Newsletter 8.30.2024 - Acquisition Research Program

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Acquisition Research Program Newsletter

August 30, 2024 — Issue 211

Happy Friday!

In the news this week:

Andrew Hunter talked details about Air Force acquisition in an interview on The Merge.

It's a great overview of Air Force priorities, the logic behind cost-plus contracts vs fixed price contracts, new information on the Collaborative Combat Aircraft program, and more.

Our top story covers a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice against Georgia Tech for failing to comply with NIST cybersecurity requirements on a defense contract--specifically, not using antivirus software.

While there were no security problems, it demonstrates the seriousness with which the federal government may be viewing cyber requirements such as CMMC and the penalties of failing to do. In this case, using antivirus software would be an easy and relatively inexpensive fix and just good cyber hygiene.

Bill Greenwalt has collaborated on research looking at challenges remaining to streamline acquisition coordination and exports in support of AUKUS.

One concern identified: "stakeholders in all 3 countries worry that enduring structural challenges posed by the ITAR and the exclusion of many AUKUS-relevant technologies from the proposed US licensing exemption will stymie cooperation through AUKUS Pillar II and hamper alliance initiatives on precision-guided weapons."
They make recommendations for both unilateral and trilateral changes to regulations, restrictions on technology exports, and other related topics.

Our call for proposals is out for next year's symposium!

We have a special interest in research that explores technology transition, and we'll have some panels and conversations specifically devoted to technological innovation as part of our Innovation Summit. We hope to see you back with us in Monterey!

And on the topic of innovative technology, this week brings a great story about young entrepreneurs at Theseus who crafted a drone that navigates without GPS, inspired by the challenges Ukraine's warfighters are experiencing.

Their solution demonstrates innovative thinking combined with commercially available technology: the drone's camera cross-references images from Google Earth to determine the drone's location.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Cheers to all those working everywhere, especially to improve federal government and national security -- and to those labor activists who fought for time off as a fundamental human right.

This Week's Top Story

DoJ’s Georgia Tech lawsuit a ‘warning’ to contractors on cyber compliance
Justin Doubleday, Federal News Network

Sign on the campus of Georgia Institute of Technology

Lawyers say the Justice Department’s intervention in a fraud case involving Georgia Tech could serve as a key warning to contractors about the risks of ignoring federal cybersecurity requirements.

In a landmark case for its “cyber civil fraud initiative,” DoJ last week filed suit against Georgia Tech, alleging that the university knowingly failed to meet contractual cybersecurity requirements. The agency joined a False Claims Act whistleblower lawsuit brought forward by current and former members of Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity team in 2022.

The complaint alleges Georgia Tech’s Astrolavos Lab neglected to implement several cybersecurity controls required as part of its contracts with the Defense Department.

DoJ alleges the lab specifically failed to implement a system security plan until at least February 2020. The complaint alleges the university didn’t have required antivirus software installed on the lab’s computers and devices until December 2021.

And the suit additionally alleges that in December 2020, Georgia Tech submitted a false cybersecurity assessment score to DoD, even after an employee warned the university that the score was misleading.

In a statement, a Georgia Tech spokeswoman said DoJ’s filing “misrepresents Georgia Tech’s culture of innovation and integrity.”

“Their complaint is entirely off base, and we will vigorously dispute it in court,” the spokeswoman said. “This case has nothing to do with confidential information or protected government secrets.”

Read more.

ARP and NPS News

Call for Proposals: 22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium and Innovation Summit

22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit Banner

Join us in Monterey next May 7-8 for the 22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit. This year, the symposium is combined with an Innovation Summit under the overarching theme of "Transitioning Technology."

The goal of this dual event is to explore and promote innovative ways to transition technology from research and development to programs of record to support the warfighter.

Proposals are due November 18.

Learn more

NPS' Warfare Innovation Continuum Drives Students' Concept Generation
Matthew Schehl, Naval Postgraduate School

students brief audience in an NPS auditorium

The Naval Warfare Studies Institute (NWSI) at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) recently completed the latest cycle of its annual Warfare Innovation Continuum (WIC), a 12- to 18-month interdisciplinary exploration of a central theme of naval interest achieved through various research projects, capstone class projects, experiments, workshops and seminars.

This year’s WIC campaign of analysis, entitled “Integrated Naval Campaigning,” was a resounding success, according to retired U.S. Navy Capt. Jeff Kline, NWSI WIC Director and Operations Research Professor of Practice at NPS.

“At the CNO’s Futures Wargame, I briefed the Chief of Naval Operations and other Navy leadership on an alternative force design specifically for sea control that was based on our campaign of analysis during the WIC,” Kline said. “The alternative fleet took ideas from the workshops we held, from our joint campaign analysis class and from a wargame we just completed, all of which dealt with integrated naval campaigning. The CNO’s staff is now looking at an alternative force design to their program forces. I don’t think you can get a better mark of success than that.” Read more.

Acquisition and Innovation

Army attempts to reassure industry on software acquisition
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense

Army preps rollout of new continuous ATO approach for software
Jared Serbu, Federal News Network

‘So far, so good’ on Army’s radio frequency pilot, with industry outreach coming soon
Carley Welch, Breaking Defense

How quickly can Taiwan integrate US weapon systems? Speed is essential to help deter China.
Adam Kozloski, Atlantic Council

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY HORIZONS: Supreme Court Casts Doubt on Defense Regulations
Mary Kate Greening and Shathera Little, National Defense Magazine

A new partnership to support the defense industrial base: Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning
Tom Temin, Federal News Network

DoD set to start ramping up new military moving contract
Jared Serbu, Federal News Network

Watch: Air Force Chief Weapons Buyer Andrew Hunter
The Merge, YouTube

PPBE Reform Website (hosted by DoD)

Research

AUKUS enablers? Assessing defence trade control reforms in Australia and the United States
Dr. William Greenwalt and Tom Corben, United States Studies Centre

Defense Primer: The Defense Logistics Agency
Congressional Research Service

Events

JIFX 25-1: Uncrewed Systems & Counter-Uncrewed Systems
4–8 November 2024
NPS Field Laboratory at Camp Roberts
Proposals due by 30 August

Defense News Conference
September 4, 2024

Small Business Summit 2024
Baroni Center for Government Contracting and Acquisition Innovation Research Center
September 10, 2024 | 8:00 AM-1:00 PM ET

Naval AI Summit
24-26 September 2024
United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD | in-person and remote

Who: Defense AI leadership (DoD, DoN, USN, USMC, other Services, Joint Force), Navy AI Task Force leads, other AI practitioners across the Naval Establishment, industry partners, and Allies and partners.

What: Information sharing and collaboration event

In conjunction with the Summit, a day-long "AI for Knuckleddraggers" course will be held Monday, 23 September.

AI for Knuckledraggers
23 September 2024
United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD | in-person only

AIA/NDIA Technical Data Rights Forum
September 25-26, 2024
Arlington, VA

Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting & Exposition
14-16 October
Washington, DC

UTAC 2024 (Unmanned Tactical Autonomous Control)
October 21-25, 2024
Fort Benning, GA

Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC) 2024
December 2-5, 2024
Austin, TX