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UN Guidelines for Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities Do Not Address Cyber Threats, MITRE Says
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UN Guidelines for Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities Do Not Address Cyber Threats, MITRE Says

MITRE said the United Nations guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space activities do not address cybersecurity challenges and other threats to space systems.

Good cyber hygiene is essential to the sustainability of the space environment amid the efforts of competitors and adversaries to build capabilities that could impact space system operations, MITRE said in a white paper published on Friday.

The document is MITRE’s response to a Department of State notice seeking public sector input on the implementation of the 21 long-term sustainability guidelines for outer space activities.

According to the organization, implementing robust cyber hygiene practices should be prioritized on the same level as debris mitigation efforts.

The paper also highlighted the company’s efforts that directly align with the long-term sustainability guidelines, including the development of the Sensor Network Autonomous Resilient Extensible system, which uses permissioned blockchain to record orbital element sets from space sensors, and the decentralized Space Information Sharing Ecosystems; its collaboration with the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center; and the implementation of Mitre’s International Space Strategy aimed at balancing efforts across defense, preservation and sustainability and organizational and policy components of space use.

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CISA Releases Analysis of Security Assessments Done on Critical Infrastructure Networks
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CISA Releases Analysis of Security Assessments Done on Critical Infrastructure Networks

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is calling on network defenders to review the analysis of the risk and vulnerability assessments it and the U.S. Coast Guard conducted through fiscal year 2023.

CISA said Friday that the recently-released analysis and an accompanying infographic discuss the details of and findings from the 143 RVAs performed across multiple critical infrastructure—or CI—sectors.

The RVA were carried out to assess the network capabilities and defenses of an organization against known threats with the ultimate aim of formulating strategies to bolster cybersecurity.

CISA performed RVAs on select state, local, tribal, and territorial, or SLTT, organizations; the federal civilian executive branch; and private and public sector CI operators. For its part, the Coast Guard performed RVAs on maritime CI operated by private sector organizations as well as SLTTs.

Based on the analysis, the most successful attacks conducted by the RVA assessors involved the use of common methods, tools and techniques. The assessors also exploited common system vulnerabilities seen among many CI sector organizations.

To counter such threats, the analysis offered several recommendations, including the implementation of enhanced protection mechanisms in addition to strong credential policies.

“CISA encourages system owners and administrators to share this guidance with leadership and apply relevant changes tailored to their specific environments,” the document said, adding, “Analysis of this nature can effectively prioritize the identification and mitigation of high-level vulnerabilities across multiple sectors and entities.”

CISA Releases Analysis of Security Assessments Done on Critical Infrastructure Networks

Hear from various speakers to learn more about the security concerns facing the U.S. and what’s being done to address them at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit, which will take place on Nov. 13. Register now to attend this important event!

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DAF Space Program Issues RFI for Domain Awareness Capabilities
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DAF Space Program Issues RFI for Domain Awareness Capabilities

The Space Security and Defense Program, which operates under the Department of the Air Force, is seeking input for space domain awareness capabilities and services to address threats in a dynamic and increasingly crowded space environment.

Interested contractors should submit concepts that address key focus areas—particularly, support to fires, surveillance of man-made objects, intelligence and reconnaissance, and environmental monitoring, according to a request for information notice posted on Sam.gov Wednesday.

In addition, the SSDP is looking for concepts that would enable military forces to plan, integrate, execute and assess space operations. They should have one or more of these features: high sensibility to detect small objects across a wide area of space, the ability to reduce solar, earth and lunar exclusion zones and the capability to process collected data quickly.

The concepts should also be capable of detecting, tracking and identifying resident space objects, characterizing or determining strategies, intent and activities of threats, predicting and assessing potential and actual threats and integrating and utilizing multi-source data for dynamic decision-making.

Interested parties may send their responses to the RFI no later than Nov. 14.

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US Cyber Command Publishes AI Roadmap
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US Cyber Command Publishes AI Roadmap

U.S. Cyber Command has introduced a roadmap for integrating artificial intelligence into military cyber operations as part of efforts to scale operations and improve its analytic capabilities and ability to disrupt adversaries.

USCYBERCOM said Friday the roadmap focuses on working with the National Security Agency to advance AI and computing capabilities and outlines over 100 activities across national defense, contested logistics, security and other mission areas.

“The integration of AI is a strategic necessity,” said Michael Clark, the command’s deputy director of plans and policy. 

“Our roadmap will incorporate AI into all aspects of our operations to better address cyber threats,” Clark added.

A new task force within the Cyber National Mission Force will oversee the plan’s implementation and address challenges associated with infrastructure development, policy constraints and talent acquisition.

According to USCYBERCOM, the roadmap will include the execution of over 60 pilot projects and 26 new AI integration initiatives, improve industry partnerships and advance sustainable tech development efforts.

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DOD Prepares for 6G Transition
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DOD Prepares for 6G Transition

The Department of Defense’s Future Generation Wireless Technology Office is preparing DOD for its transition to the next generation of wireless telecommunications, called 6G, and one of its top priorities is advancing centralized unit, distributed unit, or CUDU, Defense News reported Friday.

The CUDU project seeks to implement an open software model for 6G that meets the requirements of DOD, industry and the research community. 

The FutureG office is looking at how the military could advance 6G for sensing and monitoring initiatives like the Integrated Sensing and Communications project, or ISAC.

According to the report, ISAC gathers information on different environments using wireless signals, a capability that could help the military gather intelligence and track drone networks.

Though ISAC technology could strengthen the Pentagon’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, potential commercialization could lead to adversary countries using the technology against the U.S.

“We’re looking at this as a real opportunity for dramatic growth and interest in new, novel technologies for both commercial industry and defense needs,” Thomas Rondeau, principal director for DOD’s FutureG office, told the publication in an interview.

“But also, the threat space that it opens up for us is potentially pretty dramatic, so we need to be on top of this,” he added.

Rondeau noted that initiatives that resulted from the department’s 5G Challenges have informed DOD’s 6G vision and strategy.

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Raj Parekh Appointed as First Corporate Enforcement Chief at BIS
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Raj Parekh Appointed as First Corporate Enforcement Chief at BIS

The Bureau of Industry and Security has selected Raj Parekh to serve as its inaugural chief of corporate enforcement.

In his new role, Parekh will work closely with the Department of Commerce’s Office of Chief Counsel for Industry and Security and the Department of Justice to progress major corporate investigations, the BIS said Thursday.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew Axelrod said in a statement that Parekh’s appointment is an important step forward in efforts to bolster the U.S. administrative enforcement program.

A seasoned lawyer, the new appointee most recently served as a U.S. attorney in Virginia, where he supervised over 300 federal prosecutors, civil litigators and support personnel.

Recognized as the highest-ranking non-political official in the Eastern District of Virginia, Parekh’s career boasts more than 40 cases brought to verdict.

His previous work experience includes stints at the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the CIA as well as IBM and an international law firm.

Parekh joins the BIS following its implementation of revised rules concerning voluntary self-disclosures and penalty guidelines, which encourage companies to report violations in exchange for incentives or reduced fines.

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GovCon Index Declined Last Week
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GovCon Index Declined Last Week

Executive Mosaic’s GovCon Index ended last week with an average of $5,256.32, a 1.07% drop from the previous week.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that displays real-time data on the stock market performance of 30 notable government contracting companies. Users can leverage this information to evaluate the financial status of each organization and deepen their understanding of key trends in today’s GovCon market.

Multiple companies were able to break through last week’s decline with significant gains, most notably Palantir, which soared to the top of the ranks with an increase of 14.78%. In second place was The Carlyle Group (+7.04%), and Aerovironment followed with gains of 6.58%. Parsons (+6.44%) and V2X (+6.33%) secured fourth and fifth place, respectively.

GovCon Index’s daily performance was mixed last week, with frequent shifts between positive and negative territory. Its highest growth day was Monday, in which the average rose by 1.35%.

For a closer look at daily GovCon Index performance, check out last week’s market reports. To access the full list of tracked companies, click here.

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Former DAF CIO Winston Beauchamp Takes on New Director Role
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Former DAF CIO Winston Beauchamp Takes on New Director Role

Winston Beauchamp has taken on the role of director of security, special program oversight and information protection at U.S. Department of the Air Force.

The DAF official announced his new job on LinkedIn, where he also expressed gratitude to colleagues and partners from industry, with whom he had worked while serving as DAF deputy chief information officer, a position he held for nearly four years.

Beauchamp said he was especially thankful to former DAF CIO and past Wash100 winner Lauren Knausenberger and current DAF CIO Venice Goodwine, whom he described as “the exact leaders the DAF needed at the time.”

Beauchamp has held other roles within the Air Force, including enterprise IT director within the Office of the Deputy CIO. He has also been part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Lockheed Martin and GE Aerospace.

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Palantir Secures $99M Army Contract for User-centered ML
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Palantir Secures $99M Army Contract for User-centered ML

A Palantir Technologies subsidiary has booked a contract from the U.S. Army worth $99.2 million to provide support for user-centered machine learning, dubbed UCML.

The Department of Defense said Palantir USG will provide research and development efforts centered on UCML.

Under the firm-fixed-price contract, the Palo Alto, California-based company is expected to be completed by Sept. 12, 2029.

Funding for the project will be determined with each order placed under the contract. Work location will also be specified upon issuance of each order.

The Army Contracting Command located in Adelphi, Maryland is the contracting activity.

Palantir is currently working with the Army to perform research and development to determine possible military uses for artificial intelligence and machine learning tools. The two parties agreed on the $250 million contract in 2023.

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Can Your Company Solve DOD’s Latest CJADC2 Challenge?
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Can Your Company Solve DOD’s Latest CJADC2 Challenge?

The Department of Defense wants to bring new industry partners into Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, through a new challenge on its Tradewinds marketplace.

Can Your Company Solve DOD’s Latest CJADC2 Challenge?

This opportunity is focused on contested logistics and serves as a part of the DOD’s Global Information Dominance Experiments program, through which the department tests commercial capabilities — most notably artificial intelligence — in the context of joint force data sharing. Communications is the main focus of CJADC2, which aims to strengthen connectivity between U.S. forces, allies and partners.

Get an even closer look into CJADC2 opportunities at the Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon International Summit on Oct. 10. The event will feature a variety of keynote speakers and panel discussions, one of which will consider the “combined” aspect of CJADC2. To learn more and register to attend the summit, visit the event page on the Potomac Officers Club website.

The Pentagon’s GIDE Journey

GIDE began several years ago and was initially managed by the Northern American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern command. In 2023, the Chief Digital and AI Office assumed control of the program and realigned its goals to better suit the needs of joint warfighting. 

Awards issued through the new challenge will represent iterations 12 and 13 of the program. GIDE 10, 11 and 12 took place earlier this year and were designed to cover global integration, joint kill chains and allied and partner integration, respectively, CDAO GIDE Director Col. Matthew Strohmeyer told DefenseScoop.

In July, the Pentagon hosted its first-ever GIDE Industry Insights Forum to deepen relationships with program participants. The event focused on collaboration opportunities — specifically those surrounding AI technologies — for both traditional and nontraditional partners as well as lessons learned from previous editions of GIDE.

DOD Seeking Data-Driven Logistics Capabilities

Efforts to advance CJADC2 through have shown that the DOD’s strengths lie in developing dynamic logistics plans. According to the notice, what the department needs from industry now is help in creating a “common, enterprise-level data ontology for logistics and sustainment” to solve decision making challenges posed by stovepiped data.

The latest GIDE challenge builds on a May contract award issued to Palantir for its Maven Smart System, which the DOD uses as the primary platform for enterprise CJADC2 workflows and intends to continue deploying as GIDE progresses, DefenseScoop reported. Capabilities pitched under the challenge are expected to “develop the global logistics data ontology in MSS while enriching current ontology and workflows with existing government logistics data.”

The challenge also presents industry with three new areas to focus on: live logistics and sustainment data; curated digital insights; and integrated applications. Proposers can submit ideas to address any number of these topics in the form of a video pitch.

What’s Next for CJADC2?

CJADC2 achieved minimal viable capability combining software applications, data integration and cross-domain operational concepts in February. Though details of what the capability was specifically developed for have been kept under wraps, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, a 2024 Wash100 Award winner, said the next step is scaling.

Gain even more insights into CJADC2 at the 2024 GovCon International Summit. Register here.

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