YES THEY ARE: The Times They Are A Changing

Peter, Paul  & Mary ... Lend a hand

Exactly What We Didn't Want To See > Solar Flares Erupting + MORE!!

M6.9 Quake

Published on Mar 30, 2018

Views: 13,477

Daily Sun, Earth and Space Science
Energy from Space | The Shift Has Begun: https://youtu.be/nsqZJP54shg

What Happens to Your Body While You Are Having Sex?

Got the urge?

Published on Mar 29, 2018

Views: 279,953

Do you cuddle up, have a chat, talk about deep things, or even request a favor of your lover? According to research, these are all common, but what happens to our bodies during and after sex? That’s what we’ll find out today, in this episode of the Infographics Show, What Happens to Your Body While You Are Having Sex?

SUBSCRIBE TO US -► http://bit.ly/TheInfographicsShow

BushMaster Production Increase Expands Orbital ATK

The Insider

Orbital ATK to expand operations in Mesa, AZ

March 29, 2018 | John Lang

Orbital ATK announced plans today to expand the company's production facility in Mesa, AZ.
The new 36,000-square-foot facility will support the company's ability to increase production capacity through collocating Orbital ATK's warehouse and manufacturing operations into one site.
Its current site builds the Bushmaster family of medium-caliber cannons that are supplied to the U.S. military and more than 50 other countries.

When complete, the capital investment will nearly double Orbital ATK's current production capacity and help address future growth requirements as U.S. and allied militaries are increasing their current defense capabilities in response to worldwide threats, according to a company statement.
The expanded facility is scheduled to become fully operational before the end of the year, the statement reads. The factory currently employs nearly 200 full-time workers and the company plans to add an additional 50 to 60 new engineering, program management and manufacturing technicians as a result of the increased campus footprint.
"This will include the fully modernized and secure production facility and separate operations headquarters where engineering, program management, business development and various operations support activities occur," Orbital said.

Source > https://insidedefense.com 
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JEDI Cloud > $10B 10-Year IDIQ Department of Defense Contract

Hmmm... if you would to re-invent or re-imagine your life where would U go?? Go for IT!
IT=Internet Tech and everything - the IoT or Internet of Everything -  is going 'into the Cloud'

The Insider

DOD plans to release second draft solicitation for JEDI cloud

March 26, 2018 | Justin Doubleday 

The Defense Department plans to release a second draft request for proposals for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud competition in April after the first draft received more than 1,000 comments.
The single-award strategy has proven controversial, with many companies and industry associations arguing DOD should use multiple awards for services that are expected to be used throughout the department.
In a March 24 update to the Federal Business Opportunities website, the JEDI cloud team announced it had received 1,089 comments from 46 vendors, two associations and three government agencies on the first draft RFP released March 7.
"We appreciate industry's participation in the draft solicitation process and are confident that these inputs will help us to refine and clarify the requirement," the posting states. "DOD remains committed to a transparent process. To that end, the JEDI Cloud team intends to release answers to all previously submitted comments/questions along with a second draft solicitation package for additional comment during the week of April 9."
DOD still plans to release the final RFP in early May, the notice adds.

The Pentagon is planning the JEDI contract as a single, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity award to provide cloud services DOD-wide, officials told companies during a March 7 industry day held to unveil the first draft RFP.

The contract will include options to extend it upwards of 10 years, and DOD Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson told reporters it's fair to characterize it as a "multibillion-dollar" award.
The issue has also garnered congressional attention, as lawmakers want DOD to provide them with more details on the acquisition strategy.
 

READ MORE > https://insidedefense.com/insider 

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According to this report  published 09 March 2018 | 3:04 pm on MeriTalk Improving the Outcomes of Government IT

"The Department of Defense (DoD) on Wednesday sketched out plans for a swift, multibillion dollar move to a comprehensive cloud infrastructure, while leaving a lot of the details to be filled in along the way. . .  

DoD wants to make core services–covering the spectrum of computing, storage, and networking, including advanced analytics and data management–available via the cloud to the military services and defense components all the way out to deployed forces in austere environments. During the industry day event, officials described the push to the cloud as a transformational step in aligning the department’s operations with the technology landscape and demands of the 21st century.

And DoD expects a fast-moving procurement. It released a draft solicitation to coincide with the industry day, with a two-week window for initial responses (due March 21), a final solicitation scheduled in May, and the IDIQ award in to be made in September.

DoD plans to have JEDI services online in fiscal 2019, with more advanced capabilities added in 2020.

The department hasn’t officially put a price on the contract, which analysts speculate could be as much as $10 billion, but DoD Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson, in a call with reporters after the event, did allow that, “It’s fair to say we anticipate that this will be a multibillion dollar procurement.”

One rumbling in the contractor community is that the JEDI solicitation is inclined toward favoring Amazon Web Services (AWS), the biggest player in cloud services.

AWS has a 10-year contract with the CIA for services to the Intelligence Community, is already authorized at Impact Level 5, and recently launched as Secret-level region open to government customers outside of the IC.

AWS is considered one of the favorites for the JEDI contract.

In a tangential development, after DoD recently awarded a fast-track $950 million contract to REAN Cloud, Oracle filed a protest casting aspersions on the secretive process behind the award and REAN’s ties to AWS. DoD this week did a quick about-face, cutting the value of that deal to $65 million and limiting its scope to the U.S. Transportation Command. . . "

 

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Related Content:

 

DOD to clarify its cloud plans with industry day

By Lauren C. Williams Feb 15, 2018

https://fcw.com/articles/2018/02/15/dod-cloud-plans-industry-day.aspx

Protest on JEDI Cloud Support Contract Dismissed. 

By Frank Konkel | March 14, 2018

The Government Accountability Office dismissed a bid protest filed in February against a $7 million sole-source cloud support contract related to the Defense Department’s JEDI Acquisition.

A bid protest filed against a $7 million cloud support contract for the Defense Department’s effort to move to an enterprisewide commercial cloud has been dismissed.
The $7 million cloud support contract attracted attention in February when the department selected a little-known contractor, Eagle Harbor Solutions LLC, for such a high-profile award. The contract is to provide consulting support services to the Cloud Executive Steering Committee, which is playing a major role in the Pentagon’s Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud acquisition.
A Nextgov investigation found the company, an Alaska Native-owned 8(a) small disadvantaged business, had only a single employee and little past performance in government according to government procurement records. The company later sent a statement to Nextgov stating it had a staff of five, and that its corporate structure allowed it to share certain staff with sister companies of its parent company, Koniag Inc.
The protest, lodged by Interoperability Clearinghouse on Feb. 5, alleged the Defense Department failed to conduct a reasonable responsibility determination of Eagle Harbor Solutions’ capabilities and resources in awarding it a sole-source contract to support the JEDI cloud acquisition.
The Government Accountability Office dismissed by the protest on March 12, deciding that Interoperability Clearinghouse, a not-for-profit entity based in Alexandria, Virginia, “is not an interested party to challenge this sole-source award to an Alaska Native Corporation under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program.”
While agencies do sometimes cease work on a contract during a bid protest, there is no indication the Defense Department slowed its work during the duration of the protest. Defense officials held an industry day event and released a draft request for proposals last week for its JEDI cloud acquisition, would experts estimate could be worth as much as $10 billion over 10 years.
The Defense Department did not respond to an immediate request for comment
Source: http://www.nextgov.com

 

 

 

 

1. DOD outlines vision JEDI cloud contract -- Defense Systems

https://defensesystems.com/articles/2018/03/07/cloud-jedi-dod-contract.aspx

Mar 7, 2018 - The Defense Department shed some light on its much-anticipated Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud acquisition at a March 7 industry day, and outlined a surprisingly short timeframe for finalizing a multi-billion, single-award contract. DOD officials hope to have a final request for proposals ...

 

 

2. JEDI cloud acquisition strategy: Continuing confusion, unmitigated ...

https://federalnewsradio.com/.../jedi-cloud-acquisition-strategy-continuing-confusion-...

Mar 9, 2018 - On March 7th, the Department of Defense (DoD) held its Joint Enterprise Defense Initiative (JEDI) Cloud Industry Day and released its draft JEDI Cloud Request for Proposals (the RFP). DoD announced, and the draft RFP reflects, a single-award IDIQ approach to execute a contract lasting up to 10-years for ...

 

3. 3Breaking Down $10 Billion JEDI Cloud Contract Draft RFP ...

https://about.bgov.com/blog/breaking-10-billion-jedi-cloud-contract-draft-rfp/

Mar 14, 2018 - What does a winning proposal look like for the 10-year, single-award, $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) commercial cloud contract? That will probably depend on contractor responses to the technical attributes featured in JEDI's draft RFP, such as evaluation, price, and other critical ...

 

4. Finally, a look inside DOD's commercial cloud JEDI contract - Fedscoop

https://www.fedscoop.com/pentagon-jedi-cloud-contract-dod-military-industry-day/

Mar 7, 2018 - Defense Digital Service Director Chris Lynch speak during the JEDI Cloud Industry Day in Arlington, Va. March 7, 2018. The unclassified event outlined the Defense Dept.'s acquisition plans for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) Cloud. (DoD photo by EJ Hersom) ...

 

http://www.nextgov.com

US-MADE MISSILE DEFENSES SPECTACULARLY FAILED IN SAUDI ARABIA || WARTHOG...

Published on Mar 29, 2018

Views: 1,275

At least five American-made Patriot missiles apparently missed, malfunctioned, or otherwise failed when Saudi forces tried to intercept a barrage of rockets targeting Riyadh on March 25.
By: David Axe

How fashion helps us express who we are -- and what we stand for | Kaust...

Published on Mar 28, 2018

Views: 21,000+

No one thinks twice about a woman wearing blue jeans in New York City -- but when Nobel laureate Malala wears them, it's a political act. Around the globe, individuality can be a crime, and clothing can be a form of protest. In a talk about the power of what we wear, Kaustav Dey examines how fashion gives us a nonverbal language of dissent and encourages us to embrace our authentic selves.