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Air Force Unveils Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace
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Air Force Unveils Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace

The U.S. Air Force has unveiled the Squadron Innovation Fund Marketplace, an initiative intended to enhance the process of funding innovations and nurturing them within the service.

What Is the SIF Marketplace?

The SIF Marketplace is a virtual platform that enables airmen to actively develop ideas to support operations and other processes in the service, the Air Force said Friday. Under the new platform, squadron commanders receive $100 worth of virtual coins that can be allocated to innovative ideas. These virtual funds enable the commanders to have more control over the resources and work with other units to have more resources to fund larger initiatives.

How to Join the SIF Marketplace

Any Air Force member with a promising idea and commanders allocating resources can participate by creating an account on the VISION Joint Innovation System platform to participate in the SIF Marketplace. They can send their proposals any day of the year while funding windows are available every quarter to ensure continuity in providing and receiving support.

An idea or initiative that has been entered into the SIF Marketplace can be seen by commanders and other members of the service. This enables them to learn about the idea and send virtual tokens as support. Interested parties can also track the development of potential projects through the SIF Marketplace.

Senior Master Sgt. Brett Kiser, senior enlisted leader at the Office of Disruptive Thinking, said the SIF Marketplace’s main objective is to create a collaborative system for solving problems at every level of the Air Force.

“One key benefit of the SIF Marketplace is its ability to break down traditional funding barriers, allowing Airmen from different units and MAJCOMs to collaborate and support each other’s initiatives,” Kiser said.

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HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks
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HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks

The Department of Health and Human Services is seeking additional funding to achieve the goals under the three remaining pillars of its year-old cybersecurity strategy for the healthcare sector, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

In an interview on the Ask the CIO podcast, Brian Mazanec, the deputy director of the Office of Preparedness in the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, shared that the agency published healthcare-specific cybersecurity performance goals in January, accomplishing the first pillar of the strategy.

The ASPR is now focused on other strategy priorities: providing resources to incentivize and implement these cybersecurity practices, implementing an HHS-wide strategy to support greater enforcement and accountability, and expanding and maturing a one-stop shop within HHS for healthcare sector cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity Tools and Funding for Healthcare Systems

Mazanec said HHS worked with the White House to include a $1.3 billion funding in the fiscal year 2025 budget request to support a program led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aimed at providing cybersecurity resources to the healthcare sector. The deputy director also shared that his office implements a $240 million hospital preparedness program that funds select activities of healthcare coalitions focused on cybersecurity and other preparedness initiatives.

For the development of the healthcare cybersecurity one-stop shop, the ASPR seeks $12 million in additional FY 2025 funding to have more capabilities available for combating cyberattacks.

Cybercriminals Targeting Healthcare Sector

The HHS moves to help the sector defend against cyberthreats amid the increasing cyber incidents targeting the industry. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a 128 percent increase in ransomware attacks that targeted the U.S. healthcare sector was seen in 2023, compared to similar incidents in 2022. Globally, ransomware hit 389 healthcare organizations in 2023, higher than the 214 entities recorded in 2022.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11 to hear from government and industry leaders about the critical issues in the healthcare sector and the efforts to resolve them.

HHS Needs Funding to Combat Healthcare-Related Cyberattacks

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NUWC Division Leaders Cite Importance of Public-Private Partnerships
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NUWC Division Leaders Cite Importance of Public-Private Partnerships

Officials from Naval Undersea Warfare Center, or NUWC, Division Newport gathered for Industry Day held on Oct. 16 in Newport, Rhode Island, and highlighted the role of partnerships between industry and the government in advancing technological capabilities to support warfighters in the era of strategic competition, Naval Sea Systems Command reported Friday.

Stephen Lamb, head of the NUWC Division Newport’s contracts department, reported that the division obligated more than $2.1 billion in contracts and executed about 2,500 contract actions in fiscal year 2024, including contracts awarded to nearly 600 prime contractors across 44 states.

“The overall message was it takes a village, including the government requirements side, the government contracting side, and our industry partners to achieve the successes we’ve seen over the last couple fiscal years,” Lamb said during his presentation at the event.

Maria Gregory, director of the Office of Small Business Programs at NUWC Division Newport, discussed the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs and the role of open dialogue in promoting collaboration between the government and industry.

“Having forums where open dialogue and one-on-one discussions occur can accelerate the lines of communication,” Gregory said.

“Small businesses provide the foundational support of the defense industrial base that is needed to innovate and meet the challenges of the future,” she noted. “As future challenges arise, NUWC Division Newport and the Navy require more collaboration between the government and industry.”

In his keynote speech, Michael Cockey, deputy director of undersea warfare at NUWC Headquarters, cited the need for the U.S. Navy to increase its shipbuilding efforts to meet regional and global challenges and maintain strategic deterrence as the U.S. faces strategic competitors.

Cockey called on defense companies to engage in classified-level discussions with the service branch to better understand the latter’s needs and determine how to carry out business to better support warfighters during wartime.

“Can we muster the defense establishment necessary to not only build that ship, but also build an armament that goes with it?” the retired Navy captain asked.

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DLA Develops Strategic Plan to Address Logistics Challenges
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DLA Develops Strategic Plan to Address Logistics Challenges

Defense Logistics Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Mark Simerly has presented a new strategic plan to address logistics challenges in the land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.

Speaking at the recent Defense Logistics and Support conference, Simerly discussed how the return of great power competition has impacted logistics operations in all domains, highlighting the importance of maintaining supply chain integrity to sustain operational readiness in contested environments, DLA said Thursday.

The 2025-2030 strategy involves investing in organizational resilience and skillsets to increase workforce readiness to support warfighters during conflicts and promoting logistics interoperability and establishing stronger partnerships across the Joint Logistics Enterprise through logistics planning dialogues and data and predictive analytics.

Adarryl Roberts, DLA’s chief information officer, also spoke at the conference to discuss the agency’s use of data analytics and artificial intelligence to increase operational efficiency, predict future requirements, and optimize supply chains and warfighter readiness.

“Data interoperability and creating data decision advantage is not just for DLA but postures us to support the defense industry and our NATO allied partners,” Roberts said.

According to Kenneth Watson, DLA land and maritime deputy commander, the Covid-19 pandemic escalated new supply chain challenges, including procuring repair parts for legacy weapon systems and military vehicles.

Watson pointed to industry partner reductions in the defense industrial base as one of the reasons for the procurement challenges but noted that the DLA is now looking for new companies to do business with.

He shared that the DLA Land & Maritime recently hosted a manufacturing summit for small businesses to inform them about the items the Department of Defense has trouble producing.

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Antony Blinken on Using Data, AI to Enhance US Diplomacy
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Antony Blinken on Using Data, AI to Enhance US Diplomacy

Secretary of State and past Wash100 Award winner Antony Blinken said in a speech delivered recently at the Foreign Service Institute that the Department of State has sought to embrace different tools as part of a broader effort to ensure that U.S. diplomacy is “fit for purpose” to address the various challenges facing the country.

How the State Department Has Incorporated Data

A key tool the agency has adopted is data. Blinken said that the State Department launched three years ago a strategy that would allow for the incorporation of more data into the agency’s work. Since then, State has undergone a hiring surge for dedicated data officers.

“Now, whether we’re designing our foreign assistance programs, responding to crises around the world, we’re doing so in a way that’s using more timely, data-informed insights to guide the decisions that we make,” Blinken explained.

Improving Passport and Visa Services With Technology

The agency has also taken advantage of technology to improve productivity in various areas, most notably in passport and visa services. The secretary of State touted the ability of Americans to renew their passports online, a service that has been successfully used by over 1 million people. He also spoke of the strengthening of the agency’s “ability to deliver visas for people who want to come to the United States and deliver blue books to Americans who want to be able to travel the world.”

“We’ve issued or renewed a record number of passports over the last year,” Blinken noted.

Adopting AI

The secretary went on to discuss how the State Department has become a leader in artificial intelligence adoption. He cited how the agency’s rollout of various AI tools, including a chatbot, has resulted in personnel saving time when carrying out different kinds of tasks, such as document translation, checking facts in reports and monitoring news and social media.

“Now, we’re just getting started using AI, but I can see a future that’s already with us to become not only more efficient, but more rigorous, more effective in our analysis, in our planning, and also freeing up all of our people to focus their time where they can have the most value added, the most impact, to do what’s really at the heart of their jobs,” Blinken said.

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CISA Warns of Spear-Phishing Campaign by Foreign Threat Actor
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CISA Warns of Spear-Phishing Campaign by Foreign Threat Actor

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a warning about a spear-phishing campaign by a foreign threat actor targeting government and IT organizations.

CISA said Thursday the threat actor gains access to files stored on the target organization’s network by sending spear-phishing emails containing malicious remote desktop protocol, or RDP, files.

Once access has been achieved, the cyberthreat actor may deploy malicious code and conduct additional activities to achieve persistent access to the target entity’s network.

Measures to Protect Networks From Spear-Phishing 

CISA stated that it is working with government and industry partners to assess the large-scale campaign’s impact and that it has called on organizations to implement proactive steps to protect their networks from spear-phishing attacks.

Recommended measures include restricting outbound RDP connections, blocking RDP files in communication platforms, preventing the execution of RDP files, enabling multifactor authentication and implementing conditional access policies.

The agency also urged organizations to deploy endpoint detection and response tools, conduct user education and implement phishing-resistant authentication techniques.

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13, learn more about technology initiatives to protect the country amid the evolving geopolitical landscape.

POC - 2024 Homeland Security Summit
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CHIPS for America R&D Flagship Facility Location Revealed
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CHIPS for America R&D Flagship Facility Location Revealed

The Department of Commerce and Natcast—the National Semiconductor Technology Center operator—have revealed the potential location of the CHIPS for America research and development flagship facility.

The Commerce Department said Thursday the CHIPS for America Extreme Ultraviolet, or EUV, Accelerator will likely operate in NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany, New York. The proposed facility is intended to give Natcast, NY CREATES, and NSTC members access to vital technologies, capabilities and resources needed to boost semiconductor R&D and innovation, particularly in the field of EUV technology.

Details on the CHIPS R&D Facility

The EUV Accelerator will be built using a proposed federal investment worth around $825 million and is expected to be operational in 2025. The flagship facility will offer:

  • Access to EUV lithography tools and R&D capabilities, including high numerical aperture EUV systems
  • Collaboration with industry, academic and government partners
  • Dedicated NSTC on-site offices to support Natcast and NSTC member researchers
  • Support for workforce programs
  • Programs to increase NSTC membership and engagement

According to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the new facility is crucial to the United States’ leadership in innovation and semiconductor research and development.

“The research and development component of the CHIPS and Science Act is fundamental to our long-term national security and ensuring the U.S. remains the most technologically competitive place on earth,” said Raimondo.

Deirdre Hanford, CEO of Natcast, added, “Through this collaboration with NY CREATES, Natcast and NSTC members will have access to essential EUV lithography tools and processes to facilitate a wider range of research and accelerate commercialization of the technologies of tomorrow.”

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FCC Hosts Communications Sector Security International Gathering
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FCC Hosts Communications Sector Security International Gathering

Representatives from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States convened in Washington on Friday to discuss security threats within the communications sector. The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau, which hosted the meeting at the agency’s headquarters, said attendees committed to increasing cooperation and collaboration and improving the effectiveness of enforcement programs across each nation.

Among the topics explored at the event were supply chain vulnerabilities, data breaches and ways to mitigate national security risks related to communications infrastructure.

The bureau is tasked with the enforcement of the Communications Act and regulating critical infrastructure entities.

International Effort to Secure Communications

In a statement, Loyaan Egal, head of the FCC Enforcement Bureau and the FCC Privacy and Data Protection Task Force, commented that the gathering is a first of its kind and will likely not be the last as threats to the communications sector grow globally.

“The threats facing the communications sector are bountiful and know no territorial boundaries, therefore it is imperative that we work with our closest allies to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our respective citizens and critical infrastructure,” he said.

The FCC has existing consumer protection partnerships with the United Kingdom Office of Communications and the Information Commissioner’s Office of the United Kingdom, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The convention is in line with the National Security Memorandum on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience that the White House released in April. The memo recognizes the interconnectedness and interdependencies of critical infrastructure globally, which requires international partnerships to protect assets on which the United States depends on.

Securing Communication Networks

In August, the FCC released a draft of its proposed rules that aims to thwart calls and texts generated by artificial intelligence. According to a notice of proposed rulemaking, organizations behind robocalls and robotexts will be required to disclose the use of AI to create call and message content.

FCC Chairperson Jessica Rosenworcel, a Wash100 awardee, in July put forward new standards designed to protect the nation’s public alert and warning systems against cyberthreats.

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DOD Tests AI Surveillance Algorithm Scylla
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DOD Tests AI Surveillance Algorithm Scylla

The Department of Defense is testing Scylla, an artificial intelligence algorithm designed to locate threats in multi-domain environments.

Using Scylla, the DOD aims to protect the nation’s strategic nuclear capabilities by referencing existing video surveillance footage and drones to identify unknown and external threats, the Pentagon reported Monday.

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, a 2024 Wash100 awardee, emphasized the benefits of integrating AI technologies like Scylla throughout the military.

“As we’ve focused on integrating AI into our operations responsibly and at speed, our main reason for doing so has been straightforward: because it improves our decision advantage,” Hicks said. “From the standpoint of deterring and defending against aggression, AI-enabled systems can help accelerate the speed of commanders’ decisions and improve the quality and accuracy of those decisions.”  

Scylla Undergoes Tests

During tests led by the Physical Security Enterprise and Analysis Group, or PSEAG, at the Blue Grass Army Depot, Scylla showcased the ability to detect intruders, weapons and abnormal behavior. Chris Willoughby, electronic security systems manager at the Depot and project lead for Scylla, described the intricacies of the capability’s surveillance features. 

“PSEAG is testing, evaluating and training Scylla’s artificial intelligence deep neural machine learning software to detect and classify persons’ features, behavior anomalies, armed and unarmed threats and objects by evaluating video surveillance systems in real-time,” Willoughby stated.

“Scylla test and evaluation has demonstrated a probability of detection above 96 percent accuracy standards, significantly lowering … false alarm rates due to environmental phenomena,” Willoughby added.

Drew Walter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear matters, also highlighted the technology’s potential for improving the physical security of DOD’s strategic nuclear arsenal.

“The ability to detect and respond to threats swiftly is paramount when dealing with assets critical to deterrence — be they Trident missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles or strategic bombers,” Walter said.  

Furthermore, the department is testing Scylla’s ability to sustain itself in cold weather and maritime environments. In the coming months, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina will host Navy and Marine Corps-led examinations to ensure the capability meets their service-specific protocols.

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IARPA Launches Program to Anonymize Speech
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IARPA Launches Program to Anonymize Speech

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, the research and development arm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has launched a multi-year research initiative to develop methods of altering spontaneous speech in real-time to enhance privacy.

The ODNI said Wednesday the Anonymous Real-Time Speech, or ARTS, program intends to discover ways to anonymize conversational speech to protect the speaker’s privacy. By modifying speech in real-time, the speakers’ identities and conversation can be protected.

IARPA awarded contracts for the ARTS program to Galois, Honeywell, Johns Hopkins University and SRI International, through a competitive broad agency announcement. These organizations will perform research to cover a wide range of objectives. Their research will be tested and evaluated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory.

The ARTS program is set to run for a period of 36 months. It will focus on the English language at first and eventually expand to include other spoken languages.

Mark Becker, ARTS program manager, pointed out that the manner of speaking is unique to every individual which serves as a powerful identifier.

“With the rise of biometric identification tools, our research seeks to add a critical layer of protection for intelligence officers who are carrying out some of the Intelligence Community’s most sensitive missions,” said Becker.

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