Lisa Costa, chief information officer at U.S. Special Operations Command, told C4ISRNET in an interview published Wednesday that software-defined networking, next-gen laptop and Special Operations Forces hybrid cloud are the emerging networking capabilities SOCOM is investigating. Costa said SOCOM’s cloud strategy is based on application modernization and cloud development.

“The command leverages hyperconverged infrastructure already on the network to host private cloud and take advantage of commercial cloud providers to host our containerized applications,” she added. She cited some of the challenges that SOCOM faces with networked communications, including the increasing demand for near real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data, cybersecurity and IPv6.

Costa said the command is fielding application-centric infrastructure, which she said “will provide orchestration capability, as well as a firewall-like capability to manage network traffic.” She also mentioned SOCOM’s role in the development of the Link 16 AN/PRC-161 handheld tactical radio, AN/PRC-163 handheld radio and the NG Manpack RF-345 tactical radio and the command’s efforts to advance the 5G technology.

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport took part in a two-week exercise to help marines evaluate new prototype technologies. The Fight the Naval Force Forward Advanced Naval Technology Exercise took place at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina from July 9 to 19, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday.

The event covered tests of technologies designed for various marine operations such as logistics, force protection, communications and command and control. The NUWC team assessed a common unmanned surface vehicle and MRZR, an all-terrain vehicle built to accommodate high-bandwidth communications.

“I think the ANTX is important because it has the potential to significantly speed up the acquisition process,” said Laura Mortimore, a member of the NUWC Division Keyport’s Non-Traditional Programs Office.

The team also tested a shipping container with 3D printers that marines would use to manufacture parts as needed. The exercise’s final day featured demonstrations of projects by various senior officials within the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The U.S. Navy has authorized the USS Gerald R. Ford to use its recovery technology to retrieve propeller and fighter aircraft systems via an aircraft recovery bulletin. The Advanced Arresting Gear works to recover aircraft units, allow large safety margins and mitigate potential fatigue impact, maintenance and manpower needs, the Navy said Tuesday.

“The pace of system testing was consistently demanding and required numerous team members to perform their duties in difficult conditions and in all types of weather in order to meet critical program milestones leading up to these ARB releases,”  said Jeff Mclean, deputy program manager for AAG system design and development at the Navy.

Additionally, General Atomics has partnered with the service branch to perform system development tests and demonstration to validate if the AAG will meet stringent Navy safety standards prior to its deployment. The aircraft systems noted in the ARB include the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler, E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound and E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.

NASA and the Canadian space agency have completed a mission to refuel a spacecraft via a Canada-made robot, NASA Spaceflight reported Tuesday. Goddard Space Flight Center developed the Robotic Refueling Mission payload to test tools and techniques supporting in-space satellite refueling.

Dextre, Canada’s space robot, operated tools to inject methane into the RRM3 module’s source tank. RRM is a payload of the International Space Station. RRM3 also served as storage for liquid methane over a four-month period.

This demonstrates a reduction in fluid loss and nullifies the requirement for oversized tanks. The recent mission marks the third RRM and follows two previous entries in 2011 and 2015. RRM3 demonstrated storage and super-cold cryogenic fluids, differing from the previous missions.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology solicited comments from industry partners as it works on a set of cybersecurity standards for manufacturers and users of internet of things-based devices, Federal News Network reported Tuesday. NIST officials held a workshop at its Gaithersburg, Md.-based headquarters Tuesday to seek industry feedback on an IoT risk management report released in June.

Katerina Megas, program manager of cybersecurity for the IoT program at NIST, said the proposed IoT guidance seeks to help agencies address security issues related to tech adoption and that the agency is focused on coming up with a “core baseline” that would serve as a starting point for industry-specific standards.

“We had devices in place in federal agencies, in some cases, that had already been purchased,” Megas said. “We wanted to ensure what we provided some information to those operational entities that were already using IoT devices, understanding they had a range of capabilities.”

Other NIST officials also used the workshop as a venue to understand existing industry best practices as they work on the IoT guidance.