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- May 13, 2024
May 13, 2024
Big DOD drone swarms, Leonardo offloads its undersea armaments biz, IRS TaLON RFI, VA’s bad bonuses, DOD CDAO CJADC2 Director, USAF E-Gon RFP
GovBrew
May 13, 2024
QUICK HITS
DOT-focused SDVOSBs to know: Here are the businesses winning, growing, and driving key missions of DOT and its subagencies.
Future census counts revive controversial citizen question: Non-citizens will also be excluded from apportionment data.
How new AI officers should set the stage for AI adoption: In this commentary, explore the CAIO's role in driving gov't-wide AI success.
How’s the Army doing on Ukraine support contracts? Review this audit of the Army’s award of noncompetitive contracts in support of Ukraine.
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Meet young Olympus, the DOD's future build-a-cloud kit.
Olympus will one day serve as a ready-made kit for defense agencies to launch commercial cloud solutions without the hassle; it would demystify the process of defense organizations coming up with their own cloud solutions. Although each service brach has their own version (i.e., Cloud One, Flank Speed, cArmy), Olympus, is designed to be a more service-agnostic alternative. Read more
Experiments with big drone swarms reveal need for new tactics.
AFSOC says that its experiments with increasingly large drone swarms are revealing the need for new tactics and ways of training human operators. It will expand on its groundbreaking experiments this summer to establish new training methods. “I think is going to be a new opportunity. You got to figure out how to handle an epic level of multitasking.” Read more
DOD's 'SWAT Team' stands to jumpstart software acquisition.
The DOD is looking to drive wider adoption of novel software solutions and establish a specialized cadre of software experts: something akin to a SWAT team that can parachute into program offices to provide deskside support. Read more
ICYMI:
RFP Update: USAF now soliciting Ephemeral Paragon (E-Gon) as two-step call for proposals, which are due June 7.
RFI: Army seeks industry's info on solutions for M-SHORAD Inc. 4
West's defense industrial base will outpace Russia's, general says.
Three four-star generals weigh in on balancing conventional vs precision munitions.
Defense Contract Awards
Accenture secures $789M for Navy SHARKCAGE cybersecurity contract.
SAIC secures $232M from Army for IT modernization and systems engineering support.
Eccalon won a $23M Army contract for data encryption.
VideoRay won a $93M Navy contract for Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response (MESR) Production.
Follow the Defense Leaders
DOD CDAO appoints its new CJADC2 Division Director.
POTUS nominates rear admiral as Navy's next information boss.
Lockheed Martin names its new Director of Resiliency.
Defense Job Openings
SECNAV seeks a Director for its 30 year infrastructure plan.
USMC is looking for a new Director of Plans.
USMC seeks Deputy Director of Capability Development.
OSD seeks Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Applied Technology.
FUNNY
INTEL COMMUNITY
ODNI urges spy agencies to protect consumer data.
ODNI has issued guidance urging spy agencies to protect “sensitive commercially available information” that contains a “substantial volume” of personally identifying information or specific identifiers that can easily be traced back to a U.S. person. Read more
FBI investigating whether Iran envoy moved classified info onto his email.
The FBI is probing whether the WH’s Iran envoy committed crimes in the handling of classified information; they suspect he moved information onto his email, after which it may have wound up in the possession of foreign actors. Read more
ICYMI:
ODNI confronts novel civil liberties issues in new IC policy framework.
FBI in digital pursuit of Scattered Spider criminal gang members.
NGA director outlines goals for upcoming AI initiatives.
CIVILIAN
VA paid ~$11M in bonuses to ineligible execs, finds watchdog.
A VA-led watchdog report has found that breakdowns in communications — and leadership — led to the VA paying nearly $11 million in bonuses to more than 180 career executives who weren't eligible to receive them. Read more
FAA reauthorization comes without pause to deployment of airport facial recognition.
The Senate has voted to reauthorize the FAA without including any amendments to pause facial recognition tech being deployed in airports across the country; the TSA has implemented facial biometrics at 80+ airports, which has unsurprisingly led to privacy and civil liberties concerns. Read more
SSA's new online portal offers a look into agency's performance.
The SSA has launched a new public data hub for customer service goals, just as its new commissioner passes his 100-day mark on the job; the hub will showcase data around the commissioner's top customer service priorities, offering the public a glimpse into metrics associated with his agency’s goals. Read more
ICYMI:
RFI: GSA needs info on innovative forms management solutions.
Sources Sought: IRS seeks info for Tactical Law Enforcement Operational Network (TaLON) project support by Memorial Day.
USDS impact report showcases “a year of launching things.”
Senators want VA to tighten performance standards in new health records contract.
Federal gov’t AI project timelines are getting faster, says GDIT.
Civilian Contracts Awards
Connection lands $125M federal judiciary award for Microsoft products, services.
Follow Civilian Leaders
Maximus names proposal management professional as new growth operations VP.
Deputy assistant director for management at OMB named SSA COO.
Civilian Job Openings
NASA HQ seeks Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator, SCaN office.
JFK Space Center seeks Associate Manager, Exploration Ground Systems Program.
NNSA needs a Deputy Associate Administrator, Counterterrorism & Counterproliferation.
M&A CORNER
Fincantieri acquires Leonardo’s undersea armaments business.
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri will acquire national counterpart Leonardo’s Underwater Armament Systems unit in a deal that could amount to a total value of €415 ($447 million), and one largely signaling military torpedo production growth. Read more
Mobix Labs to acquire RaGE Systems.
Mobix Labs has agreed to buy RaGE Systems, a Massachusetts-based radio frequency joint design manufacturer focused on developing products for 5G communications, software-defined radio, and mmWave imaging used by customers across defense and aerospace, industrial, and commercial sectors. Read more
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
Should the National Guard listen to USAF and move its units to Space Force?
An in-depth, Pentagon-led study submitted to Congress recommends that the National Guard move all its units over to the Space Force; the Air National Guard, governors in all states and territories, and a bipartisan group of 85 lawmakers aren't exactly thrilled with the proposal. Read more
Why are cars the biggest source of stolen guns in the country?
A gun safety group has analyzed FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and found that the rate of guns stolen from cars in the US has tripled over the past decade, making them the largest source of stolen guns in the country. Read more
Are regional experts justified skeptics of a US-Saudi defense pact?
Despite optimistic talk from top diplomats in both the US and Saudi Arabia, regional experts don't see any movement in the near term, due both to Riyadh's demands and the Gaza conflict. So what does Riyadh truly want from Washington, and what would a US-Saudi defense pact actually look like? Read more
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