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Jim Bridenstine: NASA-USDA Partnership Aims to Transform Agricultural Production Through Earth Observations
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Jim Bridenstine: NASA-USDA Partnership Aims to Transform Agricultural Production Through Earth Observations

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NASA will collaborate to explore the potential of Earth observation systems and other space-based technology to address agricultural research challenges.

NASA said Thursday the partnership also seeks to address measures recommended in the 2017 Earth Science decadal survey report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Jim Bridenstine, administrator of NASA and a previous Wash100 Award recipient, said he believes the agency could help USDA transform farming and agricultural production by combining International Space Station research efforts with Earth monitoring platforms.

"Microgravity research can unlock secrets in a wide variety of fields, and I’m particularly excited about our agency’s potential impact on next-generation agricultural techniques," Bridenstine added.

The two agencies also plan to introduce activities to support NASA's Artemis mission and expand students' interest in agriculture, science, technology, engineering and math.

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Biden Picks Rep. Deb Haaland, Jennifer Granholm for Interior Dept, DOE Leadership Roles
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Biden Picks Rep. Deb Haaland, Jennifer Granholm for Interior Dept, DOE Leadership Roles

President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI), and Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, to be secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE). Haaland and Granholm are among the nominees and appointees to the incoming administration’s climate team.

Haaland currently serves as vice chair of the House Natural Resources Committee and vice chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, while Granholm is former attorney general of Michigan and founder of the American Jobs Project.

Biden also announced the nominations of Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Brenda Mallory, director of regulatory policy at the Southern Environmental Law Center, as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality.

Gina McCarthy, former EPA administrator, has been chosen to lead the newly established White House Ofice of Domestic Climate Policy, as national climate adviser. She currently serves as president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Ali Zaidi, New York’s deputy secretary for energy and environment and chairman of climate policy and finance, will serve in the incoming administration as deputy national climate adviser. He helped negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and draft and implement the Climate Action Plan during the Obama administration.

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Navy Uses AI, Data Analytics to Address Aircraft Readiness Issues
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Navy Uses AI, Data Analytics to Address Aircraft Readiness Issues

The U.S. Navy is working to improve the readiness of its aircraft fleet using artificial intelligence, data analytics and the concept of reliability control boards, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

The service is using AI algorithms to process aircraft maintenance data and generate insights from the collected data. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), for instance, is using the Army-developed Composite Learning Algorithm for Records Evaluation system to facilitate data processing.

“So the artificial intelligence solution looks at relationships in the data and what’s documented to say, ‘Hey, when you said [the problem is] this, it’s actually this. And that helps us score and correct all that maintenance data so we don’t have some of the inaccuracies that get perpetuated through the system,” said Jason Thomas, principal analyst at NAWCAD’s data analytics team.

Robert Smith, head of the reliability control board data analytics team at NAWCAD, told the network in an interview about the Failure Reporting and Corrective Action System and how it could help advance predictive maintenance using data.

“It will contain all the data behind a degrader, including what we’ve identified with CLARE,” Smith said of the system. “It will actually provide us with the ability to optimize our maintenance to predict failures before they occur. It will give us the confidence that the time on wing for a particular component is X. And before we get to X, and that aircraft is inducted for some type of maintenance, we will have the confidence to remove that component and replace it before it fails.”

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DoD Looks Into Networks for Signs of Breach Amid SolarWinds Orion Compromise; Vice Adm. Nancy Norton Quoted
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DoD Looks Into Networks for Signs of Breach Amid SolarWinds Orion Compromise; Vice Adm. Nancy Norton Quoted

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an emergency directive directing all agencies to disconnect SolarWinds’ Orion Network Management products from their networks to mitigate a cyber vulnerability and to date, there has been no sign of breach in the Department of Defense’s classified and non-classified networks, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

“We continue to assess our DoD Information Networks for indicators of compromise and take targeted actions to protect our systems beyond the defensive measures we employ each day. To date, we have no evidence of compromise of the DODIN,” said Vice Adm. Nancy Norton, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), commander of Joint Force Headquarters-DoDIN and a former Wash100 Award winner. 

“We will continue to work with the whole-of-government effort to mitigate cyber threats to the nation,” added VADM Norton. 

Former military information technology and cyber professionals told the publication it would take some time before officials can assess the full extent of the cyber breach’s impact.

“I couldn’t estimate on that, honestly, because … all the DoD networks are very complicated,” said Danelle Barrett, a retired Navy rear admiral and former deputy chief information officer of the Navy. “You’ve got a combination of legacy networks and more modern networks. Some things are more automated than others on those networks. So it’s going to take a lot of digging … There’s probably things that they can identify right away. It’ll be awhile before they have the whole complete picture.” 

Air Force, Easy Aerial Equip Travis AFB With Drone-Based Perimeter Monitoring System
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Air Force, Easy Aerial Equip Travis AFB With Drone-Based Perimeter Monitoring System

The U.S. Air Force and Easy Aerial have provided the Travis Air Force Base with a system that uses a small unarmed autonomous aircraft for perimeter security and monitoring.

The Smart Air Force Monitoring System is developed to ensure situational awareness by automatically launching from its base station and surveying the site where a security alarm was triggered, the military branch said Thursday.

Easy Aerial and the Air Force collaborated on the drone-based perimeter monitoring initiative under the second phase of the Small Business Innovation Research program.

"This was a joint effort as we worked closely together from start to finish, resulting in a customized solution for the Air Force that meets all of their operational desires and requirements," said Ivan Stamatovski, chief technology officer at Easy Aerial.

Air Force Master Sgt. Joshua Hicks, small unmanned aircraft system instructor of the 60th Security Forces Squadron, noted that aside from area survey and security, the drone is intended to boost the military's mission effectiveness.

"The sUAS has the capability to assist civil engineering for fire response, maintenance for tail inspections … and that is just the beginning," Hicks added.

Defending installations and networks is one of Air Mobility Command's focus areas announced by Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of AMC, in October.

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Lt. Gen. Jim Slife: AF Spec Ops Command Needs to Change Mission Focus
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Lt. Gen. Jim Slife: AF Spec Ops Command Needs to Change Mission Focus

Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, who leads Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), said his organization will have to reduce its anti-terrorism missions or distribute some of the load to other forces within the U.S. military, National Defense News reported Tuesday.

Slife said the command will need to undergo this change due to an environmental shift in national security. This change would also require AFSOC to strengthen bonds with the U.S. Air Force.

He said some of AFSOC's operations over the past two decades use capabilities that are not exclusive to the command and thus, can be taken over by other U.S. defense groups.

“We’re not the only people that do these things, but we’ve taken them on because maybe it was easier to do it for ourselves,” Slife stated.

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Constellis’ Triple Canopy Wins Spot on $15B WPS III Contract; Tim Reardon Quoted
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Constellis’ Triple Canopy Wins Spot on $15B WPS III Contract; Tim Reardon Quoted

The Department of State has awarded Triple Canopy, a Constellis company, a position on the ten-year, potential $15 billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) Worldwide Protective Services III (WPS III) multiple award contract. Work is scheduled to start in February 2021.

“We are truly honored to be selected by the Department of State to help secure their vital missions overseas for the next decade,” said Tim Reardon, CEO of Constellis and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. “The State Department performs critically important work in high-threat regions, and we’re extraordinarily proud to be a part of their trusted team.”

Under this contract, the company will provide armed personal protective, static guard and team based emergency response security services for the State Department. The company will primarily focus on the department’s requirements in high-threat overseas locations. Constellis Triple Canopy has supported the State Department for more than 15 years.

About Constellis

In an ever-changing and complex world, security enables innovation, leads to opportunity, and drives progress. Constellis provides end-to-end risk management and humanitarian solutions to safeguard people and infrastructure globally.

Our team of strategic problem solvers has a steadfast moral compass and unwavering dedication to creating a safer world. Constellis is fiercely committed to the success of our customers and partners.

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Air Force Advances Human-Machine Teaming With AI Algorithm Aboard U-2 Aircraft; Will Roper Quoted
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Air Force Advances Human-Machine Teaming With AI Algorithm Aboard U-2 Aircraft; Will Roper Quoted

A U.S. Air Force pilot flew with an artificial intelligence aboard the Lockheed Martin-built U-2 Dragon Lady aircraft during a test flight held Tuesday, the service reported Wednesday.

The AI algorithm, called ARTUu, was in charge of tactical navigation and sensor employment during a simulated missile strike as part of a reconnaissance mission. The algorithm used the aircraft’s radar in detecting enemy launchers, while the pilot was responsible for finding hostile aircraft.

The pilot transitioned the sensor control to the AI algorithm after liftoff. During the flight, the algorithm operated the sensor using learned insights from more than 500,000 computer simulated training iterations. 

“ARTUu’s groundbreaking flight culminates our three-year journey to becoming a digital force,” said Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics and a three-time Wash100 Award recipient, “Putting AI safely in command of a U.S. military system for the first time ushers in a new age of human-machine teaming and algorithmic competition. Failing to realize AI’s full potential will mean ceding decision advantage to our adversaries.” 

Researchers at Air Combat Command’s U-2 Federal Laboratory developed and trained the AI algorithm to carry out in-flight tasks.

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BWXT Names Ret. Adm. John Richardson to Board of Directors; John Fees Quoted
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BWXT Names Ret. Adm. John Richardson to Board of Directors; John Fees Quoted

BWX Technologies (BWXT) has appointed Adm. John Richardson (ret.) to its board of directors, the company reported on Thursday.

“Given his impeccable national security credentials and broad executive skill set, Admiral Richardson is exceptionally well suited to join our board,” said John Fees, chairman of BWXT.

Richardson served for nearly four decades with the U.S. Navy. During his service, Richardson gained operational and national security experience, including responsibility for ensuring the safe and reliable operation of naval nuclear reactors for the U.S. Navy’s fleet.

Richardson served as the chief of Naval Operations for the U.S. Navy from 2015 to 2019, where he was responsible for the management of a $160 billion budget covering 600,000 sailors and civilians, more than 70 installations, 290 warships and more than 2,000 aircraft worldwide.

He also served as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program between 2012 to 2015, as well as on four nuclear submarines, including commanding the submarine USS Honolulu. Richardson serves on the Board of Directors of The Boeing Company and Exelon Corporation.

“He has a deep understanding of our business given his previous U.S. Navy roles, and BWXT will greatly benefit from his experience and counsel moving forward,” Fees added.

About BWXT

At BWX Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: BWXT), we are People Strong, Innovation Driven. Headquartered in Lynchburg, Va., BWXT provides safe and effective nuclear solutions for national security, clean energy, environmental remediation, nuclear medicine and space exploration.

With approximately 6,700 employees, BWXT has 12 major operating sites in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, BWXT joint ventures provide management and operations at more than a dozen U.S. Department of Energy and NASA facilities.

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ECS Wins USMC Contract to Provide IT Support Services
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ECS Wins USMC Contract to Provide IT Support Services

ECS has been awarded a five-year, $28.8 million firm-fixed-price (FFP) recompete contract by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Department of Manpower and Reserve Affairs (M&RA) to provide information technology service and support (ITSS), the company reported on Thursday. 

“ECS is honored to continue supporting the Manpower and Reserve Affairs mission,” said Luis “CC” Colon-Castro, vice president of mission systems at ECS. “By deploying, securing, and innovating the Marine Corps cloud environments, ECS continues to help our nation’s military solve their most pressing manpower challenges.”

ECS’ support will enable M&RA to efficiently manage and expand human resources initiatives across all active and reserve members of the USMC. Under the contract, ECS will develop agile resource and manpower allocation systems in support of USMC missions. 

The company will provide post-deployment software support to the department’s Manpower Information Portal (MIP), which contains all web content and applications managed by M&RA.

ECS will deliver application development, information technology service management (ITSM), program management and information assurance (IA). The company will also support cloud-based applications to enable M&RA to meet the data center closure deadlines set by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) consolidation efforts.

ECS will leverage their expertise with Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud to help customers manage sensitive data and implement mission-oriented systems and applications. ECS is an AWS Premier Consulting Partner and a next-generation Managed Service Provider (MSP) Partner.

“Manpower Information Systems Division is pleased to have ECS on board supporting our mission and the Marines we serve,” said Paul Bennett, chief information officer of the MR&A Manpower Information Systems Division.

About ECS

ECS, a segment of ASGN, delivers advanced solutions in cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), application and IT modernization, science, and engineering. 

The company solves critical, complex challenges for customers across the U.S. public sector, defense, intelligence, and commercial industries. ECS maintains partnerships with leading cloud, cybersecurity, and AI/ML providers and holds specialized certifications in their technologies. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, ECS has more than 3,000 employees throughout the United States. 

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