Past Events

A complete walkthrough of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Assessment Process in about an hour 

Reginald “Reggie” Richardson is a United States Air Force retired veteran and President/CEO/Founder of Sapphire BLU. Sapphire

BLU provides System Engineering, Cybersecurity, R&D, and Integration solutions to rapidly deploy advanced technologies into

Department of Defense areas of influence and solve complex challenges.

THE FOLLOWING, AND MORE WAS PRESENTED

•CMMC overview (13-minute video)

•Overview of CMMC process

•Who does CMMC affect?

•How soon should a company start to prepare for the assessments?

•What DoD contracts are affected by CMMC in 2021 and beyond?

•Are you ready for a CMMC assessment?

•The Assessment processes

•Pre-Assessment Readiness Review

•Provisional Assessment and Delta Assessments, know the difference

•Remediation

•What are the assessment associated costs?

•Recovering the costs of CMMC assessments

•Determining non-compliance penalties

•Locating a C3PAO

•How to get started?

Participated in “Eligible Receiver 97” No Notice Exercise, also known as the birthplace of cybersecurity. This military information

warfare cyber-attack helped develop frameworks including National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and

Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) which are todays leading cybersecurity standards.

Approved Third-Party Assessment Organizations (C3PAO)

CMMC Registered Practitioner (RP)

CMMC involvement

Sapphire BLU, a Las Vegas, Nevada-based defense contractor, joins other cyber professionals as part of a ground-breaking new

cybersecurity industry within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). With a goal of securing the defense supply chain, Third-Party

Assessment Organizations, C3PAOs, will work with the DoD Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification-Accreditation Board,

CMMC-AB, to ensure CMMC level compliance.

  A rare glimpse UPDATE inside the Highly Classified world of Virtual Training Warfare from an Unclassified perspective

Col Dean C. Caldwell is the Director of the Nellis Virtual Test and Training Center (VTTC), USAF Warfare Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.  The Center is tasked to organize, build-out, and sustain Integrated High End and Advanced Training, Tactics, and Testing (IHEAT3) in a simulator enclave capable of both internal (NMON) and external (DMON) operations.  The Center accommodates multi-domain efforts across Warfare Center units as well as USAF and COCOM exercises to maximize Warfighter readiness for USAF, Joint, and Partner stakeholders.  The VTTC is a unique-to-USAF 4th and 5th Gen sim capability that is unavailable elsewhere with functionality.

Col Caldwell earned his ROTC commission and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in 1987.  He graduated from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base in 1989 and remained there as a first assignment instructor pilot.  He transitioned to the F-16 in 1993 and has been stationed at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Luke Air Force Base, Arizona and Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.  Colonel Caldwell has served as an operations officer, squadron commander, deputy group commander, and operations group commander.  Prior to his current assignment, he was the 926th Operations Group Commander, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.  Colonel Caldwell has more than 5,500 flying hours with over 4,200 hours in the F-16 including 142 hours of combat time.

  A rare glimpse inside the Highly Classified world of Military Electronic Warfare from an Unclassified perspective

Steve “Beaker” Baxter is presently a Technical Advisor in the field of Electromagnetic Warfare. In this capacity, Steve provides expertise and experience gained over the course of a 33-year career in the US Navy and more than 5 years as a contractor in joint electromagnetic spectrum operations.

Steve began his Navy career as an enlisted Sailor in 1979. After commissioning in 1983 and following Naval Flight Officer training he attended electronic warfare school in 1984. The following year he began a life of adventure as an Electronic Countermeasures Officer (ECMO) in the EA-6B Prowler.

Steve's EA-6B assignments included four tours of duty in carrier-deployed Prowler squadrons and as a flight instructor in the Prowler training squadron. Steve was also a Commanding Officer of the VAQ-136 “Gauntlets,” the only permanently forward-deployed Prowler squadron in the Navy and Marine Corps. Steve finished his flying career with more than 3000 hours in the EA-6B with 771 carrier arrested landings aboard 12 different aircraft carriers.

Other assignments included duty at the Pentagon, where he was the Senior Executive Support Officer for the Secretary of Defense and two leadership tours in unmanned aircraft test, evaluation and tactical development. In addition to the experience gained as a Fleet ECMO, Steve spent a total of 4 years on board USS RONALD REAGAN as the Strike Group Operations Officer, Chief of Staff and Information Warfare Commander. He retired from the Navy in 2012 as a Captain (0-6).

Following transition from the Navy, Steve attended Willamette University in Oregon, earning a Master’s Degree in teaching. He also has an Associate’s Degree from the Community College of Rhode Island, a Bachelor’s Degree from Providence (Rhode Island) College and a Master’s Degree in National Security from the US Naval War College. Steve currently lives in Las Vegas.

NOTE:  The entire Presentation was recorded in 16  Video Segments, each approximately 3 minutes long.  

Click on each individual link to watch a particular Video Segment that interests you:  

01: Intro wrap-up, Andrew starts at 1:30 

02: Andrew company intro/guidelines 

03: Andrew company profile-Design Approac h 

04: Structure methodologies 

05: Structure methodology 

06: Structure methodology-Fire 

07: Fire-Flood 

08: Flood-Hurricane 

09: Hurricane 

10: Hurricane-Earthquake-BallistiCrete 

11: BallistiCrete 

12: BallistiCrete

13: Ballistic Testing 

14: Ballistic Testing 

15: Ballistic Wall Construction 

16: Ballistic Testing 

GigaCrete--The ULTIMATE Multi-Domain Physical Protection 

On August 19th, our NDIA Chapter is teamed up with InfraGard to simultaneously brief onsite and virtually at GigaCrete on their most advanced family of coating materials that transform an ordinary object/structure into a fortress of armor piercing protection able to withstand Category V Hurricanes and most all other natural disaster threats.  Read all about their company capabilities at www.GigaCrete.com

  Participants witnessed first-hand the evolution of this capability that started as an accidental discovery by Andrew Dennis, who has a long career in Architecture, Hollywood, and many notable projects around the world.  

Of special note was Andrew's design of the New York New York Casino in Las Vegas where he detailed the Manhattan Skyline, Roller Coaster and associalted iconic structures in his architectural plan.

GigaCrete calling Las Vegas home is perhaps one of the previous best kept secrets of Las Vegas, as the benefits it offers the Military, Law Enforcement and the Building Industry are staggering.  

In very short order, very large structures can be erected to provide protection unheard of previously.  For example, a Power Substation can be surrounded and secured from outside threats practically overnight (See BallistiCrete info on their website).   Many other common sense applications are equally as impressive.  If you can think of the application, chances are it can be quickly accomplished very cost effectively.

In addition to their Website noted above, here's a Wikipedia overview of Dennis and Company:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GigaCrete#:~:text=Mr.%20Dennis%20is%20founder%20and,and%20CEO%20of%20the%20firm. 

Not only do GigaCrete products provide the best physical protection in the world, they are also the "greenest" of all Building Materials, and the most Energy Efficient...nothing comes close!

 Attendees were instantly engaged in thought about how GigaCrete's products are of great benefit to the security of America during these uncertain times of unwarranted destruction, terrorism and extreme weather.   

For example, every building on Tyndall AFB would have survived the Hurricane in near perfect order had their construction utilized GigaCrete materials.  While this may sound like a bold statement to make, the presentation demonstrated exactly how this is true, and you can watch/also learn via the recorded video links above.  

Similarly, the $5B in Earthquake Damage at China Lake would have been avoided by utilizing the GigaCrete Materials.

For information about InfraGard, please visit:  https://www.infragard.org/ 

 On June 3rd, BG Hicks shared his understanding of Air Force Strategy and Strategic Planning efforts as it pertained to China's military ambitions in the Indo-Asia-Pacific

  This was a follow-on to our Chapter’s presentation on February 19, 2020 on China and the South China Sea.  Even amidst the severe public health, social, diplomatic and economic dislocations of the ongoing Global Pandemic, China continues apace to assert it’s hoped for dominance of the Asia-Pacific littoral.  PRC maritime and air forces are challenging EEZs and territorial claims of neighbors, aggressively maneuvering PLAN and PLAF formations in proximity to Taiwan, and conducting an aggressive propaganda campaign against the US and European Nations who criticize their behavior to shift the blame for the Pandemic's economic depredations. 

General Hicks has extensive operational experience in Southwest Asia, Far East Asia and Alaska as well as combat tours in Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.  He's a command pilot with over 3,800 flying hours, including over 500 combat hours, more than 3,600 of which are in the A-10.  Prior to his current assignment, General Hicks was the Commanding General, Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air and Commander, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, Kabul, Afghanistan. 

For more information his Military Career, please see  https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/486232/brigadier-general-david-w-hicks/

This event was an opportunity to understand the PRC's assertive policy and plan to establish the '9-Dash Line' in International Territory 

ABOUT THIS EVENT

 A significant portion of the South China Sea has evolved into an increasingly contested area of overlapping and conflicting territorial claims that have created tension, and could evolve into an escalating conflict between the People's Republic of China (PRC), our allies and partners, and, potentially the US. 

Our Speaker, Tom McNamara, brings an operational level perspective on the Indo-Asia-Pacific security situation, based on more than 13 years of combined service as a Senior Intelligence Officer for US Pacific Command and it’s Army Component. 

Tom addressed the evolution of the implementation of the PRC’s plan to illegally claim much of the South China Sea in order to dominate critical sea lanes, to control the resources including fish and oil, and to create an extended buffer zone between the PRC and the US and its partners and allies.  

Tom's insights are based upon his service as the Civilian Deputy Director of Intelligence (Deputy J2), US Pacific Command from 2005-2014, as the Military Director of Intelligence (G2), US Army Pacific from 1998-2001, and as civilian Deputy Director for Intelligence (Deputy G2), US Army Pacific from 2003-2004.

Additionally, Tom has served as Director, Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force from April 2014 through February 2016; and he also deployed as the Chief,  Defense (DIA) Forward Element-Afghanistan (Kabul, Afghanistan) during 2012.   

Tom also served as an Army Officer (1971-2001), and he possesses a Master of Arts degree in Political Science.  

Tom is a graduate of the Army’s Command and Staff College & War College, Naval Post Graduate Executive Business Course, DOD SES APEX  Course, and the Naval Flag Officer & SES Orientation and Training  Seminar.  

He is currently a consultant on National Security issues residing in Las Vegas, NV.

With over 2000 Military separations occurring from Nellis and Creech per year, a great deal of trained and certified talent leaves Las Vegas upon their Military separation.  AFWERX, Vets in Tech and your local NDIA Chapter is dedicated to building the Technical and Industrial Base in Las Vegas to keep that talent from locating elsewhere.  

At this workshop event we discussed how VIT, NDIA and AFWERX is your Entrepreneurial funnel into providing goods and services for the Military, and and assist those who want to actually start their own companies here to benefit our local technical industrial base. 

With over 25,000 square feet of collaboration and prototyping space, AFWERX-Vegas offers a  capability unmatched anywhere else in the United States to help Veterans define and implement their post-Military life/career goals.  We warmly welcome you to attend this special event and learn how VIT, NDIA and AFWERX can be your special Entrepreneurial partner. 

This recent event focused on how the Military and Nevada can greatly benefit from the current revolution in Nuclear Power and its associated systems

     NDIA welcomed VetsInTech at the Las Vegas Chapter Kickoff   

Veterans and Military of all experience levels attended, and met other Veterans in various stages of their careers

We at NDIA were thrilled to co-host the launch of the new VetsinTech Chapter in Las Vegas, held at the Lovelady Brewing in Henderson.   

VetsInTech's goal is to bring together Veterans, Active-Duty Military, Reserves, and supporters of Veterans that are currently in the IT field or looking to  transition from the Military into the Civilian world.

The VetsinTech Las Vegas Chapter will offer employment and educational resources to Veterans such as workshops, online courses and more to help make transitioning as smooth as possible.  We will also have some of the best Veteran IT folks in the Las Vegas area speaking at events about their journey from the Military to the Civilian world, tech talks, and leadership advice.

What:  The VetsinTech Las Vegas Chapter Official Launch was:

When: 10/29/2019 from 6 PM - 8:00 PM

Where:  Lovelady Brewing, 20 S.  Water St, Henderson, NV 89015

Who Attended:  Military, Veterans and Mil/Vet Spouses of all experience levels, in addition to Civic/Business Leadership.

If you have specific questions about the Education Program, reach out to the Chapter Development Manager, Abdul at amansori@vetsintech.co

VISIT:  https://vetsintech.co/

This event familiarized attendees with the layered components required to achieve the Effects-Based Cyber Enterprise, and helped all understand how their business interests may be helpful to the mission.

Cyberspace is:  a Warfighting Domain of Operations, where Cyber Operators generate effects differently than the ways we generate effects in Air, Space, Land and Sea.

In the traditional domains, absolutes can be articulated that reflect unchanging characteristics of that domain (mass, acceleration, inertia).  In the Cyber Domain all attributes are subject to change (ports, protocols, medium, etc.) and the greatest advantage is given to the combatant that can best manipulate the fabric and/or undiscovered or temporal behavior of this domain to achieve their ends.

Cyberspace is a human-made domain driven by the private industry;  a Contested Domain where we must continuously develop new capabilities to maintain our freedom of maneuver, to ensure mission assurance and operate in a degraded or operationally-limited environment. 

It is also a  complex domain, compounded by the fast pace of technological change and the need to integrate Command and Control with Cyberspace Operations  across all domains.

Professor Bashir  is presently the Director of the International Office and a visiting  Professor of Law and Global affairs at Dixie State University, St.  George, UT.   He's a member of the International Association of  Artificial Intelligence and Law, and has taught interdisciplinary  courses and created workshops on Laws, Conflicts and Global Societies.  

On August 15th 2019, Dr. Bashir integrated the following themes into the context of his presentation, and described how they relate to future AI & Autonomous Weapons employment:

--The contemporary battlefield and theaters of war

--Wars and weapons of the future (cocktail conflicts)

--The role of the combatant (lawful and unlawful)

--Laws of armed conflict 

--Multiverse and lifeforms 

--Law, Policy and decision making 

--To kill or not to kill ?

--After the death and destruction (post conflict scenario) 

     MDC2 is the future of interoperable Command  & Control between all worldwide allied assets  
    ... a significant problem to solve!  This 'global briefing' was given at our event by a key Nellis leader who plays a significant role in this project.  The audience consisted of many folks who understand first-hand from their Military experience how important this capability is.  

We met the Director of the VIRTUAL TEST & TRAINING CENTER (VTTC), and received a FANTASTIC Unclassified Briefing about the future of the VTTC.   The VTTC will be an unparalleled capability for the Air Force…right here in the Las Vegas area!  

Here's the official Website for the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis, of which the VTTC will be a part:  

https://www.nellis.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/284150/us-air-force-warfare-center/ 

This event took place 1500-1700 on 27 Feb, and was held in the 549 CTS auditorium (across the street from Freedom Park).

-- At this show we discussed concepts for the proposed Creech pilot project to demonstrate use of a Small-Self Contained Nuclear Power Reactor to meet all their electrical needs (see information about the event we had on 15 Nov)

The WEPTAC (Weapons and Tactics Conference) is an independent  Industry Trade show open to all Defense Industry personnel & organizations, including Small Businesses who want to discuss or showcase their existing/future technologies & capabilities.  Register early for WEPTAC 2020, or consider attending to just walk the exhibits and exchange ideas with attendees. 

This show also presents an opportunity for members of the Defense Industry to meet with Warfighters who currently use, or potentially will use their products.   Attendees are also able to obtain direct feedback from the actual Warfighters on what they like and don't like about existing product technology, and hear about products they would like to see in the future.