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NSDC Establishes NACE Program to Enhance Space Ops
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NSDC Establishes NACE Program to Enhance Space Ops

The National Space Defense Center has launched the NSDC Advanced Concept Experimentation, or NACE, program to drive innovation and optimize its space defense capabilities.

The U.S. Space Forces – Space said Tuesday the NACE program aims to enhance space operations and bolster intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Furthermore, the program intends to boost defensive cyber operations and command-and-control processes. 

NSDC Advanced Concept Experimentation

NACE is a program designed to accelerate innovations and enhance operational capabilities through experimentation, which can be done through live operations or tabletop exercises involving space warfighters. The program focuses on enhancing mission execution and fostering warfighter mentality.

NACE uses an approach similar to the scientific method to formulate a hypothesis and create a scenario to test the hypothesis. The program also utilizes the concept of agile development sprint instead of the typical military process of exercise, training and test experience.

NACE Program Objectives

The NACE program aims to rehearse and refine C2 procedures for planning, executing and evaluating space, cyber, and intelligence operations. It is also meant to support real-world testing and the development of future capabilities. Another main objective of the program is to identify risks, issues and gaps in existing capabilities, processes and authorities supporting space operations.

Lt. Col. Jason Utulo, director of operations experimentation, stressed that the NACE experiments aim to integrate and synchronize with mission partners and enhance processes and operations.

“These experiments enable collaboration to see what processes enable tactical units the flexibility to achieve their warfighting functions,” Utulo added. “This will help understand what feedback mechanisms the center needs to fulfill Global C2/Battle Management obligations… and just get better at warfighting.”

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OSTP Tasks NASA to Lead Reference Systems for Cislunar Space
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OSTP Tasks NASA to Lead Reference Systems for Cislunar Space

The Office of Science and Technology Policy has called on federal government agencies to develop common reference systems to support the long-term presence of humans on the Moon. OSTP published a memorandum on Wednesday seeking to establish a reference system that will enable navigation, scientific discovery and commercial activity on the lunar surface. 

According to the document, NASA must collaborate with other federal agencies and international partners to craft an implementation plan for the lunar reference systems by 2026. 

Coordinated Lunar Time

The new memorandum complements a previous memo that Arati Prabhakar, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of OSTP, issued in April, in which she directed NASA to establish a timing system for the Moon and other celestial bodies. 

Timekeeping on the Moon can be quite a challenge due to its unique gravitational pull. A regular atomic clock would tick faster on the lunar surface compared to those on Earth. 

A unified time standard will support sustained activity on and around the Moon. 

OSTP’s Five-Year Plan for Cislunar Space

OSTP will also publish the National Cislunar Science and Technology Action Plan, which outlines the steps the government will take over the next five years to maintain leadership in space. 

The document has four strategic objectives: supporting research and development efforts, expanding international coordination on science and technology, and broadening coverage of space situational awareness capabilities. 

According to the action plan, the U.S. also aims to build scalable and interoperable communications and positioning, navigation, and timing infrastructure in cislunar space. 

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DIU Selects Companies to Demo Heating, Cooling Tech for DOD Bases
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DIU Selects Companies to Demo Heating, Cooling Tech for DOD Bases

The Defense Innovation Unit has selected three companies to prototype innovative technologies for efficient air conditioning and water heating applications in Department of Defense facilities.

The selected companies will demonstrate heating and cooling technologies that would enable DOD installations to cut down their carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions, DIU said Wednesday. The effort is expected to reduce the estimated $4 billion that the agency spends annually on facility energy costs.

Efficient Energy Use for DOD Bases

From the 40 companies that participated in DOD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program—a.k.a. ESTCP—DIU picked GTI Energy to install and monitor air-water Lync heat pumps for domestic hot water use in barracks at Fort Gregg-Adams and Fort Moore. The Illinois-based company will also install four dual-fuel rooftop hybrid units Applied Instruction Hanger building at Fort Gregg-Adams.

Meanwhile, Blue Frontier was tapped to install a liquid desiccant-enhanced dedicated outdoor air system in the commissary club at Fort Moore, Georgia and a bowling alley at Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts. The system is designed to provide moisture removal efficiency and energy storage capability.

Intellihot, the last contract awardee, will be tasked to install a tankless heat pump water heater technology in the base recreation building at the Westover Air Reserve Base. The selected companies are required to install, test and monitor the required systems from 2024 through 2025.

Increasing Installation Resilience

Through the ESTCP initiative, DIU is identifying and deploying new technologies to increase installation resilience and optimize future energy use on DOD bases.

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GAO Urges DHS to Update AI Risk Assessment Guidance, Template
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GAO Urges DHS to Update AI Risk Assessment Guidance, Template

The Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately update its artificial intelligence guidance and template for sector risk management agencies, or SMRAs.

A new DHS guidance for AI risk assessment will help address fears that the technology could be used to attack U.S. critical infrastructure, GAO said in a Wednesday report.

AI Risk Assessment for Key Activities

In its audit, GAO focused on how SMRAs would address key activities linked to AI assessments, such as documented assessment methodology, identified AI use cases, identified potential risks, evaluated level of risk, identified mitigation strategies and mapped mitigation strategies to risks. The report found that while the agencies completed the requirements to identify AI use cases, they failed to anticipate the risks involved.

The watchdog also noted that 16 of the 17 risk assessments considered potential risks, but none gauged the level of potential harm and the probability of an event occurring. In addition, most of the agencies did not link their risk mitigation strategies to potential risks. Notably, only seven agencies partially addressed risk mitigations while 10 agencies skipped the measure altogether.

Next Steps

GAO urged the DHS secretary to immediately beef up the guidance and template for AI risk assessments to address the identified gaps and share the updates with the SRMAs. The department concurred with the recommendation and vowed to release additional guidance that includes “identifying potential risks and evaluating the level of risk.”

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Russell Aldrich to Lead Akima’s IT Services Group as VP
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Russell Aldrich to Lead Akima’s IT Services Group as VP

Russell Aldrich has joined Akima as the new vice president of business development for the company’s mission systems, engineering and technology group. 

Aldrich will spearhead the group’s growth strategies while supporting Akima’s government and military customers, the Herndon, Virginia-based company announced Wednesday. 

The mission systems, engineering and technology group executes a wide range of IT services, mission-critical support and analytic systems for national security and defense operations. 

Mike Alvarado, chief growth officer at Akima, said, “Russell’s expertise is a cornerstone for Akima’s continued growth and innovation.”

“As we expand our footprint in the government sector, his unwavering commitment to delivering tailored solutions for clients, coupled with his people-centered leadership style that embodies Akima’s culture of collaboration, will play a vital role in driving our success,” noted Alvarado. 

Aldrich’s Prior Experience 

Aldrich holds more than two decades of experience in strategic growth, leadership and business development roles. 

Before coming on board Akima’s leadership team, he served as the VP of business development at Leidos, where he spearheaded the company’s FEDSIM Center of Excellence. Aldrich also worked in numerous other senior positions, including director of business development at Lockheed Martin and executive leadership roles at CACI and Accenture.

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DOD Issues Updated IP Version 6 Implementation Guidance
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DOD Issues Updated IP Version 6 Implementation Guidance

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has released an updated document establishing policy and outlining procedures for deploying and using Internet Protocol Version 6, or IPv6, in DOD information systems.

The updated DOD Instruction took effect Tuesday, Dec. 17, and was approved by Leslie Beavers, acting CIO at DOD and a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

According to the document, all new networked information systems that DOD components use should be IPv6-enabled before their operational use.

DOD IPv6 Implementation Plan

According to the latest instruction, the implementation plan outlines the phasing requirements for when IP-enabled assets on the department’s networks must operate in IPv6-only environments, identifies DOD information systems that cannot be converted to use IPv6 and requires that all new and existing IP-enabled customer edge interfaces must be configured with an IPv6 address.

Responsibilities of DOD Officials

The DOD CIO should monitor the department’s IPv6 implementation status and the replacement or retirement of information systems and applications that are not IPv6-capable, review all requests to waive IPv6 requirements on a case-by-case basis and require systems that back enterprise security services are IPv6-capable and operable in IPv6-only environments.

The updated guidance calls for the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency to maintain an IPv6 program management office to help manage and deconflict IPv6 priorities and plans; establish for the DOD community a knowledge base containing IPv6 lessons learned from various IPv6 pilot testing and limited deployments and IPv6 training resources for network engineers and cybersecurity personnel; and update IPv6 standards and implementation profiles in the DOD IT Standards Registry, among other actions.

The document also outlines IPv6 implementation-related responsibilities of the director of the National Security Agency/Central Security Service chief, DOD component heads, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and head of U.S. Cyber Command.

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DIU Taps Viasat for Command & Control of Autonomous Systems
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DIU Taps Viasat for Command & Control of Autonomous Systems

The Defense Innovation Unit has chosen Viasat to develop command and control, or C2, connectivity across autonomous systems in support of the Replicator initiative.

Through the DIU’s Opportunistic, Resilient and Innovative Expeditionary Network Topology, or ORIENT, project award, Viasat will leverage its multi-domain uncrewed secure integrated communications, a.k.a. MUSIC, architecture to empower the connectivity of unmanned systems using multi-transport pathways.

David Schmolke, vice president of Viasat mission connections and cybersecurity, said, “Viasat is excited to support the Defense Innovation Unit and the Replicator initiative through Project ORIENT by helping advance resilience and enable collaboration across multiple autonomous systems for warfighter operations.”

Viasat’s Support of Replicator Initiative 

The Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative aims to produce thousands of uncrewed and all-domain attritable autonomous, or ADA2, systems for warfighter mission support. Replicator is also responsible for advancing the delivery of capabilities to the warfighter at an increased speed. 

In November, the department selected two batches of software developers, including Viasat, to support Replicator.

Viasat’s MUSIC Architecture 

Viasat’s MUSIC architecture is supported by the company’s NetAgility platform, which is designed to respond to autonomous mission needs through efficient transport and network orchestration. The MUSIC mesh network overlay also allows for protected data sharing through various unmanned capabilities.

“The coordinated use of autonomous systems offers critical operational advantages as the demands to quickly collect and share mission data grow, including executing those missions safely without putting warfighters in harm’s way,” noted Schmolke. “MUSIC and NetAgility network orchestration is an optimal fit for addressing the network and advanced C2 requirements to enable resilient, multi-path communications through contested and denied environments.”

During the Autonomous Warrior 24 exercise in October, Viasat’s team collaborated with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to demonstrate MUSIC’s ability to connect unmanned maritime systems.

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House Bill to Block DOD Contracts With China-Linked Entities
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House Bill to Block DOD Contracts With China-Linked Entities

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, has introduced a bill that would prohibit the Secretary of Defense from entering into IT contracts with entities that offer certain services to China.

“The ‘Safeguard American Innovation Act’ is vital to securing our nation’s technology and deterring foreign threats, particularly from China,” Fallon said in a statement published Tuesday.

“This bill will take action to prevent this by blocking any Department of Defense (DOD) contracts with companies tied to China that could jeopardize our national security,” he added.

Breaking Defense reported that the proposed measure seeks to bar the DOD secretary from doing business with IT firms that run or operate research and development in China, are substantially funded by the Chinese government and/or have provided China with access to source code in software.

According to the congressman, China implements laws that force businesses to share software source code and other sensitive technology.

“By banning contracts with companies that operate in China, are funded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), or allow China access to critical code, this bill helps ensure our IT infrastructure remains secure and our technological advancements stay out of adversaries’ hands,” Fallon stated.

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Kyle Vogel Appointed CIO at Commerce OIG
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Kyle Vogel Appointed CIO at Commerce OIG

Kyle Vogel has been appointed chief information officer of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General, according to his LinkedIn post shared Sunday.

Kyle Vogel’s Career at a Glance 

Vogel spent the last 17 years of his career with the Naval Audit Service where he most recently served as the director of the Information Technology Department from 2014 to 2024. He joined in 2007 as a software development project manager.

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional also worked at Marine Corps Institute for three years as a senior webmaster and at Manpower & Reserve Affairs for almost six years as an administrative support.

The Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General, or OIG, is responsible for detecting and deterring waste, fraud, and abuse. The office also seeks to enhance the department’s programs and operations.

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Cybersecurity Playbook Set for Infrastructure Project Grants
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Cybersecurity Playbook Set for Infrastructure Project Grants

Cybersecurity guardrails developed by the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have been issued for grant-funded infrastructure projects, the White House announced Tuesday. The guidance sets the tools and resources for incorporating cybersecurity into grant programs and building cyber resilience in infrastructure projects, the announcement said.

The 75-page guide, titled “Playbook for Strengthening Cybersecurity in Federal Grant Programs for Critical Infrastructure,” serves as a roadmap for both grant-issuing agencies and award recipients, as well as critical infrastructure owners and operators. 

Complementary to Investing in America Agenda

Issued as the Biden Administration is pursuing the Investing in America agenda focused on infrastructure development and rebuilding, the guidance fills the government’s obligation to build in cybersecurity by design, Harry Coker, White House national cyber director, said.

“As organizations seek to take advantage of historic infrastructure grants, it’s critical to ensure the security and resilience of this next generation of American infrastructure in every community across our nation,” remarked CISA Director Jen Easterly, a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

Cyber Plan Templates and Model Language

The playbook recommends cybersecurity steps throughout the management lifecycle of the grant programs, including assessment processes on project cyber risks and corresponding cybersecurity plans. In addition, the guide provides templates that grant awardees can use in developing cyber risk assessments and project cybersecurity plans.  

For grant program managers and sub-awarding entities, the guidance recommends the model language for their notices of funding opportunity and grant terms and conditions. The guide also provides the resources available to support grant awardees’ project execution, such as the CISA Cybersecurity Performance Goal Checklist Adapted for Grant Recipients.

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