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Infor Acquires Smart Manufacturing Company Lighthouse Systems; CEO Kevin Samuelson Quoted
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Infor Acquires Smart Manufacturing Company Lighthouse Systems; CEO Kevin Samuelson Quoted

Infor, a New York City-based provider of cloud computing as-a-Service, has acquired Lighthouse Systems in a transaction whose financial terms have not been disclosed.

Under the acquisition, which closed on Oct. 27, Infor said it will integrate Lighthouse Systems’ manufacturing execution system (MES) software into its CloudSuite enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to offer a fully integrated smart manufacturing platform to its global government and commercial customers.

Lighthouse Systems’ MES software, including its flagship Shopfloor-Online product, provides manufacturing companies with a centralized software system designed to manage and improve production, maintenance, inventory and quality with 24/7 accessibility. 

Kevin Samuelson, CEO of Infor, said, “Integrating these capabilities with our industry-specific ERP systems will help us deliver even more powerful solutions to manufacturing organizations, as they look to digitize their operations and grow their businesses.”

Samuelson added that the addition of Lighthouse Systems’ “critical” MES products will help Infor deliver real-time visibility and enhanced data consistency to the partnership’s expanded customer base.

Lighthouse Systems was recently recognized as an Honorable Mention in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems report

The company is based in Crowley, England and has approximately 100 employees across major offices in the U.K., U.S. and Singapore. Its customers span a range of industries including sustainable energy, automotive, life science and building and construction.

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CACI Enters Agreement to Acquire SA Photonics; CEO John Mengucci Quoted
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CACI Enters Agreement to Acquire SA Photonics; CEO John Mengucci Quoted

CACI International announced on Wednesday that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire SA Photonics, Inc. for a total purchase consideration of $275 million to advance the next-generation communications from space to airborne and ground platforms at scale.

Through the acquisition, CACI will expand its capabilities as the leading U.S.-based free-space optical (FSO) laser communications provider supporting space, airborne, and terrestrial missions to U.S. government and commercial customers.

“For two decades, CACI has successfully delivered FSO communications to advance evolutionary technology for the protection and exploration of the contested space domain,” said John Mengucci, president and CEO of CACI and two-time Wash100 Award winner. “With SA Photonics, our combined technology enables us to deliver immediate FSO communications across all domains.”

SA Photonics’ owned IP technology offers low size, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) solutions that transmit data 25 times faster than current radio frequency systems while also utilizing payloads that are half the normal size.

In addition, CACI will also expand its modern photonics production facilities in California, Florida, and New Jersey. CACI expects to close the transaction by the end of this calendar year.

During a recent Executive Spotlight with ExecutiveBiz, Mengucci commented on the level of CACI’s success and organic growth while also improving its product differentiation to create value for the company’s shareholders and customers?

“With 60 years of success with our employees and shareholders, we know that our strong culture of ethics and innovation, integrity and ethics is always going to be here. We focus very much on operational excellence,” said Mengucci. “We always have strong foundational elements. At the end of the day, that’s what drives growth from a financial side, but it also drives career growth for our employees.”

You can read the full Executive Spotlight with John Mengucci on ExecutiveBiz.

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Dr. Kenyon Crowley Named Health Analytics Leader for Accenture Federal Services; Jill Olmstead Quoted
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Dr. Kenyon Crowley Named Health Analytics Leader for Accenture Federal Services; Jill Olmstead Quoted
Dr. Kenyon Crowley Named Health Analytics Leader for Accenture Federal Services; Jill Olmstead Quoted
Dr. Kenyon Crowley, Health Analytics Leader, Accenture Federal

20-year health information technology veteran Dr. Kenyon Crowley has been appointed as managing director of health analytics for Accenture’s federal business arm, effective Nov. 2, 2021.

In his new role, Dr. Crowley will leverage information science, digital strategy and advanced analytical methods to enable the company’s federal government customers to achieve their healthcare goals and deliver value-based care, Accenture Federal Services said Wednesday.

Accenture Federal Services’ Health Managing Director Jill Olmstead welcomed the new segment leader and said, “Dr. Kenyon Crowley brings a unique combination of strategic vision and technical acumen that will help our federal health clients harness the power of data to make critical decisions.”

Prior to his appointment with AFS, Dr. Crowley served for nearly 13 years as managing director of the Center for Health Information & Decision Systems at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he spearheaded research and development programs focused on digital health and advanced analytics innovations.

Currently, Dr. Crowley teaches courses on AI in healthcare, user-centered mobile health app design, health IT strategy and health informatics as a faculty member in the university’s department of Decision, Operations and Information Technologies.

Additionally, the new health analytics leader is a Certified Professional in Health Information Management Systems and has previously served as a scientific reviewer for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health.

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Adm. Christopher Grady Nominated to Joint Staff Vice Chair Role
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Adm. Christopher Grady Nominated to Joint Staff Vice Chair Role

Adm. Christopher Grady, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Forces Command, has been nominated by President Biden to serve as the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s next vice chairman.

He will still hold the rank of admiral after his nomination pushes through, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Grady has concurrently led USFFC and U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command since May 2018. In February of the following year, he took on leadership responsibilities at U.S. Strategic Command’s Joint Force Maritime Component and Naval Forces Strategic Command.

He also previously commanded the U.S. 6th Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.

If confirmed by the Senate, he will succeed Air Force Gen. John Hyten, who intends to retire when his term as JCS vice chairman expires at the end of November.

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AF Department’s New Office to Manage Land Mobile Radio Procurements; Don Lewis Quoted
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AF Department’s New Office to Manage Land Mobile Radio Procurements; Don Lewis Quoted

The Department of the Air Force has activated a new office to centralize the oversight and procurement of land mobile radio systems across the U.S. Air Force and Space Force.

The Land Mobile Radio Product Management Office, which reached initial operational capability status upon its formation, replaced the cyberspace systems support unit under the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, AFIMSC said Monday.

Rich Lapierre of the Air Education and Training Command has been appointed chief of LMR PRO.

“By centralizing LMR oversight, we estimate more than $300 million in savings over the next 10 years,” said Don Lewis, chief of AFIMSC’s Cyberspace Systems Branch.

“The individual bases will continue to manage local site operations, but we will provide a single source for policy and technical support, PMO-level advocacy for requirements, standard levels of service, and strategic planning and lifecycle management.”

DAF expects the new office to have a full staff by the end of this year and reach full operational capability in December 2022.

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FAA Warns of Potential Interference From 5G Network Deployments in C-Band
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FAA Warns of Potential Interference From 5G Network Deployments in C-Band

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a bulletin informing aircraft manufacturers, operators and pilots over potential interference with radio altimeters and other aircraft electronics systems caused by the use of 5G technology, Reuters reported Tuesday.

FAA is carrying out a risk assessment to determine whether further mitigation is needed in preparation for planned 5G network deployments in the C-band spectrum starting Dec. 5th, according to the special airworthiness information bulletin.

The agency called on equipment manufacturers to conduct tests to determine the susceptibility of radio altimeters to interference and work with aircraft makers on design changes.

Aircraft manufacturers should evaluate the potential for interference on various aircraft types and issue guidance to operators on retrofit plans for radio altimeters and other aircraft equipment that are susceptible to harmful interference due to 5G network operations in the 3700-3800 MHz band.

Meredith Attwell Baker, president and CEO of wireless trade group CTIA, said 5G networks using the C-band spectrum would not cause any harmful interference and that any delay in using the spectrum could undermine U.S. leadership in 5G.

“5G networks using C-band spectrum operate safely and without causing harmful interference to aviation equipment,” Baker was quoted as saying by Fierce Wireless.

“The evidence includes numerous active 5G networks using this spectrum band in 40 countries all over the world, as well as years of study and technical analysis by the FCC and international agencies, including material submitted by the aviation industry.”

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Ruben Gallego’s Proposed NDAA Provision to Consider Expanding Five Eyes Alliance
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Ruben Gallego’s Proposed NDAA Provision to Consider Expanding Five Eyes Alliance

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Armed Services special operations and intelligence subcommittee, has proposed a language in the defense policy bill that would consider adding four countries to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Defense One reported Tuesday.

The provision in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act would direct the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense to report on the state of intelligence sharing among the Five Eyes member countries and assess the potential benefits and risks of integrating Japan, India, South Korea and Germany with the alliance.

The Five Eyes alliance is composed of the U.S., Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the U.K. It started as an intelligence-sharing pact between the U.S. and the U.K. to fight the Axis powers during World War II.

Gallego said adding India, South Korea and Japan to the alliance would enable the U.S. to broaden its network of surveillance assets to help track China’s activities.

“It is basically a warning to China, as well as a shot in the arm to these nations, that ‘we trust you so much that we are putting you in our sacred circle of intelligence sharing,’” he said.

The House approved its NDAA version containing Gallego’s proposed language in September. The Senate has yet to pass its defense policy bill, which needs to be reconciled with the lower chamber’s measure before it heads to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature.

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CDC Solicits Comments on Proposed Centers of Excellence for Personal Protective Tech
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CDC Solicits Comments on Proposed Centers of Excellence for Personal Protective Tech

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking public input on the need to form centers of excellence to address research and practice gaps in the field of personal protective technology (PPT). 

CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is seeking comments on three focus areas that future centers of excellence could help address, including research and development of new technologies and approaches to PPT and ergonomic measures to assess the factors that influence the adoption of PPT, according to a request for information published Tuesday on Federal Register.

NIOSH is asking interested stakeholders to respond to a set of questions, including the benefits of establishing centers of excellence to advance PPT research and practice and specific PPT research and practice needs for certain industry sectors and occupations, various types of hazards and certain anatomical categories of protection.

The institute also wants information on emerging technologies that could be investigated with regard to improving the effectiveness of PPT and specific research domains, technical expertise or academic disciplines that could help address PPT research and practice needs.

Responses to the RFI are due Jan. 31st.

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DARPA Seeks Mission System Concepts Aimed at Peer Competition
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DARPA Seeks Mission System Concepts Aimed at Peer Competition

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Strategic Technology Office (STO) has released a broad agency announcement (BAA) on a funding opportunity for research and development of mission system concepts to help the U.S. military address the challenges of peer competition.

A notice posted Monday on SAM.gov says that the office is seeking new warfighting technology platforms to enable “mosaic warfare” and shape the battlespace across multiple domains.

Topic areas of interest listed in the announcement include artificial intelligence, non-kinetic effects, autonomy and control algorithms, electromagnetic warfare, photonics, strategy analysis technology, space architectures and system of systems.

The BAA solicits “revolutionary” ideas for topics not covered by current STO programs. Interested parties can submit proposals through Oct. 31, 2022.

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NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Consumer Software Cyber Labeling Document; Michael Ogata Quoted
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NIST Seeks Comments on Draft Consumer Software Cyber Labeling Document; Michael Ogata Quoted

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is soliciting feedback on a draft document outlining a set of cybersecurity criteria for a consumer software labeling program in compliance with a cybersecurity executive order signed in May.

NIST said Monday it is seeking comments on the baseline of technical requirements or “attestations” for software and related label.

These attestations are claims about the security of software offerings and are classified into four categories in the document: descriptive; secure software development; critical cybersecurity attributes and capability; and data inventory and protection attestations.

“We are establishing criteria for a label that will be helpful to consumers,” said Michael Ogata, a NIST computer scientist and co-author of the draft document. “The goal is to raise consumers’ awareness about the various security needs they might have and to help them make informed choices about the software they purchase and use.”

Public comments on the Draft Baseline Criteria for Consumer Software Cybersecurity Labeling are due Dec. 16th. NIST will use the insights to inform the document’s final version set for release by Feb. 6th.

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