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Chad Wolf on Election Security, Other Homeland Priorities for 2020
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Chad Wolf on Election Security, Other Homeland Priorities for 2020
Chad Wolf
Chad Wolf

Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), delivered his remarks to the Homeland Security Experts Group Friday about DHS’ 2020 priorities and election security is one of the priorities he discussed.

He mentioned the efforts of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency under the leadership of Christopher Krebs, a 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, to ensure the security and resiliency of the country’s election systems, as well as DHS’ plans to prepare for the 2020 presidential elections.

“We’ll continue to educate targeted populations to make them less receptive to misinformation campaigns. We’ll also continue to work with partners to prepare and practice for potential disruptions,” he said.

Wolf said DHS is encouraging states to audit election results through paper. “In 2020, over 90% of votes will have a corresponding paper ballot. This is a significant achievement,” he added. Other issues Wolf discussed are the international threats posed by Iran, Russia and China, border security and counterterrorism.

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FEMA Uses Open Source Software to Determine Status of Calamity-Affected Businesses
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FEMA Uses Open Source Software to Determine Status of Calamity-Affected Businesses
FEMA Uses Open Source Software to Determine Status of Calamity-Affected Businesses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency used business status data to determine priorities in helping Louisiana-based businesses affected by Hurricane Barry. FEMA said Wednesday it generated the data from the Single Automated Business Exchange for Reporting or SABER tool.

SABER is an industry-based, open-source software that allows federal aid agencies to harness status information uploaded by businesses.

“Users upload their business status information with the knowledge that federal aid organizations such as FEMA are monitoring SABER and have the resources to immediately respond to and provide aid for any type of crises that they may be experiencing," Ron Langhelm, program manager at the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.

The data helped FEMA assign priorities across its disaster recovery efforts in the wake of the hurricane. DHS S&T provided funds to make SABER free and publicly accessible via web browsers and mobile devices.

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GSA Seeks Tech Ideas for Enhancing Citizen-Gov’t Engagement
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GSA Seeks Tech Ideas for Enhancing Citizen-Gov’t Engagement
GSA Seeks Tech Ideas for Enhancing Citizen-Gov’t Engagement

The General Services Administration is inviting federal staff to submit ideas that use technology enhance the public’s experience with government personnel and agencies.

The GSA’s 10x program encourages employees to give three-sentence suggestions that explain how a new product or service can solve an existing problem, the GSA said in a notice published Wednesday.

Implemented suggestions include a government notification service for citizens and a project that aims to improve the federal grant reporting process.

Interested public sector employees may submit ideas until Jan. 30.

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AFRL’s X-60A Hypersonic Rocket Reaches New Milestone in Recent Test
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AFRL’s X-60A Hypersonic Rocket Reaches New Milestone in Recent Test
AFRL's X-60A Hypersonic Rocket Reaches New Milestone in Recent Test

Air Force Research Laboratory and its contractor have demonstrated the integrated performance of the X-60A hypersonic rocket's propulsion system during a recent series of ground tests.

The propulsion system underwent cold-flow and hot-fire trials with realistic procedures and hardware, the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.

X-60A is designed to perform hypersonic flight for research and development efforts that require an easily accessible rocket able to exceed Mach 5 in speed.

Generation Orbit Launch Services serves as the program's contractor under a small business innovation agreement with AFRL. Ursa Major Technologies provided a Hadley liquid rocket engine for hot-fire and cold-flow testing.

“This test series was a critical step in reducing risk and gathering necessary system integration data in preparation for our upcoming flight tests,” said Barry Hellman, X-60A program manager at AFRL.

The hypersonic rocket will undergo fight-testing from Florida-based Cecil Spaceport for further evaluation and maturation.

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NAWCAD Lakehurst Upgrades 3D Printing Tech
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NAWCAD Lakehurst Upgrades 3D Printing Tech
NAWCAD Lakehurst Upgrades 3D Printing Tech

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Lakehurst site has recently acquired three new additive manufacturing systems to upgrade its equipment maintenance capabilities.

Two of the 3D printing platforms enable users to overhaul large objects with minimal waste, while the third system assists in NAWCAD’s reverse engineering efforts and negates the need to dismantle the parts of the object in question.

“These three systems will result in a tremendous increase in capability and will have an immediate impact to the warfighter,” said Kyle Cobb, advanced manufacturing technology lead at NAWCAD Lakehurst.

Work performed by the three new platforms, the Optomec CS-800 Directed Energy Deposition AM System, Sciaky Electron Beam AM System and the NSI X5000 Computed Tomography NDI X-Ray System, will support the Naval Air Systems Command. NAWCAD received the systems in 2019.

Additive manufacturing is a time-saving process that uses polymers and powdered metals as base materials to create objects from a 3D blueprint.

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Scott Pleus: DoD Must Implement Data-Centric Cybersecurity Approach
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Scott Pleus: DoD Must Implement Data-Centric Cybersecurity Approach
Scott Pleus
Scott Pleus

Maj. Gen. Scott Pleus, director of air and cyberspace operations for the Pacific Air Forces, has said that the Department of Defense needs to develop nonproprietary and high-security data architecture to keep up with industry.

Pleus wrote in a Fifth Domain piece published Wednesday that the DoD’s cybersecurity approach is “outdated by industry standards” and does not support the implementation of artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning.

He said the Pentagon must apply a data-centric approach to security instead of focusing solely on protecting networks to balance confidentiality with data accessibility and integrity.

According to Pleus, strong encryption and authentication tools, behavior-based security technologies and greater access to DoD-wide data sources will help the department shift its focus toward data-centric security.

DoD must also work with the private sector to leverage new technologies such as 5G and low-Earth orbit communications as well as approaches like zero-trust security and blockchain, he added.

“To take advantage of this growth, we must continue to institute new approaches to design, funding, implementation, and operational agility,” said Pleus. “We must rid ourselves of antiquated policies that drives checklist driven risk management processes and inhibits adoption of industry cybersecurity best practices.”

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Ellen Lord: DoD Training Assessors for Cybersecurity Accreditation Program
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Ellen Lord: DoD Training Assessors for Cybersecurity Accreditation Program
Ellen Lord
Ellen Lord

The Department of Defense plans to facilitate training activities for accreditors under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program through June, FCW reported Tuesday.

The recently established CMMC entity will serve as an independent and not-for-profit accreditation body that will work to create certification and training requirements for third-party organizations and individual assessors responsible for evaluating firms seeking to do business with the DoD.

Ellen Lord, defense undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment and 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said at a Defense Writers Group event that training for assessors is currently underway and will end by mid-year when requests for information that include CMMC standards will begin to roll out.

"One of my biggest concerns was really about small and medium businesses because that's where a large part of innovation comes from and we need that,” she noted. “We want to retain them.”

According to Lord, the CMMC body will use semi-automated procedures as well as a tool intended metrics collection and audits by third-party evaluators. The final version of the CMMC model is slated for release at the end of the month. 

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Qualis Acquires Bonham Technologies to Improve Logistical Capabilities; Rod Duke, Louis Bonham Quoted
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Qualis Acquires Bonham Technologies to Improve Logistical Capabilities; Rod Duke, Louis Bonham Quoted
Qualis Acquires Bonham Technologies to Improve Logistical Capabilities; Rod Duke, Louis Bonham Quoted
Rod Duke, President of Qualis Corporation

Qualis Corporation, a technical and engineering services firm, announced on Monday that it has acquired Bonham Technologies, Inc. (BTI), a technical and logistical support services company,  to improve Qualis’ customer experience and logistical capabilities. . The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Our cyber security, engineering and test and evaluation competencies combined with BTI’s technical and logistics capabilities creates powerful new options for our government customers and advances our focus in supporting the Warfighter. Lou Bonham and his people are terrific and we look forward to welcoming them to Qualis,” said Rod Duke, president of Qualis Corporation.

Through the acquisition, Qualis will gain critical qualifications and contracts as the two companies merge. Bonham Technologies will provide Acquisition Logistics Support, Engineering Publications and Readiness and Sustainment that will enhance their Qualis’ customer experience and and advance their growth strategy to new markets.

“This acquisition provides our people, customers and partners with a shared management philosophy, program execution and culture plus the added capabilities and growth opportunities that Qualis can provide,” said Bonham, BTI CEO. “I am proud of what we have achieved over the last 15 years and I look forward to seeing our legacy enhanced when combined with the good people of Qualis.”

About Qualis

Qualis Corporation is a Woman-Owned Small Business, headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, with a 26-year history as a trusted Air Force, Army, Joint DoD, Missile Defense Agency, NASA, and Navy partner. Qualis employees provide award-winning support to complex technical and engineering efforts, helping ensure critical programs, products, and systems are acquired, tested, and fully operational when fielded.

Our qualifications are deeply rooted in the entire acquisition life cycle for highly complex ACAT I – III, Urgent Operational Needs, and Joint Urgent Operational Needs systems, components and training systems in support of the Warfighter, Homeland Defense, and Human Spaceflight.

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Lockheed Martin Launches First Satellite, Software-Defined Mission; Rick Ambrose Quoted
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Lockheed Martin Launches First Satellite, Software-Defined Mission; Rick Ambrose Quoted

Lockheed Martin Launches First Satellite, Software-Defined Mission; Rick Ambrose Quoted

Lockheed Martin has announced its first smart satellite, Pony Express 1, launched on Thursday. The upgraded satellite has integrated technology that will allow the company to conduct more thorough tests in-orbit. Lockheed Martin has launched the satellite aboard the Tyvak 6U spacecraft.

“Early on-orbit data show Pony Express 1 is performing its important pathfinding mission very well. Lockheed Martin’s HiveStar technology on board will give our customers unparalleled speed, resiliency and flexibility for their changing mission needs by unlocking even greater processing power in space,” said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space and four time Wash100 Award recipient.

Pony Express 1 was developed, built and integrated in nine months, and was funded completely by Lockheed Martin Research and Development funding. Lockheed Martin has incorporated artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud networking and advanced satellite communications in a robust new software-defined architecture, introducing a new initiative in space exploration: space-based computing.

The company has added three new technologies, including HiveStar, software-defined radio and 3D-printed wideband antenna housing, developed by Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Research Technology Center. Hivestar will use adaptive mesh to communicate between satellites, shared processing capabilities and customize missions in new ways previously difficult to achieve in space.

Additionally, the software will allow high-bandwidth hosting of multiple RF applications, store-and-forward RF collection, data compression, digital signal processing and waveform transmission. The 3D-printed wideband antenna housing.

Lockheed Martin will continue space research in the future. The company’s plan for Pony Express 2, will further advance cloud networking concepts among satellites and validate Lockheed Martin’s SmartSat software-defined satellite architecture, which will allow a streamlined hosting of flexible mission apps.

“This is the first of several rapid, self-funded experiments demonstrating our ability to systematically accelerate our customers’ speed to mission while reducing risk from new technologies,” Ambrose added.

Lockheed Martin has also shipped its third JCSAT-17 satellite to French Guiana for launch on an Ariane V rocket, the company announced on Jan. 15, 2019.  The satellite will provide flexible mobile communication services to Japan and the surrounding region.

Lockheed Martin has added a reprogrammable mission processor to the LM 2100 base, which will add flexibility as mission needs change. The satellite has incorporated s-band and C-band transponders and an 18m mesh reflector, assuring continuous communication during high-volume events.

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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MITRE Reveals New Autonomous Technology Laboratory to Improve Research Methodology; Zachary LaCelle Quoted
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MITRE Reveals New Autonomous Technology Laboratory to Improve Research Methodology; Zachary LaCelle Quoted
MITRE Reveals New Autonomous Technology Laboratory to Improve Research Methodology; Zachary LaCelle Quoted

MITRE has announced the Mobile Autonomous Systems Experimentation (MASE) Laboratory on Thursday, which will improve research methodology, accelerate advanced autonomous technology, and provide objective perspective and recommendations for broad impact in multiple domains, including drones, commercial aircraft, tanks and self-driving vehicles.

“We have cyber experts and autonomy experts working on ground transportation, urban air mobility, and defense applications. Our systems thinking mentality accelerates solutions to all of these problems. This broad combination of domain expertise allows us to provide additional, unique perspectives in this cutting-edge challenge area,” said Zachary LaCelle, senior autonomous systems engineer at MITRE.

MITRE has introduced the teams and has created divisions within the labs, including developing and evaluating technologies, identifying solutions for emerging challenges and recommending the most innovative technologies to sponsors and partners. 

The MASE lab will also demonstrate its capabilities to sponsors interested in autonomy software and its application. MITRE will have new capabilities in architecture, which will make autonomous modules and hardware easier to integrate across programs. 

One of the lab’s newest developments, the MASE Jeep, will be a commercially available Grand Cherokee augmented for autonomy.  MITRE will input engineers with sensors, analytic and data recorders, and powerful processors.

The Jeep has allowed the company to explore new autonomous technologies and cutting-edge algorithms on a large mobile platform. Additionally, the lab has provided an integrated testing environment for emerging hardware, software and approaches that will help to inform MITRE’s government sponsors and collaboration partners.

“We have the experts available to assist in research integration for people coming to us with specialized questions. We can also test new ideas, prototype them, and transfer them out to industry and other researchers,” added LaCelle. 

About MITRE

MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.

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