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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: June 30, 2023
Potential Financial Benefits: Estimating the Value of Implementing Open GAO Recommendations
(U.S. Government Accountability Office) Our recommendations to federal agencies and our matters for congressional consideration produce measurable financial benefits for the government. When Congress or agencies implement our matters and recommendations, government expenditures are often reduced, funds put to better use, or federal revenues increased. Over the past 3 years, our work has resulted in annual financial benefits ranging from $55 billion to more than $76 billion. Yet, thousands of our recommendations and matters—5,226 as of May 8, 2023—were still “open” or not implemented. We estimate that implementing them could produce $92 billion to $182 billion in financial benefits. Read More
US clears Norway for $293 million small diameter bomb sale to equip F-35 fleet
(Breaking Defense) The US State Department has approved a $293 million potential Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Norway for Raytheon-made GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) IIs for use on F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. Announced Wednesday, Oslo has specifically requested procurement of 580 SDBs, also known as StormBreaker, which follows an earlier approved sale for 20 of the precision guided weapons, bringing the total on order to 600 units. “The proposed sale will improve Norway’s capability to meet current and future threats by bolstering operational readiness while enhancing air and defense capabilities with a modernized weapon to support the new F-35A fleet,” said the US State Department. Read More
GMU Links with DOD Cyber Crime Center to Address Challenges in Vulnerability Disclosure Program
(ExecutiveGov) The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center partnered with George Mason University to help address challenges in the full-scale launch of its Vulnerability Disclosure Program. The collaboration was made possible through the National Security Innovation Network Capstone program, which is comprised of entrepreneurs and student technologists with innovations that are potentially beneficial to the DOD, the defense agency said Tuesday. VDP began in 2016 as a pilot program with the Defense Industrial Base and was was designed to cast a wider net of protection for the DOD Information Network. Although the pilot proved successful, it faced scalability obstacles such as a larger workforce to meet higher demand for services. Read More
What is Artificial Intelligence? A Comprehensive Guide for Everyone
(IoT For All) Ever scratched your head wondering how your phone responds to your queries, how online shopping platforms know just what you might like, or how your email is so good at spotting junk? That, my friend, is the magic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in action. But, let’s cut the jargon and break down what AI really means and why you should care. Let’s imagine Artificial Intelligence as an enormous playground where we’re trying to teach machines to play like us humans. It involves creating computer systems and software that can tackle tasks and solve problems in a way that would usually need a human brain, making our everyday jobs a breeze and boosting efficiency. This technology isn’t just a fad, but it’s changing our world in fantastic and novel ways that we’re still discovering. Read More
‘This capability didn’t exist 30 days ago’: How military exercises can drive software development
(Breaking Defense) This month, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted an unusual exercise. The exercise, Digital Falcon Oasis, brought together a set of capabilities, participants, and processes that foreshadowed the future of digital warfare, and how we might train for that future. The exercise scenario sought to answer a simple, but challenging question: whether the Command could find, prioritize, approve, and neutralize 1,000+ targets that presented a threat to U.S. interests over a 24-hour period. Read More
Locality Proposal Would Boost Pay for 33,000 Federal Employees
(FEDweek) OPM has proposed rules to create four new GS localities and to widen the boundaries of a number of existing ones, actions that would result in higher pay for some 33,000 employees working in the affected areas. It would do that by removing them from the lowest-paid locality, the catchall “rest of the U.S.” for areas outside city zones with their own pay rates, into an area with its own designated rate. “These changes would result in geographic differences in federal salaries better reflecting the overall geographic differences in salary in line with statutory goals. In turn, this could affect federal recruitment and retention across the U.S.,” says a June 28 Federal Register notice. Read More
Moonquake-hunting ‘SPIDER’ probes could detect lunar temblors on NASA Artemis missions
(Space.com) A spider web-like network of earthquake stations is aiming for the moon. Australian company Fleet Space received funding to develop its Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research, or SPIDER, to detect seismic quakes on the moon in the future. The early-stage $4 million AUS ($2.65 million USD) contract is not for an imminent landing mission, but for technology development. The eventual goal is to bring a trio of seismic monitors to the moon for one lunar “day” (14 days on Earth) to help locate valuable resources below the lunar surface. Read More
ICEAA’s NewsBrief is a collection of articles relevant to the cost estimating and analysis community that is delivered weekly to current ICEAA members. To advertise in NewsBrief, contact iceaa@iceaaonline.org.