PEO Pulse - Feb. 21, 2020

The "PEO Pulse" is a weekly digest of relevant news, recent PEO EIS events and updates to keep our workforce informed. Take a look at the headlines in this week's edition:

• ASC System of the Week: GFEBS
• Augmented reality headset is star of Army's 2012 budget request
• Video games and virtual recruiting stations helping Army meet 2020 troop goals
• OTAs are contract of choice for Army's modernization, McCarthy says 
• DISA exposes personal data of 200,000 people
• Pentagon shaves $6.5B by selling obsolete equipment, overhauling bureaucracy 
• Navy 2021 budget shows IT, cyber adjustments
• Does DoD's R&D spending reflect strategic priorities? 
• You can't take it with you - Or can you? 
• Trump administration publishes memo that could end defense unions 
• Pentagon announces plan to downsize nearly 50 hospitals, clinics 
• Cyber Command awards $50M threat intelligence contract to recorded future 
• Overstock.com protest could delay GSA commercial e-marketplace pilots 
• Raytheon completes first antenna for Army's new missile defense radar 
 

►► AROUND EIS

UPCOMING EVENTS
• Feb. 27: PEO EIS Town Hall
• Mar. 5: Lunch & Learn
• Mar. 24-26: Signal Conference, Springfield VA
• Mar. 26: Lunch & Learn

DEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY - SENIOR SERVICE COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP (DAU‐SSCF) Eligibility: GS‐14/15 or broadband equivalent; Acquisition Corps member; DAWIA Level III in current position; CES Advanced; Secret clearance. Website: https://asc.army.mil/web/career-development/programs/defense-acquisition-university-senior-service-college/ . Open through March 25, 2020. Program Start: July 2020. SRPE Required. Application process through CAPPMIS. PEO EIS Internal suspense for applications is NLT 01 MAR 2020.

RECRUITMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS: Volunteers for the Expeditionary Civilian Workforce (Acquisition Specialist/NH-0343-03 & Deputy Director/NH-0343-03, Afghanistan). TARGET SERIES/GRADE:  NH-0343-03. OPEN: 1 February 2020 - 13 April 2020.  Open to all employees on a permanent career or career conditional appointment. Bagram, Afghanistan (Deployment may require relocation to different locations within CENTCOM AOR). All questions should be sent directly to the ASA (ALT) forward office at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-asa-alt.list.fwd-ops@mail.mil


►► CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE

On March 2, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Professional Staff Members (PSMs) begin 2021 Program Budget Briefs, reviewing PEO EIS ERP programs. Programs scheduled for review include: IPPS-A INC-2, AIE, ACWS, RCAS, GFEBS DEVMOD, GFEBS SA, ATIS, DCO, DCO Software Prototype Development (BA8), GCSS-ARMY INC-2, ADPE, WESS, I3MP, LMR, MC4, ATIS


►► EIS IN THE NEWS

ASC SYSTEM OF THE WEEK: GFEBS
General Fund Enterprise Business Systems (GFEBS) employs a Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), web-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to integrate financial, real property and other asset, cost and performance data. GFEBS standardizes business processes and transactions across the active Army, the Army National Guard (ARNG) and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) at over 200 locations.


►► ARMY

AUGMENTED REALITY HEADSET IS STAR OF ARMY'S 2021 BUDGET REQUEST
The Army's budgeting process has endured shakeups over the past few years thanks to the zero-based budgeting process called "night court" -- and the 2021 $178 billion request is no different. But with an increased focus on modernization, this year's request has a clear standout: the initial fielding of augmented-reality infused night goggles called IVAS.

VIDEO GAMES AND VIRTUAL RECRUITING STATIONS HELPING ARMY MEET 2020 TROOP GOALS
After revamping the way it recruits young people over the past couple years, the Army said it is ahead of schedule to bring in the number of soldiers needed for 2020. Army Recruiting Command leader Maj. Gen. Frank Muth said the service is more than 2,000 contracts ahead of where it was this time last year.

OTAS ARE CONTRACT OF CHOICE FOR ARMY'S MODERNIZATION, MCCARTHY SAYS
Secretary Ryan McCarthy wants to use more other transaction agreements (OTAs) to modernize the Army, he said the National Press Club Friday. The faster method of contracting is the Army’s best bet to achieve its ambitious modernization goals, McCarthy said.


►► FEDERAL

DISA EXPOSES PERSONAL DATA OF 200,000 PEOPLE
About 200,000 people are getting free credit monitoring services after the Defense Information Systems Agency suffered a data breach. DoD spokesman Charles Pritchard confirmed the breach occurred after DISA’s letters to affected employees started appearing on social media.

PENTAGON SHAVES $6.5B BY SELLING OBSOLETE EQUIPMENT, OVERHAULING BUREAUCRACY 
The Pentagon’s office of the chief management officer managed to find $6.5 billion in savings at the Defense Department last year, the office announced recently, including by selling “obsolete” weaponry to allied nations abroad, reforming information technology processes and helping agencies change how contracts are structured.

NAVY 2021 BUDGET SHOWS IT, CYBER ADJUSTMENTS
The Navy’s information technology budget seems to be trending downward and that could be a good thing. In its $207 billion 2021 budget request, the Navy asked for slightly less money for its Information Systems Security Program, which protects Navy’s national security systems and joint cyber systems, including telecommunications and cybersecurity systems, and their data.

DOES DOD'S R&D SPENDING REFLECT STRATEGIC PRIORITIES?
Two factors are driving military spending priorities: The shift in strategy to great powers competition, and the need to restore the U.S. technological edge, or offset. Data analysts at Govini looked at five years of Defense Department spending to determine whether spending on Research Development Test and Evaluation, or RDT&E, reflects those priorities. 


►► WORKFORCE

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU - OR CAN YOU?
One of the great fears of people planning for retirement is running out of, or low on money while they are still breathing. It’s possible that many of you reading this could be retired for as long as you worked. And life will go on. But without a steady paycheck, with occasional pay raises, coming in every two weeks. Gulp!

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PUBLISHES MEMO THAT COULD END DEFENSE UNIONS
The White House on Thursday formally published a controversial document that gives Defense Secretary Mark Esper the authority to end collective bargaining for the Pentagon’s nearly 750,000-person civilian workforce, more than three weeks after President Trump signed the memo. The document, dated Jan. 29, which delegates Trump’s legal authority to exempt agencies from the law guaranteeing federal employees the right to unionize, is now available on the Federal Register.

PENTAGON ANNOUNCES PLAN TO DOWNSIZE NEARLY 50 HOSPITALS, CLINICS
An estimated 200,000 military family members and retirees would lose their ability to get health care through military hospitals and clinics under a “rightsizing” plan the Defense Department sent to Congress on Wednesday. The blueprint, if fully implemented, would amount to significant restructuring of the military health system’s responsibilities in the continental U.S. over the next several years.


►► INDUSTRY

CYBER COMMAND AWARDS $50M THREAT INTELLIGENCE CONTRACT TO RECORDED FUTURE
Cybersecurity company Recorded Future is providing cyberthreat intelligence reporting for U.S. Cyber Command after winning a $50 million production contract late last year. Cyber Command issued the production-other transaction agreement (OTA) with the help of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in September 2019.

OVERSTOCK.COM PROTEST COULD DELAY GSA COMMERCIAL E-MARKETPLACE PILOTS UNTIL APRIL OR BEYOND
The General Services Administration responded Friday to an Overstock.com protest of the agency’s commercial e-marketplace solicitation, which could delay pilots until April — assuming revisions aren’t ordered. Overstock filed its pre-award bid protest with the Government Accountability Office on Jan. 15 arguing some of the solicitation’s terms are ambiguous and restrict competition.

RAYTHEON COMPLETES FIRST ANTENNA FOR ARMY'S NEW MISSILE DEFENSE RADAR
Raytheon has completed the first radar antenna array for the U.S. Army’s new missile defense radar in less than 120 days after being selected for the job, following a competition to replace the service’s Patriot air and missile defense system sensor. The company won a contract to build the Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, in October. 


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