The U.S. Navy plans to genetically engineer marine microorganisms to add the ability to react to its surroundings to signal the passage of enemy submarines, underwater vessels or divers, Defense One reported Saturday.

The Naval Research Laboratory is leading a study on abundant sea organisms that could react to substances left by vessels, divers or equipment, such as metals, fuel exhaust or human DNA. 

NRL researcher Sarah Glaven said the organisms may react through electron loss, which the Navy can detect with sensors on ships or autonomous vehicles.

The Navy launched the study as part of a $45M program with the Army and Air Force aimed at providing tools to engineer organisms that could support the military. 

However, Glaven noted the Navy has yet to provide evidence that it could engineer reactions in abundant marine life forms.

Meanwhile, the Army is looking at biology to allow soldiers to rapidly produce or print new camouflage coatings in the field to conceal equipment, according to Dimitra Stratis-Cullum, head of biomaterials team at the Army Research Laboratory.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced that the service completed the developmental review for its B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber program, Military.com reported Monday.

The official said at the recent Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., that the program remains on schedule following the review in late November. 

“We are pleased with how that program is going forward,” she said while attributing the progress to new acquisition authorities approved by Congress. 

Lawmakers recently provided new buying authorities to Air Force leaders to speed up decision-making and deployment of new technologies. 

Edwards Air Force Base in California and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma will provide the facilities for test, evaluation, maintenance and sustainment of the B-21. 

Northrop Grumman’s facility in Melbourne, Fla., serves as the program’s design and development headquarters under a potential $55B contract awarded in 2015. 

The B-21 currently is in the engineering and manufacturing development phase, and the Air Force expects the first aircraft to reach initial operating capability in the mid-2020s.

Work continues within the Defense Intelligence Agency to build a new database to store intelligence data from across the globe for the U.S. defense intelligence enterprise, C4ISRnet reported Monday.

DIA is building the Machine-Assisted Analysis Rapid-Repository System to replace the agency’s legacy Modernized Intelligence Database.

The core database modernization will use agile acquisition with three to five pilots running concurrently to speed up the process, said Terry Busch, DIA MARS program manager.

The agency uses a three-pronged approach to build the new database, which focuses on government use cases, industry feedback and utilizing a test-bed environment to see how a data model appears on MARS.

DIA issued a broad agency announcement to industry this fall and will accept responses until December.

Busch said contracts may be released in 2019 to begin the pilots.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, have introduced a bill to establish a global election security program under the State Department, the Office of Amy Klobuchar said in a press release Friday.

The Global Electoral Exchange Act will award grants to U.S. nonprofit organizations that specialize in election security to facilitate the exchange of relevant information with similar entities in partner nations.

The bill proposes to host foreign representatives that hold election administration duties including government officials, judiciary members and poll workers to participate in studies involving election procedures.

Additionally, a network called Global Electoral Exchange Program Alumni will be created within the State Department to support continuing exchanges of information on issues such as disinformation campaigns, audits and voter database security.

The department will submit reports on the program to the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Administration and Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Rules and Administration every two years.

The House unanimously passed a similar legislation sponsored by Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.

Klobuchar noted that the bill comes after reported threats to U.S. election security from Russia and Iran.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said the service has received congressional backing to continue its space mission amid the continued push of the Trump administration to establish a Space Force, Space News reported Monday.

Air Force leaders already informed lawmakers about its strategies, concepts of operations and programs to maintain U.S. dominance in space, according to the secretary. 

Wilson said the service received significant support from Congress, particularly for funding in fiscal year 2019 for space-related efforts. 

“The fact is we were able to build very broad consensus and significant support in the Congress without controversy in the fiscal year 2019 budget,” she said. 

Lawmakers approved Air Force’s proposals to add $7B to space programs over the next five years and to reallocate $5B from other accounts. 

Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein in late November then ordered a 90-day study to determine space budget priorities, strategies and programs for fiscal year 2021. 

President Trump plans to submit a proposal to Congress in early 2019 to request the establishment of the Space Force. 

Gen. Stephen ‘Seve’ Wilson, Air Force vice chief of staff, told National Defense in an interview published Monday that the service has initiated efforts to accelerate the acquisition process in order to expedite the delivery of capabilities to warfighters.

He noted that Will Roper, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics, came up with an idea to have the service sign 50 contracts in 50 hours in a move to speed up the procurement process.

“We actually did 104 contracts in 40 hours [during a contracting sprint with small businesses in November],” he said.

“So being able to use your government credit card and say, ‘Bring in an idea,’ and say, ‘That’s good, let’s be able to fund that.’”

The Air Force plans to hold in March a pitch day for non-traditional partners and Wilson said the service has earmarked approximately $40M in funds for projects that will be selected at the event.

He discussed the role of the rapid capabilities office in the B-21 bomber program and the potential impact of the planned cut to the fiscal 2020 defense budget on the Air Force’s readiness and modernization efforts.