Dave Prakash MD

Great article coming out of coverage at Space Symposium last week discussing the recently released DoD Commercial Space Integration Strategy and the benefits and challenges of government and commercial space industry working together. #CyberSatSummit dives into this critical discussion in November and tackles the all important information sharing topic as well. Interested in learning more about CyberSat, find out here: https://lnkd.in/emfraRRn DM me if interested in speaking/sponsoring or if you'd like to learn more. #spaceindustry #cybersecurity #informationsharing https://lnkd.in/eNNvAbiP

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Connecting #Guardians to their leaders. Senior-level leaders from across Space Systems Command came together recently to discuss building better connections, Guardian culture, and the future of the hybrid workforce. Read more about the conference: 👇 https://lnkd.in/ehhHqkYQ

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The 2024 Defense Acquisition Workforce Writing Awards recognize original ideas and innovative approaches to tackling challenges and implementing acquisition flexibilities. The award winners showcased exceptional skill in enabling acquisition and achieving the goals set out in the National Defense Strategy (NDS) and were awarded at the event. “I’ve never seen a defense strategy that had so many phrases that tell you we need to do things differently,” noted DAU President Jim Woolsey. “Organizations don’t change easily,” Woolsey remarked. However, the acquisition community must innovate and adapt to address new challenges arising from the evolving global environment, near-peer competitors and rapid technological advancements. DoD has received “massive wake up calls” with lessons learned from evolving conflicts. These awards highlight the value Congress places on the workforces’ innovative ideas. The winners received their awards and presented their publications to program management students and guests during a ceremony at DAU on June 12, 2024. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eg7RmckU

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Boosting, because your time is valuable, & Pete & Matt get right to the point with what you need to know. #acquisition #contracting

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🚨 Announcing the New Implementation Plan for Strengthening America’s Defense Industrial Base 🚨 I’m honored to be an integral part of executing the Department of Defense’s (DoD) new National Defense Industrial Strategy Implementation Plan (NDIS-IP). Today, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD(IBP)) unveiled this critical plan, detailing the ongoing and future actions needed to modernize and secure our defense industrial base. This initiative outlines six cross-cutting programs designed to ensure a more resilient defense ecosystem. From collaboration across DoD components and Services to vital partnerships with industry, international allies, and stakeholders, this strategy underpins the effort required to reinforce our industrial base. 📈 The NDIS-IP addresses a unified commitment to strengthening industrial capacity, building resilience, and reducing risks across the board. This will involve: • Key partnerships with private industry, academia, and international allies, • New OTAs under the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) for rapid research, including the recently announced request for white papers on “Critical Chemicals for Defense,” • Support from Congress as a cornerstone of sustainable security. For those interested, the unclassified NDIS-IP document is available here: NDIS-IP FY2025. https://lnkd.in/dUmSt7yd I’m inspired by the opportunity to help lead this strategic vision forward, ensuring our nation’s industrial base remains robust and capable. #NationalSecurity #IndustrialBase #DefenseStrategy #Innovation #DoD

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Omni Federal is pleased to announce a recent award to lead the development of SOCOM’s Enterprise Training Marketplace within Digital University. SOCOM recognized a need for a comprehensive, secure, and user-friendly marketplace where SOCOM units can easily explore, select, purchase, and manage approved training from reputable vendors. Speed, convenience, and flexibility are the three core principles of this simplified procurement process. SOCOM requires an Amazon-like platform with automated procurement features that can be easily changed and adapted to meet evolving mission requirements. This single mission-enabled platform will allow users to acquire the necessary training needs of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOCs), Special Missions Units (SMUs), and SOCOM service components. We leveraged a deep understanding of SOCOM’s distinct enterprise training requirements to conceptualize a unique SOCOM Training Marketplace design within Digital University. Our initial focus is to create a streamlined user interface and enhance the user experience for effortless navigation through the extensive pool of 100+ SOCOM-specific vendors. To capture SOCOM stakeholder needs, Omni is applying our commercially proven Human-Centered Design process adapted to meet the mission and security needs of DoD agencies. Our scope of work includes integrating an easy-to-use and streamlined procurement process, initially developed, and validated by the Digital University Program Team to expedite the acquisition of training resources. The specific and unique SOCOM Training Marketplace procurement process seamlessly aligns with the well-defined and strategically crafted set of Digital University acquisition stages, enabling integration of the two to meet specific training requirements established by the SOCOM enterprise. We are thrilled at the opportunity to continue our development and expansion of Digital University to support the SOCOM Enterprise and Warfighter readiness across the DoD. #digitaltransformation #weareomnifederal #digital #learning #specialoperations #SOCOM #JSOC Digital University BESPIN USSOCOM

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There is no doubt that promoting IT modernization, comprehensive and continuous process improvement, and competition for products and services across the entire life cycle inc government purpose data rights would yield enormous savings. New business models like “Government as the Lead Systems Integrator,” and engagement in military and commercial specs and STDs can promote and accelerate innovation and help ensure quality improvement for contracted services. Building leadership skills and capabilities at all levels to accelerate learning, change and transformation can embed new cultural norms which would help institutionalize these new paradigms. Lastly, given exponentially accelerating technologies and the need to sense, be agile and adaptive as well as anticipatory we can create a culture of learning (vs just doing).. "Defense contractors routinely overcharge the Pentagon by 40%—and sometimes more than 4,000%," Sanders continued. "In October, RTX (formerly Raytheon) was fined $950 million for inflating bills to the DoD, lying about labor and material costs, and paying bribes to secure foreign business. In June, Lockheed Martin was fined $70 million for overcharging the navy for aircraft parts, the latest in a long line of similar abuses.."

The DISA Next Strategy aims to transform and integrate capabilities and services to best support the #DoD aligning with the National Defense Strategy’s priorities. By enhancing information system networks, DISA Next fosters improved interoperability, security, and efficiency. #Startups that align their products with this strategy can better understand the transformation process and how to contribute to the DoD's mission. This alignment ensures that their #technology are relevant and effective, ultimately driving success in a defense environment increasingly reliant on #innovation.

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As promised, I can now share the interview with SAIC 's Jay Meil and Joshua Conine . Thanks to Air & Space Forces Association for the great interview. Listen in if you are curious about data, ai and ml for national defense. https://lnkd.in/eeQ28sJd

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Las week I was invited (again) by the DoD to attend the AFSOR 2024 Trust and Influence Program Review on August 12-16, 2024. to be held in Dayton, OH. Department of the Air Force Chief Data and AI Office has been creating a healthy environment where academia and industry jointly with goverment share experiences and insights. Its time to keep moving towards the future of the idea of #workingforhumans #thinkingfromscience and the power of #humath. We should definitively continue creating #aipoweredsolutions with our idea. Universidad EAFIT Innovación EAFIT and #PinkTechnologies powered by #Humath

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Congratulations to our #AirForce friends and colleagues for the launch of #NIPRGPT. Summary from the attached article: The Department of the Air Force, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is launching NIPRGPT to allow Guardians, Airmen, civilian employees, and contractors to responsibly experiment with Generative AI. This initiative aims to enhance computational efficiency, resource utilization, and security compliance while exploring GenAI's practical applications. “Technology is learned by doing,” said Chandra Donelson, the DAF’s acting chief data and artificial intelligence officer. “As our warfighters, who are closest to the problems, are learning the technology, we are leveraging their insights to inform future policy, acquisition, and investment decisions." "NIPRGPT is a critical bridge to ensure we get the best tools we have into our team's hands while larger commercial tools are navigating our intense security parameters and other processes,” said Alexis Bonnell, AFRL chief information officer. “NIPRGPT will allow Airmen and Guardians to explore and build skills and familiarity as more powerful tools become available." Check out the full article to learn more. It's fun to watch this exciting development and how it advances our shared goals for a safer, more secure digital future. Everyone Deserves Secure Software! #AirForce #Cybersecurity #Innovation #AI #SoftwareDevelopment

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USAF reexamining #NGAD procurement effort to include underlying operational concept (crewed, uncrewed, optionally crewed, etc.).

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In a critical time for enhancing our military readiness and defense industrial base, the annual unfunded priority lists (UPL's) reach a near record high $29.4 billion. UPL's published by the services, combatant commands, and a few other defense agencies include: - $7.4 billion for Military Construction and Facilities Maintenance - $3 billion for aircraft-related procurement, including funds to buy 14 additional aircraft - $4.6 billion for Research, Development, Test, And Evaluation - $2.3 billion for munitions procurement Also interesting are items NOT named as UPL's and therefore not on any list: "The Navy's most interesting item was what was not on its list: a submarine. The Navy cut a submarine in PB25, breaking from the plan to procure two attack submarines per year. It did not even hint that Congress should add the submarine back. This is likely a result of reported shipbuilding delays." Although not particularly popular with either the Pentagon or the White House, and some defense skeptics that never met any defense spending they could like, even unfunded, UPL's are an important wishlist and overview of priorities from the users within DoD. #defensebudget #defenseindustry https://lnkd.in/d8uM7ZqU

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DoD rule-makers have been busy with proposed rules for DFARS. Those of you with a NAICS code that begins with 5416--management, scientific, and technical consulting services NAICS--will want to pay attention to this first rule in particular... Preventing Conflicts of Interest for Certain Consulting Services (DFARS Case 2024-D007) - Proposes amending DFARS to-- ▶ implement Section 812 of the FY24 NDAA which prohibits DoD from awarding contracts assigned a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code beginning with 5416 to offerors who hold contracts that involve consulting services with certain covered foreign entities. ▶ add a new solicitation provision in which an offeror certifies whether the offeror, its subsidiaries, or affiliates hold a contract for consulting services with one or more covered foreign entities and whether the offeror maintains a conflict-of-interest mitigation plan that meets certain requirements. ▶ requires that if the offeror, its subsidiaries, or affiliates hold such a contract and the offeror is selected for award, the offeror may submit its existing conflict-of-interest mitigation plan, which will be incorporated into a contract resulting from the solicitation. The provision is prescribed for use in solicitations assigned a NAICS code beginning with 5416 that involve consulting services. (https://lnkd.in/gCdMD7D4) DoD Cost or Pricing Data Reporting Requirements (DFARS Case 2022-D004) - Would amend DFARS to-- ▶ require offerors to submit data other than certified cost or pricing data upon contracting officer request. ▶  establish a $2 million threshold for the Truthful Cost or Pricing Data statute requirements with respect to contract modifications, subcontracts, and modifications to subcontracts.  ▶ require that contract modifications to reflect the revised threshold be executed “as soon as practicable.” The proposed rule implements these changes via several proposed new clauses. (https://lnkd.in/gfNcW2rR) Public Access to Results of Federally Funded Research (DFARS Case 2020-D028) - Proposes two new clauses that require contractors with contracts that include fundamental research to develop and maintain a data management plan and to submit final peer-reviewed manuscripts to the Defense Technical Information Center’s publicly accessible repository. (https://lnkd.in/g7bDcij6) Comments for all proposed rules are due on 11/25/2024. Instructions to comment are found at each permalink.

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On YouTube: "The Dawn of Enterprise Architecture in the Air Force" Presenter: Jeffrey W. Eggers, DISL Air Force ISR Chief Architect The Air Force has long used DoDAF to document solutions architectures at the systems level while using a completely separate and ever-changing variety of documents to plan our forces and their capabilities. With the advent of UAF, the Air Force is just beginning to use model-based systems engineering principles at a truly enterprise level to analyze and define the structure of our future forces and to build genuinely integrated plans for developing new capabilities. Challenges abound with educating service members on modern architecting approaches, nurturing the seedlings of current efforts, and unifying our efforts across organizations and priorities. This talk covers the goals, challenges, and progress of Air Force enterprise architecting. Watch on our YouTube channel and subscribe: https://bit.ly/3XdjiVi #UAF #DoDAF Air Force OMG

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Enhancing Air Force Leadership: New Foundations Courses Launched The U.S. Air Force has introduced new "Foundations" courses to bridge the developmental gap for Airmen advancing to NCO ranks. These courses, mandatory before attending schools like the Airman Leadership School and NCO Academies, are designed to prepare Airmen at different stages of their careers. With a curriculum that includes building a warrior mindset, enhancing critical thinking, and aligning with strategic objectives, these courses aim to deliver the right content at the right time in an Airman’s career. This initiative underscores the Air Force's commitment to continuous professional development and readiness. 🌐 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/ezwKGktg. Military.com

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