March 1, 2024

Good morning. We're on a mission to bring you an incredible subscriber experience, and we need YOUR perspective to make it happen. Help us help YOU by answering a few questions here. All participants will enter the drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card to be awarded next Friday.🥇

—The GovBrew Crew

QUICK HITS

• As shutdown looms, House approves stopgap funding bill: Senators aim to quickly set up votes on full-year appropriations.

• Main Street America needs addressed: Five bipartisan small business bills passed by the House.

• Prioritize people & culture on the road to Zero Trust: Experts say focusing on your people can reduce complexity.

• Podcast: An arms race quietly unfolds in space: After warnings Russia could put nukes in space, the US ramps up its space effort.

• Capture the Flag: AASMAS Maritime Capture-the-Flag Competition using AI agents. Win power, glory, and networking potential.

TRIVIA 🤔

Presented by Rogue - Respond to Government RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs 10x faster using AI.

Just click the choice you think is right & the correct answer will be shown.

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Defense leaders seek to restore Red Sea stability from Houthi threat.

The DepAssistSec of defense for Middle East policy has said that while the DOD supports the overall aim of de-escalating tensions and restoring stability in the Red Sea, it will not hesitate to defend civilians and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways. Read more

DOD warns of 'breathtakingly fast' Chinese space, nuclear development.

China’s advancements in space technology—and its nuclear triad—are proceeding with incredible speed, while Russia remains an unpredictable and dangerous threat. Strategic Command and Space Command representatives discussed Russia’s smaller, tactical nuclear weapons and China’s space assets. Read more

OP-ED: SLCM-N and the deterrence value of ambiguity.

In this opinion piece, one member of the American Enterprise Institute argues that developing a new nuclear sea-launched cruise missile is imperative to deterring China and Russia; and that, specifically, Congress must continue to support the development of the system, with China in mind. Read more

ICYMI:

• Despite congressional request, DOD has no plans to send hospital ship to Middle East.

• USCYBERCOM launches new way for defenders to assess, tackle network risks.

• CJAD2 plans to shows off at Project Convergence experiment.

• Boeing agrees to $51M settlement to resolve 199 export violations that include China and Russia.

• SF units that acquire AND operate their gear? Let’s make more!

• Protest: Peraton is protesting a $1B DOD DHRA Global Enterprise Management Services (GEMS) IT support contract.

Defense Contract Awards

• Northrop Grumman was awarded a $92M Standoff Activated Volcano Obstacle system deal by the U.S. Army.

• Boeing awarded $3.4B contract for 17 international P-8A Poseidons.

• Boeing awarded $680M Navy IDIQ for training systems software.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Senior NSA Rep to the DOD is now Beacon Global Strategies’ SVP.

• TGI Technologies’ VP of West Coast Operations was promoted to CGO.

• Peraton names C4ISR pro as VP, Army-Navy Operating Unit.

Defense Job Openings

• DOD needs an Air Platforms and Weapons Director.

• Air Force/Air Combat Command is hiring a Deputy Director.

• Office of Naval Research is seeking a Supervisory Division Director.

• DHA is looking for a Supervisory Program Manager.

INTEL COMMUNITY

DOJ CIO talks 'good IT Ops' as foundation for Zero Trust.

The DOJ's chief of IT has laid out how government agencies should be incorporating zero trust into the five strategic pillars of “good IT operations,” which include enhancing cybersecurity and elevating the workforce. Read more

A national court may reauthorize a soon-to-expire (and contested) spying power.

The White House is attempting to secure a surveillance court blessing to renew a soon-to-expire Section 702 program through next year; it aims to extend spying authorities per the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows spy agencies to gather communications data from foreign targets. Read more

ICYMI:

• FBI, DHS lack "strategy or goals" to fight online extremists.

• The $21M FBI NDCAC Technology Sharing and Training Support Services contract was given to Tridea Works LLC.

• The NGA seeks a Deputy Director for its Aeronautical Navigation Office.

CIVILIAN

FEMA employees brought devices abroad without a go-ahead.

A DHS IG report has found that FEMA employees brought their government devices with them abroad without authorization; the countries they visited included Iraq and China. The agency has also missed a December goal to address concerns related to government devices being taken abroad without authorization. Read more

IRS reaches out to high-income individuals who haven't filed a return in nearly seven years.

The IRS is seeking to recoup millions of dollars owed from high-income individuals who have not filed federal tax returns in the last seven years; the agency will begin mailing notices to 125,000 individuals to account for approximately $100B in activity. Read more

‘Fundamental disagreements’ over legality of GSA Chinese camera purchases lead to more hearings.

GSA officials have ‘fundamental disagreements’ with OIG regarding the legality of its procurement of Owl Labs cameras as part of a pilot program. The disagreements will be examined in a planned hearing between GSA and OIG. Read more

ICYMI:

• 6G soon? U.S. and allies endorse principles for it.

• CISA set to compete $20M+ NRMC Critical Infrastructure Risk Analysis RFP on OASIS.

• Understanding FAR Part 12: Educate yourself on FAR in next Wednesday’s seminar on “Acquisition of Commercial Items.”

• AI to fight fraud? Treasury says it’s paying off.

• RFI: VHA External Clinical Peer Review Services.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• A $257M VA OCC PSI IDIQ was awarded to GoldPath Communications JV, a SDVOSB

• HUD awarded a $63M User Support Services Extension contract to Leidos.

• DKW Communications bags an $11.5M USAID OIG IT Help Desk Support contract

• phia gets $29.4M DOI Departmental Offices Cybersecurity Operations Tools deal and $27.7M SIEM/ICAM Support contract.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• SSA selects White House tech official as CIO.

• Deloitte Leader tapped to be LMI’s new Civilian Solutions VP.

• Aquia’s Strategy VP promoted to CGO.

• Former FBI Deputy CIO is now the JCDC Chief of Operations at CISA.

Civilian Job Openings

• The VA needs a Deputy Director.

• The VBA needs an Assistant Director.

• NASA needs a Deputy Director.

M&A CORNER

J&J Worldwide Services acquired by CBRE.

CBRE Group, Inc. and Arlington Capital Partners announced that CBRE’s acquisition of J&J Worldwide Services has been finalized. The purchase price for J&J amounts to $800 million in cash, with an additional potential earn-out of up to $250 million, contingent upon the acquired business meeting specific performance thresholds by 2027. Read more

GOVBREW INSIDER

• Check out this week’s 55+ defense, civilian, and intel agency opportunities.

• In this week's recompete report, our team uncovered 30+ upcoming IT services opportunities at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

• 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 🚿

The Y chromosome is disappearing. Will a new sex gene emerge?

The sex of mammals is decided by the Y chromosome's male-determining gene. However, the human Y chromosome is degenerating and may vanish in a few million years, potentially leading to our extinction unless a new sex gene evolves. Will there be a new sex gene in humanity’s future? Read more

Is cannabis bad for the heart?

Because of marijuana legalization in several states, a significant number of people now consume marijuana without using cigarettes. But is the use of cannabis an independent risk factor for heart disease? Read more

Will the birth of the first autonomous AI happen next year?

AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence, represents a theoretical concept. If achieved, it would result in an AI system capable of performing any intellectual task humans can undertake. Will "Baby AGI" see the light of day in 2025? Read more

TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️

B. Department of Defense (DOD) — The Department of Defense (DOD) has been at the forefront of investing in artificial intelligence technologies for several decades. One of the earliest and most significant investments was the establishment of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 1958, which has funded numerous AI research projects over the years. DARPA's initiatives have significantly contributed to developing and advancing AI technologies, making the DOD a key player in the AI field.

Do you think you’ll ever use AI to respond to solicitations? Check out Rogue if you’re interested in learning more about the new technology.

Want to submit a trivia question for the next edition? Reply to this email.

GROW WITH GOVBREW

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how we can help you:

1. Are you serious about finding the next opportunity? Become a GovBrew Insider member to keep your pipeline full. Weekly opportunities, recompete reports, agency forecasts, and much more.

2. Promote your brand to over 6,400 GovCon professionals by sponsoring this newsletter. Apply here

3. Follow us on LinkedIn for more GovCon coverage.

Share GovBrew, Win Cool Stuff!

Have colleagues who'd like our newsletter too? Click to share or give them your unique referral link (below) and get rewarded when they subscribe.

Or copy and paste this link to others: https://govbrew.co/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

PS: You have referred 0 people so far