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Two USAF Commands Seek to Advance Collaboration Between Program Offices, Operational Wings; Gen. Arnold Bunch Quoted
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Two USAF Commands Seek to Advance Collaboration Between Program Offices, Operational Wings; Gen. Arnold Bunch Quoted

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) and Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) have signed a memorandum of agreement to create a program to provide operators and program managers an opportunity to gain insight into each other’s missions and share information to improve readiness and lethality, the service branch reported Sunday.

The Weapons Systems Lead Wing Collaboration program will involve biannual immersions to help AFMC personnel better understand sortie generation, back-shop maintenance and other operational activities. 

AFGSC personnel will learn more about acquisition, contracting and other lifecycle management activities related to the development and sustainment of weapons systems through those immersions.

“With today’s near-peer competition and the challenges we face in delivering the technology our Air Force needs to achieve our National Defense Strategy, we need to have a common understanding with the operational units to ensure what we deliver meets their current and emerging needs,” said Gen. Arnold Bunch, commander of AFMC. 

“Strong lines of communication and a robust exchange of information between our operators and acquisition professionals is critical to delivering what the Air Force needs to succeed.”

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AI National Security Commission Presents 80 Recommendations in Interim Report
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AI National Security Commission Presents 80 Recommendations in Interim Report

The National Security Commission for Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI) has released an interim report detailing 80 draft recommendations for the federal government to advance AI.

NSCAI grouped the recommendations based on six lines of effort: strengthen the triangular alliance for AI research and development; apply AI for national security missions; train and recruit AI talent; protect and build upon U.S. technology advantages; marshal global AI cooperation; and defend and compete against malign information operations enabled by AI.

For the first line of effort, the commission suggested the creation of AI testbeds to serve the industry and academic research communities, formation of an AI innovator award program to invest in top talent and optimization of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop and field AI platforms to meet the needs of warfighters.

NSCAI also presented several recommendations to apply AI in support of national security missions. The commission called on the intelligence community to come up with a federated and coordinated approach to applying AI-based applications to open source intelligence. 

The undersecretary of defense for research and engineering should also have a fund to prototype and mature AI-based technologies. NSCAI expects to release its final recommendations in March 2021.

AI National Security Commission Presents 80 Recommendations in Interim Report

On October 22nd, ArchIntel Events will host the ArchIntel – AI in Competitive Intelligence Forum as its first virtual event featuring August Jackson, senior director of Marketing and Competitive Intelligence for Deltek, as the keynote speaker.

Register here to attend ArchIntel’s first virtual event: AI in Competitive Intelligence Forum.

 

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USDA Releases Playbook for Improving Website User Experience
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USDA Releases Playbook for Improving Website User Experience

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a digital strategy playbook to help USDA components and other agencies implement best practices in developing user-centric websites.

USDA’s playbook builds on the department’s work under the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Centers of Excellence (CoE) program and is meant to serve as a tool for designing agency websites that improve customer experience, FedTech reported Wednesday.

The guide encompasses seven criteria, namely research, analytics, content, accessibility, design and brand, development and social media.

Simchah Suveyke-Bogin, chief customer experience officer at USDA, said at a prior GSA event that the department intended to provide user experience designers with concrete steps to meeting development goals.

“We ended up understanding that there is a place that people need to go and a place that needs to be a little bit more clear of what to do and the direction to take,” she said.

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CISA, MS-ISAC Issue Alert on ‘Emotet’ Malware
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CISA, MS-ISAC Issue Alert on ‘Emotet’ Malware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) have released an advisory on a new kind of malware called Emotet that spreads through phishing emails.

CISA said in the alert published Tuesday that Emotet is a form of Trojan virus with “worm-like” elements that can impact an entire network. 

According to the alert, there was a resurgence in Emotet cases in July after cybercriminals used COVID-19 phishing emails in February to lure targets in non-U.S. countries.

CISA and MS-ISAC recommend applying protocols such as blocking suspicious attachments including ZIP files, installing antivirus software and deploying email gateway filters to block suspicious IP addresses.

The advisory also recommends activating multifactor authentication and using email validation systems.

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Federal Transit Administration to Fund R&D for Operational Efficiency Amid COVID-19
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Federal Transit Administration to Fund R&D for Operational Efficiency Amid COVID-19

The Federal Transit Administration has announced a new $10 million funding opportunity for research and development on how to improve transit operational efficiency amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

FTA said Thursday in a Federal Register notice it intends to fund projects that tackle operational efficiency across the areas of vehicle and facility disinfection, exposure mitigation measures, public confidence in transit systems and innovative mobility that reduces COVID-19 risks.

The funding opportunity also seeks ways to improve transit mobility for COVID-19-affected individuals. State and local government entities, tribes and recipients of urbanized and rural area formula funds may apply for the funding opportunity through Nov. 2.

FTA will use fiscal 2020 funds to finance the effort.

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Reps. David Schweikert, Darren Soto Present Bill to Redefine Blockchain Terms
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Reps. David Schweikert, Darren Soto Present Bill to Redefine Blockchain Terms

Reps. David Schweikert, (R-Ariz.), and Darren Soto, (D-Fla.) have reintroduced a bill to define concepts essential to the use of blockchain technology in the country. 

The Blockchain Records and Transaction Act would redefine the terms “electronic records” and “electronic agent” with expanded meanings, and establish definitions for terms “smart contracts” and “blockchain,” Schweikert's office said Tuesday.

"I am pleased to re-introduce this critical legislation to ensure our laws are working to support emerging technologies like blockchain,” Schweikert said.

The bill would also require states to legally recognize blockchain records.

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Navy Unveils Name of First Guided Missile Frigate; Kenneth Braithwaite Quoted
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Navy Unveils Name of First Guided Missile Frigate; Kenneth Braithwaite Quoted

The U.S. Navy has named the first guided missile frigate in the service branch's FFG(X) program as USS Constellation.

"As the first in her class, these ships will now be known as the Constellation Class frigates, linking them directly to the original six frigates of our Navy, carrying on the traditions of our great service which have been passed down from generation to generation of Sailors," Kenneth Braithwaite, Navy secretary, said in a statement published Wednesday.

Designated as FFG 62, the vessel is meant to support the National Defense Strategy by providing the military service with a multimission capability to carry out a range of military operations.

The ship will also house an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, Baseline 10 Aegis combat system capacities and the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine secured a potential 15-year, $5.6 billion contract in May to build 10 guided missile frigates for the Navy. The company is slated to deliver the first Constellation-class vessel in 2026.

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NIST, FedRAMP Developing Programming Language to Help Automate Cloud Security Assessments
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NIST, FedRAMP Developing Programming Language to Help Automate Cloud Security Assessments

The Federal Risk Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is working with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to implement a universal programming language that can help accelerate cloud certification and drive automation in government operations.

NIST and FedRAMP are developing the machine-readable Open Security Controls Assessment Language (OSCAL) in an effort to speed up cloud security vetting procedures and free up employees’ time spent on manual tasks, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

OSCAL collates security control data and assessment results using seven models. The language then formats information across different programming languages to provide standardized assessment information.

David Waltermire, technical lead for OSCAL at NIST, told the publication that OSCAL will help reduce time to get companies certified for FedRAMP compliance. Waltermire noted that NIST is looking to pilot the language and eventually release Version 1.0 of OSCAL.

“What normally would take an assessor weeks to do, an OSCAL tool can perform in seconds,” he noted.

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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to Create Public-Private Partnerships
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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to Create Public-Private Partnerships

Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator and Wash100 Award recipient, will deliver a keynote address during NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium meeting, which will stream live on NASA Television and the agency’s website on Oct. 14th.

Bridenstine will address NASA’s Artemis program and announce the agency’s latest Tipping Point selections and their potential impact on sustainable lunar exploration.

The program will also develop a sustainable presence by approximately 2030. NASA will draw insights from the Moon experiments to prepare for human exploration of Mars. In Jan. 2020, NASA requested to develop partnerships to advance space technologies. The public-private partnerships are projected to advance commercial space capabilities that support future missions.

During the consortium, Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), will contribute to the agency’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative. The initiative will also support lunar science activities under Artemis, leveraging expertise across academia, industry, nonprofits, and government to develop technologies and systems needed to explore the surface of the Moon in new ways.

In July 2019, NASA selected 13 companies that will work with the space agency’s centers to further develop space technologies for use in future lunar and Mars exploration missions. The companies will work with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center and Kennedy Space Center.

The agency the firms selected through the Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity will develop technologies across technology focus areas as part of Space Act Agreements: advanced communications, navigation and avionics; advanced materials; entry, descent and landing; in-space manufacturing and assembly; power; propulsion and other exploration technologies.

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Bechtel Partners with TerraPower to Develop Demonstration Plant; Barbara Rusinko, Chris Levesque Quoted
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Bechtel Partners with TerraPower to Develop Demonstration Plant; Barbara Rusinko, Chris Levesque Quoted

Bechtel has partnered with TerraPower to provide plant design, licensing, procurement and construction through federal grant application to build a demonstration plant for the Natrium reactor and energy system architecture, Bechtel reported on Thursday. 

"Natrium fulfills the industry vision of what a true advanced reactor should be—safer, simpler, easier and less costly to construct, less expensive to operate, and able to provide energy that is competitive with fossil fuels and complementary to solar and wind power," said Barbara Rusinko, president of Bechtel's Nuclear, Security and Environmental global business unit. 

Under the demonstration plant project, Bechtel will join a team that includes GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, PacifiCorp, Energy Northwest, and Duke Energy. The Bechtel-TerraPower partnership is part of TerraPower’s proposal for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

DoE’s Program has aimed to support the deployment of two first-of-a-kind advanced reactor designs in the next five to seven years. The Natrium system has integrated an advanced, cost-competitive sodium fast reactor and a molten salt energy storage system, similarly to solar thermal generation. 

Bechtel will help develop an affordable, advanced design that will adapt to changes in electricity demands driven by solar and wind energy fluctuations. The Natrium technology will divide nuclear and non-nuclear facilities and systems to simplify the licensing process and lower construction costs.

The Natrium reactor will be able to safely operate at higher temperatures and lower pressures than conventional nuclear reactors. The heat is used to generate steam for a turbine and industrial processes. The system's gigawatt-hour-scale energy storage can also be optimized to meet the needs of specific markets.

"Our Natrium technology is an elegant solution to a challenge utilities face as they need clean power that is available 24/7 to support their growing renewable portfolios and make progress toward clean energy targets," said Chris Levesque, TerraPower president and CEO. "Bechtel has decades of experience with major infrastructure projects and we're proud to have them as a member of the team focused on delivering the Natrium technology in the late 2020s."

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