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Rear Adm. William Wheeler Assigned as Cybercom J5 Director for Plans & Policy
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Rear Adm. William Wheeler Assigned as Cybercom J5 Director for Plans & Policy


Rear Adm. William Wheeler Assigned as Cybercom J5 Director for Plans & Policy
William Wheeler III

Rear Adm. William Wheeler III, commander of the U.S. Navy‘s patrol and reconnaissance group, will assume a new role as director of plans and policy, J5, at the U.S. Cyber Command in Fort Meade, Md.

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer and Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations announced Friday Wheeler’s new assignment.

Wheeler previously worked as deputy commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa in Djibouti and as executive assistant to the Joint Staff director as well as to the commander of the U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa.

The career naval flight officer also served in various maritime patrol and reconnaissance tours.

His service awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal.

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DoD Establishes New Joint Center to Advance AI Tech
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DoD Establishes New Joint Center to Advance AI Tech

DoD Establishes New Joint Center to Advance AI TechThe Defense Department has formed a new center that will oversee artificial intelligence efforts across services and DoD amid efforts of China and Russia to dominate AI, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan wrote in a memo released Thursday the joint artificial intelligence center will report to Dana Deasy, DoD chief information officer, and develop a set of common AI standards, reusable technology, shared data and processes for the Pentagon.

Deasy should consult with other DoD entities, Joint Staff, services and combatant commands and come up with a report within a month on the preliminary list of “National Mission Objectives” in order for JAIC to begin work by Sept. 27, according to the memo.

DoD Establishes New Joint Center to Advance AI TechThe services and other agencies within the Pentagon will coordinate with the CIO each AI project that is worth more than $15 million annually and selected AI projects will immediately get fiscal 2018 funds to speed up their implementation under JAIC, which Shanahan said will ensure AI safety and military ethics.

The document states that the $15 million threshold will be assessed on an annual basis as “investments in AI mature” and that JAIC will also work with other agencies, industry, academic institutions and allies to advance the technology.

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Advisory Panel Calls for DoD to Improve Acquisition Through Portfolio Mgmt Structure Adoption
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Advisory Panel Calls for DoD to Improve Acquisition Through Portfolio Mgmt Structure Adoption


Advisory Panel Calls for DoD to Improve Acquisition Through Portfolio Mgmt Structure AdoptionAn advisory group that Congress created through the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act has issued a report that calls for the Defense Department to transition from a program-focused management structure to an “enterprise capability portfolio management” framework in order to improve the acquisition system, National Defense reported Thursday.

The Section 809 Panel said in the report published Thursday the adoption of a portfolio management structure would help build up warfighter capability, result in the alignment of requirements, budget processes and acquisition and facilitate cross-cutting data integration, analysis and decision-making.

“Realigning the acquisition system to place appropriate emphasis on sustainment would bring renewed focus on the overall state of readiness,” according to the volume 2 report.

The panel will provide additional recommendations related portfolio management structure, sustainment, requirements and portfolio execution in its volume 3 report that is scheduled for release in January 2019.

The report also recommends statutory changes to simplify the commercial source selection process; restructuring of the Cost Accounting Standards Board and cost accounting standards; elimination of regulatory and statutory distinctions between personal and nonpersonal services contracts; operationalization of the Dynamic Marketplace concept; and the need for the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund to be supervised as a multiyear fund.

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Report: Senate Subcommittee Proposes $616M for DoD Microelectonics RDT&E Projects
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Report: Senate Subcommittee Proposes $616M for DoD Microelectonics RDT&E Projects


Report: Senate Subcommittee Proposes $616M for DoD Microelectonics RDT&E ProjectsThe Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee has proposed $616 million to help the Defense Department conduct research, development, test and evaluation of microelectronics technology in fiscal year 2019, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.

The amount represents a $447 million increase over President Trump’s FY 2019 microelectronic RDT&E spending request.

DoD leaders have said the department should implement small electronic components that have security features, according to the report.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will host its inaugural Electronics Resurgence Initiative Summit from July 23 to 25 as part of a $1.5 billion program that aims to boost electronics innovation.

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AI Select Committee Discusses Regulatory Efforts on R&D At Inaugural Meeting; Michael Kratsios Comments
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AI Select Committee Discusses Regulatory Efforts on R&D At Inaugural Meeting; Michael Kratsios Comments


AI Select Committee Discusses Regulatory Efforts on R&D At Inaugural Meeting; Michael Kratsios Comments
Michael Kratsios

Members of the Interagency Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence held their inaugural meeting with discussions on regulatory efforts to boost AI research, training and partnerships with other working groups.

The committee discussed how it would further support the AI research community, as well as how it would collaborate with other AI-centered organizations such as the Subcommittee on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and AI Interagency Working Group, The Office of Science and Technology Policy said Wednesday.

The select committee also gave attention to several AI-related programs within the government, such as the Energy Department’s recent launch of the Summit supercomputer and the formation of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center to deliver AI-enabled capabilities within the Defense Department.

Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president for technology policy, said the U.S. government provides its full support for research and development efforts in AI for the benefit of the American people.

The White House established the Interagency Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence under the National Science and Technology Council in May after the Trump administration set its R&D priority on AI.

The committee is made up of senior government officials in the R&D field such as those from the National Science Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Office of Science and Technology Policy.

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House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes Cyber Deterrence and Response Act
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House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes Cyber Deterrence and Response Act


House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes Cyber Deterrence and Response ActThe House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed a bill aiming to establish a procedure for addressing state-sponsored cyber attacks.

Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. said Thursday his Cyber Deterrence and Response Act would create a three-step process in which the government would identify, deter and respond to attacks staged or sponsored by adversary states.

“China, North Korea, Iran, Russia and other malicious actors have developed sophisticated capabilities that can disrupt our networks, endanger our critical infrastructure, harm our economy and undermine our elections,” Yoho said.

He added that the bill would establish a framework to deter and properly respond to the actions of these countries.

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House OKs $675B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019
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House OKs $675B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019


House OKs $675B Defense Appropriations Bill for Fiscal 2019The House voted 359-49 Thursday to pass a $675 billion defense policy bill that would authorize the purchase of 93 F-35 fighter aircraft, three littoral combat ships and two aircraft carriers for fiscal 2019, Defense News reported Thursday.

The defense appropriations bill would fund the Advanced Battle Management System that seeks to replace the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System recapitalization program and provide service personnel with a 2.6 percent pay increase by January.

The measure, which would also add 15,600 personnel to the service branches’ end strength, does not include a proposal to purchase two additional submarines and an amendment that would have allocated $1.7 billion in additional funds for long-lead materials needed to construct three Virginia-class submarines each year.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved its version of the bill, which is now awaiting a full Senate vote.

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Cerner CEO Assures Lawmakers of O&M Savings With New EHR at Veterans Affairs
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Cerner CEO Assures Lawmakers of O&M Savings With New EHR at Veterans Affairs


Cerner CEO Assures Lawmakers of O&M Savings With New EHR at Veterans AffairsCerner CEO Zane Burke told lawmakers on June 26 that the annual maintenance and operating cost of the electronic health record system his company is providing the Veterans Affairs Department would be lower than that of the existing system’s, which flies north of $1 billion, FCW reported Wednesday.

Health information technology provider Cerner in May won a $10 billion contract to replace the VA’s Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture with the same EHR being adopted by the Defense Department.

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs convened an oversight hearing on the initial implementation of the modernization program, whose costs also include about $1.2 billion for program management and $4.59 billion for infrastructure updates, amounting to a total bill of approximately $16 billion.

Dave Powner, director of IT management issues at the Government Accountability Office, assured the committee that the program would bring about savings, specifically in terms of data storage, though he also expressed concern that costs may rise beyond initial projections and called for better documentation.

Cerner’s EHR is scheduled for launch at initial operating capability sites on October 1. Its full implementation is expected to take 18 months.

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ULA’s Kelly Garehime Testifies Before House Subcommittee on Space Launch Regulatory Reform
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ULA’s Kelly Garehime Testifies Before House Subcommittee on Space Launch Regulatory Reform


ULA’s Kelly Garehime Testifies Before House Subcommittee on Space Launch Regulatory ReformKelly Garehime, associate general counsel of regulatory affairs at United Launch Alliance, has said ULA believes the Federal Aviation Administration should re-engage with the aviation rulemaking committee in developing new launch licensing regulations in order to ensure public safety during space launches.

“The Streamlined Launch and Reentry Licensing ARC was conducted on an incredibly short timeline of just a few weeks and is no longer able to interface formally with the FAA to provide comments and feedback as the FAA develops proposed rules,” Garehime said Tuesday at a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s aviation subpanel.

“The FAA is working under a tight deadline to propose new regulations by early next year, and we fear that in this rush to produce a product, the FAA will forgo the inputs of the rushed ARC and rely heavily on inputs provided by a select group of new and aspiring launch companies that the FAA has been meeting with in private regarding new launch regulations for more than a year,” she added.

Garehime also mentioned the Boeing–Lockheed Martin joint venture’s recommendations to reform the launch licensing process and one is to reduce the number of requirements for mission compliance following the issuance of a license through the adoption of a performance-based approach.

She told lawmakers that ULA also calls for the government to consolidate requirements among agencies that are involved in regulating launch sites.

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House OKs 2 Bipartisan Bills to Encourage Space Tech Development; Rep. Lamar Smith Comments
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House OKs 2 Bipartisan Bills to Encourage Space Tech Development; Rep. Lamar Smith Comments


House OKs 2 Bipartisan Bills to Encourage Space Tech Development; Rep. Lamar Smith Comments
Lamar Smith

House lawmakers have passed a pair of bipartisan bills that aim to sustain the country’s  space technology development and exploration efforts.

The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology said Wednesday the American Leadership in Space Technology and Advanced Rocketry Act would designate Marshall Space Flight Center as NASA‘s primary hub to develop rocket propulsion systems.

The Commercial Space Support Vehicle Act would update the Transportation Department‘s process for licensing commercial space support vehicles.

“It is vital we continue to support NASA and our commercial space sector so that we maintain a vibrant space program to inspire generations to come,” said Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.

Reps. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., and Bill Posey, R-Fla., respectively introduced the ALSTAR Act and Commercial Space Support Vehicle Act in Congress.

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