“FEDERALNEWS NETWORK” By Roslyn Layton, PhD “A“ best of breed” strategy – assembling a mix of commercial providers instead of betting on a single vendor – as a way to accelerate its “artificial intelligence-first” war fighting vision.“ _________________________________________________________________________________ “The Pentagon is quietly overhauling one of its most entrenched systems: how it sources and buys modern technology — and by extension, who controls it. After a pu

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Intellectual property and proprietary data protection should be tailored to your organization, its industry relationships, people and practices. It must grow as the company grows, adapt to changing conditions and be ever-sensitive to risk.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ DEFINITIONS The World Intellectual Property Organization defines IP as:“….creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artist

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE By Ken Larson There is only one way forward in developing a mutual understanding of our respective values and cultures in lieu of fighting wars. Getting on with both environment and peace objectives have a common thread – communicative, learned negotiation. _______________________________________________________________________________ What I have learned in two combat tours and 36 years in the weapons systems business is that the only thing war settles

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“Tailored guidance and encouragement to develop your business. These programs provide the tools for you to avoid costly missteps, sharpen your strategy and confidently pursue growth.” _________________________________________________________________________________ SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION “For veterans and military spouses, entrepreneurship provides a powerful pathway to continue serving—by turning military-honed skills, such as leadership, adaptability and resilience,

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Unsolicited proposal opportunities generally arise as a result of observing or cultivating a requirement that the company could uniquely fulfill, but for which the government has yet to issue a formal solicitation” _________________________________________________________________________________ “Most enterprises in government contracting encounter the possibility of submitting an unsolicited proposal. These opportunities are normally large enoug

“NEXGOV/FCW‘ By Alexandra Kelley “The updated rule is expected in the next couple weeks and will set a preference for fixed-price models, making the GSA a “more predictable business partner” to original equipment manufacturers” ________________________________________________________________________________ “The General Services Administration is developing changes to artificial intelligence acquisition provisions within its general rules that will prioritize a firm fixed-pri

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Values-Based’ marketing does not relate to a client’s perception of your product or service value. Rather, it relates to your understanding of the client’s personal values and using that knowledge to motivate the client to buy. It occurs when you become uniquely aware of what motivates specific personnel internal to a customer company, a buyer or a prospective teaming partner to make favorable decisions regarding your product or services.”...

“BREAKING DEFENSE” By Jon Chung and Dan Berkenstock “If the goal is delivering new capabilities at the speed of relevance, then SBIR — and programs like it — must be aligned with the private-sector forces driving the next wave of national defense innovation.” ______________________________________________________________________________ ” What is the purpose of the $35 billion the Department of Defense has invested in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) over the past

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “The small business segment of the huge federal government contracting market is poised to grow exponentially due to advances in technology and the need for flexibility, mobility, agility and economic performance.” __________________________________________________________________________________ “THE MOMENT Trends on the horizon point to a bright future for small business in federal government contracting. Federal government agencies have set a re

“DEFENSE NEWS” By Ellen Ioanes ” The industry has enormous sway in politics through contributions and through lobbying efforts. This money is directed at congressional decision makers who can influence legislation around defense acquisition, including the National Defense Authorization Act.” ____________________________________________________________________________ “The defense sector has donated nearly $5 million to members of Congress via political action committees and i

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CLEARANCE JOBS” By Steve Leonard “Nearly half of 200,000 veterans entering the workforce annually leave their first job within a year and roughly 80% within two years. We need to have a a greater purpose. When we don’t find one, we move on until we find it.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “Act 2, Scene 1. Less than six months into my second career, I was miserable. I had a job, a good salary, and a small group of new friends.

“MILITARY TIMES” By Ellen Ioanes “House lawmakers and government watchdogs express skepticism about the Defense Department’s ability to produce a clean financial audit by a Dec. 31, 2028, statutory deadline.“ ______________________________________________________________________________ “The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the DoD years-long struggle to produce a clean financial audit despite claiming around half of the government’s discre

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Entering government contracting as a small businesses is indeed a challenging time, but there are many opportunities awaiting you. Capitalize on those opportunities and win your first federal government contract.“ ___________________________________________________________________________ “One of the biggest challenges for a small business in government contracting is achieving that first major contract. A small business entering the field does no

“MILITARY TIMES” By Tanya Noury “A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled legislation that would dismantle the government agency responsible for maintaining the military draft database of young, eligible men.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The bill — advanced by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. — would phase out the Selective Service System, citing its annual operating cost of more tha

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Growth is a function of persistence and foresight. Know where your market is headed and get their first – then write and speak about your success indirectly by helping others. Demonstrate humility and a satisfaction in helping others succeed. They will find ways to give you credit. There are ways of tooting your horn without making peoples’ lights go out.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. “Do not

“MODERN WAR INSTITUTE AT WEST POINT” “Victory’s been defeated; it’s time we recognized that and moved on to what we actually can accomplish. We’ve reached the end of victory’s road, and at this juncture it’s time to embrace other terms, a less-loaded lexicon, like “strategic advantage,” “relative gain,” and “sustainable marginalization.” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Harvard Professor Steven Pinker triumphantly announced the peace deal between the government of C

CLICK IMAGE ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Weapons makers treasure threat-driven economic windfalls. Geopolitical values collide, without negotiation. Soldiers and civilians die in dramatic numbers. We must recognize the major factors driving warfare today while learning more about each other on a path to change. _________________________________________________________________________________ From Vietnam to the Balkans, from Iraq to Afghanistan – and now in Ukraine, coupled with co

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