- GovBrew
- Posts
- November 20, 2023
November 20, 2023
Jacobs CMS might merge with Amentum, ISS turns 25, uptick in veteran suicides, Army and DOJ RFIs, NGAD secret 6th gen fighter, CMMC prep
QUICK HITS
White House announces new acting cyber director: As nominee awaits Senate vote.
What can you do now to prepare for CMMC? Explore early lessons from contractors who have gone through the program.
Optional Form (OF)-306: An unassuming minefield for some job applicants: An avoidable nightmare.
How to build trust during oral presentations: Use gov lexicon, build connections (use examples), watch your body language, and avoid corporate overview.
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Pentagon releases responsible AI toolkit.
The toolkit was developed with five specific principles in mind, which included making it tailorable for DOD users; aligning it with an internal responsibility matrix; providing a “holistic” framework for evaluating AI systems; incorporating the tenets of DOD’s ethical AI principles; and offering a list of tools to mitigate risks to new systems. Read more
Space Force eyes a future of speed and agility in orbit.
For its latest Hyperspace Challenge accelerator, the U.S. Space Force selected three startups specializing in satellite propulsion, picks reflecting the military’s growing interest in nimble satellites that can maneuver to outplay adversaries. Read more
The ‘secret’ is out - how DISA solved the classified cloud challenge for DOD.
Executing DOD’s vision to operate securely in a cloud space with a seemingly impossible conundrum of connectivity, collaboration and robust security - and the solution required an innovative partnership between the public sector and private industry. Read more
ICYMI:
NGAD: America's new, secret 6th gen fighter has 'X-Plane DNA.'
Lockheed Martin to demonstrate space-based 5G network.
U.S. Army Cyber School trains soldiers remotely using secure technology.
Starship lunar lander missions to require nearly 20 launches.
LEO missile tracking satellite constellation achieves CDR milestone.
9X the ACOE miscalculated badly, at taxpayers and wildlife expense.
Defense Contract Awards
RTX secures a contract to support Dual Band Radar Systems.
Elevante Group wins $37M Air Force ShoC-N IT-C2 Ops Support.
Valkyrie Enterprises wins $17M Air Force contract for communication engineering.
Bell-Boeing clinches $41.2M contract to support V-22 Jet Program.
Black, 8(a), WOSB beats out 20 to win DISA DCMS cybersecurity support services contract.
Follow the Defense Leaders
Familiar face returns to DHA as COO.
CACI adds defense and security growth leader as VP, SETA Division Manager.
Longtime Navy lead takes CEO role at SDVOSB, WOSB, HUBZone 8(a) consultancy.
Defense Job Openings
Air Education and Training Command is hiring a Professor of Space Security.
Army Corps of Engineers is seeking a Division Program Director (North Atlantic Division).
The Army is hiring a Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Operations & Information).
OSD is seeking a Principal Director Global Investments and Economic Security.
DAILY FUNNY
INTEL COMMUNITY
Changing video bit rate on the fly can boost the effectiveness of ISR.
Any theater of operations can contain multiple impediments, ranging from harsh terrain to compromised structures to damaged - or non-existent - communications infrastructure, which can hamper the effectiveness of video applications supporting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Read more
ICYMI:
BAA: IARPA releases source code BAA.
RFI: US Army posts aerial ISR support RFI.
RFI: DOJ is seeking an Intranet Modernization JusticeHub.
CIVILIAN
CISA, FBI warn of social engineering-based ransomware.
A ransomware exploit that targets vulnerabilities in the networks of large U.S. corporations has captured the attention of federal law enforcement and information agencies, who issued a critical message: do not pay the ransom. Read more
Federal buildings deferred maintenance costs are soaring, according to GAO: Here’s how agencies can help.
Costs for the backlog of delayed maintenance and repairs to federal buildings have grown exponentially over the past five years. The cost of delayed repairs to federal facilities swelled 58% between FY 2017-2022; agencies could be doing more to inform about the backlog. Read more
OPM watchdog flags cybersecurity concerns for USPS healthcare marketplace.
The OPM faces a tight deadline to set up a new health insurance marketplace for USPS employees and retirees to enroll in new plans, starting next year. Now OPM is addressing watchdog concerns about whether the IT infrastructure supporting this new USPS marketplace is following federal cybersecurity requirements. Read more
ICYMI:
China-owned autonomous vehicle firms are collecting data during U.S. test, and lawmakers are concerned.
OMB extends period for new FedRAMP guidance.
White House announces $34M in grants to 10 States for Advanced Digital Construction Technologies.
VA launches mental health hiring initiative amid uptick in veteran suicides.
Civilian Contracts Awards
CMS awards ABT Associates a $38M Home Health Quality Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing Model and Hospice Assessment Instruments support.
Protest dismissed: GAO dismisses C3.ai protest of CDC Common Operating Picture SaaS.
DHS awards ICF $32m Digital Modernization task order to ICF.
Follow Civilian Leaders
NIH NHLBI taps Grants Management Lead to be new OTA Officer.
CFTC’s CISO takes new role as Chief Security Officer.
Commerce Dept EDA hires new CFO & Chief Administrative Officer.
NARA deputy archivist retiring.
DIA Analytics/Innovation Chief to serve as Commerce ITA Managing Director, Risk and Quantitative Analytics.
Civilian Job Openings
NOAA is seeking a Deputy Assistant Administrator for Programs and Administration.
M&A CORNER
Report: Jacobs in talks to merge Critical Mission Solutions Business with Amentum.
Jacobs Solutions is in advanced discussions to combine its critical mission solutions business with Amentum in a transaction that could be worth more than $4 billion and could form a new publicly traded company. Read more
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
Seriously, what’s up with that Lucy/Charlie Brown football kick?
How on earth did a hazing/teasing/mocking-of-failure end up in a children’s story? Well, a deep dive into the background of the story is possibly even more twisted than the snatch-of-defeat scene is, itself. It’s a story of pain, loss, impotence, mockery, sexism, karma, and more. Read more
New purpose-designed chips poised to boost generative AI development.
No advancement in recent years has raised as much interest from both government and the private sector as generative AI. The newest generative AI platforms like ChatGPT-4 and others can not only examine existing information in order to solve problems or provide analysis, but are also able to generate new information, very much like a human brain. Read more.
How many people have called the International Space Station home? The International Space Station, a cosmic collaboration, turns 25.
The ISS turns 25! Happy birthday! So far, 269 people have called the ISS home, and they come from 21 nations across Earth. This includes the first national space travellers from South Africa, Brazil, Sweden, Malaysia, South Korea, Denmark, and the UAE. Read more
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