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IndraSoft Wins USAF DevSecOps Contract to Advance Cybersecurity; Raj Lingam Quoted
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IndraSoft Wins USAF DevSecOps Contract to Advance Cybersecurity; Raj Lingam Quoted

IndraSoft has been awarded a 5-year Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) for DevSecOps Services to support the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division’s LevelUP Platform One program, the company reported on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the LevelUP Platform One team to help deliver solutions that would transform the way software systems are rapidly and securely developed and deployed across DoD at the speed of agile to create a competitive edge for our war fighters,” said Raj Lingam, president and CTO of Indrasoft.

Under the BOA, Indrasoft will help the U.S. Air Force integrate Agile and DevSecOps technology innovations to enable the service branch to deliver capabilities that support Air Force and Department of Defense (DoD) missions.

Indrasoft has supported federal cyber missions by leveraging architects, full stack developers, and systems and cybersecurity engineers. The company will utilize its Vauban Cybersecurity Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) platform to advance technology operations.

SOAR has been built to enhance security operations and  continuous monitoring throughout the DevSecOps delivery pipeline. The platform will help customers evolve to achieve continuous authority to operate (C-ATO) in a DevSecOps CI/CD containerized and secure cloud environment.

“We are proud to add DevSecOps Services BOA in addition to our existing DevSecOps Tools BOA to support our DoD customer base.”

About IndraSoft

IndraSoft provides cutting edge Enterprise IT solutions to our customers across DoD and Civilian Federal Agencies including U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, USTRANSCOM, Department of State, and U.S. Census Bureau. IndraSoft’s Agile/DevOps, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Data Analytics, AI/ML and Blockchain solutions enable our customers to focus on mission imperatives with confidence in the value of IndraSoft’s commitment, ability, and high performing staff.

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Accenture Completes N3 Acquisition; Manish Sharma Quoted
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Accenture Completes N3 Acquisition; Manish Sharma Quoted

Accenture has completed its acquisition of N3, a business-to-business (B2B) sales firm specialized in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities, Accenture reported on Wednesday. 

“Together, our real-time insights will augment decision-making, deepen sales interactions and help our clients achieve sustainable growth. We are excited about the potential of what Accenture and N3 can achieve together,” said Manish Sharma, group chief executive of Accenture Operations. 

N3 has been integrated into Accenture Operations, adding 2,200 employees who have specialized skills across cloud, IT platforms and 5G networks. Accenture will combine N3’s cloud-based AI/ML technology with its SynOps platform to aggregate interaction points into actionable insights. The combined offering will help Accenture’s customers drive sales growth. 

“Bringing N3 into the Accenture family will better enable us to help companies influence purchasing decisions at critical stages,” added Sharma. 

Accenture entered an agreement to acquire N3 in Sept. 2020. N3’s platform is supported by cloud-based, AI/ML technology that has provided smarter, more efficient customer interactions and sales conversions. N3 has served Microsoft, Cisco and SAP. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA with locations in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the U.K.

The acquisition of N3 further expands Accenture B2B growth initiatives. Accenture acquired Yesler, a business-to-business (B2B) marketing services agency that helps many of the world’s leading brands run their global marketing programs and operations at speed and scale, in April 2020. 

With the purchase, Accenture will strengthen and scale Accenture’s B2B marketing services, expanding its offerings, including account-based marketing, customer advocacy, sales enablement and marketing automation. Yesler is headquartered in Seattle and has additional offices in Portland, Philadelphia, London, Toronto and Singapore.

“Yesler’s expertise in B2B has given them a unique understanding of how businesses make purchase decisions — insights that empower marketers to influence purchasing decisions at critical stages, enabling them to achieve growth and adapt their operating models for continued success,” said Sharma said in regards to the earlier acquisition of Yesler. 

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NOAA, DOE Roll Out Ocean Observation Tech Dev’t Challenge
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NOAA, DOE Roll Out Ocean Observation Tech Dev’t Challenge

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) launched a multistage competition that seeks to incorporate renewable energy into ocean observation systems.

The DEVELOP Competition tasks the participants to build technologies that can monitor, map and explore the ocean in a bid to enhance NOAA's hurricane forecast capabilities, the agency said Monday.

Competitors will be given opportunities to design, build and demonstrate their prototypes within a controlled environment during the challenge. Winners will receive $2.4 million in cash along with access to in-kind support, tank and sea-based tests. The competition's design phase has begun and will run through Feb. 16.

NOAA and DOE intends to implement wave energy harvesting technologies into autonomous underwater vehicles to develop self-charging ocean observing systems for hurricane monitoring activities.

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Air Force, MIT Partner to Develop AI Tech; Share Relevant Data; Maj. David Jacobs, Derek Eichin Quoted
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Air Force, MIT Partner to Develop AI Tech; Share Relevant Data; Maj. David Jacobs, Derek Eichin Quoted

A partnership between the U.S. Air Force and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has begun to address national and military challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence. 

The USAF-MIT AI Accelerator brings together students, scientists, engineers and airmen to develop AI systems that the military and society can quickly implement, USAF said Monday.

The partnership grants MIT students and researchers access to USAF datasets that would serve as input for AI system development.

“By making data more accessible and available, we are able to bring the smartest minds to bear on AI challenges that directly impact the Department of the Air Force and the United States,” said Maj. David Jacobs, who serves as the AI Accelerator's chief legal adviser.

The accelerator has access to the Visible, Accessible, Understandable, Linked and Trustworthy or VAULT data platform that securely centralizes USAF datasets.

Derek Eichin, lead research analyst at the USAF's Chief Data Office, said VAULT serves as an environment where tenants can collaborate, leverage USAF enterprise tools, input data and process data analytics.

“We are partnering overall in an effort to make data accessible to not only internal partners within the department, but also universities and small businesses," Eichin added.

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DOE’s Greg Sisson Warns Public on Social Engineering Scams
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DOE’s Greg Sisson Warns Public on Social Engineering Scams

Greg Sisson, acting deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and chief information security officer at the Department of Energy (DOE), said the public must be wary of scams that use social engineering tactics amid the pandemic.

Sisson wrote in a blog post published Monday that social engineering scams use human interaction through texts, phone calls, emails and online platforms to obtain personal information.

He noted that common forms of social engineering scams include phishing, spoofing and disinformation campaigns. He also cited “smishing,” which are messaging attacks that manipulate users into clicking malicious links; and brushing, which are primarily used by online vendors to exploit personal data and fabricate orders as well as positive reviews.

“Criminals’ level of sophistication has increased, and they are using machine learning and artificial intelligence to build patterns and improve their tactics,” said Sisson.

He recommends users to confirm email senders, assess message content, contact sources before sending personal information, remove unwanted data on social media and verify the trustworthiness of online content.

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Navy Completes USS Zumwalt Live Fire Test
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Navy Completes USS Zumwalt Live Fire Test

The U.S. Navy conducted an initial live fire test for a missile launching platform aboard the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) destroyer. The demonstration sought to test the vessel's capacity to detect, track and repel anti-ship cruise missiles via the use of the Mk 57 Vertical Launching System, the Navy said Monday.

The service branch also evaluated potential degradations or hazards from live ordnance fire and determined if USS Zumwalt can withstand shock and vibration from weapon firing activities.

USS Zumwalt measures 610 feet long and is built to perform a range of surface, undersea, and aviation operations. The destroyer is slated to transition to the next stage of developmental and integrated at-sea trials following the completion of combat system installation and activation phase.

The Navy expects USS Zumwalt to reach initial operational capability by 2021.

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Air Force, Army Train, Integrate for Joint Air Defense; Capt. Nicholas Volz, Capt. Nathanael Agront Quoted
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Air Force, Army Train, Integrate for Joint Air Defense; Capt. Nicholas Volz, Capt. Nathanael Agront Quoted

U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army components are working together to integrate communication networks, defense weapons and radar systems to boost joint efficiency.

USAF said Monday its 726th Air Control Squadron and the Army's 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade are training together and combining capabilities for bolstered readiness and security.

“Working with the Army ensures the safety of particular assets and regions,” said Capt. Nicholas Volz,  chief of weapons and tactics at the 726th ACS.

The squadron, operating from Mountain Home Air Force Base, offers an early-detection radar, then the 31st ADA BDE delivers anti-air firepower via the MIM-104 Patriot missile. The two play different roles in the joint kill chain or the set of events required for strikes.

“JTEN (joint training and experimentation network) allows this training experience and interpersonal relationships to continue to progress and develop without waiting for joint training events,” said Capt. Nathanael Agront, air defense artillery fire control officer for the 31st ADA BDE.

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NAVWAR Awards $104M in OTA Production Contracts for Warfare Tech Transition Effort
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NAVWAR Awards $104M in OTA Production Contracts for Warfare Tech Transition Effort

Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NIWC) has awarded other transaction authority production (OTP) contracts worth $104 million combined to transition three prototype technologies under the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP).

Projects selected to transition into production include the Low Altitude Range Communication System (LARCS) under the U.S. Marine Corps, the Analytic Performance Assessment Capability (APAC) under the Chief of Naval Operations' Navy Programming Division (OPNAV N80) and the Healthcare Master Data Management (MDM) tool under the Defense Health Agency (DHA), DVIDShub reported Monday.

LARCS serves as a modernized version of the Marine Corps’ air-to-ground communications platform that uses graphical user interfaces and other elements suited for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) architectures.

APAC is an updated data management system that uses analytics and machine learning to process a range of resources such as wargaming assets, documents and historical papers for U.S. Navy operations. MDM integrates analytics capabilities for medical repository functions to service all military branches.

“This process provides a unique opportunity to leverage an OTA to not only rapidly prototype – which we are actively and successfully doing through IWRP – but also to rapidly produce technology and place it in the hands of our Sailors and Marines faster,” said Don Sallee, acquisition planning services manager at NIWC Atlantic.
 
Four other IWRP prototypes are slated to receive OTPs in three to four months.

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Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie: Army Brings New Prototype Drones to the Field; Maj. Gen. David Francis Quoted
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Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie: Army Brings New Prototype Drones to the Field; Maj. Gen. David Francis Quoted

Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie, commander of the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Aviation, said the service branch has commenced field-testing of Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems (FTUAS), Military.com reported Monday.

Barrie said at the Association of the U.S. Army’s virtual conference last week that soldiers are now being equipped with FTUAS prototypes for fielding.

The FTUAS effort aims to modernize the Army’s drones under the Future Vertical Lift program. The effort’s result would provide quieter performance for Army reconnaissance operations and replace the existing RQ-7B Shadow aircraft.

“We could not be more excited about the aviation modernization effort with the Future Vertical Lift,” Maj. Gen. David Francis, who commands the Army Aviation Center of Excellence, said at the AUSA event.

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JAIC’s Nand Mulchandani on Global AI Partnerships, Ethical Framework Dev’t
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JAIC’s Nand Mulchandani on Global AI Partnerships, Ethical Framework Dev’t

Nand Mulchandani, chief technology officer of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), has said that global partnerships are key to leveraging global datasets and scaling the artificial intelligence technologies for the Department of Defense (DoD).

Mulchandani told attendees at the recent Politico AI Summit that the DoD is focused on working with companies that can help explain and develop trust in AI systems in line with the government’s stringent approach to establishing AI ethical principles, DoD News reported Monday.

He noted that JAIC previously entered into an AI partnership with NATO and other European allies to establish such principles in AI.

"Industry has to develop on its own, and that's where the global talent is; that's where the money is; that's where all of the innovation is going on," said Mulchandani.

"The real tricky part is: How do we actually take that technology and get it deployed? That's the complexity of integrating AI into existing systems, because one isn't going to throw away the entire investment of legacy systems that one has, whether it be software or hardware or even military hardware."

JAIC's Nand Mulchandani on Global AI Partnerships, Ethical Framework Dev't

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