AT&T, 26 other companies join Air Force’s $950 million JADC2 effort. (C4ISRNET) “The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity, multiple-award contract was done through Air Force Life Cycle Management in Ohio. IDIQ contracts provide for a number of products or services over the course of a predetermined timeframe. They are frequently used by the federal government and are thought to streamline the procurement process…. C4ISRNET in November 2020 reported the Air Force made similar awards to 93 total companies.”
US must invest in emerging tech to keep pace with China, Govini report says. (C4ISRNET) “Spending from the U.S. government on critical technologies nearly doubled to $117.2 billion in fiscal 2021 from $60.7 billion in 2017. However, the report said the magnitude of the increase is somewhat misleading given spending increases associated with funding for COVID-19-related research… After accounting for the $30 billion put toward combating the COVID-19 pandemic, Army spending on critical tech was in line with what the other military departments spent over the period, Dougherty said.”
Companies knock, but space force acquisition portal ‘front door’ is closed. (Breaking Defense) “Space Force’s acquisitions command, Space Systems Command, since February has been touting plans for a new one-stop-shop website for interested vendors, called the SSC Front Door, as part of an overarching reorganization designed to speed development and procurement. But for the moment, that vaunted Front Door remains essentially closed — a static website outlining future plans, with an email address for queries. A top official said today updates are in the works… “As far as I can tell, the ‘SSC Front Door’ is not a real thing yet,” one industry source said. “I emailed that address, and I first got an auto response that said they are still working on getting the Front Door set up and it may take a few days to receive a response. Then when I got a response from someone, they directed me to fill out a form that is not yet available on their website and to consult a list of upcoming events, which is also not yet available on the website. ” … As for reach back to industry, [Joy] White said, the end goal of the portal is to emulate the live chat processes ubiquitous on retail websites.”
Ukrainian military created a kamikaze drone without waiting for MQ-1C Gray Eagle deliveries. (Gagadget) “Ukrainians managed to develop a kamikaze drone, which is launched using a catapult and can carry explosives. The launcher was also made manually. Naturally, there is no information about its technical characteristics. How much explosives an unmanned aerial vehicle can carry, how long it can stay in the air, and how much it costs to build it is unknown.”
Defense Innovation Unit selects contractors to build hybrid space network. (Space News) “The Defense Innovation Unit awarded contracts to Anduril, Aalyria Technologies, Atlas Space Operations and Enveil for a project that seeks to demonstrate a hybrid architecture where commercial, civil and military satellites can share data… Rogan Shimmin, DIU program manager, said the initial goals are to demonstrate on-demand collection and analysis of imagery and other tactical data collected by commercial and government satellites operating in different orbits.”
Pentagon ‘endorses’ reciprocity for CMMC, FedRAMP requirements. (Federal News Network) “When the DIBCAC goes out, if one of the vendors shows that they’re utilizing FedRAMP-certified services, it’s very easy to run a check there and give credit for those controls which are being satisfied by that offering.” But McKeown says DoD officials still need to discuss reciprocity with the Cyber Accreditation Body, which authorizes and accredits CMMC Third-Party Assessment Organizations (C3PAOs). “Right now, with the CMMC AB, I don’t know if we’ve broached this particular topic,” he said… Pentagon officials hope OMB will approve an interim rule by March 2023, kicking off a 60-day public comment period. DoD would then be able to start requiring CMMC in contracts by May 2023.”
China allegedly built a hypersonic wind tunnel that’s too powerful for the grid. (Interesting Engineering) “The country operates the world’s most powerful grid, and it transmits nearly a third of the power produced on the planet… The world’s first continuous hypersonic wind tunnel to simulate flight speeds between Mach 7-10 was built by the U.S. The 3.3-foot (1 m) wide tunnel required a power supply of 57 MW. At 10 feet (3 m), China’s wind tunnel is thrice as wide and according to a researcher at the Institute of Mechanics in Beijing, it requires the power of 900 MW if China were looking to conduct hypersonic tests under continuous wind flow conditions at Mach 8.”
US Space Force rapid capabilities office to deliver first project this year. (C4ISRNET) “The office received its first projects in early 2019 and today manages 14 classified programs with the goal of transitioning them to operations within five years… Foundational to the Space RCO’s ability to move fast are its decision-making authorities and its status as a direct reporting unit to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond. The office has no special exemptions from federal acquisition regulations or, as Hammett described it, “a magic wand” to move faster, but it does have independence and focused requirements…. “I plan no organizational changes at all,” Calvelli said during the June 28 roundtable, speaking specifically of SSC, Space RCO and the Space Development Agency.”
New leader takes over at F-35 program office. (Defense News) “Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt was sworn in as the new program executive officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office on Tuesday… “It’s a difficult job. It’s a combination of building the Hoover Dam that flies, and managing the United Nations … oh, and by the way, with contractors too.”… Fick, who served as the F-35 PEO for three years, said the program has “battled through a very daunting challenge” with a serious shortage of the fighter’s F135 power modules. But, he added, the program is now seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel.””
Budget matters: Congress alarmed over innovation funding. (National Defense Magazine) “The 2023 request includes $130 billion for research, development, test and evaluation, $16.5 billion for science-and-technology and $2.4 billion for basic research. While those amounts are well in excess of the 2022 proposed budget, the science-and-technology request is 13 percent less than the $18.8 billion Congress authorized for 2022… [Rep.] Langevin [D-RI] noted that the budget request left gaps that Congress and the defense department are going to have to work together to close. Part of the problem is the Defense Department’s risk-averse culture when it comes to innovation, Langevin stated in an email.”
From shipyards to semiconductors, watchdog warns of defense industrial base risks. (Breaking Defense) “For example, DOD reported that capacity and competition in the shipbuilding sector declined significantly over the past 50 years, with 14 shipyards that built Navy ships closing,” the report says. “Three other shipyards also exited the defense industry, and just one new shipyard opened — leaving only seven shipyards owned by four prime contractors.”… The GAO also highlighted the semiconductor market, noting that the Pentagon reported that between 1990 and 2019, domestic production for the tech decreased from 37% of the global market to 12%, while Asian markets have soared… In all, GAO said it made six recommendations to the Pentagon, including developing “enterprise-wide performance measures to monitor the aggregate effectiveness of its efforts” as well as reports on its progress in protecting the DIB.”
Key cyber agency set to get procurement authority, contracting officers. (Federal News Network) “The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is continuing its fast evolution as a standalone department, with CISA set to get its own procurement authority this month. “We have some exciting news — our component acquisition executive gets initial procurement authority early July,” CISA Chief Information Officer Robert Costello said… CISA was established as a standalone operational component of DHS in 2018, having previously been the National Protection and Programs Directorate at DHS headquarters.”
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