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September 12, 2019 By cs

DoD releases public draft of Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, seeks industry input

On September 4, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition released Version 0.4 of its draft Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) for public comment. 

The CMMC was created in response to growing concerns by Congress and within DoD over the increased presence of cyber threats and intrusions aimed at the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and its supply chains.  In its overview briefing for the new model, DoD describes the draft CMMC framework as a “unified cybersecurity standard” for DoD acquisitions that is intended to build upon existing regulations, policy, and memoranda by adding a verification component to cybersecurity protections for safeguarding Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) within the DIB.

As discussed in a prior post, the model describes the requirements that contractors must meet to qualify for certain maturity certifications, ranging from Level 1 (“Basic Cyber Hygiene” practices and “Performed” processes) through Level 5 (“Advanced / Progressive” practices and “Optimized” processes), with such certification determinations to generally be made by third party auditors.

The CMMC establishes a new framework for defense contractors to become certified as cybersecurity compliant.  DoD has stated that it intends to release Version 1.0 of the CMMC framework in January 2020 and will begin using that version in new DoD solicitations starting in Fall 2020.  Notwithstanding the pendency of these deadlines, a large number of questions remain outstanding.  DoD is seeking feedback on the current version of the model by September 25, 2019.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.insidegovernmentcontracts.com/2019/09/dod-releases-public-draft-of-cybersecurity-maturity-model-certification-and-seeks-industry-input/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: CMMC, controlled unclassified information, CUI, cybersecurity, cybersecurity compliant, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, cybersecurity standards, DoD, industry

February 19, 2019 By AMK

DoD: Big companies move too slowly

The defense industry is never shy about urging the Pentagon to move faster when buying everything from equipment to weapons.

But this week, two top Pentagon acquisition officials turned the tables, saying that defense firms are moving too slowly themselves.

First came James Smith, the acquisition executive for U.S.Special Operations Command.

“As I get all sorts of great authorities from Congress and from [the Office of the Secretary of Defense] to move faster, we’re seeing some of our industry partners that are not moving as fast,” Smith said Wednesday at the National Defense Industrial Association SO/LIC conference. “If I’m going to move faster, I need you to move faster as well.”

He alluded to bureaucratic delays at larger firms.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defenseone.com/business/2019/02/dod-big-companies-move-too-slowly-socoms-shopping-list-2020-budget-reveal-slips-march-and-more/154724/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: acquisition reform, DoD, industry, procurement reform, red tape. bureaucracy, Special Ops

January 24, 2019 By AMK

The fight for a massive Pentagon cloud contract is heating up

Top tech companies are launching a bidding war for a massive Pentagon cloud contract, even as their workforces are pressing them to refuse all military work.

In addition to the protests from employees, the bidding process for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI, contract is bogged down by infighting between traditional defense contractors and the big tech companies that threaten to edge them out of a lucrative business opportunity—and the Department of Defense worries that all of the controversy distracts from its objective of obtaining the same basic cloud computing capabilities already available for consumers, which it says are necessary to better protect soldiers’ lives on the battlefield.

Although DoD says it’s too early to predict the ultimate value of the contract, JEDI is estimated to be worth about $10 billion. The contract will be awarded for a two-year period, with options to renew for five years and then three years after that. The price-tag makes the JEDI contract tempting for even the largest of tech firms. (Google, for instance, announced in February that its cloud business earned more than $1 billion per quarter, while Amazon Web Services nets over $5 billion each quarter.) The company that wins the contract will also have a foot in the door for future Pentagon work, as the DoD looks to rapidly expand its artificial intelligence capabilities.

Keep reading this article at: https://gizmodo.com/the-fight-for-a-massive-pentagon-cloud-contract-is-heat-1825517332/amp

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: AI, artificial intelligence, cloud, cloud computing, DoD, industry, JEDI, Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, Pentagon

December 18, 2018 By AMK

The ingredients powering DoD’s new nonlethal weapons

We may never know whether Cuba attacked American diplomats with microwave weapons — but we do know similar devices exist.

The U..S Department of Defense’s Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, along with a host of private arms companies, has spent decades testing everything from long-range wireless Taser bullets to sonic guns that can disable a car engine from 150 feet away.

The one requirement: These weapons must emit less than 10,000 joules, the amount of energy it takes to kill a person. Bombs incite wars, the thinking goes — but North Korea miiight forgive the “accidental discharge” of a directed-energy laser pulser (also, as it happens, in the works).

Keep reading this article at: https://www.wired.com/story/ingredients-powering-defense-department-new-nonlethal-weapons/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: DoD, industry, weapon systems, weapons systems

October 8, 2018 By AMK

Facing industry pressure, Pentagon backs off contract payment changes

Following a wave of criticism from the defense industry and members of Congress, the Pentagon on Monday backed off proposed changes to how companies receive cash flow on their contracts.

In a statement released at the unusual time of 7:19 PM, Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said the decision to withdraw the proposed acquisition changes stemmed from a lack of “coordination” inside the department.

“Recently, proposed amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) were prematurely released, absent full coordination,” Shanahan’s statement read. “As a result, the Department will rescind the proposed amendments. In coordination with industry, the Department will create a revised rule to implement section 831 of the FY2017 NDAA.”

“The department will continue to partner closely with Congress and industry to examine all reform opportunities, ensuring we provide the best value to taxpayers and critical capabilities to military personnel who defend this great Nation,” Shanahan said.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2018/10/02/facing-industry-pressure-pentagon-backs-off-contract-payment-changes/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: advance payment, contract payments, DFARS, DoD, industrial base, industry, mobilization, NDAA, payment, payments, Pentagon, performance-based payment

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