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NREL Rolls Out Energy Storage Study; Paul Denholm Quoted
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NREL Rolls Out Energy Storage Study; Paul Denholm Quoted

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has started a study that aims to explore the potential growth of energy storage technologies and the entire power system. 

NREL said Tuesday the Storage Futures Study seeks to address how energy storage technologies will play a role for the U.S. power grid and how they may affect future power system infrastructure investment and operations. 

The agency also proposed a framework that aims to help regulators, utilities and developers prepare for the future through the use of projections, analysis and trends.

The first phase of the framework states how short-duration storage could maintain the power grid's supply, while Phase 2 indicates that hybrid system configurations will potentially enhance the cost-competitiveness of battery storage technologies.

Phase 3 focuses on storage technologies that can deliver additional or lower-cost services to reach peak periods, while Phase 4 discusses how seasonal storage approaches can address mismatch of variable resource supply and demand.

"Our four-phase framework is intended to describe a plausible evolution of cost-competitive storage technologies, but more importantly, it identifies key elements needed for stakeholders to evaluate alternative pathways for both storage and other sources of system flexibility," said Paul Denholm, an analyst at NREL.

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USAF Unveils Interactive Recruitment Tech for Potential Airmen; Master Sgt. Zachary Atkinson Quoted
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USAF Unveils Interactive Recruitment Tech for Potential Airmen; Master Sgt. Zachary Atkinson Quoted

The U.S. Air Force has introduced an online tool designed to help recruiters build engagement and provide awareness of potential opportunities within the service branch. Enhanced Cognitive Human Ops (E.C.H.O.) is an interactive gaming tool that seeks to gauge potential airmen's cognitive skills through three different challenges, the military service said Tuesday.

E.C.H.O. features a holographic representation of an airman that will guide users through the missions that they will encounter in the game. Users will be given feedback on how they can use their cognitive skills and to help determine viable career paths within the Air Force.

"While the pandemic has put a pause on live experiences, we are pushing the needle on what is possible with virtual options," said Master Sgt. Zachary Atkinson, events marketing superintendent at the Air Force Recruiting Service. "The mobile asset with the game should be out in the field as soon as we are safely able to resume events," added Atkinson.

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NASA, FAA Sign Partnership to Support, Develop U.S. Air Safety; Robert Pearce Quoted
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NASA, FAA Sign Partnership to Support, Develop U.S. Air Safety; Robert Pearce Quoted

NASA will conduct research on air traffic management to help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) promote public air transportation safety. The space agency said Tuesday it signed a five-year agreement that enables aviation research, development and demonstration partnerships between NASA and FAA.

NASA signed its part of the deal in December and FAA in early January. The two agencies will study, develop and test technologies designed to address the country's aviation matters.

“With this agreement NASA will continue to lead in conducting research that will aid the FAA in meeting its regulatory obligations to manage a safe and efficient public air transportation system,” said Robert Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics at NASA.

The agreement includes activities that NASA and FAA will jointly pursue under the Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, an effort to further develop and promote emerging aviation markets across regional, rural, urban and suburban transportation.

The space agency will gather test-based data to help FAA implement and regulate the use of AAM technology in the National Airspace System.

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Angie Lewis to Lead Naval Tech Development as NSWC Crane’s Technical Director
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Angie Lewis to Lead Naval Tech Development as NSWC Crane’s Technical Director

Angie Lewis, formerly business director and corporate operations department manager at Naval Surface Warfare Center's (NSWC) Crane Division, has been appointed to serve as the division's technical director. Lewis brings over three decades of experience to the role, with a record of supporting corporate, resource planning, customer outreach and programmatic efforts at NSWC Crane, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

She helped NSWC Crane adopt an integrated planning approach to programs on expeditionary warfare, electronic warfare and strategic systems. Her NSWC career also includes work as Crane's chief of staff, a job through which she helped the division's commanding officer make decisions on policy and operations. 

“As our nation faces some of the toughest challenges we have seen in recent memory, the expertise of our workforce in strategic missions, expeditionary warfare and electronic warfare will remain a critical component to ensuring the future security of our country," she stated.

Lewis' appointment to her new role makes her NSWC Crane's first female technical director.

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FCC Begins Next Phase of 5G Auction Effort; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Begins Next Phase of 5G Auction Effort; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched the next increment of its 5G auction program that will allow bidders to compete for their preferred allocations in the C-band spectrum.

FCC said Tuesday the bidding program has raised $80.9 billion and will now move forward to the “assignment phase” of Auction 107 which previously saw bidders compete for 5,684 spectrum blocks during the program’s “clock phase”. Bidders that were able to secure at least one block of C-band spectrum allocations are eligible to bid for frequency-specific licenses during the assignment phase.

Jessica Rosenworcel, acting chairwoman of FCC, said the agency’s work on the auction is meant to help put forward and accelerate commercialization of the mid-band spectrum. FCC plans to conduct a six-round “mock auction” as part of Auction 107’s next phase on Feb. 4 ahead of official bidding activities on Feb. 8.

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U.S.-Australia Partnership to Jointly Prototype Hypersonic Missiles; Michael Kratsios Quoted
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U.S.-Australia Partnership to Jointly Prototype Hypersonic Missiles; Michael Kratsios Quoted

The Australian government will help the U.S. Department of Defense develop and eventually demonstrate hypersonic cruise missiles under a new partnership, National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday.

The Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment or SCIFiRE aims to prototype cost-effective, air-breathing hypersonic missiles that can fly at speeds over Mach 5. Michael Kratsios and 2020 Wash100 Award winner, the acting undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said the joint effort would allow the U.S. and its allies to maintain leadership in hypersonics technology.

“Working with our defense scientists here in Australia and our partners in the U.S. Air Force and across the U.S. Department of Defense … we are maximizing our learning during development to better define the capabilities and needs as the system matures,” said Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld, chief of Australia's air force.

Jim Faist, director of defense research and engineering for advanced capabilities at the Pentagon, said the effort will use digital twins to test proposed systems. Digital twins virtually represent a system and allow for simulation-based testing. He added that Pentagon considers getting multiple contractors for SCIFiRE.

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Gen. James Dickinson’s SPACECOM Strategy to Focus on U.S. Digital Superiority, Cyber Programs
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Gen. James Dickinson’s SPACECOM Strategy to Focus on U.S. Digital Superiority, Cyber Programs

Gen. James Dickinson, commander of the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), has said that retaining U.S. digital leadership and accelerating emerging cyber efforts are key to the command’s strategic vision, National Defense Magazine reported Tuesday.

Dickinson, who is slated to release his “strategic narrative” for the command soon, said at a recent Mitchell Institute event that his strategy also includes launching education and training initiatives, building alliances and fostering participation between interagency and commercial organizations.

He added that while SPACECOM is yet to finalize a timeline for achieving full operational capability, the command still has the capacity to dominate in conflict against adversaries in the space domain.

According to Dickinson, the command also has to keep evolving its cyber resources such as machine learning and artificial intelligence that build on its partnership with the U.S. Cyber Command and Gen. Paul Nakasone, who serves as the command's head and is also a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient.

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DOD Issues FY 2020 Procurement Mgmt Review; John Tenaglia Quoted
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DOD Issues FY 2020 Procurement Mgmt Review; John Tenaglia Quoted

A Department of Defense (DOD) review of agency procurement practices has found that DOD agencies consistently emphasized customer support and were able to provide flexible work schedules that helped boost workforce morale over the past year.

John Tenaglia, principal director of DOD’s Defense Pricing and Contracting (DPC) unit, said in a recently released memo that the Procurement Management Review (PMR) for fiscal year 2020 falls under the Defense Contract Management Agency and covers lessons learned as well as best practices in defense contracting.

Tenaglia noted in the report’s foreword that PMR teams were able to migrate to virtual operations in line with telework demands that emerged in the past year.

According to the audit, agencies must work to ensure accuracy in documentation procedures that involve contracting, solicitation and selection activities. Agencies should also implement best practices in determining the “reasonableness” of program costs and pricing, the report states.

In addition, the PMR states that agencies must appoint and train a contracting officer’s representative to help streamline relevant procedures. The PMR team currently seeks DOD entities to serve as volunteers for the FY 2021 schedule.

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LexisNexis Risk Solutions Recognized for Fraud Protection, Threat Intelligence; Monty Faidley Quoted
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LexisNexis Risk Solutions Recognized for Fraud Protection, Threat Intelligence; Monty Faidley Quoted

LexisNexis Risk Solutions has been awarded best in class for Fraud Protection and Threat Intelligence during Security Today’s 2020 CyberSecured Awards, the company reported on Wednesday. The company received recognition for its LexisNexis ThreatMetrix product, an enterprise solution for digital identity intelligence and digital authentication to inform risk decisions.

“By combining digital identity insights with leading analytic technology and embedded machine learning, LexisNexis Risk Solutions fraud prevention tools unify decision analytics across the citizen and employee journey,” said Monty Faidley, vice president of products and analytics for the Government group of LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

LexisNexis ThreatMetrix, a dynamic, end-to-end decision platform, has connected businesses and government agencies to machine learning threat intelligence. The company’s solution has enabled its customers to understand the digital identity of users to better recognize suspicious behavior in near real time.

Additionally, ThreatMetrix’s findings have enabled informed trust and identity decisions. The solution also has also increased transaction efficiency, while maximizing critical fraud defenses and cybersecurity risk management processes.

LexisNexis Risk Solutions acquired ThreatMetrix in 2018. The company launched LexisNexis ThreatMetrix in 2019, leveraging digital identity insights from ThreatMetrix and analytic technology as well as embedded machine learning from LexisNexis Risk Solutions.

LexisNexis ThreatMetrix was developed to create a fraud prevention solution that increases conversions, maximizes revenue, improves transaction security, refines personalization, minimizes friction and reduces false positives.

“Today’s fraudsters are experts at avoiding detection,” added Faidley. “The lack of threat detection today is slowing the distribution of critical benefit payments to the appropriate people in need and exposing an agency to increased fraud. Adding real-time, seamless security doesn’t have to produce unwanted friction for users.”

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions

LexisNexis® Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data and advanced analytics to provide insights that help businesses and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. We provide data and technology solutions for a wide range of industries including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government.

Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

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Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Gerry Connolly Request $9B Tech Modernization Fund
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Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Gerry Connolly Request $9B Tech Modernization Fund

Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), head of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, wrote a letter to House leadership, requesting a $9 billion emergency injection into the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), under the next COVID-19 relief package.

“Without modern and nimble IT systems, the federal government cannot deliver critical payments and services to individuals, families, and businesses who rely on them,” the letter stated. The letter was also signed by Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-D.C.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), John Sarbanes (D-Md.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.)

The letter noted that government networks will remain vulnerable if legacy systems continue to be neglected. It also stated that antiquated IT networks have contributed to the slow pandemic response, such as dispersing stimulus benefits and COVID-19 data tracking.

“We must begin to address IT investments now, or we will continue down the same path as before unable to deliver critical services to the public at a time when our country needs it the most,” the letter added.

Previous COVID-19 relief packages initially included billions of dollars in funding for the TMF; however, it was later cut from the final bill. The fund was created in 2017 for high-priority modernization projects across federal agencies. The TMF had $150 million appropriated to it to date. 

President Biden recently announced his support of the TMF, prior to taking office. Biden’s transition team called for giving the TMF $9 billion to launch shared IT and cybersecurity services across the government. 

Biden’s plan has also budgeted for $200 million to increase the hiring of cybersecurity experts “to support the federal Chief Information Security Officer and U.S. Digital Service” and $300 million for “no-year funding” to support the General Services Administration (GSA) Technology Transformation Services (TTS) team.

He projected an additional $690 million to help the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) “bolster cybersecurity across federal civilian networks, and support the piloting of new shared security and cloud computing services.”

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