GovConJudicata Weekly Debrief (5/15–19)

This week's Weekly Debrief covers the DoD's upcoming cyber plan for contractors, GD's recent deal to support Abrams tanks, Commerce's Tech Hubs grant program, BlackBerry film, and the VA's special salary rate for IT pros.

Defense

FCW – Pentagon outlines upcoming contractor cybersecurity plan

• "By November, Pentagon cybersecurity leaders aim to lay out just how private contractors will be expected to work with government agencies to safeguard data and ward off attacks. 'We are working on a strategy—a [defense industrial base] cybersecurity strategy—that we hope to have out later this year,' David McKeown, DOD’s chief information and security officer, said at GovExec’s Cyber Summit event Thursday."

Yahoo! – General Dynamics (GD) Wins Deal to Support Abrams Battle Tanks

• "General Dynamics Corp.’s GD business unit, Land Systems, recently clinched a modification contract involving Abrams battle tanks. The award has been offered by the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, MI. Valued at $17.6 million, this contract is expected to be completed by May 24, 2024. The work related to this deal will be executed in Sterling Heights, MI."

Commerce

FedScoop – Commerce launches first phase of $500 million Tech Hubs grant program

• "The Department of Commerce has launched applications for funding as part of its $500 million Tech Hubs program, which is intended to significantly expand opportunities for technology research and development across the United States."

Commentary

NextGov – New Movie Chronicles Rise and Fall of Government’s First Secure Smartphone Devices

• "Over the weekend, a new movie called BlackBerry was released to a limited number of theaters, having first debuted at the Berlin film festival earlier this year. The picture does a nice job of chronicling the rise and fall of Research in Motion—or RIM—and their BlackBerry devices which were at one time almost completely ubiquitous in government service."

VA

FedNewsNet – VA opts into Special Salary Rate for IT workforce, regardless of unclear governmentwide rollout

• "The Department of Veterans Affairs is rolling out a new pay model for its IT and cybersecurity employees later this year — whether or not a governmentwide effort to increase tech workers’ salaries moves forward. VA expects the Special Salary Rate will significantly raise the salaries of more than 7,000 of its personnel nationwide. If adopted by all agencies, the SSR would increase the pay for about 100,000 federal IT and cyber employees governmentwide."

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