GovCon Chamber’s Post

HawkEye 360 announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II contract, focused on the delivery of RFGeo® and RFIQ™ data to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF). The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. As of June 25, 2024, HawkEye 360 will continue its efforts to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak https://lnkd.in/gKWuMu7P

Good to see the Department of Defense is adopting and integrating new thinking around the governance structures that support our military: https://lnkd.in/gYA-yfRy

🪖 DoD’s National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) Release • Main Goal: The Department of Defense (DoD) aims to transform its defense industrial base to become more robust, resilient, and dynamic, ready to meet future challenges. 1. Resilient Supply Chains & Workforce Readiness 🛠️: • The NDIS emphasizes the need for strong, reliable supply chains and a workforce skilled enough to handle near-peer conflicts and future defense needs. • It involves enhancing the capacity to produce critical systems and equipment rapidly and at scale. 2. Flexible Acquisition & Economic Deterrence 💡: • The strategy promotes more adaptable acquisition processes. • It focuses on strengthening economic deterrence, which is critical for maintaining national security. 3. Collaboration with Industry and Allies 🤝: • NDIS stresses the importance of public-private partnerships. • Collaboration with international allies is also highlighted, recognizing that a collective effort is necessary for a modernized defense ecosystem. 4. Alignment with National Defense Strategy 🌍: • The strategy is closely aligned with the broader National Defense Strategy. • It focuses on integrated deterrence and underscores the interconnectedness of economic and national security. 5. Implementation Plan 🔍: • While the full implementation plan of the NDIS is classified, an unclassified summary will be published. • This summary will provide insights into the strategic vision and near-term actions planned. 🔗 The release of the NDIS marks a significant step in enhancing the U.S. defense industrial base, ensuring it’s equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century and support the nation’s military and economic strength. For an in-depth look, visit the DoD website: DoD’s National Defense Industrial Strategy.

Very promising news for defense modernization. “Our focus needs to be not just exquisite systems, but how do we get capability and capacity quickly? How do we get expendable platforms? We see that happening in Ukraine, those are incredibly effective. How do we get to attritable platforms that are also great conduits to use technology that leverage what we can do quickly? We can generate mass, we can increase the risk calculus for China. All those things are incredibly important,” Wittman, the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said.

General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) Secures $922 Million Contract for U.S. CENTCOM IT Infrastructure Modernization #AI #artificialintelligence #cyberdefenses #GDIT #GeneralDynamics #GeneralDynamicsInformationTechnology #ITinfrastructuremodernization #llm #machinelearning #Military #MLtechnologies #USCENTCOM

Gain valuable insights from Michael McCalip, VP of Government Programs and Strategy at Carahsoft, as he delves into the evolving priorities within the defense industry. Learn about strategic shifts driven by global challenges and the imperative for rapid capability development in his interview with Fed Gov Today: https://ow.ly/KIqX30sCirv

The United States’ Department of Defense (DoD) has released the National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS). The DoD is seeking to catalyze major, generational change in the US’ industrial ecosystem. The NDIS’ goals are to make the industrial ecosystem dynamic, responsive, state-of-the-art, resilient, and be a deterrent to adversaries. Here is the full strategy: https://lnkd.in/eCV73y9S But, here is a TLDR of the NDIS for quick reading! 📖 Some of the challenges that the NDIS highlights are: 🖥 New Tech is Needed: New technologies can be adopted faster and existing technologies can be identified from technologies not originally designed for military use. Let's go dual-use technology! 🥊 Nasty Non-Competitive Landscape: Over the past forty years, adversaries implemented policies to restrict competition for critical technologies and components. Additionally, domestic and allied countries’ defense synergies are inefficient. 🐌 Snail-Paced Procurement: Uncertainty over quick and stable procurement by the DoD results in less production output. 🌪 Evolving Workforce: From 1985-2021, the workforce at defense-oriented companies in the U.S. shrunk by two-thirds! On top of this, baby-boomers are retiring. A modern and skilled workforce is needed. 💰 Who’s Going to Pay?: Politics greatly influences the funding available in the defense economy. Would you feel comfortable if your continued operations depend on Congresspeople regularly agreeing with each other? The DoD will focus on four priorities to address these challenges: 1) Modernize, build, and maintain resilient supply chains, domestically and internationally, to produce needed products and services at speed, scale, and cost. 2) Achieve a sufficiently-staffed, modern workforce – that is representative of the U.S. – to be ready for current and future defense industry needs. 3) Update acquisition strategies to be flexible and dynamic by prioritizing interoperability, supporting off-the-shelf acquisition, and reforming contracting methods. 4) Promote fair and effective market mechanisms among the U.S. and its close international allies to contribute to economic reliability and stability, and FOMO for adversaries! While this is a step in the right direction, do you think that the NDIS is missing anything? 🔎

The US Navy Information Environment Ecosystem Blueprint paves the way for modernizing systems and networks, while also helping the Navy understand what it needs, and in many cases, more importantly, what it doesn’t. Prioritizing modernization projects and new capability acquisition is a key part of any digital modernization strategy. https://bit.ly/4bF9olJ #Navy #GovCon #InformationSystems #modernization #SMIT #NMCI

Dr. William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, describes efforts to align the "iron triangle" of requirements, funding, and acquisition in defense modernization efforts. "There are now agile acquisition pathways and contracting authorities like Other Transactions that allow promising new capabilities... for funding and approvals. But getting to program-of-record status -- fully funded within a service budget plan -- and into production remains a long and drawn-out process -- too long, in many cases, for smaller new companies." In 2022, DoD created a new effort called Competitive Advantage Pathfinders, or CAPs. "The CAPs effort is run from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in a newly created Acquisition Integration and Interoperability Office. The goal is to flip the equation on process improvement: identify technology potentially useful to multiple military services stuck somewhere in or among the stool/triangle's three legs." In early use cases, "CAPs enabled the Air Force to go from identifying operational need to developing a capability solution available for procurement within 18 months -- a process usually taking several years for a new program." Our defense innovation & modernization efforts need more concrete actions like these to gain speed in our outdated processes. #defenseindustry #defenseinnovation https://lnkd.in/eRhxacc2