DOE Invests $50M in AI, Nuclear Energy Research
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DOE Invests $50M in AI, Nuclear Energy Research


Jeff Brody

The Department of Energy has earmarked $50 million to fund research and development projects in nuclear energy and artificial intelligence. DOE said Wednesday its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy office will award a maximum of $35M to entities that can develop technologies to improve the management of nuclear power plants as part of the Generating Electricity Managed by Intelligent Nuclear Assets initiative.

The department’s Office of Science will also provide $13 million to support five AI research projects in collaboration with DOE’s national laboratories. DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions also created an AI portal under its Lab Partnering Service platform designed to streamline partnerships between key stakeholders.

In addition, DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and National Energy Technology Laboratory formed partnerships for healthcare and renewable energy efforts. Argonne recently joined the Accelerating Therapeutics for Opportunities in Medicine consortium, while NETL collaborated with Siemens to deploy AI for operating sustainable gas turbines that support energy efficiency goals.

“AI truly will touch every aspect of our lives as it helps predict earthquakes, boost crop yields, and accelerate new medical treatments,” said DOE Undersecretary Mark Menezes.

DOE announced its new efforts during the InnovationXLab Summit in Chicago.

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Bobby Braun to Return to NASA as Planetary Exploration Leader
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Bobby Braun to Return to NASA as Planetary Exploration Leader


Jeff Brody
Bobby Braun

Bobby Braun, a former chief technologist of NASA, has been named leader of planetary exploration programs at the space agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory effective Jan. 15, Space News reported Wednesday.

JPL Director Michael Watkins said NASA will study the feasibility of consolidating parts of the laboratory’s Mars and solar system exploration directorates. The study’s outcome will determine Braun’s responsibilities.

The merge would reflect the integrated approach of the space agency’s planetary exploration efforts, Watkins noted.

“When I get there, the study will be complete and there will be recommendations, and my job will be to implement them,” said Braun who serves as dean of the University of Colorado’s College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Braun supported missions with JPL and other NASA components such as Langley Research Center during his previous tenure at the space agency.

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NASA Taps WVU Research Corp for Katherine Johnson Facility Maintenance; Jim Bridenstine Quoted
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NASA Taps WVU Research Corp for Katherine Johnson Facility Maintenance; Jim Bridenstine Quoted


Jeff Brody
Jim Bridenstine

NASA has issued a potential five-year, $24.9M contract to West Virginia University Research Corporation for finance operations and maintenance efforts at Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility.

The research center will provide the IV&V facility with administration, project management, facilities maintenance, information technology janitorial support and other services under the under the cost-no-fee contract, the space agency said Thursday.

The contract holds a half-year base period, four option years and one half-year option. Work began Oct. 1.

“NASA’s IV&V Program has performed significant work on a multitude of missions and projects, and will provide services to NASA’s highest profile missions including Artemis,” said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator.

The Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility works to verify the safety and performance of software systems used in NASA missions.

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Col. Dale White to Lead New USAF PEO on Advanced Aircraft
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Col. Dale White to Lead New USAF PEO on Advanced Aircraft


Jeff Brody
Col. Dale White

The U.S. Air Force has appointed Col. Dale White to lead a new executive office that would focus on advanced aircraft and digital technology programs.

USAF’s new Program Executive Office for Advanced Aircraft stood up Oct. 2 at a ceremony where White also received appointment as program executive officer, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base said Wednesday. WP AFB served as the ceremony’s venue.

PEO Advanced Aircraft would support the service branch’s Digital Century Series initiative that seeks to boost aircraft’s flexibility and speed via digital technologies.

The new program office will offer modular systems architecture, digital engineering and agile software development to help USAF achieve the initiative’s goals.

“I am turning to this program and to Dale in particular to find a way to bring the best technical expertise that we have to bear, to understand industry’s business case,” said Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.

White currently serves as USAF’s program executive officer for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and special operations forces. He joined the service branch in 1997 and has since contributed to various Air Force components such as the Space and Missile Systems Center and Air Force Materiel Command.

GSA Assessing Industry Suggestions for FedRAMP Operational Improvement
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GSA Assessing Industry Suggestions for FedRAMP Operational Improvement


Jeff Brody

The General Services Administration is in the process of analyzing industry’s recommendations for improving the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program’s vetting procedures, Federal Times reported Wednesday.

GSA received over 60 responses to its “ideation challenge” solicitation released in July, which asked interested entities to identify issues involving FedRAMP scheduling, cost, reciprocity and awareness.

Ashley Mahan, the acting FedRAMP director, told attendees at a VMware event that the suggestions will help inform attempts to automate the program’s cloud security vetting procedures. She noted that the program has over 1,200 test cases for evaluating cloud security, and that the agency intends to consider emerging cybersecurity threats when ensuring a strong security posture and minimal network risk.

“We’re committed to continuously improve and evolve as a program,” she added.

James Murray: Secret Service Planning Cybercrime Task Force Modernization Efforts
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James Murray: Secret Service Planning Cybercrime Task Force Modernization Efforts


Jeff Brody
James Murray

James Murray, director of the U.S. Secret Service, has said that the agency plans to launch a five-year effort to modernize its task forces that specialize in electronic crimes, Nextgov reported Wednesday. He told attendees at the Aspen Cyber Summit in New York City that the Secret Service intends to establish seven more task forces and update its operations focused on “the arrest and prosecution of the highest-value targets.”

The agency also intends to invest in training activities and expand the Global Investigations Operations Center to streamline international collaborations on fighting cybercrime.

“The fight against cyber crime and the effort to defend the country against national security threats are inextricably linked,” he said. “Fighting cyber crime is defending national security.”

According to Murray, the number of cybercrime and financial fraud cases handled by the Secret Service has increased over the past few years. He added that cybercrime investigations should also cover cases in which foreign governments enlist the help of cybercriminals to enact nefarious activities on their behalf.

Transcom Eyes AI Tech for Data Synthesis, C2 Applications
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Transcom Eyes AI Tech for Data Synthesis, C2 Applications


Jeff Brody

Gen. Steve Lyons, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, has said the military organization is exploring the potential application of artificial intelligence in command-and-control functions, National Defense reported Wednesday.

He told reporters at a breakfast event held Wednesday in Washington, D.C. that Transcom aims to shift away from its current transactional approach and synthesize data as part of efforts to help personnel make decisions, maintain systems and forecast events.

The command has created a proof of principle of an enterprise data environment and hosted a sprint program that saw the migration certain systems to a cloud computing environment, according to the report.

“We’re still working to make them cloud native and move the entire architecture over time,” Lyons added.

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Juliane Gallina on CIA’s ‘Gray Magic’ Program, IT Contracts
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Juliane Gallina on CIA’s ‘Gray Magic’ Program, IT Contracts


Jeff Brody
Juliane Gallina

Juliane Gallina, the CIA’s chief information officer, said the agency is looking to replace fax machines with the use of email through the Gray Magic program to facilitate communications between the agency and vendors when it comes to information technology acquisition, FCW reported Wednesday.

“It’s a new secure network designed specifically to allow industry partners to have their own direct communications and collaboration with government to help us facilitate acquisition,” she said of the program, which is in the beta phase.

Gallina, who joined the CIA in April, mentioned her team’s efforts to manage the agency’s IT contracts and cloud adoption.

“Almost all of our major IT contracts are being turned over the next 20-24 months,” she said. “We’re seeing innovation today come from industry in many of the cloud-based tools.”

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China Debuts Combat Drones, Hypersonic Missiles at National Day Parade
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China Debuts Combat Drones, Hypersonic Missiles at National Day Parade


Jeff Brody

Defense experts said the weapons systems showcased for the first time during the National Day parade in Beijing Tuesday demonstrate China’s increasing focus on the development of unmanned systems, missile force and electronic warfare, the Wall Street Journal reported.

One of the weapons displayed at the parade is the DF-17 hypersonic missile. “There’s simply nothing like it in any Western military force,” Sam Roggeveen, director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, said of the missile. “China is now, in some spheres of military technology, ahead of any Western nation.”

Other weapons paraded by the People’s Liberation Army to mark the Communist Party rule’s 70th anniversary are the DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile, Gongji-11 stealth combat aerial drone, DR-8 supersonic aerial drone and the HSU001 unmanned underwater vehicle.

“This parade illustrates the PLA’s embrace of unmanned operations as critical elements of future combat across all domains of warfare,” said Elsa Kania, a research fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

According to the report, the parade is likely to incite calls for stricter controls on tech transfers in the U.S. amid the competition between the country and China for geopolitical and technological superiority.

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Report: Julie Dunne Named Acting Commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service
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Report: Julie Dunne Named Acting Commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service


Jeff Brody
Julie Dunne

Julie Dunne, senior adviser to the administrator of the General Services Administration, will serve as commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service on an interim basis, effective Oct. 15, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.

She will succeed Alan Thomas, who has stepped down as FAS commissioner to pursue a career in the private sector, according to an email by GSA Administrator and a 2019 Wash100 winner Emily Murphy to staff.

“I am very grateful to Alan for his commitment to our mission and the accomplishments achieved by the FAS team during his time here,” Murphy wrote in the email obtained by the publication.

Dunne has provided guidance on GSA’s technology transformation portfolio and support with regard to acquisition policies since she joined the agency in May as a senior adviser.

She previously worked as a staff director at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s government operations subcommittee, senior counsel on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and as associate general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security.

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