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Entegris to Drive Semiconductor Innovation Through $700M R&D Investment
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Integrated circuit. Entegris will invest $700 million in U.S. R&D projects to accelerate semiconductor innovation.

Entegris will invest $700 million in U.S. research and development projects over the next several years to advance semiconductor innovation.

The company said Thursday the R&D investment will span its materials solutions and advanced purity solutions divisions.

“To support the industry’s growth, we have been creating a stronger and more resilient domestic semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S.,” said Dave Reeder, president and CEO of Entegris.

“These investments also allow for continued leadership in advanced materials solutions,” he added.

The announcement brings the company’s planned investment in domestic R&D and manufacturing initiatives to approximately $1.4 billion. Entegris previously announced a $700 million investment in a new manufacturing center of excellence in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Entegris Investment in US Technology Center

The company will use a portion of its investment to build its U.S. Technology Center in Aurora, Illinois.

The center will focus on enhancing product performance and accelerating time to market across its suite of offerings, including deposition materials, cleans, slurries and CMP pads.

Entegris supplies advanced materials and process platforms for the semiconductor industry and other high-tech sectors. The company has approximately 8,200 employees worldwide and has manufacturing and research facilities in the U.S., Canada, Germany, Israel and other countries in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

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Gen. Whiting: Enhancing Space Security Requires Greater International Cooperation
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Gen. Stephen Whiting. The head of USSPACECOM called for greater international cooperation to safeguard the space domain.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, highlighted the need for greater international cooperation to protect the space domain and urged partner countries to invest in space to improve space security and respond to emerging threats, USSPACECOM reported Thursday.

“I encourage the continued investment in space from our partner nations, because we know that our cooperation in space is a strategic advantage that can harness capabilities, capacities, access and strengthen messaging,” Whiting said Wednesday at the South American Defense Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Your individual strength is a direct challenge to autocratic nations’ careless ambitions.”

Gen. Whiting: Enhancing Space Security Requires Greater International Cooperation

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USSOCOM’s Enhanced Domain Awareness Program

Whiting, a previous Wash100 awardee, cited USSPACECOM’s partnership with U.S. Southern Command to drive space domain awareness and security cooperation.

“We’re working to build and share specialized expertise through partner space training opportunities and share enhanced domain awareness via SOUTHCOM’s [Enhanced Domain Awareness] program,” he said at the event.

He cited the role of SOUTHCOM’s EDA program in improving situational awareness and collaboration for space-based surveillance and intelligence capabilities.

During the event, he also mentioned the $42 million investment in infrastructure development initiatives and the installation of space domain awareness telescopes with partners in South America.

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Joseph Francescon Appointed National Security Agency Deputy Director
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Joseph Francescon. The NSA has named Francescon as its new deputy director.

Joseph Francescon has been named the next deputy director and senior civilian leader of the National Security Agency. The NSA said Thursday that in his new role, Francescon will be managing strategy execution, creating policy and overseeing the senior civilian leadership. He will also help shape defense and intelligence policies as well as strengthen the NSA’s role in protecting the U.S. from foreign threats.

Joseph Francescon Appointed National Security Agency Deputy Director

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Commenting on his appointment, Francescon said, “I am deeply honored and filled with excitement to return home to the National Security Agency as Deputy Director, where my career began.”

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to President Trump for his trust in me and bold leadership in prioritizing America’s security, to DNI Tulsi Gabbard for her principled and inspiring guidance rooted in constitutional values, and to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for his transformative vision and combat-tested resolve. Together, I am eager to lead NSA’s exceptional team in safeguarding our nation and countering global threats to protect the American people,” he added.

Who Is Joseph Francescon?

Francescon began his career as an intelligence analyst at the NSA. He then joined the National Security Council as director for counterterrorism, then eventually became an acting senior director for counterterrorism and threat networks. As part of the Department of Defense, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for special operations and combating terrorism, then became the deputy chief. He then took on the role of the chief of Washington operations of High Point Aerotechnologies at Highlander Partners. He is currently the chief external affairs officer of DZYNE Technologies.

DNI Tulsi Gabbard, SecDef Pete Hegseth Share Thoughts

In a joint statement, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary and Wash100 Award winner Pete Hegseth congratulated him on his appointment.

“Joe has served our country with distinction at the highest levels of national security, from the Intelligence Community to the Pentagon and overseas. With his wealth of experience countering foreign threats, Joe is exceptionally qualified to lead the next generation of American cybersecurity experts, spearheading efforts to outmaneuver evolving threats and counter our adversaries,” they said.

“We have confidence and faith that Joe will serve with integrity as a mission-focused leader and faithfully uphold the Constitution and defend the freedom and security of the American people,” they added.

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NIST Releases Draft Guide to Help Organizations Address Emerging Cybersecurity Risks
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Cybersecurity. NIST seeks feedback on an initial public draft of a new quick-start guide for using the CSF 2.0.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released an initial public draft of a new quick-start guide for using the Cybersecurity Framework 2.0. NIST said the document provides organizations with practical steps to improve their management of emerging cybersecurity risks.

NIST’s New Quick-Start Resource

The draft guide, NIST Special Publication 1331 ipd, is the latest in a series of quick-start resources developed to make the updated cybersecurity framework more accessible to different audiences and actionable. NIST said the guide explains how organizations’ existing enterprise risk management can be paired with CSF 2.0 to help organizations prepare for risks that are either not yet well understood or entirely unknown.

Defining Emerging Risks

According to the publication, emerging risks fall into two categories: those that are already known to some organizations but not others and those that are unknown to all. The guide notes that while traditional threats such as ransomware and distributed denial-of-service attacks fall into the first category, the second involves novel risks with no existing mitigation strategies.

Preparing Through Resilience and Governance

Besides integrating the cybersecurity practices under CSF 2.0 with enterprise risk management programs, the guide recommends adopting multidisciplinary approaches when facing emerging risks, emphasizing that preparation should focus on resilience, governance structures and organizational adaptability, allowing enterprises to maintain or restore operations when unexpected risks materialize.

Organizing Management of Risks

The draft organizes management of emerging risks into proactive and reactive phases aligned with CSF 2.0’s functions. The Govern, Identify and Protect functions are primarily used before risks are realized, while Detect, Respond and Recover support actions after risks occur. NIST highlights the importance of continuous improvement across all phases, stressing that lessons learned must be analyzed, prioritized and used to inform all functions.

Public Feedback Sought

Authors of the draft are NIST’s Stephen Quinn, Matthew Barrett of CyberESI Consulting Group, Robert Gardner of New World Technology Partners, Kelly Hood of Optic Cyber Solutions and Matthew Smith of Seemless Transition.

NIST is accepting public comments on the draft until Sept. 21. Feedback must be sent to csf@nist.gov.

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PEO STRI Experiments With Cloud-Based Next-Gen Constructive Training Platform
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US Army logo. PEO STRI conducts experiment on the Next Generation Constructive training platform.

The U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, or PEO STRI, has conducted an experiment on the Next Generation Constructive during Scarlet Dragon 25-3 held from Aug. 11 to 15, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

PEO STRI said Thursday it collaborated with Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina Mission Training Complex, and industry partners Palantir Technologies and Battle Road Digital to conduct the experiment to test the new cloud-based training architecture.

Advancing Warfighter Training Capabilities

The experiment, intended to confirm the feasibility of the NGC system before a full contract award, validated Palantir’s Foundry platform as the data fabric for the proposed system. It also demonstrated the interface between Battle Road Digital’s Atom Engine and Foundry’s Maven Smart System.

The test unexpectedly activated the command and control information system team awareness kit using Atom Engine data through the Foundry interface, showcasing the NGC architecture’s adaptability. The initial integration confirmed that the systems could share data to boost situational awareness during training exercises.

According to Lt. Col. Thane Keller, lead capability developer for NGC, the team will focus on intelligence and fires for Scarlet Dragon 26-1 as they continue to integrate the platforms and mature capabilities to drive multi-domain operations training and readiness.

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GSA Announces OneGov Agreement With Google for Gemini for Government
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Google logo. Google will offer its Gemini for Government artificial intelligence platform for less than $0.50 per agency

The General Services Administration has entered into an agreement with Google to accelerate the adoption of cloud and artificial intelligence across government.

The agency announced Thursday that Google will provide access to its comprehensive Gemini for Government AI offering at a discounted price.

GSA-Google Agreement Supports Government Initiatives

The agreement is part of GSA’s OneGov strategy to streamline the acquisition of goods and services across government to standardize terms and pricing.

“GSA’s OneGov Strategy provides a streamlined path for delivering American AI products across the federal government, and ‘Gemini for Government’ will equip agencies with innovative AI tools and advanced cloud infrastructure to accelerate their missions,” Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Sector and a four-time Wash100 awardee, said. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our partnership with GSA, reaffirming our commitment to providing modern, efficient and scalable cloud solutions that empower government agencies to better serve the American people.”

The partnership between the company and GSA is in line with America’s AI Action Plan, an effort to ensure that the United States maintains global leadership in AI.

“GSA is delivering on the President’s AI Action Plan and helping agencies access powerful American AI tools to optimize daily workflows and create a more efficient, responsive, and effective government for American taxpayers,” commented Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service and also a Wash100 recipient. “Critically, this offering will provide partner agencies with vital flexibility in GSA’s marketplace, ensuring they have the options needed to sustain a strong and resilient procurement ecosystem.”

The agency previously made similar deals with Box, OpenAI, Anthropic and Amazon Web Services.

What Is Gemini for Government?

According to Google, Gemini for Government is a complete AI platform for the public sector. It brings together Google’s AI-optimized commercial cloud, Gemini large language models and and agentic tools in one package to support agency missions.  

Through Gemini for Government, federal personnel can also access the NotebookLM AI tool for deep research and idea generation.

Google is offering the AI package for only $0.47 per agency.

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PNNL Unveils PermitAI to Streamline Environmental Reviews With NEPATEC 2.0
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PNN logo. PNNL has developed PermitAI to streamline environmental reviews using NEPATEC 2.0 database.

The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has developed PermitAI, a project designed to unify all vital data of the National Environmental Policy Act into a single, centralized database called NEPA Text Corpus, or NEPATEC 2.0.

Utilizing AI Algorithm to Unify Environmental Data

PNNL said Thursday that PermitAI leverages a custom artificial intelligence algorithm to instantly process and categorize data in document formats previously stored in siloed federal computer systems. The public can now access the processed, machine-readable data through the NEPATEC 2.0 database.

What Is NEPATEC 2.0?

NEPATEC 2.0 is a dataset that uses a standardized format created by the Council of Environmental Quality to standardize and organize data using metadata that reveals connections between data points, enhancing clarity and reusability.

The database now includes data from various federal agencies involved in environmental permitting, including NEPA planning documents such as environmental impact statements, environmental assessments and categorical exclusions. This aligns with America’s AI Action Plan and the Council on Environmental Quality’s mandate for standardized data practices.

“The release of NEPATEC 2.0 marks a key milestone in improving environmental review,” said Neelesh Nerurkar, director of infrastructure policy at DOE. “By making the permitting records usable at scale, it equips project developers and agencies with the data needed to reduce review timelines for crucial energy investments without sacrificing quality. PermitAI enables us to build the infrastructure we need for the future faster, smarter and more efficiently.”

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CISA Urges Experts to Work With Government to Address Software Understanding Gap
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CISA logo. CISA is urging mission owners to identify research priorities to help address the software understanding gap.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is asking software analysis experts and mission owners to work with several government agencies to identify research priorities to help address the national gap in software understanding.

CISA Urges Experts to Work With Government to Address Software Understanding Gap

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In a blog post published Wednesday, CISA said it is working on the initiative with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the National Nuclear Security Agency.

CISA noted that it is leading an interagency effort to improve the ability to build and analyze software to understand its safety, security, and functionality before using it.

According to the post, having an adequate capacity for software understanding could enable the U.S. to strengthen critical infrastructure against state-sponsored activity and gain an advantage in geopolitics.

‘Closing the Software Understanding Gap’ Report

In January, CISA, DARPA, OUSD R&E and NSA released a report outlining recommended actions to address the software understanding gap.

The report Closing the Software Understanding Gap recommended implementing policies that require characterizing software behavior before it is deployed into critical systems. The document also called for using artificial intelligence and other technologies to develop reliable and affordable capabilities.

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Marines Test 5G Expeditionary Transmission Tech
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5G network connectivity. COMMSTRAT Marines with II MEF tested a 5G expeditionary transmission system.

Communication Strategy and Operations, or COMMSTRAT, Marines with II Marine Expeditionary Force, or MEF, tested the capability of a 5G communications technology to support imagery transmission during a field training exercise held at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Marines Test 5G Expeditionary Transmission Tech

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“One of the biggest challenges in the digital realm for warfighters is communications going down, and once it’s up, protecting that connection,” Chief Warrant Officer 4 Izzel Sanchez, II MEF COMMSTRAT visual information officer, said in a statement published Wednesday.

“The new systems we’re putting together aim to fix that. We need to test them in these environments so when the scenario changes, we can change too and still execute the mission effectively,” added Sanchez.

Testing 5G Expeditionary Router & Starshield 

During the exercise, the Marines trained on a 5G expeditionary router and a lightweight satellite antenna called Starshield, designed to create high-speed uplinks. Using the new systems, they captured, edited and transmitted short visual products.

The event enabled the Marines to assess each piece of equipment’s field durability, ease of use and effectiveness under realistic conditions. The 5G router facilitated quick startup and file transfers, while the Starshield antenna enabled transmission with minimal setup.

“Being able to instantly send imagery from austere environments makes it far easier to control the narrative and pass the truth of what’s on the ground,” said Sanchez. “COMMSTRAT Marines are no longer just observers, they’re an implemented capability. They bring a weapon and a camera, they train alongside the units they embed with, and they’re ready to defend themselves and those around them while delivering critical information.”

The exercise is part of the Digital Frontline campaign that aims to demonstrate how advanced communications systems could enable Marines to securely perform operations in an information-driven battlefield.

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Gabbard Says ODNI Reorganization to Bring $700M in Annual Savings
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Tulsi Gabbard. The director of national intelligence announced the restructuring of ODNI.

The restructuring of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has commenced, an initiative Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said will cut the agency’s size nearly in half by the end of fiscal 2025 and save taxpayers more than $700 million annually.

The effort, called ODNI 2.0, is intended to streamline operations, eliminate redundant offices and refocus the agency on integrating intelligence from across the 18 elements of the intelligence community, according to an ODNI press release published Wednesday.

Gabbard Says ODNI Reorganization to Bring $700M in Annual Savings

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Created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the office was established to address systemic failures in the IC, but Gabbard said it has grown “bloated and inefficient” over the past two decades.

“ODNI and the IC must make serious changes to fulfill its responsibility to the American people and the U.S. Constitution by focusing on our core mission: find the truth and provide objective, unbiased, timely intelligence to the President and policymakers,” she said in a statement.

ODNI 2.0 Targets Redundancy

Several offices will be closed or consolidated under the plan. The functions of the Foreign Malign Influence Center, the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center and the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center will be absorbed into the National Intelligence Council and ODNI’s mission integration directorate.

The National Intelligence University will be merged into the National Defense University, while the External Research Council and the Strategic Futures Group will be eliminated. Gabbard’s office said the SFG had neglected its purpose as the NIC’s strategic and long-range forecasting arm and instead produced analysis that conflicted with the current administration’s national security priorities.

ODNI said reductions already underway have cut more than 500 positions, representing a 30 percent decrease in staff.

Election Influence and Social Media

The Foreign Malign Influence Center, established to track efforts by overseas actors to influence the American public, came under particular criticism. According to ODNI’s fact sheet, the center coordinated with social media companies around election-related content and “may have been used to weaponize intelligence against Americans.” The office cited coordination with Twitter, Facebook and Google in October 2020, prior to restrictions on sharing the New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop.

More ODNI 2.0 Measures

The restructuring also includes changes to acquisition, workforce balance and counterintelligence. ODNI plans to streamline contracting for emerging technologies and accelerate the adoption of commercial tools. The National Counterterrorism Center will expand intelligence sharing with federal, state and local law enforcement, while the National Counterintelligence and Security Center will focus on security clearance reform and investigations of unauthorized leaks of classified information.

“Ending the weaponization of intelligence and holding bad actors accountable are essential to begin to earn the American people’s trust which has long been eroded,” Gabbard said.

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