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Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity (CS) Activities

The Pentagon has released a final rule that greatly expands the number of defense industrial base (DIB) companies that can receive cybersecurity intelligence from DoD on a voluntary basis. The latest rule updates the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Cybersecurity (CS) Program and will allow all defense contractors “who own or operate an unclassified information system that processes, stores, or transmits covered defense information to benefit from bilateral information sharing.” The final rule comes after the DoD gathered public feedback on the changes last summer. “We do this to continue to move forward to reduce cyber risk and to bolster cybersecurity,” Diedra Padgett, deputy director of the DIB Operations Directorate, said in announcing the proposed revision to the program in May 2023. “This has been a long-fought battle for years in the making,” she said. The new rule will take effect on April 11, according to a notice posted to the Federal Register on Tuesday.

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DOJ Announces Pilot Whistleblower Rewards Program and Increased AI Enforcement

On March 7, 2024, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced Department of Justice (DOJ) initiatives to incentivize whistleblowers with payouts from civil or criminal forfeitures and to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into existing corporate enforcement programs and sentencing guidelines.  Speaking at the American Bar Association’s (ABA) 39th National Institute on White Collar Crime in San Francisco, Monaco also announced updates regarding DOJ’s investment of resources into the most serious cases, and the addition of a provision to the DOJ Justice Manual codifying the Mergers & Acquisitions Safe Harbor Policy launched last October.

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Semiannual Regulatory Agenda – Published

On February 9, 2024, the Semiannual Regulatory Agenda was published by the Defense Department, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration This agenda provides summary descriptions of regulations being developed by the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council in compliance with Executive Order 12866 “Regulatory Planning and Review,” as reaffirmed and amended in Executive Order 13563, “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,” and Executive Order 14094, “Modernizing Regulatory Review.”   This agenda is being published to allow interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. Additionally, members of the public can track the progress of any open and pending FAR rule via the “Open FAR Cases” report, which is publicly available at https://www.acq.osd.mil/​dpap/​dars/​far_​case_​status.html.  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/02/09/2024-00461/semiannual-regulatory-agenda

A Look at the Defense Production Act Title III and the Technology Investment Agreement

With ever-increasing threats from the Chinese Communist Party, recently exposed vulnerabilities in the United States’ supply chain and decades of outsourcing that has left the defense and industrial base vulnerable, there is bipartisan/apolitical consensus to improve defense-critical supply chains. For the last several years, the federal government has increased its funding exponentially to rebuild, reshore and sustain the domestic industrial base. Contractors that can present a compelling offering to solve for identified shortfalls or vulnerabilities stand to capture revenue and increased market share. To read more, click here.

Return of PEO Summit Tackles Urgency, Delivering at Speed and Scale

Earlier this month, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment hosted its semiannual Program Executive Office Summit. The forum allows senior acquisition leaders from across the services and DOD components to discuss common challenges, share best practices, and build relationships for improving the delivery of capability to our warfighters, allies and partners.  

William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr. set the scene for the summit with opening comments centered on the current and future threat environments. To read more, please visit: https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3690244/return-of-peo-summit-tackles-urgency-delivering-at-speed-and-scale/