鈥淥ur uniformed services families have the added stress of their service, including deployments. We are honored to partner with 爱神传媒 to provide these heroes with the transformative and uplifting experiences that only Make-A-Wish can provide,鈥� said Lesli Creedon, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic President and CEO.

As a proud partner, we have already granted wishes to 16 children of families who are currently active duty, reserves, or veterans. Here are some of the wish kids:

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How did you come to join 爱神传媒?

I learned about the role at 爱神传媒 through a recruiter on LinkedIn.聽 I was not necessarily looking for a new role at the time, but my interactions with everyone at 爱神传媒 really excited me about the role —聽 especially after talking with John Vollmer and hearing of his passion for people.

What is your professional and personal background?

I served in the U. S. Coast Guard for 27 years, 360 days, and continued my service as a federal civilian for 2+ years.聽 My Coast Guard specialty on the back half of my career was in the Human Resources/People Readiness field.聽 My post-Coast Guard roles have been primarily in Talent Acquisition, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

How did your military service prepare you for a successful career at 爱神传媒?

From day one, I learned a great deal about leadership, 鈥淢ission First, People Always.鈥澛� I developed the business acumen and political savvy necessary to succeed in any role.聽 And most importantly, I learned to manage change and develop resilience as many of my roles and responsibilities required me to be adaptable.

Describe the work you do and how you think it makes a positive impact.

I am the VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at 爱神传媒.聽 In this role, I am charged with the development of policies and practices that directly influence the organizations climate and culture, as we work to maintain and enhance an inclusive workplace for all of team 爱神传媒. As 鈥淰alue our People鈥� is a core value for the organization, having a role designed to do just this is critically important, and exciting.

What are some of your accomplishments and/or what has been your proudest career moment?

1. Reaching the rank of Captain in the U. S. Coast Guard. I was the 26^th African American to achieve this in the Coast Guard.
2. Earning my Ph. D. in psychology.
3. Demonstrating success in my various roles (e.g., leading the Coast Guard鈥檚 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Campaign, leading the recruiting effort for the Coast Guard, and influencing DEI efforts in multiple organizations).

What do you enjoy about working for 爱神传媒?

The teamwork environment. Everyone wants to chip in and do what is necessary to drive organizational success.聽 And having a CEO that walks the talk.

What are you passionate about?

Leaving people better than I found them, one person at a time.

What鈥檚 your career advice?

鈥淢ake a plan, sets goals that execute your plan, or allow yourself to be a victim of someone else鈥檚 plan. It鈥檚 all in your power of choice.鈥�

What does safety mean to you, or do you have a favorite safety tip?

Safety is everyone responsibility.聽 A seemingly small risk can have significant impact on someone else鈥檚 health and well-being.聽 It is everyone鈥檚 responsibility to act.

What鈥檚 the best invention in the world and why?

The hospital, and everything that goes into a hospital (e.g., equipment, doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc.).聽 It hard to imagine a life/world without them.聽 Even more during this season with the Covid-19 virus.

What does Black History Month mean to Rob Smith?

Black History Month represents an opportunity for all to learn of the many contributions that the African American race has made to 鈥淭he World.鈥澛� It is also a time to recognize the growth, advancement, and achievement of our race.聽 I recall walking through an airport in uniform, as a Captain/O-6 in the U. S. Coast Guard, and an older black gentleman approached me and stated, 鈥淵ou Are the Dream.鈥澛� He had tears in his eyes as he celebrated the opportunity, he had to see this dream come true.聽 It moved me to tears, as I guess I did not fully appreciate what my accomplishments meant to others.聽 Black History Month is a time to highlight to the older generation, what their sacrifice has made possible, while also demonstrating to the younger generation their potential for even greater achievement and contribution.

Anything else you would like to share from a personal or professional perspective?

Believe in the impossible — this enhances our ability to do the impossible.聽 There are so many things that we take for granted today that were once perceived as impossible.

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The following is an introduction to 爱神传媒’s 2021 Year in Review written by our CEO, John Vollmer. You can download the full Year in Review report here.

As we bring our second year as an independent company to a close, I find myself thinking back to the beginning of 2021. We realized it was going to be a monumental year, with the integration of DynCorp International and, with vaccines on the horizon, what we hoped would be the beginning of the end of the pandemic. We looked forward to seeing our clients, partners, employees, coworkers, and communities in person.

As a company, we performed beyond expectations and had one of our best years ever. Here are a few of the things I鈥檓 most proud of:

• We won several key bids, including contracts to support Customs and Border Protection Aviation and environmental cleanup work at the Oak Ridge Reservation and Savannah River Site.
• We won seats on new contract vehicles and stood up new capabilities like our Model Based Systems Engineering Collaboration Center.
• We adapted to the changing situation in Afghanistan and supported our customers with their critical needs associated with the largest airlift in history.
• We worked through the successful integration of DI and debuted 爱神传媒 at key customer-facing events including the Air Force Association鈥檚 Air, Space & Cyber Conference and the Association of the United States Army鈥檚 Annual Meeting.
• We were recognized within our industry with four Military Friendly Top 10 awards, as well as being named #23 on the Defense News Top 100 list and #14 on the Washington Technology Top Federal Contractors list.
• We found new opportunities to innovate, including the award of an Other Transaction Authority for a Live Training System Prototype, as well as implementing new technology solutions and offerings that helped to better focus our support on our clients鈥� missions and make our business more efficient.
• We supported the communities where we live and work, including Red Cross initiatives focused on western U.S. wildfires and Afghan refugee relief and veterans and military families through our new program with the Make-A-Wish foundation, Operation Dream Maker, and our continued commitment to Yellow Ribbon Fund.

These achievements wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the dedication of our employees and partners. I would like to thank you all for the resilience you demonstrated throughout 2021. It was another unconventional year and every single person had to continually adjust to achieve success.

The organizational resilience we have demonstrated since our company launch has led to transformational growth and tremendous momentum. I look forward to all we will achieve together in 2022, and welcome the many new faces through our acquisition of PAE.

Please enjoy this look back with pride in all we have accomplished together.

–John Volmer, CEO

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Congress didn鈥檛 hit the ground running in 2021. According to the Pew Research Center, the 117th Congress鈥� (in)action ties it 鈥渇or the fourth fewest laws enacted in the first eight months of its two-year term 鈥� and fifth fewest in terms of substantive laws 鈥� among the 18 most recent Congresses, going back to 1987.鈥� Despite the slow start, as we near the end of the year it is safe to say that, after some long uphill battles, substantial work was completed on Capitol Hill this year.聽 As we look ahead however, with Congress preparing for elections in 2022, don鈥檛 expect a flurry of legislating next year.

Supporting America鈥檚 Infrastructure Priorities

The largest infrastructure investment in decades passed both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support. An incredible $1.2 trillion is set to be disbursed across the nation over a five-year period and will go towards roads, bridges, rail, broadband, airports, and ports. Within the enormous Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, there are many provisions that will impact the important work we do at 爱神传媒.

During a visit to General Motor鈥檚 Factory ZERO plant in November, President Biden stated that, 鈥渨e have hundreds 鈥� we have thousands and thousands of vehicles in the federal fleet. They鈥檙e going to all go electric 鈥� all of them 鈥� down the road, supporting electric transit systems, electric school buses.鈥� As a company, we are proud to support many of those vehicles in the federal fleet and are prepared to make the migration to maintaining and sustaining electric vehicles and are fully prepared to support our customers.

爱神传媒鈥檚 legacy includes standing out as the leader in cleaning up some of the most complex and toxic chemical sites around the world. Our expertise will be useful in achieving remediation goals included in the infrastructure legislation. There is $10 billion set aside for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) cleanup with a focus on cleaning up drinking water and waste facilities. PFAS has become a priority on Capitol Hill as seen with the passing of PFAS Action Act in April 2021. Furthermore, clean-up of superfund sites, including reclaiming abandoned mine land and caping orphaned gas and oil wells, was allocated $21 billion in the infrastructure bill.

Building a more climate-resilient United States is another priority in the infrastructure legislation with $50 billion set aside to combat droughts, floods, and wildfires. The legislation also established a commission to determine how to address wildfires. For over two decades, 爱神传媒 has provided a variety of support for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Our pilots are uniquely trained to respond in a rapid, dynamic method to attack wildfires. As a company with a strong legacy of taking on wildfires in California, we are prepared to bring that mission to the national stage.

The Drawdown in Afghanistan

Since 2002, our company has supported operations in Afghanistan under a variety of contracts. During that time, we built strong relationships with our Department of State and Department of Defense partners and worked through fluid mission and operational changes, this includes the administration鈥檚 decision to drawdown in Afghanistan.

The Biden Administration made the decision to pull out of Afghanistan by September 2021. The result of this decision significantly impacted 爱神传媒鈥檚 work and resulted in Congressional activity. In July, before the evacuation was complete, Congress passed an emergency spending bill with overwhelming support (Senate 98-0; House 416-11) that included a half-billion dollars in funding to support evacuation of Afghan families, $600 million to support the Department of State, and an increase in special immigrant visas.

Raising the Debt Limit

While this issue hasn鈥檛 gone full circle yet, the debt limit was already raised by Congress once in 2021. However, when the debit limit was raised back in October, it was only raised by $480 billion which was estimated to tie the government over until December 3^rd. Recently, Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen said the government鈥檚 debt limit would need to be raised again by December 15^th. Over the next few weeks negotiations will continue between Leaders Schumer and McConnell but at this time it appears the two have 鈥渢urned down the heat鈥� and in order to find a reasonable path forward to resolve this issue.

Our Crystal Ball

While it is incredibly difficult to predict how things will play out on Capitol Hill, that doesn鈥檛 mean we can鈥檛 try. First, we will tackle the 鈥渓eftovers鈥� from 2021. There is quite a bit of important work that was left undone that will need to be addressed immediately as 2021 winds down and 2022 ramps up. Then we will take a quick look at where Congress stands with legislation focused on outcompeting China.

Finalizing Build Back Better

As we prepare for the holiday season, we have yet to see full passage of the reconciliation package, Build Back Better. While the House passed the legislation along party lines, there is still a challenging path through the Senate (AKA Senators Manchin and Sinema). The language is not finalized; however, we anticipate significant funding for:

• Homeland Security 鈥� specifically for cyber security;
• FEMA 鈥� with some of the funding going toward PFAS remediation;
• NASA 鈥� additional funds to support infrastructure needed for its missions;
• Money to invest in clean energy, specifically electric vehicles;
• and finally, the Department of Energy (DOE) will see funding for research, development, and demonstration projects.

The Meat and Potatoes of the 鈥淟eftovers鈥�

With the focus on infrastructure and reconciliation legislation, the business-as-usual work had been set aside. Both Appropriations and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) were put on the back burner. As a result, we鈥檝e seen passage of two continuing resolutions — the first funded the government until December 3, 2021 and the second funds the government through February 18, 2022. Defense spending remains the outstanding issue preventing FY22 appropriations legislation from moving forward. National security hawks are pushing for an additional $25 billion for defense, which would result in a decrease in non-defense discretionary funds.聽 While that plays out, the annual spending bills are temporarily on hold.

Which brings us to the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA.聽 For more than six decades the NDAA has become law without issue. While in recent years the NDAA continues to pass with bipartisan support, it has consistently taken longer and hits more snags than in the past. This year, all expect the NDAA to pass again.聽 When it does, it will include key language on opening F-35 maintenance and sustainment for competition, the importance of the Army鈥檚 move to the next synthetic training environment technology to ensure the highest level of readiness, and equipping C-12s with new avionics to ensure the safety and efficiency of the aircraft. One other incredibly important component of the NDAA is the amendment to increase defense spending by $25 billion. At this stage, the Senate Armed Services Committee, House Armed Service Committee, and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee have endorsed this increase.

It is likely that work on FY22 appropriations will continue through January and potentially into February. With reconciliation work unfinished and the debt limit issue ahead there isn鈥檛 enough time or space to finalize annual appropriations. Additionally, Republicans believe their leverage increases with the passage of time, which improves the likelihood of a higher defense spending topline. The list of Congressional 鈥渢o-do鈥檚鈥� remains long, and 2021 is rapidly coming to a close, but when all is said and done; Capitol Hill will have passed infrastructure, supported the withdrawal in Afghanistan, increased the debt limit, passed the reconciliation package, passed annual appropriations, and passed the NDAA.

Countering China

Since President Biden took office there have been ongoing legislative discussions concerning strategic competition with China. Moving forward legislation to address China鈥檚 economic and regional ambitions is an important component of the Biden Administration鈥檚 national security priorities and easing supply chain challenges.

Back in June, the Senate passed an enormous package aimed at bolstering semiconductor production and developing advancing technology. The package passed the Senate with bipartisan support on a final vote of 68-32, an uncommon occurrence on Capitol Hill. Despite being an administration priority and receiving bipartisan support, the House is not on the same page. Rather than passing one package related to China, the House is working several provisions through different committees. Furthermore, House republicans believe the Senate version is too watered down. Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer intend to have a conference committee on legislation to outcompete China. However, given what is currently on Congress鈥� plate and the coming election year, the path for this important legislation is not easy.

爱神传媒 Stands Ready

The past year was a rollercoaster of a year and we look forward to what 2022 will bring. At 爱神传媒 we stand ready to continue supporting the most critical missions of government and commercial organizations worldwide. 爱神传媒鈥檚 culture of safety, operational excellence, and ethics was formed throughout our 116-year heritage and sharpened by our unrelenting dedication to the customer鈥檚 mission and we can鈥檛 wait to dive into year 117 with our partners.

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鈥淯nder DI, we were no stranger to sacrifice in the name of freedom and the protection of liberty,鈥� said Mike Warren, Vice President, Employee Assistance Program. 鈥淥ur teams may not be active duty military, but as part of the 鈥渢otal force鈥� they share the same bravery and honor that calls any man or woman to serve. The names of our fallen are engraved on that wall, which reads: In memory of our friends and colleagues who served with honor and courage to help build a better world, and who gave their lives in that honorable service.鈥�

鈥淚 had the incredible honor of representing the survivors of fallen heroes at the unveiling of the DI memorial wall,鈥� shared Carolyn Timmann, surviving wife of Robert Timmann. 鈥淭he commitment by DynCorp and now 爱神传媒 to protect their memories and watch over their families is a meaningful sign of comfort and respect that ensures that their courage, patriotism and final sacrifice will resonate across future generations.鈥�

鈥淒I had a history of employing courageous individuals who served in the U.S. military and the forces of our allies 鈥� more than half of DI鈥檚 work force were veterans,鈥� added Mike. 鈥湴翊� obviously shares that legacy, as we remain well over one-third veteran after more than tripling our employee population.鈥�

鈥淲ith our equally strong commitment to service, I would like to invite our fellow 爱神传媒 teammates, clients, partners, and all their families to join us in observing the upcoming Memorial Day holiday,鈥� said Mike Warren.

On the last Monday each May, the Memorial Day holiday was established to honor the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces. The practice of decorating the resting place of fallen heroes is a tradition older than recorded history, however, the U.S. holiday originated after the American Civil War when veterans established it as a time to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

鈥淧eople may visit cemeteries, memorials, and other services honoring those who, as President Lincoln described, 鈥済ave the last full measure of devotion.鈥� This Monday, I hope you will also join me in celebrating and remembering the lives of our 85 teammates who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom,鈥� said Mike. 鈥淚 am humbled each time I reflect on these heroes.鈥�

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The importance of small business subcontractors was on full display at the 爱神传媒-led UCOR annual Small Business Awards breakfast on August 26th. The event was a hybrid celebration, with a small group of executives and representatives from the winning companies at a socially distanced gathering, while others watched the presentation over Zoom. This important event recognizes how small businesses support and advance the EM cleanup mission.

UCOR consistently exceeds the small business subcontracting goals set by the Department of Energy. Since 2011, UCOR has subcontracted nearly $1.5 billion of its work, with 82 percent of that going to small businesses. 鈥淲e are so proud of these awardees,鈥� said Freda Hopper Boyd, UCOR Small Business Program manager. 鈥淓ach of them is a valued partner who plays a key role in our mission success.鈥�

Ken Rueter, UCOR President and Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the importance of UCOR working in partnership with its small business subcontractors. 鈥淲e depend on our subcontractors to help us achieve our commitments to DOE. Each of these awardees has proven their commitment to our mission time and again through exceptional support. By partnering with small businesses, we are a more diverse and innovative team. Their willingness to go above and beyond has allowed us to move the cleanup schedule ahead by four years.鈥�

UCOR鈥檚 President and CEO Ken Rueter hosted the event, which honored the following companies:
鈥� Small Business of the Year: Workspace Solutions Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee.
鈥� Small Business of the Year: Tellico Electric Inc., Lenoir City, Tennessee.
鈥� Small Disadvantaged Business of the Year: Steel Plate LLC/Knoxville Sheet Metal Works Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee.
鈥� HUBZone Small Business of the Year: Street Legal Industries, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
鈥� Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Lynx Supply, Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
鈥� Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Southeast Equipment Sales, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
鈥� Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Premier Contracting & Technical Services Inc., Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The seven recipients provide services ranging from infrastructure support to welding and metal fabrication to providing nuclear and industrial safety supplies. Each played a crucial role in UCOR鈥檚 drive to achieve Vision 2020.

A video from the event showcasing the recipients can be located .

Learn more about the 爱神传媒 Small Business program here.

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