VP of business development.
Integra welcomes new senior VP, SLED government solutions.
Civilian Job Openings
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center seeks Director, Engineering and Technology.
Farm Service Agency looking for Deputy Admin, Farm Loan Programs.
FCC looking for a Chief Administrative Officer.
M&A CORNER
Merlin Labs agrees to acquire EpiSys Science.
Merlin Labs has agreed to acquire EpiSys Science, a provider of tactical artificial intelligence software; the acquisition will allow Merlin to expand its suite of supported platforms to include multiple unmanned surface vessels and small unmanned aerial systems. Read more
Adarga acquires risk intelligence firm J2X Solutions.
Adarga, a provider of AI-driven information intelligence, announced the acquisition of US strategic risk intelligence firm, J2X Solutions. The acquisition supports and accelerates Adarga’s expanding US growth, marked by recent contract wins with the defense and national security community. Read more
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
How does the IRS achieve long-term Direct File success?
The IRS pilot of a government-backed online tool to file taxes for free, dubbed Direct File, is going permanent. What will it take for the IRS to see success long-term? One big looming question: Why did some people start the pilot tool and then not finish? Read more
Why are our defenses so reliant on Chinese 'critical technology'?
Last year, the U.S. Navy reduced the number of Chinese suppliers in its “critical technologies” supply chains by 40 percent. But according to a new report, the Air Force and other Pentagon agencies are using even more Chinese suppliers. Read more
Can light-based computing chips help solve AI’s insatiable thirst for power?
The International Energy Agency predicts that AI will consume 10 times as much power in 2026 as it did in 2023, and that data centers in that year will use as much energy as Japan. One of the most promising ways forward involves processing information not with trusty electrons but instead using the flow of photons, minuscule packets of light. Recent results suggest that, for certain computational tasks fundamental to modern AI, light-based “optical computers” may offer an advantage. Read more
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