Welcome to today's Defense Business Briefing, your weekly roundup of the latest defense industry news.

Lockheed Martin taps board member to serve as CEO

Lockheed Martin said it has named James Taiclet president and chief executive, effective June 15.

Pentagon acquisition chief criticizes misleading information about new cybersecurity certification

Defense Department acquisition chief Ellen Lord is calling out unnamed "third-party entities" for claiming they can offer assessments under the Pentagon's new contractor cybersecurity certification program.

SAIC executive says Unisys acquisition bolsters company's defense work

Science Applications International Corp.'s acquisition of Unisys Federal, which closed Friday, will expand the company's work with multiple defense customers, according to Jim Scanlon, who leads SAIC's defense systems group.

SRC opens Huntsville office

SRC said it has opened an office in Huntsville, AL, to "expand its presence at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal."

MAG Aerospace agrees to acquire AASKI Technology

MAG Aerospace said it has agreed to acquire AASKI Technology, which specializes in planning, designing, implementing and managing mission-critical networks.

DOD asks court's permission to reconsider aspects of JEDI cloud award decision

The Pentagon is seeking a federal judge's permission to reconsider technical aspects of its decision to award the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud computing contract to Microsoft last year.

GAO sides with AFRL in protest of spaceflight R&D contract

The Government Accountability Office has sided with the Air Force Research Laboratory in a protest over its award of a space innovation contract last November.

S&P lowers credit rating of BWX Technologies, citing 'weaker' cash flow

S&P Global Ratings said it has lowered BWX Technologies' rating to "BB" because of higher capital expenditures and working capital requirements.

SAIC deal with Unisys advances

Science Applications International Corp. and Unisys said the waiting period under antitrust legislation has expired, moving forward SAIC's planned acquisition of Unisys Federal.

DOD contracting officers urged to monitor coronavirus pandemic

All Defense Department contracting officers and program managers are being urged to communicate with the defense contractors regarding the safety and welfare of their workforces amid the "rapidly evolving" COVID-19 global pandemic, according to a new memo from a senior Pentagon official.

Maxar readies to roll out next-generation satellite constellation

Maxar, which reorganized last year, is this year focused on growing its work and readying its next-generation constellation, which collects the satellite imagery its earth intelligence business is known for.

Perspecta files bid protest over Navy NGEN services contract

Perspecta filed a bid protest with the Government Accountability Office over the services portion of the Navy's Next Generation Enterprise Network program, marking the award's second protest.

Madison Dearborn Partners and CoVant Management to buy AEVEX Aerospace

Madison Dearborn Partners and CoVant Management announced they have agreed to acquire AEVEX Aerospace, which specializes in airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technology.

Perspecta adds Sapp to board

Perspecta said it has appointed Betty Sapp, the former director of the National Reconnaissance Office, to the company's board of directors, effective May 1.

Zolet resigns as CEO of LMI

LMI said Dave Zolet, the company's chief executive, will resign "to pursue a new opportunity." Brian Fitzpatrick, LMI's chief growth officer, has been named interim CEO.

Applied Insight reorganizes leadership team

Applied Insight announced that its chief technology officer, Dede Dascalu, is now its chief executive.

The week ahead

Most public events around Washington have been dramatically curtailed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

New report recommends action on DOD weapon system cybersecurity, defense industrial base

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission is recommending Congress direct the Defense Department to continuously evaluate the cybersecurity of its weapon systems, require defense contractors to participate in threat information sharing programs and re-assess the size of its Cyber Mission Force.

Pentagon developing new 'Technology Area Protection Plans' for critical research and development

The Pentagon is developing new "Technology Area Protection Plans" to prevent sensitive information about Defense Department research from being acquired by foreign governments like China, according to Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin.