Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey, director of the U.S. Army Futures Command Network Cross-Functional Team, said he expects to hear soldiers’ feedback on agile technology, cryptography and data management to transform their operating environment.

Rey also intends to ask other CFT leaders and the Department of the Army chief information officer for their insight on network modernization priorities, the military service said on June 22.

“That’s going to be my priority — hearing what they want the Network Cross-Functional Team to focus on, in order to improve the environment that they operate in every single day,” he said.

The Network CFT aims to help the branch accelerate technology insertion into the service network that will support data access in future missions on the battlefield.

“Going from 5G WiFi, to terrestrial circuits, to satellite-based systems as an automatic transition will give us greater operational flexibility across the board,” added Rey.

If you’re interested in Army modernization initiatives, check out the Potomac Officers Club’s virtual forum coming up on Aug, 12th. Click here to learn more.

During Potomac Officers Club’s 2021 Army Forum, notable federal and industry leaders will discuss how the Army will drive future capabilities, such as data management, cloud, hardware and software, to meet the demand and speed of the digital battlefield.

President Biden has lauded the House’s move to pass two bipartisan bills that seek to make investments in science and research and development efforts.

He said in a statement published Monday that the National Science Foundation for the Future Act and the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act stress the role of science in helping the U.S. address the climate crisis and other major challenges and could help the country grow the economy.

“We need historic—once in a generation—investments in our competitiveness that support R&D, innovation, our semiconductor industry, and advanced manufacturing to grow our economy and create good-paying middle-class jobs in every corner of America,” Biden said.

“These pieces of legislation—and the agreement reached on the infrastructure framework last week—show the American people, and the world, that we’re capable of coming together as a country and setting aside our differences to make transformational investments that will strengthen us both at home and abroad,” he added.

Biden noted that he looks forward to continuing to collaborate with Congress to come up with a final bill.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $93 million for 71 university-led research projects focusing on high energy physics to benefit, energy technologies, national security and other fields. 

DOE said Monday that the projects under the High Energy Physics program will cover various topics across the field of particle physics such as quantum theory and the Higgs boson.

Researchers from the Penn State University, Cornell University and the University of Wyoming will study the elusive dark matter and dark energy and their effect on the expansion of the universe.

Another set of research will see scientists from the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado will also work on particle physics theory, advanced particle accelerators and new detector technologies.

"Particle physics plays a role in many major innovations of the 21st century, and to keep our competitive edge America must invest in the scientists and engineers that are advancing basic physical science today to create the breakthroughs of tomorrow," explained Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

With the projects, the High Energy Physics program aims at providing a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes at work across the universe, with technologies developed in the effort expected to affect other societal demands.

Project Time & Cost (PT&C) announced the launch of PT&C CostCenter on Tuesday. This cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) offers an integrated set of tools for agencies and commercial enterprises who need up-to-date construction cost data and efficient solutions for collaborative cost estimating. 

CostCenter will be one of the most secure and innovative cost estimating toolboxes of the market. 

“The tools we’re delivering to market today represent a full integration of capabilities that will reduce risk in cost estimating for construction management with price volatility in material and labor costs being greater than ever before, we deliver a solution to meet industry demand head-on, with a cost estimation process that is fast, safe and accurate,” commented Bob Stalick, CEO of Caliburn International.

PT&C CostCenter serves as an information hub for its cost engineering applications and supplies an overview of critical performance indicators. When users integrate additional PT&C applications into their company, they will use E2E facilities' cost lifecycle ecosystem. The ecosystem includes PT&C CostBook, PT&C CostBase and PT&C CostPro solutions. 

In addition, PT&C CostBook provides transparent construction cost data and works in parallel with either estimation solution. CostBook is supported by experienced cost engineers and features over 35,000 searchable constructive tasks alongside an extensive catalog of modern construction materials.

PT&C CostBase quickly builds out simple estimates. PT&C CostPro is a full cost estimating platform built with decades of expertise calculating accurate assessments of complex construction costs that enables clients to work efficiently.

“Our users gain increased visibility and efficiency of enterprise facilities management through a centralized application suite. This built-in modularity allows users to use only the applications they need, giving clients a solution to create detailed estimates based on current, accurate, and defensible cost data,” stated Andy Reape, PT&C vice president. 

“Offering these software tools to our clients will help them do their job better, faster, and with less rework required,” added Reape.

The U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy jointly demonstrated a new concept with airborne positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies in Centennial, Colorado. 

The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) worked with the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation (SDPE) Office to test a mix of PNT technologies in an Agilepod sensor pod across six sorties, Air Force Materiel Command said Monday.

The sorties demonstrated a concept that adapts open-systems architectures with Vision Navigation and other existing PNT technologies.

“This concept recognizes that a single alternative-PNT technology isn’t going to give us the edge against our adversaries as they attempt to disrupt traditional GPS sources; we need to think differently about ways to employ those technologies together to achieve our desired effects," said Maj. Andy Cottle, the operational experimentation lead for complementary PNT at SDPE.

The team also tested the PNT technologies' integration with a T-38 trainer aircraft at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Future tests under the effort's second phase are scheduled to run in August.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded Catalyst Communications Technologies a $2.9 million contract to commercialize an interoperable communications system under a program run by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

The company will commercialize its product developed through the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program of DHS' Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate, DHS said Monday.

Catalyst developed interworking communication systems for public safety under SBIR's first two phases, through which DHS provided funds. The company's technology supports interoperability between LTE and land mobile radio communications.

"S&T’s partnership with Catalyst, and soon their continued work with NIST, are steps toward ensuring that public safety using MCPTT apps on LTE devices can seamlessly communicate with counterparts on their LMRs,” said Norman Speicher, S&T program manager.