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GAO Report Tackles Coast Guard Cybersecurity Support for MTS
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GAO Report Tackles Coast Guard Cybersecurity Support for MTS

The Government Accountability Office has found three issues preventing the U.S. Coast Guard from effectively addressing the cybersecurity risks faced by the Maritime Transport System, a critical infrastructure subsector for which the Coast Guard serves as lead risk management agency.

Cybersecurity Risks to MTS

GAO said in a report released Tuesday that the cybersecurity risks faced by the MTS — which handles $5.4 trillion in goods and services annually — stems from the reliance of its constituent vessels and facilities on various technologies, including networking capabilities, that are susceptible to attack from numerous threat actors such as transnational criminal organizations and adversary countries.

Incomplete Cyber Information

One of the ways the Coast Guard helps the MTS address these threats is by identifying cybersecurity-related deficiencies, a function that is impeded by the inability of the system of record — the Marine Information for Safety and Law Enforcement, or MISLE, system — to provide the Coast Guard access to complete information on inspection results concerning to cybersecurity.

Deficient Cyber Strategy

The Coast Guard has also established a cyber strategy to address MTS cybersecurity risks, but of the five characteristics that make such a strategy effectively, only one has been fully addressed.

Workforce Competency Issues

The Coast Guard also appears to not have adhered to leading practices that would ensure its personnel would be capable of handling cybersecurity risks at all. Competency requirements have not been fully developed and competency gaps have not been fully assessed.

GAO Recommendations

To correct these problems, GAO offered five recommendations, including that the Coast Guard update MISLE so it could provide full access to cyber-related information; ensure that all the key characteristics of its cybersecurity strategy are addressed; and assess all workforce competency gaps.

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Red River Opens Renovated Vehicle Repair Facility
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Red River Opens Renovated Vehicle Repair Facility

The Red River Army Depot unveiled its modernized wheeled vehicle repair facilities on Jan. 30.

The U.S. Army said Tuesday the two renovated facilities are the result of a four-year modernization project worth $42 million.

‘Raising the Roof’ on Red River Modernization

The “raise the roof” project, which started in 2020, increased the height of the roof by almost 12 feet and widened the column space by 20 feet. With a combined floor space of 180,000 for the two buildings, depot team members now have more room for body surface repairs, surface preparation and assembly processes. The larger depot also enables the team to work not only on light and medium tactical vehicles but also on larger assets.

Furthermore, the modernization project provided enhanced equipment, which will help the team to work more efficiently. The revamped facilities are meant to primarily aid and serve warfighters’ experiences.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by members of the Red River Army Depot, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff and representatives from the state and city government. Special guests included Col. Denis Fajardo, commander of the RRAD and Col. Calvin Kroeger, commander of Fort Worth District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Many facilities, while having served us faithfully over the decades, are now at a stage where they require significant upgrades to continue to meet the demands of modern military operations,” said Fajardo. “In addition to the extremely positive impact these facilities will have on our production process, the improvements you see today incorporate additional safety measures designed to better protect our workforce.”

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Rep. Ken Calvert Advocates for Space as Critical Infrastructure
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Rep. Ken Calvert Advocates for Space as Critical Infrastructure

Congressman Ken Calvert of California’s 41st Congressional District has introduced the Space Infrastructure Act, which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate space systems, services and technology as a sector of critical infrastructure. 

Protecting the Nation by Protecting Space-Based Systems

In a press release released Monday, Calvert said the H.R. 1154 aims to protect the United States’ space systems by officially declaring them as critical infrastructure. According to the representative, the nation relies heavily on space-based systems for communication, navigation, banking and other critical systems. The bill ensures the country’s domestic and national security space infrastructure is safeguarded from emerging threats.

The co-sponsors of the bill include Reps. Salud Carbajal, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ted Lieu, who is co-chair of the Congressional Aerospace Caucus along with Calvert.

Congressional Perspectives

“The Space Infrastructure Act designates our space systems as critical infrastructure and takes appropriate measures to protect them,” said Calvert. “As our economy and essential communication systems become increasingly reliant on the support of space-based systems and services, we must act accordingly to increase the safeguards that shield them from any potential threats.”

“From navigation systems to banking to communications systems – space is infrastructure,” stated Lieu. “To ensure this sector receives the necessary attention and resources, we must designate space as critical infrastructure.”

“I’m proud to be part of bipartisan legislation that ensures assessments of our nation’s critical sectors reflect the role that space infrastructure has in our homes, our commerce, and our national security,” added Carbajal.

“The bipartisan Space Infrastructure Act is a crucial step in ensuring the resilience and security of our nation’s space assets by requiring the Department of Homeland Security to formally designate our space systems and technologies as integral components of our national infrastructure,” remarked Fitzpatrick.

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Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy on Space Force Acquisition Reform
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Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy on Space Force Acquisition Reform

Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the U.S. Space Force’s acting acquisition executive, said his office is advancing efforts to reform acquisition processes and ramp up oversight of underperforming programs, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

“We’re continuing those efforts, but doing it more aggressively,” Purdy said Tuesday at the National Security Space Association’s Defense and Intelligence Space Conference.

He noted that the military branch is also working to make government officials managing acquisition programs accountable.

“We are looking at taking action against poor-performing government program managers,” Purdy said. “First, we’re going to give them help, provide guidance and additional acquisition support, and if they’re not making it, then we’ll look at removals.”

Evaluating Risk Exposure in Cost-Plus Contracts

According to the major general, his office is now focused on assessing risk exposure in cost-plus contracts, which are commonly linked to more complex, high-risk technology development efforts.

“We are now really looking to explore risk exposure on our programs,” he said. “These typically are programs using cost-plus contracts, and they are really difficult technology. So we’re going to look hard at figuring out how to get out of that, and that’s going to be painful on all sides.”

Increasing Engagement With Investors

The Space Force official said the organization is attempting to improve engagement with venture capital investors to advance the integration of commercial space technologies into national security programs.

Purdy noted that the service branch is working hard to reach out to investment communities, particularly in New York and Miami.

“We found that they really understand our mission area pretty well,” he added.

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Matthew Graviss Steps Down From State Department CDO Post
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Matthew Graviss Steps Down From State Department CDO Post

Matthew Graviss is stepping down as the State Department’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer, he announced in a LinkedIn post Sunday. 

He became the department’s first chief data officer in December 2020 and has since pushed for data accessibility, interoperability and actionability.

“Serving as State’s first Chief Data and AI Officer has been an honor, and I’m immensely proud of the work we’ve done to modernize the Department with data and digital tools. But beyond the technology, I’m most grateful for playing a small role in transforming the culture—helping State embrace the power of tech to drive diplomacy,” wrote Graviss.

Graviss’ Public Service Career

In addition to his post as chief data and artificial intelligence officer, Graviss also serves as the State Department’s managing director for the Office of Management Strategy and Solution’s Center for Analytics. 

The office’s objective is to promote a data-focused culture within the department while ensuring corresponding talent. It aims to develop data governance, increase analytics capability and modernize data technology solutions at the State Department.

Before joining the department, he held various leadership roles at the Department of Homeland Security, including chief data officer at the Citizenship and Immigration Services, Transportation Security Administration director and Customs and Border Protection director.

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Air Force Tests Combat Use of Palantir’s Maven AI System
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Air Force Tests Combat Use of Palantir’s Maven AI System

The U.S. Air Force 805th Combat Training Squadron has deployed Palantir’s Maven Smart System to test human-machine teaming, or HMT, for battlefield risk reduction. The squadron, also known as the Shadow Operations Center – Nellis, or ShOC-N, teamed Palantir’s Maven system with Maverick artificial intelligence in the kill-chain targeting process to test potential improvements in speed, scale and accuracy using the technology, the Air Force said.

The tests, conducted during ShOC-N’s recent biannual Capstone 24B event, demonstrated Maven and Maverick AI’s team-up in tactical control, execution and assigning assets in a common operating scenario.     

“Maven has the capability to integrate across domains, so if we can do space and cyber, it helps facilitate realistic, all-domain operations,” said Capt. Edwardo Ramirez, Capstone 24B lead. 

All-Domain Operations Use

The functionality of Palantir’s MSS was also tested in the line of operations for the Air Force software known as Kessel Run’s All Domain Operations Suite, or KRADOS, to improve the whole kill-chain process. Through the ShOC-N event, the Air Force is continuing to integrate additional air operations tools to boost the process.

A Department of Defense contract award on the Palantir MSS in May had also led to the DOD’s Global Information Dominance Experiments program wherein the system is the primary workflow platform for enterprise Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control.

In December, Palantir and Anduril announced a partnership to form a consortium with the goal of ensuring U.S. dominance in global artificial intelligence, a collaboration that also calls for merging Palantir’s Maven with Anduril’s Lattice software system.

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DOD Seeks Proposals for Digital Engineering Platform for IC Development
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DOD Seeks Proposals for Digital Engineering Platform for IC Development

The Department of Defense has started soliciting proposals for a digital engineering platform to accelerate the development of integrated circuits, or ICs.

Boosting IC Development

The Defense Innovation Unit said the DOD is seeking contractors capable of creating a digital engineering platform that can expedite the design and validation of analog integrated circuits as well as mixed-signal, photonic and hybrid chips in interposers or other heterogeneous integration structures.

Under the Chipweave project, the selected vendor should build a platform capable of design automation to reduce reliance on manual processes and verification of IC design and behavior. The platform should also have flexible Field Programmable Analog Arrays that can be compatible with various applications. In addition, it should be able to redesign or reverse-engineer analog circuits.

Interested vendors may send their proposals by Feb. 21.

The DOD intends to address the challenges in designing electronic chips, which are essential for legacy and modern military systems. Some applications still require the performance attributes of analog, mixed-signal, photonic and hybrid chips. These chip designs are hindered by lengthy design cycles and frequent resigns while manual design processes are repetitive, susceptible to errors and take too much time.

The project is meant to deal with these issues to boost the design process and reduce errors.

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House Bill Seeks to Ban DeepSeek From Government Devices
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House Bill Seeks to Ban DeepSeek From Government Devices

Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., have introduced the No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act, which would prohibit federal employees from using the China-produced artificial intelligence tool.

The House bill would prevent the use of DeepSeek on devices owned by the U.S. government, Gottheimer said in a Thursday press release, noting that the United States has evidence indicating that the AI technology is designed to steal data from U.S. citizens.

National Security Threat

According to LaHood, the legislation “will ban the app from federal workers’ phones while closing backdoor operations the company seeks to exploit for access.” He added that DeepSeek poses an alarming national security threat to the United States.

Citing new research, the lawmakers said the DeepSeek code is linked to the Chinese Communist Party and thus adversarial to U.S. interests. They stressed that the AI platform can potentially share user data with China Mobile, a telecom company owned by the Chinese government and with close association with China’s military.

Designed to Collect Sensitive Data

The legislators also warned that by using DeepSeek, Americans could be sharing sensitive information with the technology’s owner, including contracts, documents and financial records. DeekSeek could deliver such critical data to the CCP, which declared “it will exploit any tool at its disposal to undermine our national security, spew harmful disinformation, and collect data on Americans,” explained Gottheimer.

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DARPA’S NOM4D Program Advances to In-Space Demos
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DARPA’S NOM4D Program Advances to In-Space Demos

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has fast-tracked the third phase of its NOM4D program aimed at building large structures in Earth orbit to two in-space demonstrations instead of laboratory tests. 

Andrew Detor, the program’s manager, said that “the maturity is there” after NOM4D’s first two phases, and space demos would be more impactful. He noted that the program’s two performers, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, now have space launch companies as partners for in-space testing of their assembly methods and materials. 

“Pushing the performers to do a demo in space means they can’t just sweep challenges under the rug like they could in a lab. You better figure out how it’s going to survive in the space environment,” the NOM4D program manager remarked.

Launch Partners & Test Focus Areas 

Caltech’s focus in NOM4D is mass-efficient in-space manufacturing designs. It has partnered with Momentus for its technology demo aboard the Momentus Vigoride Orbital Services Vehicle scheduled for low Earth orbit launch on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-16 mission in February 2026.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s NOM4D work centers on in-space materials and manufacturing for which it has developed a high-precision, in-space composite-forming process. Voyager Space, which has rebranded to Voyager Technologies, is its partner for the demo launch to the International Space Station aboard NASA’s Commercial Resupply Mission NG-24, tentatively set for April 2026. The Bishop Airlock module attached to ISS will host the demo. 

Third Phase 3 Test at NASA Marshall

The University of Florida, NOM4D’s third team, is not joining the in-space Phase 3 tests and instead working on innovative laser sheet metal bending techniques for space manufacturing. It is maturing the capability at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

DARPA launched NOM4D, which stands for Novel Orbital Moon Manufacturing, Materials and Mass Efficient Design, in March 2022, with eight industry and university teams participating in the three-phase program.

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NASA to Update Core Flight System Software Within 2025
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NASA to Update Core Flight System Software Within 2025

NASA will update its reusable flight software within the year, according to Ashok Prajapati, core Flight System, or cFS, program manager at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

A steering committee established a three-year road map for NASA cFS 2.0, which will include new features supporting all future missions, Prajapati told SpaceNews on Monday. The upcoming software bump will offer plug-and-play capabilities for in-space robotics, cybersecurity, distributed computing, spacecraft autonomy and onboard machine learning, he added.

Benefits of cFS Software

Prajapati said his office is working with other NASA centers to integrate high-performance space computing, which focuses on next-generation flight computing, and cFS. He urged people to skip building their flight software and use NASA’s offering instead to save on costs and avoid potential defects.

Government and Open-Source Versions

The space agency will roll out a government-only version of NASA cFS in the second half of 2025 with enhanced security, artificial intelligence, robotics support and autonomy features. Companies working on NASA instruments, payloads, rovers, landers, balloons and unmanned aircraft will be given access to the software.

NASA will then deploy the open-source version of cFS, which will support several key projects, including small satellites, NASA Artemis, lunar Gateway, Mars Sample Return and the Roman Space Telescope.

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