[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12829-12830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03356]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Defense Business Board; Notice of Federal Advisory Committee 
Meeting; Amendment

AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Department of 
Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice of Federal advisory committee meeting; amendment.

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SUMMARY: On Friday, January 19, 2024, the DoD published a notice 
announcing a partially closed meeting of the Defense Business Board 
(DBB) on February 6 and 7, 2024. Subsequent to publication of the 
notice, DoD is making changes to the meeting agenda. The amended 
meeting agenda is included in this notice.

DATES: Closed to the public February 6 from 10:15 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. and 
on February 7 from 9:20 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. Open virtually to the public 
February 6 from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. and February 7 from 10:20 a.m. to 
11:35 a.m. All eastern standard time.

ADDRESSES: The open and closed portions of the meeting will be in Room 
M2 of the Pentagon Library Conference Center and 4D880 in the Pentagon, 
Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cara Allison Marshall, Designated 
Federal Officer (DFO) of the Board in writing at Defense Business 
Board, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Room 5B1088A, Washington, DC 20301-1155; 
or by email at [email protected]; or by phone at 703-
614-1834.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is being held under the 
provisions of chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.) 
(commonly known as the ``Federal Advisory Committee Act'' or ``FACA''), 
5 U.S.C. 552b (commonly known as the ``Government in the Sunshine 
Act''), and 41 CFR 102-3.140 and 102-3.150.
    Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Department of 
Defense and Designated Federal Officer, the Defense Business Board was 
unable to provide public notification required by 41 CFR 102-3.150(a) 
concerning its amended February 6-7, 2024 meeting notice. Accordingly, 
the Advisory Committee Management Officer for the Department of 
Defense, pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.150(b), waives the 15-calendar day 
notification requirement.
    Purpose of the Meeting: The mission of the Board is to examine and 
advise the Secretary of Defense on overall DoD management and 
governance. The Board provides independent, strategic-level, private 
sector and academic advice and counsel on enterprise-wide business 
management approaches and best practices for business operations and 
achieving National Defense goals.
    Agenda: The Board will begin in open session on February 6 from 9 
a.m. to 10:15 a.m. The DFO will begin the open session followed by a 
welcome by Board Chair, Hon. Deborah James. The Board will receive a 
discussion on the Role of Private Industry and Business in the National 
Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) from Hon. Radha Iyengar Plumb, 
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The 
NDIS provides the strategic vision to coordinate actions and emphasizes 
four long-term strategic priorities: building resilient supply chains, 
securing workforce readiness, enabling flexible acquisition, and 
promoting economic deterrence. The discussion will focus on how 
business leaders can best support the NDIS and ways to overcome the 
obstacles to implementation. The DFO will adjourn the open session. The 
Board will reconvene in closed session on February 6 from 10:15 a.m. to 
7:05 p.m. The DFO will begin the closed session. The Board will receive 
a classified discussion on the DoD Audit and Incremental Progress from 
Hon. Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief 
Financial Officer. This session will include an overview of the latest 
DoD Audit, progress to date, and the path forward. Discussion will 
include current obstacles and historic challenges to obtaining a clean 
audit. After a lunch break, the Board will receive a classified 
discussion on the State of the Workforce--Recruiting, Training, 
Retention, Obstacles, and Solutions from Chief Master Sergeant of the 
Air Force JoAnne Bass. The conversation is expected to delve into the 
multifaceted aspects of managing a contemporary workforce, addressing 
challenges in recruiting talent in the current environment, 
implementing effective training programs, and devising retention 
strategies. Discussion will focus on identifying obstacles such as 
changing workforce expectations, skill gaps to address future needs per 
the National Security Strategy (NSS); and exploring innovative 
solutions to foster a resilient and high-performing workforce. 
Following a short break, the Board will receive a classified discussion 
on DoD Industry Partnerships from Mr. Jedidiah P. Royal, Principal 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security 
Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Mr. Royal 
will discuss his work with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific 
region to obtain key capabilities for a future warfighter. Following, 
the Board will receive a classified discussion on Current Operations, 
Crisis Action Planning, and Adaptive Decision Making in Dynamic 
Environments from LTG Douglas A. Sims II, U.S. Army, Director for 
Operations, Joint Staff. This forum will explore the intersection of 
military operations and corporate crisis management, highlighting the 
parallels between the principles of current operations, crisis action 
planning, and adaptive decision-making in both contexts. Through this 
exploration, participants can gain valuable insights into proactive 
crisis management, strategic preparedness for ``black swan'' events, 
and the cultivation of an agile organizational culture that is capable 
of navigating complex and rapidly changing landscapes. The Board will 
transition to the Air Force Mess for their final closed session on 
February 6. The Board Chair, Hon Deborah James will provide remarks, 
followed by remarks from the Deputy Secretary, Hon. Kathleen Hicks. 
Next, the Board will hear a classified update from the Defense Advanced 
Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director, Dr. Stefanie Tompkins. This 
discussion focuses on significant updates from DARPA in support of the 
NSS, how they have a different remit from the DoD, and what best 
business practices could be

[[Page 12830]]

imported to the rest of the DoD. The DFO will adjourn the closed 
session. The Board will begin in closed session on February 7 from 9:20 
a.m. to 10:20 a.m. in Room M2 of the Pentagon Library Conference 
Center. The DFO will begin the closed session followed by a welcome by 
Board Chair. The Board will receive a classified discussion on the 
``Replicator'' Initiative from Hon. Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of 
Defense; Ms. Aditi Kumar, Deputy Director for Strategy, Policy, and 
National Security Partnerships at Defense Innovation Unit; and Ms. Joy 
Shanaberger, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. This 
discussion focuses on DoD's initiative on meeting critical warfighter 
needs at speed and scale. The DFO will adjourn the closed session. The 
Board will reconvene in open session February 7 from 10:20 a.m. to 
11:35 a.m. The DFO will begin the public session followed by a 
discussion on Supply Chain Risk Management from Brigadier General 
Stephanie Howard, U.S. Army Reserve, Executive Director for Operational 
Contract Support, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Acquisition and Sustainment. This segment will focus on supply chain 
risk management in the context of strategic competition, including how 
DoD can access and share information while protecting intellectual 
property. The discussion will focus on the experience of business 
leaders in managing similar challenges within large companies, and best 
practices for evaluating risks. The DFO will then adjourn the open 
session. The latest version of the agenda will be available on the DBBs 
website at: https://dbb.dod.afpims.mil/Meetings/Meeting-February-2024/.
    Meeting Accessibility: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 1009(d) and 41 
CFR 102-3.155, it is hereby determined that the February 6-7 meeting of 
the Board will include classified information and other matters covered 
by 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1) and that, accordingly, portions of the meeting 
will be closed to the public. This determination is based on the 
consideration that it is expected that discussions throughout the 
closed portions will involve classified matters of national security. 
Such classified material is so intertwined with the unclassified 
material that it cannot reasonably be segregated into separate 
discussions without defeating the effectiveness and meaning of these 
portions of the meeting. To permit these portions of the meeting to be 
open to the public would preclude discussion of such matters and would 
greatly diminish the ultimate utility of the Board's findings and 
recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of 
Defense. Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 1009(a)(1) and 41 CFR 102-3.140, the 
portion of the meeting on February 7 from 9 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. is open 
to the public virtually. Persons desiring to attend the public sessions 
are required to register. To attend the public sessions, submit your 
name, affiliation/organization, telephone number, and email contact 
information to the Board at [email protected]. Requests to attend the public sessions must be received 
no later than 12 p.m. on Monday, February 5, 2024. Upon receipt of this 
information, the Board will provide further instructions for virtually 
attending the meeting.
    Written Comments and Statements: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) 
and 102-3.140 and 5 U.S.C. 1009(a)(3) of the FACA, the public or 
interested organizations may submit written comments or statements to 
the Board in response to the stated agenda of the meeting or regarding 
the Board's mission in general. Written comments or statements should 
be submitted to Ms. Cara Allison Marshall, the DFO, via electronic mail 
(the preferred mode of submission) at the address listed in the FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Each page of the comment or 
statement must include the author's name, title or affiliation, 
address, and daytime phone number. The DFO must receive written 
comments or statements submitted in response to the agenda set forth in 
this notice by 12 p.m. on Monday, February 5, 2024, to be considered by 
the Board. The DFO will review all timely submitted written comments or 
statements with the Board Chair and ensure the comments are provided to 
all members of the Board before the meeting. Written comments or 
statements received after this date may not be provided to the Board 
until its next scheduled meeting. Please note that all submitted 
comments and statements will be treated as public documents and will be 
made available for public inspection, including, but not limited to, 
being posted on the Board's website.

    Dated: February 9, 2024.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2024-03356 Filed 2-16-24; 8:45 am]
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