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DARPA Launches Program to Expedite Exploratory Research Work on ‘3rd Wave’ AI Concepts
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DARPA Launches Program to Expedite Exploratory Research Work on ‘3rd Wave’ AI Concepts


DARPA Launches Program to Expedite Exploratory Research Work on '3rd Wave' AI ConceptsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has introduced a new program that aims to speed up research and development work on artificial intelligence platforms in an effort to help the U.S. maintain its technological edge in the field of AI.

The AI Exploration program will focus on the development of “third wave” AI applications and theory designed to allow machines to adapt to evolving situations, DARPA said Friday.

DARPA Launches Program to Expedite Exploratory Research Work on '3rd Wave' AI ConceptsThe agency expects exploratory research work to begin within three months of the announcement of funding opportunities – AIE Opportunities – and plans to award “other transactions” agreements worth up to $1 million each for prototype projects, according to the program announcement.

Researchers should determine the feasibility of AI-based ideas and concepts within 18 months of the OTA-based contract award.

“The intent is to get researchers on contract quickly to test the value and feasibility of innovative concepts,” Peter Highnam, deputy director of DARPA, said of the AIE initiative.

DARPA said the AIE program seeks to pursue AI pilots; proofs of concepts; applications of commercial technology platforms for defense use; and design, development and demonstration of operational or technical utility.

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Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: DSCA Mulls Shipment Fee Reduction for Foreign Weapons Buyers
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Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: DSCA Mulls Shipment Fee Reduction for Foreign Weapons Buyers


Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper: DSCA Mulls Shipment Fee Reduction for Foreign Weapons Buyers
Charles Hooper

Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and a 2018 Wash100 awardee, has said that DSCA looks to cut the transportation fee charged to foreign military sales clients, Defense News reported Saturday.

The agency calculates shipping charges on FMS contracts fee partly based on current oil prices and seeks to lower the fee as part of efforts to increase sales of U.S.-built weapons systems to the country’s allies.

DSCA lowered in June the FMS administration surcharge from 3.5 percent on every transaction to 3.2 percent.

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Report: Marines Look to Adopt Loitering Munitions
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Report: Marines Look to Adopt Loitering Munitions


Report: Marines Look to Adopt Loitering MunitionsThe U.S. Marine Corps intends to arm front-line troops with suicide drones, also called loitering munitions, to help them perform missions in austere locations beyond a striking range of manned aerial platforms, Marines Corps Times reported Saturday.

The service branch envisions deploying swarms of up to 15 suicide drones each under the control of a single marine and the operator possessing a capacity to manage close-air support and electronic warfare operations.

USMC sought input from industry in April about the availability of a pneumatic launched suicide drone system that could travel 37 miles for two hours.

Defense & Aerospace Export Council Supports US Conventional Arms Transfer Policy
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Defense & Aerospace Export Council Supports US Conventional Arms Transfer Policy


Defense & Aerospace Export Council Supports US Conventional Arms Transfer PolicyThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Defense and Aerospace Export Council has expressed support for the Trump administration’s implementation plan for a new policy governing U.S. arms transfer processes.

Keith Webster, president of DAEC and vice president at Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement released Thursday implementing the Conventional Arms Transfer policy will mark a key step toward adoption of measures to fast-track government approval of proposals from defense and aerospace companies.

The CAT implementation plan includes the council’s recommendations such as institution of policies that seek to improve quality of bids while decreasing the cost to companies and prioritization of economic considerations in federal transfer deals.

DAEC also proposed updating the Defense Department Technology Security Foreign Disclosure policy procedure; establishing an avenue for foreign industrial security mechanisms to gain access to U.S. defense technology platforms; and modernizing foreign military sales pricing structure.

Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill
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Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill


Rep. John Ratcliffe Unveils DHS Cybersecurity Modernization Bill
John Ratcliffe

Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas has introduced a bill to keep the Continuous Diagnostics Mitigation program of the Department of Homeland Security up-to-date.

The proposed Advancing Cybersecurity Diagnostics and Mitigation Act aims to give CDM a boost in the hopes that it can keep up with emerging cyber technologies and guard against potential cybersecurity threats, Ratcliffe’s office said Wednesday.

“CDM is a critical component of our national cyber security strategy,” Ratcliffe said, and explained that the bill is meant to extend the program’s lifespan, maintain concurrence with technologies in the private sector and prevent system obsolescence issues in government agencies.

The proposed legislation also includes the development of procedures and policies for the reporting of enterprise cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential incidents identified from CDM-gathered data.

Ratcliffe stated that “cybersecurity is national security” and noted the need to address threats to the national digital border through risk-based approaches via programs such as the CDM.

DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight Tests
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DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight Tests


DARPA Demos Quadropter Software in Phase II Flight TestsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has tested the teaming ability of small air and ground systems when performing different tasks in simulated urban areas without human intervention.

DARPA said Wednesday industry and university researchers updated software and  commercial sensors in small quadcopters that were demonstrated through phase 2 of flight tests under the agency’s Fast Lightweight Autonomy program.

The autonomous drones were able to fly in between buildings and through narrow areas during the demonstration.

“Unmanned systems equipped with FLA algorithms need no remote pilot, no GPS guidance, no communications link, and no pre-programmed map of the area – the onboard software, lightweight processor, and low-cost sensors do all the work autonomously in real time,” said John-Charles Lede, program manager at DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Researchers completed the first phase of flight tests last year.

DARPA launched the FLA applied research program in 2015 with the goal to leverage autonomy algorithms to manage lightweight quadcopters with short operational lifespans and limited computer processing capability onboard.

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White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce Challenges
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White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce Challenges


White House Forms National Council, Advisory Board to Address Workforce ChallengesPresident Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday with the aim of establishing a council and an advisory board to help address “urgent” challenges that U.S. workforce faces.

The National Council for the American Worker will introduce a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of labor matters such as skills development in today’s young employees and the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education programs, the White House said Thursday.

The group will also implement efforts to increase the number of apprenticeships and incentivize companies that train and re-train workers. It also seeks to provide a means to increase transparency regarding education, employment statistics and job training programs.

Additionally, the council will consider recommendations from the American Workers Policy Board on how to drive education and training initiatives throughout the country.

In a separate statement, the White House said more than 20 companies and trade groups have pledged to create opportunities for students and workers over the next five years.

These employers and associations vowed to introduce apprenticeship, work-based learning, on-the-job training, reskilling and continuing education programs.

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USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021
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USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021


USAF Gets Professional Help to Support $2B Savings Goal for 2021The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency hosted a sourcing summit to gain professional insight in support of its goal to save $2 billion by 2021.

The third annual Enterprise Sourcing Summit took place Tuesday to Wednesday at the Air Force Institute of Technology, and welcomed over 100 professionals in the area of category management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base said Thursday.

The agency has been pursuing the enterprise sourcing effort for five years and is on track with its savings goal.

Nicole Shatto, a procurement analyst for strategic sourcing at AFICA’s operating office at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, said that her site has saved about $35 million through the use of enterprise sourcing tools.

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Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments
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Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments


Army Adopts Strategy to Bolster Signals Intelligence; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Comments
Scott Berrier

The U.S. Army has initiated a new strategy aiming to address electronic warfare and cyber threats, C4ISRNet reported Thursday.

The strategy consists of four initiatives to organize, educate, equip and develop a doctrine for the Army signals intelligence force.

At a Capitol Hill event Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier said that the effort works to provide signals intelligence support to address information needs in large-scale combat operations.

The strategy also supports the Army’s capacity to gather intelligence for use against adversarial nations including China and Russia, he added.

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Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber Procurements
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Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber Procurements


Trade Group Asks Congress to Limit Use of LPTA Method in IT, Cyber ProcurementsA technology trade association has called on House and Senate conferees to retain in the final fiscal 2019 defense policy bill a provision that would restrict the use of “lowest price technically acceptable” contracting method in government-wide procurements of information technology and cyber security platforms.

BSA | The Software Alliance wrote in a Wednesday letter to House and Senate Armed Services Committees that the use of LPTA hampers investment in cyber security.

“When it comes to more complex acquisitions involving multiple technical variables or functions, such as innovative information technology or cyber security services, LPTA’s priority of price over value leads to acquisition outcomes that actually prevent the government from getting the most for its money,” Craig Albright, vice president at the BSA | The Software Alliance, wrote.

The trade group said the Defense Department has initiated efforts to limit LPTA use through its Better Buying Power program and that Congress should support the measure in order for other agencies to follow suit and ensure the security of IT systems.

Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Mark Meadows, R-N.C., proposed the provision, Section 886, in the House’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019.

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