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Shift5 Wins US Army OTA to Deliver Prototype Vehicle Security System; Josh Lospinoso Quoted
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Shift5 Wins US Army OTA to Deliver Prototype Vehicle Security System; Josh Lospinoso Quoted

Shift5 has been awarded a one year, $2.6 million OTA by the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) to deliver a prototype vehicle security system for a critical ground vehicle platform, the company reported on Thursday. 

“Shift5 is answering the call to arms about military weapon system cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Our products are currently deployed protecting commercial rail and aircraft, and this newest engagement will integrate our products onto military ground vehicle platforms,” says Josh Lospinoso, Shift5 CEO.

Under the award, Shift5 will provide unified cybersecurity prototype kits that will protect the operational technology of the Army’s Stryker combat vehicle platform. The company will develop, test and refine an enhanced vehicle security system prototype and deliver a transition-ready product. 

Shift5’s support will increase the cyber survivability of the vehicle across the full lifecycle. The solution will also provide increased situational awareness about the cyber health of the fleet and resources in the event of a cyber incident.  

The company secured the award by its participation in RCCTO’s inaugural Innovation Day event, held in Sept. 2019. Shift5 submitted a white paper in response to an open Broad Agency Announcement; delivered a presentation among a group of 42 companies; and was selected to quickly prototype its hardware and software to provide value to the warfighter. 

About Shift5

Shift5 is a cybersecurity company based in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Shift5 products defend operational technology platforms such as planes, trains, and tanks from cyberattacks. Shift5 protects vulnerable embedded serial data buses through proprietary software and hardware products that provide capabilities such as full-packet data capture, threat hunting, intrusion detection, and incident response.

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DISA’s Llewellyn Means: DoD Plans Digital Modernization Program Support Contract in 2021
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DISA’s Llewellyn Means: DoD Plans Digital Modernization Program Support Contract in 2021

Llewellyn “Don” Means, executive for the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) Defense Enclave Services (DES), has said the Department of Defense (DoD) looks to issue a contract for network modernization support in December 2021, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

Means told the publication in an interview that the award comes as part of efforts to support DISA, the DoD chief information officer and the Fourth Estate agencies' plans to develop a blueprint for the Pentagon's Digital Modernization Strategy.

He added that DISA intended to issue a request for proposals to identify potential sources that can provide program support and technology insertion services to DES.

“It is our goal to provide two-way communication channels where we are communicating early and often about the changes that are coming,” said Means.

“We believe this new model will enable agencies to singularly direct their focus on their respective missions, and DISA as the single service provider will optimize their productivity with the necessary IT infrastructure and enterprise services.”

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NIST Eyes 2021 Release of AI Ethics Guidance; Elham Tabassi Quoted
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NIST Eyes 2021 Release of AI Ethics Guidance; Elham Tabassi Quoted

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) plans to release a guidance on implementing trustworthy artificial intelligence technologies over the coming months, FedScoop reported Thursday.

NIST intends to issue NISTIR 8269 in an effort to detail the results of its outreach efforts to research entities, the private sector and other federal entities as part of the agency's AI Program.

Elham Tabassi, chief of staff at NIST's Information Technology Laboratory, told attendees at a recent industry event that the agency’s goal is to establish standards that will help the international AI community better understand the issue of ethical bias in algorithms and data.

“My wish list, how I see this program succeeding, is that we build a resource center — I call it a metrologist’s guide to AI — that talks about everything that you need to consider,” she said.

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Accenture Completes Acquisition of Avenai
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Accenture Completes Acquisition of Avenai

Accenture has completed the acquisition of Avenai, an Ottawa-based provider of consulting and technology services, which will bolster Accenture’s global footprint and support customers’ missions. 

The purchase will advance Accenture’s ability to drive digital modernization across the public sector in Canada as many departments and agencies embrace change, rapidly move to the cloud and improve services. 

Avenai was founded in 2012, and supports key aspects of business change including strategy development, process improvement, IT-enabled business transformation and organizational culture transformation.

Accenture announced the acquisition of Avenai in Oct. 2020. Avenai’s consulting team expand Accenture’s global reach to support Accenture’s clients’ goals. In regards to the acquisition, Jeffrey Russell, president of Accenture in Canada, expressed how the acquisition will support Accenture’s strategy. 

“COVID-19 is leading many Canadian organizations to accelerate their technology transformations to ensure they come out ahead in this new reality, and that’s why we are adding significantly to our team of experts in Ottawa,” said Russell. “We look forward to working with the Avenai team to help our clients transform to meet the challenges of today and the future.”

Avenai founders Chris Brennan, Mike Scotten and Brendan Timmins will join Accenture as managing directors in its Strategy & Consulting practice. 

They will continue to lead the Avenai team, as well as work with Accenture leadership across other practices to develop new business opportunities. Avenai’s employees will also join Accenture’s Strategy & Consulting practice.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services—all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. 

Our 506,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. 

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USAF Leverages 5G to Support Smart Base Rebuild; Brig. Gen. Patrice Melancon Quoted
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USAF Leverages 5G to Support Smart Base Rebuild; Brig. Gen. Patrice Melancon Quoted

The U.S. Air Force has begun rebuilding the hurricane-damaged Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, and has integrated low-latency and large data-transmission of 5G networks with digital twin technology to increase base security, FedScoop reported on Friday. 

The Air Force will work to connect thousands of sensors at Tyndall that collect data and can detect intruders and transmit it by 5G wireless into a digital twin model, which will provide security officers with greater visibility to potential threats.

Brig. Gen. Patrice Melancon, the executive director of the base reconstruction effort called the 5G-enabled sensors “robot dogs,” that will signal a digital ‘woof.’ The “dogs” will bark by transmitting data whenever activity on the base perimeter is potentially nefarious. 

The digital-twin technology also will be linked to gunshot-detection sensors. Within the sensors, 5G will enhance precision as to where shots are coming from, since the networks can handle much more data and at much faster speeds. “It gives a much better real-time picture for our first responders,” Melancon said.

The sensor networks, which are being developed in partnership with private companies, will increase the precision and amount of data that can be used. Current wireless networks are unable to transmit the amount of data needed to create the fully digitized operating picture. 5G will further support the speed and scale needed to accomplish missions.  

Melancon said that modernization on the bases continues to show positive results. The Air Force has several bases that operate 5G testing, but Tyndall has been selected to be a “smart base of the future,” following the damage of hurricane Michael in 2018.

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DOE Unveils Plan to Guide Hydrogen-Focused Pursuits; Dan Brouillette Quoted
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DOE Unveils Plan to Guide Hydrogen-Focused Pursuits; Dan Brouillette Quoted

The Department of Energy (DOE) has published a strategy that highlights how DOE plans to pursue hydrogen-related research, development and demonstration projects. 

DOE said Thursday its Hydrogen Program Plan aims to enable the production, storage, transportation and application of hydrogen in multiple economic sectors.

The plan includes activities that would leverage contributions of DOE's offices for energy efficiency and renewable energy, nuclear energy, fossil energy, science and electricity. The Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy will also take part in the plan's activities.

Dan Brouillette, secretary of energy, said the country needs to reduce costs and improve the supply-demand rate of hydrogen in order to fully unlock the resource's economic potential.

“This administration is excited by the department-wide efforts and collaborations outlined in this Plan that will address these issues and help secure hydrogen as an option in the nation’s energy future,” he added.

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USSF Solicits Input to Shape Commercial Space Access Expansion Strategy
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USSF Solicits Input to Shape Commercial Space Access Expansion Strategy

The U.S. Space Force (USSF) has issued a request for information on transformational approaches to expand space access, mobility and logistics operations as part of plans to establish a technology research, development, test and evaluation program.

USSF is soliciting input from the commercial space industry to help inform the branch's program objective memorandum and shape its acquisition strategy for national security space launch efforts, the Department of the Air Force said Tuesday in a SAM notice.

According to the NSSL Program Planning RFI, the Space and Missile Systems Center Launch Enterprise is developing an RDT&E strategy for future investments in technologies that could be implemented within the next three to five years or over the next decade.

SMC/ECL is also looking to deploy technologies that “can be on-ramped when available,” the notice states.

Interested parties can submit responses to the RFI through Jan. 15, 2021.

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CBO: Pandemic Pushes US Budget Deficit to $3T in Fiscal 2020
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CBO: Pandemic Pushes US Budget Deficit to $3T in Fiscal 2020

The federal budget deficit for the 2020 fiscal year ended on Sept. 30th reached $3.1 trillion, more than three times higher than the prior-year period’s shortfall, according to a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report. 

CBO attributed the approximately 200 percent debt hike to economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and legislative response to the health crisis, with the deficit reaching $700 billion in the first six months and skyrocketing by $2.4 trillion in the remaining half of FY 2020.

Total outlays increased by 47 percent from $4.5 trillion in FY 2019 to $6.6 trillion in 2020. Unemployment compensation and payments of refundable tax credits were estimated as top outlay contributors.

The government recorded $3.4 trillion in 2020 revenues, a one percent dip from the previous year's figures partly attributable to a decline in collections of individual income taxes, the report noted.

According to CBO, receipts from payroll taxes, the second largest source of revenues, saw a five percent increase but the third biggest contributor, corporate income taxes, reported an eight percent decrease.

Revenues remain below the average of 17.3 percent of gross domestic product for the last five decades.

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DHS Adds Two Members to Homeland Security Advisory Council; Chad Wolf Quoted
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DHS Adds Two Members to Homeland Security Advisory Council; Chad Wolf Quoted

Catherine Lotrionte, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) technology policy program, has joined a federal advisory committee that makes recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS appointed Lotrionte to its Homeland Security Advisory Council along with Tom Jenkins, fire chief for the City of Rogers, Arkansas, the department said Thursday.

Lotrionte also serves as a senior fellow at Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security and a senior research at Georgetown University, where she led the school's CyberProject and Annual International Conference on Cyber Engagement. She has authored publications about security law, technology and international affairs.

As the Rogers Fire Department head, Jenkins is responsible for 150 firefighters who work at 10 stations across the city. He has also taught fire hydraulics, suppression tactics and administration at Drury University, Oklahoma State University and Northwest Arkansas Community College.

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Pentagon Officials on Use of AI, Machine Learning at Tactical Edge; Alan Hansen Quoted
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Pentagon Officials on Use of AI, Machine Learning at Tactical Edge; Alan Hansen Quoted

Department of Defense (DoD) officials highlighted at various events the capability of artificial intelligence, machine learning and other emerging technologies to automate the decision-making process for warfighters at the tactical edge, Nextgov reported Thursday. 

Alan Hansen, chief of intelligence systems and processing at the U.S. Army’s Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate, cited the immediate need for AI, machine learning and other technologies at the edge.  

“The ability to take something on the very far edge where it needs natural language processing, or some forms of I say situational awareness of intent of beyond what's in front of them and have an ML trying to provide a better decision-making process on the edge of the battlespace to inform, I think those things are needed today,” Hansen said Thursday at a Booz Allen Hamilton event. 

Col. Charles Destefani, chief data architect at the U.S. Air Force’s chief data office, said he has used natural language processing in exercises to collect and put data, voice streams and text into a common platform for analysis and help facilitate the decision-making process for battlefield commanders.

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