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John Ratcliffe Confirmed as CIA Director
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John Ratcliffe Confirmed as CIA Director

The Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe, former director of national intelligence, as head of the CIA on Thursday by a 74-25 vote.

In November, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced his selection of Ratcliffe as the next director of the intelligence agency.

Ratcliffe’s Stance on China During Confirmation Hearing

The Hill reported that the former Texas congressman warned about the threat posed by China to the U.S. during his confirmation hearing.

“Understand that the nation who wins the race of emerging technologies of today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” Ratcliffe told lawmakers. “Which brings me to the need for the CIA to continue and increase an intensity to focus on the threats posed by China and its ruling Chinese Communist Party. As DNI, I dramatically increased the intelligence community’s resources devoted to China.”

He noted that he would keep the CIA politically neutral and would not terminate agency employees based on their political views about the president.

John Ratcliffe’s Professional Background

He most recently served as co-chair of the Center for American Security at the think tank America First Policy Institute.

In 2021, he became a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation after serving as DNI under the first Trump administration.

Ratcliffe started his career as a lawyer and served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

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Trump’s Executive Order Calls for AI Action Plan
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Trump’s Executive Order Calls for AI Action Plan

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that directs the development of an action plan aiming to retain U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and improve the country’s economic and national security.

The White House said Thursday the assistant to the president for science and technology, the special adviser for AI and crypto and the assistant to the president for national security affairs should submit the AI action plan within 180 days.

Specifications of the EO

The EO provides the director of the Office of Management and Budget 60 days to revise OMB Memoranda M-24-10 and M-24-18 to align such policies with the order.

The new policy also revokes existing AI directives and policies that were seen to hinder the country’s AI innovation.

According to the EO, AI systems development should be “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas.”

Register now to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 20 and hear more about cutting-edge AI innovations from industry and government experts.

POC - 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit
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DOD IG Evaluates Incurred Cost Audits by Non-Federal Auditors
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DOD IG Evaluates Incurred Cost Audits by Non-Federal Auditors

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, or DOD OIG, has issued a report that evaluated the compliance of non-federal auditors with government auditing standards when they conducted audits of DOD contractors’ incurred costs.

What Are the OIG Report’s Findings? 

DOD OIG said Thursday it evaluated 16 incurred cost audits between October 2018 and September 2022 and found noncompliance with government auditing standards for 69 percent of such audits.

The office identified 34 instances of noncompliance among the 11 audits, including failure to obtain sufficient evidence to support their reported compliance for eight audits and inability to use a sufficient sample methodology to back conclusions for four audits.

For 11 audits, OIG found that non-federal auditors did not inquire about audit-related legal or investigative proceedings with DOD contractor management.

“Government Auditing Standards are crucial because they ensure the integrity, accountability, and transparency of Government operations,” said DOD Inspector General Robert Storch. 

“By adhering to rigorous guidelines, auditors can identify inefficiencies, detect fraud, and recommend improvements, thereby enhancing the economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of Government programs. The significant concerns identified by the OIG in this evaluation go to the core of the DoD’s responsibility to serve as a careful steward of a large volume of taxpayer funds,” added Storch.

OIG Recommendations

The report recommends that the director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, or DCAA, determine if the eight reports where the auditors did not obtain sufficient evidence should be revised or rescinded.

The inspector general’s office also recommends that the DCAA director, in coordination with the head of the Defense Logistics Agency, assess and make any revisions to performance work statements of all future contracts with auditors to ensure that DCAA contracting officer’s representatives have sufficient responsibility and authority to assess non-federal auditor work for compliance with standards.

According to the report, the DCAA chief should work with the DLA director in requiring auditors to address compliance with the standards in their quality control plans.

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SDA Issues Draft RFP for T3TLu Space Vehicle
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SDA Issues Draft RFP for T3TLu Space Vehicle

The Space Development Agency is seeking industry input for a draft request for proposal involving the Tranche 3 Transport Layer Upsilon, or T3TLυ, space vehicle variant of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

Tranche 3 Transport Layer Upsilon Draft RFP

The agency said Thursday the draft solicitation requests feedback regarding potential builder-operator teams that will work with the SDA on the development and operation of the T3TLu. SDA plans to purchase around 40 T3TLu space vehicles, specifically four orbital planes of ten SVs each.

The contract will potentially be awarded to two vendors, depending on the available funds. Interested parties have until Feb. 10 to submit their responses to the draft RFP.

The PWSA T3 Transport will involveT3TLυ SVs, including optical communication terminals. These OCTs will support in-plane and cross-plane crosslinks, links to terrestrial OCTs and crosslinks to compatible SVs external to the transport layer.

The Tranche 3 programs will build upon the capabilities of Tranche 2, including enhanced defense and tracking capabilities and missile warning coverage, sensitivity and accuracy. They will also boost tactical data link coverage, resilience and capacity along with positioning, navigation and timing—a.k.a. PNT—resilience.

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USAF Developing Transformational Model for Decision Advantage
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USAF Developing Transformational Model for Decision Advantage

The U.S. Air Force is developing a transformational model, or TM, for decision advantage over adversaries and to support the continuous upgrade of its command and control systems.

The TM would enable U.S. warfighters to make decisions faster than the competition, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center said Thursday. Created by USAF’s Advanced Battle Management System Cross-Functional Team, or ABMS CFT, the model helps optimize the Department of the Air Force Battle Network, which aims to provide enhanced situational awareness, faster operational decisions and decisive direction to U.S. forces.

Modernizing C2 Systems and Decision-making

The TM intends to address the issues associated with modernizing C2 systems and decision-making, explained Col. Jonathan Zall, an ABMS CFT member. “The transformational model deconstructs command and control processes into their core elements, enabling the identification of tasks best suited for our machine teammates, and those that require human intervention,” he added.

Zall noted that the model seeks to provide a deeper understanding of decision advantage by using advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. With the TM, the Air Force hopes to improve its decision-making processes.

Helping Humans Make Informed Decisions

USAF conducted a series of experiments and saw encouraging results with the TM. During a September 2024 trial in Nevada, airmen showcased their ability to use the model to generate battle courses of action that automated human-machine teams’ decision quality and speed capabilities. According to Zall, the experiment demonstrated that the TM can help human operators make informed decisions.

Maj. Gen. Bob Claude, the ABMS CFT lead, said the TM‘s continued development and implementation will help the U.S. military achieve decision advantage, adding that such efforts will determine the outcome of future conflicts.

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GAO Issues Report on Challenges in Federal IT Acquisition
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GAO Issues Report on Challenges in Federal IT Acquisition

The federal government must take critical action to address issues with its acquisition and management of IT, which has been on the Government Accountability Office‘s High Risk List since 2015 due to years of cost increases, protracted implementations or complete failure.

IT Acquisition & Management Challenges

GAO said in a report released Thursday that it has classified the government’s IT acquisition and management issues into three challenges: first, the need to strengthen oversight and management of IT portfolios; second, the implementation of mature IT acquisition and development practices; and third, building federal IT capacity and capabilities.

IT Portfolio Oversight

To address these challenges, a total of nine actions were proposed. For the first challenge, it was proposed that the effectiveness of IT leaders, including chief information officers and chief artificial intelligence officers, be improved. IT system and operation management at the agency level should also be enhanced while IT investment monitoring should be improved and planning for IT acquisitions should be strengthened.

Mature IT Acquisition Practices

For the second challenge, the implementation of leading IT acquisition and development practices should be improved. Also, the planning and management of cloud services, supply chains and telecommunication services should be strengthened, according to GAO.

Building Up IT Capabilities

For the third challenge, the agency said workforce management issues should be addressed, federal customer experience should be improved for digital services and emerging technologies should be effectively managed.

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NERSC Offers Quantum Computing Access Via IBM Partnership
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NERSC Offers Quantum Computing Access Via IBM Partnership

The National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center has unveiled the IBM Quantum Innovation Center, providing researchers with access to next-generation computing systems.

The program allows approved users to use quantum systems and resources and enjoy training in running algorithms on quantum computers, NERSC said Tuesday. The center will also assist selected projects, helping them align their proposals for success.

For instance, IBM‘s Qiskit quantum software can help users explore quantum circuits tailored to research problems that span various disciplines. NERSC noted it started accepting and evaluating research proposals for the program.

Access to Mainstream Quantum Tech

According to Jan Balewski, a quantum researcher at NERSC, the center offers technical support from NERSC and IBM staff, stressing that such “guidance helps users navigate the steep learning curve associated with quantum computing.”

“Our IBM Quantum Innovation Center provides NERSC users with access to mainstream quantum technology and covers limited but generous access,” he explained.

“Collaborations with quantum hardware vendors like IBM will allow us to prepare our user base and staff for this future, and develop a better understanding of what algorithms will be accelerated on quantum hardware,” added Katie Klymko, a quantum computing engineer at the center.

Preparing to Adopt Quantum Capabilities

NERSC’s collaboration with IBM will expand the quantum computing options that the center provides to users. The engagement is also expected to develop the NERSC workforce, enabling the center, which operates at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, to prepare the scientific community to adopt the technology.

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DARPA Seeks Algorithmic Capabilities to Defeat Money Laundering
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DARPA Seeks Algorithmic Capabilities to Defeat Money Laundering

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is calling for research proposals for its Anticipatory and Adaptive Anti-Money Laundering, or A3ML, program, which seeks to improve the ability of U.S. authorities to eliminate global money laundering.

Need for Algorithmic Capabilities

DARPA said Thursday that the goal of the A3ML program is the development of algorithms that can rapidly sift through graphs of financial transactions, detect suspicious patterns and learn new ones. The algorithms would also have to be able to match those data patterns with patterns of illicit financial behavior.

Ensuring Privacy

These new algorithmic capabilities would work to replace current analytical processes, which are manual, reactive and expensive. The capabilities would also have to be able to function without sharing sensitive financial data.

Commenting on the issue, A3ML Program Manager David Rushing Dewhurst said, “Money laundering finances our adversaries’ weapons programs, global terrorism, and the illicit drug trade, all of which threaten U.S. national security. The way we address these threats today is largely through manual data collection and analysis methods that threaten privacy. We are looking for new technological ideas that preserve privacy while setting a course to end to our adversaries’ financial warfare.”

Proposers Day

DARPA will sponsor a proposers day for the A3ML program on Feb. 20. Interested parties have until Feb. 10 to register.

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NASA Selects 9 Companies to Develop Capabilities for Artemis Mission
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NASA Selects 9 Companies to Develop Capabilities for Artemis Mission

NASA has selected nine U.S. companies to develop new strategies and concepts for logistics and mobility capabilities to support the Artemis lunar exploration mission.

Awarded under the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships Appendix R program, the $24 million worth of contracts will advance knowledge to help support life and work in the lunar environment, the space agency said Thursday. The awardees include Blue Origin, Intuitive Machines, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, MDA Space, Moonprint, Pratt Miller Defense, Sierra Space and Special Aerospace Services.

New Capabilities to Support Artemis Campaign

Nujoud Merancy, deputy associate administrator of the Strategy and Architecture Office at NASA headquarters in Washington, characterized the contracts as the catalyst to develop capabilities for Artemis and “the everyday needs of astronauts for long-term exploration on the lunar surface.” “This is an important step to a sustainable return to the Moon that, along with our commercial partners, will lead to innovation and expand our knowledge for future lunar missions, looking toward Mars,” she explained.

Advancing Innovative Technologies

The chosen companies will work on innovative technologies, such as advanced robotics and autonomous capabilities, to support the Artemis campaign. For example, Blue Origin and Intuitive Machines will explore potential enhancements for logistics handling and offloading during space operations.

The contract awards highlight NASA’s continuing collaboration with industry, academia, and the international community to mature its crewed exploration blueprint and prepare humanity on a path to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Launching Several Missions in 2025
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NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Launching Several Missions in 2025

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been preparing for the launch of numerous missions in 2025.

The agency said Thursday the missions aim to conduct thorough research on the expansion of the universe, the Moon’s water and other mysteries of the universe.

Breaking Down the Missions

Some of the missions the federal laboratory will be working on include:

NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory will launch on Feb. 27 or later to study the universe, including its expansion after the Big Bang and the location of life-supporting ingredients.

The Lunar Trailblazer, which will launch in late February through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, is meant to study the presence of water on the Moon by conducting a detailed mapping of the Moon’s surface water.

The NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation Synthetic Aperture Radar, or NISAR, is a mission conducted by the United States and India. It aims to study the Earth’s changing surface using L-band and S-band radars.

The Sentinel-6B will launch in November to conduct studies on the Earth’s sea surface. The mission intends to gather global sea surface height measurements to enhance climate models, hurricane tracking, and understanding of El Nino and other phenomena.

The Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration, or CADRE, project will work on utilizing autonomous robots on the Moon. The technology demonstration involves multi-robot missions for future lunar missions.

Space Entanglement and Annealing Quantum Experiment, or SEAQUE, is currently on the International Space Station and is evaluating technologies that can potentially allow communication using entangled photons between two quantum systems. This test demonstration can lay the groundwork for a future global quantum network.

The Europa Clipper was launched in October and is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2030. This mission is meant to study the possibility that the ocean under the planet’s ice shell is suitable for life.

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