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House Lawmakers Want to Promote AI Research via Prize Challenges
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House Lawmakers Want to Promote AI Research via Prize Challenges

Reps. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., have introduced the AI Grand Challenges Act, which would require the National Science Foundation to hold prize competitions for artificial intelligence innovations.

The legislation would incentivize AI development and encourage AI researchers and developers through prize competitions, Lieu said in a Wednesday statement.

“We must maintain American leadership in AI research, innovation and implementation while minimizing potential risks associated with the technology,” he noted.

Obernolte added that the Act would incentivize AI breakthroughs and advance the emerging technology’s potential capabilities to solve the most complex challenges that the United States faces.

The bill would direct NSF to conduct $1 million grand challenges that use AI to solve problems in several categories, including national security, cybersecurity, health, energy, environment, education, manufacturing, space and quantum computing.

Under the proposal, NSF is also mandated to collaborate with the White House and the National Institutes of Health, to oversee $10 million grand challenges for AI-enabled cancer breakthroughs.

The competitions will focus on detection, diagnostics, treatments and therapeutics for cancer and related comorbidities.

The House bill would be paired with companion Senate legislation filed by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in May.

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Foreign Competition Ramping Up in Semiconductor Industry
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Foreign Competition Ramping Up in Semiconductor Industry

The United Arab Emirates has become an extremely contested zone for semiconductor chip manufacturing and innovation. The country itself wants to be known as a go-to producer of both chips and artificial intelligence technology and this has caught the attention of multiple nations, including the U.S. and China, the Wall Street Journal said late last month.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics are eyeing UAE as a destination to build new “megafactories,” which could directly compete with the homegrown factories the U.S. is pushing right now, depending on the organizations’ cooperativeness.

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Defense R&D Summit, top Department of Defense officials will discuss how the U.S. is working to stay out in front of the global pack with its technology production and studies. You don’t want to miss this day — Jan. 23 — of networking, learning and GovCon collaboration. Save your spot at the 2025 Defense R&D Summit before tickets sell out!

Last week, President Biden ratified the Building Chips in America Act, designed to break down barriers that might delay or prevent the U.S. from constructing its own chip megafactories. Among other measures, the bill excludes such factories from having to undergo environmental reviews prompted by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

As top brass at TSMC and Samsung visit UAE and the Gulf region to scope out a home for their factories, they are also holding court with U.S. federal officials about China’s potential involvement and investments in the region. The U.S. is particularly concerned about China gaining access to “advanced AI-related chips” that TSMC and Samsung are in talks to pump out.

Foreign Competition Ramping Up in Semiconductor Industry
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GSA Debuts IAL2-Compliant Identity Assurance Offering for Login.gov
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GSA Debuts IAL2-Compliant Identity Assurance Offering for Login.gov

The General Services Administration has announced that its single sign-on platform, Login.gov, will start offering partner agencies a new identity verification option that complies with the National Institute of Standards and Technology 800-63 Identity Assurance Level 2 standard, or IAL2.

GSA said Wednesday partner agencies will now have the option to pick an IAL2-compliance offering that requires a higher identity assurance level to help customers perform remote identity verification.

“Proving your identity is a critical step in receiving many government benefits and services, and we want to ensure we are making that as easy and secure as possible for members of the public, while protecting against identity theft and fraud,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. 

“Login.gov’s new IAL2-compliant product offering is another milestone in ensuring agencies have a wide variety of strong identity verification options,” she added.

In April, GSA announced that its Login.gov platform will start piloting facial matching technology in accordance with NIST’s Digital Identity Guidelines to achieve remote identity verification at IAL2.

According to the agency, the IAL2 certification covers in-person and remote identity verification offerings and marks the transition of the offering from the pilot phase to general availability.

About Login.gov

Login.gov is a shared technology service within GSA’s Technology Transformation Services and enables the public to use a single account to facilitate secure access to services across participating government websites.

Since its launch in 2017, the platform has reportedly supported more than 300 million annual sign-ins and over 500 applications and has served more than 50 federal and state agencies.

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US Military Agencies Advance Use of Generative AI
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US Military Agencies Advance Use of Generative AI

U.S. military agencies such as the Air Force, Army and Central Command are exploring applications of generative artificial intelligence tools, TechTarget reported Wednesday.

CENTCOM has deployed a large language model on the government’s classified network, Secure Internet Protocol Router, to facilitate machine-assisted disclosure and support code augmentation and generation.

“We think the obvious reason that it was particularly successful is it’s quite easy to catch errors very candidly with quick utility, but also very quick to notice if your code just doesn’t generate the output and low risk in general, if it is not doing it correctly,” Schuyler Moore, chief technology officer of CENTCOM and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said of the LLM during a panel discussion at a summit on Tuesday.

The Air Force has developed NIPRGPT, an AI chatbot that answers users’ questions and enables them to code in a secure environment and perform other tasks.

Collen Roller, a senior computer scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory, said people are using NIPRGPT to develop presentation outlines or roll-ups of meetings.

Meanwhile, the Army is testing an AI model called CamoGPT.

“From the Army’s perspective, we’re going to experiment a lot on … [and look at] what it means to adopt some of these technologies,” Isaac Faber, director of the U.S. Army AI Center, said during the panel.

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Army Deploys Cloud-Based Data Tool to Intel Units Worldwide
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Army Deploys Cloud-Based Data Tool to Intel Units Worldwide

The U.S. Army has rolled out to the military branch’s intelligence units worldwide a cloud-based data platform designed to enable warfighters to speed up the collection, analysis and distribution of intelligence data.

The service branch said Wednesday that the Army Intelligence Data Platform, or AIDP, is the first Department of Defense program to be fully deployed in a military intelligence cloud environment.

Army Intelligence Data Platform for Multidomain Operations

Within a year, the Army rolled out and operationalized AIDP across all priority theaters, serving as a tool for intelligence units supporting tactical and strategic operations.

“24 months ago, we were testing AIDP with intel units stateside trying to stress the system and fine tune the system to meet the needs of intel soldiers,” said Brig. Gen. Ed Barker, the Army’s program executive officer for intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors.

“Thanks to early adopter units and user feedback, AIDP transformed into the intel system the Army needs to increase our effectiveness in multi-domain operations,” added Barker.

The service’s Project Manager Intelligence Systems and Analytics—PM IS&A—is implementing the AIDP New Equipment Training and delivery program with a focus on functionality and critical task training.

“AIDP acts as a high-tech detective that can not only find all the clues but also piece them together to show the big picture,” said Col. Chris Anderson, PM IS&A. “The platform analyzes the collected data to uncover patterns and insights, then presents them to leaders on the battlefield in a way that’s easy to understand, like charts or maps.”

According to the Army, AIDP establishes the foundation for future integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning, big data analytics and other technologies.

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USPTO Issues RFI for Post-Quantum Crypto Resilience
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USPTO Issues RFI for Post-Quantum Crypto Resilience

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, operating under the Department of Commerce, is seeking industry input for possible approaches to implementing near-term post-quantum cryptography and surveillance measures.

According to a request for information issued on Oct. 3, the USPTO is conducting market research to determine interested companies that can offer PQC readiness methods to prepare for potential real-world risks caused by the impact of quantum computing on encryption and data security.

The RFI, which aligns with zero trust architecture plans and other ongoing efforts, seeks possible PQCR strategies focused on cybersecurity measures to protect enterprise infrastructure and business systems. It is capable of conducting quantum surveillance to detect potential threats, perform remediation to fix vulnerabilities and manage the cybersecurity operations and controls posture.

The cybersecurity framework also integrates custom or native cloud and hosting services that protect sensitive business and personal data of the USPTO and other disciplines, service areas and technologies.

Furthermore, the potential PQCR approach integrates existing practices and preparations for possible threats from future technologies or capabilities.

Day Qu, the day when quantum computing reaches a point that a Qubit processor can break encryption decoding methods in minutes, is being compared to the mythical Y2K bug. However, the Y2K event was a supposedly known date and time while the precise time the Day Qu will occur is unknown.

Interested parties may submit their responses by Nov. 6.

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Inside FEMA: DHS’ Disaster Relief Agency
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Inside FEMA: DHS’ Disaster Relief Agency

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has a broad range of responsibilities guided by 12 key priorities. One of these focus areas is to “ready the nation to respond to and recover from disasters and combat the climate crisis,” and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is a major player in driving this mission forward.

What Is FEMA?

FEMA was established by President Carter in April 1979 and made responsible for both emergency management and civil defense through an Executive Order signed in July of the same year. In 1988, the breadth of FEMA’s responsibilities was widened by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Referred to as the Stafford Act, this legislation put in place the current statutory framework for disaster response and recovery under presidential disaster declarations. FEMA was made an agency of DHS in 2003 following its creation under the 2002 Homeland Security Act.

Today’s FEMA’s mission is to help people “before, during and after disasters.” It has four core values — compassion, integrity, fairness and respect — that guide its emergency response work. Informed by these values is its 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, which is built around three main objectives:

  • Instill equity as a foundation of emergency management
  • Lead whole of community in climate resilience
  • Promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation

Who Leads FEMA?

Inside FEMA: DHS’ Disaster Relief Agency

FEMA is currently led by Administrator Deanne Criswell, who was confirmed by the Senate to serve in the role in April 2021. Criswell is a seasoned government leader, who has spent three decades in various public sector positions. Prior to assuming her current position, she was commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department, a role in which she led the city’s COVID-19 response. 

During an earlier stint at FEMA, she headed one of the agency’s National Incident Management Assistant Assistance Teams and served as a federal coordinating officer over a period of nearly six years. Prior to joining FEMA, she spent over two decades in the Colorado Air National Guard.

What Does FEMA Do?

FEMA’s mission covers support for before, during and after disasters. During times of safety, the agency engages with individuals and communities and provides training, education and planning services to ensure they are equipped to respond to any future emergencies. Through its Ready campaign, the agency works to educate the public on ways to stay safe during hurricanes and other types of severe weather, power outages, flooding and more. The Ready website also offers information on how people can plan ahead and build emergency kits at a low cost.

When disaster strikes, FEMA is responsible for coordinating the responses of the federal, state and local governments as well as that of Tribal Nations and U.S. territories. Assistance options are dependent on two classifications: major disaster declarations and emergency declarations. The former covers “any event that has caused damage beyond the combined response capabilities of state and local governments,” while the latter includes “any occasion or instance when federal assistance is needed to supplement emergency services provided by state and local or Indian tribal governments.”

After disasters occur, FEMA collaborates with state, local, tribal and territorial governments as they deliver recovery resources to their communities. To manage these activities, the agency developed the National Disaster Recovery Framework, which includes:

  • Eight principles that inform recovery capability development and support
  • A coordinating structure to drive communication across all stakeholders
  • Roles and responsibilities for coordinators and other stakeholders
  • An overview of the rebuilding process

FEMA’s Budget

FEMA’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 is valued at $33.1 billion, a $2.5 billion increase from FY24. It is divided into five areas with specific funding amounts: 

  • Operations and support: $1.6 billion
  • Procurement, construction and improvements: $110.3 million
  • Federal assistance: $3.5 billion
  • Disaster relief fund: $22.7 billion
  • National Flood Insurance Program: $7.5 billion

What Kind of Disasters Does FEMA cover?

The Stafford Act includes a list of events classified as emergencies, including:

  • Drought and prolonged periods of intense heat
  • Severe storms, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms and more
  • Wildfires
  • Earthquakes
  • Flooding
  • Shoreline erosion
  • High water levels
  • Storm surges

In recent years, the “increase in frequency, severity and complexity” of disasters has demanded more from FEMA than ever before. According to its strategy, the agency aims to address this shift by “incorporating risks posed by future conditions and non-Stafford Act incidents into FEMA’s readiness planning,” which can help determine what capabilities are needed to meet new and emerging challenges.

Find out more about homeland security missions and priorities at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13. At this edition of the annual event, public and private sector thought leaders will gather to share their insights on the top homeland security challenges the U.S. faces today. Secure your spot at the 2024 Homeland Security Summit to dive into these issues with key executives propelling critical homeland security missions forward.

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DOD Promotes Keith DeVries to Manufacturing Technology Director
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DOD Promotes Keith DeVries to Manufacturing Technology Director

Acquisition professional Keith DeVries has been named the new director of the Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology, or ManTech, a unit within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Immediately before his appointment, DeVries served as ManTech’s deputy director who oversaw top-priority defense technology investments and facilitated access to emerging technologies, the DOD said Tuesday.

As ManTech director, he will lead the department’s initiatives on the speedy adoption of innovative manufacturing methods to ensure that the U.S. military continues to be at the forefront of technological advances.

The projects that DeVries previously handled as deputy director include the GAMMA-H initiative, an endeavor geared to encourage nontraditional contractors and small businesses to advance additive manufacturing processes for producing complex parts of hypersonic weapons systems.

Before his assignment as ManTech deputy director, DeVries managed the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Manufacturing Science and Technology Program aimed at advancing the DOD’s modernization priorities and reducing acquisition and sustainment costs of advanced technologies. 

The executive’s previous experience also includes various roles at the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s divisions on radar technologies and power and energy. 

A member of the Defense Acquisition Corps, DeVries holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the Michigan Technological University and a master’s degree in business administration from Ball State University.

As ManTech director, he succeeds Tracy Frost, who was appointed in June as the technology industrial innovation base director under the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology.

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DOD IG Audits Next-Gen OPIR Software Assurance Activities
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DOD IG Audits Next-Gen OPIR Software Assurance Activities

The Office of Inspector General within the Department of Defense found that the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared program management office failed to ensure a program protection plan was consistently updated to reflect the Next-Gen OPIR contractor’s progress in implementing software assurance.

An IG audit report on the space architecture development also revealed that program management officials have not provided such a plan for milestone decision authority approval since October 2020, the DOD OIG said Tuesday.

The U.S. Space Force is developing Next-Gen OPIR to replace the Space-Based Infrared System missile-warning constellation.

According to a Breaking Defense report, the first of four Next-Gen OPIR satellites is expected to be deployed into geosynchronous orbit in 2026, a year later than the initial launch schedule.

DOD Inspector General Robert Storch said software assurance is critical for the agency to ensure its systems’ integrity, security and reliability, noting that software vulnerabilities “can pose significant risks to mission success and national security.”

“By implementing thorough software assurance practices, the DoD can reduce the likelihood of cyberattacks, system failures, and compromised data, ultimately protecting critical assets, enhancing operational effectiveness, and safeguarding military missions,” he explained.

To resolve the identified issues, the IG recommended that the Next-Gen OPIR program manager ensure regular updates to the program protection plan to accurately reflect the program management office and contractor’s progress in implementing software assurance activities. 

It also recommended that the under secretary of defense for research and engineering revise DOD guidance to include a process for identifying risks associated with software assurance activities and tracking the acceptance of any risk left unmitigated.

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Telos Opens 12 New Sites for TSA PreCheck Enrollment Centers
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Telos Opens 12 New Sites for TSA PreCheck Enrollment Centers

Telos Corporation has opened 12 new sites for the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program, which allows enrolled travelers expedited screening through airport security.

The new enrollment centers in California, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and West Virginia started offering enrollment services on Monday, the company said.

The new centers highlight ongoing efforts by Telos to expand its national TSA PreCheck enrollment footprint. To date, the company operates 137 enrollment sites in 28 states across the United States.

Telos noted that the expansion program will continue to support its objective of providing consumers with increased convenience by establishing additional locations and operating at extended hours.

“Telos is proud to bring TSA PreCheck to your neighborhood for an easy, convenient enrollment experience,” Telos CEO and Chairman John Wood said.

Enrolled TSA PreCheck travelers can get through the airport security checkpoint in less than 10 minutes and without removing their shoes, belts and light jackets.

POC - 2024 Homeland Security Summit

On Nov. 13, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit to learn more about the country’s most significant threats and what’s being done to address them. Register now to attend!

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