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DOE Seeks Public Input on Partnerships for AI Technology Development Roadmap Implementation
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DOE Seeks Public Input on Partnerships for AI Technology Development Roadmap Implementation

The Department of Energy is seeking information about artificial intelligence to support work on its Frontiers in AI for Science, Security and Technology, a.k.a. FASST, a roadmap it launched in July to help the DOE exploit the technology for the public’s benefit.

Through FASST, the department will use its resources, including its 17 national laboratories, to create advanced AI models for applied energy development and other scientific applications, according to a DOE post on the Federal Register set for Thursday.

The request for information will gather public input on ways for DOE partnerships with institutions to develop and implement the four pillars of FASST: AI-ready data; frontier-scale AI computing infrastructure and platforms; safe, secure and trustworthy AI models and systems; and AI applications. 

The RFI, which was issued by the DOE’s Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies, also seeks input on workforce and FASST governance. The deadline for the submission of responses is Nov. 11.

Besides FASST, the DOE has initiated its Advancements in Artificial Intelligence for Science program under which it will award $68 million funding to 45 projects to develop AI foundation models potentially useful in stepping up scientific programming and advance automation in laboratories, among other uses.

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Intel Community Launches Into Space With New Joint Center
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Intel Community Launches Into Space With New Joint Center

Advancements in space technologies present a variety of benefits for both Department of Defense and Intelligence Community components, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency wants to reshape the ways these agencies collaborate on space operations.

To take on this challenge, the NGA architected the new Joint Mission Management Center, a space intelligence hub for the military services, combatant commands, IC agencies and international allies designed to help define each organization’s role in the evolving domain.

The center — which NGA Director Frank Whitworth said came about as the agency witnessed an expansion of space agencies’ satellite networks — has now achieved initial operating capability, Air and Space Forces Magazine reported.

Intel Community Launches Into Space With New Joint Center

Learn about how the IC is adapting to shifts in the intelligence landscape at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19! The event will feature speakers from across the IC, including three NGA leaders, who will share their insights on current intelligence priorities. Click here to learn more and secure your spot at the event.

“We do tasking for a constellation, but when you’re talking about something that’s getting this big, and especially given the investment that DOD has made in this particular constellation, we knew that we needed to have a place for collaboration. It needed to exist,” Whitworth, a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said during a Defense Writers Group event in August.

The JMMC, he said, will serve as a vehicle for space-focused agencies to identify their specific priorities.

“There’s a certain amount of time, there’s a certain amount of sensors, what’s going to go first, what’s going to go last, what falls below the cutline. And that is exactly the type of conversation and process that will be integrated into the JMMC,” he explained.

To make the center a reality, the NGA worked alongside the U.S. Space Force, a major player in the nation’s space activities.

Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations for the USSF, said at the AFCEA/INSA Intelligence Summit in August that the JMMC will “bring together the operational side as well as the intelligence side to do the joint tasking, the collection and dissemination of the data.”

Do you want to learn more about current NGA initiatives? Register for the 2024 Intel Summit to get exclusive insights from Sean Batir, chief technology officer of the NGA’s Maven program; Mark Munsell, director of the agency’s Data and Digital Innovation Directorate; Mark Chatelain, chief information officer and director of the NGA’s CIO & IT Services component; and numerous other speakers from across the IC.

Intel Community Launches Into Space With New Joint Center
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DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer Stepping Down
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DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer Stepping Down

Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Jonathan Meyer is stepping down after serving in the role for almost three years.

In a LinkedIn post published Tuesday, Meyer said that he is returning to the private sector.

In October 2021, the Senate confirmed Meyer to serve as the sixth general counsel of DHS to oversee about 3,500 attorneys and assume responsibilities as the department’s regulatory policy officer.

Prior to this role, the Harvard University graduate was senior counselor and deputy general counsel at DHS between 2011 and 2016.

Meyer previously served as a partner at a Washington, D.C.-based law firm, deputy assistant attorney general within the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy, special deputy general counsel at Amtrak and counsel to then-Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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GSA Reveals 6 New Political Appointees, Promotions
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GSA Reveals 6 New Political Appointees, Promotions

The U.S. General Services Administration revealed several new political appointees and promotions.

The agency said Monday the following will be serving GSA in various capacities:

Tadeh Issakhanian has been designated as senior adviser to the administrator for climate. The former Deloitte consultant worked with government agencies on sustainable transportation and energy. He previously worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the U.S. House of Representatives and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

Thomas Berry has been appointed special assistant to the deputy administrator after serving in the same capacity in the Office of Intergovernmental & External Affairs and the Office of Administration under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Tenzin Pelkyi has been named policy adviser in the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs. She had stints with the International Committee of the Red Cross, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

Morgan Carrico has been promoted to deputy White House liaison in the Office of the Administrator. She was previously the special assistant to the regional administrator.

Brandon Faske has been named senior advisor in the Office of the General Counsel. Faske served as oversight attorney at the GSA before his promotion.

Nicolas Valbuena has been selected to serve as special assistant to the administrator in the Office of the Administrator. He was promoted after serving as the special assistant to the regional administrator.

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Commerce Department Launches Efforts to Advance Supply Chain Resilience
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Commerce Department Launches Efforts to Advance Supply Chain Resilience

The Department of Commerce has unveiled several initiatives to further develop the U.S. government’s analytical capacity to understand and address supply chain risks.

The department said Tuesday one of the efforts announced at the Supply Chain Summit is the launch of a diagnostic tool, called SCALE, designed to help assess supply chain risks across the U.S. economy using a set of indicators.

The International Trade Administration’s Industry and Analysis business unit plans to kick off a competition to develop new data or analysis that could be used to broaden the indicators of risks in the SCALE tool and hold two industry supply chain tabletop exercises in 2025.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will bring together industry stakeholders in the fall to discuss risks related to the supply chains for artificial intelligence data centers and inform recommendations to help mitigate the identified risks.

During the summit, the department also announced strategic partnerships with seven industry associations and academic institutions to promote supply chain resilience and innovation.

The new partners are the National Small Business Association, Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals, Association for Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, Industries Studies Association, Carnegie Mellon University and Georgetown University.

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Taka Ariga Named OPM Chief Data Officer
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Taka Ariga Named OPM Chief Data Officer

The Office of Personnel Management has appointed Taka Ariga, a Senior Executive Service member and technologist, as chief data officer.

In a LinkedIn post announcing his appointment, Ariga said he will oversee the work of OPM’s Human Capital Data Management and Modernization Directorate.

He said he will help bring together data governance, artificial intelligence and data science to support OPM’s role in providing human capital services for more than 2 million federal employees.

Prior to OPM, Ariga spent five years at the Government Accountability Office, where he served as the first chief data scientist and director of the Innovation Lab. As head of the Innovation Lab, he was responsible for driving the adoption of AI, blockchains and other emerging technologies.

According to his profile on the professional networking site, the OPM official’s industry career included data science and analytics leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, EY and Deloitte Financial Advisory Services.

In mid-August, OPM and the Office of Management and Budget issued a joint memorandum to provide federal agencies with guidance to address government workforce challenges.

According to OPM, the memo identified key steps to strengthen workforce-related data analytics and design and build an improved applicant and hiring manager experience with tools and training. 

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New SSC Tests Advance NGP Missile Warning Support Program
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New SSC Tests Advance NGP Missile Warning Support Program

Space Systems Command has announced the completion of the ground critical design review for its Next-Generation Overhead Infrared Polar, or OPIR NGP program, and the system critical integration review for its complementary Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution, or FORGE program. 

The tests, conducted from Aug. 26 to 29, demonstrated the ground system integration required for the delivery of advanced missile warning capability for global security, SSC said Tuesday.  

The command described the concluded tests as major program milestones demonstrating that the NGP’s space and ground system design not only meets technical requirements but also indicates acceptable risk level and conformance with budget allocation and project timetable. 

The NGP will replace the highly elliptical orbit-based Space-Based Infrared Systems, or SBIRS program. It will cover the North Pole region for surveillance on the wide-ranging missiles that U.S. adversaries test and deploy in the area. 

The new tests follow the April completion of OPIR NGP’s space vehicle critical design review.  The program is on track to demonstrate initial launch capability by December 2025 with Raytheon’s recent delivery to Lockheed Martin of the first of two NGP satellite payloads for deployment to geosynchronous Earth orbit.

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DOE Investing $65M to Advance Quantum Computing Technology
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DOE Investing $65M to Advance Quantum Computing Technology

The Department of Energy has announced the availability of $65 million that will be awarded to finance multiple DOE Office of Science Advanced Scientific Computing Research program projects related to quantum computing, a technology with the potential to provide new ways of processing information that can overcome the limits of classical computing.

The DOE said Monday that the investment aims to support innovations that will work to demonstrate the utility of quantum computing in addressing the agency’s scientific research efforts. Of particular interest are advances in software, control systems and algorithms.

Out of the $65 million, $14 million will be sourced from fiscal year 2024 funds. Outyear funding will be contingent on congressional appropriations.

Commenting on the investment, DOE Associate Director of Science for Advanced Scientific Computing Research Ceren Susut said, “With these awards we are equipping scientists with computational tools that will open new frontiers of scientific discovery.”

“Quantum computers may ultimately revolutionize many fields by solving problems that are currently out of reach,” Susut added.

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FCC Starts Administrator Application Period for IoT Cybersecurity Labeling Program
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FCC Starts Administrator Application Period for IoT Cybersecurity Labeling Program

The Federal Communications Commission will begin accepting applications from entities interested in becoming a cybersecurity labeling administrator—or CLA—and lead administrator under the FCC’s Cybersecurity Labeling for Internet of Things program.

The application period will open on Sept. 11 and close on Oct. 1, the FCC said Tuesday.

CLAs will be authorized to certify the use of the FCC IoT label, which includes the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, by manufacturers whose products are found to comply with the FCC’s IoT cybersecurity labeling program rules.

Entities selected as lead administrators will act as liaisons between the commission and CLAs; conduct stakeholder outreach to identify, develop and recommend technical standards and testing procedures for at least one class of IoT products; and develop and execute a plan for a consumer education campaign.

According to the agency, the FCC IoT label will help consumers make informed purchasing decisions, identify trustworthy products and encourage manufacturers to prioritize higher cybersecurity standards.

“We live in a world where more and more devices in your home require an internet connection,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “But these smart devices that make our lives easier and more convenient must also be protected from bringing malware and other kinds of malicious activity into your home.”

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Michael Sulmeyer Discusses Aims as DOD’s 1st Cyber Director
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Michael Sulmeyer Discusses Aims as DOD’s 1st Cyber Director

Michael Sulmeyer, the inaugural assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy, aims to advance Department of Defense cyber programs and focus on internal cyber scaling, Federal News Network reported Wednesday. 

The U.S. Senate appointed Sulmeyer to the role in August after the office was established in March as authorized by the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. After over a month in the role, Sulmeyer said that the DOD should focus more on its rate of return rather than just the Pentagon’s cyber capabilities.

“It’s one thing to count the number of operations or to count the number of hunt-forwards,” Sulmeyer said.

Hunt-forward operations are cyber missions conducted by U.S. Cyber Command’s Cyber National Mission Force officers worldwide.

“There is power in quantity, but increasingly, how we talk about our return on the nation’s investment, not just DoD, but the cyber community, more broadly, private and public sector, I think, is an area I’m looking to try to work on,” Sulmeyer added.

Sulmeyer also works alongside the department’s chief information officer to sanction U.S. Cyber Command’s operations budget. 

“They’re going to work on operating the network and the cyber security type of work,” Sulmeyer stated. “I’m supposed to focus on understanding the cyber operations part of Cyber Command’s budget and then DoD-wide.”

Prior to this position, Sulmeyer served as the principal cyber adviser for the U.S. Army, where he advised military leaders on all matters of cyber, such as readiness and capabilities.

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