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PdM AEROS Issues RFI for SIGINT Sensors for Gray Eagle
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PdM AEROS Issues RFI for SIGINT Sensors for Gray Eagle

The Product Manager Aerial Enhanced Radars, Optics, and Sensors, or PdM AEROS, has released a request for information for existing signals intelligence—or SIGINT—sensor capabilities for the Gray Eagle platform for a multi-domain operation environment.

According to the RFI posted on Sam.gov Monday, PdM AEROS is soliciting industry input regarding available extended range electronic intelligence and communications intelligence sensor systems with a high Technology Readiness Level that can be integrated into the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. The office is looking for sensors that can be developed and deployed in 12 months or less.

In addition, the SIGINT sensors should be compliant with the latest Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance / Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards Interoperability Requirements. 

PdM AEROS is also requesting that interested parties include specific capabilities, sensor maturity, technical growth opportunities and hardware or software development.

Interested industry partners may send their responses to the RFI until Nov. 25 at 4:00 pm ET.

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NRO Selects 3 Companies to Assess, Demo Advanced Space Tech
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NRO Selects 3 Companies to Assess, Demo Advanced Space Tech

The National Reconnaissance Office’s Office of Space Launch has awarded Cognitive Space, Impulse Space and Starfish Space separate contracts to assess and evaluate advanced space technologies.

Awarded under the Broad Agency Announcements for Agile Launch Innovation and Strategic Technology Advancement—a.k.a. BALISTA—framework, the agreements require the selected companies to assess and test new mission capabilities that can solve critical intelligence problems, NRO said on Wednesday.

Table of Contents

BALISTA Details

Launched in March, the BALISTA effort also intends to explore other areas of interest, such as in-space mobility and maneuver, on-orbit logistics and sustainability, mission acceleration, artificial intelligence for ground operations and spacecraft propellant particle count.

According to OSL, the BAA intends to create additional opportunities to promote NRO’s commitment to rapid acquisition and commercial space innovation.

“This BAA helps NRO advance emerging technologies across launch, on-orbit support, and command and control,” Col. Eric Zarybnisky, the OSL director, said in a statement.

NRO’s Mission

Driven by its mission to meet the intelligence requirements of the United States and its allies, NRO is working to build next-generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems to ensure that the right data is delivered to the right user at the right time.

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VA, FDA to Develop Virtual Testing Lab for Healthcare Tools
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VA, FDA to Develop Virtual Testing Lab for Healthcare Tools

The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Food and Drug Administration have agreed to jointly develop a virtual laboratory where promising healthcare tools powered by artificial intelligence can be tested and evaluated, Nextgov/FCW reported Wednesday.

Speaking at the Veterans Health Administration Innovation Experience conference, VA Undersecretary for Health Shereef Elnahal announced the partnership, noting that the interagency testing lab will provide selected parties a safe and secure location to prove their technologies in accordance with the October 2023 executive order promoting the responsible adoption and use of new AI capabilities.

Elnahal said the virtual environment will ensure that AI technologies are safe and effective for veterans and patients and adhere to trustworthy AI principles.

The VA and the FDA are now preparing to establish the virtual proving ground, which is expected to be completed in six months.

According to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, the testing lab will be the first intergovernmental health AI laboratory, adding that it will support the development of approaches for assessing safety and performance metrics of AI-enabled healthcare products. 

Engage with industry luminaries, thought leaders and experts at the 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11 as they delve into critical issues such as the rise of artificial intelligence.

VA, FDA to Develop Virtual Testing Lab for Healthcare Tools

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SandboxAQ to Partner With Sanofi to Identify Biomarkers Using LQMs
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SandboxAQ to Partner With Sanofi to Identify Biomarkers Using LQMs

SandboxAQ will partner with Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical and healthcare company, to locate biomarkers during clinical development.

Using SandboxAQ’s quantitative AI models, the project aims to filter knowledge graphs to gain a better understanding of human biology, supporting scientists’ ability to promote trust throughout investigational medicines and clinical development, the AI and quantum technology company announced Tuesday.

Nadia Harhen, general manager of AI simulation at SandboxAQ, said, “The application with Sanofi focused on biomarker identification is very exciting as it increases our reach into later-stage clinical development and the patient benefit that can be unlocked far beyond the early stages of drug discovery.”

SandboxAQ’s Large Quantitative AI Models 

SandboxAQ’s large quantitative models — or LQMs — are trained on numerous data streams including proprietary data produced by the company’s algorithms. SandboxAQ’s LQMs avoid the barriers in scale and accuracy critical to natural large language models trained on public data accessible on the internet.

“Large Quantitative Models, such as those we use to causally filter through knowledge graphs, are proving impactful in many areas across the life sciences, from drug repurposing to reverse screening,” Harhen noted.

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Mark Munsell Appointed NGA Chief AI Officer
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Mark Munsell Appointed NGA Chief AI Officer

Mark Munsell has been appointed chief AI officer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, DefenseScoop reported Tuesday. The new NGA CAIO will continue in his current role as director of the data and digital innovation directorate.

In his new role, Munsell will spearhead the agency’s existing and future geospatial intelligence AI initiatives. He will coordinate and integrate these efforts and advise the executive team on the utilization of AI innovations in the agency’s operations and production. Furthermore, Munsell will establish the frameworks for the responsible use of AI technology.

Aside from his dual role at the agency, Munsell will serve on the U.S. intelligence community’s CAIO Council. As part of the council, he will help develop the IC’s AI strategies and oversee investments to fund the implementation of such strategies. He will also work on creating policies and guidelines for managing AI-related risks and offer suggestions on the use of AI-enabled architectures.

Munsell started as a software engineer for NGA in 1995 before joining Northrop Grumman as technical director two years later. He then rejoined NGA holding a variety of leadership roles including chief technology officer and deputy director of the information technology directorate.

Prior to his first stint with NGA, Munsell spent four years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator working as a cartographer and software engineer.

Munsell’s appointment coincides with the efforts of the IC and Department of Defense to adopt more AI capabilities as mandated by President Joe Biden’s new national security memorandum.

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GSA Taps Government Tech Leaders to Join TMF Board
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GSA Taps Government Tech Leaders to Join TMF Board

The General Services Administration has announced the addition of three new members to the Technology Modernization Board, a group of government leaders and technology experts that oversee funding allocation for modernization projects and provide strategic guidance to federal agencies under the Technology Modernization Fund. The new board members will bring their expertise and extensive leadership experience in information technology, cybersecurity, procurement and financial management to TMF, GSA said Tuesday. 

New TMF Board Members

Pritha Mehra from the U.S. Postal Service, Katherine Sickbert from the Federal Reserve Board and Matt Montaño from the National Park Service join the current seven-member TMF Board led by Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer and a Wash100 awardee. 

Mehra serves as chief information officer and executive vice president of the USPS. In this role, she led large-scale digital transformation initiatives at the agency and played a major role in its rapid COVID test delivery program during the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, Sickbert is an associate director for Technology Strategy and Delivery and monetary affairs at the Federal Reserve. Before joining the government, she held leadership positions at technology companies Booz Allen Hamilton and Salesforce. 

Montaño is the information chief of NPS. He previously served as director of GSA’s Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, where he led modernization and digital transformation programs across the federal government. He also held the CIO position at the National Eye Institute and Palo Alto Health Care System. 

In a statement, Martorana pointed to TMF’s role in ensuring that critical agency missions are met.

“TMF investments are enabling agencies to deploy technology that is secure by design and secure by default, eliminate paper processes and reduce burden for customers and the federal workforce,” the TMF board chief stated. “Agencies receiving TMF investments are demonstrating that they can deliver exceptional government experiences for the public.”

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Army Testing New AI Workspace for Contract Writing, Other Uses
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Army Testing New AI Workspace for Contract Writing, Other Uses

U.S. Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground is conducting a pilot test of A.I. Flow, a tailored AI workspace built by the Communications-Electronics Command Software Engineering Center, or CECOM SEC, to enhance the Army’s operations.

A.I. Flow, authorized to operate with controlled unclassified information, is currently accessible to select engineering center personnel, the U.S. Army said Tuesday.

A.I. Flow Uses

The product, which has a secure, user-friendly interface, can be used for various applications, including writing appraisals, new job information and contracts. CECOM SEC, in partnership with ACC-APG, sets parameters, uploads example documents and creates guidelines to create a justification and approval document, or J&A, for military contracting. According to the military branch, the trial showed that A.I. Flow can deliver one such document that is 80 percent complete.

With the AI-powered system, developing a J&A document will be faster compared to the manual process, which takes days or weeks.

A.I. Flow can be customized to meet the specific needs of users. The team behind the software’s development continuously receives feedback to improve the program and support more use cases.

Generative AI as a Service

The pilot test is expected to result in a fully operational A.I. Flow, which Ronald Rizzo, deputy executive director of CECOM SEC, described as “generative AI as a service.”

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Input Sought on Federal Guidance for Greater Public Engagement
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Input Sought on Federal Guidance for Greater Public Engagement

The Office of Management and Budget is soliciting comments regarding two documents meant to help government agencies improve opportunities for public participation and community engagement when it comes to policy and program formulation.

Guidance for Public Engagement

The first document serves as a draft guidance that offers federal agencies with definitions and principles related to participation and engagement, a sample decision-making framework on when and how the public should be involved, and recommended steps on how public engagement can be broadened, according to a blog entry posted Tuesday on Performance.gov.

The draft guidance also calls on agencies to adopt leading engagement practices and offers steps that can be taken by the Federal Executive Councils to support the broadening of public participation and engagement.

Toolkit for Public Participation

The second document is a draft outline for a toolkit to be used by agencies in planning, implementing and assessing participation and engagement impacts. The same toolkit would serve to centralize materials that could help with public engagement.

Comments from the public will be used by OMB to develop the final guidance and toolkit. Interested parties have until Nov. 29 to respond.

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DOD Increases Spending on PLEO Satellite Internet Program to $13B
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DOD Increases Spending on PLEO Satellite Internet Program to $13B

The Department of Defense has raised the ceiling value of the Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or PLEO, Satellite-Based Services program, from $900 million to approximately $13 billion in response to the increasing demand across the military, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

PLEO Contract

The Defense Information Systems Agency and Space Systems Command’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office, or CSCO, manage the PLEO program, which launched in 2023.

PLEO is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a five-year base term and five option years. Under this contract, 20 contractors are eligible to compete for task orders.

In July 2023, DISA initially selected 16 vendors for the IDIQ contract. Three months later, it was announced that four additional companies were added to the contract vehicle.

In January, CSCO Director Clare Hopper hinted at the possibility of raising the contract ceiling due to rising military demand.

Prior to the increase, about $660 million of the contract’s original ceiling had been spent.

According to the report, most of the orders under the contract have been for the militarized version of SpaceX‘s Starlink service called Starshield.

Offering Flexibility to Vendors and Government

Kevin Seybert, SpaceX’s business development leader for Starlink and Starshield, said the PLEO contract allows vendors to define services, enabling them to advance more flexible pricing options.

Seybert added that the contract could help DOD keep pace with commercial innovation because it allows them to integrate new tech capabilities.

According to the report, the IDIQ contract provides the government with an opportunity to get more favorable pricing by consolidating demand across all military branches.

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CISA Issues Three-Pronged International Cybersecurity Roadmap
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CISA Issues Three-Pronged International Cybersecurity Roadmap

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has outlined three goals in its first international roadmap for the proactive engagement of foreign partners to bolster the security and resilience of critical U.S. infrastructure. 

CISA Director Jen Easterly said the agency’s 2025–2026 International Strategic Plan released on Tuesday will pave the way for improving coordination and strengthening relationships with allies “to reduce risk to the globally interconnected and interdependent cyber and physical infrastructure that Americans rely on every day.”

The Plan in Three Parts

One of the objectives of the three-pronged strategic plan focuses on pinpointing the priority infrastructures critical to bolstering U.S. security and resilience. To pursue this goal, CISA will boost its coordination with U.S. government agencies and global and domestic partners on the prioritized foreign critical infrastructure and supply chains.

CISA’s global strategy also calls for strengthening integrated cyber defense to lower shared risks through increased engagements of the U.S. bilateral and multilateral Computer Security Incident Response Team.

As the agency’s third goal, CISA will unify and standardize its inter-agency processes and procedures for international activities.

CISA’s recent globally oriented work covered coordination with the National Security Agency, the FBI and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center in a collaborative project with counterparts in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea to establish guidelines on creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for operational technology.

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