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DOE Lab to Explore Machine Learning Tools for Scientific Data Analysis
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DOE Lab to Explore Machine Learning Tools for Scientific Data Analysis


DOE Lab to Explore Machine Learning Tools for Scientific Data AnalysisA team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers has received a three-year, $2 million contract from the Energy Department to study the potential use of machine learning tools in scientific data analysis.

ORNL said Friday it will explore deep learning methods to help scientists understand massive data sets through the Advances in Machine Learning to Improve Scientific Discovery at Exascale and Beyond project.

“This understanding can help scientists build and support new scientific theories, and help to design better materials,” said Thomas Potok, leader of ORNL’s computational data analytics group.

Potok will carry out the ASCEND project with fellow researchers Robert Patton, Chris Symons, Steven Young and Catherine Schuman.

The teams plans to use the Titan supercomputer at ORNL to test high-performance computing methods and build a deep learning network that will work to process and interpret data from multiple sources such as sensors.

A Battelle-University of Tennessee joint venture manages the laboratory for DOE.

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Andrei Iancu to Be Nominated USPTO Director
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Andrei Iancu to Be Nominated USPTO Director


Andrei Iancu to Be Nominated USPTO DirectorAndrei Iancu, managing partner at law firm Irell & Manella, will be nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

President Trump also intends to nominate Iancu as undersecretary for intellectual property at the Commerce Department.

Iancu previously advised plaintiffs and defendants from various industries as well as appeared in front of multiple agencies such as the PTO, U.S. International Trade Commission, U.S. district courts and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit as a legal representative.

He also taught patent law at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering as well as master’s and juris doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering.

Iancu also worked for Hughes Aircraft as an engineer before he went to law school.

If confirmed, he will succeed former USPTO Director Michelle Lee, who stepped down in June after five years at the agency.

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DoD Evaluates 350 Acquisition-Related Rules; Linda Nielson Comments
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DoD Evaluates 350 Acquisition-Related Rules; Linda Nielson Comments


DoD Evaluates 350 Acquisition-Related Rules; Linda Nielson CommentsThe Defense Department has begun to review 716 regulations including 350 acquisition-related rules in compliance with a White House executive order in February that seeks to reduce regulatory burden on citizens and businesses through regulatory reform efforts, Federal News Radio reported Friday.

Linda Nielson, deputy director at DoD’s office of defense acquisition regulations system for the defense procurement and acquisition policy, said the department has initiated a multi-step process to assess the procurement rules.

The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations personnel completed historical research on all procurement-related regulations within three weeks as part of the initial step, Nielson said Tuesday at the Section 809 Panel meeting in Virginia.

“For all 350, we compiled the intended outcome of the regulations, what was the reason it was identified as an issue that required codifying,” added Nielson.

She said DoD also has collaborated with subject matter experts to assess whether a regulation offers benefits under the EO’s terms as part of the process’ second step, which she says is “ongoing.”

Nielson said the department expects changes to acquisition regulations to occur in 2019 and 2020 since the rulemaking process to alter or remove existing rules could take 18 to 24 months, the report added.

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Rob Leahy to Serve as Acting OPM CIO
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Rob Leahy to Serve as Acting OPM CIO


Rob Leahy to Serve as Acting OPM CIO
Rob Leahy

Rob Leahy, deputy chief information officer at the Office of Personnel Management, has been appointed to succeed outgoing CIO David DeVries on an acting basis effective Sept. 2.

OPM said Friday that Chief Information Security Officer Cord Chase will step into the position of acting deputy CIO.

Leahy joined the agency in January after he previously spent 11 years at the Internal Revenue Service.

His career at IRS has included roles such as deputy director of technology operations and investigative services; senior adviser to the deputy commissioner for services and enforcement; chief of the compliance analytics office; and director of enterprise technology implementation.

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Rear Adm. Nancy Norton Named DISA Vice Director
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Rear Adm. Nancy Norton Named DISA Vice Director


Rear Adm. Nancy Norton Named DISA Vice Director
Nancy Norton

Rear Adm. Nancy Norton, former U.S. Navy director of warfare integration for information warfare, has been named vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency.

DISA said Norton will help manage the agency’s more than 8,000 personnel and $11 billion annual budget in her new position.

Norton noted her top priorities as DISA vice director are to ensure the Defense Department‘s lethality; establish a maneuverable and mobile joint network; and develop an agile workforce that can meet warfighters’ needs.

She has served in various afloat and onshore assignments at the Navy, with a focus on information warfare.

Norton’s previous roles include director of the command, control, communications and cyber directorate at the U.S. Pacific Command; executive assistant to the chief of naval operations; and deputy director for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities at the office of the deputy CNO for information dominance.

She also served as a command, control, communications, computers and intelligence officer aboard USS Enterprise supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as on the staff of the Naval Forces Europe commander and U.S. 6th Fleet commander.

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New Air Force Initiatives Seek to Help Address Pilot Shortage
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New Air Force Initiatives Seek to Help Address Pilot Shortage


New Air Force Initiatives Seek to Help Address Pilot ShortageThe U.S. Air Force has unveiled three initiatives to increase incentive pay for pilots, expand the service branch’s aviation bonus program and bring retired pilots back to active duty.

The Air Force said Friday the first initiative will authorize higher incentive pay or flight pay for all aviators based on their years of service, beginning Oct. 1.

The initiative seeks to lessen the number of steps in the Air Force Aviation Incentive Pay table and provide monthly incentives of up to $1000.

The Air Force also expanded the fiscal year 2017 Aviation Bonus Program to include pilots that are not under contract and those with expired contracts.

Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said the military branch expanded the aviation bonus offer to a larger pool of pilots because the take rates did not meet the Air Force’s needs.

The Air Force also launched the Voluntary Rated Return to Active Duty program, which is open to retired pilots under the 11x Air Force Specialty Codes who wish to perform up to 12 months of active duty service.

VRRAD participants will primarily hold critical-rated staff positions to allow current and qualified pilots to serve in operational units where they are needed.

The initiatives are designed to help the Air Force address a growing pilot shortage that has reached a deficit of 1,555 aviators in FY 2016, including 1,211 total force fighter pilots.

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Army Conducts Ground-Based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Demo
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Army Conducts Ground-Based Manned-Unmanned Teaming Demo


Army Conducts Ground-Based Manned-Unmanned Teaming DemoThe U.S. Army paired manned platforms with robotic systems on the ground as part of the manned-unmanned teaming demonstration held Tuesday at Fort Benning in Georgia, Defense News reported Friday.

The service branch’s Maneuver Center of Excellence combined a semiautonomous MRZR combat vehicle with an unmanned Hoverfly quadcopter to carry out reconnaissance operations as part of the exercise’s first scenario.

The Army also used a robotic wingman with a long range advance scout surveillance system – LRAS3 – to lead a group of crewed Humvees to detect positions of adversaries as well as a manned M113 armored personnel carrier to field a ground-based robot – Packbot – to conduct surveillance operations.

The robotic wingman fired at enemy targets after it received information from the manned Humvee.

The military branch also used the MRZR to perform reconnaissance, an Abrams tank section and a semiautonomous M58 vehicle with a smoke generator called Wolf as part of the Abrams Lethality Enabler demonstration.

The M58 Wolf vehicle works to conceal and allow the tank to move into its position by fielding heavy smoke.

The Army carried out the two-part demonstration in compliance with the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Strategy and Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy.

Robert Sadowski, robotics chief with the Army’s tank automotive research, development and engineering center, said the service expects to transition the land-based robotic programs to the National Training Center within two to five years.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Prevent Establishment of Cyber Working Group Between US, Russia
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Senate Bill Seeks to Prevent Establishment of Cyber Working Group Between US, Russia


Senate Bill Seeks to Prevent Establishment of Cyber Working Group Between US, RussiaThe Senate Intelligence Committee passed in July a draft bill that would prohibit the creation of a cybersecurity working group between the U.S. and Russia, Nextgov reported Friday.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 would require the Department of Homeland Security and intelligence agencies to develop within 90 days a plan to safeguard the country’s election systems from Russia’s future cyber interference.

A separate report on election hacking efforts by Russia and other foreign governments should also be submitted within two months, according to the proposed legislation.

The proposed bill would direct the Director of National Intelligence to facilitate sharing of classified cyber threat data with each state’s two election officers with security clearances at the top-secret level and submit an annual report on the federal government’s process used to determine whether to disclose software vulnerabilities.

The measure also calls for DHS to develop a strategic plan within six months for the implementation of bug bounties at federal agencies.

The House passed its version of the bill in July weeks after the House Intelligence Committee cleared the measure.

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Navy LCS Launches Harpoon Missile in Live-Fire Test
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Navy LCS Launches Harpoon Missile in Live-Fire Test


Navy LCS Launches Harpoon Missile in Live-Fire TestA U.S. Navy littoral combat ship has launched a missile off the coast of Guam as part of a live-fire test that demonstrated the vessel’s capacity to engage a surface target from beyond visual range.

An MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial system and an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter provided targeting support for the Harpoon Block 1C missile after the service branch test-fired it from USS Coronado, the Navy said Tuesday.

Harpoon is designed to hit surface targets from surface ships, aircraft and submarines.

Capt. Lex Walker, commodore of the Destroyer Squadron 7, noted that USS Coronado’s real-world deployment of the harpoon missile represents changes to the service branch’s use of LCS platforms.

Walker added the use of LCS vessels in the larger maritime domain with regional partners will help establish a cooperative regional environment.

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Adm. William Moran Asks Fleet Forces Command Chief to Lead Comprehensive Review of Warship Collisions
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Adm. William Moran Asks Fleet Forces Command Chief to Lead Comprehensive Review of Warship Collisions


Adm. William Moran Asks Fleet Forces Command Chief to Lead Comprehensive Review of Warship CollisionsAdm. William Moran, vice chief of naval operations, has called on Adm. Phil Davidson, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, through a memorandum to oversee a comprehensive review of surface fleet incidents and operations over the past 10 years, the Navy reported Thursday.

The memo was issued after Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson ordered the Navy to implement an operational pause for all the service branch’s fleets worldwide after the USS John S. McCain guided-missile destroyer collided with the Alnic MC tanker off the coast of Singapore early Monday.

Moran said the review should focus on the “Seventh Fleet operational employment” and address several areas such as sailors’ professional development and individual training; certification and development of deployed mission and operational standards; and unit level training and operational performance.

The assessment should also discuss the material readiness of navigation platforms, machinery, propulsion and other electronic systems; use of navigation and combat equipment; and deployed risk management and operational employment.

Moran also asked Davidson to seek insights from other service branches and industry experts and provide recommendations to ensure safety of operations and personnel at sea.

Davidson has 60 days to submit the assessment, according to the memo.

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