April 24, 2024

QUICK HITS

• Federal Trade Commission: Noncompetes will be banned.

• Decoding ambiguities: Unraveling the differences between patent and latent ambiguities as they relate to GovCon, such as protests.

• $700M MOU Signed between IHS and Bureau of Reclamation: The funding will support clean water and sanitation across tribal lands.

• FAR Part 28: Learn more about “Bonds and Insurance” in this Friday’s webinar.

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DEFENSE & AEROSPACE

Pentagon initiates the DIB Vulnerability Disclosure Program.

An operational program that permits independent “ethical hackers” to analyze and identify weaknesses in military contractor networks has been launched. Authorized hackers will identify, document, and report security vulnerabilities to both the participating companies and the Pentagon. Read more

Army is trying to identify all of the obstacles to adopting AI in 100 days.

Poisoned data sets, trojan horses, and ever-changing cyber threats could derail the Army’s plan to broadly adopt AI. But a new 100-day plan aims to root out obstacles and prepare the service to scale third-party models and algorithms. The plan, released in March by the Army's assistant secretary for acquisitions, logistics and technology, comes after the Army released a software directive that aims to help the service—and industry partners—deliver capabilities faster by mimicking how commercial developers work. Read more

Jetpacks, anyone? The Pentagon is finally getting its troops to fly.

For decades, the U.S. government has been interested in jet packs for service members. DARPA is now collaborating with five companies to create electric flight solutions. These innovations aim to give elite troops an advantage during difficult missions. Just don’t call it a “jet pack;” it’s a Portable Personal Air Mobility System (PPAMS). Read more

ICYMI:

• In a Taiwan conflict, Big Tech will need to choose: work for DOD, or for Taiwan?

• Quantum technology: How is it used in the military?

• Oracle will handle the federal government’s classified data.

• Pentagon gains access to Intel’s breakthrough microchips.

• Space Force unveils eight mission areas in commercial space strategy.

Defense Contract Awards

• CACI won a defense deal worth $1.3 billion.

• Lockheed received a $157 USAF Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Enterprise Software Sustainment deal.

• AMSG bagged a U.S. Army TRADOC Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS), G-6 support task.

• Raytheon received a $213M USN Ship Combat Maintenance & Modernization deal.

Follow the Defense Leaders

• Raytheon’s former VP is now Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Missile Solutions President.

• CAE’s Aerospace & Defense executive is now Red River’s CFO.

• Alpha Omega has a new Climate Science VP.

• Noblis has selected a new Digital Solutions Division VP.

Defense Job Openings

• Army needs a Deputy Director.

• SECARMY is seeking a Strategy and Policy Director.

• Army NG is looking for a Plans, Operations, and Training Director.

• NAVFAC is hiring a Deputy Environmental Director.

DATA

(Source)

INTEL COMMUNITY

DHS extends civilian network cyber contracts.

The Homeland Security Department has extended a handful of task order contracts related to a governmentwide effort for further securing civilian agency networks that reside in the ".gov" domain. Known as CDM DEFEND, this iteration of DHS' Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program is a continuation of work to implement new cybersecurity tools in government IT systems. Winners were: (Group A) CACI. (Groups B and D) Booz Allen Hamilton. (Group C) CGI Federal. (Group E) ManTech. Read more

TSA administrator eyes expansion with innovation partners.

TSA’s collaboration with Silicon Valley and federal partners aligns with the first strategic priority in the Administrator’s Intent 3.0 to “improve security and safeguard the transportation systems by being agile, innovative, rapidly deploying new solutions, and maximizing the impact of our resources.” The government group went on a field trip of LLNL, Apple, Google, DIU, In-Q-Tel, as well as a variety of California airports. Read more

ICYMI:

• CDSE leads discussion on insider threat professionalization and training needs analysis.

• Phishing is old news: Computer system vulnerability exploitation is the new trend.

• ODNI has a new General Counsel Nominee.

• ODNI needs an IARPA Contracts Team Chief.

• ODNI is hiring a Division Chief.

CIVILIAN

Tech Hubs program wants $2 billion in Phase 2 proposals.

For the second phase of the Tech Hubs program, the U.S. Economic Development Administration has disclosed the proposals for the 31 technology hubs, revealing a combined funding request of $2 billion for 182 projects. Read more | Check out the projects

IRS unveils $512 million IT Recompete Plan for case management.

The IRS has provided details for the ECMITPMSS contract’s size and specifications. It covers IT portfolio management support services for the agency’s enterprise case management system. The multiple-award blanket purchase agreement is set to reach a maximum value of $512 million over a period of up to five years. Read more | Get the RFI

TMF is playing a crucial role in agencies’ technology modernization efforts.

Federal agencies are utilizing the Technology Modernization Fund to modernize processes and technologies in different missions. Government leaders are encouraging others to explore this funding source for their projects. To date, the TMF has made 53 investments of $850 million across 30 federal agencies in AI-related modernization projects. Read more

ICYMI:

• Small business matchmaking? GSA has a new approach.

• CISA to release a security-critical software list by September.

• FAR update aims for “net-zero procurement” by 2050.

• DHS' agreement with OpenAI sparks discussion on federal record laws, transparency matters.

Civilian Contracts Awards

• Flywheel Data has been awarded a $1.5M HHS NIH OLAO IT Infrastructure Modernization and Data Management contract.

• Arlluk Technology Solutions bagged a $1.8M APHIS PPQ AQI Diagnostics, Monitoring, and Evaluation task order.

• Sprezzatura wins a $1.6M VA ATC IT Service Task contract.

Follow Civilian Leaders

• HHS HRA has a new Security Operations Branch Chief.

• CBP has promoted a Branch Manager to Acting Technical Integration Director.

• DLH’s former VP is now Digital Infuzion’s CGO.

• LMI’s Air Force & Markets VP was chosen to be the Military Health & VA VP.

Civilian Job Openings

• FAA is hiring a Supervisory Aviation Technical Systems Specialist (Deputy Director).

• VBA is seeking an Assistant Director.

• FAA needs an Operations Support Director.

• ONCD needs a Budget Review and Assessment Director.

M&A CORNER

Arcline Investment Management has acquired Kaman.

Arcline Investment Management, a private equity firm, has acquired Kaman, an aerospace and defense company, for approximately $1.8 billion. Kaman develops and sells proprietary aircraft bearings and components. Read more

Barbaricum acquires ODL Services.

Barbaricum has recently acquired acquired ODL Services. This move has expanded Barbaricum’s service offerings and strengthened its position in intelligence operations and defense modernization. Read more

Cedar Solutions Group has completed the acquisition of Omnyon.

Cedar Solutions Group has completed its purchase of data science, IT services and software engineering services provider, Omnyon. Omnyon has supported a wide range of mission-critical programs in the national security sector, including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, high-performance computing, and data analytics. Read more

Sigma Defense expands CJADC2 capabilities with EWA acquisition.

Sigma Defense, a Sagewind Capital company, announced the acquisition of EWA Inc. The acquisition of EWA will enhance Sigma Defense’s ability to deliver on the CJADC2 vision of “sense, make sense and act” delivering new capabilities to joint and coalition forces. Read more

SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿

Is Microsoft a national security risk? A former White House Cyber Director thinks so.

Microsoft’s significant influence over IT within the U.S. federal government has raised concerns. Former senior White House cyber policy director AJ Grotto believes that Redmond’s recent security failures are a part of a bigger a security issue. Is the company a real threat to our national security? Read more

Is $90 billion in broadband funding enough to close the digital divide?

In late 2022, the Federal Communications Commission revamped its internet coverage maps. By late last year, the agency's second big revision revealed 7.2 million Americans lack broadband -- a number only slightly smaller than the population of Washington state. This is the so-called “digital divide,” and a slice of the $1.2 trillion 2021 IIJA and a part of the 2021 ARPA was to fund this digital divide. Will this be enough? Read more

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