He brings to the role a wealth of experience in leading financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, and defense and government operations, the company said Tuesday.
Montgomery most recently worked at MAXISIQ, where he held a similar role to his current one. Prior to that, he oversaw financial planning and analysis as senior director at Peraton.
The finance executive’s career also includes leadership positions at Altamira Technologies and OCEUS Networks.
ITC CEO Greg Fitzgerald said Montgomery’s experience will play an important role in driving the company’s future growth.
“Josh’s extensive experience and proven track record in strategic financial management, strategy and M&A will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission and support our national security-focused Federal Government clients,” he commented. “His addition to our team, coming on the heels of our venture capital investment from Blue Delta Capital Partners, will help ITC scale to the next level.”
In September, ITC received a strategic venture capital investment from Blue Delta Capital Partners in support of its efforts to pursue opportunities and expand its footprint in the federal market.
HomeNewsReport: Cerebras Likely to Delay Plans of Going Public Due to National Security Review of G42 Deal
California-based artificial intelligence company Cerebras Systems is likely to postpone its initial public offering scheduled for mid-October due to delays associated with a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States review of a minority investment from G42, a technology conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reported Tuesday.
G42 has agreed to purchase $335 million worth of Cerebras’ stock by April 2025, a transaction that would give the UAE-based tech conglomerate a stake of more than 5 percent in the AI chip manufacturer.
In a revised filing with CFIUS, the companies noted that the shares of Cerebras stock that G42 plans to buy will be non-voting securities, a condition they claimed should not require a CFIUS review.
According to the report, Cerebras is developing AI data centers for G42, whose business accounted for 83 percent of the AI company’s total revenue in 2023.
Sources said Cerebras expects CFIUS to approve the G42 investment in 2024 and will proceed with its plans of going public as soon as it secures the CFIUS clearance.
“US – General Services Administration Logo”, by the U.S. Government, Licensed under CC0
The General Services Administration has announced that ordering periods for the 8(a) and small business tracks of the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contract vehicle, also known as OASIS, will cease on Dec. 19.
GSA said Tuesday the OASIS Unrestricted vehicle’s ordering period will end on March 1, 2025.
The agency noted that access to the Symphony Task Order Management System for the three OASIS tracks will end on Feb. 28, 2025, and that industry partners and customers must retrieve any required data from Symphony before that date.
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit requests for proposals for OASIS Small Business and 8(a) task orders on or before Nov. 1.
For OASIS Unrestricted task orders, RFPs should be submitted on or before Jan. 17, 2025.
In August 2023, GSA extended the OASIS Unrestricted performance period from Sept. 2, 2024, to March 1, 2025, to support ordering contracting officers seeking to meet mission-critical requirements.
HomeContract Awards(TEST) 38 Vendors Win Spots on $3.5B Forest Service Contract for Type 1 Helicopter Support
The U.S. Forest Service has selected 38 offerors for a potential 10-year, $3.5 billion contract to provide helicopter support services.
According to an award notice published Monday, USFS conducted a full and open competition for the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract requiring vendors to provide Type 1 helicopters.
The agency said most of the awardees under the firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract are small businesses.
According to a solicitation notice, the agency needs Type 1 helicopters weighing over 12,501 pounds to support natural resources and wildland fire management programs.
Type 1 helicopters will support various missions, including fire suppression and monitoring, initial attack, prescribed fire and aerial ignition, rappel, short-haul and related resource activities.
USFS may also use the aircraft to perform law enforcement, project and administrative flights.
The contract has a one-year base term and nine option years and includes the development of a safety management system program to ensure safe ground and flight operations.
Type 2 and Type 3 Helicopter Support Contract Awards
In August 2023, USFS awarded 44 vendors spots on the 10-year, $1.5 billion contract to provide Type 2 helicopters weighing between 7,000 pounds and 12,501 pounds.
Four months before that, the agency selected 41 companies to supply helicopters in the Type 3 category under a $1 billion contract vehicle.
Click here to view the full list of awardees under the Type 1 helicopter support contract.
Register now for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13 to learn more about technology initiatives to protect the country amid the evolving geopolitical landscape.
HomeContract AwardsGeneral Dynamics Receives $1.2B in Navy Contract Modifications for Virginia-Class Submarine Materials
A General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) subsidiary has secured two U.S. Navy contract modifications valued at approximately $1.2 billion combined to provide materials to support the construction of Block V and VI Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Contract Action for Block V Submarines
The Department of Defense said Tuesday a potential $878 million contract modification awarded to General Dynamics Electric Boat includes the procurement of additional material for the construction of Block V Virginia-class submarines SSN 812 and 813.
Work on the undefinitized contract action will occur in Virginia, California, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, Illinois and other locations through September 2033.
Naval Sea Systems Command will obligate $658.5 million in fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion funds.
In May 2023, Electric Boat booked a $1.1 billion contract modification from the Navy to procure long-lead-time material and major components needed for the SSN 812 and SSN 813 construction projects.
Contract Award for Block VI Submarines
DOD said the potential $349.7 million undefinitized contract modification issued under a previously awarded contract covers long lead time materials for the planned Block VI Virginia-class submarines.
NAVSEA is the contracting activity and is obligating the full contract amount using the service’s shipbuilding and conversion funds for fiscal 2024.
In August, a potential $1.3 billion contract modification wasawardedto provide long lead time materials to support the construction of Block VI submarines.
Under the latest contract action, Electric Boat will perform work in California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Arizona, North Carolina and other sites through September 2035.
The Pentagon noted that the two contract awards reflect the Navy’s commitment to advancing the industrial base’s health and stability.
The latest DOD announcement came days after the General Dynamics business received two awards worth approximately $620.6 million combined to continue supplying lead yard support services and initial spares for the Virginia-class submarines.
Virginia-class submarines are designed to support the Navy’s special operations, anti-submarine and surface ship warfare missions.
HomeCybersecurityChuck Brooks Debuts Book on Privacy & Cyber Impacts of Emerging Tech
“Inside Cyber: How AI, 5G, and Quantum Computing Will Transform Privacy and Our Security” by Chuck Brooks is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand and take advantage of the next wave of technological progress. Brooks is a well-known executive and adviser who breaks down complicated technological trends into easy-to-understand insights. He does this by providing a deep look at how modern technologies will change business and society in the future—just in time for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Photo courtesy of Brooks
Brooks is one of Executive Mosaic’s esteemed GovCon Experts, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a widely recognized thought leader and a subject matter expert for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Space Systems Critical Infrastructure Working Group. We sat down with Brooks ahead of “Inside Cyber’s” Oct. 15 publication to talk about the impetus behind it and why you should check it out. (“Inside Cyber” is available on Amazon now.)
GovConWire: What was the genesis for “Inside Cyber”?
Chuck Brooks: There were several impetuses. I travel and speak globally at conferences. For the past year, artificial intelligence has permeated almost every discussion at events. It is an early topic of the day. Another factor is my course at Georgetown University in the graduate cybersecurity risk management program. Over five years ago I designed a course called “Disruptive Technologies and Organizational Management.” This past year I reviewed the syllabus and had to completely redo the content as the rate of change in technology and in cybersecurity has become almost exponential. My third reason is that I have come to realize that to adapt to the new challenges facing business and security for both security and privacy, there needs to be a resource people can go to explain things in understandable terms. Hence my book!
GCW: What will readers learn as they read your book?
Brooks: They will get clear, easy-to-understand accounts of cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain, quantum computing, 5G and Internet of Things, as well as information on how these technologies will impact business operations, efficiency, and security. The reader will discover the ways that fast technological progress can change traditional industries and create new value by learning how to handle the cybersecurity landscape and protect their businesses and personal digital lives against the threats that come with it. I also include a comprehensive risk management strategy for managing cybersecurity risks in the ‘4th Industrial Era.’
People who work in government contracting can also use my book as a guide to make the most of the recent technologies that are changing the sector. I highlighted some of these technologies in a GovCon Expert article. The topics I highlighted in the article included AI, machine learning, cybersecurity, digital transformation, 5G, IoT, quantum and high-performance computing, cloud and edge computing, augmented reality, big data, virtualization, smart cities, wearables, 3D printing and materials science.
GCW: What is your general perspective in the near future for emerging tech and cybersecurity?
Brooks: Rapid technological progress is what the near future holds. Sharing information more easily and combining physical and digital methods are both helping to speed it up. Health and medical care, transportation, energy, building, finance, commerce, and security are just some of the fields that will be affected by the disruptive technological change. Getting used to the new workplace technology ecosystem is something that both businesses and the government are doing. It is like cyber-flux right now. For better data security and to move away from old systems, many businesses and organizations are switching to cloud, hybrid cloud and edge platforms. As innovative technologies like AI, quantum computing and 5G come out, they change how things work, which means that new safety approaches and rules are needed.
GCW: Thank you! Where can readers obtain your book?
Brooks: Readers can order the book from Amazon now. It will be available at Barnes & Noble, Target and other bookstores starting on Oct. 15.
According to a request for information issued on Oct. 3, the USPTO is conducting market research to determine interested companies that can offer PQC readiness methods to prepare for potential real-world risks caused by the impact of quantum computing on encryption and data security.
The RFI, which aligns with zero trust architecture plans and other ongoing efforts, seeks possible PQCR strategies focused on cybersecurity measures to protect enterprise infrastructure and business systems. It is capable of conducting quantum surveillance to detect potential threats, perform remediation to fix vulnerabilities and manage the cybersecurity operations and controls posture.
The cybersecurity framework also integrates custom or native cloud and hosting services that protect sensitive business and personal data of the USPTO and other disciplines, service areas and technologies.
Furthermore, the potential PQCR approach integrates existing practices and preparations for possible threats from future technologies or capabilities.
Day Qu, the day when quantum computing reaches a point that a Qubit processor can break encryption decoding methods in minutes, is being compared to the mythical Y2K bug. However, the Y2K event was a supposedly known date and time while the precise time the Day Qu will occur is unknown.
Interested parties may submit their responses by Nov. 6.
The new enrollment centers in California, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and West Virginia started offering enrollment services on Monday, the company said.
The new centers highlight ongoing efforts by Telos to expand its national TSA PreCheck enrollment footprint. To date, the company operates 137 enrollment sites in 28 states across the United States.
Telos noted that the expansion program will continue to support its objective of providing consumers with increased convenience by establishing additional locations and operating at extended hours.
“Telos is proud to bring TSA PreCheck to your neighborhood for an easy, convenient enrollment experience,” Telos CEO and Chairman John Wood said.
Enrolled TSA PreCheck travelers can get through the airport security checkpoint in less than 10 minutes and without removing their shoes, belts and light jackets.
On Nov. 13, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit to learn more about the country’s most significant threats and what’s being done to address them. Register now to attend!
Michael Tarulli has rejoined the Goldman Sachs Group, where he spent a total of 15 years previously, as a partner and global head of aerospace defense within global banking and markets.
Tarulli returns to the firm from fellow investment banking organization Evercore, where he was a senior managing director in the aerospace, defense and government services wing, Goldman Sachs said Monday.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the move, Tarulli wrote, “After a brief sojourn, I’m excited to be back home at Goldman Sachs.”
The 2023 Wash100 Award recipient came onboard Goldman Sachs in 2006 working as an associate in the securities division. Tarulli attended New York University Stern School of Business and then rejoined the firm in the Investment Banking Division in 2011. The executive earned the stripe of managing director at Goldman Sachs in 2019.
When Hurricane Helene touched down in Asheville, North Carolina, last month, Shawntane Duckworth stepped outside and into the storm. So many trees were falling onto her apartment building—more than three-dozen ended up falling on the property grounds—it felt unsafe to stay inside.
The next day, however, a Saturday, Duckworth headed into work—a post office, where she serves as a letter carrier, to deliver mail. There was not much to do when she arrived at the powerless facility. She put on her headlamp and began sorting the mail for delivery, though no carriers went out on their routes that day.
“I didn’t know and I didn’t want to get in trouble for not going,” Duckworth said, explaining why she went into work in the immediate wake of a hurricane. “No one told us not to.”
As of Oct. 7, 11 days later, Duckworth was still without electricity and running water. Her husband is awaiting surgery after he broke his arm when a tree fell on it, creating a significant challenge to find child care for her 11-year-old son with special needs whose school remains closed.
Still, Duckworth has shown up to work nearly every day since the hurricane devastated her city.
Helene has wrought destruction throughout the southeast and Appalachia, causing more than 230 deaths. It has disrupted U.S. Postal Service operations in many states, some of which are still struggling to reopen facilities. In North Carolina alone, more than 20 post offices remain closed and some will need to be rebuilt after sustaining severe flooding and other damage.
Tavon Wells, another carrier in Asheville who serves as president of the local National Association of Letter Carriers chapter, said the Swannanoa post office “essentially doesn’t exist” anymore.
A flooded out post office in Hot Springs, North Carolina Photo Courtesy of the National Rural Letter Carriers AssociationTavon Wells encountered this scene from his route in Asheville Photo by Tavon Wells
Duckworth’s story is similar to many postal employees throughout the region who spoke to Government Executive in recent days. Letter carriers typically missed one day of work before reporting for duty and attempting to carry out their routes. They frequently did so without access to showers, laundry or a generator. One North Carolina employee returned to work Monday, Oct. 7, just 10 days after three trees when through his house and it was deemed unlivable. His colleagues have set up a GoFundMe to help him rebuild.
Jason Kimmel, a carrier in Hendersonville, North Carolina, said some of his colleagues attempted to go to work on Friday only to get stuck at their post offices, where they waited out the storm. By the following Monday, he said, about half of the carriers at his office were back to work. By Tuesday, attendance was pretty much back to normal—aside from the mounting backlog of mail that still had to be sorted and sent out.
“Some people are still without power and clean water and they’re coming to work this whole time,” Kimmel said. “It’s pretty incredible, with the circumstances we’re dealing with.”
While the staffing levels have returned to a near normal, the work itself is anything but. Carriers described walking over downed power lines, fallen trees and sinkholes as they navigate their routes. Places they normally went to use the bathroom along their routes, such as gas stations, are not open. Carriers have been forced to pull over on streets they normally drive down upon discovering parts of them have been washed away. Kimmel noted he must deviate from his normal route constantly due to road closures.
Brian Obst, who represents letter carriers in Tampa, said his surroundings were a “devastation zone.”
“I was stunned at how bad it was,” Obst said.
A USPS employee’s property in the Asheville area Photo courtesy of Tavon WellsA USPS employee’s property in the Asheville area Photo courtesy of Tavon Wells
Employees are also working extra hours due to the backlog of mail that built up.
Ben Vess, another carrier in western North Carolina, saw 30 trees collapse on his property. His house is still livable, but his car was destroyed. He has not yet had time to talk to insurance adjusters, or to dig his car out, as he has worked late to catch up on mail deliveries. Still, Vess knows it could have been worse.
“I know of at least four carriers personally who lost their homes,” he said. “I’m not going to complain about having to work with all they’re going through.”
Duckworth noted the late hours have made it impossible to bathe. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has set up mobile showers for communities without running water, but ongoing curfews have forced those to close before Duckwoth ends her deliveries. Kimmel noted a similar issue has made it difficult for postal workers without the power needed to cook at home to find places to pick up hot food after they end their shift.
A sense of normal
Every postal employee with whom Government Executive spoke suggested they were motivated to return to work so they could do their small part in aiding in their community’s recovery efforts.
Kimmel noted the first package he delivered upon returning to work caused the resident receiving it to break down in tears, telling him it was a gift for her son’s birthday and she did not expect to receive anything so soon. He noted it has become common for customers to stop him and talk for 10 or 15 minutes to share their hurricane stories.
“With everything being so abnormal right now, visually, the emotional feel right now, everything is out of the ordinary,” Kimmel said. “Seeing the mail truck come by, bringing the catalogs, even junk mail, it’s the first sign that we’re digging out and getting back to normal.”
He added it has helped the employees, as well, who value their daily interactions after the storm. He likened those conversations to “a form of therapy.”
Obst said postal workers were an integral part of the Tampa community and they take pride in ensuring their customers are receiving their checks, medicines, passports and other essential items.
“This is the way it works, we’re used to that,” he said. “It’s just a matter of working hard and getting it done.”
That work is not getting done without some sacrifice, however. Duckworth noted she would prefer to go home to care for her out-of-school son and injured husband. She is pushing forward—noting she has yet to process the trauma of the last two weeks—and saving her days off for after her husband’s surgery.
“I love my job, but at the same time we want to clean up our houses and take care of our families,” she said.
Requests for help
Employees largely expressed appreciation for their local management, the supervisors who were also dealing with fallout from the storm. Local postmasters offered flexibility to their employees and instructed them to only come back to work when they felt safe doing so.
At the district and national level, however, employees said they have felt less support. At times, there has been no communication at all—an issue exacerbated by the lack of electricity and cell service in many areas. Workers said they have faced pressure to return to work and ensure deliveries are being carried out.
“They’re worried about their numbers, I’m worried, ‘Can I get my generator going long enough to make my food?’” said Vess, whose power was restored Oct. 7.
Wells, the Asheville carrier and union leader, said he has been pushing the Postal Service to provide supplies and mobile showers at USPS facilities.
“The public sees us each day [and] not being able to clean ourselves with showers, baths, wash our hands at work, it’s a little worrisome,” Wells said. “People have started to stink. We do a dirty job.”
Duckworth hoped postal management would be able to secure some of the supplies FEMA and others are distributing for postal-specific use. USPS unions, who said they are working directly with agency management to get employees what they need, have set up relief funds for their members.
“We just don’t have access to what we need,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.”
Preparing for the next one
In Tampa, USPS, like the rest of federal, state and local officials, has turned its attention to Hurricane Milton. The storm has the potential to be one of the most devastating in Florida history and postal management has held regular meetings to develop a plan and ensure employee safety. Obst said supervisors discussed when to tell employees to stop working, though the expectation is they will continue making deliveries up until the moment operations cease.
Obst noted he is concerned all the material that individuals have pulled out of their houses, such as appliances and furniture that got flooded, have yet to be collected. That can become flying debris during hurricane winds.
Ultimately, Obst said he has told his members to make individual calculations.
“If they don’t feel safe, they don’t go,” Obst said. “We have to do what we have to do take care of our families.”
