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Army Tank R&D Center, GM Unveil Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Prototype; Kevin Centeck Comments
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Army Tank R&D Center, GM Unveil Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Prototype; Kevin Centeck Comments


tardec-gm-zh2General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center have rolled out a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle prototype at the annual Association of the U.S. Army meeting in Washington.

Kevin Centeck – TARDEC non-primary power systems, ground vehicle power and mobility directorate team leader — said Thursday the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 operates on hydrogen fuel with electric power and produces reduced thermal signature for silent mobility.

Centeck noted the ZH2 was also designed from off-the-shelf parts and developed through a TARDEC and GM collaborative effort to conduct evaluations and fuel-stack tests.

GM will deliver the ZH2 units to the service branch in April then the Army will conduct user evaluations at Fort Benning, Fort Bragg and Fort Carson over the course of a year alongside Energy Department tacticians and logisticians to conceptualize the system.

GM first introduced the ZH2 prototype in October to demonstrate the cell-powered truck built to store energy, produce water and serve as a near-silent transportation platform.

Army Research Lab Demos Autonomy Concepts to Japan Defense Sector Delegation
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Army Research Lab Demos Autonomy Concepts to Japan Defense Sector Delegation


japanese-industry-representatives-visit-armyA team of researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have demonstrated future autonomous technologies before a delegation from the Japanese Association of Defense Industries on Wednesday.

David McNally of ARL Public Affairs wrote in a blog post published Thursday the lab briefed the visiting group on human-robot interactions and perception in small robots, while the delegation briefed researchers on current unmanned systems research in Japan.

Retired Japanese Lt. Gen. Mimoto Akiyo of IHI Aerospace Co. Ltd. said his delegation visited to attend the Association of the United States Army exhibition and conference in Washington.

“The purpose of this visit is to understand what technologies will feed the Third Offset Strategy,” said Akiyo.

The strategy comprises advanced projects in robotics, miniaturization and manufacturing.

Stephen Nogar, an ARL postdoctoral fellow, demonstrated research on a small unmanned aircraft system and said he currently studies the use of autonomous computer vision and sensing onboard the UAS.

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Federal News Radio: GSA 18F’s Aaron Snow to Leave Executive Director Role
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Federal News Radio: GSA 18F’s Aaron Snow to Leave Executive Director Role


Aaron Snow
Aaron Snow

Aaron Snow, executive director of the General Services Administration‘s 18F organization, will step down on Oct. 13 and hold an advisory role to support the incoming Technology Transformation Service commissioner, Federal News Radio reported Friday.

Jason Miller writes Dave Zvenyach, 18F acquisition management director, will serve as interim 18F head to replace Snow, who also holds the TTS deputy commissioner position.

“When it comes to 18F, perhaps no one has been more instrumental in establishing this organization than Aaron Snow,” GSA Administrator Denise Turner Roth said in an email to staff that Federal News Radio has obtained.

“One of the first Presidential Innovation Fellows, Aaron was one of the key contributors in building on this successful program to create 18F.”

The report said Snow entered government for a one-year term under the Presidential Innovation Fellows program before he received a two-year extension through the Office of Personnel Management‘s excepted hiring authority.

He has also served in the voter protection team for Barack Obama’s presidential and reelection campaigns.

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Air Force Transfers E-4B to Branch’s Global Strike Command
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Air Force Transfers E-4B to Branch’s Global Strike Command


e-4bThe U.S. Air Force has transferred E-4B aircraft from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command during a ceremony at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

The service branch said Friday this aircraft transfer builds on a larger effort to centralize the management of the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise and supporting systems.

“The E-4B may not function in the same capacity as our bomber force, but it certainly has a role to play within the nuclear enterprise and seems only fitting that it resides within the command responsible for nuclear operations,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Bussiere, 8th Air Force commander.

The 595th Command and Control Group was also activated as the 8th Air Force unit that will manage E-4B aircraft, the service branch added.

The 595th CACG is comprised of the 1st Airborne Command Control Squadron, the 595th Strategic Communication Squadron, the 595th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and retired Gen. Mark Welsh, former chief of staff, ordered the creation of an organization with a clear line of communication between the president and nuclear task force members.

Air Force Global Strike Command was named as the service branch’s lead for nuclear command, control and communications.

E-4B was included in the restructuring initiative as it is a component of the National Military Command System that works to connect the president with nuclear and conventional forces worldwide.

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Mary Wakefield: HHS’ 4th Open Govt Plan Eyes Collaboration & Partnerships With Dept Stakeholders
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Mary Wakefield: HHS’ 4th Open Govt Plan Eyes Collaboration & Partnerships With Dept Stakeholders


Wakefield_Mary K
Mary Wakefield

The Department of Health and Human Services has introduced its fourth Open Government Plan that aims to make government more transparent to the public as well as discover new ways to collaborate and partner with the department’s stakeholders.

HHS Acting Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield wrote in a blog post published Thursday the department has worked to identify projects, policies and perspectives on new methods to connect with stakeholder organizations that the department will focus on in the next two years.

HHS seeks to share data and information products with “underserved” communities to support the development of new approaches on food supply safety, early child development and disease prevention.

Wakefield noted that the plan highlights the utilization of the Open Payments program, use of new applications and data services to streamline the delivery of health data to Medicare beneficiaries and the application of the Precision Medicine Initiative that aims to boost the future of biomedical research.

She added HHS works to create a public comment database for the Physical Activity Guidelines update process that will remain open for comment over the next two years.

CBO: Federal Budget Deficit Hits $588B for FY 2016
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CBO: Federal Budget Deficit Hits $588B for FY 2016


BudgetThe Congressional Budget Office has estimated the federal government’s budget deficit at $588 billion for the 2016 fiscal year Sept. 30 in an increase of $149 billion over the figure calculated in FY 2015.

CBO said Friday that the increase in 2016 deficit was the first since 2009 as total receipts and total outlays reached $3.3 trillion and $3.86 trillion, respectively, in FY 2016.

CBO estimates that FY 2016 revenues increased less than 1 percent year-over-year and spending grew 5 percent over FY 2015 figures.

The deficit represented an estimated 3.2 percent of gross domestic product versus the 2.5 percent GDP recorded in 2015.

CBO also noted that nearly $41 billion of the deficit increase was the result of a shift in the timing of government payments that would have normally occurred in FY 2017 in light of Oct. 1, 2016 falling on a weekend.

The federal government started its 2017 fiscal year on Monday, Oct. 3.

CBO’s estimates put the surplus for the month of September 2016 at $33 billion to show a decline of $58 billion from the prior year period.

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OFPP Proposes New OMB Circular to Implement Category Mgmt for Common Goods & Services Procurement
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OFPP Proposes New OMB Circular to Implement Category Mgmt for Common Goods & Services Procurement


acquisition policyThe Office of Federal Procurement Policy has proposed to release a new circular that seeks to implement category management in an effort to facilitate the acquisition of common goods and services by federal agencies.

OFPP said in a Federal Register notice posted Friday the new Office of Management and Budget circular seeks to create a government-wide approach to the procurement of common goods and services and define policies and strategies for the implementation of category management.

The proposed document would also require the OFPP administrator to form and chair a Category Management Leadership Council that will work to approve government-wide strategies for core categories and subcategories and offer advice to OMB with regard to “best-in-class” contract sourcing platforms.

The OMB circular outlines the responsibilities of the General Services Administration, category managers and Chief Financial Officer Act agencies.

The document also aims to designate the Acquisition Gateway as a central data repository designed to facilitate information sharing and data analytics to implement category management.

OFPP cited the core metrics designed to evaluate the performance of category management, such as reduction in the number of duplicate contracts, increase in spend under management and accomplishment of small business goals.

Comments to the proposed circular are due Nov. 7, according to the notice.

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DHS & ODNI: Russia Directed Email Breach Against US Entities
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DHS & ODNI: Russia Directed Email Breach Against US Entities


cyber-hack-network-computerThe Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence have said Russia’s government has directed activities that led to the disclosure of e-mails from U.S. individuals and institutions including political parties.

DHS and ODNI said in a joint statement posted Friday that methods used in Russian-led efforts are “consistent” with the publication of hacked emails on sites such as DCLeaks.com, WikiLeaks and the Guccifer 2.0 online persona.

Cyber attacks against election-related systems in some states are currently not being attributed to Russia, according to the statement.

DHS and the intelligence community assessed it would be difficult to interfere with ballot counts or election results through cyber intrusion.

DHS offers cybersecurity assistance to state and local election officials such as cyber “hygiene” scans of internet-facing systems; risk and vulnerability assessments; information sharing about cyber incidents and best practices.

The department has also convened an Election Infrastructure Cybersecurity Working Group with representatives from all government levels to raise awareness of cybersecurity risks that could affect election infrastructure and processes.

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David Saltiel Joins SEC as Analytics & Research Office Associate Director
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David Saltiel Joins SEC as Analytics & Research Office Associate Director


David Saltiel
David Saltiel

David Saltiel, former chief economist of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, has joined the Securities and Exchange Commission as associate director of the office of analytics and research within SEC’s trading and markets division.

He will lead the office that analyzes market structure, new products and rule filings by exchanges as well as provides support in portfolio and risk management, trading and quantitative data analysis, SEC said Thursday.

Prior to MSRB, Saltiel worked at the Treasury Department‘s Bureau of the Fiscal Service as chief financial economist and director of data management and analytics as well as acting deputy assistant commissioner for debt management.

He also served as deputy director at the Atlantic Council of the U.S. and manager of federal affairs and analysis at AREVA as well as director of strategy and economic analysis for the nuclear power company’s North American operations.

Saltiel also held positions at the Energy Department and DOE-funded Sandia National Laboratories.

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Navy Creates Mobile Combat Simulation Tech for Civilian Use
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Navy Creates Mobile Combat Simulation Tech for Civilian Use


navy-combat-simulationThe U.S. Navy has developed a mobile combat simulation platform that will allow civilian users to experience a Navy SEAL water extraction mission in a virtual environment.

The service branch said Friday it will showcase the technology this month during the Sacramento Navy Week and San Francisco Fleet Week events in California as well as at University of Texas campuses in Brownsville and Edinburg.

“We’ve spent significant time and resources developing this state-of-the-art virtual reality experience to transform and elevate the way people think about the Navy,” said Rear Adm. Doug Beal, deputy commander of the Navy Recruiting Command.

The virtual reality mobile display was integrated into two trucks to allow separate travel during tours in California and Texas where Navy personnel will also be present to guide users.

Capt. Dave Bouve, national director of marketing and advertising at the Navy Recruiting Command, said the events provide the service branch the opportunity to demonstrate how it helps develop advanced equipment.

The branch noted it will provide video briefing to civilians before they use the immersive simulation technology and grade their performance afterwards.

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