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NOAA Adds AI Tool to Climate-Focused Website; Administrator Rick Spinrad Quoted
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NOAA Adds AI Tool to Climate-Focused Website; Administrator Rick Spinrad Quoted

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has integrated artificial intelligence technology into a public-facing website that offers news and educational materials about climate science.

AI-powered Climate.gov supports location-based searches, content integration and crosslinking across the site, the agency said Oct. 12th.

The site has an updated dashboard that offers a visual readout of climate trends, a list of frequently asked questions and answers for non-experts, a data primer and National Centers for Environmental Information-hosted tools.

“Climate.gov helps meet the diverse needs of the public, whose health, safety, and economic well-being are directly tied to climate, water, and weather,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad.

Spinrad added the site redesign effort would advance his objective to maintain the agency’s role as “the authoritative provider of climate products and services, and increase our capacity to help communities better understand, prepare for, and respond to climate risks and impacts.”

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SBA Inspector General Releases FY 2022 Management Challenges Report
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SBA Inspector General Releases FY 2022 Management Challenges Report

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) office of inspector general has issued a report on eight performance and management challenges facing SBA in fiscal year 2022. 

The first two challenges outlined in the report are the susceptibility of SBA’s economic relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program to fraud risks and vulnerabilities and the reliability of contracting goal achievements being undermined by inaccurate procurement data and eligibility concerns in small business contracting initiatives.

SBA said it implemented fraud and eligibility controls and made corrective actions to help mitigate fraud in PPP, including the development and implementation of Master Review Plan outlining guidelines for loan and forgiveness reviews; creation and execution of SBA and contractor’s fraud risk management policy and framework; adoption of machine learning to focus on areas of higher risk; and launch of training and outreach efforts.

Other performance challenge areas that need improvement are information technology investment system development and security controls; risk management and oversight practices; management of Section 8(a) business development program; identification of improper payments in loan programs; grants management system; and disaster assistance program.

For the IT aspect, SBA has made progress in the protection of personal identifiable information and automated security control testing but still needs improvement in risk management and configuration management controls. The agency should also update its hardware and software inventories and authorizations to operate for IT systems.

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Senate Panel’s Defense Spending Bill to Raise Pentagon’s FY 2022 Budget by $24B
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Senate Panel’s Defense Spending Bill to Raise Pentagon’s FY 2022 Budget by $24B

The Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a bill that would increase the Department of Defense’s budget by $24 billion for fiscal year 2022 to advance artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies, improve infrastructure and facilities across the service branches and develop capabilities to counter Chinese threats, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

The bill would provide $17.9 billion for the U.S. Space Force to help fund its military personnel, acquisition and operations accounts and $2.5 billion in funds to support the development of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s missile tracking capabilities, Marine Corps Force Design 2030 efforts and Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii and Guam Defense System as part of efforts to counter China.

The measure would fund a $500 million program to ramp up use of AI at combatant commands and provide $1.6 billion in additional funds to support facilities and infrastructure sustainment efforts.

The Senate panel’s defense spending bill also includes $1.8 billion for 16 C-130J planes for the Air National Guard; $1.7 billion for another DDG-51 destroyer; and $1 billion to meet “urgent requirements” for Israel’s Iron Dome platform.

Space Acquisition Forum

GovCon Wire will hold its Space Acquisition Forum on Jan. 19th. Click here to register for the virtual forum to hear from defense officials as they share their insights on military acquisition reform and modernization efforts.

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Army Looks to Equip Military Vehicles With 3D Map of the World
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Army Looks to Equip Military Vehicles With 3D Map of the World

The U.S. Army aims to incorporate a 3D map that contains terrain datasets into its future vehicles to serve as an alternative positioning, navigation and timing source for soldiers who operate in areas where GPS connectivity is limited or jammed, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

The military service is working with Maxar Technologies‘ Vricon subsidiary to develop the One World Terrain for use in training, simulation and multidomain operations under a potential $94.7 million other transaction agreement.

Joe Parsons, a member of the Army’s Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team, said the branch uses the OWT tool in preliminary Robotic Combat Vehicle experiments.

A QinetiQ North America-Pratt Miller alliance developed the RCV Light model and a Textron-Howe&Howe partnership built RCV Medium variant as part of separate OTAs awarded in 2020.

Brig. Gen. William Glaser, director of STE-CFT, told an audience at the Association of the United States Army’s event last week that the service is also examining the potential application of such capability to the Department of Defense’s Joint All Domain Command and Control strategy.

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NTT DATA Introduces Empowered Work Initiative for Hybrid Workplace Integration, Improved Employee Experience; Eric Clark Quoted
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NTT DATA Introduces Empowered Work Initiative for Hybrid Workplace Integration, Improved Employee Experience; Eric Clark Quoted

NTT DATA has launched its Empowered Work initiative to modernize its employee experience through an ecosystem of tools aimed to create a more efficient, sustainable, collaborative and accessible workplace. 

Empowered Work aims to leverage human-centered design, AI, automation and analytics technologies to guide the company’s clients and employees in the adoption and implementation of hybrid workplace strategies and best practices, the company said Monday.

The new initiative was created in response to a growing demand for improved customer and employee experiences, secure anytime/anywhere workspaces and increased collaboration capabilities as employers work to unify a workforce that is increasingly dispersed.

“We believe employers have an increasing responsibility to look out for the whole person. NTT DATA is on a mission to empower our workforce and clients as they go from the great resignation to the great transformation,” said NTT DATA’s Chief Digital and Strategy Officer, Eric Clark.

As part of the Empowered Work initiative, NTT DATA will take a holistic view of digital and consulting services to advance companies’ digital transformation objectives and create an innovative, modern work environment for their employees.

Additionally, NTT DATA plans to build “smart-space” hubs in major cities such as Boston, Washington D.C. and New York where employees and clients have access to multi-screen dynamic collaboration tools, a virtual receptionist and room scheduling services in support of both in-person and virtual collaborative work environments.

Recently, NTT DATA launched a Smart Back to Work Application designed to help federal agencies comply with new COVID-19 safety protocols and vaccination requirements.

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KC-46A Tanker Now Usable for F-15, F-16 Aircraft in USTRANSCOM; Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson Quoted
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KC-46A Tanker Now Usable for F-15, F-16 Aircraft in USTRANSCOM; Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson Quoted

The KC-46A Pegasus tanker can now refuel all F-15 and F-16 aircraft variants for U.S. Transportation Command's operations, through a recently approved interim capability release.

Gen. Mike Minihan, who leads Air Mobility Command, authorized the aerial refueler's third interim capability release on Wednesday, AMC said Friday.

“The KC-46 can now support 62 percent of all receiver aircraft that request air refueling support from USTRANSCOM,” said Brig. Gen. Ryan Samuelson, AMC's deputy director of strategy, plans, requirements and programs and lead for the KC-46 Cross-Functional Team. 

The third ICR decision follows the first one in July that authorized the aircraft's Centerline Drogue System, and the second one in August that allowed Pegasus to refuel B-52, C-17 and fellow KC-46 units.

AMC follows an incremental approach in implementing KC-46's ICR plan with no specific timeline. The aerial refueler has taken part in over 6,000 missions so far.

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William Schaefer: Amyx Grows Cybersecurity Portfolio Through New DLA Awards
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William Schaefer: Amyx Grows Cybersecurity Portfolio Through New DLA Awards

Amyx has received several new awards from the Defense Logistics Agency and a classified defense customer, expanding the company’s cybersecurity portfolio.

Recent awards include DLA Cybersecurity Policy and Oversight Support Services for Operational Technology Support (CPOSS-OT), DLA Cyber Vulnerability Management Risk Assessment and DLA Cyber Assurance Operational Technology and Information Technology Support, the company said Monday.

Additionally, Amyx will support a classified defense customer through cybersecurity engineering, operational technology and infrastructure support services.

“These awards are a result of our focused investment to secure operational technology, industrial control systems, and critical infrastructure,” said Amyx CEO and President, William Schaefer.

He added, “At Amyx, we have some of the sharpest minds collaborating through our Communities of Interest (COI) to ensure that we remain at the forefront of innovation to assist our customers with their most challenging security issues.”

Through the new DLA awards, Amyx will conduct site surveys, identify capabilities, perform system tracking and implement Access Control Policy to analyze data on the agency’s critical infrastructure systems. 

Under the DLA’s Cyber Vulnerability Management Risk Assessment and CPOSS-OT contracts, Amyx will draft operational technology policies, conduct risk assessments and provide a wide range of OT and IT support services.

The new awards build on the more than 20-year partnership between Amyx and the DLA, and Schaefer noted that the company is looking forward to helping the agency advance their cybersecurity capabilities and modernization goals.

Earlier this year, Amyx was awarded two new task orders under the DLA J6 Enterprise Technology Services (JETS) contract, bringing the company’s total number of task orders under the contract to more than 30.

The company has also been recognized multiple times in The Washington Post’s annual list of best places to work in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

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National Guard Officer Lt. Col. Jody Ogle Joins CISA as Cybersecurity Adviser
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National Guard Officer Lt. Col. Jody Ogle Joins CISA as Cybersecurity Adviser

Col. Jody Ogle, director of communications and cyber activities for the Air National Guard, has been appointed to advise the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on cyber matters.

Ogle was the chief information officer and J6 director for the West Virginia National Guard over a span of six years. The officer supported both Air and Army National Guard components in this role.

He also held executive-level cybersecurity and financial roles for the 130th Airlift Wing under West Virginia’s Air National Guard.

The state of West Virginia also employed him as a senior programmer analyst from July 2003 to January 2006. In this role, he designed and developed software applications to support the state’s auditor and treasurer.

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ColdQuanta’s Quantum Research as a Service Division Begins Custom Ion Trap System Project for Oak Ridge National Labs
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ColdQuanta’s Quantum Research as a Service Division Begins Custom Ion Trap System Project for Oak Ridge National Labs

ColdQuanta has begun work under its first Quantum Research as a Service Division project to build a Custom Ion Trap System for the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Labs (ORNL).

The newly established QRaaS division, which operates alongside ColdQuanta’s Quantum Computing and Cold Atom Technology groups, will create an ion trapping system that utilizes a modular design to enable rapid testing of cryogenic electronics, system integration strategies and ion trap architectures, the company said Monday.

Max Perez, general manager of Quantum Research as a Service (QRaaS) for ColdQuanta said, “ORNL’s cryogenic ion trapping systems are the perfect type of project for ColdQuanta’s Quantum Research as a Service division because it furthers the adoption of quantum in familiar areas like computing, networking, and simulation.”

The company’s Custom Ion Trap System will leverage experimental hardware, system integration of vacuum hardware and trapped ion-utilizing experimental architectures to advance quantum research, drive quantum adoption at the federal level and enhance applications such as computing, timekeeping, networks and communications.

ColdQuanta’s ion trapping system will address known cryogenic system vacuum performance and noise issues with enhancements like a macroscopic vacuum chamber, an atomic source, thermal links, trapping electronics, a compact helical resonator and active and passive vacuum pumping mechanisms.

Recently, ColdQuanta was chosen to participate in the White House Summit on Quantum Industry and Society, a roundtable discussion with industry leaders and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in response to the Biden Administration’s identification of quantum computers and sensors as a critical technology in the nation’s future.

Perez additionally noted that the project with ORNL will further the QRaaS division’s mission of supporting government agencies and enterprises through the research, development and implementation of breakthrough quantum technologies.

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Robert Wood: CMS to Adopt Security-Oriented Standard for Software Bill of Materials
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Robert Wood: CMS to Adopt Security-Oriented Standard for Software Bill of Materials

Robert Wood, chief information security officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said that the CMS has started to lay the groundwork for how the agency incorporates a security-oriented software bill of materials into information systems, Nextgov reported Friday.

Wood told his audience at an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center-hosted event Thursday that adopting the CycloneDX model will support CMS’ DevSecOps authorization and verification system, dubbed BatCAVE.

The object model covers an application’s metadata, components, services, dependencies and compositions, according to the CycloneDX website.

CMS’ move to implement the standard is part of its efforts to comply with a May cybersecurity order from the White House requiring a formal supply chain record of software parts from government suppliers.

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