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House Bill Aims to Eliminate Bias in AI Systems
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House Bill Aims to Eliminate Bias in AI Systems

Democratic lawmakers have proposed legislation seeking to remove bias and discrimination in artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems, particularly those used in critical sectors such as health care, finance and public services.

Introduced by Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., and Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., the Eliminating Bias in Algorithmic Systems Act aims to confront racial and gender discrimination and other unjust treatment of individuals or groups associated with AI-powered systems such as facial recognition, Lee’s office said in a press release on Friday.

Office of Civil Rights Establishment

The proposed law would require the creation of a civil rights office within each government agency tasked with identifying, preventing and addressing algorithmic bias. Every two years, the office would be required to submit a report to Congress that outlines AI systems’ risks and the actions taken to mitigate the risks and recommends related legislative or administrative measures. The Eliminating BIAS Act would also establish an interagency working group that will facilitate AI best practices and coordination across federal agencies to protect civil rights.

“With the Eliminating BIAS Act, we’re demanding transparency, accountability, and protection from technologies that—without oversight—could cause irreversible harm to Black, brown, low-income, and other vulnerable communities,” said Lee.

Mirroring Lee’s statement, Markey said the increasing deployment of AI highlights the need for the federal government to protect the marginalized communities “that have already been facing the greatest consequences from Big Tech’s reckless actions.”

The bill is a companion proposal to the Senate legislation Markey introduced in December.

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CENTCOM CTO Schuyler Moore Stepping Down
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CENTCOM CTO Schuyler Moore Stepping Down

Schuyler Moore is stepping down from her role as chief technology officer of U.S. Central Command to join the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet as an intelligence officer.

In a LinkedIn post published Friday, Moore said CENTCOM will soon announce the next CTO.

In her post, she acknowledged the accomplishments of her CTO team since she joined the command in 2022, including the number of digital exercises, hackathons, innovation competitions, senior digital training offsites and artificial intelligence and counter-unmanned aircraft systems exercises conducted.

The 2024 Wash100 Award recipient thanked the entire CENTCOM “for being excellent partners and teachers as we constantly learned about their work to find technologies that might help.”

“From the headquarters to the Components, we could not have asked for better collaborators. The office looks forward to continuing that partnership and support!” Moore added.

Moore’s Career History

Before joining CENTCOM as its first CTO, Moore was chief strategy officer at Task Force 59 within U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

She also served as director of science and technology for the Defense Innovation Board, where she offered recommendations on the military uses of AI, biotechnology and cyber capabilities.

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ONC’s Steven Posnack to Keynote 2024 Healthcare Summit
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ONC’s Steven Posnack to Keynote 2024 Healthcare Summit

On Dec. 11, healthcare thought leaders and industry luminaries will gather at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit to give insight into how digital modernization, IT transformation and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are reshaping the healthcare sector.

As one of the event’s keynote speakers, Steven Posnack, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will share his thoughts on funding opportunities and the recent implementation of health IT in behavioral health. You won’t want to miss out on this conversation, so secure your tickets for the 2024 Healthcare Summit now!

ONC’s Steven Posnack to Keynote 2024 Healthcare Summit

Steven Posnack’s Background 

Posnack’s role as the ONC’s principal deputy assistant secretary involves supporting the national coordinator, facilitating the execution of missions and representing the agency’s interests at the national and international levels. He spearheads ONC’s federal coordination, public and private efforts and the implementation of standard authorities and requirements.

During his more than 15-year tenure with ONC, Posnack has developed initiatives in numerous technology and policy leadership roles, including working as the executive director of the Office of Technology, director of the Office of Standards and Technology, director of the federal policy division and a senior policy analyst.  

Prior to ONC, Posnack served as a systems security intern at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Posnack’s Work in Behavioral Health

Posnack has supported numerous behavioral health IT programs during his time with the ONC, including the Health Data, Technology and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing and Public Health Interoperability, or HTI-1 and 2, proposed rule and the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement, or TEFCA, released in April. 

He also led the development of the U.S. Core Data for Interoperability task force, a standardized set of health data classes for national interoperable health information exchange. In an interview with GovCIO, Posnack discussed how these programs will transform the healthcare landscape over the next few years. 

“They’ve all been various different puzzle pieces in terms of both establishing new policy and new technical infrastructure advancing some of the standard requirements that we have,” Posnack stated. “One of the big standard baseline increases that we had in the HTI-1 regulation was moving the United States Core Data for Interoperability from version one to version three as of Jan 1. 2026, so that’ll be a new step up for industry.”

ONC’s Steven Posnack to Keynote 2024 Healthcare Summit

Posnack’s Thoughts on AI in Healthcare

With AI becoming increasingly prevalent throughout healthcare services, Posnack also gave his thoughts on the recent surge of the capability throughout the industry and how it will affect healthcare policy.

“We are AI optimists, as our national coordinator would say. So there are a number of federal agencies within HHS that have AI responsibilities or an intersection within their mission,” Posnack said. 

“We’ve included certain regulatory requirements as part of our certification program in our HTI-1 final rule,” Posnack added. “So increasing transparency and understanding the explainability and opportunity for clinical users to get a better sense of these tools that are built into the product that may not necessarily be that easy to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes.”

Steven Posnack to Keynote 2024 Healthcare Summit

Steven Posnack will deliver a keynote address on Dec. 11 to open the 2024 Healthcare Summit. The summit will feature healthcare officials discussing the role of IT and AI in the industry. Secure a seat now before it’s too late!

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Air Force Unveils Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace
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Air Force Unveils Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace

The U.S. Air Force has unveiled the Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace, an initiative intended to enhance the process of funding innovations and nurturing them within the service.

What Is the SIF Marketplace?

The SIF Marketplace is a virtual platform that enables airmen to actively develop ideas to support operations and other processes in the service, the Air Force said Friday. Under the new platform, squadron commanders receive $100 worth of virtual coins that can be allocated to innovative ideas. These virtual funds enable the commanders to have more control over the resources and work with other units to have more resources to fund larger initiatives.

How to Join the SIF Marketplace

Any Air Force member with a promising idea and commanders allocating resources can participate by creating an account on the VISION Joint Innovation System platform to participate in the SIF Marketplace. They can send their proposals any day of the year while funding windows are available every quarter to ensure continuity in providing and receiving support.

An idea or initiative that has been entered into the SIF Marketplace can be seen by commanders and other members of the service. This enables them to learn about the idea and send virtual tokens as support. Interested parties can also track the development of potential projects through the SIF Marketplace.

Senior Master Sgt. Brett Kiser, senior enlisted leader at the Office of Disruptive Thinking, said the SIF Marketplace’s main objective is to create a collaborative system for solving problems at every level of the Air Force.

“One key benefit of the SIF Marketplace is its ability to break down traditional funding barriers, allowing Airmen from different units and MAJCOMs to collaborate and support each other’s initiatives,” Kiser said.

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HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks
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HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking additional funding to achieve the goals under the three remaining pillars of its year-old cybersecurity strategy for the healthcare sector, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

In an interview on the Ask the CIO podcast, Brian Mazanec, the deputy director of the Office of Preparedness in the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, shared that the agency published healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals in January, accomplishing the first pillar of the strategy.

The ASPR is now focused on other strategy priorities: providing resources to incentivize and implement these cybersecurity practices, implementing an HHS-wide strategy to support greater enforcement and accountability, and expanding and maturing a one-stop shop within HHS for healthcare sector cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity Tools and Funding for Healthcare Systems

Mazanec said HHS worked with the White House to include a $1.3 billion funding in the fiscal year 2025 budget request to support a program led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aimed at providing cybersecurity resources to the healthcare sector. The deputy director also shared that his office implements a $240 million hospital preparedness program that funds select activities of healthcare coalitions focused on cybersecurity and other preparedness initiatives.

For the development of the healthcare cybersecurity one-stop shop, the ASPR seeks $12 million in additional FY 2025 funding to have more capabilities available for combating cyberattacks.

Cybercriminals Targeting Healthcare Sector

The HHS moves to help the sector defend against cyberthreats amid the increasing cyber incidents targeting the industry. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a 128 percent increase in ransomware attacks that targeted the U.S. healthcare sector was seen in 2023, compared to similar incidents in 2022. Globally, ransomware hit 389 healthcare organizations in 2023, higher than the 214 entities recorded in 2022.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11 to hear from government and industry leaders about the critical issues in the healthcare sector and the efforts to resolve them.

HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks

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NUWC Division Leaders Cite Importance of Public-Private Partnerships
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NUWC Division Leaders Cite Importance of Public-Private Partnerships

Officials from Naval Undersea Warfare Center, or NUWC, Division Newport gathered for Industry Day held on Oct. 16 in Newport, Rhode Island, and highlighted the role of partnerships between industry and the government in advancing technological capabilities to support warfighters in the era of strategic competition, Naval Sea Systems Command reported Friday.

Stephen Lamb, head of the NUWC Division Newport’s contracts department, reported that the division obligated more than $2.1 billion in contracts and executed about 2,500 contract actions in fiscal year 2024, including contracts awarded to nearly 600 prime contractors across 44 states.

“The overall message was it takes a village, including the government requirements side, the government contracting side, and our industry partners to achieve the successes we’ve seen over the last couple fiscal years,” Lamb said during his presentation at the event.

Maria Gregory, director of the Office of Small Business Programs at NUWC Division Newport, discussed the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs and the role of open dialogue in promoting collaboration between the government and industry.

“Having forums where open dialogue and one-on-one discussions occur can accelerate the lines of communication,” Gregory said.

“Small businesses provide the foundational support of the defense industrial base that is needed to innovate and meet the challenges of the future,” she noted. “As future challenges arise, NUWC Division Newport and the Navy require more collaboration between the government and industry.”

In his keynote speech, Michael Cockey, deputy director of undersea warfare at NUWC Headquarters, cited the need for the U.S. Navy to increase its shipbuilding efforts to meet regional and global challenges and maintain strategic deterrence as the U.S. faces strategic competitors.

Cockey called on defense companies to engage in classified-level discussions with the service branch to better understand the latter’s needs and determine how to carry out business to better support warfighters during wartime.

“Can we muster the defense establishment necessary to not only build that ship, but also build an armament that goes with it?” the retired Navy captain asked.

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DLA Develops Strategic Plan to Address Logistics Challenges
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DLA Develops Strategic Plan to Address Logistics Challenges

Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly has presented a new strategic plan to address logistics challenges in the land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.

Speaking at the recent Defense Logistics and Support conference, Simerly discussed how the return of great power competition has impacted logistics operations in all domains, highlighting the importance of maintaining supply chain integrity to sustain operational readiness in contested environments, DLA said Thursday.

The 2025-2030 strategy involves investing in organizational resilience and skillsets to increase workforce readiness to support warfighters during conflicts and promoting logistics interoperability and establishing stronger partnerships across the Joint Logistics Enterprise through logistics planning dialogues and data and predictive analytics.

Adarryl Roberts, DLA’s chief information officer, also spoke at the conference to discuss the agency’s use of data analytics and artificial intelligence to increase operational efficiency, predict future requirements, and optimize supply chains and warfighter readiness.

“Data interoperability and creating data decision advantage is not just for DLA but postures us to support the defense industry and our NATO allied partners,” Roberts said.

According to Kenneth Watson, DLA land and maritime deputy commander, the Covid-19 pandemic escalated new supply chain challenges, including procuring repair parts for legacy weapon systems and military vehicles.

Watson pointed to industry partner reductions in the defense industrial base as one of the reasons for the procurement challenges but noted that the DLA is now looking for new companies to do business with.

He shared that the DLA Land & Maritime recently hosted a manufacturing summit for small businesses to inform them about the items the Department of Defense has trouble producing.

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Antony Blinken on Using Data, AI to Enhance US Diplomacy
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Antony Blinken on Using Data, AI to Enhance US Diplomacy

Secretary of State and past Wash100 Award winner Antony Blinken said in a speech delivered recently at the Foreign Service Institute that the Department of State has sought to embrace different tools as part of a broader effort to ensure that U.S. diplomacy is “fit for purpose” to address the various challenges facing the country.

How the State Department Has Incorporated Data

A key tool the agency has adopted is data. Blinken said that the State Department launched three years ago a strategy that would allow for the incorporation of more data into the agency’s work. Since then, State has undergone a hiring surge for dedicated data officers.

“Now, whether we’re designing our foreign assistance programs, responding to crises around the world, we’re doing so in a way that’s using more timely, data-informed insights to guide the decisions that we make,” Blinken explained.

Improving Passport and Visa Services With Technology

The agency has also taken advantage of technology to improve productivity in various areas, most notably in passport and visa services. The secretary of State touted the ability of Americans to renew their passports online, a service that has been successfully used by over 1 million people. He also spoke of the strengthening of the agency’s “ability to deliver visas for people who want to come to the United States and deliver blue books to Americans who want to be able to travel the world.”

“We’ve issued or renewed a record number of passports over the last year,” Blinken noted.

Adopting AI

The secretary went on to discuss how the State Department has become a leader in artificial intelligence adoption. He cited how the agency’s rollout of various AI tools, including a chatbot, has resulted in personnel saving time when carrying out different kinds of tasks, such as document translation, checking facts in reports and monitoring news and social media.

“Now, we’re just getting started using AI, but I can see a future that’s already with us to become not only more efficient, but more rigorous, more effective in our analysis, in our planning, and also freeing up all of our people to focus their time where they can have the most value added, the most impact, to do what’s really at the heart of their jobs,” Blinken said.

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CISA Warns of Spear-Phishing Campaign by Foreign Threat Actor
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CISA Warns of Spear-Phishing Campaign by Foreign Threat Actor

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a warning about a spear-phishing campaign by a foreign threat actor targeting government and IT organizations.

CISA said Thursday the threat actor gains access to files stored on the target organization’s network by sending spear-phishing emails containing malicious remote desktop protocol, or RDP, files.

Once access has been achieved, the cyberthreat actor may deploy malicious code and conduct additional activities to achieve persistent access to the target entity’s network.

Measures to Protect Networks From Spear-Phishing 

CISA stated that it is working with government and industry partners to assess the large-scale campaign’s impact and that it has called on organizations to implement proactive steps to protect their networks from spear-phishing attacks.

Recommended measures include restricting outbound RDP connections, blocking RDP files in communication platforms, preventing the execution of RDP files, enabling multifactor authentication and implementing conditional access policies.

The agency also urged organizations to deploy endpoint detection and response tools, conduct user education and implement phishing-resistant authentication techniques.

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13, learn more about technology initiatives to protect the country amid the evolving geopolitical landscape.

POC - 2024 Homeland Security Summit
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CHIPS for America R&D Flagship Facility Location Revealed
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CHIPS for America R&D Flagship Facility Location Revealed

The Department of Commerce and Natcast—the National Semiconductor Technology Center operator—have revealed the potential location of the CHIPS for America research and development flagship facility.

The Commerce Department said Thursday the CHIPS for America Extreme Ultraviolet, or EUV, Accelerator will likely operate in NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, New York. The proposed facility is intended to give Natcast, NY CREATES, and NSTC members access to vital technologies, capabilities and resources needed to boost semiconductor R&D and innovation, particularly in the field of EUV technology.

Details on the CHIPS R&D Facility

The EUV Accelerator will be built using a proposed federal investment worth around $825 million and is expected to be operational in 2025. The flagship facility will offer:

  • Access to EUV lithography tools and R&D capabilities, including high numerical aperture EUV systems
  • Collaboration with industry, academic and government partners
  • Dedicated NSTC on-site offices to support Natcast and NSTC member researchers
  • Support for workforce programs
  • Programs to increase NSTC membership and engagement

According to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the new facility is crucial to the United States’ leadership in innovation and semiconductor research and development.

“The research and development component of the CHIPS and Science Act is fundamental to our long-term national security and ensuring the U.S. remains the most technologically competitive place on earth,” said Raimondo.

Deirdre Hanford, CEO of Natcast, added, “Through this collaboration with NY CREATES, Natcast and NSTC members will have access to essential EUV lithography tools and processes to facilitate a wider range of research and accelerate commercialization of the technologies of tomorrow.”

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