The U.S. Army's new Texas-based Software Factory is accelerating software development through the power of cloud computing, C4ISRnet reported Thursday.

Capt. James Cho, the facility's platform product manager, said cloud technology allows users to harness more computing power as demanded. Leaders from across the military have expressed interest in using cloud computing to speed up software deliveries and maximize cost efficiency, the report noted.

The Department of Defense wants to use the cloud as a software production suite that grants developers access to needed tools and resources for cybersecurity and quality assurance testing.

Cho said the technology lessens the workload required to scale software applications and have them deployed service-wide.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will establish a new office dedicated to applying data across DHS operations, FedScoop reported Thursday.

DHS's future Office of the Chief Data Officer (CDO)will oversee the department's data activities in eight areas including cybersecurity, law enforcement and immigration.

The department determined the need to create a CDO office during DHS's COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which required a large amount of data collection and management work.

“Data must be interoperable and easily shareable by default, and the work we’re doing standing up our CDO office will help us get there,” Eric Hysen, the department's new CIO, said at the IT Modernization Summit.

Carlene Ileto, acting DHS CDO, is working to organize a team of executives who will work in alignment with the future office's focus areas.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), today announced that Steven A. Gitlin, chief marketing officer and vice president of investor relations, will present at the 2021 Virtual Wells Fargo Industrials Conference on Wednesday, May 5 at 11:40 a.m. PT / 2:40 p.m. ET.

A live audio webcast of the presentation will be available in the Events and Presentations section of the AeroVironment website at https://investor.avinc.com/events-and-presentations. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days.

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The U.S. Air Force’s Air Operations Center Weapon System (AOC-WS) program has reached a key milestone in its effort to replace its legacy systems for command-and-control planning and execution with the achievement of minimum viable product (MVP) status by its set of software applications called Kessel Run All Domain Operations Suite (KRADOS).

An MVP is an early version of the software that warfighters can use and assess to help developers iterate and further develop an application’s capabilities to a “more complete operational package,” the service’s Kessel Run unit said Wednesday.

“Only a year after delivering stand-alone applications to support operations, we’ve fielded an MVP suite of nine applications connected by a common data layer for usability assessment and user feedback,” said Col. Brian Beachkofski, commander of Kessel Run.

The KRADOS MVP incorporates previous and new software tools to come up with an integrated system that can support an air operations center’s planning and execution process.

“The AOC WS is Kessel Run’s most complex development effort, and while the program still has a long road ahead, we are definitely picking up speed and the KRADOS MVP is an important point of progress,” said Col. Timothy Hofman, chief of AOC and AFFOR Requirements Division at Air Combat Command.

Kessel Run will continue to develop KRADOS over the next year, enabling the service to start transitioning the legacy Theater Battle Management Core Systems out of the AOC WS program.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has issued a cybersecurity advisory outlining ways on how the Department of Defense (DOD), National Security System (NSS) and defense industrial base network owners ensure the security of connected operational technology.

The document calls on NSS, DOD and DIB system operators and owners to assess the value against costs and risks for enterprise information technology to OT connectivity, NSA said Thursday. The advisory outlines recommendations to improve cybersecurity for connected enterprise IT-to-OT networks.

Some of the recommendations are adding sensors and monitoring all cross-domain connections whenever remote access is allowed; creating a known OT network map and device settings baseline; and assessing and prioritizing OT network cybersecurity needs to identify required mitigations.

NSA also highlighted the importance of adopting a risk analysis strategy to help system operators and owners manage and protect OT networks from cyber threats.

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

The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) has unveiled the final version of its white paper on post-quantum cryptography. The white paper sheds light on the challenges related to the adoption of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms once the new standards for using them are developed, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s NCCoE said Wednesday.

The document also discusses the impact of quantum computing on classical cryptography, specifically on public-key cryptographic systems, planning requirements for migration to post-quantum cryptography and NIST’s next steps to help facilitate the migration.

Government and industry stakeholders use cryptographic technologies to validate the source and safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of data. However, the development and implementation of standards and infrastructures to support the adoption of new post-quantum cryptographic algorithms could take years to complete.

Leaders of the National Science Foundation and its policymaking body said at a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday that President Biden’s fiscal 2022 discretionary budget proposal supports agency work across the science and engineering (S&E) fields.

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan told members of the House Research and Technology subcommittee the administration requested a $10.17 billion budget for the agency, up 20 percent from the current funding levels, and called for the formation of a technology directorate that will focus on emerging technology development efforts.

“Fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum information science hold the promise of incredible job growth, prosperity, and strengthened national security,” he noted.

Panchanathan said research innovation investments coupled with partnerships among the government, commercial and academic sectors help sustain U.S.’ edge in science and technology.

At the same meeting, Ellen Ochoa, chair of NSF’s National Science Board, overviewed a 10-year roadmap for the national S&E enterprise.

Vision 2030 outlines three trends identified by the board through an analysis of its biennial Science and Engineering Indicators data, namely the globalization of science and engineering, growth of knowledge- and technology-intensive industries and the demand for STEM talent.

“It is on this foundation, and in the context of the three trends that call for urgency, that NSB, in concert with NSF, wants to partner with policymakers and stakeholders, including this committee, to build NSF’s future,” Ochoa said.

Several bills intended to increase research funding are being lobbied both in the House and Senate. The NSF for the Future Act seeks to more than double the agency’s annual budget to $18.3 billion by 2026, while the Securing American Leadership in Science and Technology Act seeks a long-term investment strategy for basic research and infrastructure.