The U.S. Marine Corps has issued a request for information on wearable devices with a biosensor as the service branch looks to customize training programs and increase the operational performance of troops, Marine Corps Times reported Tuesday. USMC wants to determine the potential of biosensing technology-equipped wristbands, chest straps, watches or T-shirts to collect and transmit physiological data as part of human performance augmentation efforts.

Manny Pacheco, a Marine Corps Systems Command spokesman, was quoted as saying that USMC would explore approaches to address operational security concerns that may arise. The Department of Defense banned the use of devices, applications and services with geolocation technology at operational military areas.

Chris Mihm, managing director for intergovernmental relations and strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, said at an event in Washington, D.C. that most agencies are facing a “critical skills gap”, Nextgov reported Tuesday. 

Sixteen out of 35 areas under GAO’s High Risk List are rooted in human capital issues, according to Mihm. He added that hiring, training, retaining cyber staff to deal with evolving threats is “a big challenge for federal agencies.”

“Increasingly, success is going to be thinking in new and creative ways—and that’s the link that has to take place between human capital approaches, human capital planning and the mission outcomes that we need to achieve.” 

In addition, agencies should also consider including workforce strategies into long-term plans and transition away from position-based planning to competence-based planning for future cyber requirements, he said.

The federal government has exceeded its targeted amount of small business contracts for fiscal year 2018, marking the sixth year of meeting the annual goal. Around 25 percent of federal contract funds, totaling $120.8 billion, went to agreements with small businesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration said Tuesday. This record exhibits an increase from last fiscal year’s $15 billion. 

“I’m happy to report that for the first time in history the federal government has awarded more than $120 billion in federal contracts and marked the sixth year in a row exceeding our target milestones for small businesses,” said Chris Pilkerton, the agency’s acting administrator.

The fiscal 2018 small business federal procurement scorecard reports increases in contracting across small business categories including veteran-owned and women-owned. SBA coordinates with agencies to align contracting approaches with small business goals. Small business contracting score cards for individual agencies can be accessed here.

The Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fire Administration have teamed up with the international first responder community to address wildfire concerns in wildland-urban interface areas. FEMA will help optimize and address operational issues for public communications, intergovernmental coordination and wildland fire monitoring to augment building codes and infrastructure security, DHS said Tuesday.

S&T conducted various activities with stakeholders and the government of California and discovered that current methods and technologies may help save lives and properties amidst potential risks and challenges. The directorate will also validate ways to utilize available funds to address challenges with DHS missions through communicating with frontliners.

DHS held a firefighter workshop in partnership with the Centre for Security Science at Defense Research and Development Canada to enable the participants to share their experiences in line with the effort.

The Department of Energy provides $24 million to partially finance 77 government-industry partnerships aiming to commercialize emerging energy technologies. National Laboratories will work with commercial firms on projects supported by the Technology Commercialization Fund, DOE said Tuesday.

“Technology transfer is an essential component of our mission at DOE, helping ensure we deliver the maximum return on the investment of the American taxpayer, said Rick Perry, secretary of energy.

TCF-funded projects include the development of an advanced ignition system with Argonne National Laboratory and a neutron spectrum generator with Idaho National Laboratory. The department also appointed Conner Prochaska, director of DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions, to lead TCF-related efforts as chief commercialization officer.

“The TCF creates an effective pathway to putting these lab-derived technologies to work and helps to maximize the impact of our research investment for the benefit of the entire nation,” Prochaska said.

The full list of projects can be found here.

Suzette Kent, federal chief information officer and 2019 Wash100 Award winner, said the White House is focusing on deploying artificial intelligence to simplify manual functions and support information technology modernization efforts, Federal Times reported Tuesday.  AI can do manual jobs with a lower margin of error and less time while also creating new positions, Kent told attendees at the AI World Government Conference in Washington, D.C.

She added that advanced computing platforms, high-quality data, modernized networks, security and ethical implications are key factors to successfully implement AI in line with the White House’s recent IT modernization strategy. “The whole of government has a focus on AI capabilities and federal leadership is united in making this a priority,” she said.

A recent report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee has found that government agencies have “historically failed to comply with cybersecurity standards.” According to the report, the number of data breaches experienced by agencies in recent years is “not surprising” due to the state of federal networks’ cybersecurity posture and how such agencies failed to address information technology infrastructure issues that left sensitive public information vulnerable to attacks. 

The subcommittee reviewed inspector general reports released over the last decade and discovered cases of non-compliance with basic National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity standards. These include failures in protecting personally identifiable information, maintaining a comprehensive and accurate list of IT assets, installing security patches, modernizing legacy systems and ensuring valid “authority to operate” certifications.

IG reports covered by the study include those for the Social Security Administration and the departments of Homeland Security, State, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Education.