Recoilless Rifle. The Army’s Project Manager Soldier Weapons (PM SW) wants a “reusable shoulder fired recoilless weapon system and family of ammunition,” the service announces on the government’s contracting website. Types of munitions that are being sought in the system include High Explosive Anti-Tank, High Explosive, Smoke, Illumination, Area Denial Munition, High Explosive Dual Purpose, Anti-Structure Munition, Multi-Target, and training ammunition. The weapon system can be crew served and weigh no more than 15-pounds and the associated ammunition should be no greater than 10 pounds for each round. The system and munitions must be capable of being rigged for airborne and submersible operations. The system and munitions must be sufficiently rugged to remain safe, operational and effective following exposure to the rigors normally associated with military operations, including air delivery and salt water submersion.
NGLAW Competition. Boeing and Lockheed Martin both say they plan to compete for the U.S. Navy’s Next Generation Land Attack Weapon (NGLAW), a potential successor to the existing Tomahawk cruise missile. “We believe our long, successful history of designing, producing and integrating weapon systems onto all of our warfighters platforms will allow us to provide the most cost-effective, reliable and capable solution for their needs,” a Lockheed Martin spokeswoman says. Raytheon, Tomahawk’s prime contractor, declined to comment. The Navy is conducting an analysis of alternatives for NGLAW and is expected to release a request for proposals next year.
Fire Scout Testing. The U.S. Navy’s new MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, which recently finished its first test period aboard a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the Independence-class USS Montgomery (LCS-8), is scheduled to return to LCS-8 in January and be tested aboard the USS Little Rock (LCS-9), a Freedom-class variant, in April 2018, according to Naval Air Systems Command. The Navy had hoped to complete those tests this fall but had to delay them due to ship availability constraints, the command says. The MQ-8C is a new, larger variant of Northrop Grumman’s MQ-8B Fire Scout.
F/A-18E Ejection. The pilot of a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet ejected safely while on final approach to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) during routine flight operations in the Celebes Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. The pilot was quickly recovered by a helicopter from the carrier and did not sustain any apparent injuries, according to U.S. Seventh Fleet, based in Yokosuka, Japan. The April 21 incident is under investigation.
EPF-8 Delivered. The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of its eighth Expeditionary Fast Transport ship, the USNS Yuma (EPF-8). Austal USA built the ship in Mobile, Ala., and is under contract to build four more EPFs, including EPF-9, which is scheduled to be christened next month. Capt. Henry Stevens, strategic and theater sealift program manager in the Navy’s program executive office for ships, says the aluminum catamarans, which transport people and cargo, “have performed exceptionally in the fleet, and we continue to deliver highly capable ships that can successfully meet a wide range of missions.”
GPS OCX. The testing of the launch and checkout system for the Global Positioning System Next-Generation Operational Control System (OCX) transitioned from the Raytheon factory to Schriever AFB, Colo., according to a company statement. Raytheon says OCX scored high with a pass rate of 97.7 percent. The launch and checkout system, which performs early orbit checkout, will next go through complete site-specific qualification and acceptance testing, including qualification and verification of the system’s external interfaces and performance on the OCX hardware already installed at Schriever. Final cyber security checks and configuration audits will also be conducted.
BAE Systems Missile Defense. The Army selected BAE Systems and seven other companies for positions on a new eight-year, $3 billion indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to continue supporting the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, according to a company statement. BAE Systems will research and develop hardware and software solutions to design next-generation technologies for space, high-altitude and missile defense. In addition to assisting with prototype design, the task orders call for the support of component testing as well as the integration of prototypes into systems and subsystems that can be evaluated in a laboratory, or relevant environment, with limited operational system testing. BAE Systems and the seven other companies will compete for future task orders under the contract.
Robot Research. Northrop Grumman opened a new facility dedicated to fostering autonomous systems and other capabilities at the Grand Sky Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Business and Aviation Park near Grand Forks, N.D. The facility serves as a nucleus for research and development; pilot, operator and maintainer training; operations and mission analysis and aircraft maintenance. “We are delighted to officially begin operations here at Grand Sky cementing our leadership in the development and use of autonomous systems in partnership with North Dakota’s UAS community,” says Janis Pamiljans, president of Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “The important work performed at Grand Sky will support the evolving needs of our customers while advancing research and development of our autonomous systems capabilities for today and the future.”
… New Facility. Northrop is the park’s anchor tenant. The new 36,000-square-foot building was initially completed late last year. The company is also planning construction of a hangar adjacent to Grand Forks Air Force Base, home to a squadron of RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance autonomous aircraft. “This facility is the latest example of Northrop Grumman’s commitment to the Red River Valley,” continues Pamiljans. “We’ve long been a supporter of UAS and other activities in this region including our relationships with area colleges and universities and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site.”
British Missiles. MBDA has received three missile-related contracts from the British Ministry of Defence valued at a total of 539 million pounds ($690 million U.S.). Under the contracts, MBDA will lay groundwork for integrating the Meteor air-to-air missile on the F-35B Lightning II; sustain the Type 45 destroyer’s Sea Viper air defense system, including the Aster missile; and build more Common Anti-air Modular Missiles for Type 26 frigates. “The deal ensures our armed forces have the best equipment available to protect the new Queen Elizabeth-class [aircraft] carriers and the extended fleet from current and future threats,” the ministry says.
Prototype Wall Funding. Of the $20 million the Trump administration is asking Congress to reprogram in FY ’17 funds for construction of prototype sections of border security wall, $15 million would come from an existing border security technology program called the Mobile Video Surveillance System, according to a report by the Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Tactical Micro is providing Customs and Border Protection the short and medium-range MVSS systems under a $50 million contract. The report estimates that the administration’s plans for a southern border wall could cost nearly $70 billion, which is about the same as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), ranking member on the committee, said last month.
Still Waiting. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly says “We’re standing by with baited breath” waiting on President Donald Trump to finally issue an executive order outlining his administration’s priorities for cyber security. Kelly tells an audience at George Washington University with the president cyber security is a “whole of government and whole of private realm” approach. In January Trump had been expected to sign the order but the signing was canceled without explanation. Drafts of the order have circulated within industry and the government.
Mattis in Israel. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis last week met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, and Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman. Mattis reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and qualitative military edge and the importance of our enduring relationship with the government and people of Israel. Mattis and Lieberman – misidentified in a Pentagon statement as Prime Minister – held a joint press conference at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv where Mattis reinforced the need for vigilance and the strongest possible cooperation to counter threats from terrorist groups and from Iran’s destabilizing activities. Mattis acknowledged Monday’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, noting the two countries’ common determination to never allow such horrific events to recur.
New Green Card. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on May 1 will begin issuing redesigned Permanent Resident Cards, also called Green Cards, and Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) with enhanced security features. The new cards will display the individual’s photos on both sides, include a unique graphic image and color palette, and have embedded holographic images. The cards won’t display the individual’s signature and the Green Cards will no longer have an optical stripe. Green Cards are issued to individuals given authorization to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.
New Coast Guard FRC. Shipbuilder Bollinger Shipyards on April 20 delivered the 23rd Fast Response Cutter to the Coast Guard. The 154-foot USCGC Benjamin Dailey will be the first to be stationed in Pascagoula, Miss. Bollinger is under contract to provide up to 58 FRCs to the Coast Guard.
Cyber Help for Small Businesses. A bipartisan group of leaders on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee have introduced a bill directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to support a voluntary public-private partnership to help small businesses mitigate cyber security risks. The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2017 (H.R. 2105) directs the agency to issue clear guidelines, tools, best practices, standards and methodologies based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to help small business identify, assess, manage and reduce their cyber security risks. The bill is a companion to legislation approved by the Senate Commerce Committee this month.
Naval Expert. Thomas Callender, a retired submariner and former U.S. Navy official, has joined the Heritage Foundation as a senior research fellow for naval forces. He most recently served as director of capabilities in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy for Policy, where he led the assessment of naval programs, the development of technology and warfighting concepts, and the building of future capabilities, requirements and strategic posture for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Ex-Im Appointments. President Donald Trump intends to nominate former Reps. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) and Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) to the Export-Import Bank, according to a White House statement. If confirmed, Garrett would serve as Ex-Im Bank president while Bachus would be a member of the board of directors. The bank has been short of a quorum for the last year or so, preventing it from approving medium- and long-term transactions exceeding $10 million. Garrett and Bachus’ positions are subject to Senate confirmation.
Planet Labs. Planet’s agreement to acquire Terra Bella from Google officially closed, having received regulatory approval, Planet says in an April 18 blog post on its website. Planet also welcomes Google as a shareholder and a customer. Planet says the complementary nature of one-meter SkySat imagery and global, daily 3-to-5 meter Dove imagery dramatically enhances the breadth of coverage capabilities that its constellations can deliver. Planet announced in February it was acquiring Terra Bella, formerly known as Skybox Imaging, from Google. Terra Bella brings seven high resolution satellites to the merger as Planet provides a medium resolution 60 satellite fleet.
NOAA Weather Bill. President Donald Trump on April 18 signed the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 into law. The law authorizes a number of programs to enhance weather forecasting and alerts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with a special focus on high-impact weather event. The law also provides for technology transfers between the National Weather Service and private sector weather companies and universities to improve forecasting.
DARPA Proposers Day. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Tactical Technologies Office (TTO) hosts a virtual proposers day May 3-4 in preparation for an upcoming office-wide broad area announcement (BAA), according to an agency statement. The BAA will seek responses addressing the following focus areas: ground, maritime, air, space and cross-domain systems and cross-cutting capabilities to enhance TTO platform demonstrations. These include agile hardware and software development, autonomy, cross-domain collaboration and cost inversion. Through pre-recorded videos on the web and opportunities for potential proposers to engage directly with TTO program managers through program manager meetings, the event is designed to provide information about TTO’s goals and interest areas and how to submit proposals through this BAA. For more information visit http://events.sa-meetings.com/2017TTOVirtualProposersDay.
Navy IT. The U.S. Navy awarded Jacobs Technology Inc. a $7 million modification to a previously awarded contract for services to support the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division. Modification services include information technology services, information management, information assurance product service delivery mechanisms, software development, engineering and enterprise architectural compliance, server support services, and information assurance compliance. The work is expected to be finished in May 2018.
Transceivers. The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded VIASAT Inc. a $13.7 million non-competitive, firm-fixed-price contract for the production of ground transceivers for the Blue Force Tracker 2 program. The sole source contract is funded through fiscal 3017 procurement funds. Deliveries are planned for September 2017 – April 2018. Performance will occur at the contractor’s facility until they are delivered to the government. The contracting activity is the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
UMBC Cyber Win. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) won the 2017 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC), becoming national champions. The championship is held in San Antonio, Texas with the top 10 college and university teams competing to protect a network against constant cyber attacks. Raytheon serves as the title sponsor of the competition for the fourth year in a row. UMBC earns the highest score of the finalists and wins the NCCDC Alamo Cup. Raytheon plans to bring the team to Washington, DC this summer to tour top research and national cyber security sites. The University of Tulsa placed second while Brigham Young University was third.
Jordan Contract. The U.S. Army awarded Science Applications International Corp. a $13.4 million modification to a Foreign Military Sales contract to Jordan for engineering and software support services. The full modification amount was obligated at award time in the FY ’17 other funds category. The contracting activity is U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
International Cyber. Peder Jungck, Chief Technology Officer of Britain’s BAE Systems was named president of the Information Technology – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC). The IT-ISAC is an international non-profit organization exclusively made of technology companies that share cyber threat information and collaborate on effective cyber risk mitigation. Organization members include C-suite technology and security officials from companies including Intel, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard. The organization also works with the Department of Homeland Security to help minimize threats and provide near-real-time responses to cyber challenges. Jungck has over 20 years of IT industry experience at tech companies.
Alston & Bird. International law firm Alston & Bird announced a new national security and digital crime practice covering legal obligations under statutes like the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and USA PATRIOT Act. The new group will be led by partners Kim Peretti in Washington, D.C. and Michael Zweiback in Los Angeles, Calif. Peretti already serves as co-chair of the firm’s cyber security preparedness and response team and previously servedas director of PricewaterhouseCoopers cyber forensic services group and a senior litigator for the Justice Department’s computer crime and intellectual property section. Zweiback previously served as assistant U.S. Attorney in California, principal advisor to the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Cyber Crime, and chief of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecution unit.
R.I. Cyber. Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo appointed the state’s first Cybersecurity Officer, Mike Steinmetz. In the position, Steinmetz will be the governor’s principal policy advisor on cyber security and responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive state-wide cyber security strategy. He will also serve as the state’s homeland security advisor. Steinmetz previously served as the director of strategy and planning as well as director of governance and compliance within the digital risk and security division of the National Grid electricity utility company. Earlier he serves as director of computer network operations at the Defense Department for three combatant commanders as well as deputy chief of staff at an unspecified cyber-related organization at the National Security Agency.
Cyber Hire. FTI Consulting, Inc. has hired Anthony Ferrante to the firm’s global risk & investigations practice inside its forensic & litigation consulting segment as a senior managing director. Ferrante previously serves as the former director for cyber incident response at the National Security Council and chief of staff of the FBI’s cyber division. In these roles he also leads the development and implementation of Presidential Policy Directive 41, the government’s national policy guiding cyber incident response efforts. At FTI Ferrante will lead an investigative team tasked with assisting clients with cyber resilience, response, and remediation services including cyber best practices.
…Another Hire. International law firm Paul Hastings LLP hired Robert Silvers, former high ranking Department of Homeland Security cyber official, as a partner in the firm’s white collar defense as well as its privacy and cyber security practices. Silvers previously served as assistant secretary for cyber police at DHS. In the new position he will advise clients facing cyber security and privacy challenges, internal investigations, government security reviews of foreign investment, and other national security and law issues. Earlier Silvers served as the deputy chief of staff at DHS.
Environmental Awards. The Department of Defense announced the winners for the 2017 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards. The awards recognize individuals, teams, and installations for their exceptional environmental achievements and innovative, cost-effective environmental practices. “The winners’ efforts strengthen the Department of Defense’s position as a resourceful environmental steward, both at home and abroad, and demonstrate our continued commitment to fulfilling mission needs through advanced environmental practices and technologies,” says James A. MacStravic, acting undersecretary of defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. DOD selected the following nine winners from a total of 30 nominees:
… Natural Resources. Natural Resources Conservation, Large Installation: Camp Ripley, Minnesota Army National Guard – achieved key natural resources conservation goals through strategic partnerships and successful wildlife and land management.
… Environmental Quality. Industrial Installation: Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. – implemented a highly successful waste management program to reduce hazardous material usage, reduce the generation of hazardous waste, and increase diversion of non-hazardous solid waste on the installation. Environmental Quality, Overseas Installation: U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Germany – created successful partnerships to implement innovative projects to clean up explosive residues, conserve natural resources, and avoid impacts to the environment.
… Sustainability. Non-Industrial Installation: Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. – displayed environmental leadership by recycling or reusing municipal solid waste, pursuing alternative energy sources, enhancing the prescribed burn program, and achieving designation as a clean and resilient installation. Sustainability, Individual/Team: Mr. Jeffery D. Schone, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. – implemented innovative projects and techniques to recycle demolition debris, reduce costs from ordering excess materials, and improve the installation’s wastewater treatment plant effluent to an A+ standard.
… Environmental Restoration, Installation. Travis Air Force Base, Calif. – implemented successful restoration projects, created collaborative partnerships to protect human health and the environment, and made significant progress cleaning up groundwater contamination.
… Cultural Resources. Cultural Resources Management, Small Installation: Commander, Fleet Activities, Yokosuka, Japan – collaborated with local stakeholders to preserve and promote cultural resources while reinforcing a continued partnership with Japan and improved historic building evaluations. Cultural Resources Management, Individual/Team: Cultural Resources Management Team, Alabama Army National Guard – collaborated with the Geographic Information Systems program to design and implement a cohesive integrated management tool for cultural resources management project planning across their installations.
… Acquisition Excellence. Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Small Program: Chromium-Free Wash Primer Replacement Team, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. – created and employed a testing framework to identify environmentally safe alternatives to wash primer containing carcinogenic hexavalent chromium.