The Department of Defense has begun the development of low-yield submarine-launched nuclear cruise missiles, USNI News reported Wednesday.

John Rood, undersecretary of policy at the Department of Defense, said the U.S. military also requested funding through fiscal year 2020 to perform low-yield alteration to existing ballistic missiles and warheads deployed on submarines. Rood also noted in a Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee hearing that China and Russia started modernization efforts for their nuclear weaponry, including low-yield missiles.

“The sub-launched cruise missile is further behind, and we’re just doing an AoA or analysis of alternatives at this stage,” said Rood.

Representatives Adam Smith and Susan Davis are questioning the need for low-yield missiles, stating the currrent U.S. nuclear weaponry is sufficient.

The General Services Administration revised a special item number on IT Schedule 70 to provide federal agencies access to information technology professional services related to cloud adoption and management.

The updated Cloud SIN 132-40 includes labor categories and services associated with cloud-related work such as assessment of cloud platforms, workload refactoring, migration of legacy systems to the cloud, DevOps and development of cloud-based applications, GSA said Monday. Such services could be added to the revised Cloud SIN through a new order or modification.

“Contractors may propose other types of relevant services, as long as they are specifically designed to work within and/or support the type of cloud products offered under 132-40,” the agency noted.

The updated Cloud SIN gives a clearer interpretation of the term “measured service,” which is one of the five essential characteristics of the cloud as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, announced the release of a discussion paper as the agency considers developing new regulatory framework to advance the development of artificial intelligence-based medical devices.

“We are exploring a framework that would allow for modifications to algorithms to be made from real-world learning and adaptation, while still ensuring safety and effectiveness of the software as a medical device is maintained,” Gottlieb said in a statement published Tuesday. 

He said the proposed framework intends to assure that algorithm changes use a validation process to ensure the effectiveness and safety of AI-based software and adhere to pre-specified performance goals and promote performance monitoring once the device enters the market. 

The FDA also plans to assess predetermined change control plan for software to offer detailed data on the types of anticipated changes based on the AI algorithm’s update and retraining strategy. Gottlieb noted the agency plans to issue draft guidance based on feedback it receives on the discussion paper. 

The Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Enterprise Center received initial operability status from the U.S. Strategic Command on April 3. The facility serves to restructure decision making, situation oversight, planning, force direction and management for nuclear command functions, STRATCOM said Wednesday.

Elizabeth Durham-Ruiz, NC3 Enterprise Center director for STRATCOM, said the designation is part of the command’s plans to provide reinforced NC3 capacities within the 21st century.

“The center was created to help break down stovepipes in NC3 operations across the Defense Department,” she said. “We want to bring a whole-of-government approach to NC3 as we focus on operations, requirements, systems engineering and integration and analytics for the entire enterprise.”

The Department of Defense instructed the command to enact the NC3 Governance Improvement Implementation Plan, an initiative that creates program roles, provides direction to government partners and establishes the foundation for the center.

The Department of Energy is investing a maximum of $59M to support research and development efforts on mobile energy technologies for use in vehicles. The projects encompass multiple types of energy applications including electric drive systems, batteries, mobility systems, power trains, engines and fuels, the department said Wednesday.

Studies will revolve around six research topics including solid state batteries, electric motor research, energy-efficient mobility systems and alternative fuel technology integration. Researchers will also develop predictive modeling capabilities to co-optimize fuels and multi-mode engines and build high-efficiency power trains made of lightweight and high temperature-resistant materials.

“Through this funding opportunity we are looking to partner with the best and brightest minds across the country to drive early-stage R and D for vehicle technologies forward,” said Mark Menezes, the undersecretary of energy.

Admiral Bill Moran, the U.S. Navy vice chief of naval operations, called on the service “to harness the power of data” for the military to keep up with adversaries who are seeking digital advantages. 

“Gaining a digital edge will transform the way we fight in the future,” he said in a statement Tuesday on DefenseOne. “Imagine if we could eliminate the need for calendar-driven inspection cycles because we’ve adopted real-time digital feedback in our platforms and systems.” 

Current systems used by the Navy prevent information sharing and cross-talk, which leads to digital hoarding, a problem that puts the service behind adversaries in seeking digital advantage, according to Moran.

Moran called on Navy officials to demand sharing and use of information they collect and create daily. The Navy should also update databases and outdated technology to support naval missions. 

“We all want to move faster and embed technologies like artificial intelligence or machine learning into our weapons and platforms, from the keel up,” he said. “We must first commit, as a service, to move out with one data culture, inculcating trust and scaling learning across our institution, together.”