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DARPA Needs Input on Tech for AI System Vulnerability Assessment
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DARPA Needs Input on Tech for AI System Vulnerability Assessment

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is requesting information from industry developers and academic institutions on existing and emerging technologies for vulnerability assessments of artificial intelligence-enabled systems.

The requirement includes techniques and tools to evaluate adversarial access threat models and potential vulnerabilities posed by AI-powered system development and deployment pipelines, DARPA said in a Friday notice posted on SAM.gov. The agency will use the collected input to identify critical gaps that must be addressed in an upcoming AI vulnerability assessment program.

Critical Areas Respondents Must Address

In particular, DARPA would like to hear from parties capable of advancing an AI red teaming framework and autonomous toolkit and executing innovative cyber methods for AI-enabled battlefield systems. Respondents that could address electronic warfare effects for manipulating AI-enabled battlefield systems and physical manufacturing of adversarial effects are also invited to send their submissions.

The effort supports DARPA’s Guaranteeing AI Robustness against Deception program, which was launched in 2019 to develop unique methods of protecting Department of Defense AI models against the threats presented by the adversarial AI research community. Responses from all capable sources, including private and public companies, individuals, universities, research centers and government-sponsored laboratories will be accepted until Feb. 28.

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DOD, SBA Publish Approved Funds for Critical Tech Investment
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DOD, SBA Publish Approved Funds for Critical Tech Investment

The Department of Defense and Small Business Administration have published the names of 18 approved Green Light funds for the Small Business Investment Company Critical Technologies, or SBICCT, Initiative.

The project aims to bolster national and economic security by attracting and scaling private investment into critical technology areas and component-level technologies and production processes, DOD said Friday. The SBICCT Initiative is a partnership between the Pentagon and SBA.

Under the program, the first cohort of funds is expected to invest more than $4 billion into over 1700 portfolio companies focused on technology areas identified by the DOD. The funds will cover all stages and strategies of private investment, including seed, venture, growth, buyout, direct lending, special situations and fund-of-funds.

Achieving Green Light Letter Milestone

According to the Pentagon, the investment funds achieved the Green Light Letter milestone by submitting an application detailing their management team, investment strategy, track record, fund structure and governing standards. Then the funds’ application went through an operational and investment due diligence and legal review.

The next phase of the process involved a formal interview with SBA’s Investment Committee, which notified the successful funds that they were qualified to manage a small business investment company, or SBIC. The selected funds are invited to raise private capital and apply for their SBIC license, which authorizes them to start investing in portfolio companies.

What Is the Goal of the SBICCT Initiative?

Launched in December 2022, the SBICCT Initiative seeks to increase commercial investment in national security technologies. It will match private capital with guaranteed federal loans to stimulate investment in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum science, microelectronics and space technology.

CBO Projects Debt, Budget Deficit Increase Through 2035
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CBO Projects Debt, Budget Deficit Increase Through 2035

Federal debt is projected to rise from 2025 through 2035 due to revenue growth being outpaced by expenses in Social Security and Medicare as well as interest payments, according to Phillip Swagel, director of the Congressional Budget Office.

The Budget and Economic Outlook

Swagel made the remarks during a press briefing on Friday, citing highlights from The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2025 to 2035, which had just been released. The outlook report is issued regularly by the CBO to present baseline projections of the federal budget and the economy through the current year and the next decade provided prevailing tax and spending laws remain unchanged.

Debt Increase

Regarding debt, Swagel went on to report that it hit 98 percent of gross domestic product as of the end of 2024 and is expected by 2029 to clear 106 percent of GDP, currently the record high. By 2035, debt is projected to be 118 percent of GDP.

GDP Growth

Real GDP growth itself is projected to slow down from 2.3 percent in 2024 to 1.9 percent in 2025. From 2026 through 2035, GDP is expected to average out at 1.8 percent.

Budget Deficit

The CBO official also reported that the budget deficit is expected to hit $2.7 trillion by 2035, up from the $1.9 trillion projected for 2025. It was noted, however, that the cumulative deficit over that 10-year period is lower by about $1 trillion compared to the projection CBO made in June 2024.

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SBA Launches MySBA Digital Platform to Enhance User Experience
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SBA Launches MySBA Digital Platform to Enhance User Experience

The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched the MySBA digital platform. The agency said Friday the new platform is meant to enhance customer experience through advanced digital tools.

The Platform’s Background & Aims

The agency spent years working on the MySBA digital platform with the goal of developing a streamlined process where customers can easily interact with the SBA and its small business support. The platform aims to establish a single sign-on or point-of-entry for digital access to the different programs and services of SBA.

The online portal reportedly provides a responsive digital experience that is fast, efficient and transparent. It features enhanced availability, self-service capabilities and access to relevant information.

As part of the MySBA transformation, other crucial components were strengthened. The MySBA Loans now allows users applying for disaster loans to be matched with SBA-approved lenders through Lender Match. MySBA Certifications is now capable of faster application time for both single and multiple certifications. It is now easier to access online entrepreneurial development content through MySBA Learning.

Furthermore, said platforms and other SBA programs and services can now be accessed through a centralized customer interface.

“Our technology prioritization has changed how small business owners interact with the SBA, remarked SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman. “MySBA builds on my commitment as administrator to be as entrepreneurial as the small businesses we serve, delivering customer-first, technology-forward solutions to maximize the impact of every interaction with America’s valued entrepreneurs.”

President Trump Orders Establishment of Gov’t Efficiency Department
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President Trump Orders Establishment of Gov’t Efficiency Department

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, whose purpose will be to help enhance the efficiency and productivity of the government through the modernization of federal technology and software.

Renamed United States Digital Service

Formally known as the United States DOGE Service, the organization is a rebranded version of the United States Digital Service, which was established in 2014 under the Obama Administration with the aim of improving and simplifying government digital services. As with the original USDS, the new organization, which also bears the same acronym, will be housed within the Executive Office of the President, according to the EO that Trump released on Monday.

USDS Leadership

The new USDS will be headed by an administrator who will report to the White House chief of staff. Among the administrator’s responsibilities is the launching of a software modernization effort to bolster the technology infrastructure across the government.

The USDS administrator is also being tasked to collaborate with the heads of various agencies to ensure, among other things, data integrity and network and system interoperability. The administrator will also work with agency heads as they establish DOGE Teams at their respective departments.

DOGE Teams

The executive order does not specify what the functions of DOGE Teams are apart from “implementing the President’s DOGE Agenda.” The teams will comprise “one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney.”

Temporary Organization

In addition to overseeing the USDS, the administrator will also head what the executive order calls “the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization.” This temporary organization will be housed within USDS and will terminate by July 4, 2026. Details are not provided regarding its functions either apart from carrying out the president’s DOGE agenda.

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NTIA Awards Grants for Wireless Network Development
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NTIA Awards Grants for Wireless Network Development

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration has invested $19.4 million in two projects focused on the advancement of wireless networks.

The agency said Friday the development of open and interoperable wireless networks, supported by the $1.5 billion Wireless Innovation Fund, are intended to strengthen global supply chain resilience and drive competition.

Latest NTIA Grants

The final batch of grants from the second Notice of Funding Opportunity will support projects involving open radio unit innovation and commercialization. The selected companies will collaborate with a mobile network operator to commercialize their projects.

DeepSig received an estimated $10 million for its AI-Enhanced O-RU Massive MIMO project, which enables Open Radio Unit and chipset vendors to implement advanced AI functions. Recon RF secured $9.4 million in funds to work on its project called Ultra-Efficient Front-End-Modules for 5G/6G Open Radio Units, which aims to build Front-End Modules for next generation 5G/6G open radio units.

“Wireless innovation is a major driver for U.S. competition and leadership globally,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in open and interoperable wireless networks will help secure global leadership and increase competition in the wireless market.”

NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, added, “Our awards today are tackling a major wireless network expense head-on with support to bring more open radio units to market. These projects will shore up the hardware supply chain and create new opportunities for companies from the U.S. and its allies along the way.”

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 5G Summit on Feb. 27 to learn more about how 5G and FutureG will enhance national security and public safety. Register here.

NTIA Awards Grants for Wireless Network Development
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Sen. Marco Rubio Confirmed as Secretary of State
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Sen. Marco Rubio Confirmed as Secretary of State

The Senate on Monday voted 99-0 to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as the current administration’s secretary of state, Reuters reported.

Rubio’s confirmation came just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second presidential term.

The newly confirmed secretary of state is a long-term member of the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committees.

During his confirmation hearing, the Republican senator said the U.S. should make dramatic changes to avoid becoming more dependent on China and that ending the war in Ukraine would involve concessions from Russia and Kyiv.

Rubio, an advocate for Israel, also called for a robust foreign policy that would prioritize the core national interests of the U.S.

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DOD Issues PPBE Reform Implementation Report
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DOD Issues PPBE Reform Implementation Report

The Department of Defense has released a report providing an overview of the implementation of 26 planning, programming, budgeting and execution, or PPBE, reform initiatives.

DOD said Friday the PPBE Reform Implementation Report replaces the department’s March 2024 implementation plan for the recommendations outlined in the interim report of the Commission on PPBE Reform.

Strategic Framework Objectives 

According to the department, the reforms are organized around four strategic framework objectives: strengthen and simplify strategy to budget to capability; modernize and simplify information sharing; modernize and simplify financial management defense business systems; and invest in today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.

The first objective, for instance, seeks to reinforce the alignment between budgeting, strategy and capability to ensure that resource allocation directly supports DOD’s strategic priorities and advances the delivery of mission-critical capabilities.

What Are Framework Objective 1’s Reform Initiatives?

Objective 1 encompasses 11 reform initiatives, including strengthening defense planning guidance’s analytical underpinnings; mitigating problems caused by continuing resolutions; adjusting below threshold reprogramming, or BTR, levels based on fiscal year 2023 funding amounts; and reviewing and consolidating budget line items.

What Does the PPBE Process Aim to Express?

For over six decades, the PPBE process has been foundational to resource allocation, decision-making and execution at DOD.

The process underpins how the department supports the current and future National Defense Strategy.

FedRAMP Announces New RFC Landing Page, Other Website Updates
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FedRAMP Announces New RFC Landing Page, Other Website Updates

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has unveiled its updated Requests for Comments landing page as part of its increased focus on delivery and efforts to enhance engagement with stakeholders.

New RFC Landing Page

Through the new landing page, FedRAMP said Friday it is soliciting public comments on several draft policies and directives, including the Boundary Policy, Review Initiation Checks and Proposed Revisions to FedRAMP 3PAO Requirements.

On Jan. 16, FedRAMP released the draft Boundary Policy for public comment.

According to the program, the draft policy opens discussion on clarifications with regard to the documentation and assessment of the FedRAMP boundary and the reuse of FedRAMP-authorized service offerings by cloud service providers.

The comment period for the FedRAMP Boundary Policy will close on Feb. 17.

Other Website Updates

FedRAMP noted that it added a new page to its website to provide information on the current status of the program’s guidance and policy development efforts.

Other updates are the addition of dedicated sections in the Updates and Priorities menu and the creation of a Changelog Page.

DOC Awards 3 Companies Grants for Semiconductor Production
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DOC Awards 3 Companies Grants for Semiconductor Production

The Department of Commerce has awarded a total of $143 million in direct funding to three companies to boost the domestic production of critical semiconductors.

The department said Friday Corning, Edwards Vacuum and Infinera received funds amounting to $32 million, $18 million and $93 million, respectively, for the enhancement of their commercial fabrication facilities.

How the Funding Will Be Used

Corning will utilize the funding to enhance its Canton, New York manufacturing facility, boosting the production of Corning High Purity Fused Silica and EXTREME Ultra Low Expansion Glass and helping strengthen the lithography supply chain. An estimated 130 manufacturing and 175 construction jobs will be created for the project.

Edwards Vacuum will build a manufacturing facility in Genesee County, New York for the production of dry vacuum pumps. This project will potentially create 100 construction and 500 production jobs.

Infinera aims to construct a new fab in San Jose, California and an advanced test and packaging facility in Bethlehem. The investment should help boost the company’s domestic manufacturing capacity and generate 500 manufacturing jobs and 1,200 construction jobs.  

The Commerce Department also amended the award received by GlobalFoundries. The additional $75 million in funds will be used to expand the company’s facility in Malta, New York.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said, “The semiconductors that will be manufactured in the United States are foundational to our technological and economic leadership of the 21st century.” 

Wendell Weeks, Corning chairman and CEO, stated. “This investment and our continued commitment in Canton will enable us to expand the next-generation manufacturing capabilities necessary for producing critical materials for lithography tools that create the world’s most advanced microchips, reinforcing our commitment to advancing semiconductor manufacturing, technology and job creation in the United States.” 

Infinera CEO David Heard added, “This funding will accelerate delivery of U.S. photonic semiconductor innovations to meet the demands of critical network infrastructure in the era of AI.” 

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