The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) co-signed a letter of support for Section 1052 of the Senate passed FY21 NDAA. Eight other associations joined INSA in support of more efficient use of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF), urging for provisions in the final bill. The letter was sent on November 12 to the Senate Committee on Armed Services and House Armed Services Committee.
Support has been growing for shared SCIF options as a way to improve contractor capabilities, resulting in cost and time savings for the government. The letter calls for a team approach between the government and industry in order to implement this provision. Currently, every new SCIF space is labor and time intensive for both contractors and the federal government, with potentially months to approve a new SCIF space. COVID-19 has made it clear that the cleared community needs to have a better infrastructure in place that maximizes time and money and equips agencies and companies to best support national security work.
Layoffs Impacting the Defense Industry
| Lockheed Martin | With a contract loss, 90 employees are slated to be leaving Lockheed Martin by the end of the year in Jacksonville, FL. Employees impacted by the contract loss can either relocate to other contracts in the organization or transfer to the new vendor. |
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While chatter has been high about Cisco layoffs since October, CEO Chuck Robbins and CFO Kelly Kramer remained mum on any layoffs when discussing recent revenue.
“We’re off to a solid start in fiscal 2021, and I’m proud of these results,” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said on the company’s earnings call with investors. “Our teams are executing with excellence and we continue to make steady progress on our shift to a software and subscription driven model. We’re encouraged by the signs of improvement in our business, as we continue to navigate the pandemic and other macro uncertainties.”
Hiring impacting the Defense Industry
| Lockheed Martin | In the world of defense DoD contracting, the same companies issuing pinks slips are the ones hiring too. It’s all about contracts won and lost. And sometimes, states lead the way in adding jobs. California is making a big push to create over 6,000 jobs with tax credits for businesses. Lockheed Martin has plans to invest $100 million and add 450 associates to their California operations in Palmdale, Buellton, Helendale, Santa Rosa, Valencia, Beale Air Force Base, and Vandenberg Air Force Base.
“As our state recovers from this historic recession, incentives like these can help spur California’s spirit of innovation and growth to create jobs and bring the California dream into reach for all,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “With policies like these that bolster growth, California will continue to lead the way toward a healthier, more inclusive economic future, that our nation can follow.” |
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Opportunity to Watch
With U.S. Space Force’s Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond wanting a clean approach with building the newest service, the opportunities abound to join the force. With the technical fields that are required for the world of space, now is the time to change the tune of the federal government’s outdated personnel management systems. Both military recruiting and cleared contractors can struggle to attain the best and get their talent to obtain security clearances. Of course, once talent is acquired, the retention battle also begins. With a small service and trillion-dollar needs, the Space Force has the right conditions to bring about necessary changes in personnel policies to attract and retain top talent. It’s never easy to make changes in the Pentagon, but the timing is perfect with the Space Force. Additionally, lessons learned from any changes realized have the opportunity to be scaled across the defense industry.
