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Library of Congress to Hold Legislative Data App Challenge
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Library of Congress to Hold Legislative Data App Challenge


Library of Congress to Hold Legislative Data App ChallengeThe Library of Congress plans to launch a prize competition for citizen coders to suggest ideas on how to modernize public access to the government’s legislative data, FCW reported Tuesday.

Bud Barton, chief information officer at LOC, said at the Legislative Data and Transparency Conference the library will seek applications for its legislative data application challenge in the coming weeks.

The competition aims to help the public understand the legislative process through the development of systems that would merge centuries-old data with modern technology.

Barton added he envisions apps that generate digital comparisons of data produced over decades or display legislative topics that may encourage collaboration between members of Congress.

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Report: Army Plans Mobile Protected Firepower Procurement
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Report: Army Plans Mobile Protected Firepower Procurement


Report: Army Plans Mobile Protected Firepower ProcurementThe U.S. Army will move forward with its plans to buy a mobile protected firepower vehicle for infantry brigade combat teams after the military branch secured a $9.6 million initial budget to begin the acquisition process, Defense News reported Wednesday.

Ashley Givens, a spokeswoman for the Army’s program executive office for ground combat vehicles, told the publication the service branch aims to open a formal solicitation for MPF platforms in late fiscal 2017.

Givens added the Army is eyeing commercial or “modified” off-the-shelf offerings to skip a technology development phase that can last for two to three years.

The branch also expects to receive substantial funds in fiscal 2019 so it could award an engineering and manufacturing development contract under the MPF program, reported Defense News.

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DARPA Test-Flies Autonomous Small Quadcopters
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DARPA Test-Flies Autonomous Small Quadcopters


DARPA Test-Flies Autonomous Small QuadcoptersThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency put unmanned quadcopters through a series of tests to demonstrate autonomous flight without the aid of human operators or global positioning systems.

DARPA said Wednesday three research teams under the Fast Lightweight Autonomy program flew small unmanned quadcopters through various environments using onboard cameras and sensors as well as smart algorithms for autonomous navigation.

“The goal of FLA is to develop advanced algorithms to allow unmanned air or ground vehicles to operate without the guidance of a human tele-operator, GPS, or any datalinks going to or coming from the vehicle,” said JC Lede, DARPA FLA program manager.

The technology is intended to support unmanned aerial vehicle flights in GPS-denied or GPS-unavailable environments and aid military operations or search and rescue missions, among others, DARPA said.

During the tests, researchers provided targets or objectives for the UAVs by uploading images or estimated direction and distance.

The quadcopters had to self-navigate through various obstacle-strewn locations such as building interiors, wooded areas and a hangar before flying back to the starting point.

At least one team managed to complete an autonomous flight and see their vehicle return to the starting point during each day’s obstacle-course runs, DARPA noted.

“We’ve still got quite a bit of work to do to enable full autonomy for the wide-ranging scenarios we tested, but I think the algorithms we’re developing could soon be used to augment existing GPS-dependent UAVs for some applications,” Lede noted.

He added that current UAVs could use GPS until it enters a building, then switch to FLA algorithms while indoors.

IBM’s Lisa Mascolo: VA-DoD EHR Partnership Could Help Transform Health Service Delivery to Veterans
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IBM’s Lisa Mascolo: VA-DoD EHR Partnership Could Help Transform Health Service Delivery to Veterans


IBM’s Lisa Mascolo: VA-DoD EHR Partnership Could Help Transform Health Service Delivery to Veterans
Lisa Mascolo

Lisa Mascolo, managing director of U.S. public service at IBM’s global business services segment, has said the Department of Veterans Affairs’ decision to collaborate with the Defense Department to update the electronic health records system could help VA change the way it delivers health services to military retirees and their families.

VA Secretary David Shulkin announced earlier this month that the department will stop using its Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture system to implement an EHR platform that DoD uses.

Mascolo wrote in an FCW commentary piece published Tuesday that such a move could help VA develop future strategies to update its information technology systems.

“The decision also highlights the increasing significance of scalable platforms in delivering emerging technology and capabilities,” added Mascolo, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2017.

“VA’s actions point to the potential for health IT and health data analytics to deliver the benefits of standardization, actionable insights and emerging cognitive capabilities to improve health outcomes,” she noted.

Mascolo said VA’s decision provides an opportunity to build a national model designed to facilitate health information sharing and adoption.

She also urged the department to promote use of EHR systems among clinicians.

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GAO: DoD Should Develop Department-Wide Prototyping Strategy
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GAO: DoD Should Develop Department-Wide Prototyping Strategy


GAO: DoD Should Develop Department-Wide Prototyping StrategyThe Government Accountability Office has called on the Defense Department to establish a department-wide strategy that will guide prototyping initiatives.

GAO said Tuesday DoD’s prototyping efforts face challenges such as limited funds, a risk-averse culture and competing priorities.

DoD has yet to develop a strategy that outlines prototyping goals and priorities as well as roles and responsibilities, which could result to “unproductive or poorly coordinated” investments, GAO noted.

The congressional watchdog also urged DoD to implement a funding strategy to address budget challenges facing prototype development efforts.

Prototyping projects compete for DoD funds specifically with acquisition programs, GAO said.

The agency noted that the “strategic bucket” approach could help address funding issues through the allocation of resources to various types of projects based on an organization’s strategy.

DHS Seeks Public Input to Address Homeland Security Challenges
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DHS Seeks Public Input to Address Homeland Security Challenges


DHS Seeks Public Input to Address Homeland Security ChallengesThe Department of Homeland Security seeks public comments on what homeland security challenges affect citizens and communities in the U.S.

DHS said Tuesday it aims to address border security, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, disaster preparedness and response, drug interdiction, immigration enforcement and trade enforcement challenges via the My DHS Idea campaign.

Interested participants can use the IdeaScale platform to post and vote for ideas on how to tackle DHS mission challenges that have an impact on communities.

DHS’ Office of Policy will contribute to discussions and moderate responses as well as incorporate selected ideas into an ongoing strategy review process.

The department currently evaluates its programs and priorities as part of the 2018 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review.

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SOSi’s Robert Catalanotti Named Senior Adviser to DoD Assistant Secretary for Intl Security Affairs
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SOSi’s Robert Catalanotti Named Senior Adviser to DoD Assistant Secretary for Intl Security Affairs


SOSi's Robert Catalanotti Named Senior Adviser to DoD Assistant Secretary for Intl Security Affairs
Robert Catalanotti

Robert Catalanotti, managing director of Middle East initiatives at Virginia-based government services integrator SOS International, has been appointed senior adviser to the assistant secretary for international security affairs at the Defense Department.

Catalanotti will also join the Senior Executive Service, DoD said Tuesday.

The retired U.S. Army major general previously served as director of strategic exercises and training at the U.S. Central Command, division commander and chief of staff of the 98th Training Division.

His 34-year military career also includes time as commander of the Camp Taji military base in Iraq and a senior adviser to ministry of interior in Saudi Arabia.

He joined SOSi in September 2015 and led the company’s efforts to forge strategic partnerships in the Middle East.

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PSC Urges OMB to Revise Actions on Acquisition Reviews, Payments to Small Business in June 15 Memo
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PSC Urges OMB to Revise Actions on Acquisition Reviews, Payments to Small Business in June 15 Memo


PSC Urges OMB to Revise Actions on Acquisition Reviews, Payments to Small Business in June 15 MemoThe Professional Services Council has asked the Office of Management and Budget to revise certain measures in its June 15 memorandum that seeks to reduce reporting requirements for federal agencies.

Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at PSC, told OMB Director Mick Mulvaney in a letter published Thursday that the agency should release a new memo that would direct agencies to continue to speed up payments to small businesses and small subcontractors as well as eliminate quarterly reporting requirement among agencies.

The memo paused until fiscal year 2020 a reporting requirement for reviews of acquisition functions in compliance with OMB Circular A-123.

“In our view, requiring agencies to continue to perform their review of internal controls of their acquisition functions should remain an essential element of agency management, even during their internal reorganizational assessments,” Chvotkin wrote.

“These assessments have been instrumental in measuring agency compliance with federal procurement law and regulation, in shaping corrective actions to address root causes for non-compliance, and in measuring effectiveness and efficiency of agency operations,” he added.

PSC also raised concern about a requirement in the memo that would direct agencies to discontinue submission of quarterly reports on all previously covered cross-agency and agency-specific priority goals through performance.gov.

PSC believes that such quarterly reports offer insights into agencies’ challenges and activities and that OMB should determine priority objectives that support the administration’s priorities, Chvotkin noted.

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DHS, ARL Unveil Virtual Training Platform for First Responders to Active Shooter Incidents
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DHS, ARL Unveil Virtual Training Platform for First Responders to Active Shooter Incidents


DHS, ARL Unveil Virtual Training Platform for First Responders to Active Shooter IncidentsThe Department of Homeland Security‘s science and technology directorate has collaborated with the Army Research Laboratory to deploy a new virtual training platform that works to help first responders coordinate their tactics for active shooter incidents.

DHS said Monday the Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment is a free multiplayer online tool that is based on the Unreal gaming engine and designed to deliver collaborative role-play scenarios to train responders.

“We wanted to create a platform that could instantly be used by response agencies to meet specific training needs, using their own standard operating procedures,” said Milt Nenneman, EDGE program manager for the First Responders Group within the S&T directorate.

FRG co-developed EDGE with the Army Simulation and Training Technology Center, Training and Doctrine Command and Cole Engineering Services.

The virtual environment of the training platform serves to help first responders build on their coordination and communication for active shooter incidents while preventing injuries and casualties, DHS noted.

“When decisions must be made in a matter of seconds, every bit of training helps to save civilian and responder lives,” said William Bryan, acting undersecretary for science and technology at DHS.

Cole Engineering will distribute EDGE and provide technical support to interested response organizations.

EDGE currently uses a hotel active shooter scenario, and DHS said the team will release a new school shooting scenario for the technology in the fall.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart Tapped for No. 2 at U.S. Cyber Command
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Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart Tapped for No. 2 at U.S. Cyber Command


Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart Tapped for No. 2 at U.S. Cyber Command
Vincent Stewart

The leader of the Defense Intelligence Agency Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, will serve as deputy commander at U.S. Cyber Command, a DoD notice announced.

When questioned last year about whether the U.S. has gone far enough in deterring cyber aggression from adversaries, Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “I think most potential adversaries understand that we have a capability, whether or not we are ready to use that, because that’s the essence of deterrence that an adversary actually feels that we’ll use the capability that we have – I’m not sure we’re there yet and that goes beyond our ability to understand and to counter its military capabilities.”

“I think there’s another dimension of convincing from a policy standpoint that we’re willing to use that capability,” said Stewart.

Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) is set to split from the National Security Agency (NSA) and reached full operational capability in 2010. At Congress’ direction, CYBERCOM will become a full unified combatant command outside of Strategic Command where it exists now.

Speaking of his role as head of the military’s defense intelligence agency, the DIA, Stewart told Cipher Brief: “My greatest measure of success is that I help a combatant commander see an event early enough so that he can set his forces and counter that event. If I can help mitigate surprise, if I can help when they go into a conflict, and I can provide that additional depth of analysis that helps them to be successful and win the fight that they are in, and if in another combatant command I can help them deter conflict because of the depth of analysis, then to me that’s victory…”

“Let’s focus on understanding the adversary’s military capabilities so that we can prevent war,” he added.  “And if we can’t prevent war, let’s beat the stuffings out of anyone who comes against us.”

Lieutenant General Stewart received his baccalaureate degree from Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, where he majored in history. He also earned master’s degrees in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, Newport, R.I. and in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.

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