A bipartisan group of Senate and House lawmakers wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to prioritize funding for semiconductor research and development and manufacturing at federal agencies as his administration works on a budget proposal for fiscal year 2022.

The lawmakers called on the Biden administration to fund the programs authorized in the CHIPS for America Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021 to help address the semiconductor shortage facing auto manufacturers, consumer technology and other industries.

They said the U.S. government should consider the CHIPS provisions as a national security priority and work with allies and strategic partners to outdo China in semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.

“Finally, should you explore executive actions to address this urgent semiconductor matter, we encourage you to continue pursuing a technology-neutral approach,” the April 12th letter reads.

President Biden joined a virtual meeting with CEOs from auto and technology companies on Monday and highlighted the need for the U.S. to invest in its semiconductor infrastructure to address the current chip shortage.

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) seeks to update enterprise technology platforms continuously as part of efforts to help the Department of Defense address evolving mission requirements, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Raju Shah, director of DISA's enterprise engineering and governance directorate, told the publication in an interview the agency aims to accelerate IT services delivery to support decision-making processes across the DOD enterprise and military.

He noted that the Defense Enterprise Office Solution (DEOS), a suite of cloud-based communication and collaboration tools, serves as the central element of DOD's digital modernization strategy.

An industry team led by General Dynamics‘ information technology business won last year the DEOS blanket purchase agreement valued at $4.4 billion over 10 years.

Steve Wallace, systems innovation scientist of DISA, said in the joint interview with Wallace that the agency should constantly evolve platforms that support enterprise processes.

During GovConWire’s Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum, notable federal leaders will meet to discuss current modernization priorities, innovative solutions, and future acquisition plans.  

The Forum will feature Dave Zvenyach, deputy commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) and director of Technology Transformation Services (TTS) at the General Services Administration (GAS), as the keynote speaker. In these roles, he assists federal agencies to transform services using modern technology platforms, applications and processes.

To register for the Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum and view upcoming opportunities, visit GovConWire’s Event Page.

The Center for Secure Microelectronics Ecosystem (CSME) will work with the Department of Defense (DoD) and industrial partners to secure the global supply chain of semiconductor chips. CSME, a multi-sector partnership launched by Purdue University, will use a zero-trust approach to protect microelectronics and related products from threats, the university said Monday.

Participants of the DOD-backed Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement Microelectronics Workforce Development (SCALE) program will receive opportunities to polish their microelectronics skills while supporting CSME.

SCALE provides Purdue faculty opportunities to train with DOD, the Department of Energy, NASA and 14 other universities. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Synopsys, two companies from the semiconductor industry, will also provide funds to help Purdue run CSME.

“CSME will offer an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students across universities to conduct integrated research projects with direct ties to industry and government,” said Anand Raghunathan, co-director of CSME.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a prototype system designed to integrate broadband communications technology with aging emergency response radios.

NIST said Monday that the prototype is intended to help older Land Mobile Radio towers and handsets benefit from wireless Long-Term Evolution (LTE) capabilities including voice, video, text, instant messaging and other data-related features.

The agency noted that the effort is meant to take advantage of LTE-based, mission-critical “push to talk” capabilities while addressing challenges in transition costs. The LTE element s also meant to support key aspects in public safety communications including speaker identification, clear audio, emergency calling and high reliability and availability, according to NIST.

Specifically, the NIST prototype will include elements such as software-defined radio, open-source software and a user interface designed to support LTE handsets for seamless inter-network communications.

“The goal here is to create a prototype and accelerate technology development in industry that will fill a significant gap,” said Jordan O’Dell, an engineer at NIST.

NIST's researchers are continuing efforts to develop the prototype and introduce links to more radio types.

The General Services Administration (GSA) plans to help agencies handle procurements that use the newly allotted $1 billion in the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), FedScoop reported Monday. GSA will provide expertise to agencies that plan to use funds mandated by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Agencies may apply for funds from the TMF to modernize their technologies. The law also allots $150 million for the Federal Citizen Services Fund, which GSA may use to digitally transform federal agencies.

Representatives from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the U.S. Digital Service and GSA meet weekly to discuss how the funds would be used.

“We have to figure out our org chart behind the scenes and work with our agencies in all the many different ways that we can,” said Dave Zvenyach, director of Technology Transformation Services and deputy federal acquisition commissioner at GSA.

During GovConWire’s Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum, notable federal leaders will meet to discuss current modernization priorities, innovative solutions, and future acquisition plans. To register for the Modernizing Federal Acquisition Forum and view upcoming opportunities, visit GovConWire’s Event Page.

Ylli Bajraktari, executive director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, said the Department of Defense must modernize its digital infrastructure to accommodate faster AI development across the military.

Bajraktari said this and three other AI-focused recommendations for the DOD in an opinion piece published Monday at Defense One. He also noted that DOD must bolster its workforce of technology builders, integrators and procurement officers across all levels.

“DoD must overhaul the management and education of service members by identifying those who excel in computational thinking, upskilling the existing workforce, familiarizing our warfighters with AI concepts and other disruptive and emerging tech,” he wrote in the piece.

Third, he said the department must include AI in major exercises to foster interaction between technologists and field operators. Lastly, he advised that the Pentagon must sustain persistent leadership and remove institutional barriers to speed up AI adoption.

Bajraktari, also a recent speaker for the Potomac Officers Club, formerly performed leadership duties under Robert Work, who was deputy secretary of defense.

To hear Bajraktari’s recent opening keynote speech during Potomac Officers Club’s 3rd Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit, register and view upcoming opportunities, by visiting Potomac Officers Club’s Event Page.

Lockheed Martin announced on Tuesday its new line of rapid, integrated and economical tactical Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) satellites. The new ISR satellites are based on Lockheed’s LM 400 mid-size bus and will enable U.S. warfighters to track moving targets at long ranges and maneuver in highly contested environments quickly.

“Digital engineering and manufacturing are accelerating our ability to deploy robust, future-focused constellations that feature leading-edge technology for our customers’ missions. Our LM 400 is a highly adaptable, mid-sized satellite and yet can be produced at scale in a rapid and cost-effective manner,” added 2021 Wash100 Award recipient and Lockheed Martin Space executive vice president Rick Ambrose.

The LM 400 is made up of flight-proven and reliable components with a producible design. It will play a crucial role in multiple different mission areas. The LM 400 will also be fully integrated with warfighting platforms of other domains that increase warfighter capabilities.

On-board processes power the satellites with resilient connectivity. They will enable in-theater, low-latency sensor tasking, on-orbit processing of mission data, protected communications and direct downlink of situational awareness and targeting information, which is increasingly essential to shorten the sensor-to-shooter timeline against hostile adversaries.

Lockheed has also designed the LM 400 to be ‘at scale,’ which means it can support larger constellations and rapid satellite construction and deployment. Lockheed’s high-capacity Gateway Center satellite manufacturing facility will support the necessary space vehicle production.

The LM-400 tactical ISR satellite constellations will be a critical element for the U.S. military’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) by providing warfighters with space-based capabilities. The satellites will also play a role in the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Transport Layer Tranche 0, providing even more connectivity between ISR and warfighters on the battlefield.

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The members of two House panels have written to President Biden seeking collaborations to ensure the safety of U.S. academic research initiatives against foreign influence.

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Science, Space and Technology Committee said in a letter to Biden dated April 9th that they are committed to launching partnerships with the executive branch as well as academic and industry stakeholders to “address legitimate security concerns” on U.S. research while promoting an open research environment, HASC said Monday.

They noted in the letter that an effective approach entails transparency on security risks, coordination on research security requirements and commitment to collaboration and openness. The House committees are also calling on the Biden administration to continue refining and updating policies on recruiting international academic talent, they added.

“We strongly support a measured and balanced approach to this issue, one that promotes research integrity and security without impeding academic freedom, international collaboration, and the global competition for talent, all of which are critical to our continued leadership in science and innovation,” they wrote.

Signatories of the letter include Adam Smith, D-Wash., Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, Jim Langevin, D-R.I., and Haley Stevens, D-Mich.