GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Game-Changing Environment Vexes Planners, Warfighters

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: AFCEA/Signal Online

02April2011 1:06pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: One challenge the United States faces is the potential for a high-end conflict from a peer competitor. Technology advances are leveling the battlefield, and the United States must address that fact technologically and strategically. This and other challenges are compounded by global shifts such as climate change—which may increase the amount of navigable seas as the North polar icecap melts—the global economic crisis, resource competition from emerging giants such as China and India, and globalization in general.

Maj. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese, USMC, deputy commanding general, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, describes some of the challenges facing the U.S. Marine Corps.

Some of those concerns were echoed by Maj. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese, USMC, deputy commanding general, 1 Marine Expeditionary Force. Gen. Spiese also warned that nations, including friends, will act in their own interests, so the United States could have difficulty assembling an alliance or even getting support from some allies. Because nations change their policies over time as their national interests shift, the United States should not place itself in a position where addressing U.S. concerns depends on the policies of another nation. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: DoD's contractor database could lead to the wrong results

Senior defense official cautions against hinging contract awards on past-performance records.
 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Federal Computer Week

30March2011 10:29amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: A top defense acquisition policy official said the government should not overemphasize a company’s past work when awarding a contract because its limited database of information might become a barrier for some companies.

At a hearing March 28, Ashton Carter, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said the Defense Department does not have adequate data on past performance on which to base a contract award. He also questioned how DOD would handle cases in which companies want to break into the defense industry but have no work history with the federal government. Even if the company has done similar work for a foreign government, DOD would not have a record of it. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Security concerns suppress Pentagon's appetite for wireless devices

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: NextGov

22March2011 6:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The U.S. military wants to go wireless. It wants handheld devices to replace desktop computers, it wants information available for troops "anywhere, on any device anytime," it wants employees to telework, and it wants to do this all with commercial products.

But it also wants security. And for now, the lack of military-grade security for smart phones, iPads, tablets and other mobile devices is the biggest impediment to a wholehearted embrace of mobile computing, military officials told a gathering of technology vendors Thursday.

"Security — I can't stress that enough," said Robert Carey, the Defense Department's deputy chief information officer. And today, the security provided in commercially available mobile devices simply doesn't meet military requirements, he said. That's why the military limits the use of many mobile devices, such as Apple iPads, and services such as social networking.

"Operational security comes first," Carey said.

When Marine Corps pilots wanted to load digital maps into iPads and Kindle devices so they could get rid of bulky briefcases full of paper maps, the Corps said no, Brig. Gen. Kevin Nally, the Corps' CIO, recalled.

The pilots pushed back, demonstrating how they could Velcro the devices to their thighs for quicker, easier access to maps in flight. The Corps finally relented, but forbade connecting the devices to aircraft communications networks — for security reasons, Nally explained. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: DOD Contracts for March 21, 2011

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Department Of Defense

22March2011 4:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

ARMY

            Critical Solutions International, Inc., Carrollton, Texas, was awarded on March 16 a $214,284,932 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the procurement of 118 vehicle mounted mine-detection MKK II Type II systems.  Work will be performed in Gauteng, South Africa, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 16, 2012.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-D-0001).

            General Dynamics and Tactical Systems, Inc., Saint Petersburg, Fla., was awarded on March 17 a $36,985,119 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the demilitarization of the eight various types of conventional ammunition families.  Work will be performed in Saint Petersburg, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2016.  The bid was solicited through the Internet with two bids received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-11-C-0027).

            Alliant Techsystems, Inc., and Textron Defence Systems, Plymouth, Minn., was awarded on March 16 a $34,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the procurement of 44 low rate initial production Spider XM-7 Networked Munitions Systems.  Work will be performed in Wilmington, Mass.; Plymouth, Minn.; Rocket Center, W.Va.; Mankato, Minn.; and Middletown, Iowa, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 5, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-11-C-0126).

            Manufacturing Techniques, Inc., Kilmarnock, Va., was awarded on March 17 a $20,027,993 undefinitized firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the procurement of 111 Cerberus lite portable surveillance and reconnaissance sensor systems.  Work will be performed in Kilmarnock, Va., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 14, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-11-C-S204).

            Conti Environmental, Inc., Edison, N.J., was awarded on March 16 a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the work and services required for the remediation of contaminated soil, waste and floating product within Operable Unit 3 of the Imperial Oil/Champion Chemical Superfund Site.  Work will be performed in Marlboro, N.J., with an estimated completion date of March 7, 2016.  Four bids were solicited with three bids received.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-10-D-3004).

            L-3 Communications Aerospace, LLC, was awarded on March 16 a $7,575,912 labor-hour contract.  The award will provide for the services of 800 maintenance workers in support of aircraft production at Corpus Christi Army Depot.  Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 28, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The Corpus Christi Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas, is the contracting activity (GS-10F-0328N).

            L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City, Utah, was awarded on March 17 a $7,117,600 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract.  The award will provide for services to include line replaceable unit repair; contractor field service representative support; on-call/on-site technical support; and reset for Phoenix satellite terminals.  Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2012.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, Contracting Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-11-C-G401).

            Kalmar RT Center, LLC, Cibolo, Texas, was awarded on March 17 a $7,013,927 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for the procurement for the Light Capability Rough Terrain Forklift and all ancillary parts, services and date requirements.  Work will be performed in Cibolo, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 17, 2016.  The bid was solicited through the Internet with four bids received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-11-D-VK03).

NAVY

            A&D-Dorado, JV, LLP*, Santee, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0017); I.E.-Pacific, Inc.*, San Diego, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0018); Sybrant Candelaria, LLC*, Glendale, Ariz. (N62473-11-D-0019); Patricia I. Romero, Inc., dba Pacific West Builders*, National City, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0020); and MTM Builders & Erickson-Hall, JV*, San Diego, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0021), are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract for commercial and institutional building construction at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR).  The maximum dollar value, including the base period and four option years, for all five contracts combined is $100,000,000.  No task orders are being issued at this time.  The work to be performed provides for new construction, renovation, revitalization, alteration, and repair.  Types of projects may include, but are not limited to:  administration, armory, athletic court and swimming pool, dining, dormitory/barrack, theater, educational, fire station, hangar, retail/store, recreational, religious facility, warehouse, laboratory, medical facility, animal shelter, and other similar commercial and institutional facilities.  Work will be performed at various federal sites within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to, southern California (94 percent), Arizona (5 percent), and New Mexico (1 percent).  The terms of the contracts are not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of March 2016.  Contract funds in the amount of $25,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured as a set-aside for 8(a) Small Businesses via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 45 proposals received.  These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

            Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC, Morgan City, La., is being awarded a $42,181,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2256) for the detail design and construction of three 35-meter patrol boats, with an option for three additional 35-meter patrol boats and associated technical services for the Iraqi navy.  This contract modification includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract modification to $83,479,000.  Work will be performed in Morgan City, La. (60 percent); Detroit, Mich. (30 percent); Ocean Springs, Miss. (8 percent); and Charlottesville, Va. (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by August 2012.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

            Alliant Techsystems, Inc., Integrated Systems Division, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a $32,486,900 modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-10-D-0006) to exercise an option for up to 1,700 AN/AAR-47 missile warning system weapons replaceable assemblies.  These assemblies include 600 A(V)2 and B(V)2 integrated optical sensor convertors; 200 A(V)2 and B(V)2 computer processors; and 100 A(V)2/B(V)2 control indicators.  These systems are for installation on Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, other services, and various foreign military helicopters, rotorcraft, and low/slow fixed wing aircraft.  Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla. (72 percent); Austin, Texas (18 percent); Iwata-Gun Shizuoka, Japan (2 percent); Natanya, Israel (2 percent); Loveland, Colo. (2 percent); Sarasota, Fla. (1 percent); Northvale, N.J. (1 percent); Woodstock, Conn. (1 percent); and Sanford, Fla. (1 percent).  Work is expected to be completed in January 2014.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

            Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Tewksbury, Mass., is being awarded a $10,885,800 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-05-C-5346) to exercise an option for class services engineering efforts for the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer program.  Efforts include non-recurring engineering in support of mission systems equipment (MSE) system/design verification testing; first article factory test site preparation and plans; maintenance of MSE packaging, transportation, assembly, activation, and preservation documentation; maintenance of shipboard MSE installation and check-out plans; as well as the measurement, tracking, and reporting of MSE weight and power usage documentation to support the shipbuilders in meeting lead ship integration and construction schedules.  Work will be performed in Portsmouth, R.I. (50 percent); Andover, Mass. (15 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (10 percent); Sudbury, Mass. (10 percent); Tewksbury, Mass. (10 percent); and San Diego, Calif. (5 percent).  Work is expected to be completed by December 2014.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

            Tierra Data, Inc.*, Escondido, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price performance-based, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for natural and cultural resource studies and mapping services at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest area of responsibility.  These services include identification, surveying, mapping and analyzing natural and cultural resources, habitats and the vegetation, marine, and wildlife components thereof and/or cultural resources sites and their related components by providing Global Positioning System and sonar resources surveys, data management, and aerial photography services.  Work will be performed at Navy and Marine Corps locations in California (60 percent); Washington (10 percent); Guam (10 percent); Hawaii (10 percent); Oregon (5 percent); Alaska (2 percent); Arizona (1 percent); New Mexico (1 percent); and Nevada (1 percent).  Work is expected to be completed by March 2016.  Contract funds in the amount of $5,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two proposals received.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-11-D-2225).

AIR FORCE

            General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., Poway, Calif., is being awarded a $50,260,246 firm-fixed-price contract modification for six MQ-9 Reaper production aircraft and two MQ-9 Reaper aircraft that will be utilized as ground maintenance devices.  Work will be performed in Poway, Calif.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  ASC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA-8620-10-G-3038 002801).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

            Insulation Sources, Inc.*, dba ICO Rally, Palo Alto, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $9,911,600 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for test set subassembly parts.  Other location of performance is Ontario, Calif.  Using service is Army.  There was originally one proposal solicited with one response.  The date of performance completion is Sept. 30, 2014.  The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (SPRRA1-11-D-0059).

DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY

            Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc., Columbia, Md., is being awarded a $8,205,351 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for instrumentation support.  Work will be performed at Albuquerque, N.M., and is expected to be completed Feb. 13 2016.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  One bid was solicited and one received.  The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, BE-BCOQ, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity (HDTRA2-06-D-0001-0015). (read full report)

*Small business

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: DOD Contracts for March 18, 2011

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Department Of Defense

22March2011 3:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES

            PowerTek Corp., Rockville, Md. (HQ0034-11-D-0001); NetCentrics Corp.,Vienna, Va. (HQ0034-11-D-0002); and Digital Management, Inc., Bethesda Md. (HQ0034-11-D-0003), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-reimbursement and fixed-price type multiple-award contract for a wide range of net-centric integrated information technology (IT) support, services, and supplies.  The scope of services includes customer support; systems operation, administration, and maintenance; applications support, development and maintenance, e-business systems administration, software system development; engineering; business continuity and continuit of operations; hardware and software acquisition; enterprise architecture and engineering services; performance management; project management and IT training services.  Each contractor will be awarded a minimum guarantee of $2,500.  These contracts include options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of these contracts to an estimated $495,000,000.  These three contractors will compete for the task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract.  Work will primarily be performed in the National Capital Region area.  The multiple award contracts were competitively procured by full and open competition after exclusion as total small business set-asides via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 14 offers received.  Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

            The Missile Defense Agency is awarding Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., a fixed-price incentive and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification with a total value of $694,964,438 under Missile Defense Agency contract HQ0147-07-C-0196.  The modification will include the definitization of an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed value of $298,000,000.  Under this modification Lockheed Martin will manufacture and deliver 48 interceptors and ground support equipment required to support batteries three and four for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Program.  The work will be managed in Sunnyvale, Calif., with final assembly performed in Troy, Ala.  The performance period is through December 2013.  Fiscal 2010 procurement funds in the amount of $144,847,937 and fiscal 2011 procurement funds of $430,916,501 will be used to fund this modification.  Fiscal 2010 procurement funds in the amount of $119,200,000 were previously funded on the UCA.  The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

            Lockheed Martin Services, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., is being awarded a maximum $171,332,741 firm-fixed-price, sole-source, time-and-materials type contract providing the Civilian Personnel Management Services operational, sustainment, development and maintenance support for the Defense Civilian Personnel Data System Program.  Other location of performance is San Antonio, Texas.  Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and federal civilian agencies.  This contract is exercising the seventh option year.  The date of performance completion is Sept. 28, 2011.  The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SP4700-05-C-0020).

            Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Hurst, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $10,251,032 firm-fixed-price, sole-source, basic ordering agreement contract for gearbox assembly items.  There are no other locations of performance.  Using service is Navy.  There was originally one proposal solicited with one response.  The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2014.  The Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-G-0003 THK).

NAVY

            General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a contract modification, not-to-exceed $27,985,375 to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-2303) for long lead time material and engineering and support services for DDG 1001.  Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (77.49 percent); Middletown, N.Y. (7.8 percent); Stamford, Conn. (2.28 percent); Willimantic, Conn. (2.01 percent); South Portland, Maine (1.69 percent); Windsor, Conn. (1.65 percent); York, Pa. (1.64 percent); and various other locations of less than 1.64 percent each (totaling 5.44 percent), and is expected to be completed by June 2011.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

            Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., is being awarded a $13,312,717 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide innovative research in the area of web-based approaches for medical and psychological health social networking, care delivery/tele-health, and capabilities that enable revolutionary advances in science, technology or systems.  This 26-month contract includes 12 options which, if exercised, would happen concurrently and would bring the potential value of this contract to $20,864,255.  Work will be performed in McLean, Va.  Work is expected to be completed February 17, 2013.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured through Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Broad Agency Announcement No. 10-62 published via the Federal Business Opportunities website on May 27, 2010, with 28 offers received; three were selected for award.  Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-11-C-4005).

            Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, LLC, Burlington, Mass., is being awarded a maximum $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for civil/structural/architectural/mechanical/electrical and fire protection services in support of projects at military installations throughout the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic area of responsibility (AOR).  The work to be performed provides for architect-engineering services including building construction and addition of special projects and military construction facilities, general building renovation work, life safety code studies, marine facilities, facility planning, plans, specifications, design-bid-build packages, design-build request for proposal packages, government collateral equipment lists, project preliminary hazard analysis, obtaining permits and regulatory approvals, review of contract submittals, field consultation and inspection during construction, United States Green Building Council leadership in energy and environmental design, checklists and sustainable design reports, operation and maintenance support information, sustainable engineering design practices, and record documentation preparation.  The preponderance of the work will be performed in the Mid-Atlantic Northeast AOR including, but not limited to:  Rhode Island (20 percent); Maine (20 percent); Connecticut (15 percent); New Jersey (15 percent); Pennsylvania (10 percent); New York (5 percent); New Hampshire (5 percent); Massachusetts (5 percent); Vermont (3 percent); and Delaware (2 percent).  Work is expected to be completed by March 2016.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 65 proposals received.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic Northeast Integrated Product Team, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (contract number N40085-11-D-7206).

AIR FORCE

            The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo. (FA8651-11-D-0035), and Raytheon Co., Missile Systems, Tucson, Ariz. (FA8651-11-D-0036), are being awarded a $20,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for integrated precision ordinance delivery system (IPODS) Phases II-IV; research and development.  Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and Tucson, Ariz.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  Two proposals were received in a full and open competition under a broad agency announcement.  AFRL/RWK, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Unique Commercialization Process May Be Implemented Across Government

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: AFCEA

21March2011 8:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: A unique process for identifying, certifying and fielding technologies for homeland defense has captured White House attention and could be implemented across other departments, according to Thomas Cellucci, the government’s only chief commercialization officer.

The one-of-a-kind Commercialization Office, which resides within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, doesn’t buy a thing. In fact, the office has shunned the traditional time- and resource-consuming acquisition process of releasing requests for proposals and requirements documents and holding a competition. Under the auspices of the System Efficacy through Commercialization, Utilization, Relevance and Evaluation (SECURE) program, the office places detailed requirements on its website, along with an estimate of the available market.  

Companies then reply with a one-page summary of their solutions and sign a page-and-a-half cooperative agreement to continue developing their technologies. At the end of the process, the company provides objective operational test and evaluation data from an independent third party, and the Commercialization Office certifies the technology meets the department’s requirements.  

That certification is pure gold for companies seeking to sell their homeland security wares. “This is not a procurement activity. We guarantee no sales. We don’t guarantee the size of the markets. But think about all the money the private sector spends on application development, business development, marketing intelligence,” Cellucci says. “DHS has huge potential available markets. We’re not going to give the commercial sector on a silver platter what they spend a lot of time and money trying to figure out; we’re going to give it to them on a golden platter.”  (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Navy To Build System For Identifying Security Threats

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Information Week

21March2011 4:00amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: The Navy is developing a new software-based intelligence system that fuses information from a variety of sources to more quickly and efficiently identify possible security threats, according to the company building the system.

The military arm has awarded a Phase 1 small business innovative research contract to Florida-based Modus Operandi to build an intelligence-analysis and counterintelligence system called the Semantic Targeting and All-source Fusion Framework, or STAFF.

The company is not disclosing the amount of the award, according to a Modus Operandi spokesperson.

The system combines a range of ways to gather intelligence information — including human intelligence, signals intelligence, full-motion video, and moving-target indicator data, the last of which involves using radar to find a moving target among fixed objects, according to the company. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Defense Science Board urges new technology and tactics

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: NextGov

28February2011 7:22pmEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Facing agile enemies in Afghanistan and Iraq who can quickly adopt new technology and tactics, U.S. forces must adapt in response and soon, not over the course of decades, as occurs under the current bureaucracy-driven process, the Defense Science Board said in a report released on Friday.

The report echoes comments made last week by Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, who said enemy forces in Afghanistan have adopted the use of cell phone technology on the battlefield far faster the Army has.

In its 194-page report titled "Enhancing Adaptability of U.S. Military Forces," the Defense Science Board recommended quick changes to tactics, techniques and procedures to meet evolving battlefield conditions, as well as developing a rapid acquisition system to speedily deliver the needed technologies.

During the past decade, all four services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense have established more than 20 rapid acquisition organizations. They have met some urgent needs, the report said, but have not followed through with ways to support and sustain new equipment after deployment. The board said many of these rapid acquisition organizations ended up overstaffed with personnel who in some cases lacked the requisite technical or acquisition expertise. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: Illusion 'cloak' makes you see what's not there

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: New Scientist

25February2011 5:00amEST

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: NOW you see it, now it looks like something else. Radar images might never be the same again, thanks to an illusion device that can change an object's appearance. The technology could ultimately be used to hide military aircraft.

The device is part of a growing family of metamaterials – structures designed to steer light along curved paths. They have already been used to make objects appear invisible and to disguise a gap between two objects.

Wei Xiang Jiang and Tie Jun Cui's team at Southeast University in Nanjing, China, have created a structure that changes the way radio waves interact with a copper cylinder so that it appears to be composed of another material altogether.

Copper conducts electricity well and reflects incoming radio waves, giving it a bright radar signature. To alter this behaviour, the team built a device made of 11 concentric rings of circuit boards etched with small metal-lined channels that prevent electromagnetic waves reflecting away. Instead, they guide the waves in a direction that the researchers choose specifically to make the hidden object appear to have different electrical properties.

Placed around a copper cylinder, the arrangement created the illusion that the cylinder was made of a dielectric, a class of materials including porcelain and glass that do not conduct electricity and are more transparent to radio waves. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: Shuttle launches humanoid robot into space

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: New Scientist

25February2011 4:00amEST

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: The space shuttle Discovery has launched into space on its final mission, carrying a crew of six people and one humanoid robot – the first to be sent into orbit.

Discovery launched at 1650 EST on Thursday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will deliver water, oxygen, and spare parts to the International Space Station. The shuttle and its crew are scheduled to return to Earth after 11 days in space, but will leave a humanoid robot called Robonaut 2 on the space station.

After an initial testing period, NASA hopes that Robonaut 2 will become a useful member of the space station crew, carrying out simple tasks like cleaning to give station crew members more time for other work. It may even be sent outside the station to do inspections or maintenance work. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: New Stretchable Solar Cells Will Power Artificial Electronic 'Super Skin'

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Science Daily

24February2011 3:30pmEST

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: "Super skin" is what Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao wants to create. She's already developed a flexible sensor that is so sensitive to pressure it can feel a fly touch down. Now she's working to add the ability to detect chemicals and sense various kinds of biological molecules. She's also making the skin self-powering, using polymer solar cells to generate electricity. And the new solar cells are not just flexible, but stretchable — they can be stretched up to 30 percent beyond their original length and snap back without any damage or loss of power. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: Bendable Microchips: The World's First Organic Microprocessor Is Unveiled

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: POPSCI

22February2011 8:03pmEST

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: This week at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (you didn’t forget about the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, did you?) a team of European researchers will unveil a 4,000-transistor, 8-bit logic microprocessor with processing power equivalent to a simple silicon chip circa 1977. But this chip is different. This chip is flexible. The world’s first organic microprocessor is here.

Flexible, organic chips have long been on technology’s to-do list, but coaxing consistency out of organic transistors has been something of a chore. Organic transistors lack the monocrystalline structure of silicon, which makes their behavior somewhat unpredictable–each one can have a slightly different voltage threshold–an undesirable characteristic for a transistor to possess.

The Belgian team at nanotech researcher Imec in Leuven sorted out the problem by building an extra gate in the back of each transistor, a backdoor that allows for better control of the semiconductors electric field, solving the switching problems usually associated with organic chips. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: AeroVironment Develops World’s First Fully Operational Life-Size Hummingbird-Like Unmanned Aircraft for DARPA

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: L.A. Times

18February2011 12:39pmEST

 http://latimes.vid.trb.com/player/PaperVideoTest.swf

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: A pocket-size drone dubbed the Nano Hummingbird for the way it flaps its tiny robotic wings has been developed for the Pentagon by a Monrovia company as a mini-spy plane capable of maneuvering on the battlefield and in urban areas.

The battery-powered drone was built by AeroVironment Inc. for the Pentagon's research arm as part of a series of experiments in nanotechnology. The little flying machine is built to look like a bird for potential use in spy missions.

The results of a five-year effort to develop the drone are being announced Thursday by the company and the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Equipped with a camera, the drone can fly at speeds of up to 11 miles per hour, AeroVironment said. It can hover and fly sideways, backward and forward, as well as go clockwise and counterclockwise, by remote control for about eight minutes.

The quick flight meets the goals set forth by the government to build a flying "hummingbird-like" aircraft. It also demonstrates the promise of fielding mini-spy planes. Industry insiders see the technology eventually being capable of flying through open windows or sitting on power lines, capturing audio and video while enemies would be none the wiser. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY BRIEFING: Latest Attacks, Hacks, and Tracks

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

18February2011 12:23pmEST

 

Senate Bill Would Make Leaks a Felony

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: Legislation introduced in the Senate this week would broadly criminalize leaks of classified information.  The bill (S. 355) sponsored by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) would make it a felony for a government employee or contractor who has authorized access to classified information to disclose such information to an unauthorized person in violation of his or her nondisclosure agreement.

Under existing law, criminal penalties apply only to the unauthorized disclosure of a handful of specified categories of classified information (in non-espionage cases).  These categories include codes, cryptography, communications intelligence, identities of covert agents, and nuclear weapons design information.  The new bill would amend the espionage statutes to extend such penalties to the unauthorized disclosure of any classified information. (Source: Secrecy News/read full report)

 

U.S. Preparing Cyberwar Strategy Before Threat Grows

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said Tuesday that the U.S. government is "moving aggressively" to counter evolving cyberthreats and is currently in the final stages of a comprehensive cyberstrategy review. The time to act is now while cyberattacks are still "relatively unsophisticated in nature, short in duration, and narrow in scope," he said.
The danger is that powerful cybertools already exist that one day could be deployed by the nation's adversaries to potentially cause severe economic damage, physical destruction, and even loss of life, Lynn said in a keynote address at the RSA security  conference in San Francisco.

"We must have the capability to defend against the full range of cyberthreats," Lynn said. "This is indeed the goal of the Defense Department's new cyberstrategy, and it is why we are pursuing that strategy with such urgency." (Source: CIO Today/read full report)

Antony Asks Forces to Gear Up to Fight Cyber War

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony has called upon the Armed Forces to be vigilant against emerging cyber threats. Addressing the centenary celebrations of the Corps of Signals here today, he called upon the forces to keep abreast of latest technologies. Terming the Corps of Signals as the “21st century arm of our forces”, Shri Antony said it has a major role in promoting inter-Service synergy and joint operations.

“The Corps is at the forefront of transforming the Indian Army to a network-centric force. It must continuously enhance its ability to absorb latest technologies in collaboration with the Industry and R&D establishment. The Corps has done commendable work, be it in fielding futuristic strategic defence communication networks, or development of state-of-the-art tactical communication systems. The contribution of the Corps in enhancing cyber security is worth a mention. However, the Corps needs to be ever vigilant, as cyber threats continue to multiply and intensify by the day,” Shri Antony said. (Source: Defense Aerospace/read full report)

Trent Franks Launches Caucus to Address EMP Threat – Introduces SHIELD Act

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) today released the following statement, following the official launch of the Congressional EMP Caucus and the introduction of H.R. 668, the Secure High-voltage Infrastructure for Electricity from Lethal Damage (or SHIELD) Act.

“The threat of an electromagnetic pulse weapon represents the single greatest asymmetric capability that could fall into the hands of America’s enemies. Should a nuclear weapon from a rogue state such as Iran be detonated in Earth’s atmosphere at a sufficient height above the continental United States, the blast of electromagnetic energy could immediately cripple America’s electric power grid. Currently, the vast majority of the United States’ infrastructure is unsecured and exposed.

“According to some experts, just one properly placed EMP blast could disable so large a swath of American technology that between 70-90% of the United States’ population could become unsustainable. (Source: National Terror Alert/read full report)

Cyber Crime Costs UK £27 Billion Study Finds

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: According to a joint government and industry report, the annual loses to cyber crime in the United Kingdom are of £27 billion, of which £21 billion comes from the business sector.

The report was drafted by the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance in collaboration with Detica, a company specializing in information intelligence.

 The study shows that the main victim of cyber crime is the business sector, which accounts for over ¾ of the loses.

Intellectual property theft is the most costly form of cyber crime to businesses and results in £9.2 billion annual losses.

In this case, IP theft does not refer to illegal file sharing, but to the theft of trade secrets, ideas, designs, methodologies and so on.

The industry sectors most affected by this type of crimes are pharmaceutical/biotech, with over £1.8bn loses, electronic and electrical equipment, with over £1.7bn, and software and computer services, with £1.6bn. (Source: Softpedia/read full report)

Cloud is security battleground for organizations

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: Organizations want to use cloud services to benefit from costs savings and increased efficiency, but security staff are concerned about the risks associated with the cloud, noted Dan Schoenbaum, vice president for business development at Tripwire.

“The business folks want to go there for the obvious benefits, but the security team still views the cloud as new. They don’t quite understand how they can get visibility into the cloud”, Schoenbaum told Infosecurity.

Security teams want to take a more measured approach to the cloud than the business people. They want to start with less critical applications. “The tension between the two sides is on the timing and the criticality of the applications that go there”, he noted.

Organizations “trust themselves for security but they might not necessarily have an established relationship with a cloud provider. It’s hard to build trust with someone you only started working with recently. So these things have been inhibitors for going to the cloud”, he said. (Source: Info Security/read full report)

CBC Reports Canadian Government Hacked By Chinese

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is reporting that key government agencies in Canada were the targets of a sophisticated cyber attack aimed at stealing sensitive government information.

The attack was first detected in January, 2011, and prompted Canada's Finance Department and Treasury Board off the Internet temporarily in order to clean up after the attack. Among the targets of the attacks were Defence Research and Development Canada, a civilian agency that is part of the Canadian Department of National Defence.

According to the BBC report, issued Thursday, the attacks on the Finance Department started with spear phishing attacks aimed at senior Finance Department personnel, but spread to other targets.

Canadian officials are still trying to assess the damage caused by the attacks, including the quantity and type of data that is believed to have been siphoned from Canadian government networks. (Source: ThreatPost/read full report)

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: FBI NEWS

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

18February2011 12:50amEST

SOURCE: FBI

Russell Defreitas Sentenced to Life in Prison for Conspiring to Commit Terrorist Attack at JFK Airport

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

BROOKLYN, NY—Earlier today in the Eastern District of New York, United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry sentenced convicted defendant Russell Defreitas to life in prison for conspiring to commit a terrorist attack at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, by exploding fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under the airport. Defreitas and his coconspirators believed their attack would cause extensive damage to the airport and to the New York economy, as well as the loss of numerous lives.

The sentence was announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in New York.

A federal jury convicted Russell Defreitas and coconspirator Abdul Kadir in July 2010 after a nine-week trial. The evidence at trial established that Russell Defreitas, a naturalized United States citizen from Guyana, originated the idea to attack JFK Airport and its fuel tanks and pipelines by drawing on his prior experience working at the airport as a cargo handler. In 2006 and 2007, Defreitas recruited Kadir and others to join the plot during multiple trips to Guyana and Trinidad. Between trips, Defreitas engaged in video surveillance of JFK Airport and transported the footage back to Guyana to show Kadir and their co-conspirators. Kadir, a trained engineer with connections to militant groups in Iran and Venezuela, provided the conspirators with links to individuals with terrorist experience, advice on explosive materials, and a bank account through which to finance the terrorist attack. (read full report)

Ten Indicted and Arrested in Texas for Roles in Human Trafficking Scheme:

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

HOUSTON—A three-year investigation into the trafficking of young and minor female Mexican nationals for the purpose of compelling their service as prostitutes at Houston area bars and restaurants through force, fraud, and coercion has lead to the indictment of 10 individuals, including the owner/operators of the La Costeñita Bar and El Club Restaurante, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

U.S. Attorney Moreno was joined in making this announcement at a press conference today by FBI-Houston Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Bonner; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean McElroy; Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia; Major George Rhyne, Texas Department of Public Safety; and Lt. C.A. Vazquez of the Houston Police Department; whose agencies worked together as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) to conduct the investigation leading to the charges.

The three-count indictment returned by a Houston grand jury under seal on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011, was unsealed today. All 10 defendants charged were taken into custody as a result of coordinated enforcement actions undertaken by teams of investigating agents last evening. All those in custody made initial appearances before a United States Magistrate Judge earlier this morning. All will appear for a detention hearing tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, before United States Frances H. Stacy at 1:00 p.m.

"I applaud the bravery of the young lady who made the 911 call for help in this case," said Moreno, "and commend the efforts of the agency members of the HTRA for the investigative efforts to rescue the victims in this case and apprehend their oppressors."

Maria Rojas, aka "Nancy," 46, a co-owner of the La Costeñita Bar and El Club Restaurante, located at 8403 and 8037 Clinton Drive, respectively, in Houston and her brother, Jose Luis Rojas, 38, who operated the La Costeñita as well as the locations adjacent to the bar located at 8303 Clinton Drive where the prostitution allegedly took place, are charged with conspiring to hold persons in conditions of peonage and recruiting, holding, transporting, and providing and obtaining persons for sexual services. (read full report)

Exec Testifies on Conducting Lawful Electronic Surveillance in the Face of New Technologies

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: In order to enforce the law and protect our citizens from threats to public safety, it is critically important that we have the ability to intercept electronic communications with court approval. In the ever-changing world of modern communications technologies, however, the FBI and other government agencies are facing a potentially widening gap between our legal authority to intercept electronic communications pursuant to court order and our practical ability to actually intercept those communications. We confront, with increasing frequency, service providers who do not fully comply with court orders in a timely and efficient manner. Some providers cannot comply with court orders right away but are able to do so after considerable effort and expense by the provider and the government. Other providers are never able to comply with the orders fully.

The problem has multiple layers. As discussed below, some providers are currently obligated by law to have technical solutions in place prior to receiving a court order to intercept electronic communications, but do not maintain those solutions in a manner consistent with their legal mandate. Other providers have no such existing mandate and simply develop capabilities upon receipt of a court order. In our experience, some providers actively work with the government to develop intercept solutions, while others do not have the technical expertise or resources to do so. As a result, on a regular basis, the government is unable to obtain communications and related data, even when authorized by a court to do so.

We call this capabilities gap the “Going Dark” problem. As the gap between authority and capability widens, the government is increasingly unable to collect valuable evidence in cases ranging from child exploitation and pornography to organized crime and drug trafficking to terrorism and espionage—evidence that a court has authorized the government to collect. This gap poses a growing threat to public safety. (read full report)

Armenian Power Organized Crime Group Targeted in Federal Indictments That Allege Racketeering Offenses, Including Bank Fraud Schemes, Kidnappings, and Drug Trafficking

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE:

LOS ANGELES—As a result of two federal indictments and state cases that charge a total of 99 defendants with a wide range of crimes—including kidnapping, extortion, bank fraud, and narcotics trafficking—law enforcement authorities this morning arrested 74 members and associates of the Armenian Power organized crime group.

The majority of the defendants arrested this morning are named in two federal indictments that charge a total of 88 defendants linked to Armenian Power, which is commonly called AP.

One indictment accuses 29 defendants with participating in a RICO conspiracy in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The RICO charge alleges a host of illegal activities, some of which are sophisticated white-collar crimes such as identity theft, credit card skimming, and manufacturing counterfeit checks. Among the conspiracies charged in the racketeering indictment is a bank fraud and counterfeit credit card scheme that victimized hundreds of customers of 99 Cents Only Stores throughout Southern California. AP members allegedly caused more than $2 million in losses when they secretly installed sophisticated "skimming" devices to steal customer account information at cash registers and then used the skimmed information to create counterfeit debit and credit cards.

The 134-count racketeering indictment returned three weeks ago by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles charges a total of 70 defendants. In addition to the RICO count that includes nearly 450 overt acts, the indictment includes charges against AP members for kidnapping, extortion, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, credit card fraud, marijuana distribution, and conducting an illegal gambling business. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY BRIEFING: Norton's New ‘Cybercrime Index’

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Fox News

16February2011 3:57pmEST

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE:

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

(read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: Lockheed Martin Collaborates with Penn State on Metamaterials Breakthrough

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin

16February2011 2:52pmEST

GCIS TECHNOLOGY UPDATE:

NEWTOWN, Pa., February 15th, 2011 — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has collaborated with The Pennsylvania State University to develop a breakthrough material that can significantly improve the performance of spacecraft antennas. The electromagnetic metamaterial is considered to be the first commercially viable product of its kind and is one of the first practical implementations of electromagnetic metamaterials that improves a real-world device.

Lockheed Martin’s University Research Initiative (URI) Program funded the initiative, which produced a metamaterial used in a horn-shaped satellite antenna. Leveraging a partnership spanning several years, the latest Lockheed Martin-Penn State collaboration combined concepts envisioned by Dr. Erik Lier of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company with Penn State’s expertise. The collaborative effort was featured in a recent issue of Nature Materials, one of the world's most prestigious and highly cited science journals focused on all topics within the combined disciplines of materials science and engineering.

Metamaterials have properties not found in nature. Electromagnetic metamaterials, like the one developed by the Lockheed Martin-Penn State collaboration, are designed to interact with and control the way electromagnetic waves travel, enabling new devices with radically different and improved performance. Metamaterials can help make products smaller, which is important in space-based applications, and can also be less costly to manufacture.

“Many experts within government, industry and academia, have had doubts about electromagnetic metamaterials because they were perceived to have narrow bandwidth and high loss,” said Lier. “The results we achieved in this collaborative effort challenged this paradigm, and I think we’ll see customers benefitting from this technology in the near-term.”

Prof. Doug Werner, director of the Penn State Computational Electromagnetics and Antennas Research Lab (PSU CEARL: http://cearl.ee.psu.edu/), led a team of students and scholars that developed the design optimization tools. They also successfully built and, along with Lockheed Martin, tested the first prototype antenna. (read full report)

About METAMATERIALS:

Naturally occurring matter exhibits behavior based on the molecules that make it up — the atomic material that composes the finished product determines what properties the product will have. For instance, take the relationship between wood and light. Wood, like all natural matter, reflects and refracts light. But just how much light it reflects and refracts depends on how the electromagnetic waves of the light interact with the particles — like electrons — that make up the wood.

With metamaterials, the sum of the parts, not the parts themselves, determines how the material behaves. Researchers have found that by using certain materials — like gold and copper arranged in certain patterns and shapes — they can combine the properties of those materials. In other words, unlike natural matter, metamaterials' behavior depends on the properties of the materials that make it up and the way the materials are put together. (read more)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY BRIEFING: Lynn Urges Partnership Against Cyber Threat

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Defense Aerospace

16February2011 2:35pmEST

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: SAN FRANCISCO — Government and industry must work more closely together to counter the growing threat to the nation’s cyber networks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn told information technology professionals here today.

The Defense Department and other federal departments and agencies need to pursue or expand avenues in information sharing, strengthening network architecture, and extending government’s network defenses to private networks key to national security and the economy, he said during a keynote speech at the annual RSA Conference for Internet security.

Lynn told thousands gathered for the conference that the private sector’s role in defending the cyber domain is critical. Unlike the sea, air, land and space domains, cyber is not an area where military power alone can dominate, he said.

“The overwhelming percentage of our nation’s critical [information] infrastructure, including the Internet itself, is in private hands,” Lynn noted. It will take the country’s “vast technological and human resources to ensure the United States retains its preeminent capabilities in cyberspace, as it does in all the other domains,” he said.  (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY BRIEFING: Pentagon investing $500 million in cyber-security

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: SF Gate

16February2011 12:11pmEST

GCIS CYBER-SECURITY UPDATE: The U.S. Defense Department is planning to spend $500 million to research new cyber-security technologies, including cloud computing and encrypted data processing, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said Tuesday at a security conference in San Francisco.

The Pentagon will also provide "seed capital for companies to develop dual-use technologies that serve our cyber-security needs," Lynn said in remarks delivered at the RSA Conference.

"Cyber-defense is not a military mission, like defending our airspace, where the sole responsibility lies with the military," Lynn said. "The overwhelming percentage of our nation's critical infrastructure – including the Internet itself – is largely in private hands. It is going to take a public-private partnership to secure our networks."
 

The $500 million is part of the Pentagon's 2012 budget request of $2.3 billion to improve the Defense Department's cyber-capabilities. At a Pentagon news conference Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the research money, to be spent through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, "big investment dollars, looking to the future."

The military is reaching out to commercial companies for the latest technologies and technical experts to safeguard the Pentagon's computer networks from attacks and espionage, Lynn said. The effort is part of a "comprehensive cyber-strategy called Cyber 3.0," he said. (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Panel Contemplates Extensions Of Chemical Facility Security Law

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: HS Today

14February2011 11:10amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: In testimony before Congress, the general manager for DC Water related a success story for his agency that underscored both the payoffs and challenges for making use of inherently safer technology and extending chemical facility security laws to water treatment facilities.

Before 9/11, DC Water used chlorine and sulfur dioxide to treat wastewater, George Hawkins told the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology Friday. Those chemicals would have posed a threat to the surrounding community if a terrorist attack on the facility ignited them.

Workers at DC Water's Blue Plains Wastewater Treatment Facility could see the smoke from the attack on the Pentagon on 9/11, which prompted the agency to accelerate a plan to switch to treating water with safer chemicals — sodium hypochlorite (bleach) and sodium bisulfite.

The transition, though successful, cost $16.4 million, Hawkins noted. Moreover, DC Water now pays $2 million annually for the safer chemicals rather than $800,000 annually for the previous more dangerous chemicals.

Republicans have objected to mandating the use of inherently safer technology under the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) in part due to the costs to the chemical industry. Those objections derailed a bill that would have permanently authorized CFATS in the last Congress because it would have required the use of inherently safer technology where possible.  (read full report)

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.