[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3640-3642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00961]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Defense Business Board; Notice of Federal Advisory Committee 
Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of Federal Advisory Committee meeting.

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SUMMARY: The DoD is publishing this notice to announce that the 
following Federal Advisory Committee meeting of the Defense Business 
Board (``the Board'') will take place.

DATES: Closed to the public February 6, 2024 from 9:15 a.m. to 11:30 
a.m., 1:20 p.m. to 4:50 p.m., and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. and on 
February 7, 2024 from 9:20 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Open to the public 
February 6 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. All Eastern time.

ADDRESSES: The open and closed portions of the meeting will be in room 
M2 of the Pentagon Library Conference Center, Nunn-Lugar Conference 
Room and 4D880 in the Pentagon, and at the U.S. Department of State, 
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.
    Purpose of the Meeting: The mission of the Board is to examine and 
advise

[[Page 3641]]

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 closed session on February 6 from 
9:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The DFO will begin the closed session followed 
by a welcome by Board Chair, Hon. Deborah James. The Board will receive 
a classified discussion on the DoD Budget from Hon. Kathleen Hicks, 
Deputy Secretary of Defense. The discussion will cover the DoD 
priorities and considerations that helped to shape its request as part 
of the President's budget request for fiscal year 2025. Next the Board 
will receive a classified discussion on the DoD Audit and Incremental 
Progress from Hon. Michael McCord. This session will include an 
overview of the latest DoD Audit, progress to date, and the path 
forward. Discussion will include current obstacles and recommended 
courses of action from business leaders. The DFO will adjourn the 
closed session. After a lunch break, the Board will meet in open 
session from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. The DFO will open the public 
session followed by a welcome by the Board Chair. The Board will 
receive a presentation on the Board study, Creating a Digital Ecosystem 
Study from Mr. Stan Soloway, Chair, Business Transformation 
Subcommittee. During this session, the Subcommittee will brief the 
Board on the findings, observations, and recommendations it compiled as 
part of a recent study on ways to leverage digital ecosystems to 
harness the power of data to aid decision-making and risk analysis 
through simulation and advanced computing.
    The DFO will then adjourn the open session. The Board will 
reconvene in closed session from 1:20 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. The DFO will 
begin the closed session followed by a welcome by the Board Chair. The 
Board will receive a classified discussion on the State of the 
Workforce--Recruiting, Training, and Retention, Obstacles, and 
Solutions from Sergeant Major Troy E. Black, Senior Enlisted Advisor to 
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 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 and exploring innovative 
solutions to foster a resilient and high-performing workforce. Next the 
Board will receive a classified discussion on DoD Current Affairs from 
Hon. Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense. This session is expected to 
focus on the state of the current global security environment and its 
implications for current and future business operations. Following, the 
Board will receive a classified discussion on Current Operations, 
Crisis Action Planning, and Adaptive Decision Making in Dynamic 
Environments from LTG Douglass A. Sims II, Army, Director of 
Operations. 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 DFO will 
adjourn the closed session. The Board will transition to the Air Force 
Mess for their final closed session on February 6. The DFO will begin 
the closed session followed by remarks by Board Chair, Hon Deborah 
James and Deputy Secretary, Hon. Kathleen Hicks. Next, the Board will 
hear a classified update by the Defense Advanced Research Projects 
Agency (DARPA) from Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, Director. This discussion 
focuses on any significant updates from DARPA in support of the 
National Security Strategy, how they have a different remit from the 
DoD, and what best business practices could be imported to the rest of 
the DoD. The DFO will adjourn the closed session. The Board will meet 
in closed session February 7 from 9:20 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. The DFO will 
begin the closed session followed by the Chair's welcome. Next the 
Board will receive a classified Briefing on State Department (DoS) 
Business Operations/Management in Support of Current Efforts from 
Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. 
This discussion will focus on differences between DoD, DoS, and 
business operations management, and DoD and DoS unity of effort to 
achieve combined effects both militarily and diplomatically. The DFO 
will then adjourn the closed session.
    The latest version of the agenda will be available on the Board's 
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 6 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.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 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 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 Friday, February

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2, 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: January 12, 2024.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2024-00961 Filed 1-18-24; 8:45 am]
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