//
White House Names New Appointees to State Dept Commission
Published on
White House Names New Appointees to State Dept Commission

President Joe Biden announced he intends to appoint several individuals to serve in a Department of State commission and two federal boards.

The new appointments include four new members to serve the State Department’s Commission on Reform and Modernization, eight members to the National Science Board and a lone addition to the National Cancer Advisory Board, the White House said Tuesday.

Chosen for the commissioner roles were Michael Guest, Pamela Spratlen, Caroline Tess, and Ricardo Zuniga. They will work with other panel members to advise the president and Congress on helping the State Department address the modern challenges of diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Biden’s appointees to the NSB include Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Yolanda Gil, Juan Gilbert, Jeffrey Isaacson, Willie May, Alondra Nelson, Sarah O’Donnell and Ryan Panchadsaram. They will support the National Science Foundation’s mission of promoting research and education in science and engineering.

The White House selected Kimberly Stegmaier to join the NCAB, which assists the National Cancer Institute in implementing the national cancer research program. The board also supports the government’s research and development initiatives to prevent, detect and treat cancer.

NNSA Blueprint Outlines Nuclear Security Enterprise Priorities
Published on
NNSA Blueprint Outlines Nuclear Security Enterprise Priorities

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration has released a blueprint outlining its 25-year plan to modernize the Nuclear Security Enterprise, or NSE.

Priorities under the Enterprise Blueprint include investing in the production and science infrastructure supporting weapons design, manufacture, certification and assessment; reestablishing eliminated capabilities; replacing old buildings; and meeting modern safety, security and environmental standards, the NNSA said Tuesday.

The investments will initially focus on sustaining the current nuclear stockpile and restoring production capabilities for modernizing weapons, with the NSE scientific base, global security and naval nuclear propulsion as the next priorities.

U.S. Nuclear Deterrence

The NSE comprises DOE laboratories, the Nevada National Security Site, production plants, and processing facilities involved in the design, production and testing of nuclear weapons. While the enterprise served its purpose during the Manhattan Project, Cold War and post-Cold War eras, the NSE believes assets must be modernized to keep pace with the current geopolitical and technological changes that require increased capability and capacity to maintain the U.S. nuclear deterrence.

According to Jill Hruby, DOE undersecretary for Nuclear Security and NNSA administrator, the blueprint offers a roadmap to meet current and future mission demands and effectively address nuclear security.

/
Purdue Team Chosen for Microelectronics Commons Project
Published on
Purdue Team Chosen for Microelectronics Commons Project

A team headed by Purdue University has been selected for a project to enhance artificial intelligence hardware through the Microelectronics Commons program in partnership with the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub.

Purdue said Monday its CHEETA: CMOS+MRAM Hardware for Energy-EfficienT AI project, one of four awardees announced on Sept. 18, aims to make AI hardware more energy efficient and the sensor-to-decision response time faster. This development will enhance the “size, weight and power” metrics, which are expected to support defense initiatives.

The project intends to utilize CMOS+X and magnetic random-access memory, or MRAM, to develop efficient in-memory computing hardware fabrics.

The team will receive $21 million for over four years from the Applied Research Institute to fund the project. It is made up of faculty members from the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and collaborating partners Northrop Grumman, Everspin Technologies, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Michigan.

Purdue President Mung Chiang, stated, “Purdue is strongly committed to supporting the CHIPS Act and the U.S. DOD’s ME Commons program, enhancing economic prosperity to the Silicon Heartland and national security of the U.S.”

Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue, emphasized that the collaboration will enhance defense technologies and boost the nation’s leadership in advancing critical technologies.

“By uniting the strengths of our partnerships with Argonne National labs, NSWC Crane as well as government agencies, leading industry partners and top academic institutions, we are embarking on a groundbreaking project that will push the boundaries of semiconductor innovation,” Plaut said.

//
State Department Awards Exovera Media Reporting Contract
Published on
State Department Awards Exovera Media Reporting Contract

The U.S. Department of State has awarded Exovera a contract to continue its media monitoring services in support of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Iraq.

Under the potential five-year agreement, Exovera will continue reporting on Iraqi multimedia platforms to help embassy officials better understand Iraq’s politics and governance, security and economic affairs and other issues related to the U.S., the software and data science company announced Wednesday.

Bob Sogegian, Exovera CEO, said, “With the demonstrated depth of analytical capabilities, local and regional contextual knowledge and editorial judgment, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Iraq relies on Exovera’s experts and technology to deliver comprehensive situational awareness.”

Exovera will leverage its exoINSIGHT platform to provide the embassy with interactive access to open-source content and a host of artificial intelligence analytic and reporting capabilities. The application uses machine learning and natural language processing to retrieve insights from a growing body of organized data.

“With the demonstrated depth of analytical capabilities, local and regional contextual knowledge, and editorial judgment, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Iraq relies on Exovera’s experts and technology to deliver comprehensive situational awareness,” Sogegian added.

/
NIST to Create New Standardization Center of Excellence
Published on
NIST to Create New Standardization Center of Excellence

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has awarded ASTM International $15 million in funding to establish the new Standardization Center of Excellence.

The center will support U.S. engagement in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies, or CETs, that are essential to safeguard the country’s competitiveness and national security, NIST said Tuesday.

The center will conduct pre-standardization engagement to ensure that the private sector will participate in international standardization efforts. It will also build a pipeline of professionals who will lead U.S. international standards development efforts.

In addition, the center will start a collaborative program with NIST to accelerate the development of industry-driven standards for selected CETs and create a data-sharing hub for all stakeholders involved in standardization.

According to Charles Romine, the associate director for laboratory programs at NIST, the public-private partnership will help the United States advance international standardization for CETs, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and biotechnology.

ASTM International will work on the project with several partners, which are expected to provide the needed international expertise for standards development, education and optimization.

Under a cooperative agreement, NIST will fund the project over five years, engage with the center and its stakeholders, and provide technical expertise and leadership.

//
DHS’ Benson Macon Discusses New Cybersecurity R&D Program
Published on
DHS’ Benson Macon Discusses New Cybersecurity R&D Program

The Department of Homeland Security is working to defend U.S. cybersecurity through a research and development program called the Cyber Analytics and Platform Capabilities research initiative, according to Benson Macon. The initiative aims to support the defense of U.S. cyber and physical infrastructure through the development of various technologies and curriculums, Macon, a program manager in the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of Mission & Capability Support, said in an article published Tuesday on the DHS S&T website.

Initiative Collaborators

The CAPC initiative focuses on four primary areas, namely: cyber risk analysis, the automated analysis of malware and software vulnerabilities, R&D gap analysis and cloud telemetry analysis. The initiative involves the collaboration of various academic, private and government partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the National Security Agency.

Ongoing CAPC Work

Work under the CAPC is already ongoing. This past spring, the initiative held a two-day technical exchange where participants sought to discuss inventions and research trends in various areas, including cybersecurity, training and data analytics. Publications will be released that summarize the best practices and lessons learned that emerged from the event.

The initiative is also running two research projects. The first, titled Fleet Vehicle Cybersecurity Research, seeks to identify cybersecurity gaps affecting the IT systems and networks enabling the fleet of vehicles operated by the U.S. Secret Service. The project also seeks to develop training and tools that will help safeguard the vehicles and their operators.

The second research project, titled Cybersecurity Training for Law Enforcement, seeks to determine the impact of cyber threats to Internet of Things devices and machine learning tools on the capabilities of first responders, particularly those working on federal criminal investigations. The results of the research project will be used to enhance law enforcement cybersecurity training curricula.

DHS' Benson Macon Discusses New Cybersecurity R&D Program

Hear from various speakers to learn more about the various security concerns facing the U.S. and what’s being done to address them at the Potomac Officers Club’s Annual Homeland Security Summit, which will take place on Nov. 13. Register now to attend this important event!

/
OMB Seeks Input on Protection for Commercially Available Info
Published on
OMB Seeks Input on Protection for Commercially Available Info

The Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, or OIRA, is soliciting public input on issues and concerns arising from government collection, use and sharing of commercially available data with personally identifiable information. 

The research is in accordance with President Joe Biden’s executive order on the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence that seeks to mitigate potential risks in the collection or use of individual information through AI, the OMB said Tuesday.

The office noted the lack of transparency on the volume of sensitive data when third parties are tapped for commercially available information with personal identification. 

During a White House roundtable on data broker practices in August 2023, participants revealed ways by which data brokers gather detailed personal data even without the subjects’ consent, the OMB also said.

Public input on OIRA’s request for information will support the OMB’s continuing efforts on AI risk mitigation through privacy guardrails and other safety standards.

The office, in pursuing Biden’s EO on agency management of AI risks, earlier issued an RFI on privacy impact assessments, as well as a memorandum on responsible AI acquisition in government.

//
Army Unveils Generative AI Pilot Program
Published on
Army Unveils Generative AI Pilot Program

The U.S. Army has introduced a pilot program that seeks to explore generative artificial intelligence and its potential applications in supporting the military branch’s acquisition activities.

The Army said Tuesday the program will use LIGER, a generative AI tool that delivers tailored responses and improves the efficiency of information retrieval and analysis.

“By utilizing LIGER, we aim to streamline our acquisition processes while enhancing the accuracy of information,” said Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering and software.

“The ability to query curated document sets for generating new content, along with providing citations, will ensure that our outputs are not only accurate but also easily fact-checked,” she added.

In September, LMI launched the LIGER platform to help federal agencies streamline government operations and provide them with actionable insights and recommendations to address complex challenges.

Generative AI Pilot Program’s Objectives

The pilot program aims to streamline access to critical data relevant to acquisition activities using LIGER, facilitate collaboration to promote sharing of best practices and insights regarding AI integration and improve accuracy by ensuring the verifiability and integrity of generated content.

The initiative includes the use of customizable user-access controls to safeguard “need to know” information and will focus on identifying erroneous outputs or “hallucinations” to strengthen the reliability of AI-generated content.

/
DOD Issues Updated Space Policy
Published on
DOD Issues Updated Space Policy

The Department of Defense has released an updated directive establishing policy and assigning responsibilities for DOD space-related activities in accordance with several strategies and policies, including the National Space Policy, the U.S. Space Priorities Framework and the National Cislusnar Science and Technology Strategy.

The updated DOD Space Policy, which took effect Tuesday, recognizes space as a priority domain of national military power, protects and defends the use of space for U.S. national security purposes, promotes long-term sustainability of the space environment and enhances the department’s partnership with the Intelligence Community to strengthen unity of effort and enhance the effectiveness of space operations. 

The document highlights the need to improve intelligence, space domain awareness and command and control capabilities, expand intelligence support in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, integrate space into national, joint and combined operations and shape the strategic environment to improve deterrence and stability in the space domain.

The directive also outlines the space-related duties and responsibilities of several DOD officials, including the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, director of the Defense Technology Security Administration, defense under secretaries for acquisition and sustainment and research and engineering and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Kathleen Hicks, deputy DOD secretary and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, approved the space policy document.

The policy is an update to the directive issued in 2022.

/
FedRAMP Launches Help Center
Published on
FedRAMP Launches Help Center

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has introduced a new help center to provide additional support for agencies, cloud service providers—a.k.a. CSPs—acquisition professionals, third-party assessment organizations and other stakeholders as they comply with FedRAMP and cloud security requirements.

The program said Tuesday that the FedRAMP Help Center will serve as a central repository of tools, information and resources meant to help stakeholders address their questions and enable them to understand their role in the FedRAMP ecosystem.

FedRAMP Help Center’s Key Resources

The help center includes knowledge base guides and technical articles, best practices, a section for frequently asked questions and a glossary of FedRAMP-specific acronyms and terms.

With the new platform, acquisition professionals can learn how to integrate FedRAMP standards into their solicitations, source selection and contract management to protect government data.

Meanwhile, federal agencies can use the FedRAMP Help Center to gain insights into how the program impacts their procurement processes and how their implementation groups can make secure choices when deploying cloud service offerings.

Through the help center, CSPs can also secure information on how to implement and document FedRAMP requirements.

1 … 163 164 165 166 167 … 2,594