The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Cybersecurity, Modernization, Procurement, and More in Federal Agencies

Weekly News Round Up
Written By Elle Newman

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers. 

White House Announces $1B in Cyber Funding for State and Local Governments 

The Biden administration on announced the launch of a $1 billion cybersecurity grant program to help state, local and territorial governments better defend against cyber threats and strengthen the security of their critical infrastructure. 

DOD Looking to Cloud Vendors To Accelerate Zero Trust And CMMC Adoption 

Cloud service providers are being called on to support the Department of Defense’s pressing cybersecurity initiatives to implement zero trust and better secure small and medium-sized contractors in the defense industrial base under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). 

A Cyber Workforce Strategy is Coming from the White House, along with an Implementation Body to Make Sure it Works 

National Cyber Director Chris Inglis' team is working on a plan to address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals and push broader awareness and education about cybersecurity. 

OMB: New Acquisition Rule Coming for Vendors to Vouch for Their Software Security 

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council will soon propose a rule requiring Federal agencies to use a uniform, standard self-attestation form when seeking assurances from software vendors that their products were developed using guidance from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.   

White House Releases Holistic Digital Asset Regulatory Framework 

The Biden administration took the next step in its attempts to regulate the cryptocurrency and digital asset market by releasing a new national framework built on interagency research and input that aims to represent a diverse body of stakeholders. 

Justice Officials Release Framework for Policing Crime in Crypto Space 

Complimenting the new national digital asset framework, law enforcement is planning similar steps to combat crime in the crypto marketplace. 

Commerce Identifies 15 Vendors Likely to Win Spots On $1.5B IT Contract 

The Department of Commerce identified 15 vendors likely to win spots on its $1.5 billion-ceiling enterprise IT contract, in a preaward notice. 

NASA Seeks Proposals for Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development Program 

NASA has started soliciting proposals for a program to build and demonstrate astronaut moon landers for future Artemis lunar missions. 

Army Solicits White Papers for High-Energy Laser Prototype Development Program 

The U.S. Army has asked industry to submit white papers to meet its requirement for a prototype high-energy laser weapon system for defending soldiers, facilities and other assets from threats posed by small unmanned aircraft systems. 

From the Makpar Blog … 

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Elle Newman
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