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GAO Develops Framework to Guide AI Accountability
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GAO Develops Framework to Guide AI Accountability

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) used input from government, industry and nonprofit experts to develop a framework on the responsible use of artificial intelligence technology.

GAO said Wednesday that it held a forum to gather input on AI oversight, in addition to interviews with AI experts and federal inspector generals.  The framework featured key practices that tackle the data, performance, monitoring and governance aspects of AI accountability.

Auditors, third-party examiners and other entities may use the framework to answer questions and adopt procedures that support responsible AI use.

GAO aimed to determine AI best practices with respect to federal agency users and organizations that design, develop, monitor and deploy AI platforms.

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Comcast Business Awarded $102M DISA Contract to Enhance Network Performance; Ken Folderauer Quoted
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Comcast Business Awarded $102M DISA Contract to Enhance Network Performance; Ken Folderauer Quoted

Comcast Business announced on Wednesday that the company has secured a ten-year, $102.8 million contract from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to improve network performance and manage overall telecommunications costs for the agency’s Defense Information Systems Network (DISN).

“We are honored that DISA has once again selected – and more importantly entrusted – Comcast Business for its important initiative of modernizing its communications infrastructure and enhancing connectivity with its partners across the military’s information network,” said Ken Folderauer, vice president of Government Sales for Comcast Business.

DISA is undergoing a multi-phase process of replacing 17,000 legacy, point-to-point public switched telephone network (PSTN) circuits with Ethernet-based services across seven regions in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.

Comcast Business will help DISA establish CEGs by delivering its Ethernet Virtual Private Line (EVPL) service, which offers a flexible Ethernet solution to meet the Agency’s current and future demands. CEG Region 3 provides DISA with the underlying network infrastructure to enable voice, video, and data services for their mission partners.

“This contract solidifies Comcast Business’ position as a premier provider of communications solutions to government agencies,” Folderauer added.

DISA provides enterprise network and IT infrastructure to support the requirements of the Department of Defense’s more than 40 military services, combatant commands and support organizations worldwide.

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Klas Government Announces C5ISR Tactical Communications Enabling Voyager 6 Chassis; CRO Chris Ericksen Quoted
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Klas Government Announces C5ISR Tactical Communications Enabling Voyager 6 Chassis; CRO Chris Ericksen Quoted

Klas Government announced on Wednesday the availability of Voyager 6, the company’s latest breakthrough versatile chassis enabling the Department of Defense (DOD) to easily integrate C5ISR tactical communications systems into military ground vehicles without requiring modifications to the vehicle.

Voyager 6 meets Standardized A-Kit Vehicle Envelope (SAVE) requirements and enables a significant reduction in time and costs required to integrate the solution into current and future military vehicles that support the SINCGARS MT-6352 mounting tray.

“With Voyager 6, troops now have access to a tactical comms package that meets SAVE specifications for Size, Weight and Power, unlocking unlimited compute in a limited vehicle footprint,” said Chris Ericksen, Klas Government’ chief revenue officer.

“Klas remains focused on delivering technology at the speed of battle, and Voyager 6 makes vehicle modernization possible without the need for costly, time-consuming modifications,” added Ericksen.

Voyager 6 solves common problems with C5ISR tactical communication integration, such as limited processing and finite shelf life for tactical equipment, by extending processing and analytical power to edge environments. Simultaneously, it operates as a standardized envelope for innovation that seamlessly integrates into military vehicles.

Along with being modular with a scalable range network, Voyager enables users to repurpose existing Voyager modules and chassis with the ability to incorporate new capabilities as a given mission dictates quickly.

Ericksen concluded, “Klas is already working with CMOSS partners to fit the open systems architecture into the SAVE envelope, and our DOD customers can for the first time, bring the immense power of the cloud to enable artificial intelligence, analytics and other applications into the field and by wrapping in our Tactical Cloud Platform, commanders have access to applications and data at the edge, even when disconnected.”

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ASRC Federal Awarded $83M USSF Contract For Space Operation Services; CEO Jennifer Felix Quoted
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ASRC Federal Awarded $83M USSF Contract For Space Operation Services; CEO Jennifer Felix Quoted

ASRC Federal System Solutions announced Wednesday that the company secured an estimated $83 million U.S. Space Force (USSF) contract to support the Space Operations Command's Wing Information & Communications Support (WICS II) contract. 

The contract will run for seven years and requires ASRC Federal to deliver space operations, maintenance and logistics services for the recently activated Delta 6 and Delta 8 organizations.

"We are proud to have earned the mission trust of our USSF customer,” commented Jennifer Felix, ASRC Federal president and CEO. 

“We're committed to continue delivering technical excellence as we did under WICS I, including the newly added responsibility for the SDIN and GCCS networks,” added Felix, a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient. 

The contract requires the ASRC Federal System Solution team to support the operational success of missions involving the Global Broadcast Service Operation Center (GBSOC), Defense Enterprise Computing Center (DECC), Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM), Maintenance Operations Center (MOC), Space Command Digital Integrated Network (SDIN), Global Command and Control System (GCCS) and Information Assurance operations.

Delta 6 and Delta 8 organizations are headquartered at USSF's Peterson-Schriever Garrison in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This USSF award builds on ASRC Federal’s recent contract awards. For example, in May, the company landed a significant Defense Information Systems Agency contract to support DISA’s Unified Cyber Situational Awareness program by providing cyber, cloud, information technology and professional services. 

The DISA contract is potentially worth $217 million and runs for five years. It requires ASRC federal to build a centralized platform designed to function as a cloud-enabled cyber operations hub across the Department of Defense information network. 

Another notable contract was awarded to NetCentric, an ASRC Federal subsidiary in April. This was an estimated $360 million U.S. Air Force contract for comprehensive infrastructure engineering and base operations support services for Kirtland Air Force Base and the 377th Air Base Wing.

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Air Combat Command Stands up New Spectrum Warfare Team; Maj. Gen. Case Cunningham Quoted
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Air Combat Command Stands up New Spectrum Warfare Team; Maj. Gen. Case Cunningham Quoted

Air Combat Command (ACC) has activated a new unit that will focus on efforts to boost the U.S. military's advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum.

ACC's new 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing (SWW) stood up last Friday to deliver technologies that bolster the U.S. forces' competitive edge in electronic warfare, the U.S. Air Force said Monday.

The new SWW will maintain, operate and provide expertise for the Combat Air Forces' EW systems, and help the Air Force revise the service's EW composition in alignment with the National Defense Strategy. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida will temporarily serve as the 350th SWW's location, as the Air Force works to determine a permanent one.

“The activation of the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is the latest step the Air Force has taken to maintain our competitive advantage in electromagnetic warfare,” said Maj. Gen. Case Cunningham, commander of the USAF Warfare Center. 

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Army Develops New Autonomy Software Through Collaborative Program; Brett Piekarski Quoted
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Army Develops New Autonomy Software Through Collaborative Program; Brett Piekarski Quoted

The U.S. Army has developed a set of software designed to help autonomous, robotic systems navigate and move through complex environments. The Scalable, Adaptive and Resilient Autonomy (SARA) program aims to develop algorithms, tools and methods that support autonomous navigation, the Army said Tuesday.

SARA has been running for a year, in which the program produced advancements in local planning, uncertainty models and adaptive sensor calibration. The effort supports the larger AI for Maneuver and Mobility Essential Research Program.

"What the SARA model allows us to do is drive the performers to integrate their solutions into a government-owned software stack that is compatible with research across the Army," said Brett Piekarski, chief scientist of Army Research Laboratory's (ARL) Computational and Information Sciences Directorate.

Eric Spero, collaborative alliance manager for SARA, said the model allows industry and academia to directly take part in ARL's autonomy pursuits.

SARA has also produced algorithms that reduce errors in long-distance travel, facilitate obstacle navigation and allow for high-speed movement in narrow areas.

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Gen. Paul Nakasone: Navy-Marine Corps Integration Needed to Counter Cyberattacks
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Gen. Paul Nakasone: Navy-Marine Corps Integration Needed to Counter Cyberattacks

Gen. Paul Nakasone, head of U.S. Cyber Command and a 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said cybersecurity is national security and the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps must be ready to address cyberattacks, USNI News reported Tuesday.

“Continuing Navy-Marine Corps integration must account for the information environment, especially adversary intrusions, information operations and next-gen cryptography,” said Nakasone, who also serves as director of the National Security Agency (NSA), said at a conference Tuesday.

He said a “unity of effort” is needed to fight cyberattacks and protect weapons systems and military data amid the increasing sophistication of cyberthreats from Russia, China and other near-peer competitors.

“That’s going to require a shift – a shift in our posture, a shift in our thought processes, to return to a focus on these kinds of near-peer threats,” he said. “We have to respond to this across a full spectrum of activities and situations, that is, across cyber defense and offense, information operations and in competition, in crisis or, if necessary, in conflict. The more we can synchronize those activities, the more powerful we’ll be as a military and as a nation."

Nakasone also stressed the importance of integration across the services, industry and non-traditional interagency partners and need to recognize that cyber and physical battlefields are closely linked.

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Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey Wants to Hear Army Network User Feedback
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Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey Wants to Hear Army Network User Feedback

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.

Brig. Gen. Jeth Rey Wants to Hear Army Network User Feedback

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.

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GAO’s Gretta Goodwin: Agencies Should Monitor Employees’ Use of Facial Recognition Systems
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GAO’s Gretta Goodwin: Agencies Should Monitor Employees’ Use of Facial Recognition Systems

Gretta Goodwin, director of Homeland Security and Justice at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), said GAO assessed the use of facial recognition systems by federal law enforcement agencies and recommended that agencies should take measures to track their employees’ use of non-federal systems for criminal investigations.

Goodwin said in an interview posted Tuesday that GAO made the recommendation after it found that only one of the 14 agencies included in the review had knowledge about their employees’ use of non-federal platforms.

“When we asked one of the agencies about its use of non-federal systems, officials told us that they had to poll their employees because the information was not maintained by the agency. In another instance, officials from an agency initially told us that their employees did not use non-federal systems. But, after they conducted a poll, they learned that the employees had used the system to conduct more than 1,000 facial recognition searches,” she said.

Goodwin talked about how agencies might abuse the use of facial recognition systems. She cited the risk of failing to comply with privacy-related laws and the risk of inaccurate search results that could lead to the identification of innocent individuals as investigative leads.

“So it is essential that federal agencies have a thorough understanding of what systems are being used by their employees. They also need to ensure that employee use of these systems complies with privacy laws and that these systems are sufficiently accurate,” she said.

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President Biden Commends House for Passing 2 Bills to Advance Investments in Science, R&D
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President Biden Commends House for Passing 2 Bills to Advance Investments in Science, R&D

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.

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