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Synthetik Receives DHS Funding to Develop Machine Learning Data for Airport Screening Tech
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Synthetik Receives DHS Funding to Develop Machine Learning Data for Airport Screening Tech

Synthetik Applied Technologies has secured $1M in funds from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the second phase of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to build machine learning data that could simulate baggage and human travelers.

The company will help update object detection algorithms to mitigate false alarms and augment screening processes through the development of synthetic training data, the department said Friday.

DHS noted synthetic data generation allows the rapid creation of complete, annotated datasets without the need to initiate human protocols and manage delicate materials.

Synthetik will build and demonstrate a prototype to secure Phase III funding from non-government sources and achieve commercialization for the technology as part of the Phase II award.

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JAIC Issues RFI on Alternative AI Procurement Methods
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JAIC Issues RFI on Alternative AI Procurement Methods

The U.S. Army and Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) are looking for information on potential acquisition business models that can be used to support rapid artificial intelligence prototyping efforts.

JAIC said in a notice posted Friday on the beta SAM website that it seeks to leverage new methods such as other transaction authorities to promote “collaboration and optimal teaming arrangements” with traditional and nontraditional contractors.

According to the request for information, JAIC intends to prototype an AI acquisition model to address procurement challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The JAIC model will also be utilized by the military branches and the Department of Defense (DoD) to partner with nontraditional firms, small businesses and academic entities for AI programs.

The model must additionally maximize automated procedures such as online portals and utilize the JAIC Joint Common Foundation (JCF) platform for AI development. JAIC noted that it plans to assess the feasibility of contracts that are not based on the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as well as mixing FAR- and non-FAR contracts.

Responses to the RFI are due on Sept. 16.

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Perryn Ashmore Temporarily Fills Jose Arrieta’s Role as HHS CIO
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Perryn Ashmore Temporarily Fills Jose Arrieta’s Role as HHS CIO

Perryn Ashmore, Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) principal deputy chief information officer, will temporarily succeed Jose Arrieta as the department's acting CIO. The appointment became effective on Friday, following Arrieta's stepping down as CIO, the department said Friday.

Arrieta's resignation concluded over 15 years of service at HHS. Ashmore formerly served as chief technology officer of the General Services Administration's (GSA) Federal Acquisition Service.

“We are immensely grateful for the work that Jose Arrieta did during his time at HHS, leaving a legacy of transformative advances in our department’s data work, better business practices that will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and stronger protections for our department’s networks from cyber attacks," said Eric Hargan, deputy secretary at HHS.

Army’s Paul Puckett on FY 2020 Cloud Modernization Updates
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Army’s Paul Puckett on FY 2020 Cloud Modernization Updates

Paul Puckett, director of the U.S. Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Office (ECMO), said the service branch is working to implement a common cloud security service in line with the Defense Information Systems Agency's (DISA) standards.

Puckett told FCW in an interview published Friday that ECMO and the Army Analytics Group are working on establishing a “dynamic, resilient architecture” called cArmy that is centrally resourced and optimized for Army applications.

He noted that ECMO also stood up a Coding Repository and Transformation Environment (CReATE) team that handles cloud architecture replatforming and DevSecOps activities as well as other modernization initiatives to support the cArmy infrastructure.

CReATE will work to deploy an “ecosystem of software development tools” designed for the cArmy cloud environment, he added.

Speaking on other Army modernization activities for fiscal year 2020, Puckett said his office is in the middle of migrating and modernizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, accelerating the deployment of new tools to warfighters and implementing a common security baseline for classified information in a hybrid cloud environment.

Other initiatives that Puckett cited include reorganization activities for the Army’s chief information officer (CIO) units and efforts to implement a 100 percent telework environment for certain teams amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NASA Invests in Solar, Space Environment Projects; Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted
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NASA Invests in Solar, Space Environment Projects; Thomas Zurbuchen Quoted

NASA has picked five projects for an effort to study the changes exhibited by the Sun and space, as well as their effects on planet Earth. The space agency said Friday it will invest $1.25 million in each project for nine-month concept studies, and will eventually downselect a maximum of two proposals for full execution through the Heliophysics Explorers program.

"We constantly seek missions that use cutting edge technology and novel approaches to push the boundaries of science," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator at NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

These projects will also explore topics that support the security of satellite systems and astronauts.

Selected projects include HelioSwarm, a study to explore solar wind turbulence in the plasmas of space; and the Multi-slit Solar Explorer that would provide data on what causes eruptions, solar flares and other occurrences in the Sun's atmosphere.

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Space Force Eyes Annual Updates to $150M Orbit-Monitoring Program
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Space Force Eyes Annual Updates to $150M Orbit-Monitoring Program

The U.S. Space Force plans to facilitate updates to orbit-monitoring technologies every 90 days as part of the $150 million Space Command and Control (Space C2) program, SpaceNews reported Sunday.

Barbara Barrett, secretary of the U.S. Air Force, said in a report submitted to Congress on Aug. 21st that the program office for the Space C2 effort provides space-monitoring apps to operators every 90 days to ensure that they are “using the most current industry software development practices.”

The fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) currently requires the Space Force to enact annual updates to the Space C2 initiative, according to SpaceNews. Software under the Space C2 effort are meant to help operators avoid space collisions and identify potential satellite hazards.

In 2018, the Space C2 program was established to succeed the Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) Joint Space Operations Center Mission System (JMS) effort. Congress previously expressed concerns over JMS for the lack of progress on providing updated tools to operators.

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USAF Awards Booz Allen Spot on $950M Contract to Support ABMS Development; Khalid Syed Quoted
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USAF Awards Booz Allen Spot on $950M Contract to Support ABMS Development; Khalid Syed Quoted

The U.S. Air Force awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a spot on the $950 million indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to support development of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), the company reported on Monday. Booz Allen has been selected by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s (AFLCMC) Chief Architect Integration Office (CAIO).

“The Department of Defense (DoD) is embarking on an ambitious and necessary endeavor to digitally transform its operations, enabling greater mission readiness and seamless communication from sensor to warfighter. Booz Allen has the expertise needed to integrate diverse legacy systems and breakthrough technologies to strengthen the Air Force’s performance,” said SVP and Booz Allen’s C5ISR lead Khalid Syed.

The U.S. Air Force’s ABMS will enable rapid decision making and all-domain command and control. The system is part of the Department of Defense’s Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept and will enable all services to operate together as part of a joint team.

ABMS will connect sensors, decision makers,and weapons through a secure data network to engage across multiple domains more effectively. Under the contract, Booz Allen will compete for task orders to support digital transformation across all aspects of the Air Force’s command and control enterprise.

Booz Allen will leverage open systems design, modern software, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications to develop a connected ecosystem of digital capabilities and technologies across multiple platforms and domains.

The company’s interoperable framework will support rapid data collection and analysis, communication, faster decisions, and enhanced performance from the Continental United States (CONUS) to the tactical edge.

“As warfare becomes increasingly digital, information is the new weapon. Through our work supporting every U.S. military service over the past decades, we have seen firsthand the challenges of disconnected systems, R&D, policies, and procedures,” added Syed.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

For more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering, and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by their most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia and offices worldwide, our firm employs nearly 27,200 people and had revenue of $7.5 billion for the 12 months ending March 31, 2020.

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DARPA Names Victoria Coleman as Director; Michael Kratsios Quoted
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DARPA Names Victoria Coleman as Director; Michael Kratsios Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has appointed Victoria Coleman, an expert in artificial intelligence and microelectronics, as director of the agency, SpaceNews reported on Monday.

Coleman served as a founding member of DARPA’s Microsystems Exploratory Council and a member of the Defense Science Board. She will bring her extensive private sector experience, across various senior leadership positions, to DARPA.

Michael Kratsios
Michael Kratsios U.S. CTO

“During this era of great power competition, DARPA is critical to strengthening the U.S. military’s technological dominance and advancing innovations that benefit our warfighters,” said Michael Kratsios, acting under secretary of defense for Research and Engineering, and a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Coleman as the new director and look forward to building upon DARPA’s unmatched record of achievement.”

Coleman currently serves as the senior advisor to the director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Berkeley. Before joining CITRIS, she served as CEO of Atlas AI, a public benefit corporation bringing world class AI solutions to sustainable development.

Prior to Atlas AI, Coleman was the chief technology officer (CTO) of the Wikimedia Foundation, where she was responsible for the technology infrastructure of Wikipedia. Throughout her career, Coleman has also been senior vice president at Technicolor where she served as the CTO of the Connected Home Business.

Coleman was also the senior vice president of research and development (R&D) for Harman’s Infotainment Division. As vice president Engineering at Yahoo, Coleman was responsible for membership services, presentation layer technologies and developer relations.

During her tenure with Nokia, as vice president of Emerging Platforms, Coleman led a multi-disciplinary team that developed strategic products including the Nokia Z Launcher and the Nokia X line of smartphones.

As vice president of Software Engineering at Hewlett-Packard (HP), she led the webOS Platform team and built the HP Touchpad. With Samsung’s Advanced Institute of Technology, Coleman was in charge of the Computer Science Laboratory, where she initiated the development of Tizen and the Samsung Knox line of smartphones.

Coleman was previously Intel’s director for Security Initiatives and the director of the Trust and Manageability Laboratory in Intel’s Corporate Technology Group. Coleman joined SRI International in 1998 after 10 years as a tenured professor in the University of London. Coleman became the founding director of SRI’s System Design Laboratory in 1999.

She is a member of the Defense Science Board, a member of Lockheed Martin’s Technology Advisory Group and a member of Santa Clara University’s Advisory Board for the Department of Computer Engineering. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Library of Science.

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Space Force Enhances Agility within Workforce; Gen. John Raymond Quoted
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Space Force Enhances Agility within Workforce; Gen. John Raymond Quoted

The Space Force has announced that the agency will maintain its workforce of approximately 6,400, which will enable the unit to effectively complete missions, Federal News Network reported on Monday.

“A war that extends into space, or begins or extends into space, is going to be fought over great distances and at tremendous speeds. Big organizations are slow, and big organizations won’t be able to move fast enough to do what we need to do in space,” said Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient.

The Space Force’s minimal personnel will provide faster mission accomplishments with more agile methodologies. The Space Force has cut its initial estimates of the headquarters personnel it will need from more than 1,000 to fewer than 600. In its field commands, the Space Force now plans to have two fewer layers of command structure than its main predecessor, the Air Force, traditionally has had.

“The National Defense Authorization Act [which created the Space Force] gives us a clean sheet of paper about how we are going to develop our people,” Raymond added. “I think when somebody comes in, we’re looking to develop a model that allows them to be in the Space Force full time… transition to part time with the reserve component, and have much more portability between those different segments.”

The 2020 NDAA directed Department of Defense (DoD) officials to study how the Space Force should use National Guard and reserve forces, since many of the functions the new service is inheriting are performed by reserve forces today.

On Dec. 20, 2019, President Trump signed the fiscal 2020 NDAA authorizing the creation of the Space Force. Weeks prior to that, Raymond told SpaceNews that the establishment of the new service branch would help the country better protect its satellites.

“And just as U.S. Space Command has a singular focus on the war fighting aspect of space, having a Space Force with a singular focus on the space domain will be hugely, hugely helpful to us,” said Raymond. “This is really an exciting time to be in the space business. There’s a lot happening and it’s really an important time for the security of our nation.”

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Serco’s David Dacquino Joins Nathan Board of Directors; Susan Chodakewitz Quoted
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Serco’s David Dacquino Joins Nathan Board of Directors; Susan Chodakewitz Quoted

Nathan Associates has appointed David Dacquino, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Serco and Wash100 Award recipient to the company’s Board of Directors, Nathan reported on Monday.

“Dave Dacquino is a highly accomplished and respected business leader, and we are so pleased he has joined our board of directors.  Dave brings critical experience in large global operations that will help us advance our plans to continue to grow and diversity Nathan,” said Susan Chodakewitz, president and CEO of Nathan.

Dacquino will bring nearly four decades of experience to Nathan’s Board of Directors, including top-level executive positions with defense, aerospace and federal government contractor companies. With Secro, Dacquino supervises the $1 billion business with approximately 6,000 employees providing support in the areas of defense, transportation, citizen services and health services.

Prior to his current position with the company, he served as senior vice president of the Defense Services business unit and oversaw Serco’s work in the areas of ship and shore/base modernization, hardware integration, acquisition and program management, logistics support and personnel readiness.

Before Serco, Dacquino served as president and CEO of SkyLink, where he provided support for military airlift, search and rescue operations, international election support, remote construction, disaster recovery, aerial fire suppression and medical emergency and evacuation.

He also served as CEO of VT Group between 2009 and 2013. In the role, Dacquino was in charge of all national operations for British owned corporations including supporting defense customers with C4ISR installations and modifications on ship and shore and commercial IT integration programs.

As vice president and general manager of Raytheon Technical Services’ Integrated Support Solutions Sector, Dacquino was the executive in charge of all technical, scientific and professional services for defense, federal and commercial customers worldwide for the services operating company. He managed international programs in South America, the former Soviet Union and Europe and was responsible for profit and loss for $1.4 billion business.

Dacquino served a more than 15-year tenure with Lockheed Martin, where he held a variety of leadership positions from 1988 to 2001.

About Nathan

Nathan is a private international economic and analytics consulting firm that works with government and commercial clients around the globe to deliver practical solutions and achieve lasting results.

Whether building frameworks for economic growth or navigating regulatory hurdles, securing infrastructure financing or evaluating and assessing disputes, Nathan’s experts serve as trusted partners, offering clients the analysis, technical advice, and strategies they need for sound decision-making.

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