The National Security Agency (NSA) has established and launched a new collaborative facility to support quantum science research focused on qubits. 

NSA said Tuesday that its Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) stood up the LPS Qubit Collaboratory, where academia, industry and government entities can pursue collaborative qubit-focused research.

Qubits or quantum bits are the smallest units of quantum information. LQC will aim to develop quantum computing and other qubit-based applications, bolster a research-driven quantum workforce and foster partnerships that address complex problems in quantum information science.

Army Research Office (ARO) invites external organizations to propose projects that would be done in partnership with LQC. 

The broad agency announcement for this solicitation can be found here. To express interest in partnering with LQC, contact the laboratory at qubitcollaboratory.org.

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) is looking for public input on its plans to automate validation procedures for cryptographic modules. 

NCCoE intends to conduct first-party and independent testing of automated processes for the Cryptographic Module Validation Program, including the relay of data to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the latter said Monday.

The center seeks to identify the scope and requirements of the demonstration effort as well as the potential laboratory-use hardware and software needed for the program.

“Increased automation is necessary because a number of elements of the current validation processes are manual in nature, making third-party testing and government validation of cryptographic modules often incompatible with industry requirements,” according to NIST. 

Interested parties must submit feedback through May 12th.

GovConWire Events will host its Defense Cybersecurity Forum to explore the progress that NSA and other federal agencies have made to protect U.S. national security and enhance its capabilities in threat intelligence, vulnerability assessments and cyber defense to stay ahead of the nation’s adversaries in cyberspace. 

Morgan Adamski, chief of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center, will serve as a keynote speaker. She will address the Cybersecurity Directorate’s mission, accomplishments in protecting U.S. assets, the role of commercial partnerships and the challenges still to come in cyber.

Check out GovConWire Events' Defense Cybersecurity Forum on May 12. Visit GovConWire.com to learn more and register for this can't miss event. 

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is working with the U.S. Marine Corps to improve the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft’s survivability and establish its assault-support elements in high-threat situations, National Defense Magazine reported Wednesday.

Col. Matthew Kelly, head of the Department of Defense’s joint V-22 program, said at The Patuxent Partnership’s virtual conference in February that the V-22 program office recently concluded an internal study on the aircraft's potential medium-lift capacity through the mid-future.

Kelly noted that his office is also looking into implementing helmet-mounted visualization technologies for the MV-22 variant for missions in degraded environments.

According to Kelly, the V-22 production line will accommodate additional orders through fiscal 2023. The governments of Indonesia and Israel are also looking to procure V-22s, he added.

“We’re really proud of the work the pilots, aircrews and maintainers do, and we’re looking forward to another 30 to 40 years of flying the V-22,” said Kelly.

Charles Rettig, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, said the agency needs a funding boost to bolster modernization efforts and keep up with growing responsibilities, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

Rettig said the agency has been experiencing resource cuts, which enlarge the amount of uncollected U.S. taxes.

This tax gap, according to Rettig, may eventually surpass $1 trillion due to the flourishing of cryptocurrency and foreign-source income. He said tax evasion methods serve as a critical threat now faced by IRS.

The IRS commissioner told Congress that consistent, multi-year funding may help the agency address this issue. The agency needs these funds to augment its information technology systems, which are critical to U.S. tax collection, he said.

Barbara McQuiston, acting undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said the Department of Defense (DoD) must “innovate at speed and scale” to retain leadership in emerging technologies, DOD News reported Tuesday,

McQuiston told members of a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that the DOD must identify “flexible opportunities” with academic and industry entities including small businesses and historically black colleges and universities. 

According to McQuiston, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has been making progress in keeping pace with industry on technology development. 

The agency currently has 189 companies under contract, she said. Seventy-five percent of these contractors are small businesses while 32 percent are working with the government for the first time, she added.

Stefanie Tompkins, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), also noted that the agency has been collaborating with the private sector and academia in transition technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles and precision weapons for over 60 years. 

"Presenting a credible deterrent to potential adversaries requires us to develop and field emerging technologies," said McQuiston. “We must reinvigorate our federal research capabilities, elevate science, promote technology and expand partnerships with our allies."

Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, plans to release its first quarter 2021 financial results after the market closes on Monday, May 3, 2021.

Maxar President and Chief Executive Officer, Dan Jablonsky, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Biggs Porter, will host an earnings conference call the same day, reviewing the first quarter results, followed by a question-and-answer session. 

About Maxar

Maxar is a trusted partner and innovator in Earth Intelligence and Space Infrastructure. We deliver disruptive value to government and commercial customers to help them monitor, understand and navigate our changing planet; deliver global broadband communications; and explore and advance the use of space.

Our unique approach combines decades of deep mission understanding and a proven commercial and defense foundation to deploy solutions and deliver insights with unrivaled speed, scale and cost effectiveness. Maxar’s 4,300 team members in over 20 global locations are inspired to harness the potential of space to help our customers create a better world. 

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), said he wants to find new approaches on how the Department of Defense (DOD) can improve the way it spends its funding, Stars and Stripes reported Tuesday.

“There are not enough incentives right now in the way we spend money at the Pentagon to save money and get the best value for what you’re doing. We need to change that,” Smith said Tuesday at a Ronald Reagan Institute-hosted event. “Whatever that number is, we need to get more out of that money being spent. That’s the big goal I have for this year.”

His remarks come as lawmakers debate over the amount of funding that should be earmarked for DOD. The White House proposed $715 billion in the fiscal year 2022 discretionary funding for DOD to help the department advance modernization efforts, enhance readiness and defend the country against nation-state threats.

Smith said the Pentagon should also transform the way it oversees programs of record by rewarding people who come up with creative platforms instead of “checking the boxes.”

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.