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NASA Advised by Safety Panel to Reevaluate Artemis Missions
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NASA Advised by Safety Panel to Reevaluate Artemis Missions

The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, has called on NASA to reevaluate its plans for the Artemis missions. 

Members of the safety panel voiced concerns about the multiple first-time goals for Artemis 3 during a meeting held on Jan. 30, Space News reported Saturday.

Possible Risks With the Artemis 3 Mission

ASAP stressed that each achievement NASA plans to attain during Artemis 3, the campaign’s first crewed lunar landing mission, comes with risks. With the number of first-time goals the agency plans to accomplish with the mission, the risks are multiplied and may become more complicated.

The safety panel has already discussed in its 2024 report the potential challenges that multiple firsts may bring. In the annual report, ASAP mentioned 13 first-time objectives involving the Starship lunar lander and new Axiom Space spacesuits. The number has since multiplied, coinciding with plans to reformulate Orion’s Avcoat heat shield.

“Each first milestone carries its own individual risk and, as these risks are compounded and aggregated, it only increases the overall risk posture for any individual flight mission,” said Bill Bray, an ASAP member.

Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator of the Moon to Mars Program, has already been briefed about the panel’s concerns.

Changes to SpaceX’s Approach

During the SpaceCom conference, Deep Space Logistics Program Manager Mark Wiese mentioned that SpaceX’s approach to delivering cargo has to be modified to meet evolving logistic needs. SpaceX initially received a contract from NASA in 2020 to proceed with the first gateway Logistics Services program mission using the Dragon XL cargo spacecraft.

NASA’s Human Landing System Update

Kent Chojnacki, deputy manager of the human landing system program, noted that like SpaceX, Blue Origin continues to progress with its crewed lunar lander project. Blue Origin has already launched its New Glenn rocket and tested the legs of its lander.

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DARPA Awards Penn State ARL Contract for AIMS II Project
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DARPA Awards Penn State ARL Contract for AIMS II Project

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Contracts Management Office has awarded the Pennsylvania State University Advanced Research Laboratory a $25 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for its Advanced Innovation in Modeling and Simulation follow-on program.

The Penn State ARL AIMS II project aims to boost the innovation of technologies under DARPA’s Secure Advanced Framework and Environment for Simulation and Modeling program—dubbed SAFE-SiM—in classified SCI/SAP hybrid cloud accredited Modeling and Simulation Integration Environments, or MSIEs.

Under the sole source award, Penn State ARL will continue to provide discovery, advancement, implementation and deployment of high-caliber modeling and simulation frameworks and create MSIEs for SCI/SAP.

Work will be performed in State College, Pennsylvania, and Reston, Virginia, and is scheduled to be completed in February 2027.

DARPA’s SAFE-SiM Program

Over the years, existing Department of Defense and Intelligence Community modeling and simulation, or M&S, architectures have become increasingly incompatible with the need to provide rapid decision support analysis to senior decision-makers as the combination of effects created by systems in or delivered through all domains has become more complex.

The SAFE-SiM program was created to establish a government-owned and controlled, faster-than-real-time M&S capability that allows theater-wide, mission-level M&S.

The program enables senior-level decision-makers to receive rapid analysis support on concept of operations development, force structure composition, resource allocation and targeted technology insertion.

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GAO Report: Navy Struggles With Ship Sustainment Despite Extra Budget
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GAO Report: Navy Struggles With Ship Sustainment Despite Extra Budget

The U.S. Navy is struggling to sustain its combat surface ships despite receiving $1 billion more from its original budget proposals for maintenance, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.

Published on Friday, the GAO review said the Navy faced several ship maintenance issues, such as limited spare parts and a shortage of qualified personnel. The problems were observed notwithstanding the $24.9 billion allocated for the service’s maintenance expenses during fiscal years 2020 through 2023.

Persistent Ship Sustainment Challenges

The study focused on 149 non-nuclear surface vessels that the Navy operates as of 2024, including destroyers, cruisers and amphibious assault ships. GAO said the warships encountered “persistent sustainment challenges” during the covered period.

Notably, the problems plagued the Navy even as it reported obligating over 99 percent of the $25.9 billion it secured for ship sustainment activities at the end of the fiscal year 2023. The accountability office pointed out there were instances when the Navy was forced to postpone maintenance.

GAO Recommendations

To address the issues, GAO submitted 46 suggestions to the Navy, including documenting the factors when determining whether enlisted crewing target levels should be adjusted and reporting on the annual evaluation of operational, technical and economic risks associated with deferred ship maintenance. To date, the military branch is making progress toward implementing 12 of the GAO recommendations.

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Robert Hammer Named to Dual Executive Roles at DHS HSI
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Robert Hammer Named to Dual Executive Roles at DHS HSI

Robert Hammer announced on LinkedIn Thursday that he has been appointed deputy executive associate director and acting executive associate director of homeland security investigations at the Department of Homeland Security.

Robert Hammer’s New DHS Responsibilities

In his dual role, Hammer is tasked with leading a 10,000-strong team of special agents, criminal analysts, support staff and contractors stationed in over 237 offices in the U.S. and around the world. He will lead efforts to protect public safety, secure U.S. borders and maintain national security. As part of HSI, the acting EAD will also be involved in investigating transnational crimes, enforcing immigration and trade regulations and preventing trade fraud, human trafficking and narcotics smuggling.

Hammer’s Career Highlights

The DHS executive most recently served as assistant director of the Cyber and Operational Technology division, where he oversaw IT programs and operations technology advancements supporting HSI’s law enforcement mission. 

Hammer also held various special agent in charge roles for HSI offices in Seattle, Atlanta and Nashville. Prior to that, he was chief of staff of DHS joint task force investigations, operations chief of domestic operations, supervisor of maritime smuggling investigations and program manager at the National Training Academy. He started his Homeland Security career in 2001 serving as a special agent and criminal investigator.

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Air Force Successfully Releases Laser-Guided Bombs From F-35
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Air Force Successfully Releases Laser-Guided Bombs From F-35

The U.S. Air Force’s United Operational Test Team has released for the first time a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition, or LJDAM, from an F-35 aircraft.

The team carried out the weapon delivery event, or WDE, using an F-35C from the Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 Detachment at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the USAF said Thursday. The successful test advances ongoing efforts to fully integrate the LJDAM on all F-35 versions.

Enhancing F-35’s Air-to-Surface Strike Capability

Commenting on the milestone, Cmdr. Michael Procelli, an F-35 pilot, noted that the ability to carry LJDAMs externally will boost the combat plane’s air-to-surface strike capability.

“This WDE expands the Joint Strike Fighter’s flexibility when countering asymmetrical threats with more kinetic options,” he explained.

The GBU-54 precision-guided bomb uses laser energy to accurately strike static and moving surface targets. The Pentagon expects the LJDAM to be a lethal addition to the F-35’s air-to-surface munitions catalog once it becomes fully operational.

Improved Situational Awareness

During the demo, the team subjected the Stores Management System, which manages weapons loading on the F-35, to check how it handles rapid multiple weapons releases. When the bombs were released, they were guided to the target by the onboard laser inside the aircraft’s Electro-Optical Targeting System, or EOTS.

According to USAF, the combination of modern infrared, infrared search and track, and a combat laser delivered improved situational awareness. The test also showcased the F-35’s ability to accurately engage targets in a dynamic environment and highlighted the EOTS’ advanced capabilities.

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SBA Lowers 2025 Prime Contracting Goal With Small Disadvantaged Businesses to 5%
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SBA Lowers 2025 Prime Contracting Goal With Small Disadvantaged Businesses to 5%

On Jan. 24, the Small Business Administration reset its contracting goals with small disadvantaged businesses, or SDBs, to at least 5 percent of all federal prime contracts awarded in 2025, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

Uniform SDB Contracting Target

The target applies uniformly across all affected agencies. Previously, the government negotiated SDB contracting targets individually with each agency to achieve a governmentwide percentage.

In 2024, that governmentwide percentage was 12 percent. The original target for 2025, as set by the Biden administration, was 15 percent.

Impact on 8(a) Program Companies

Commenting on the matter, a former SBA official who had requested to remain anonymous told Federal News Network that the 5 percent SDB target has historically been met and that the government had gradually increased the percentage over the years.

The same official anticipates, however, that the reduced target would likely impact companies under the SBA’s 8(a) Business Development program.

“By lowering the SDB goal, agencies will likely turn their focus away from 8(a) concerns to other areas where they struggle, such as HUBZone, where the government has never met the 3 percent prime contract goal,” the former SBA official said.

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Lee Zeldin Sworn In as EPA Administrator
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Lee Zeldin Sworn In as EPA Administrator

 Lee Zeldin was sworn in as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The EPA said Thursday that as the 17th administrator, he will lead agency officials in fulfilling the agency’s mandate of protecting human health and preserving the environment.

The Senate confirmed his appointment by a vote of 56 to 42 on Wednesday, according to North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer’s website.

“We will maintain and expand the gold standard of environmental stewardship and conservation that President Trump set forth in his first administration while also prioritizing economic prosperity. I look forward to working with the agency’s talented staff and scientists to deliver results for the American people,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.

Zeldin’s Career Highlights

Prior to his appointment to the EPA, Zeldin was the New York State senator from 2011–2014 before becoming the representative of the state’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015–2023.

In Congress, he lobbied across party lines for the preservation of Long Island Sound and Plum Island. Zeldin also supported key bipartisan environmental protection legislation, including the Great American Outdoors Act and the SaveOurr Seas Act.

He was previously the youngest New York State attorney at 23 and was a member of the Army’s Elite 82nd Airborne Division that deployed to Iraq in 2006.

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Navy to Use AI for Information Warfare
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Navy to Use AI for Information Warfare

The U.S. Navy has revealed that it is exploring the potential of artificial intelligence in information warfare.

The service plans to utilize AI in maritime operations centers, or MOCs, to go through massive amounts of data collected from various sensors, Defense One reported Thursday.

Preventing “Cognitive Overload”

According to the Navy, information warfare officers tasked with processing the information rapidly and effectively and disseminating it to the fleet are faced with huge quantities of intel data that may cause “cognitive overload.” The Navy is collaborating with the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the chief data and AI office in the Pentagon and other agencies to create a common intelligence picture based on reliable data to enable MOCs to perform faster analysis and provide insights for decision-makers.

Potential Hurdles for AI Use

According to Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare and director of naval intelligence, one potential challenge to AI use is the accuracy and trustworthiness of the data source. He said they need to know how to determine if the data source is reliable and how to fuse all the information.

The top naval intelligence official also said there are concerns that the capabilities of commanders to pivot during operations may be affected by the “fight from the MOC concept.” He stressed that connectivity issues may pose a problem, particularly in the Indo-Pacific area.

“I really do think there’s opportunity space here with AI, but AI has the challenges of the data source has to be trusted and curated. And so there’s clearly a lot of work going on in AI, in the world of [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], in the world of PED, but we’re working through that still,” said Thomas.

NIST Calls for Public Input on New 5G Cybersecurity Paper
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NIST Calls for Public Input on New 5G Cybersecurity Paper

The National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has released the draft version of the fifth entry in its Applying 5G Cybersecurity and Privacy Capabilities white paper series and is calling for public comment.

Aim of the White Paper Series

The goal of the white papers is to provide relevant professionals with practices they can implement to ensure the security and privacy of 5G technology, which continues to evolve in terms of its development, deployment and usage, NIST said Thursday.

Reallocation of Temporary Identities

The draft version of the fourth entry in the series was released in November 2024. That paper tackled the reallocation of temporary identities.

No SUPI-Based Paging

The fifth entry in the series tackles the 5G capability known as no subscription permanent identifier, or SUPI, based paging. The capability works to prevent attackers from identifying and locating users.

The paper’s intended readers include those involved in the management and delivery of 5G products and services, such as commercial mobile network operators and potential private 5G network operators.

Interested parties have until Feb. 28 to submit comments.

NIST Calls for Public Input on New 5G Cybersecurity Paper

Register now to attend Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit, which will tackle a variety of topics, including how 5G supports the DOD’s CJADC2 efforts and 5G-powered warfighting capabilities.

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OpenAI Models to Upgrade Los Alamos National Lab Supercomputer
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OpenAI Models to Upgrade Los Alamos National Lab Supercomputer

Los Alamos National Laboratory is installing the latest OpenAI o-series models to its Venado supercomputer to further upgrade its artificial intelligence capability for national security research. The partnership with OpenAI in the installation is hoped to yield expert reasoning on a wide range of complex scientific studies, the lab said Thursday.

The Venado computer will operate on a classified network for secure sharing with researchers from the Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia national labs of the Department of Energy.

According to Thom Mason, the laboratory’s director, national security threats have grown more complex and more urgent, requiring advanced technological approaches.

“Artificial intelligence models from OpenAI will allow us to do this more successfully, while also advancing our scientific missions to solve some of the nation’s most important challenges,” the lab official stressed.

Wide-Ranging Tech Collaboration

Los Alamos already had previous collaboration with OpenAI on projects to improve AI safety. In July, the lab and OpenAI launched a study to evaluate the risks of advanced AI being used to bring about biological threats.

The Energy Department and its national laboratories are working to strengthen collaboration with other technology companies for various applications, including new materials design and quantum algorithm development.

For the Venado supercomputer in Los Alamos, NVIDIA provided its GH200 Grace Hopper Superchips, designed to process high-performance computing and large-scale AI applications. In November 2023, the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration and the Los Alamos lab also tapped SambaNova Systems in a multi-year partnership for its data analytics and artificial intelligence software suite to expand the lab’s large language models and general AI technologies.

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