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Katie Arrington: Awareness Key to Fortifying Defense Industrial Base’s Cybersecurity Posture
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Katie Arrington: Awareness Key to Fortifying Defense Industrial Base’s Cybersecurity Posture


Katie Arrington: Awareness Key to Fortifying Defense Industrial Base's Cybersecurity Posture
Katie Arrington

Katie Arrington, chief information security officer of the Department of Defense’s acquisition policy office, has said that a “change of culture” in government acquisition is necessary to prevent theft by foreign adversaries, Cyberscoop reported Wednesday.

She told attendees at an event hosted by the Consortium for Information and Software Quality that minimal awareness on cybersecurity breaches throughout the defense industrial base is still a pervasive problem, and that cybersecurity practices are “not something that changes by the day.”

Arrington’s comments come after the DoD released its draft Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification guidelines, which cover foundational security standards to prevent breaches of sensitive data and intellectual property theft.

The Pentagon plans to issue an updated draft next month ahead of defense agencies’ implementation of the standards in their requests for information next year.

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Suzette Kent: Automating Gov’t Procedures Would Bring More Benefits Than Risks
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Suzette Kent: Automating Gov’t Procedures Would Bring More Benefits Than Risks


Jeff Brody

Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said that inculcating fear over automation making human jobs obsolete is “not the best path forward” for artificial intelligence efforts, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

Kent said at a recent Bipartisan Policy Center event that while automation would result in reskilling initiatives for some government employees, it would also bring benefits such as fewer repetitive tasks.

“We know for a fact that we are creating more jobs in the data space, in the computational space,” she said. “We have more gaps than we can forecast that we think we’ll be able to fill.”

Kent’s comments come as Reps. Will Hurd, R-Texas, and Robin Kelly, D-Ill., work to establish a national AI strategy to ensure U.S. leadership in AI research. The strategy is slated for release in May 2020.

“We have to dramatically increase the resources devoted to research and development,” said Hurd, a fellow 2019 Wash100 Award winner. “The government should set an example in leading the way and adopting AI. This is going to save taxpayer dollars, but also make the government more efficient.”

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DoD to Highlight Six Focus Areas at Annual AI Industry Day
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DoD to Highlight Six Focus Areas at Annual AI Industry Day


Jeff Brody

The Department of Defense plans to cover six topics during an artificial intelligence-focused event that is scheduled to take place on Nov. 13 in Maryland.

A FedBizOpps notice posted Wednesday says that the third annual DoD AI Industry Day will focus on the areas of training data, algorithms, user interface and experience, data and interference, systems integration at the edge and testing.

The Army Research Laboratory will host the event with the Algorithmic Warfare Cross-Functional Team, or Project Maven, and the Pentagon’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.

AWFCT and JAIC have created algorithms that work to process large volumes of DoD data. Both entities are looking to analyze the algorithms through AI approaches. Interested vendors are encouraged to send capability briefs by Nov. 14 if they cannot attend the industry day, which will feature discussions on AI software prototyping efforts.

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DoD Working on Security Guidance for JEDI Cloud
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DoD Working on Security Guidance for JEDI Cloud


Jeff Brody

The Department of Defense is working on security guidance to prepare for cloud deployment once the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract is awarded, FedScoop reported Thursday.

“When we were asked to put together the cloud security guidance, the thought was zero trust is a good basis to determine the requirements,” said Paul Jacob, a cybersecurity architect at the office of DoD’s chief information officer.

Jacobs said the forthcoming guidance will address cryptography and require compliance with algorithm policies and identity, credential and access management requirements.

“We’re hoping this helps develop the narrative for zero trust, but it also will force folks to look very hard at their systems in terms of operating safely in the cloud,” he noted.

Defense Secretary and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient Mark Esper and the office of the department’s inspector general are reviewing the potential 10-year, $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract.

Army, Public Benefit Corporation Sign Cooperative R&D Agreement
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Army, Public Benefit Corporation Sign Cooperative R&D Agreement


Jeff Brody

To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement with the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command to further develop technology for military ground vehicles. The Army will offer resources, expertise and laboratories to help the public benefit corporation characterize materials and their applications, TTSA said Thursday.

TTSA noted its projecs in various areas such as material science, quantum physics and space-time metric engineering have the potential to increase performance and survivability of different Army platforms. The company aims to share technological discoveries with the service branch’s ground vehicle systems center and survivability and protection program.

“Our partnership with TTSA serves as an exciting, non-traditional source for novel materials and transformational technologies to enhance our military ground system capabilities,” said Joseph Cannon of the Army Futures Command.

Founded in 2017, TTSA promotes collaboration between the commercial, academic and entertainment sectors in a push to help the public better understand science and technology.

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EPA Proposes Rule to Advance Sharing of Custom Code
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EPA Proposes Rule to Advance Sharing of Custom Code


Jeff Brody

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed an amendment to its acquisition regulation to allow EPA to share custom-developed code with other agencies as open source in compliance with an Office of Management and Budget memo on federal source code policy.

“In meeting the requirements of Memorandum M16-21 the EPA will be providing an enterprise code inventory indicating if the new code (source code or code) was custom-developed for, or by, the agency; or if the code is available for Federal reuse; or if the code is available publicly as open source code; or if the code cannot be made available due to specific exceptions,” according to the proposed rule.

EPA said the proposed policy will cover new custom-developed code and will not apply “retroactively.” The agency cited five exceptions for sharing custom code with other agencies and one is the identification of potential risks to national security, individual privacy and confidentiality of government data.

Interested stakeholders will have 60 days to comment on the proposed rule, which is set to be published on Oct. 18, Friday, on Federal Register.

Federal CIO Suzette Kent, Rep. Will Hurd on AI, STEM Education
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Federal CIO Suzette Kent, Rep. Will Hurd on AI, STEM Education


Federal CIO Suzette Kent, Rep. Will Hurd on AI, STEM Education
Suzette Kent

Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and a 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said she believes artificial intelligence could result in the creation of jobs amid concerns regarding its potential impact on the workforce, FCW reported Thursday.

“We know for a fact that we are creating more jobs in the data space, in the computational sciences spaces, and the design spaces,” she said Wednesday at a Bipartisan Policy Council-hosted panel discussion. “We have more gaps than we can fill. There are some roles that will be automated, but not too many people whom I talk to like entering data from one report to the next report.”

Federal CIO Suzette Kent, Rep. Will Hurd on AI, STEM Education
Will Hurd

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), a fellow 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said the U.S. should advance science, technology, mathematics and engineering education and offer reskilling programs to federal employees to help address the skills gap.

“We have to train our kids for 21st century jobs and twenty-second century jobs that don’t even exist today,” Hurd said.

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Rick Perry to Step Down as Energy Secretary
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Rick Perry to Step Down as Energy Secretary


Rick Perry to Step Down as Energy Secretary
Rick Perry

Energy Secretary Rick Perry announced Thursday his plan to resign from his post at the end of the year through a letter addressed to President Trump.

In the letter, Perry stated some of the accomplishments of the Department of Energy under his purview, including the establishment of the office of artificial intelligence and technology and the office of cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response.

“These new offices will help to provide the underlying research and building blocks for government and the private sector to work together in tackling challenges and pursuing opportunities,” he wrote.

Other DOE efforts Perry mentioned are the nuclear modernization initiative in support of the national security mission; cleanup of nuclear facilities; and energy independence. Perry, former governor of Texas, assumed his current role in March 2017.

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Navy Completes Last Test Requirement of MUOS Satcom System
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Navy Completes Last Test Requirement of MUOS Satcom System


Jeff Brody

The U.S. Navy has concluded the final critical testing phase of the Mobile User Objective System, a narrowband satellite communications technology.

Results of the multiservice operational test and evaluation say the system is operationally effective, cybersecure, suitable for operations and ready for transition, the service branch said Wednesday.

The Navy’s Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force conducted the test over multiple months to assess MUOS’ performance in a simulated operational environment.

The testing involved contributors from the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.

“Sailors and Marines can already use MUOS in situations like humanitarian response, disaster assistance and training,” said John Pope, leader of the Navy’s Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence and Space Systems.

MUOS consists of five satellites that each hold two payloads: a legacy payload and one with the newer Wideband Code Division Multiple Access technology.

The legacy payload would allow MUOS to maintain narrowband communications as the Navy transitions the satcom system to WCDMA, an integrated waveform tailored for commercial cellular connectivity.

WCDMA would boost beyond line of sight communications by 10 times in capacity, compared to legacy technology.

“This is the last critical milestone before turning MUOS over for full operations and I am very proud of the entire team that contributed to this outstanding achievement,” said Capt. Chris DeSena, program manager of the Navy Communications Satellite Program Office.

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DHS Selects U.K.-Based Business to Deliver Airport Passenger-Measuring System
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DHS Selects U.K.-Based Business to Deliver Airport Passenger-Measuring System


Jeff Brody

The Department of Homeland Security has selected CrowdVision, a U.K.-based startup, to develop a system that counts and measures airport passengers.

CrowdVision will perform work under a $160.9K award in support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS Science and Technology Directorate said Wednesday.

The company will lead efforts to integrate its computer vision and artificial intelligence technology with two other products made by other firms to form the sought system.

An iViu Technologies-made indoor positioning platform would allow the system to collect data via sensors, and Copenhagen Optimization’s forecasting tools would help users plan operations and manage research.

CrowdVision’s own AI technology works to measure activity across passengers, staff and assets within an airport.

“CrowdVision’s single-system solution has the potential to significantly improve CBP’s ability to count, measure and forecast passenger arrivals in near real-time, which will also improve travelers’ experiences clearing through customs and other airport inspection areas,” said Melissa Oh, managing director of DHS S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program.

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