Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson wants the U.S. Navy to expand wargames to include cyber and information warfare tactics to deter the rapidly changing capabilities of adversaries in the battlefield, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

The call comes during the growing efforts of other service branches to incorporate multi-domain operations into their wargaming. The U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps are exploring ways to launch coordinated attacks across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains. However, the Navy has yet to set the same initiative to conduct such operations.

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Richardson said that operations across all domains require “nanosecond timing” and that robust wargaming would help the Navy prepare for future multi-domain operations. The admiral also noted the service should prioritize rapid prototyping and the deployment of new weapons systems to improve its capabilities. Richardson described the long schedule to develop new systems as “a self-inflicted wound.”

The White House is expected within the coming weeks to introduce an action plan on 5G technology, artificial intelligence and the National Quantum Initiative Act’s “first deliverables,” The Hill reported Wednesday.

An administration official told the publication the Trump administration could release such a plan designed to keep the country’s research-and-development leadership in those tech areas.

President Trump said in his State of the Union address that he backs investments in the “industries of the future.”

“President Trump’s commitment to American leadership in artificial intelligence, 5G wireless, quantum science, and advanced manufacturing will ensure that these technologies serve to benefit the American people and that the American innovation ecosystem remains the envy of the world for generations to come,” Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president for technology policy, said in an email statement.

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Potomac Officers Club’s will be hosting the 2019 Artificial Intelligence Summit on February 13th at the Hilton-McLean in McLean, Va. At the event, public and private sector leaders will discuss government AI programs and priorities, as well as what new initiatives lie on the horizon.

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Dana Deasy of the DoD and 2019 Wash100 winner, Dawn Meyerriecks of the CIA and Dean Souleles of the ODNI will also be featured as keynote speakers and a full panel of leaders will be in attendance, including another 2019 Wash100 winner Anthony Robbins. You can still register for the 2019 Artificial Intelligence Summit right here.

The U.S. government and private sector must take action on cyber-enabled economic warfare to avoid being “flat-footed” during a major cyber incident, according to a Foundation for Defense of Democracies report released Tuesday.

The FDD report comes after a 2018 CEEW tabletop exercise with private sector and government representatives that involved a simulated cyberattack on critical U.S. infrastructure. The exercise was conducted to assess the efficiency of resilience capabilities, information-sharing procedures and leadership decisions.

According to the report, the federal government must take steps such as launching public awareness campaigns on the private sector’s role in safeguarding the nation from cyber attacks. The FDD also recommended the White House and Congress allocate funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s National Risk Management Center to properly address the need for major cyber protection. Other suggestions outlined in the report include ensuring that “conflicting loyalties” in the private sector don’t undermine crisis response and counseling the public on CEEW preparedness.

The report noted that obvious targets such as logistics firms, banks and goods manufacturers could be left vulnerable in the event of a major cyberattack.

The U.S. National Guard looks to further implement the use of robots in missions, adding to the number of robotic applications observed in the force. The National Guard already employs robots for engineering, explosive disposal, chemical threat detection and reconnaissance, the U.S. Army said Tuesday.

Bryan McVeigh, force protection project manager of the Army’s Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support, said the National Guard plans to implement robots with more generalized functions. The force’s robots are divided into four types, with sizes that vary based on mission requirements.

The 25-pound Common Robotic System is a smaller platform designed to perform building clearance, detect explosives and identify targets. The golf car-sized Squad Multi-purpose Equipment Transport or SMET can carry up to 1,000 pounds of a squad’s necessities including water and ammunition. The force uses the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station to fire machine guns while inside a vehicle, eliminating the need for turrets.

McVeigh’s team is working to develop a similar weaponized version of SMET. The National Guard also wants to apply a common control system for future robots.

“If I can have a common controller that is basically app-based, the same button you use on one [robot] for forward is the same button you’re going to use on all of them for forward,” said McVeigh. “It significantly reduces the cognitive burden on Soldiers who are entering 16, 24 and beyond hours on a mission because it’s rote memory,” he added.

Echodyne, Tamr and DataRobot have each transitioned the technologies they’re developing for the Department of Homeland Security’s science and technology directorate into the Homeland Security Enterprise, DHS said Tuesday. The three startups’ platforms, created as part of S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, were deployed in 2018 to support Customs and Border Protection operations.

“By engaging with small businesses and startups, S&T has gained access to the previously inaccessible, cutting-edge innovations available in the commercial market,” said William Bryan, a senior official working for the undersecretary of science and technology. 

Tamr developed the Global Traveler Assessment System, a database analysis platform for screening foreign travelers, while Echodyne produced the Metamaterial Electronically Scanning Array for border security operations. DataRobot is the latest of the three firms to transition, with its GTAS automated machine learning technology being used by the CBP for counter-narcotics activities.

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CBP was the first unit to partner with the SVIP for the development of new technologies since the program’s inception in 2015.