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DCSA to Handle DOD Security Review Process
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DCSA to Handle DOD Security Review Process

The office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security has directed the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to handle the due process and appeals on security review proceedings for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, or SCI, from the Department of Defense. The agency’s SCI adjudication process, effective starting Dec. 8, will cover contractor personnel, military service members and DOD civilians, DSCA said Wednesday.

Cleared contractor personnel already verified for confidential, secret and top secret collateral access eligibility are not covered by the new process, the agency added.

Transparency & Courtesy Goals

The DSCA’s security review implements the DOD reforms for the protection of classified national security information. The changes are based on an ongoing transformation of the department’s personnel security review protocols on determining access eligibility to classified information or holding a national security position. The efforts are designed with an eye toward transparency, personal focus and courtesy in the adjudication process. 

With the reforms’ effectivity, recipients of letters of intent to reject or revoke their SCI access eligibility will retain the opportunity to submit a written response and appeal personally before DCSA takes action. 

In April 2023, Lloyd Austin, defense secretary and Wash100 awardee, issued a memorandum directing DOD component agencies to immediately assess their compliance with the department’s procedures and standards for protecting classified national security information and report their findings to the office of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security for appropriate action.

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NRO to Boost Space ISR Capabilities Further in 5th Mission
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NRO to Boost Space ISR Capabilities Further in 5th Mission

The space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the National Reconnaissance Office continue to grow with the launch of its NROL-126 mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Friday. The mission, which took off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, is also a partnership with the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 30, NRO said.  

NROL-126 is the fifth launch under the NRO’s proliferated architecture, described as the U.S. government’s largest constellation in history. It followed the NROL-167 mission sent into orbit on Oct. 24, positioning the proliferated architecture program for about six launches in 2024 and further missions toward 2028. According to NRO, the program’s next-generation ISR systems will help accelerate the delivery of the right data to the right user. 

Commercial Players in the Mix

Commercial space companies have also been venturing into connectivity services on ISR communications for governments and militaries worldwide. In October, the NRO’s Office of Space Launch awarded Cognitive Space, Impulse Space and Starfish Space separate contracts to assess and evaluate advanced space technologies that can solve critical intelligence problems.

On a similar track, Viasat announced in July its Air-IQ offering that provides real-time intelligence access with uplink data transfer speeds of up to 10 megabits per second for improved situational awareness.

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Cyber Command Leader Talks Military, Academia Collaboration
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Cyber Command Leader Talks Military, Academia Collaboration

Lt. Gen. William Hartman, deputy commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, delivered a keynote address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Nov. 21 and stressed the need for collaboration between government, academia and industry.

The Cyber Command said Thursday Hartman spoke at the first-ever USCYBERCOM Tech Talk and commended UW-Madison for its work on advancing cyber education and its involvement in the command’s Academic Engagement Network. Hartman also emphasized the importance of partnerships in boosting cybersecurity during his speech.

What Is the Academic Engagement Network?

The AEN is a collaboration between the military and over 130 academic institutions that was launched by USCYBERCOM in 2022. It is intended to tackle cybersecurity challenges by narrowing the gap between military and academic research through faculty workshops, the Cyber Research and Education Conference—or Cyber RECon—and other initiatives.

Hartman pointed out the significance of ongoing research and development to defend against emerging cyber threats. He also reinforced the need for recruiting, training and retaining the workforce to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies.

“People and partnerships are the most important assets we have. The talent we are building today in schools like the University of Wisconsin-Madison will shape the future of our cybersecurity workforce,” said Hartman.

“We’re not only building partnerships, we’re building the next generation of cyber leaders,” Hartman added.

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Report on NITRD Budget Requests for FY2025 Released
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Report on NITRD Budget Requests for FY2025 Released

The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program announced Wednesday the National Science and Technology Council’s release of its Supplement to the President’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget.

What Does the Report Cover?

Prepared in compliance with the High Performance Computing Act of 1991, the Supplement describes the R&D budget requests of NITRD committees and their efforts for FY2025 concerning high performance computing, IT and networking. The Supplement also discusses how the work of NITRD agencies support the administration’s science and technology priorities.

The document was also prepared in compliance with the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020, which calls for the reporting to Congress of budget and program information concerning NAIIA. Consequently, the document includes a summary of the budget from the preceding, current and upcoming fiscal years that would support the National AI Initiative.

What Is the NITRD Program?

The NITRD Program works to coordinate efforts by various federal agencies that tackle R&D needs, including those concerning advanced information technologies in computing, networking and software. The program was established by the HPC Act of 1991 and has been reauthorized and expanded by Congress three times since then, most recently via the 2017 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act.

The program invests about $11.2 billion annually in R&D. It involves over 100 member and participating agencies.

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Rabi Chitrakar Joins NobleReach as VP of IT
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Rabi Chitrakar Joins NobleReach as VP of IT

Rabi Chitrakar has joined NobleReach Foundation as the company’s new vice president of IT.

In his new role, Chitrakar will leverage nearly two decades of experience in cybersecurity, digital transformation and cloud systems to advance NobleReach’s IT strategies and operational efficiency, the Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company told ExecutiveGov.

Chitrakar’s Prior IT Roles

Before joining NobleReach, Chitrakar served as the director of IT at Revature, where he advanced technological systems to streamline company processes. According to Chitrakar’s LinkedIn, his efforts led to a 20 percent increase in customer satisfaction. Prior to Revature, he was the VP of solutions delivery at Aura, where he elevated customer experiences in cybersecurity audits and managed cloud delivery to promote scalability and cost efficiency. 

NobleReach Expansion Efforts

NobleReach has recently expanded its leadership team by recruiting talent in technology, science and entrepreneurship to continue addressing critical nationwide challenges.

In August, Krishnan Rajagopalan, CEO Emeritus at Heidrick & Struggles, was tapped as a NobleReach board member to grow talent development programs. That same month, the company also unveiled the NobleReach Scholars, a cohort of 19 professionals who earned placements in numerous public and private sector organizations.

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Col. Alexander Rasmussen Named SDA Chief Capability Officer
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Col. Alexander Rasmussen Named SDA Chief Capability Officer

The Space Development Agency has appointed Col. Alexander Rasmussen, most recently chief of the Tracking Layer at SDA, as chief capability officer.

Rasmussen announced his appointment in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday.

In 2021, he joined SDA as program manager for the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer.

What Is SDA’s Tracking Layer?

The Tracking Layer program seeks to detect, identify and track hypersonic missiles and other advanced missile threats through a proliferated constellation of more than 100 satellites in low Earth orbit as part of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

SDA expects the Tracking Layer to demonstrate missile defense capability by integrating fire control-quality infrared sensors in the constellation.

According to the agency, the Tranche 1 Tracking Layer is the first step toward an accelerated missile warning/missile tracking capability.

Rasmussen’s Army Career

Prior to SDA, he was the product manager for mounted positioning, navigation and timing within the U.S. Army. 

According to his profile on the professional networking platform, he also held the roles of program manager for the joint friendly forces tracking testbed, PM for foreign armored vehicle analysis and brigade current operations officer.

He was deployed in Iraq, where he served as a company commander, battalion civil military operations officer and tank platoon leader.

Rasmussen has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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Constellation New Energy Lands $120M GSA Deal to Update NCR Buildings
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Constellation New Energy Lands $120M GSA Deal to Update NCR Buildings

The General Services Administration has awarded Constellation New Energy a $119.8 million contract to implement energy-saving measures at five National Capital Region facilities.

Under the agreement, the company will update building systems, enhance energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and convert four NCR buildings to operate solely on electric power, GSA said Tuesday.

More Efficient Federal Footprint

The project, part of the federal government’s efforts to reduce around $450 million in energy costs, will modernize the Elijah Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, the William B. Bryant Annex, the Orville Wright Federal Building, the Wilbur Wright Federal Building and the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building.

Set to be implemented through an energy savings performance contract, the project will employ innovative measures to make the federal footprint more efficient, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said in a statement. “This project demonstrates how President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is helping to achieve a triple win of lower energy costs for taxpayers, more jobs in communities and a healthier future for all Americans,” she added.

Electrification Project

The contract work includes LED lighting retrofits, building envelope enhancements, utility distribution upgrades, water conservation measures and heating and cooling plant electrification, enabling GSA to save $2.2 million in utility costs. It will also implement an electrification project that upon completion would allow the structures to operate on more efficient electric energy.

The project is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocates $3.4 billion for GSA to build, modernize and maintain cost-efficient facilities.

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ARPA-H Unveils Platform for Enhanced Medical Imaging
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ARPA-H Unveils Platform for Enhanced Medical Imaging

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, has unveiled a new platform aimed at enhancing medical imaging by leveraging artificial intelligence tools and technology.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency said Monday it is seeking proposals for the ImagiNg Data EXchange, or INDEX, program. The objective of the funding opportunity is to develop the exchange platform and foster connection between medical imaging data providers, users and services. This is expected to boost the development of AI-enhanced tools for radiology, pathology and surgical imaging. 

What Is the ImagiNg Data EXchange?

The INDEX program is an initiative meant to address the gaps in the development of medical AI tools, particularly the lack of high-quality medical imaging data. Medical imaging is essential for diagnosis and treatment but there is a lack of trained professionals, particularly radiologists and pathologists, that can interpret imaging exams. The use of AI and machine learning can potentially address this issue. 

Through the INDEX platform, medical software developers can access large volumes of imaging data for training, testing and validating AI/ML applications. Developers can leverage digital pathology, surgical videos, radiological scans and other medical imaging data to enhance these applications.

Should the initiative succeed, healthcare providers will be able to process more medical images faster and provide more accurate diagnoses. 

ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn, remarked, “For AI-enabled medical diagnostic tools to become commonplace in medical settings, we must work to enable consistent performance, which requires large volumes of diverse and representative data for training, testing and validation.”

Register now and join Potomac Officers Club as they present the 2024 Healthcare Summit. Get to know the latest about the healthcare sector from industry experts and thought leaders.

ARPA-H Unveils Platform for Enhanced Medical Imaging
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Air Force Issues BAA for Automated Heavy Machinery Tech
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Air Force Issues BAA for Automated Heavy Machinery Tech

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center Readiness Directorate, or AFCEC/CX, has released a broad agency announcement seeking potential industry sources capable of conducting research and development regarding automated heavy machinery technologies for Air Force civil engineer operations.

According to the BAA posted on SAM.gov Monday, AFCEC/CX is seeking proposals for R&D projects to develop and demonstrate automation and intelligent system technologies that will be utilized for heavy equipment. The potential technology will be used for various purposes, including construction, vegetation management and infrastructure maintenance.

BAA Areas of Interest

Some areas of interest that R&D efforts can focus on include:

  • Automated navigation and driving, including GPS/waypoint enabled and GPS-denied settings.
  • AI-driven machinery for civil engineering operations.
  • Actuated end-effectors like autonomously operated arms and jointed blades.
  • Common operating picture that links multiple vehicles or machines for conducting operations simultaneously.
  • Safety procedures for large vehicles such as tractors, excavators, dump trucks and street sweepers in crowded environments.
  • Robotic appliques and control systems that can be easily installed on different machines.

The potential vendor can receive an approved maximum value of $49 million while the remaining ceiling is $45 million. Potential offerors may send in their proposals until Jan. 13, 2025 at 10:00 am CST.

Join the Potomac Officers Club on Jan. 23 for the 2025 Defense R&D Summit! Register now and get to know what the nation’s leading defense researchers, experts and decision-makers have to say.

Air Force Issues BAA for Automated Heavy Machinery Tech
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CCC, Estes Energetics Awarded DOD NQ Supply Chain Contract
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CCC, Estes Energetics Awarded DOD NQ Supply Chain Contract

Canadian Commercial Corp. and Estes Energetics have received a total value of $5.1 million from the Department of Defense to strengthen the supply chain by ensuring the availability of raw materials.

The DOD said Monday the awards, facilitated through the Defense Production Act Purchases office in collaboration with the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition, aim to enhance the process of recrystallizing nitroguanidine, or NQ. The project supports the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy’s objective of enhancing supply chain resilience, which will be instrumental in the production of weapon systems for national security.

The escalating global conflicts have increased demand for triple-base propellant and IMX explosives, which are used in artillery systems. This has put the spotlight on the nitroguanidine supply chain. The DPA Title III funding is expected to enhance recrystallization technology and boost NQ production.

DOD Contract Details

The funds for the project will come from the U.S. Army and the DPAP office. The Ottawa, Ontario-based Canadian Commercial Corp. will receive $3.2 million while Estes Energetics of Penrose, Colorado will get $1.7 million. The execution of the award will be carried out by General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Valleyfield, Canada. 

Laura Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, stated, “These investments will ensure continued domestic availability of a critical energetic while a new U.S.-based manufacturing capability for NQ is established.”

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