ID Technologies announced on Monday that the company has been named one of The Washington Post’s 2021 Top Workplaces in the Washington, D.C. area. This selection was based only on employee feedback gathered through an anonymous third-party survey performed by Energage. 

“Now in its eighth year, The Post’s Top Workplaces list continues to highlight the companies in the Washington area that are leaders in company satisfaction and engagement,” commented  Dion Haynes, Washington Post Top Workplaces editor. 

“Throughout the past 15 months, these companies have had to make quick decisions in order to keep their employees safe while also balancing productivity and efficiency, and their employees have taken note of this great work,” added Haynes. 

Energage’s survey measured multiple aspects of workplace culture, such as alignment, execution, and connection. The 2021 honorees include government contractors, real estate firms, professional and business services, law firms and tech companies.

ID Technologies is a systems solutions provider that focuses on delivering mission information technology outcomes to its customers in the civilian, federal and intelligence markets. The company pairs market-leading technologies and supportive acquisition strategies with agility, expertise, and mission understanding to enable government agencies to achieve mission success. 

“ID Tech is honored to be recognized for the second year in a row as a Top Washington-Area Workplace. To be elected by our employees and the community we serve for such an award speaks volumes about our corporate culture and strategic vision of ID Technologies,” stated Chris Oliver, ID Technologies CEO.  

“We are proud to provide our customers innovation fueled by experience while fostering a dynamic and collaborative workplace for our employees,” Oliver concluded.

 The Washington Post held a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, June 17th to recognize the top-ranked companies. 

Ram Iyer, chief data officer at the Food and Drug Administration, said the agency is starting its own data modernization projects to cater to stakeholders.

The agency seeks to expand its workforce for new talent in agile software delivery, artificial intelligence, data presentation and other data-related applications, Nextgov reported Thursday.

FDA seeks to automate its data ingestion process as part of key efforts, which will run in alignment with new best practices the agency is adopting for its data.

Iyer and other federal executives spoke about data modernization efforts at AFCEA Bethesda's webinar last Wednesday. Agencies are working to improve their data use approaches in alignment with the Federal Data Strategy 2021 Action Plan and supporting policies.

Adm. Linda Fagan has assumed the role of the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) vice commandant to succeed Adm. Charles Ray, who held the role for three years. 

Previously, Fagan led USCG's pacific operations as commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area. Her area of responsibility covered oceans in the western U.S., Asia, Arctic areas and Antarctica, USCG said Friday.

“Adm. Fagan, it is an honor to welcome you as the first woman to serve as a four-star admiral in the U.S. Coast Guard, and I congratulate you as you assume the duties as our 32nd Vice Commandant," said Karl Schultz, USCG commandant.

Ray, in his time as USCG's vice commandant, led efforts to recapitalize its fleet of legacy aircraft and vessels. He retires after 40 years of service with the Coast Guard and is a recipient of the Department of Homeland Security's Distinguished Service Medal.

The Department of the Air Force has released an environmental assessment of efforts to modernize the U.S. military's intercontinental ballistic missile. The Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) test program's final environmental assessment covers proposed efforts to demonstrate GBSD at U.S. Army Garrison–Kwajalein Atoll and waters surrounding the Marshall Islands, the U.S. Air Force said Sunday.

The analysis also tackles the establishment of the program's dedicated training unit at Vandenberg Space Force Base, and how the demonstration may impact the environment.

The GBSD program aims to deliver an updated ballistic missile system that would replace and succeed the existing Minuteman III. Northrop Grumman develops GBSD.

Interested parties may access the environmental analysis here.

A Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) unit has approved a 3D-printed tool built to help maintainers detach steering wheel columns from military vehicles without breaking or damaging the automotive control hardware.

The Advanced Manufacturing Operations Cell (AMOC) created the metal steering wheel removal device with two partners from the private sector and added the tool design to an online repository of additive manufacturing models, the command said Wednesday.

MCSC intends for the new maintenance tool to cut the number of days it takes for service personnel to change parts in a Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement or a Logistics Vehicle System Replacement platform. The metal printer system being used by Marines works to produce 36 removal devices each day.

"As we put additive manufacturing and other advanced manufacturing capabilities into the maintenance battalions, we can go through and design one-off parts based on a hyper-specific need that we only need one or two of," said Capt. Matthew Audette, MCSC's AMOC project officer.

The Marine Corps established AMOC in 2019 to provide round-the-clock 3D printing assistance to program offices and oversee the approval process for ground equipment replacement parts developed by servicemen.

The U.S. Navy kicked off a series of full ship shock trials on Friday to determine whether its Ford-class aircraft carrier could withstand harsh conditions that may arise in a battle mission.

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) completed its first scheduled explosive event in the Atlantic Ocean and the Navy plans to use test data in shock hardness assessment, the Navy said Friday.

The FSST phase follows 18 months of the vessel's post-delivery testing period that saw crew members perform improvement and maintenance work onboard.

CVN 78, the lead ship of the Navy's Ford-class, is scheduled to enter a six-month planned incremental availability before the carrier reaches the operational employment stage.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division delivered CVN 78 to the Navy on May 31, 2017.

The branch conducts shock trials of its surface ships to comply with Office of the Chief of Naval Operations Instruction 9072.2 under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016.

U.S. Air Force and Army personnel are participating in a five-day virtual training program to practice operational contract support tasks for large-scale military operations.

The 2021 Joint Forces Contracting Exercise (JFCE-21) is intended to prepare servicemen in performing joint regional contracting work and to revalidate their ability to obtain commercial goods or services for multidomain missions, the Air Force said Thursday.

"Meeting the challenges we’ll face in the next conflict will require an understanding of how the other service incorporates contracting into operational planning and execution," said Air Force Lt. Col. Peter O'Neill, deputy director of the exercise.

Army Lt. Col. Marlon Elbelau, the lead planner for the event, pointed out that JFCE-21 going virtual opens the doors for training in various locations while reducing expenses for travel, venue and support staff.

However, Elbelau conceded that being online reduces the real-time collaboration opportunity between units, limits networking and relationship building between servicemen and presents the risk of network issues.

JFCE-21 builds on the Operational Contract Support Joint Exercise series, which was canceled after the 2018 edition due to budget constraints.