With new cloud policy, Navy moves back to a centralized approach. (Federal News Network) As of March, “… individual commands will, for the most part, lose their authority to buy cloud services on their own.” Will be handled by PEO Digital’s Naval Digital Marketplace.
Risk remains, even with agile! (AiDA) “Too often it is excused with the justification that “missing a goal or objective is just an opportunity to learn, we want to fail fast”.”
Hypersonics illustrate supply chain vulnerability. (National Defense) A recent analysis of the hypersonic supply chain conducted by big data analytics firm Govini noted that “the risk of supply chain infiltration by foreign adversaries to hypersonic technology exists at deeper levels than are typically visible.” DoD plans to spend $3.6B on hypersonics in FY21, up from $800M in FY17. Private investment in the area has been $300M over 5 years.
Microsoft flight simulator gets an F-15 add-on later this month. (Polygon) “While the F-15 is capable of reaching Mach 2.5 (roughly 2,000 mph), developers of the add-on say that Microsoft Flight Simulator currently has a barrier in place to prevent that.” Is an F-15 really capable of Mach 2.5?
Lockheed Martin contracts surge to $123 billion. (Seeking Alpha) More context on that ridiculously high number: “… that marks a $67.8B increase over the $55.6B in contracts last year. However, included in these tallies are IDIQs. If we remove those, the contract value will be up to $46.9B from $40.1B last year, and funds obligated went up from $26.1B to $31.9B.”
The Pentagon’s next project: Automated War. (The Nation) “Fraught as all of that may be on future battlefields, replacing generals and admirals with robots is another matter altogether. Not only do legal and moral arguments arise with a vengeance, as the survival of major civilian populations could be put at risk.”
DoD formalizes program giving companies more access to classified info. (Air Force Magazine) “… corporations must be on contract for at least 15 special-access programs to participate” in the SAP Contractor Portfolio Program.
AGM-183 Hypersonic Weapon Still Awaiting First Flight. (Air Force Magazine) “AGM-183 hypersonic missile didn’t fly by the end of December, as predicted by service acquisition executive Will Roper last month.” Btw, the Lockheed has received contracts of $1.3 billion for it.
Product management should be a competency for software acquisition. (USNI Proceedings)
CMMC: The dramatic year of the Pentagon’s contractor cybersecurity program. (Nextgov) “DIBCAC has completed about 100 audits, just scratching the surface of the roughly 300,000 contractors serving the department… “Unfortunately a lot of the best information would require essentially skimming LinkedIn on a daily basis and hoping you got the right people.””
All domain requires new requirements process; DoD, Congress must compromise: Lt Gen Hinote. (Breaking Defense) “… it’s going to be really hard for us to say what we’re going to spend money on an eight years. So let’s figure out a way that we can have an iteration with Congress, i.e., maybe we can come over and talk to them every three months.”
Space Development Agency restores L3Harri, SpaceX contracts following protest. (Space News) “The reevaluation confirmed the original selection decision announced in October and concluded that the SpaceX and L3Harris Technologies’ proposals offered the best value to the government
Space Force needs sensors to distinguish weapons from benign objects. (Space News) ““It’s difficult trying to characterize what happens thousands of miles away, all through technical means,” Lauderback said.”
The Army looks to pave way for autonomous vehicles with new AI research. (FedScoop) “In the past, the Army’s AI systems have not been able to navigate through unfamiliar territories, faltering when objects could not be easily classified. The new research attempts to advance a “gradient” method, where agents can maximize for many objectives ranging from object avoidance, speed or human safety.”
South Korea new aircraft carrier: Looks like Royal Navy carrier. (Popular Mechanics) About the length of America-class amphibious assault ships. Two elevators, two islands, no ski-jump. One view is that the decision is a resounding vote of confidence for the future of carriers. Another view is that South Korea is just following the US in its overestimate of carrier power.
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