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Space Delta 2 OKs Consolidated Operational Data Archive’s Entry Into Trial Period; Col. Raj Agrawal Quoted
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Space Delta 2 OKs Consolidated Operational Data Archive’s Entry Into Trial Period; Col. Raj Agrawal Quoted

Consolidated Operational Data Archive, a.k.a. CODA, will now transition to the trial period after receiving approval from the head of Space Operations Command’s Space Delta 2 – Space Domain Awareness and Battle Management, or DEL 2.

SpOC said Friday CODA is an automated platform designed to provide U.S. Space Force operators with access to non-traditional and commercial data sources, broadening the amount of data that can be converted into actionable information.

“By breaking down barriers between government, coalition, and commercial space situational awareness data, CODA allows us to create a tailored, operations-relevant understanding that directly informs tactical fires and maneuver decisions,” said Col. Raj Agrawal, DEL 2 commander.

“This comprehensive picture is essential for maintaining competitive endurance in space and avoiding operational surprise. By staying informed and prepared, the Space Force can ensure they are not surprised, outmaneuvered, or outmatched in a potential space conflict,” added Agrawal.

According to SpOC, the trial period of CODA will evaluate test cases to integrate data streams into a standardized workflow, including data from ExoAnalytics and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Wide Area Search telescope system.

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Kim Sawyer to Succeed Stuart Henderson as Director of DOE’s Jefferson Lab
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Kim Sawyer to Succeed Stuart Henderson as Director of DOE’s Jefferson Lab

Kim Sawyer will assume the role of director of the Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, a.k.a Jefferson Lab, on Aug. 2.

The lab said Monday that Sawyer will bring extensive leadership experience, having served as deputy laboratory director and chief operating officer at Argonne National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories over the last decade.

She worked at Lockheed Martin for nearly 10 years before joining DOE. At the defense contractor, she held the vice president of technical operations role and a number of other leadership positions.

As the lab’s fifth director, Sawyer will have oversight of all activities supporting the research institution for exploring the nature of matter. She will succeed Stuart Henderson.

The appointment was announced by Jefferson Science Associates, a subsidiary of the Southeastern Universities Research Association responsible for managing and operating Jefferson Lab for DOE’s Office of Science.

“Kim is a respected professional who has achieved success driving cultural change and building strong relationships with stakeholders,” said Sean Hearne, president and CEO of Southeastern Universities Research Association and chairman of the JSA board of directors. “Kim delivers results, and we are confident her leadership and technical acumen will guide the lab as it begins its evolution to a multi-program laboratory.”

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Commerce Department, Natcast Launch Selection Processes for 3 CHIPS for America R&D Facilities
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Commerce Department, Natcast Launch Selection Processes for 3 CHIPS for America R&D Facilities

The Department of Commerce and the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s operator, Natcast, have unveiled the processes for selecting the first three research and development facilities that will be funded under the CHIPS and Science Act.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology said Friday an NSTC Prototyping and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program—or NAPMP—Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility, an NSTC Administrative and Design Facility and an NSTC Extreme Ultraviolet Center will help address the gap between industry and research by bringing together partners across the semiconductor ecosystem.

The NSTC Administrative and Design Facility is expected to be operational in 2025 followed by the NSTC EUV Center in 2026.

Natcast and the department expect the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility to become operational in 2028.

The NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility will provide NAPMP-funded researchers and NSTC members with prototyping, packaging and research capabilities to facilitate advanced packaging and semiconductor research.

The NSTC Administrative and Design Facility will host Natcast administrative functions and support various activities, including advanced semiconductor research in electronic design automation, chip and system architecture, chip design and hardware security.

The NSTC EUV Center will provide members access to EUV technologies and space to perform research efforts.

Natcast and the department will release an ecosystem questionnaire to economic development organizations across the U.S. to help identify semiconductor ecosystems that could support the NSTC Prototyping and NAPMP Advanced Packaging Piloting Facility.

The Commerce Department and Natcast will use three separate site selection processes for the facilities. For the NSTC Administrative and Design Facility, they will use a two-phase selection process: identifying semiconductor design ecosystems and determining locations and performing diligence and negotiations.

Click here to learn more about the selection processes for the three CHIPS R&D facilities.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase DOE’s AI Adoption to Advance Scientific Discovery
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Senate Bill Seeks to Increase DOE’s AI Adoption to Advance Scientific Discovery

A Senate bill is seeking to harness the power of artificial intelligence within the Department of Energy’s 17 national laboratories to achieve scientific breakthroughs related to national security, science and energy.

The bipartisan Department of Energy AI Act introduced by Sens. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., and Lisa Murkowksi, R-Alaska, would require the DOE secretary to establish an AI program to perform research on the development and deployment of advanced AI capabilities, the office of Sen. Manchin said Wednesday.

The proposed legislation would also authorize the agency’s Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security and Technology initiative and require creating an AI risk evaluation and mitigation program to address the safety and security risks associated with the technology; developing a strategic plan that includes short-term and long-term AI deployment goals; and advancing AI-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and workforce development.

“This bipartisan legislation will leverage the agency’s existing world-class laboratory test facilities, scientific workforce, and advanced computing resources to strengthen our country’s AI capabilities to remain the superpower of the world in energy, national security, and economic competitiveness,” said Manchin, the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

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BG Jason Bartolomei Appointed 14th AFRL Commander
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BG Jason Bartolomei Appointed 14th AFRL Commander

Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei was appointed as the 14th commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory during a change of command ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday.

Bartolomei succeeds Maj. Gen. Scott Cain, who has held the role of AFRL commander since June 2023, the Air Force said Friday.

During the ceremony, Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Duke Richardson spoke on Bartolomei bringing operational laboratory experience to the AFRL.

“AFRL is trying to build that affordable, competitive, continuous pipeline of technologies that we can then put into programs of record and field, and that’s really the focus, General Bartolomei, of your tenure as you take on the lab,” said Richardson.

“I do think that this is the job you were meant for,” Richardson said to Bartolomei. “All of the jobs that you’ve been doing have been leading to this one.”

Bartolomei previously worked as the program executive officer for weapons and director of the Armament Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. He managed a $92 billion weapons portfolio while facilitating all lifecycle programs for air-delivered artilleries.

Bartolomei emphasized his appreciation for being part of a unit as a driving factor in taking on a new commander role of AFRL’s team.

“I love being connected to others, and I really love doing something bigger than myself. I like to learn and grow,” Bartolomei stated. “I’m pretty sure that’s why I love the Air Force so much, and actually, I think this is why I have grown so excited about joining AFRL.”

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PEO C3T Deputy Chief Kevin Cheney Receives 1st Star From US Army
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PEO C3T Deputy Chief Kevin Cheney Receives 1st Star From US Army

The U.S. Army has promoted Col. Kevin Cheney, the deputy commander of Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical, to brigadier general during a ceremony at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.

The promotion highlights Chaney’s previous service to the aviation and acquisition communities, PEO C3T said in a LinkedIn post.

According to Maj. Gen. Robert Barrie, the service’s program executive officer for aviation and host of the ceremony, the new appointee will execute the PEO C3T mission “to the greatest of his ability.”

Chaney received a commission in 1995 from the U.S. Military Academy, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

He started in the Army as a maintenance platoon leader in South Korea and gradually moved up until becoming the acquisition military assistant to the Army’s acting secretary in 2016.

Prior to his current post as PEO C3T deputy, Chaney was selected as the project manager for aircraft survivability equipment and future attack and reconnaissance aircraft.

In his acceptance speech, the new general stressed he is “honored, humbled and thankful” to provide soldiers and warfighters the capability to do their jobs.

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SBA Seeks Comments on 7(a) Working Capital Pilot Program
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SBA Seeks Comments on 7(a) Working Capital Pilot Program

The Small Business Administration has started soliciting insights on a new pilot program within the 7(a) Loan Program that seeks to enable participating 7(a) lenders to make working capital lines of credit through transaction-based and asset-based lines of credit as part of efforts to address the need of small companies for working capital.

According to a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, loans under the 7(a) Working Capital Pilot program may be approved up to $5 million and used to back international and domestic transactions.

Under the WCP program, lenders may authorize a loan term of up to 60 months and must pay a guarantee fee to SBA for each loan made.

In addition to other common uses for asset-based lines, loan proceeds under the program may be used to provide a temporary advance against state and federal tax credits or rebates.

“The purpose for allowing WCP loan proceeds to be used to provide a temporary advance against Federal and or state tax credits and/or rebates is to provide immediate access to a portion of the funds once they are earned by the business and have been confirmed by the Lender,” the notice reads.

SBA said it expects to approve about 270 WCP loans worth approximately $337 million combined in fiscal year 2025. The WCP program is set to take effect on Aug. 1 and expire by the end of July 2027.

Comments on the program are due Aug. 14.

SBA first announced the pilot program in June.

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DOD Soliciting Proposals for AI Resource Portal Development & Promotion Strategy
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DOD Soliciting Proposals for AI Resource Portal Development & Promotion Strategy

The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office has issued an open call for proposals for the development and implementation of an artificial intelligence assurance portal and an accompanying branding and digital marketing strategy for the portal’s promotion.

Solicitation Objectives

The portal will serve as a central platform and resource for various types of information concerning the Department of Defense’s AI systems, including their performance, security and ethical implications, according to the open call posted Friday on Tradewinds AI.

The portal is expected to address not only the issue of a lack of a central AI resource platform but also difficulties accessing and sharing AI-related resources across DOD entities and projects as well as the limited opportunities for collaboration among AI assurance professionals within the DOD.

The purpose of the branding and marketing strategy is to promote the importance and use of the portal.

Selection Process

The open call will feature a multiple-round, competitive process to assess submissions. During the first round, proposals will be evaluated by the CDAO and subject matter experts. Participants with the most promising proposals will be given an opportunity to pitch their ideas during the second round.

Project awards, if any, will be issued in the third round. The awards will take the form of other transaction agreements.

Interested parties have until July 27 to submit proposals.

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LogicMonitor’s Justin Fessler Shares Thoughts on US Government Tech Transformation
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LogicMonitor’s Justin Fessler Shares Thoughts on US Government Tech Transformation

Justin Fessler currently serves as vice president of public sector at LogicMonitor, a role in which he guides the company’s efforts to provide its artificial intelligence tool to government agencies. Prior to joining LogicMonitor, he held leadership roles at Salesforce.

Fessler recently participated in an interview with the Potomac Officers Club, in which he discussed his background and weighed in on the technological changes he has seen throughout his career journey.

In this excerpt from the interview, Fessler considers the ways the public sector has transformed to embrace modern technologies:

“What I know for sure is that the government is ever-evolving with its technological requirements and policy adjustments to keep up with industry and new technologies. I’ve been at the forefront of many of these technological transformations – especially when it comes to AI and natural language processing within the constantly evolving market of large language models – and have watched how the federal market has changed to adopt these technologies. While many believe that the government is ‘five to 10 years behind industry,’ there have been a lot of forward-thinking government leaders who have emerged to make changes to acquisition and technology adoption policies to allow the government to leverage these new, innovative technologies early on.”

For more of Fessler’s thoughts, read the full Executive Spotlight interview on the Potomac Officers Club website.

Do you want to participate in your own Executive Spotlight interview? This brand-building opportunity is exclusively available for Potomac Officers Club members, so head on over to the POC website to browse our membership options and sign up today!

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NSF Starts Building Leadership-Class Computing Facility at University of Texas
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NSF Starts Building Leadership-Class Computing Facility at University of Texas

The National Science Foundation has started building the Leadership-Class Computing Facility at the University of Texas in Austin.

Set to operate under UT Austin’s Texas Advanced Computing Center, LCCF will serve as a computational facility to support scientific and engineering breakthroughs, the NSF said.

The project will also provide education and public outreach plans to advance the skills of future science and engineering workforce, the foundation added.

According to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, LCCF will support transformative research across science and engineering areas.

“This facility will provide the computational resources necessary to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time, enabling researchers to push the boundaries of what is possible,” he explained.

LCCF, which is scheduled to commence operations in 2026, will deploy Horizon, a supercomputer equipped with accelerators to support advanced artificial intelligence research and simulation-based inquiries.

To complement Horizon, the facility will also provide large-scale data storage systems and interactive computing capabilities.

In addition, the project will offer software and services that scientists and engineers can use for several applications.

According to the NSF, LCCF will work with four distributed science centers across the United States to leverage the expertise within the country’s cyberinfrastructure ecosystem and ensure that U.S. researchers can access the facility’s resources and services.

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