The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a request for information (RFI) to identify potential industry sources that could help update the service branch's biometric system for migrant interdiction operations and law and treaty enforcement missions, according to a notice posted on SAM.gov.

USCG said Wednesday it will collect and use data from the market research effort to plan its migration to version 3.0 of the Biometrics at Sea System (BASS).

According to a 2016 privacy impact assessment, BASS collects biometric information to aid USCG members in screening individuals caught entering the U.S. illegally through maritime channels.

The branch noted that the technology supports the enforcement of immigration laws by helping military users to identify repeat offenders and individuals engaged in smuggling activity.

Interested parties can submit input to USCG through July 23rd.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has extended by two years the charter for a committee that advises DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on U.S. commercial space transportation matters.

The 22-member Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) will continue to function through June 2023 under its renewed charter, FAA said Thursday.

COMSTAC is developing a proposal to update the civil aviation regulatory agency's human spaceflight guidelines and a potential funding mechanism for spaceport grant opportunities.

The new charter says committee members will review economic, institutional and technological trends within the space transportation sector and will provide a forum for government-industry discussions.

According to the document, COMSTAC's membership must include individuals and/or organizations that represent minorities, women and persons with disabilities to ensure that the FAA is attending to the needs of diverse groups.

“The membership shall be fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented and the functions to be performed by the committee. Every attempt is made to have representation from all segments of the commercial space transportation industry,” the charter states.

Twelve Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories have secured more than $65 million in federal and private sector funds to help bring energy technologies to the marketplace.

The government-sponsored labs will work with industry partners across 25 states and four countries through the 2021 Technology Commercialization Fund program, DOE said Thursday.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory received $5.13 million, the largest share among all awards, to explore converters for fast charging and artificial intelligence for characterizing additive manufacturing, among other technologies.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory secured $5.04 million, the second-highest share, for various research works such as hybrid power plants and offshore wind turbines.

Other topics under the 2021 TMF projects include improvements to lidar, cybersecurity applications for control rooms, alkaline water electrolysis and transactive energy service systems.

"These projects will help us deploy game-changing innovations that position us to win the clean energy race while creating jobs and opportunity across every pocket of the country," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

All 12 laboratories qualified for a TCF award after securing a commitment from their partners to match at least 50 percent of the anticipated federal funding.

To date, TCF has funded more than 380 projects and helped secure over $170 million from hundreds of partners from various industries.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has released a document designed to help military servicemen understand the cislunar space concept, which refers to the space between Earth and the moon.

The document, titled “A Primer on Cislunar Space,” features a description of cislunar space, related details and specific measurements to help readers determine the space's physical coverage.

U.S. Space Force members may use the document to inform plans, technologies and concepts for cislunar operations. The Space Force agreed to protect U.S. space interests in support of NASA, whose operational coverage includes cislunar space.

The primer also provides graphical figures made to help USSF members visualize cislunar space.

Brian Campo, deputy chief technology officer (CTO) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said DHS wants to compare artificial intelligence, robotic process automation (RPA) and machine learning from each other and determine applications the best suit each of these different concepts. 

Campo said at the Federal Drive show that the department wants to identify the commonalities of these different technologies to determine how each of them can impact larger needs.

“One of the things that we’re trying to do with any technology is trying to find those common elements, trying to figure out how do all of those technologies really impact and where can we find commonalities between them, he said.

The deputy CTO noted that RPA specifically refers to the automation of manual tasks, as AI and ML differ from each other based on how data is applied.

Eric Hysen, DHS's chief information officer, wants to assess how these three technologies will impact the department's stakeholders and customers, according to Campo.

A U.S. Space Force delta will assume the responsibility for operations of 11 narrowband communications satellites currently managed by the Navy and satcom payloads being operated by the Army, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

Space Delta 8, headquartered at Schriever AF Base in Colorado, is scheduled to commence the transition process in October as USSF aims to establish an integrated satcom enterprise that would connect military users.

Col. Matthew Holston, commander of Space Delta 8, said the move is part of the branch’s roadmap for utilizing Department of Defense (DOD) and commercial space-based communications.

Holston added that his team is working with both the Navy and the Army to facilitate the possible voluntary transfer of satellite operators that will be affected by the changes.

The Navy manages the Mobile User Objective System, Fleet Satellite Communications System and Ultra High-Frequency Follow-on networks.

Delta 8 will also absorb from the Army’s 53rd Signal Battalion, which oversees Wideband Global Satcom and Defense Satellite Communications System payloads, and the branch’s directorate that operates four regional satcom support centers.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff and a four-time Wash100 Award winner, said the proposed fiscal year 2022 budget of $715 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) seeks to strike a balance between future modernization and readiness, DOD News reported Wednesday.

"It's a down payment on investments of the future, with a bias toward the future operating environment," Milley said of the DOD budget request during his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday.

"It is now that we must set ourselves on a path to modernize the Joint Force, and this budget contributes to doing that,” he added.

The proposed FY 2022 budget prioritizes investments in hypersonics, nuclear modernization, artificial intelligence, long-range fires, 5G, space, cyber, shipbuilding and microelectronics. Milley said investments in such technologies are aligned with the Pentagon’s joint warfighting concept.

"In alignment with the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, this budget makes hard choices and delivers a ready, agile and capable Joint Force that will compete, deter and win across all domains, and [it] is postured for continued overmatch in the future," Milley said during the hearing.

If you’re interested in 5G technology and 5G integration’s impact on public and private sectors, then check out Potomac Officers Club’s Fall 2021 5G Summit coming up on Sept. 16th. 

Join Potomac Officers Club for its Fall 5G Summit to learn about the impact 5G integration has on the private and public sectors, as well as future programs, plans and priorities as the nation aligns with emerging technology.

To register for this virtual forum and view other upcoming events, visit the POC Events page.