/
Technology Modernization Fund Allocates $50M to HUD, SSA Projects
Published on
Technology Modernization Fund Allocates $50M to HUD, SSA Projects

The Technology Modernization Fund has invested $50.2 million into service modernization efforts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration.

The General Services Administration said Tuesday that the funds will target a variety of areas, including identity and access management, digitization, customer experience, or CX, and more.

“These TMF investments will enable both agencies to drive secure digital transformation forward, demonstrating a new way of modernizing government services and providing interactions that meet today’s expectations,” said Clare Martorana, TMF board chair and a previous Wash100 awardee.

According to Jessie Posilkin, acting TMF executive director, investing in HUD and SSA initiatives has two main goals: strengthening government security and expanding access to government services.

The new TMF allotments provide $19.8 million to implement a new enterprise identity, credential and access management system, or EICAM, for the HUD. The EICAM, which recently passed the pilot stage, is designed to address siloes within HUD’s digital infrastructure of more than 230 system applications that are accessed by around 10,000 internal users and 540,000 external customers.

The funds will also support three SSA projects, one of which will receive $19.5 million for the digitization of forms and documents and transition to a service featuring electronic signature capabilities and online document upload.

SSA will also receive $9 million to enhance CX by building user-friendly, modern digital tools. The agency will additionally spend $1.9 million from the TMF allotment to infuse artificial intelligence into systems such as the National Case Processing System and Intelligence Medical-Language Analysis Generation tool.

/
Commerce Department to Make $325M Investment in Polysilicon Producer
Published on
Commerce Department to Make $325M Investment in Polysilicon Producer

The Department of Commerce will provide Hemlock Semiconductor, a producer of hyper-pure polysilicon, with up to $325 million in CHIPS and Science Act funding under a new partnership intended to boost the production of semiconductor-grade polysilicon in the United States.

The two organizations signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms to fund the construction of a new manufacturing facility on the HSC’s Hemlock, Michigan campus for producing and purifying hyper-pure semiconductor-grade polysilicon, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

According to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, having a reliable source of polysilicon will help improve the economy and national security.

“We are proposing to invest up and down the semiconductor supply chain and support domestic materials suppliers, like HSC, that are helping drive America’s semiconductor manufacturing resurgence and technological leadership – and creating quality jobs all over the country in the process,” she said.

This investment is expected to create around 180 manufacturing jobs and more than 1,000 construction jobs while strengthening the U.S. polysilicon supply chain. A total of $5 million will be used to train the HSC’s production and construction workforce. The company will work alongside Delta College and Saginaw Career Complex to design programs offering semiconductor training and employment opportunities to individuals in the area.

“Bolstered by the CHIPS Act, we are planning for a once-in-a-generation investment in advanced technologies to continue serving as a top polysilicon supplier to the leading-edge semiconductor market,” AB Ghosh, chairman and CEO of HSC.

//
Navy Platforms Achieves Zero Trust Compliance Goals
Published on
Navy Platforms Achieves Zero Trust Compliance Goals

The Department of the Navy’s Flank Speed cloud platform has attained full compliance with all Department of Defense zero trust expectations. 

In a second round of security assessments led by the DOD’s Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office, the system was able to meet all 91 target zero trust activities laid out in the DOD’s Zero Trust Strategy and Roadmap, the Navy’s Program Executive Office for Digital and Enterprise Services said Tuesday.

Randy Resnick, the DOD’s chief zero trust officer and a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said Flank Speed’s performance showed that cyber defenses “work very effectively to protect and defend our data and systems against the very latest cyberattacks from our adversaries.”

This accomplishment comes three years ahead of the DOD’s scheduled 2027 deadline for zero trust adoption. Flank Speed was also able to achieve 60 of the strategy’s 61 advanced zero trust initiatives — the next phase of the department’s zero trust adoption journey.

Designed and developed by PEO Digital, the cloud service was deployed in 2021 to drive collaboration, boost productivity and strengthen zero trust security for over 560,000 users across the globe. The platform supports cloud-native services, secure data access, modern endpoint device management and identity management.

It also uses hyper-converged infrastructure to provide advanced capability in edge locations.

According to Jane Rathbun, the Navy’s chief information officer and a 2024 Wash100 Award recipient, the cloud service was created to address emerging telework needs and has since changed “how we deliver and operate capability, tightly partnering between the resource, requirements, acquisition and cyber operator communities.”

The Navy intends to leverage Flank Speed to expand zero trust across the enterprise to keep its IT infrastructure secure and resilient in the evolving digital space.

///
DOE Opens Funding Opportunity for AI/ML R&D
Published on
DOE Opens Funding Opportunity for AI/ML R&D

The Department of Energy’s Office of Science plans to invest $22 million in various research and development projects exploring the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in its Nuclear Physics, or NP, program.

The office on Monday published a notice of funding opportunity for R&D efforts that could help determine the potential of AI/ML across all NP research objectives, including enhancing accelerators and detectors used in NP facilities and scientific instrumentation.

The project also aims to assess the use of AI/ML in nuclear physics computations.

Specific areas of focus include:

  • Use of AI to enhance automated control and efficiency of accelerators and scientific instruments
  • Creation of digital twins for future colliders
  • Extraction of critical information from large complex data sets
  • Data-driven exploration of new physics

These goals align with NP’s push to solve technical challenges in the areas of theory, simulations, control, data acquisition and data analysis. By leveraging AI-based approaches, the project intends to tackle these issues faster and accelerate experimental and computational discoveries.

Interested parties may submit a letter of intent by Nov. 14. Applications are due on Jan. 14.

///
Salesforce Introduces New Platform With Top Secret Authorization
Published on
Salesforce Introduces New Platform With Top Secret Authorization

Salesforce has introduced Government Cloud Premium, a secure platform designed to help federal agencies manage classified information and develop applications.

The company said Monday the new Software-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service offering has been authorized at the Top Secret level.

Bill Pessin, senior vice president of national security at Salesforce, said the company is “deeply committed to ensuring [agencies] have the tools they need to drive mission success.”

“With Government Cloud Premium, U.S. national security and intelligence customers can now transform operations and move at mission speed with reliable, secure and compliant capabilities,” he added.

Through Government Cloud Premium, agencies can create new applications and integrate them with other data and systems, a capability enabled by its API-first architecture. The new platform also supports workflow automation.

The system uses authentication, access controls and encryption to protect sensitive information, allowing intelligence agencies to address shifting mission demands. It is hosted on Amazon Web Services’ Top Secret cloud, which optimizes information sharing between agencies and accelerates operational speed.

Government Cloud Premium additionally allows agencies to transfer information from unclassified to classified networks. It also provides automatic updates, government-specific data models and reusable components.

//
WHS Awards $1.75B Contract to Johns Hopkins Lab for R&D Support
Published on
WHS Awards $1.75B Contract to Johns Hopkins Lab for R&D Support

Washington Headquarters Services has issued Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, or APL, a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract valued at up to $1.75 billion to support the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The Department of Defense said Tuesday that the laboratory will offer analysis, research and development and system engineering services to various OUSD R&E programs. 

Work will be performed in Laurel, Maryland, until Oct. 20, 2029. The WHS in Arlington, Virginia, serves as the contracting activity. 

The OUSD R&E is headed by four-time Wash100 awardee Heidi Shyu, who essentially serves as the DOD’s chief technology officer. As head of the office, she leads research, development and prototyping activities across the entire department. 

Johns Hopkins Supporting US Military, Government Programs

Johns Hopkins’ APL has been a long-time partner of the Defense Department and broader U.S. government. In September, the laboratory was selected to validate the Navy’s Autonomy Baseline Library, a software for analyzing uncrewed surface vehicles’ systems and capabilities. 

The facility also supported NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, which was launched on Oct. 14 to study one of Jupiter’s moons. APL worked on the Clipper mission’s development in partnership with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. 

Join the nation’s leading defense researchers and experts to discuss the critical technologies shaping the future of the U.S. military at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 23, 2025. Register for the event here.

WHS Awards $1.75B Contract to Johns Hopkins Lab for R&D Support
/
Susan Davenport Named Air Force Chief Data & AI Officer
Published on
Susan Davenport Named Air Force Chief Data & AI Officer

The Department of the Air Force has appointed Susan Davenport, a senior government leader and IT professional, as chief data and artificial intelligence officer.

In a LinkedIn post published Tuesday, the DAF Office of the Chief Information Officer highlighted Davenport’s three decades of experience working in cyber, intelligence, space and advanced technology roles across the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.

“Her expertise driving innovation and managing complex programs will be instrumental in shaping the future of Data and AI for the Air Force and the Space Force,” the organization said.

Davenport most recently served as senior adviser for defense innovation within a DAF office dedicated to concepts development and management. Prior to this role, she was deputy chief engineer for the National Reconnaissance Office, where she also led its research ground group and customer group. Earlier, she was director of the data services group within the U.S. Air Force.

//
DOD, SBA Reveal 1st Group of Investment Funds Under SBICCT Initiative
Published on
DOD, SBA Reveal 1st Group of Investment Funds Under SBICCT Initiative

The Department of Defense and Small Business Administration have revealed newly approved funds authorized through the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technology Initiative, or SBICCT.

The Pentagon said Tuesday the group includes four SBIC Licensees and nine Green Light Approved funds and is set to collectively invest over $2.8 billion in more than 1,000 portfolio companies.

Each of these funds can access up to $175 million in SBA-guaranteed loans meant to improve fund-level investment returns.

The funds will invest in companies focused on the DOD’s 14 critical technology aereas, component-level technology platforms and production processes as well as across asset classes such as seed, buyout, direct lending and venture funds, among others.

“This first group of SBICCT Initiative funds represents a consequential milestone in demonstrating the power of public-private partnerships to build enduring advantage by growing and modernizing our supply chains, strengthening our economic and national security, and benefiting the development and commercialization of critical technologies that are key drivers of our U.S. industrial base,” said Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering.

The 2024 Wash100 awardee added that she is proud of the cooperation between the DOD’s Office of Strategic Capital and SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation in creating and cultivating the program.

According to the DOD, over 100 funds have expressed interest in participating in the SBICCT Initiative.

Applications for the next filing are due Nov. 15.

Investing in Key National Security Technologies

SBICCT is the first program established under the SBA-DOD partnership, which was announced in December 2022. The joint effort seeks to increase commercial investment in national security technologies.

Specifically, the initiative will match private capital with federally guaranteed loans to breathe new life into the U.S. national security supplier base and stimulate investment in critical technology areas, including artificial intelligence and autonomy, quantum science, microelectronics and space technology.

/
DHS Cyber Crimes Center Widens International Presence With 4 New Roles
Published on
DHS Cyber Crimes Center Widens International Presence With 4 New Roles

The Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Crimes Center, known as C3, has created four new international cyber investigations liaison roles as part of a push to strengthen its ability to address transnational cybercrime.

DHS said Tuesday that the positions will make new resources available to the Homeland Security Investigations-led Cyber Crime Unit, or CCU, and will be based in Ottawa, Canada; London, England; Sydney, Australia; and the Hague, Netherlands.

CCU leverages advanced technology and collaboration to support investigations into network intrusions and digital crimes. The organization offers advanced analytical support, data engineering and cyber investigative support and coordinates public-private partnerships.

“By expanding our international presence, we are strengthening our ability to combat the evolving threats of transnational cybercrime,” said Mike Prado, deputy assistant director of C3.

“These new positions will enhance our collaboration with global law enforcement partners, allowing us to disrupt criminal networks more effectively and protect communities worldwide,” he elaborated.

The Cyber Crime Center’s Strategy

C3 uses forensic technology and law enforcement networks worldwide to counter cybercrime and criminal exploitation of the internet. C3 supports HSI’s investigations into underground online marketplaces selling weapons, illegal drugs and more by providing computer and cyber-based technical services.

Prado will join a panel discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13. Secure your spot at the event to get exclusive access to his insights.

POC - 2024 Homeland Security Summit
//
PNNL-Led Team Investigating Cloud Use for Computational Chemistry
Published on
PNNL-Led Team Investigating Cloud Use for Computational Chemistry

A team comprising scientists and computing experts from industry and academia under the leadership of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has released a peer-reviewed journal publication concerning the Transferring Exascale Computational Chemistry to Cloud Computing Environment and Emerging Hardware Technologies, or TEC4, initiative.

Using Cloud for Computationally Intensive Algorithms

PNNL said Monday that under the initiative, researchers ported to the cloud computationally intensive algorithms that work to establish whether proposed chemicals for various applications are actually feasible. The aim of the effort is to establish the viability of cloud computing serving as a complement to high-performance computing facilities.

According to the journal publication, the researchers found that cloud computing could accelerate the execution of advanced computational chemistry workflows, bringing timeframes down from months to days. The study evaluated the performance of new as well as legacy software.

Bundling SaaS With Cloud Computing

Commenting on the effort, Karol Kowalski, a computational chemist with PNNL, said, “We have shown that it’s possible to bundle software-as-a-service with cloud computing resources. This initial proof-of-concept shows that cloud computing can provide a menu of options to complement and supplement high-performance computing for solving complex scientific problems.”

1 … 185 186 187 188 189 … 2,621