Page 4 - MIL Connection Winter 2018

Making a Difference for First Catching up with the ETS Sector

Responders The Engineering and Technical Services (ETS) Sector welcomed
several new hires over the past several months to support
MIL’s Laura Friess and other C4IS several ongoing ETS engagements. Please join us in welcoming
team members collaboratively aboard Megan Erickson, Mary Kate Menard, Brian Rhodes, and
developed a Pocket Reference Guide Holly Siebenmark to support the Naval Air Systems Command
for the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) (NAVAIR) Central Travel Agency (CTA) at the Patuxent River
app for National Guard (NG) teams to use as a resource while in Naval Air Station. Members of the CTA team are responsible for
the field. A customized TAK guide was first deployed in response providing application support to the users of the Defense Travel
to Hurricane Irma in Florida, and later modified for use during System. This includes travel administration support, walking
Hurricane Harvey disaster response. users through document processing steps, providing basic
assistance and guidance related to business rules, and Joint Travel
TAK is an Android-based app developed by the Department of Regulation compliance issues. Welcome to the team!!
Homeland Security to “support the complex communication
and coordination needs of the multi-jurisdictional responders”
(i.e., NG Bureau, FEMA, DHS, etc.). According to DHS, the
Android TAK (aka ATAK) “is one of those game-changers that The following new hires are now providing
dramatically alters the user’s understanding of the action in support to the Naval Air Warfare Center, Research,
any given area of operation (AO).” ATAK is a government-off- Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) contract:
the-shelf app designed for Android smartphone use, which is » Ellen Brooks-Crowell, Sujoy Chatterjee, Erika Fischer,
available free to all government agencies. “The app uses GPS Elias Palmer, and Ethan Reynolds were brought on board
and maps to give the user a real-time view of the AO. This new to support multiple programs and projects for the Air
situational awareness capability includes “Blue Force Tracking” Interoperability Center at PAX River. Jillian Kikkert
to see where team members are, as well as terrain, weather, and and Jon Lankford were also hired to support the Triton
other topographical elements. ATAK gives operators in the field a program at PAX
dramatically enhanced real-time situational awareness. It provides » Robert Hand is supporting the RDT&E contract as a
them with enterprise information sharing capabilities that will Systems Administrator at NAVAIR’s Cherry Point, NC
further increase safety, collaboration and mission successes.” location
US Army NG Sergeant Major Gary Mauk, who served as MIL’s » Kevin Godfree joined the Systems Administrator team
primary contact at the Region 1 Homeland Response Force, supporting our RDT&E customers in Jacksonville, FL
championed the Pocket Guide project and noted that the “TAK
guide has rave reviews from some folks down in TX.” The “folks” Please join us in extending a warm welcome to MIL’s latest
in Texas being first responding NG service members deployed to ETS new hires!
Houston in wake of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in
Texas in August 2017.

conferences

The Patuxent Partnership at

CyberMaryland 2017 Conference

MIL was among three companies selected to represent The
Patuxent Partnership (TPP) at this year’s CyberMaryland 2017
Conference. The CyberMaryland Conference is an annual event are designed to test entrants’ skills in both cyber defense and
sponsored by the Federal Business Council to bring together offense in areas ranging from Log Analysis to Live Exploitation.
leading members of government, industry, and academia For the Industry Showcase portion of the conference, TPP
to network and share information critical to the Nation’s invited MIL and two other affiliated members to join them in
cybersecurity posture. This year’s two-day event, themed “Leading hosting a booth to highlight some of the cyber technologies
the Cyber Generation,” was held at the Baltimore Convention and expertise being developed and cultivated in the Southern
Center on October 11th and 12th, and featured nationally Maryland industrial base. Headquartered in Southern Maryland,
recognized speakers and panelists on cyber and technology TPP is an organization whose sole purpose is to bring together
innovations. Also on this year’s conference agenda was an representatives of government, industry, and academia to
Industry Showcase, Job Fair, and the CyberMaryland Challenge, a collaborate on science and technology initiatives of potential
time-trial event in which participants are asked to solve as many interest to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the
cyber challenges as possible within a one-hour period. Challenges broader Defense community. The TPP organization also supports

4 | The mil connection | winter 2018