Sept 08 2023

QUICK HITS

• Hawaii wildfires fast-tracked fed tools for unemployment claims: Identity verification options supplemented Hawaii's insurance system.

• GSA pushes back OASIS+ deadline: Proposals are now due on the 22nd in response to feedback from industry partners.

• Fiscal Year End Fiesta! What’s not to love about tacos, margaritas, and fun networking? GovMates invites you September 13 in Alexandria, VA.

• 7-ish items federal employees should watch in Congress this fall: Congress' to-do list has serious implications for federal employees.

TRIVIA

DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

For Replicator to work, the Pentagon must chip in with production.

The Pentagon's Replicator initiative, which aims to deliver thousands of attributable drones across multiple domains in the next two years, requires direct Pentagon aid with production if it's going to get off the ground any time soon. Read more

Defense plans for zero trust under Pentagon microscope.

The Pentagon will soon begin closely scrutinizing zero trust plans from each of its components to make sure they align with the department’s vision of fielding a “targeted” level of zero trust by fiscal 2027. Read more

CENTCOM wants generative AI to improve coding.

CENTCOM CTO is hopeful that generative AI can help personnel with coding. “There are pockets where we can see, even if the performance and consistency isn’t quite there [yet], we would still reap value from it.” One application would be using AI to help with mundane, time-consuming tasks such as email writing. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• RFP: DOD Information Analysis Center Multiple-Award Contract On-Ramp Pools.

• Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon pre-flight checks delayed.

• General Atomics LongShot drone for DARPA to start flight tests in December.

• New report recommends Space Force change how it buys commercial satellite services.

Defense Contract Awards

• USAF chooses ELB Services for $600M mission planning support work.

• Redcom to continue Army C2 tech support under $100M contract.

• Navy awards $14.6B in two multiyear contracts with General Dynamics and HII for shipbuilding.

• DHA awards MIPPS a $79M EHR contract.

• Western Door Federal wins $31M Army cloud solutions services contract.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Marine Corps taps a new CTO.

• Panasas appoints a new CEO.

Defense Job Openings

• USAF seeks Director, Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

• U.S. Army Military District of Washington seeks Deputy Chief of Staff.

INTEL COMMUNITY

The IC has embarked upon a new modernization journey.

IC leaders, understanding the need to evolve to compete in the evolving intelligence landscape, have embarked on an all-encompassing modernization journey that aims to overcome challenges and seize opportunities to adopt innovative technologies and solutions. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• NSA 'recently completed' AI strategic study; probably used AI to analyze the AI, then used AI to write the report.

• Pentagon CIO to take over all 5G network efforts.

• Peraton appoints its new chief innovation officer.

• Peraton appoints its new VP, GM of cyber intelligence systems

CIVILIAN

VA conducting a "full review" after IT issues impact ~57,000 vets.

The VA is carrying out a “full review” of all processing systems on its main website, after discovering technical problems that may have delayed disability claims for tens of thousands of veterans. The VA said the agency is “taking immediate action to resolve these issues." Read more

Verizon blows the whistle on itself on fumbling GSA cybersecurity.

The telecommunications giant called its own foul in how it managed GSA's cybersecurity, specifically in how it fumbled the job of protecting the data and systems at the agency. In the span of four years, Verizon failed to implement specific Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) requirements. Read more

OIG: Sensitive info stored by CBP may not be secure.

The OIG recently carried out a review to determine if CBP had implemented effective technical controls to protect the sensitive information that is stored and processed by an HVA system -- the results were, as you have likely guessed, not up to snuff. Read more

ICYMI Snippets

• NARA to launch full version of modernized electronic records system.

• NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 is planetside and ready to talk science, space.

• Lewin Group submits protest against CMS RMADA task.

• OPM has a plan to take its tech 'from the Flintstones to the Jetsons'.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Suck up to them! Design To Delivery Inc. awarded $10M contract to evaluate proposals for the six OASIS+ contract families.

• DHS awards work on $50M resource allocation, performance management BPAs.

• Treasury selects 6 companies for $126M cybersecurity support services BPA.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• 25-year IT industry veteran joins ICF as deputy CIO.

• Two-decade public sector veteran named Fearless president.

• Former LogRhythm SVP joins Xage Security as new CEO.

• Former American Systems CEO and president elected chairman of board of directors.

Civilian Job Openings

• USDA's Forest Service seeks a Deputy Director.

• DOE seeks a Director, Geothermal Technologies Office.

M&A CORNER

SPA buys PRKK in space, intelligence domain expansion push.

Systems Planning and Analysis has recently purchased space domain awareness platforms provider PRKK for an undisclosed sum as part of efforts to expand its offerings in the space and intelligence sectors. Read more

Anduril buys autonomous aircraft maker Blue Force Technologies.

Anduril Industries has acquired Blue Force Technologies in a deal to expand the former’s fleet of autonomous systems. Anduril said it will utilize Blue Force Technologies’ digital engineering and drone hardware and software capabilities to advance manned-unmanned teaming and other autonomous offerings for the defense sector. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

How did the Navy end up spending billions on the "little crappy ship"?

Get the inside story on how the littoral combat ship (LCS) was well on the way to becoming one of the worst boondoggles in the military’s long history of buying overpriced and underperforming weapons systems. Read more

Opinion: Does the USSF need a culture of its own?

Although it sometimes operates under the guise of a pro-organized violence culture, the USSF doesn't do organized violence, and it may be time for it to stop pretending it does. How, then, can the Space Force carve out an identifiable culture of its own? Read more

Is our problem with AI because of our 100 years of telling fictional stories about robots taking over the world?

The word “robot” comes from a 1920 Czech play R.U.R. by Karel Capek. Follow that a few decades latter by 1950s Asimov book I, Robot, which offered strict rules for AI to obey humans always. Remember 1984’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer? “Autonomy that’s the bugaboo, where your AIs are concerned.” We have 100 years of storytelling about robots, and most of it is pretty bleak. Is that why we humans are constantly afraid of emerging technology? Read more

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