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Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko Returns to DARPA as CIO
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Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko Returns to DARPA as CIO

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has appointed Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a cybersecurity leader, as chief information officer.

The appointment marks his return to DARPA, where he first served as a cyber program manager and helped establish the Information Innovation Office as the agency’s cybersecurity office.

“His track record of creativity in addressing critical cybersecurity and IT modernization challenges, as well as his experience as a former program manager, make him well-suited to our unique environment,” DARPA said of Zatko in a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

The DARPA CIO most recently served as executive in residence at cybersecurity company Rapid7. Zatko also previously held leadership roles at Google, Stripe and Twitter.

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Marine Corps Posts Draft Solicitation to Automate, Optimize Business Operations
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Marine Corps Posts Draft Solicitation to Automate, Optimize Business Operations

The U.S. Marine Corps has issued a draft solicitation for business operations support to the Deputy Commandant Programs and Resources.

According to the Wednesday notice posted on the System for Award Management website, the effort supports phase four of the Marine Corps Business Operations Optimization Team program, which seeks to automate the service’s business processes using the latest technologies.

The government plans to work with small businesses for the upcoming requirement to modernize the USMC’s business processes.

The anticipated work items include enhancing a suite of applications for internal controls and remediation, financial management evaluations, and appointment and authorization duties.

The potential contractor is also expected to accommodate policy changes from the Department of Defense if needed.

Additionally, the selected vendor will provide the necessary personnel, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, tools, materials and supervision to accomplish the work requirements.

Work on the contract will be performed at a vendor-provided facility and will run for 12 months during the base performance period. It also includes four 12-month periods and a potential six-month extension period.

The USMC will issue a final solicitation on Aug. 22.

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Kathleen Hicks Says DOD Working to Evolve Acquisition Pathways, Contracting Tools
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Kathleen Hicks Says DOD Working to Evolve Acquisition Pathways, Contracting Tools

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, on Wednesday delivered a keynote speech at a conference in Washington D.C., and highlighted some of the initiatives DOD has launched to drive innovation and accelerate the delivery of capabilities to warfighters.

One of the efforts Hicks discussed is the adoption of flexible acquisition pathways and new contracting tools, such as the Commercial Solutions Opening and other transaction authority, to work better with nontraditional defense firms and other commercial enterprises.

“Today, over 200 programs have used Middle-Tier and Software Acquisition pathways, with $57 billion flowing through them since inception — nearly 40 percent just in fiscal ‘24. In some cases, they’re shaving up to six years off delivery timelines,” the deputy DOD secretary said.

“And since January 2021, we’ve obligated $44 billion with OTAs, 61 percent more than at this point in the last administration. Production’s share of that total grew over 12-fold compared to four years ago. That’s real change,” she added.

DOD Innovation Fact Sheet

Those contracting tools and acquisition pathways were cited in the Innovation Fact Sheet DOD released Wednesday.

According to Hicks, the Innovation Fact Sheet covers the department’s “unceasing work to debug DoD’s innovation ecosystem,” efforts to address the valleys of death, investments in data and artificial intelligence and advancement of programs like Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control.

Replicator Initiative

During her speech, Hicks mentioned the efforts the department has launched to advance the Replicator initiative, which seeks to field thousands of all-domain attritable autonomous systems, or ADA2 systems, within the next 18 to 24 months.

Some of those efforts are identifying and validating key operational requirements from combatant commands, selecting initial capabilities to meet those demands, developing acquisition strategies for each capability and submitting reprogramming requests and a spending plan to Congress to speed up program implementation.

“With Congress’s support, we secured needed funding for fiscal year 2024, about $500 million, and budgeted a similar amount for fiscal year 2025,” the DOD official stated.

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NSF Materials Development Accelerator Project Advances With Six Phase 2 Research Teams
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NSF Materials Development Accelerator Project Advances With Six Phase 2 Research Teams

The National Science Foundation has announced the selection of six research teams advancing to Phase 2 of its Convergence Accelerator’s Track I: Sustainable Materials for Global Challenges program aimed at developing solutions to speed up materials development for such industries as semiconductors and plastics.

A total of $30 million has been allocated to the program, which is a partnership with Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, a.k.a. CSIRO, the NSF said Tuesday.

Each Phase 2 team will receive an award of up to $5 million over three years.

The teams will undergo innovation and entrepreneurial training on such areas as product development, financial resources and sustainability planning.

Australian researchers from the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University, with CSIRO funding, are among the members of the U.S.-led team ReCreateIt focused on landfill waste reduction research.

A team led by IBM’s PFACTS Almaden Research Center is geared to boost development of compostable materials for food containers and semiconductors.

Battelle Memorial Institute leads a research team on recyclable materials for solar panels, while a team headed by the University of Georgia Research Foundation will work on a tool to examine the flow of materials, such as plastics and organics, through local communities.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads two Phase 2 teams, with one focused on establishing a microchip sustainability alliance and the other geared for research on topological materials for low-cost next-generation energy and information tools.

The NSF initiated the Convergence Accelerator program with a request for information in October 2020 for concepts to accelerate the transition of technology from basic research to discovery.

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NAVAIR’s Tom Rudowsky: Small Businesses Crucial to Naval Aviation Warfighting
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NAVAIR’s Tom Rudowsky: Small Businesses Crucial to Naval Aviation Warfighting

Naval Air Systems Command Deputy Commander Tom Rudowsky asked the attendees of a recent Small Business Innovation Research Program event for assistance in identifying factors that prevent industry — especially small businesses — from doing business with his organization.

According to a news article posted Tuesday on the NAVAIR website, Rudowsky said during the event that engaging all stakeholders is critical to achieving the objectives of the command, adding, “We need to ensure the opportunity to contribute is available to everyone.”

The NAVAIR official also described small businesses as sources of innovation whose responsiveness, flexibility and specializations can deliver an edge in naval aviation warfighting.

“You are key elements in changing the game in this era of great competition. Accomplishing the mission requires all elements of the industrial base, not just large businesses. It will take all of us to expand capability,” Rudowsky said.

The event took place on July 23 and was sponsored by The Patuxent Partnership and the Small Business Development Center.

NAVAIR's Tom Rudowsky: Small Businesses Crucial to Naval Aviation Warfighting

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Christine Powell Named Deputy Director of NASA Stennis Center
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Christine Powell Named Deputy Director of NASA Stennis Center

Christine Powell, a longtime propulsion engineer and executive, has been appointed as the new deputy director of NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

NASA said Monday Powell’s appointment, which will take effect on Aug. 12, was revealed by Stennis Space Center Director John Bailey. Powell is the first woman to hold the position at the largest propulsion test facility in the country.

As deputy director, Powell will work alongside Bailey in coordinating the rocket propulsion test capabilities of the south Mississippi test site. She will also be responsible for managing the overall site.

Bailey emphasized Powell’s experience and expertise in propulsion testing and management. “She also has served in a range of leadership positions here at NASA Stennis, making her uniquely qualified to help us innovate and grow into the future.”

The Stennis Space Center is mainly utilized for test operations for government and commercial aerospace companies. It is also used as a regional aerospace and technology hub, which houses over 50 resident agencies, companies, organizations, and institutions.

Powell is the current manager of NASA Rocket Propulsion Test Program Office, a position she held since May 2021. Her responsibilities include supervising over $3.5 billion worth of propulsion assets across the agency and strategic planning for NASA’s key objectives. Powell also manages the program’s operations including its $48 million annual budget.

The Biloxi, Mississippi native spent 33 years of her career at NASA Stennis. She started out as an intern in 1991 before becoming an instrumentation engineer and then systems integration engineer. She was promoted to a leadership role in 2004.

Powell was site representative to the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate and lead of the NASA Stennis Systems and Test Integration Branch. She also served as chief of the NASA Stennis Systems Engineering Branch and assistant director of the Engineering and Test Directorate.

Eventually, Powell was tasked with overseeing the NASA Stennis Systems Engineering and Project Management Leadership Development Program. She was then the NASA Stennis Advocate for the Agency’s Systems and Engineering Leadership Program.

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US to Provide $450M Incentive for SK Hynix’s AI Memory Plant in Indiana
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US to Provide $450M Incentive for SK Hynix’s AI Memory Plant in Indiana

The United States will provide $450 million of proposed federal incentives to SK Hynix for its project to build a high-bandwidth memory — or HBM — packaging fabrication and research and development facility in Indiana.

Under the preliminary memorandum of terms signed by the two parties, the federal incentive will support the South Korean chipmaker’s $3.87 billion investment to establish an advanced memory packaging plant for artificial intelligence products on U.S. soil, the Commerce Department said.

According to Arati Prabhakar, a former Wash100 Award winner and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the incentive from CHIPS and Science Act will bolster the U.S. computing systems.

She noted that “advanced packaging is more and more critical for AI and other leading-edge systems.”

SK Hynix will build the manufacturing facility at the Purdue University Research Park in West Lafayette, Indiana. The company aims to mass-produce HBMs at the site starting in the second half of 2028.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said the federal initiative will generate hundreds of new jobs in Indiana and highlight the state’s role in advancing U.S. national security and supply chains.

The facility’s operation is expected to create approximately 1,000 jobs in the area.

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NIST Seeks Public Comment on Latest Draft of Zero Trust Implementation Guide
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NIST Seeks Public Comment on Latest Draft of Zero Trust Implementation Guide

The National Institute of Standards and Technology‘s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has released the fourth draft of “NIST Special Publication 1800-35, Implementing a Zero Trust Architecture” and is calling for public feedback on the document.

The NCCoE said Tuesday that the document provides technical information about 17 sample zero trust architecture implementations demonstrated during partnerships with multiple vendors. Readers can use the document as reference for the possible replication of implementation models.

The document also discusses lessons learned from those implementations, which can result in time and resource savings for organizations.

The draft publication is being released in two formats. The first is a PDF that provides an overview of the project and the second is a web document that provides in-depth details.

Interested parties have until Sept. 30 to comment on the publication.

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NSF & Intel Corporation Invest in Semiconductor Education Projects
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NSF & Intel Corporation Invest in Semiconductor Education Projects

The U.S. National Science Foundation and Intel Corporation have partnered to offer funding to boost STEM education and training for the microelectronics industry.

The $7.6 million investment is part of a 10-year partnership between NSF and Intel in hopes of growing what’s seen as a diminished semiconductor workforce, NSF announced Wednesday.

Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF director, said, “Today’s announcement reaffirms NSF’s commitment to strengthen the U.S. workforce and ensure we have the knowledge and skills needed for innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing.”

“This investment will support talent development across the semiconductor industry and improve education and training opportunities in technology fields that are crucial for our global competitiveness,” he added.

The six new projects are the product of a pair of NSF programs: Advanced Technological Education and Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They both came about through NSF and Intel’s collaboration. Students who want to learn about technician training programs are provided with full-ride scholarships at two-year colleges and four-year universities.

Richard Uhlig, senior fellow and director of Intel Labs, said, “Intel invests in education and workforce development through private-public partnerships and ongoing collaborations with NSF.”

“This initiative reflects Intel’s commitment to fostering innovation, driving economic growth and preparing a skilled workforce to meet the evolving demands of semiconductor technologies,” Uhlig continued.

NSF and Intel are jointly devoting $100 million over the course of the decade-long project.

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CISA-FBI Customer Guide Offers Pointers to Check Software Security
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CISA-FBI Customer Guide Offers Pointers to Check Software Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have issued a guide to help customers ensure that the secure by design concept is a core manufacturing consideration in the software they are eying to purchase.

Titled “Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem,” the manual is designed for software customers’ procurement talks with third-party resellers, CISA said Tuesday.

Citing technology vendors who have earlier joined CISA’s Secure by Design pledge, Jen Easterly, the agency’s director, said businesses can also help the effort through “better risk-informed decisions” in software purchases.

“This new guide will help software customers understand how they can use their purchasing power to procure secure products and turn Secure by Design into Secure by Demand,” she said.

The guide provides questions that an organization’s acquisition staff can ask in a software purchase to assess security in the procurement stages and product lifecycle.

It also recommends action steps, such as obtaining and inspecting the manufacturer’s software bill of materials listing third-party components. Another recommendation calls for customer checks on suppliers’ disclosure policy and roadmaps addressing their products’ vulnerabilities.

In addition to using the guide, CISA suggests that customers review the software acquisition roadmap in the cyber-supply chain risk management playbook it recently published.

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