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DOD, NNSA Launches New Supercomputer for Enhanced National Biodefense
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DOD, NNSA Launches New Supercomputer for Enhanced National Biodefense

The Department of Defense and National Nuclear Security Administration launched a new supercomputing system on Aug. 1 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

DOD said Thursday the supercomputer is designed to strengthen the nation’s biological defense programs by enhancing the computing capabilities available to them.

The new biodefense supercomputer will have capabilities for running large-scale simulations and AI-based modeling. These features will be leveraged for different activities critical to protecting the country against biological attacks. Defense activities that will utilize the said capabilities include biosurveillance or monitoring, threat identification and characterization, advanced materials development and accelerated medical countermeasures.

DOD and NNSA are working together to expand the computing systems by utilizing the same system architecture as LLNL’s supercomputer El Capitan. The upcoming exascale supercomputer, which will be operational later this year, is expected to be the most powerful of its kind. Once the supercomputer is ready, its capabilities will be made available to various government agencies, international allies, partners, academia and industries.

The Chemical and Biological Defense Program-funded supercomputer is in line with a 2023 agreement between DoD and NNSA to collaborate in tackling the various biodefense challenges facing the nation.

Ian Watson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense, said, “This new supercomputing system and other technical enablers underscore DoD’s commitment to building enduring advantages and delivering cutting-edge defensive capabilities that will ensure the Total Force can deter or prevail against advanced chemical and biological threats.”

Janis Parenti, manager of the NNSA Livermore Field Office, noted that the collaboration “will continue to drive cutting-edge science to further enhance and strengthen our nation’s capabilities to respond to biological threats.”

Pat Falcone, deputy director of LLNL, added, “Bringing that exquisite computation and precision instrumentation to the biodefense fight is really what our story is today.”

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IG Report Highlights Lack of Plans for Replacing Legacy Systems at IRS
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IG Report Highlights Lack of Plans for Replacing Legacy Systems at IRS

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has assessed the Internal Revenue Service’s modernization efforts and found that the agency lacks enterprise-wide plans for replacing legacy systems, Nextgov/FCW reported Wednesday.

The IRS uses resources the Inflation Reduction Act allocated for its digital modernization initiatives.

In May, it began testing a new processing engine that could replace the Individual Master File used for individual tax account data since the 1960s.

The agency has also explored using artificial intelligence to enhance taxpayer service, among other modernization efforts.

In a report, TIGTA acknowledged the IRS’s implementation of some of the 2020 recommendations for improving how it tracks outdated software and hardware but said it is not satisfied with how the agency executes the updating, replacing or retiring of legacy systems.

According to the document, the IRS identified 107 of 334 legacy systems as candidates for retirement but only two had specific plans for decommissioning.

TIGTA recommended reestablishing a Technology Retirement Office the IRS created in 2021 or setting up a similar program to address the issue.

Earlier in 2024, the Government Accountability Office criticized the IRS for lacking a detailed technology agenda and timelines for replacing legacy systems.

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Air Force Releases Special Mission Display Processor for C-130Js
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Air Force Releases Special Mission Display Processor for C-130Js

The 580th Software Engineering Squadron within the Air Force Sustainment Center has released a new software platform for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

The software platform, dubbed the Special Mission Display Processor, or SMDP, works to provide C-130Js with the ability to communicate with ships and ground troops using a tactical radio network, the Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.

The SMDP a features large color display, moving digital maps and integration with multi-mode color radar. The platform also works with night vision devices.

Jacob Lunce, a technical specialist with the 580th SWES, said the new capability, which has been in development since 2019, contributes to the aircraft’s situational awareness, safety and communication.

“This software provides an important increase to the government’s ability to produce software changes for the C-130 enterprise and assist our industry partner, Lockheed Martin, that are proprietors of the software,” the technical specialist commented, adding, “We are excited about the initial operational capability of the SMDP.”

“This effort is monumental by proving it’s possible for the 580th and Lockheed to work together to benefit the warfighter and increase capacity of the workload for this new platform,” Lunce went on to say.

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Space Force Deploys EPS-R Payloads in Historic Launch
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Space Force Deploys EPS-R Payloads in Historic Launch

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command partnered with Space Norway in launching two Enhanced Polar System – Recapitalization payloads to enhance communications coverage over the Arctic region.

The SSC said Thursday it launched the EPS-R payloads on Aug. 11 from the Space Launch Complex 4 at the Vanderberg Space Force Base in northern Santa Barbara County,

This marks the first time the EPS-R program has joined forces with a commercial entity (Space Norway) and a commercial launch provider (SpaceX). The event could also open doors for cost-effective ways of sending U.S. capabilities to space.

Communications payloads for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, Space Force and ViaSat were hosted on Arctic Satellite Broadband Missions 1 and 2. The two Space Norway satellites built by Northrop Grumman were sent into a highly elliptical orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9.

With the milestone launch achieved, the involved parties now have to activate the payloads and ensure operational acceptance by the Space Force.

Ernest Finney, EPS-R payload manager at SSC, commended the program team for the milestone launch. “The program office delivered its ground system eight months prior to launch, delivered payloads nine months ahead of schedule, and delivered at a cost below the Acquisition Program Baseline. Now we’re looking forward to ensuring a comprehensive test campaign to deliver this capability to the warfighter.”

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DARPA to Host Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Proposers Day in September
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DARPA to Host Quantum Benchmarking Initiative Proposers Day in September

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will conduct a Proposers Day for the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative on Sept. 3, to share with quantum computing companies the vision and goals of QBI and explain the milestones and mechanics of the solicitation for the initiative.

DARPA said Thursday it will also host individual sidebar discussions related to QBI with U.S. and international quantum computing organizations and companies on Sept. 3, 4 and 6.

In July, DARPA launched QBI to help benchmark quantum computing algorithms and applications and evaluate the feasibility of building an industrial quantum computer.

According to the agency, QBI performers will focus on one or more of these efforts: developing and describing a utility-scale quantum computer concept, building and describing a research and development plan that reduces key risks that a utility-scale quantum computer can be developed, identifying and validating quantum computer applications and algorithms that provide demonstrated utility and working with the government to verify and validate that the proposed concept can be constructed as designed and operated as intended.

“We’re eager to hear from and work with an expanded pool of quantum computing firms, both small and large, in the United States and around the world, to determine which approaches show the most promise for success and then help advance those approaches,” said Joe Altepeter, QBI program manager at DARPA.

“The proposers day and private sidebars will give us a chance to hear from you and have a brief discussion about your approach. We especially encourage teams who previously applied for our US2QC program to apply for QBI funding, as we anticipate making a larger number of awards under QBI,” added Altepeter.

Click here to see the notice for the QBI Proposers Day.

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Two Aerospace Companies Chosen to Develop Gamma Prototype Satellites for SDA Under $424M Agreement
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Two Aerospace Companies Chosen to Develop Gamma Prototype Satellites for SDA Under $424M Agreement

The Space Development Agency has selected two aerospace companies to develop 20 Tranche 2 Transport Layer, or T2TL, Gamma prototype space vehicles.

York Space Systems and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems will receive $424 million to each build 10 T2TL – Gamma prototype satellites that aim to broaden tactical satellite communication, or TACSATCOM, systems throughout space missions, the SDA announced Friday.

Derek Tournear, director of the SDA, said, “With these T2TL – Gamma awards, we are closing out the hardware procurement phase for Tranche 2 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture to support delivery beginning in 2026 to achieve our full warfighting capability.”

Through multiple solicitations and vendors, T2TL has accrued a variety of space vehicle and mission configuration options. The PWSA Transport Layer, the foundation for the Department of Defense’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, is designed to offer multi-band communications access through low-latency data delivery, sensor-to-shooter connectivity and TACSATCOM integrated into platforms.

“The T2TL – Gamma space vehicles will demonstrate global communications access and operationalize persistent global encrypted connectivity to support missions like beyond line of sight targeting,” Tournear added.

The York prototype agreement has a total value of $170 million, and the Tyvak prototype has a total value of $254 million. This is Tyvak’s inaugural venture as a prime vendor for the SDA.

The 20 Gamma prototype satellites are scheduled to begin their launch by 2027.

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US Postal Service OIG Seeks Contractors for Tech Support
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US Postal Service OIG Seeks Contractors for Tech Support

The U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General is soliciting technology support services primarily for its use and potentially for other USPS agencies on as-needed requirements.

According to a SAM .gov solicitation notice published Thursday, the USPS OIG plans to grant multiple indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts to meet the solicitation’s statement of work, which includes service support on software and data engineering and IT operations and security.

The contract services and tasks will be procured from one or several contract awardees and each task order level will issue and fund specific requirements.

The office also noted that the solicitation is a recompete of an existing five-year IDIQ contract awarded earlier to ECS Federal, General Dynamics IT, HII Mission Technologies, LinTech Global and Peraton.

The five contractors’ performance period will end Feb. 11, 2025, with $70 million maximum value per contract and approximately 150 support service requirements fulfilled to date, according to the solicitation’s Q&A.

The deadline for the submission of proposals to the solicitation is Sept. 18.

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Navy Department CIO Jane Rathbun Issues Information Superiority Vision 2.0
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Navy Department CIO Jane Rathbun Issues Information Superiority Vision 2.0

Jane Rathbun, chief information officer of the Department of the Navy and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, has released the second iteration of the Information Superiority Vision with a focus on three key pillars: optimize, secure and decide.

In a LinkedIn post published Thursday, the DON’s Office of the CIO said ISV 2.0 marks the department’s commitment to facilitating the secure movement of information in support of warfighters.

For the optimize pillar, major initiatives include managing the “Business Mission Area” as a portfolio and modernizing the DON Information Environment by advancing cloud adoption, delivering a secret data-centric ecosystem and improving the customer experience.

Under the secure pillar, the department is calling for the adoption of zero trust, transition to “Cyber Ready” and management of cybersecurity as a shared capability portfolio.

For the decide pillar, initiatives include maturing the naval data architecture, adopting enterprise standards for using, managing and sharing data, delivering analytics capabilities and enabling artificial intelligence.

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CBP Office of IT Releases Strategy for FY 2024-2028
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CBP Office of IT Releases Strategy for FY 2024-2028

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released its IT strategy for fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

According to CBP Chief Information Officer and 2024 Wash100 awardee Sonny Bhagowalia, the purpose of the strategy is to refresh the alignment and execution of the Office of Information and Technology with its vision and mission. The OIT’s vision is “[getting] the right information to the right people on any authorized device, anywhere, at any time” while its mission is to “[deliver] secure, reliable IT services and capabilities anywhere, anytime at the speed of CBP’s 24/7 mission.”

The strategy also aims for alignment with the mission of the Department of Homeland Security of managing and securing the U.S. border and lawful travel and trade. The strategy aligns with the policies and priorities of the federal CIO, the National Security Strategy and the President’s Management Agenda.

CBP IT Strategy 2024-2028 articulates the office’s objectives over the four-year period across six focus areas: providing infrastructure capabilities; building reliable and mission-aligned applications; delivering operational and information technologies; ensuring cybersecurity; improving IT and resource management governance; and improving the integration of CIO business operations services.

Bhagowalia, who also serves as CBP OIT assistant commissioner, noted the continuing expansion of his office’s responsibilities and said advanced technologies will be used through the strategy’s duration “to support ongoing innovations that keep pace with evolving mission needs.”

And while the strategy outlines the OIT’s current objectives, it is nevertheless described as a “living plan” that will evolve as the objectives are implemented.

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Stevens Institute of Technology Board of Trustees Books $520M Contract for R&D Services
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Stevens Institute of Technology Board of Trustees Books $520M Contract for R&D Services

Stevens Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees has secured a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract worth $520 million from Washington Headquarters Services to perform research and development services for the Department of Defense.

The DOD said Wednesday the New Jersey-based research university will provide experts from various academic fields to do core research and development for the department.

Under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, the selected university personnel will focus their research on three critical areas, particularly:

1. Providing the DOD with ways to manage their systems by developing new systems engineering methods, processes and tools, as well as upgrading existing ones

2. Enhancing the design and development of complex systems across all DOD domains by leveraging the latest innovations in systems architecting, complex systems theory, systems thinking, systems science, knowledge management and software engineering

3. Enhancing the integration of program and technical management methods, processes and tools by utilizing developments in open systems standards, organizational theory, program management, systems engineering management and information technology

The work for the University Affiliated Research Center contract will be carried out in Hoboken, New Jersey and is expected to be completed on Aug. 13, 2029.

The Arlington, Virginia-based Washington Headquarters Services awarded the contract.

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Stevens Institute of Technology Board of Trustees Books $520M Contract for R&D Services
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