Defense Business Briefing -- Aug. 13, 2019

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

This week's top story

Blue Origin protests Air Force launch RFP; Northrop, SpaceX, ULA confirm bid submissions

Blue Origin confirmed it has filed a pre-award protest with the Government Accountability Office over the Air Force's Launch Services Procurement effort.

News & notes

Raytheon, Rheinmetall add Pratt & Miller to OMFV team

Raytheon and Rheinmetall will partner with Pratt & Miller Defense of Detroit on their proposal for the Army's Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle competition, according to a Raytheon statement.

DOD IG confirms review of JEDI cloud acquisition, potential conflicts of interest

The Defense Department inspector general has opened a sweeping review into the development of the multibillion-dollar Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud acquisition, including whether any DOD employees had conflicts of interest while they were involved in the program.

LOGCAP V competitors flock to court case

DynCorp International took its concerns over being excluded from the Army's LOGCAP V program to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The court has granted the motions by several other competitors to intervene in the case.

ManTech acquires H2M Group

ManTech International said it has acquired H2M Group, which provides intelligence analysis primarily to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

TransDigm CEO: $16 million voluntary repayment was 'in the best interest of the company'

TransDigm Group executives said a new Defense Department inspector general audit underway will likely yield the same results as a previous review.

Vectrus reports higher sales, lower profit

Vectrus said sales in its most recent quarter hit $331 million, up 3% from the same three-month period a year earlier.

Lockheed Martin plans 125 new jobs in Texas

Lockheed Martin said it plans to add about 125 new jobs to its Lufkin, TX, facility over the next six years.

Maxar reports lower sales

Maxar Technologies said sales in its most recent quarter hit $490 million, down 15% from the same three-month period a year earlier.

Appointments & promotions

Mattis rejoins General Dynamics board

General Dynamics said its board of directors has elected James Mattis to be a director, effectively immediately.

What's happening

The week ahead

The Pentagon's chief technology official is slated to speak at a think tank event this week. Meanwhile, Congress remains in recess.

For Inside Defense subscribers

Ban on government purchases of Huawei products goes into effect

Regulations banning the federal government from purchasing products from Huawei and other China-based tech companies take effect Tuesday, imposing sweeping requirements on widely available commercial items while also providing for some exceptions.

Pentagon says 'no pause' in JEDI cloud source-selection process as Esper reviews program

The Pentagon's top information technology official says the Defense Department continues to evaluate proposals from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract as new Defense Secretary Mark Esper reviews the overall JEDI program.

Pentagon struggling to address cybersecurity in weapon systems, critical infrastructure

The Pentagon is struggling to implement policy for addressing cybersecurity risks in critical infrastructure and weapon systems, as the Defense Department lacks the personnel with the skills necessary to address flaws in operational technology, according to defense officials.

DOD, GSA, NASA draft rules banning purchases of IT products from China

The Defense Department, General Services Administration and NASA have drafted interim final regulations for banning the government's purchases of IT and video surveillance equipment and components from Hauwei and other China-based tech firms, a move that will likely fuel growing tensions between Washington and Beijing.