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Army AI Study Focuses on Moral Dilemma, Decision Making by Autonomous Vehicles; Celso de Melo Quoted
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Army AI Study Focuses on Moral Dilemma, Decision Making by Autonomous Vehicles; Celso de Melo Quoted

U.S. Army researchers worked with Northeastern University and the University of Southern California to further study ethical artificial intelligence by covering moral dilemmas involving automated vehicles and other autonomous systems.

In the study, they found that the perceived risk of injury to drivers and pedestrians moderated the probability of making the utilitarian choice or reducing the risk of injury to humans or pedestrians. The research also demonstrated how other decision makers’ moral decisions influence those of the participants.

Celso de Melo, researcher at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL), said the study is relevant to the service’s modernization efforts.

“As these vehicles become increasingly autonomous and operate in complex and dynamic environments, they are bound to face situations where injury to humans is unavoidable,” de Melo said. “This research informs how to navigate these moral dilemmas and make decisions that will be perceived as optimal given the circumstances; for example, minimizing overall risk to human life.” 

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Chike Aguh Named DOL Chief Innovation Officer
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Chike Aguh Named DOL Chief Innovation Officer

Chike Aguh, a technology and human rights fellow at the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, has succeeded Xavier Hughes as chief innovation officer at the Department of Labor (DOL), according to a LinkedIn post. Aguh currently serves as a public speaker at Leading Authorities Inc. and a lecturer at the Columbia University in the City of New York.

He is the head of economic mobility pathways at Education Design Lab, a nonprofit organization that aims to design, test and implement models that could address rapid changes in the economy.

Aguh is also a venture partner at early and growth stage capital firm New Markets Venture Partners and a member of the Consortium for Advancing Adult Learning and Development.

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DHS Taps IJIS Institute to Oversee Program for Public Safety Agencies
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DHS Taps IJIS Institute to Oversee Program for Public Safety Agencies

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $268 thousand in funds to Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute to lead an effort that seeks to optimize communications between public safety agencies during joint emergency operations. 

The first phase of the CAD2CAD project aims to develop a set of interoperability standards for computer-aided dispatch platforms and address first responders' inability to transmit information through CAD systems, DHS said Tuesday.

IJIS Institute plans to partner with industry and public safety organizations to conduct pilot tests, assess methodologies and specifications and market the creation of standards-based CAD interoperability technologies.

DHS may exercise a 14-month option, which will bring the award's cumulative value to $731 thousand, to extend the project to phase II and hold tests to gauge the viability of the interoperability offerings. The second phase will also cover planning efforts for the technologies' commercialization.

Norman Speicher, program manager for the First Responders and Detection program at DHS, said the project aims to enhance more than 6,000 emergency communication centers' response capabilities.

“This project highlights the critical partnership with public safety to embrace emerging technologies and find solutions to improve interoperability for CAD systems, enabling efficient response operations across the Nation,” said Billy Bob Brown Jr., CISA executive assistant director for emergency communications. “Every second counts.”

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Former Congress Staffer Mieke Eoyang Named DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy
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Former Congress Staffer Mieke Eoyang Named DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber Policy

Mieke Eoyang, a cyber expert who formerly served as an adviser to democratic lawmakers, has been appointed to serve as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, FedScoop reported Tuesday.

Eoyang will lead policy across the strategic, financial and other aspects of the U.S. military's cyber operations and security. She announced her appointment to the role in a tweet posted Monday.

The newly appointed defense executive was a staffer for intelligence and defense committees within Congress, and advised former Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-Mass.) on defense policy. She also served as chief of staff to Rep. Anna Eshoo, (D-Calif.) She most recently served as vice president for national security at Third Way, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.

NIST Issues Guidance for Securing Critical Unclassified Data Against Advanced Persistent Threats
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NIST Issues Guidance for Securing Critical Unclassified Data Against Advanced Persistent Threats

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a final guidance containing recommendations on how to protect controlled unclassified information from advanced persistent threats.

Ron Ross, a computer scientist and NIST fellow, said the organization published the guidance in response to reported critical cyber attacks to U.S. infrastructure.

“Cyberattacks are conducted with silent weapons, and in some situations those weapons are undetectable,” said Ross. “Because you may not ‘feel’ the direct effects of the next hack yet, you may think it is coming someday down the road; but in reality, it’s happening right now.” 

The Special Publication (SP) 800-172 serves as a supplement to another NIST guidance and includes toolsets to help mitigate breaches from state-sponsored threat actors seeking to obtain key information such as defense data and intellectual property.

According to NIST, the SP is primarily meant to help program managers, administrators, chief information officers and system auditors in establishing resilient system architectures and damage-limiting approaches depending on the needs of specific organizations.

“The decision to select a particular set of enhanced security requirements will be based on your mission and business needs — and then guided and informed by ongoing risk assessments,” said Ross.

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CISA to Demonstrate Tech for Emergency Comms on the Energy Grid
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CISA to Demonstrate Tech for Emergency Comms on the Energy Grid

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) plans to test a new technology designed to support priority communications for emergency response efforts.

“It’s exciting to work with the PIL, using innovative processes to solve the challenges we face in keeping our country safe each day,” CISA’s chief innovation officer, Sabra Horne, stated. 

Crius Technology Group's Comm³ technology would help CISA route security and emergency preparedness communications signals across the electric grid, under the Next Generation Network Priority Service program's second phase, CISA said Tuesday.

CISA wants to demonstrate how electrical power infrastructure can alternatively serve as a communications pathway that prioritizes first responders.

“The NGN-PS Pilot will provide us a key advantage in meeting our emergency communications needs and solving a mission problem, saving us time and money, while we stay focused on keeping our nation safe," said Billy Bob Brown, executive assistant director for emergency communications at CISA.

The agency purchased Comm³ through an expedited procurement process, which the Department of Homeland Security uses to quickly access needed commercial technologies.

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Deputy DOD Secretary Nominee Kathleen Hicks on Plans for JAIC’s AI Implementation Efforts
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Deputy DOD Secretary Nominee Kathleen Hicks on Plans for JAIC’s AI Implementation Efforts

Kathleen Hicks, President Biden's nominee for deputy secretary of the Department of Defense (DOD), outlined her plans for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) during her confirmation hearing this week, C4ISRnet reported Tuesday. JAIC will fall under Hicks’ oversight if she receives Senate confirmation for the deputy secretary role.

Hicks, who currently serves as senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a written response that she seeks to drive JAIC’s efforts to roll out AI concepts across the DOD in the coming years.

The national security veteran noted that she will work to promote collaboration between Congress and DOD’s military and civilian leadership in addition to fostering partnerships with nontraditional contractors.

She also seeks to establish visibility in AI programs and build on efforts under the Pentagon’s innovation hubs such as the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), according to the report. JAIC will serve as Hicks’ “tool for guiding the transformation of the department” in terms of AI integration for business, support and warfighting applications, she added.

Hicks holds memberships at the Aerospace Corp.’s board of trustees and the U.S. Naval institute’s board of directors.

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Gen. David Berger Wants Marines to Trust, Use AI Tech for Quicker Performance
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Gen. David Berger Wants Marines to Trust, Use AI Tech for Quicker Performance

Gen. David Berger, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, said he wants the service branch to streamline and accelerate logistics and warfare via artificial intelligence.

Berger, at the National Defense Industrial Association’s expeditionary warfare conference, said he envisions a self-updating system that uses AI to track adversaries, determine optimal logistics routes and deploy unmanned vehicles to deliver supplies, USNI News reported Tuesday. The commandant said marines need to build their trust in AI for his envisioned system to materialize.

“We have programs right now, capabilities right now that allow for fully automatic processing of sensor-to-shooter targeting, but we don’t trust the data," he said.

Berger referenced a study that found that individuals who trained with an AI system have more confidence in the technology, compared those who were just given the system. The general said he'd want industry to help USMC train with and trust AI technology.

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ViON Promotes Rob Davies to COO, David Kushner to SVP of Sales; Tom Frana Quoted
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ViON Promotes Rob Davies to COO, David Kushner to SVP of Sales; Tom Frana Quoted

ViON Corporation has promoted Rob Davies to chief operations officer and David Kushner to senior vice president of Sales, the company reported on Wednesday.

“Rob’s ability to lead a large team is incredibly strong,” said Tom Frana, chairman and CEO of ViON. “His federal government experience and industry knowledge has enabled us to better position ViON to take advantage of the increased market demand for on-premise as-a-Service Private Cloud. 

As COO, Davies will be responsible for ViON’s Cloud and Infrastructure as-a-Services offerings, as well as Professional Services, Managed Services and Support Services. With more than two decades of experience, Davies has a broad range of expertise in supporting federal and commercial business in information technology.  

Prior to ViON, Davies served as vice president of U.S. Public Sector Services for Computer Associates (CA) Technologies, where he integrated all facets of the two businesses to include facility clearances, financial systems, contractual processes, sales processes, commissioning, rate structures, marketing and proposals. 

He was previously chief executive officer and president with Base Technologies. During his tenure, Davies structured, negotiated and completed acquisition of BaseTech by CA Technologies in April 2011. He also doubled Base Technologies revenue in five years to $44 million, increased annual profits by an average of 40 percent and grew the employee base to 220. 

Kushner joined ViON more than a decade ago. Since then, he has held several key positions, culminating in his promotion as SVP of Sales. With the company, Kushner has expanded ViON partnerships and revenues over the past three years. 

In addition, he has helped ViON complete major as-a-Service program acquisitions supporting over $1 billion in contract ceiling. Kushner has also led a complete overhaul of the company’s business development and capture organization to better align with customer markets.

Before joining ViON, he spent ten years with EMC Corporation’s Intelligence Group, where he managed the OEM Business Development Team.

“Rob and Dave have had a tremendously positive impact on us here at ViON, and both represent the next generation of C-suite executives,” said Frana. “Rob has effectively been serving in the role for the past few months, and we promoted Dave to encourage us to think more strategically about program business and growth.”

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American Heart Association, Kaiser Permanente Collaborate to Increase Health Awareness
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American Heart Association, Kaiser Permanente Collaborate to Increase Health Awareness

Kaiser Permanente has collaborated with the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Greater Washington Region division to further the organizations’ shared goal of helping members live longer, healthier lives free of heart disease and stroke, AHA reported on Jan. 27, 2020.

“It is through powerful commitments like this that we can drive sustainable change across our region,” said Soula Antoniou, executive director of AHA. “Over the next three years Kaiser Permanente will help us to engage the Greater Washington community in new and profound ways that lead to improved physical health and mental well-being.”

Kaiser Permanente has joined as a three-year Healthy for Good sponsor in the Greater Washington region, and serves as the founding member of the DC Go Red for Women campaign. Under the collaboration, Kaiser Permanente and AHA will launch a series of digital conversations to educate on critical health priorities.

Ruth Williams-Brinkley, regional president of Kaiser Permanente, will lead the 2021 efforts for DC Go Red, and will chair the 2022 Greater Washington Region Heart Walk. The DC Go Red for Women campaign extends the legacy of longstanding women-focused events to support women and promote the work of the American Heart Association.

As regional president of Kaiser Permanente in the Mid-Atlantic States, Ruth Williams-Brinkley supervises care delivery and health plan operations.  “I am honored to lead the inaugural DC Go Red For Women campaign and to have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the heart health of people in the communities we serve,” said Williams-Brinkley.

“This mission is near and dear to my heart, as it is an extension of the important work being done at Kaiser Permanente to eliminate health care disparities and expand access to care for all in our community,” Williams-Brinkley added.

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