Kevin Lisac

If you pay attention to what I post, and I know that all of you hang on my every word, you know that I've consistently brought up stories about the war in Ukraine showing the need for rapid progress in Electronic Warfare capabilities. Below, there's yet another article with the same thesis that points to some things that are being done to close electronic warfare gaps. This article highlights the Army's Terrestrial Layer System – Brigade Combat Team (TLS-BCT) capability and the Terrestrial Layer System - Echelons Above Brigade (TLS-EAB) concept. Both of these are interesting capabilities brought to the table by Lockheed Martin that have passed an evaluation phase by the Army. The layer to this story that I think is most interesting is the funding mechanism used to acquire these two prototype technologies. Those in the know will see "prototype" in that last sentence and think Other Transactional Authority, or OTA, and that's exactly how these prototypes are being acquired (https://lnkd.in/g5RNNkFF, https://lnkd.in/gftBTdk3). OTAs have been around for a while and there has been a learning curve on the part of the defense industrial base and the DoD itself on how to leverage this purchasing authority. The goal of an OTA is to provide significant funding to mature low TRL solutions to a usable prototype on an aggressive timeline while providing access to, and feedback from, the user community. Programs like TLS-BCT and TLS-EAB will show if and how OTAs have improved the slow, inefficient defense procurement process to quickly get needed capability in the field and will provide a baseline for better, faster acquisitions in the future. #electronicwarfare #army #ukraine #departmentofdefense #procurement #othertransactionalauthority #prototype https://lnkd.in/ghDbMb56

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Do you struggle to meet DOD standards to obtain new projects and contracts? 😰 Charles IT supports businesses in helping them become DFARS compliant. Hear our Director of Professional Services, Dereck Jacques explain the first step in becoming compliant.

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The election is less than 5 months away. Here's 3 reasons I think the CMMC Program final rule will beat it. 𝟭) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. Since 2021 the DoD has made it a habit to not say much about CMMC. However, back in the Summer of 2023 the DoD was very clear that they sent the CMMC Program proposed rule to the SBA before submitting the rule for regulatory review. That clearly seems like a preemptive step to addressing public comments... 𝟮) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Speaking of public comments, a significant portion of the proposed rule contained responses to public comments received on the 2020 CMMC rule. Typically, public comments receive responses in final rules, not proposed rules. This feels like another preemptive step that has allowed the DoD to take public comments received earlier this year and respond/dismiss them with alacrity. 𝟯) 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲. GAO has analyzed "midnight rulemaking" - the term used for rulemaking in the final year of an administration. It isn't just individual agencies that are eager to complete their work, but also the administration itself and, therefore, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) - the ones responsible for final review of the final rule later this year. 𝟰) 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀: 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗗 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲. There were over 1,800 public comments on the CMMC program proposed rule - 140% more comments than the 2020 CMMC rule. DoD adjudicated comments on a rolling basis as they were submitted which drastically accelerated the process compared to waiting until the end of the comment period. Ripping through such a huge number of comments so quickly suggests that very little of the proposed rule has changed. That's a huge advantage for those companies who have implemented SP 800-171 and are ready for CMMC assessment. For everyone else it's as big as the flashing red warning light has ever been.

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Our own Todd Helfrich, VP of Federal, interviews w/ Fed Gov Today on new CISA requirement aimed at securing the external environment of government agencies. 💻 🔐 You can't protect what you don't know about. ☝🏾 Censys provides unmatched external visibility into an organization's attack surface. 👁 If you're interested in understanding how to proactively secure your environment from the outside in, have a listen ⬇ : #exposuremanagement #censys #attacksurfacemanagement #cloudsecurity

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You know what’s fun? Getting to talk about our open-source project, Zarf. You know what’s even better? Getting to talk about Zarf when someone else brought it up first 😎 Read the Help Net Security article about Zarf at the link in the comments!

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Do you remember the Pentagon leak of national defense secrets from last year? 🤔   Jack Teixeira has pleaded guilty to serious charges of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Despite his role being unrelated to classified information, he leveraged his high-level #access to share hundreds of sensitive documents. ⚠ This breach has led to significant national security concerns. Teixeira now faces a 16-year prison sentence… 😱 Think twice before granting high-level access to your employees, and constantly review their user access to prevent such data breaches.   Time to up the ante: switch to automated access reviews with #TheFence.  #AI #useraccessreview #cybersecurity 

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AI and crowdsourced data make for a powerful dynamic duo. Employing crowdsourcing allows AI to identify patterns and trends that might otherwise escape notice, while AI brings the added precision of machine analysis to the table. Business leaders can have immediate access to valuable ground-level perspectives, agencies like the DoD can enhance their operations to ensure safety and success in their ventures, and doctors worldwide can pool their observations to enhance patient care. But along with all that potential comes risk. Privacy must be protected, policy gaps need to be bridged, and ethical guidelines must be in place. The goal isn't just to gather data, but to ensure it's used for the right purposes and in the right way. https://lnkd.in/e7rmRMZb

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50 free copies available for "Counterinsurgency as a Fad: America's Rushed Engagement with Irregular Warfare." Written w/ Tom Marks, it argues COIN proponents AND critics were often misled by rushed treatment and cognitive traps, resulting in a subverted learning process that has now all but ended. https://lnkd.in/enTUDXRV The piece forms part of a special volume of the Journal of Strategic Studies, co-edited by Chiara Libiseller and Jeff Michaels, examining the role of fads and fashions in strategic studies. Topics include cyber, hybrid, COIN, grant patterns + a qualified defense of fads by Sir Lawrence Freedman. See whole issue here: https://lnkd.in/epHP_bGJ

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Yesterday, Erica Barhorst-Cates, PhD presented "Analyzing Variability in Decision Making in Complex Systems" to the DoD HFE TAG. With one more day to go at the Huntsville event, she and Benjamin Schwartz would be excited to sit down with you to discuss the research and how Monterey Technologies, Inc. can help defense programs achieve #decisionadvantage!

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One of my classmates went to USSOUTHCOM as a Political Affairs Strategist, and Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America by John Charles Chasteen was the book that his gaining office recommended to get acquainted with their theater. Though 400 pages tests the definition of “concise,” it summarizes 600 years of history for 20 modern-day countries. Chasteen does well to note the diversity of actors with complex and sometimes conflicting motives in the early colonial history in the region. The later narrative does become more simplistic in terms of binary political philosophies dueling for control, but the work draws admirably from the arts and social influences beyond strict power and governance aspects of politics. It’s a good read/listen if you’re interested in political history or Latin America. (400 pages paperback, 13 hours audiobook).   I first read Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 in college, and while I appreciated the absurdist comedy, the bureaucratic and military relationships hit much closer to home rereading it now. Heller was an Army Air Corps B-25 bombardier, like his protagonist, but the book captures the mental experience of the bombing campaign in Europe rather than a factual history of dates and locations. The court martial of Clevenger is hilarious. While rereading the novel, I had the fortunate opportunity to listen to a AAC bomber pilot recount his experience flying from England during the World War II, and many of the practical aspects of flying in that era resonate with Heller’s novel. As we focus on peer competition, WWII offers a singular example of many of the mental challenges of sustained air combat operations in an environment like what we would face tomorrow. Though Catch-22 was on the CSAF reading list in 2012, as content considerations, it describes sex trafficking in a way inconsistent with DoD values, and it includes graphic descriptions of casualties. (544 pages paperback, 20 hours audiobook).   Today is a good day to read!

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Comparisons between Definition of Done and Acceptance Criteria. DEFINITION OF DONE CHARACTERISTICS: -Standardized Criteria: The DoD is consistent across all stories and increments. It ensures uniformity and quality across the project. -Scope: Covers all aspects necessary to consider the work complete, including coding, testing, documentation, and review. -Team Agreement: It is defined and agreed upon by the development team and often involves input from stakeholders. -Quality Assurance: Ensures that all aspects of quality, such as coding standards, performance, security, and compliance, are met. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA CHARACTERISTICS -Story-Specific: Tailored to individual user stories, detailing what is needed for that specific story to be accepted. -User-Centric: Focus on what the end user needs and expects from the functionality. Validation: Provide a clear way to determine if the story meets the intended requirements and behaves as expected. -Written by: Typically written by the product owner or business analyst, often with input from developers and testers. DIFFERENTIATION: Scope: -DoD: Applies to the entire sprint or release, covering all user stories and ensuring overall quality and completeness. -Acceptance Criteria: Applies to individual user stories, focusing on specific functional and non-functional requirements that need to be met for that story. Purpose: -DoD: Ensures that all tasks are completed to a high standard and that the increment is ready for delivery. -Acceptance Criteria: Ensure that a specific user story meets the user’s needs and can be accepted by the product owner. Application: -DoD: Used by the development team to ensure that all necessary steps are completed for all stories. -Acceptance Criteria: Used by the product owner or stakeholders to verify that a particular story functions correctly and meets the specified requirements. Level of Detail: -DoD: More generalized and broad, encompassing all necessary actions to declare work done. -Acceptance Criteria: Detailed and specific to particular features or functionalities, often listing the exact conditions that need to be satisfied. Ready to ace your PMP exam? Get all the revision you need in 35 simplified pages here: https://selar.co/7e215s #PMP #pmpexamprep #pmpcertification #projectmanagement #pmptraining #projectmanager #scrum #scrummaster #scrummastercertification #entrepreneurship, #startups, #socialentrepreneurs, #venturecapital, #investing #innovation.

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Reminder! Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs) DoD SBIR 24.2 and DoD STTR 24.B are now OPEN. Have questions? Need assistance getting started? Schedule a time to meet with our team! https://lnkd.in/eTAAYH2r •Tech transfer: Assist in identifying DON patents/technologies that have significant military/commercial dual-use potential. Available for transition to industry. •Assist in matching DON needs, technology gaps and requirements to SBIR/STTR developed technology and identify potential Phase III projects. •Locating contracting opportunities •Connect to Experimentation/Demonstration Opportunities through the SBIR Experimentation Cell •SBIR transition: Connect companies with the SBIR Transition Program

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DoD recently announced the formation of “SWAT” teams to support software acquisition programs in the use of agile development methodologies. According to the GAO, only 50 programs are using the Software Acquisition Pathway adopted in 2020.   Joint Tactics and Technologies has experience supporting our NAVWAR clients transitioning to the Software Acquisition Pathway. We:   ✅ Draft Master Test Strategies ✅ Implement automated testing ✅ Create schedules with identified resources ✅ Validate compliance with DoDI 5000.87   #DoD #NAVWAR #software #agile #devsecops

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It was only a matter of time...after 26k comments to the proposed rule. This could significantly impact the transitory nature of the workforce, potentially motivating some DoD contracting companies to revisit or implement new efforts to retain specialized personnel. While non-compete clauses have often been held unenforceable, their mere existence represented a factor that often hinders employees from getting a pulse of their individual value in the workforce, looking for new employment opportunities, or accepting employment offers. In some situations, companies (no names here) have also made signing a non-compete a condition of employment, sometimes long into an employee's tenure with the employer. Congratulations, workforce, on a small but not inconsequential victory. Press Release: https://lnkd.in/dwehjcX8 Final Rule Text: https://lnkd.in/duduRNhr

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We need the Sherman tank of UAVs. During WWII the Allies were victorious using Sherman tanks against Germany’s superior armor. They carried the day not because they were more advanced but in large part because they were mass produced and the Germans were unable to keep pace. From our entry into WWII the US and Canada fielded a total of 49,422 M4 Shermans from eleven factories. From 1939-1945 the Germans only produced 46,274 total tanks. While the numbers are close keep in mind the Germans were spread across the whole of Europe, the Eastern front, and North Africa and for several years longer. As current wars in Europe and Middle East unfold the need for mass domestic production of UAVs is apparent but without a clear answer. To be sure, we are making progress. There are a lot of great companies developing some incredible technologies but so far domestic mass production has proven elusive. There have been a lot of reasons cited for this - critical components aren’t domestically available, labor is too expensive, need increased demand signals from customers before committing resources, etc. All valid concerns. My questions for the experts: 1. Are we capable of mass producing inexpensive UAVs (<$1K) given our current domestic production capabilities? 2. If not, what needs to happen to make it a reality?

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We've spoken a lot lately about the technology of tomorrow and how it's already here today, and this story is an excellent representation of this idea. Watch how BRINC's drones can act as first responders in various situations and potentially help save the lives of not just civilians, but first responders themselves: https://cnn.it/3VsZu0A #Firstresponders #drones #firstresponderdrones

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**Addressing Recent Incident at the Virginia State Senate Working Group on VMSDEP** Today, during a Virginia State Senate working group session reviewing the changes to the VMSDEP program as outlined in the budget, an incident occurred involving a disabled veteran struggling with PTSD. This individual was visibly triggered by the repeated reliving of their own traumatic experiences, compounded by hearing similar stories from other veterans and their families. Such encounters can be profoundly challenging when individuals are not able to address their trauma in a safe and controlled environment. In a moment of distress, the veteran used language that was unbecoming and contrary to the values we hold dear. Referring to Senator Lucas in a derogatory manner, he not only failed to uphold our values but also inadvertently harmed our cause. While we unequivocally condemn the actions and language used, we believe it is important to address the circumstances that led to this outburst—not as an excuse, but to highlight the need for understanding and compassion for those dealing with trauma. Our mission remains the repeal of the language that removed VMSDEP benefits. We are dedicated to working with the senate working group and the Governor’s task force to better understand the effects of VMSDEP on the commonwealth. We recognize Senator Lucas as a strong woman and a dedicated public servant who has faithfully served the state and her district for over three decades. As a supporter of veterans and a compassionate leader, we trust that she understands the struggles faced by those who endure trauma. We are committed to our goal of restoring VMSDEP benefits and ensuring that the voices of veterans and their families are heard and respected in this process. #Veterans #PTSD #SupportOurTroops #VMSDEP #VirginiaSenate #VeteranBenefits #MentalHealthAwarene #TraumaSupport #Compassion #VeteransAffairs #PublicService #VeteranSupport #LegislativeAction #HealingProcess

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