NASA has selected 286 project proposals for the James Webb Space Telescope's upcoming first cycle of scientific investigations.

The space agency said Tuesday it will begin Webb's space observation activities in 2022, with General Observer programs that seek to study star formation, planetary system properties and the universe's earlier galaxies.

The space telescope features a large mirror and imaging capabilities designed to generate high-resolution visuals of the universe.

“The initial year of Webb’s observations will provide the first opportunity for a diverse range of scientists around the world to observe particular targets with NASA’s next great space observatory,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

The Telescope Allocation Committee assessed the submitted proposals and determined the final selection competitively. The Maryland-based Space Telescope Science Institute will operate Webb's science missions under the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy.

The complete list of Webb's General Observer programs can be found here. The programs will commence after the telescope's approximately half-year commissioning period.

The U.S. Army plans to conduct four long-range exercises of the Lockheed Martin-built precision strike missile this year in a push to develop the weapon’s firing capacity, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Brig. Gen. John Rafferty, director of the Army Future Command's (AFC) long-range precision fires cross-functional team, told the publication in an interview that the service will conduct a 400-km PrSM test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico next month. 

In addition, there will be another test in August at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California that will cover a range of over 500 kilometers or 310.7 miles. Two PrSMs will also launch from a HIMARS vehicle during the 2021 Project Convergence exercises in the fall.

The Army’s goal is to expand the PrSM’s capacity to mid-range or approximately 1,100 miles, according to Rafferty. He noted that the service branch is looking into using next-generation propulsion systems to obtain a mid-range PrSM capability.

In March 2020, Lockheed was named as the final participant in the Army’s PrSM prototyping initiative. PrSM is slated for deployment in 2023.

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has unveiled a new minimum viable product (MVP) that would analytically inform military leaders on foreign forces.

DIA said Monday its Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-repository System (MARS) has released a new order-of-battle MVP that determines the hierarchy of foreign military units based on geographic location and equipment data.

The MARS effort aims to update an existing information repository into a cloud-based system that automates analytical processes via human-machine teaming. The new MVP marks DIA’s effort to augment defense analysis and follows the first MVP, which analytically processes infrastructure information.

“MARS is another example of how DIA relentlessly pursues every means to gather and analyze all possible information on foreign militaries in support of our military planners, operators and policymakers,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the DIA.

The agency plans to release more MARS products in the future to support defense-related decision-making.

Karlton Johnson, board chairman of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB), said he will focus on transforming his group from a director board into one more focused on organizational leadership, FedScoop reported Monday. 

The board is working to help the government implement CMMC, through which the Department of Defense (DOD) would standardize the security controls of the defense industrial base.

CMMC AB's responsibilities include forming a team of assessors and licensing trainers that would help companies prepare for the assessments. Johnson's leadership strategy involves hiring new personnel, including Matthew Travis, who recently joined the organization as CEO.

Johnson said the board will also continue its engagements with the public to answer questions and address the spread of false information.

Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said the U.S. Navy used input from defense, industry and academic experts to establish plans for a “bigger, better” Navy, National Defense Magazine reported Monday.

Gilday said at an industry event that experts from the defense, industry and academic sectors provided input for the Future Naval Force Structure Assessment released in Dec. 2020, which seeks 316 manned vessels by the fiscal year 2026 deadline.

The study also sought up to 242 unmanned vessels and was based on evaluations of industrial base capacities, ownership costs and maintenance requirements, he said. Gilday noted that it would be “critically important” that the Navy and key stakeholders assess how the future platforms would address gaps in the joint force.

“From a budget informed or fiscally informed position, this wasn’t just a pie in the sky, this is the Navy we need,” he added.

If you’re interested in the Navy’s efforts to implement new initiatives then check out the Potomac Officers Club’s 2021 Navy Forum coming up on May 12. Click here to learn more and register for the event.

Veritone, Inc. (NASDAQ: VERI), the creator of the world’s first operating system for artificial intelligence, aiWARE™, today announced the details of its first quarter 2021 results conference call.

Veritone will hold a conference call on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time) to discuss its results for the first quarter 2021, provide an update on the business, and conduct a question and answer session. To listen, please join the webcast or dial-in. To avoid a wait, if dialing in, please pre-register or call in 20 minutes in advance.

About Veritone

Veritone (NASDAQ: VERI) is a leading provider of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and solutions. The Company’s proprietary operating system, aiWARE™, powers a diverse set of AI applications and intelligent process automation solutions that are transforming both commercial and government organizations. aiWARE orchestrates an expanding ecosystem of machine learning models to transform audio, video, and other data sources into actionable intelligence. The Company’s AI developer tools enable its customers and partners to easily develop and deploy custom applications that leverage the power of AI to dramatically improve operational efficiency and unlock untapped opportunities. Veritone is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, and has offices in Costa Mesa, London, New York, and San Diego. 

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released a joint advisory on the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Fortinet’s FortiOS operating system by advanced persistent threat actors. 

Hackers may use the default configuration, path traversal and improper authentication vulnerabilities in FortiOS and other techniques to secure access to government, technology and commercial services and carry out future attacks, according to the advisory published Friday.

CISA has called on administrators and users to review the joint cybersecurity advisory and carry out the recommended measures to mitigate cyber risks.

Mitigation measures include patching the identified cyber vulnerabilities, implementing network segmentation, requiring administrator credentials to install software, using multifactor authentication and regularly changing passwords to network systems and accounts.

To register for this virtual forum, visit the GovConWire Events page.

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.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to issue solicitations in fiscal year 2021 for three technology platforms to advance digitalization as part of the Pilot IRS program. 

The IRS’ enterprise digitalization and case management office listed the three technology verticals: extraction of machine-readable data from low-resolution and poor-quality images; digital intake and high-speed scanning, including as-a-service approaches; and artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotic process automation platforms, according to a notice posted Friday.

The informational posting offered a discussion of potential use cases for each of the three tech verticals to demonstrate the challenges facing the IRS.

The agency outlined its goals for the Pilot IRS program and these are reducing reliance on paper, increasing access to machine-readable data and managing digital data to transition from low-value to high-value work and improving the taxpayer experience. 

The IRS expects the release of the solicitation and contract award to occur within 45 days.

To register for this virtual forum, visit the Potomac Officers Club Events page.