5 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

The defense industry needs new entrants, and a supportive government during crises

By: Venture capital community leaders

The COVID-19 health crisis is quickly leading to an economic meltdown, throwing millions of Americans out of work and forcing strategic reevaluations across industries. The defense industry is no exception. We are praying for a swift end to the crisis, but its effects will linger, shaping the Pentagon's priorities, organizational structure, military operations, logistics, supply chains and interactions with the defense-industrial base for years to come.

In the past few weeks, we have had numerous conversations with government officials about our venture and growth equity investments in the defense sector. These discussions have centered on the eligibility rules of the CARES Act's Paycheck Protection Program and the risk of foreign capital seeking entry into defense technology startups desperate for investment in these trying times.

But these are secondary questions. The primary question is this: How can the Pentagon best preserve its innovation base and develop the most competitive and advanced technologies?

The answer is simple: Buy commercial. New and emerging defense startups — and our men and women in uniform — don't need symbolic gestures. What they need is concerted action to bring the latest and most advanced technologies — many of which are routinely used in industry — to dangerously antiquated defense weapons systems and internal IT infrastructure. This was true before COVID-19, it is true now and it will be true when the next crisis strikes.

All too often the government has responded to crises by circling wagons around incumbent firms — the large prime contractors, whose political connections afford them bailouts in the name of “ensuring ongoing competition.” This process is already underway. After announcing its hope for a $60 billion relief package for the aerospace manufacturing industry, Boeing successfully lobbied for $17 billion worth of loans for firms “critical to maintaining national security.”

The CARES Act also announced provisions to streamline the Defense Department's contracting process, which sounds promising, except for the fact that these provisions apply only to contracts worth over $100 million. This discriminates against smaller, more nimble innovators and providers of cutting-edge technology.

This isn't how things have always been. After complaints about large horse dealers monopolizing military contracts during the Civil War, the government allowed quartermasters to purchase horses and mules from any dealer on the open market. In World War II, Congress created the Smaller War Plants Corporation, which awarded tens of thousands of contracts to small, competitive firms. Today, through innovative use of Small Business Innovation Research money, other transactional authorities, rapid work programs and the like, the Pentagon is certainly signaling interest in emerging technologies.

But let us be clear: We are not advocating continuing to invest larger dollar amounts into never-ending, short-term pilots and prototypes. The key to sustaining the innovation base through this crisis and any future crises is transitioning the best of these companies and products into real production contracts serving the day-to-day needs of the mission. Host tough, but fair competitions for new innovations, and then rapidly scale the winners.

America's technological supremacy has afforded our country nearly a century of military hegemony, but it is not a law of nature. Sovereign states and peer competitors like Russia and China will quickly outpace us if we take our prowess for granted. We need new entrants into the defense industry more than ever, but without government support through crises like this one, the talent and capital simply won't be there.

Why do investors say defense isn't a safe bet?

As the Department of Defense readily acknowledges, its mission is fundamentally changing. Breakthroughs in technological fields like artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, robotics, resilient networks and cyberwarfare mean that future conflicts will look nothing like those we have seen before. The DoD of tomorrow needs a fresh wave of technical expertise to understand and respond to these new kinds of threats.

That is not to say that legacy defense contractors are not needed; their expertise in large air and sea vehicles is currently unparalleled. But the expertise to build these new technologies resides in pockets of talent that the big and bureaucratic incumbents, who made their names with 20th century technology, lost access to decades ago.

The DoD has publicly exalted the importance of innovative defense startups for years. That is partly why we are so excited to invest capital into the defense sector at this moment in history. Silicon Valley has a chance to live up to its oft-ridiculed but sincere ambition to make the world a better place by investing in American national security.

However, we as venture capitalists and growth equity investors also have a duty to our limited partners who have entrusted us to invest and grow their capital. If we see the same old story of the government claiming to support small businesses but prioritizing its old incumbents, those investment dollars will disappear.

Times of rapid and unprecedented change, as COVID-19 has precipitated, also provide opportunities. The DoD and Congress can reshape budget priorities to put their money where their mouths have been and support innovative defense technologies. Each dollar awarded to a successful venture capital and growth equity-backed defense startup through a competitively awarded contract attracts several more dollars in private investment, providing the DoD significantly more leverage that if that same dollar was spent on a subsidy or loan to a large legacy contractor. This leverage of private capital means that every contract a startup receives accelerates by up to 10 times their ability to build technology and hire talent to support the DoD's mission.

The bottom line is this: There's no reason to let a health crisis today become a national security crisis tomorrow. The DoD has an opportunity to not only sustain but grow its innovation base, and give contracts, not lip service, to innovators. We, the undersigned, hope they do.

The contributors to this commentary are: Steve Blank of Stanford University; Katherine Boyle of General Catalyst; James Cham of Bloomberg Beta; Ross Fubini of XYZ Capital; Antonio Gracias of Valor Equity Partners, who sits on the boards of Tesla and SpaceX; Joe Lonsdale of 8VC, who also co-founded Palantir; Raj Shah of Shield Capital, who is a former director of the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit; Trae Stephens of, Founders Fund; JD Vance of Narya Capital; Albert Wenger of Union Square Ventures; Josh Wolfe of Lux Capital; Hamlet Yousef of IronGate Capital; and Dan Gwak of Point72.

https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/05/04/the-defense-industry-needs-new-entrants-and-a-supportive-government-during-crises/

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  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 31, 2018

    1 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 31, 2018

    NAVY Millennium Corp.,* Arlington, Virginia, is awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide program management support services for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). This contract is an additional award against a previously announced multiple award contract, with an estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts of $960,000,000, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. Services to be provided include leading, facilitating, and ensuring the strategic planning, implementation, coordination, integration, and evaluation of programmatic activities and administrative systems for NAVAIR managed programs' program executive offices. Work will be performed at various locations within the NAVAIR Patuxent River, Maryland, commuting area and is expected to be completed in June 2023. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside, with 84 offers received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0003). Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $64,290,305 modification to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-18-C-1048) that exercises an option to procure one lot of F-35 training devices for the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (47 percent); Sterling, Virginia (28 percent); Wilsonville, Oregon (7 percent); Cleveland, Ohio (4 percent); Reston, Virginia (4 percent); Alameda, California (3 percent); London, United Kingdom (3 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom (2 percent); and Tampa, Florida (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2021. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $64,290,305 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Dyncorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $54,411,494 for modification P00015 to exercise an option to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable contract (N6893617C0052). This option provides for aircraft maintenance, modification and aircrew support for the Naval Test Wing Pacific. Support to be provided includes organizational-level aircraft maintenance and logistics support on aircraft, systems/subsystems aircrew systems, search and rescue equipment, and support equipment for P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules, F/A-18 Hornet, EA-18G Growler, AV-8B Harrier II, and H-60 Black Hawk aircraft. Work will be performed in China Lake, California (50 percent); Point Mugu, California (40 percent); Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii (2 percent); Lemoore, California (2 percent); Patrick AFB, Florida (1 percent); Holloman AFB, New Mexico (1 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (1 percent); Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), Yuma, Arizona (1 percent); MCAS Miramar, California (1 percent); and North Island, California (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2023. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $30,123,601 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity. Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts, is awarded a $34,068,452 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-5145 to exercise options for DDG 1000 ship class integrated logistics support and engineering services. The DDG 1000 ship class is a multi-mission surface combatant designed to fulfill volume firepower and precision strike requirements. DDG 1000 combat systems provide offensive, distributed, and precision firepower and long ranges in support of forces ashore, while incorporating signature reduction, active, and passive self-defense system and enhanced survivability features. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Rhode Island (52 percent); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (24 percent); San Diego, California (10 percent); Nashua, New Hampshire (6 percent); Bath, Maine (5 percent); Marlboro, Massachusetts (1 percent); Ft. Wayne, Indiana (1 percent); and St. Petersburg, Florida (1 percent); and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $9,118,286 will be obligated at time of award, and funding in the amount of $3,498,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Boston Consulting Group, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded $21,195,935 for firm-fixed-price order N0042119F0106 against a previously issued General Services Administration, Federal Supply Schedule contract (GS-10-F-0253V). This order provides for the implementation of a new Naval Sustainment System (NSS) to include the development of governance, coordination, and accountability mechanisms across the Naval Aviation Enterprise. The commander for the Fleet Readiness Center's contribution to the NSS will deploy commercial maintenance best practices, tailored to the Navy's operational requirements and starting position, in order to reduce component repair and heavy maintenance periodic maintenance inspection turnaround times and better enable aviation readiness recovery. Work will be performed in North Island, California (20 percent); Oceana, Virginia (15 percent); Whidbey Island, Washington (15 percent); Jacksonville, Florida (10 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (10 percent); Lemoore, California (10 percent); Dallas, Texas (5 percent); Bethesda, Maryland (5 percent); Miramar, California (4 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (3 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (2 percent); and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2019. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $21,195,935 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Oct. 30, 2018) The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded $20,243,066 for modification P00004 to delivery order N61340-18-F-0001 previously placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0001 in support of the T-45 aircraft Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). This modification exercises an option for the production and delivery of SLEP retrofit kits and support equipment/special tooling, as well as retrofit engineering and logistics to support the installation of associated technical directives. This modification contains both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract line items. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in October 2019. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,243,066 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded an $18,906,754 modification (P00010) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-16-C-0015) for the procurement of 121 distributed aperture infrared countermeasure sensors and 30 processors for the Navy for MH-60, AH-1Z, and UH-1Y aircraft. Work will be performed in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be completed in February 2021. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,906,754 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. T&E Technologies LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a $16,943,111 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides for technical, environmental, and encroachment services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's Range Sustainability Office. Services to be provided include encroachment analysis, environmental studies and documentation, natural resources documentation, geospatial analysis for resource management and land use planning and geophysical resources analysis. Work will be performed in China Lake, California (80 percent); Pt. Mugu, California (15 percent); and Patuxent River, Maryland (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2023. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N6893619D0009). (Awarded Oct. 29, 2018) Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. - Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, California, was awarded $10,851,494 for cost-plus incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00020 to a previously awarded contract (N00030-16-C-0015) to provide support for technical engineering services, design and development engineering, component and full scale test and evaluation engineering, and tactical underwater launcher hardware production supporting the development and production of the Common Missile Compartment. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (55 percent); Ridgecrest, California (20 percent); Cape Canaveral, Florida (10 percent); Bangor, Washington (5 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (5 percent); Barrow-In-Furness, England (2 percent); New London, Connecticut (1 percent); Quonset Point, Rhode Island (1 percent); and Arlington, Virginia (1 percent), with an expected completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,293,546; and United Kingdom funding in the amount of $2,679,700 are being obligated on this award. Funds in the amount of $2,293,546 expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation; and United Kingdom funding in the amount of $5,878,248 will be obligated on this award. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Oct. 30, 2018) AIR FORCE General Electric Aviation, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a $273,509,940 firm-fixed-price requirements type contract for Service Life Extension Program conversion kits to upgrade Egyptian Air Force F-16, F110-GE-100 engines. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 30, 2023. This contract involves foreign military sales to Egypt and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8122-19-D-0001). ENSCO Inc., Springfield, Virginia, has been awarded a $34,987,670 modification (P00048) to contract FA8806-17-C-0001 for range and network division system engineering and integration. The modification provides for the continued support in engineering, architectural and integration efforts. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; and Peterson AFB, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 Air Force space funds in the amount of $7,984,682; fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $6,035,870; and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,975,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $97,783,871. Space and Missile Center, Los Angeles AFB, California, is the contracting activity. Sierra Nevada Corp., Hagerstown, Maryland, has been awarded a $23,813,528 definitization modification (PZ0013) to contract FA8620-16-C-4003 for the Saudi King Air 350 program. This contract provides for the modification of two King Air 350 extended range aircraft with intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance/synthetic aperture radar capability; one transportable ground station; one fixed ground station; and one mission system trainer. Work will be performed in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by May 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition and one offer was received. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $99,779,067. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-16-C-4003). CORRECTION: The following contract was awarded on Oct. 16, 2018, instead of Sept. 28, 2018, as indicated in the original posting: Webb Electric Co. of Florida Inc., Pensacola, Florida, has been awarded a $16,460,695 firm-fixed-price in support of the Airfield Lighting Phase 1&2 construction project (FA440719C0003). ARMY SLSCO Ltd., Galveston, Texas, was awarded a $145,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for a Department of Homeland Security border infrastructure design-build construction project. Three bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Mission, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 27, 2020. Fiscal 2018 omnibus funds in the amount of $145,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Ft. Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-19-C-0005). The Boeing Co. Huntsville Division, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $23,700,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the manufacture, test and deliver of Avenger fire control computers. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama; and Tukwila, Washington, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2020. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $23,700,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W13P4Q-19-C-0024). Hentzen Coatings Inc.,* Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was awarded a $16,414,600 firm-fixed-price contract for chemical agent resistant coating paint products. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 30, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W911RQ-19-D-0001). CORRECTION: An additional contractor has been added to the $249,000,000 multiple-award contract announced on Oct. 15, 2018, for providing resources in support of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense to include its headquarters, directorates and five joint project managers. Edmond Scientific Co., Alexandria, Virginia (W911QY-19-D0015), will also compete for each order of the firm-fixed-price contract. All other information in the contract announcement is correct. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY Lockheed Martin Space, Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded a $129,483,864 noncompetitive, cost-plus-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price contract under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Under this new contract, the contractor will provide maintenance and sustainment for two Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Batteries for UAE. The maintenance and sustainment scope of work includes software and hardware development, contractor logistics support, engineering services, and missile field surveillance. The work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California; Dallas, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Anniston, Alabama; Troy, Alabama; Lakeland, Florida; and the United Arab Emirates, with an expected period of performance of Nov. 1, 2018, through July 2, 2021. One offer was solicited and one offer was received. UAE FMS funds in the amount of $129,483,864 will be used to fund this effort. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-19-C-5001) DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Federal Prison Industries Inc., doing business as UNICOR,** Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $49,920,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various types of coats. This is a four-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Washington, District of Columbia; Texas; and Illinois, with an April 30, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-F015). National Industries for the Blind,** Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $8,389,705 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for moisture wicking t-shirts. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are North Carolina, Arkansas, and Virginia, with an Oct. 30, 2020 performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-B043). CORRECTION: The contract announced on April 12, 2018, for Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind Inc., doing business as IFB Solutions,** Winston Salem, North Carolina (SPE1C1-17-D-B016), for $10,620,588 has been revised with a new modification number, additional customer, additional locations of performance and an increased dollar value. The new modification number is P00018, additional military service is Air Force, additional locations of performance are Arkansas and Puerto Rico, and the modification value has increased from $10,620,588 to $19,931,088. CORRECTION: The contract announced on April 13, 2018, for San Antonio Light House for the Blind,** San Antonio, Texas (SPE1C1-17-D-B017), for $8,452,012 has been revised with a new modification number, additional customer, additional location of performance and an increased dollar value. The new modification number is P00008, additional military service is Air Force, additional location of performance is Puerto Rico, and the modification value has increased from $8,452,012 to $16,952,460. *Small Business **Mandatory source https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1678196/

  • Lockheed, Boeing Got Half of $2.3 Billion in Pentagon Virus Cash

    23 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial

    Lockheed, Boeing Got Half of $2.3 Billion in Pentagon Virus Cash

    By Anthony Capaccio Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. received about half of an initial $2.3 billion in increased, accelerated payments the Pentagon provided contractors to help companies' cash flows after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in the U.S. The initial infusion was included in $13 billion in regular, periodic progress payments paid to the companies, according to newly released defense figures. Lockheed Martin initially received $685 million while Boeing got $670 million, according to a Pentagon statement to Bloomberg News In a separate statement, Lockheed Martin said that modifications to existing contracts resulted in additional accelerated payments to the company, increasing its total received to $1.1 billion by June 30, “all of which we have flowed down to our supply base.” Lockheed and Boeing are the top two U.S. defense contractors, so they were expected to get the biggest share of the funds. Other companies receiving the accelerated payments include: Raytheon Technologies Corp.: $410 million L3 Harris Technologies Inc.: $74 million The Boeing/Lockheed United Launch Alliance LLC: $70 million Northrop Grumman Corp.: $70 million Another $321 million went to other companies. The companies are benefiting from a policy the Pentagon announced in March, just as the pandemic was building in the U.S., that provided for faster, and bigger, payments to companies. The move was intended to guarantee that critical national security contracts -- including the production of key weapons systems and supplies -- weren't interrupted by companies having problems accessing cash or credit. The extra funding would ensure production lines were able to stay open. The Defense Department's move meant that larger firms could get as much as 90% of their payments for contracts in progress, up from 80% previously. For smaller businesses, which might be more susceptible to virus impacts, the rate rose to 95% from 90%. As the initial funds were identified, the Pentagon “worked with each of the major primes to ensure that they were identifying at risk companies in their supply chain and flowing down payments to those companies, as well as all companies doing work for the prime,” said the statement. The major contractors “have been flowing down payments, in some cases more than the payments received from DOD,” it said. Pentagon officials initially estimated in March about $3 billion would be paid but that number included a potential $700 million payment on a long-standing contract that further analysis deemed was not necessary. In addition to the accelerated progress payments, the Air Force in April released to Boeing $882 million withheld from the company over current deficiencies with its KC-46 military tanker program as part of Covid-19 relief efforts. After the program was announced, Senator Elizabeth Warren, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, expressed concern about its oversight. In particular, the Massachusetts Democrat questioned whether companies might try to divert the increased payments for stock buybacks, dividends or executive pay. Pentagon Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord in a May 15 letter to Warren said that hasn't been the case. “Companies do not divert payments for incurred costs to share buybacks, dividends or executive salaries because contractors must have already incurred costs before they receive the increased progress payments,” Lord wrote. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/lockheed-boeing-got-half-of-2-3-billion-in-pentagon-virus-cash

  • Microsoft Fixes 90 New Flaws, Including Actively Exploited NTLM and Task Scheduler Bugs

    13 novembre 2024 | International, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Microsoft Fixes 90 New Flaws, Including Actively Exploited NTLM and Task Scheduler Bugs

    Microsoft’s November Patch Tuesday addresses 90 security flaws, including actively exploited NTLM and Task Scheduler vulnerabilities.

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