/
John Hill Named Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy
Published on
John Hill Named Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy

John Hill, deputy assistant secretary for space and missile defense at the Department of Defense, has been selected to replace Vipin Narang as acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy.

Amanda Dory, acting undersecretary of defense for policy, announced the leadership transition in a news release published Friday.

Dory acknowledged Narang’s efforts in advancing DOD’s strategic capabilities for integrated deterrence and his leadership in space, nuclear systems and weapons of mass destruction mitigation.

Narang is leaving his post at the department to return to academia.

Hill has held various positions within DOD, including principal director for space policy, the department’s representative in negotiations with Afghanistan on the Security and Defense Cooperation Agreement, director for Northeast Asia and senior country director for Japan.

He is a Presidential Rank Award recipient whose experience spans international negotiations encompassing defense posture, nuclear non-proliferation, status of forces and defense industrial collaboration.

/
ONCD Releases Summary Report of Public Feedback on Open-Source Software Security
Published on
ONCD Releases Summary Report of Public Feedback on Open-Source Software Security

The Office of the National Cyber Director has released the summary report on the request for information it had issued in 2023 to call for recommendations on the areas that need to be focused on and prioritized in order to properly secure the open-source software, or OSS, ecosystem.

The report consolidates the feedback that was received from the OSS community, the ONCD said Friday. The feedback covered five areas, namely: secure OSS foundations; sustaining OSS communities and governance; behavioral and economic incentives to securing the OSS ecosystem; research and development; and international collaboration.

Feedback that did not fall under these groups were classified under a general sixth category named “other.”

Based on the comments, the public agreed on, among other things, the need to use memory-safe programming languages; investment in education to develop a workforce versed in programming; strong contribution on the part of the federal government, including participation in standards-setting, incentivizing the promotion of ecosystem safety and collaboration with international partners; and the need for better vulnerability disclosure mechanisms.

The RFI was issued in light of the growing use of OSS, as promoted by the National Cybersecurity Strategy, and the increasing cyber threat that accompanied it.

“It is imperative to bolster the security and resilience of the open-source software ecosystem while preserving the key features that foster innovation and economic prosperity,” the report said.

/
FedRAMP Seeks Public Input on Draft Policy for Cryptographic Module Selection & Use
Published on
FedRAMP Seeks Public Input on Draft Policy for Cryptographic Module Selection & Use

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has begun seeking public comments on a draft policy update that seeks to strengthen the use of cryptography to ensure the security of federal cloud systems.

The draft policy outlines the requirements for selecting and using cryptographic modules for cloud-based systems.

FedRAMP said Friday it wants input on the policy’s potential implications for how cloud providers develop their offerings and whether the policy addresses a specific challenge in applying cryptography in cloud services.

The program is also asking stakeholders whether there are specific requirements they think should be included in the document to effectively implement the policy.

According to the draft, FedRAMP has several goals for the draft policy update, such as ensuring that cryptographic algorithms and functions being used to protect the confidentiality or integrity of federal systems and data are approved and promoting the use of cryptographic modules that are free of known vulnerabilities.

Public comments on the draft policy are due Sept. 9.

//
NAVWAR Welcomes Rear Adm. Seiko Okano as New Commander
Published on
NAVWAR Welcomes Rear Adm. Seiko Okano as New Commander

Rear Adm. Seiko Okano took charge of Naval Information Warfare Systems Command during a change of command ceremony that took place on Aug. 9 in San Diego.

The new NAVWAR commander previously served as program executive officer for integrated warfare systems within Naval Sea Systems Command, according to a news article posted Friday on the U.S. Navy website.

Through her career, Okano has served in operational tours and has taken on roles in acquisition, including at the Missile Defense Agency, the Space and Missile Systems Center and at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme.

In her new position, Okano will be responsible for thousands of military and civilian personnel working on advanced Navy communications and information capabilities.

Okano succeeded Rear Adm. Doug Small, who has retired from military service. Small had led NAVWAR for four years, during which the organization was deemed the best place to work in the Navy in the 2023 Best Places to Work in Federal Government rankings. He was also responsible for establishing Project Overmatch, an initiative that seeks to field a new naval operating architecture and deliver rapid integration systems.

Regarding his successor, Small said during the ceremony, “Be proud of the amazing work you do here and keep holding onto the mission together. You will be in good hands with Rear Adm. Okano, and I can’t wait to see what else you all will accomplish.”

For his part, Third Fleet Commander Vice Adm. John Wade, who presided over the ceremony, said no one is better suited “to sustain and increase the momentum” Small established at NAVWAR than Okano.

“I look forward to serving with you and the NAVWAR team as we continue bring capability forward,” Wade added.

NAVWAR Welcomes Rear Adm. Seiko Okano as New Commander

Naval leaders, experts and innovators from government and industry will discuss how they’re enhancing maritime security, driving technological advancements and fostering strategic cooperation during the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit, which will take place on Aug. 15. Register now to attend this important event!

/
NASA Seeks US Organizations Interested in Partnering With Government to Use VIPER Moon Rover
Published on
NASA Seeks US Organizations Interested in Partnering With Government to Use VIPER Moon Rover

NASA has posted a request for information to identify U.S. organizations interested in using the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover for lunar missions.

VIPER was developed to map the distribution and concentration of ice on the moon’s south pole; however, the project was discontinued and will be replaced by alternative methods, NASA said Friday.

In July, NASA announced its plan to end the VIPER development due to cost increases, delays to the launch date and the risks of future cost growth.

The rover’s launch, originally scheduled in late 2023, was delayed to late 2024 to provide more time for preflight testing of the Astrobotic lander and then was moved to September 2025 because of additional schedule and supply chain delays.

Through the RFI, NASA will determine how organizations would use VIPER under a partnership with the space agency.

“We want to make the best use possible of the engineering, technology, and expertise that have been developed by this project to advance scientific knowledge of the Moon,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

“Partnership opportunities on VIPER would allow us to do this without impacting our future cadence of commercial deliveries to the Moon, to continue lunar science and exploration for everyone’s benefit,” she added.

Responses to the RFI are due Sept. 2.

/
William LaPlante: DOD Laying Groundwork for ‘Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience’
Published on
William LaPlante: DOD Laying Groundwork for ‘Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience’

William LaPlante, under secretary for acquisition and sustainment at the Department of Defense and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said DOD is working to establish a new partnership initiative in the Indo-Pacific region that will seek opportunities for joint production and sustainment of weapons systems, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

“We’re starting an initiative[…] which is a collection of the equivalent of myself and national armaments directors from the various countries around the Pacific Rim,” LaPlante told reporters Wednesday during the sidelines of a conference in Washington.

He noted that the proposed Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience will “work through common acquisition and sustainment issues, whether it’s co-development, coproduction [or] co-sustainment.”

According to the report, DOD has been looking for opportunities to advance weapons production partnerships amid China’s rising power, conflict in the Middle East and the surge in demand for weapons due to the war in Ukraine.

/
FBI’s Ryan Young Wants to Collaborate With Industry at 2024 Intel Summit
Published on
FBI’s Ryan Young Wants to Collaborate With Industry at 2024 Intel Summit

Ryan Young has been helping to shape the mission and direction of the FBI for the last near-quarter century. He currently serves as executive assistant director of the bureau’s intelligence branch, where he is driving collaboration efforts between the U.S. Intelligence Community and all other aspects of government, as well as religious organizations and the private sector.

FBI’s Ryan Young Wants to Collaborate With Industry at 2024 Intel Summit

On September 19, Young will bring his ideas about partnership to the Potomac Officers Club stage for the 2024 Intel Summit. If you’re a government contractor who wants to dialogue with the FBI about their needs from industry, it’s imperative you attend.

Who Is Ryan Young?

Young began his career as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, laying a foundation of military service. He also earned a master’s degree in criminal administration and counseling, deepening his understanding of the world of law and order.

FBI Years

Since 2001, Young has worked at the FBI. He began as a special agent in Miami tasked to counterintelligence cases and eventually shifted to oversee the Cuban Counterintelligence Squad.

At the agency, Young has held the roles of chief of internal policy in the Resources Planning Office at FBI headquarters, section chief for the Directorate of Intelligence’s Strategic Technology Section — an enterprise technology-centric position — and special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division of the Los Angeles field office.

Immediately prior to his current role, Young was assistant director of the Directorate of Intelligence. He was appointed to executive assistant director in November 2021.

Ryan Young’s Counterterrorism Achievements at the FBI

In 2014, Young began working in the counterterrorism division and was responsible for standing up the Syria-Iraq Task Force. He was at the forefront of a 72-member interagency group that rebuffed a threat from an Islamic extremist group in Iraq and the Levant.

When Young was working in Los Angeles, he was the point-man for the bureau’s second largest joint terrorism task force and weapons of mass destruction investigations in southern California and in southeast Asia. He was the go-to authority on crisis management and response resources such as the SWAT Team, the Evidence Response Team, bomb technicians and more.

Ryan Young to Keynote 2024 Intel Summit

At the FBI, Young is increasingly dedicated to forging and maintaining cross-industry relationships. He is in charge of managing communications and contacts with more than 25 national and international organizations that include governments, law enforcement agencies, tribal councils and beyond.

Join Young and a host of other notable guests — such as Ramesh Menon, chief technology officer of the Defense Intelligence Agency — as the IC builds new partnerships at the 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19. You don’t want to miss this event, one of the only venues the IC feels comfortable being transparent with industry.

//
NASA Ends NEOWISE Operation, Sets Stage for Larger Asteroid Discovery
Published on
NASA Ends NEOWISE Operation, Sets Stage for Larger Asteroid Discovery

NASA has concluded its Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer—a.k.a. NEOWISE—mission after more than a decade of scanning for asteroids and comets in space.

On Thursday, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California sent the last command for NEOWISE to switch off its transmitter, thus decommissioning the survey spacecraft, the space agency said.

NASA launched the space telescope as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission in December 2009 to scan the infrared sky for seven months.

Under a new name, the agency extended the NEOWISE mission through February 2011 to explore the main belt asteroids before putting the spacecraft into hibernation.

NASA then reactivated the mission in 2013 under the Near-Earth Object Observations Program to survey asteroids and comets, which could be hazardous to Earth.

Throughout its more than 14 years of operation, NEOWISE detected 215 near-Earth objects and discovered 25 new comets, the agency noted.

The decommissioned NEOWISE will continue to drop toward Earth and will safely burn up in the atmosphere in late 2024.

According to Nicola Fox, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, the completed NEOWISE mission paved the way for a next-generation planetary defense telescope—the Near-Earth Object Surveyor.

BAE Systems said the NEO Surveyor is designed to discover and characterize asteroids and comets larger than 460 feet, adding that it will provide the spacecraft, the sunshade system, deployable aperture cover and the cryogenic thermomechanical components for the mission.

//
Final Demo Set on NRL’s Computer-Based Vision System to Boost Battlefield Awareness in Littoral Environments
Published on
Final Demo Set on NRL’s Computer-Based Vision System to Boost Battlefield Awareness in Littoral Environments

The LittoralLens imaging system that the Naval Research Laboratory developed to help boost situational awareness in shoreline environments is scheduled for final concept demonstration in August.

Showcased in the recent Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington, D.C., the computer-based vision system’s capabilities include automated littoral surface water velocity measurements to support decision-making on tactical maneuvers from the sea, the NRL said.

LittoralLens is single-person-portable and provides a point-and-shoot, computer-vision operation using an NRL-patented tracking velocimetry algorithm.

“The LittoralLens system automatically estimates surf zone statistics via custom-developed stereo reconstruction and geo-registration algorithms integrated with feature tracking routines,” said Carlo Zuniga-Zamalloa, NRL lead algorithm developer and LittoralLens co-inventor.

The U.S. Marines Corps requested the littoral imaging system through the Office of Naval Research-Global TechSolutions Program designed for rapid response to prototyping solutions of problems that Sailors and Marines have identified.

LittoralLens has been lab-tested at the University of Iowa Wave Basin Facility and the Littoral Warfare Environment at U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, followed by field tests near Camp Pendleton in California.

The system’s final concept demo in August is set at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California.

U.S. Navy delegates with extensive combat and training experience will participate in the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit on Aug.15. Reserve a spot now to learn about their insights and gather ideas from DOD officials and government contractors also in attendance. 

Final Demo Set on NRL's Computer-Based Vision System to Boost Battlefield Awareness in Littoral Environments
///
Col. Scott Ruppel Appointed Director of DAF-MIT AI Accelerator
Published on
Col. Scott Ruppel Appointed Director of DAF-MIT AI Accelerator

Colonel Scott Ruppel has been selected as the new director of the Department of Air Force-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Accelerator, or DAF-MIT AIA.

The DAF AI Accelerator said Wednesday Ruppel highlighted the importance of future collaborations to the success of the program. He also shared that one of his goals as director of the program is to empower the Airmen along with partners like MIT and other institutions to continue the fundamental research on pioneering technologies.

Aside from MIT, the AI Accelerator will partner with other universities, small businesses, traditional defense and non-traditional commercial ventures in ensuring the ethical use of AI technologies to benefit the nation.

As director, Ruppel will guide the DAF-MIT partnership in attaining its main mission of producing an end-to-end and sustainable pipeline for AI technology that will help strengthen the country’s defense and civilian sectors.

The Air Force veteran expressed his deep honor in leading the team at MIT with the goal of developing cutting-edge research and innovation. “Our collaborations with MIT and Lincoln Laboratory are vital. Together, we will leverage AI to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time and find solutions for our Airmen and Guardians.”

“My journey has always been fueled by a passion for leading smart and talented Airmen and channeling their transformative potential into better operational outcomes,” Ruppel said. “At the DAF-MIT AI Accelerator, we have a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of AI research and application and shape the future.”

Prior to his new leadership role, Ruppel served as defense resource manager for the Joint Staff. He was also materiel leader of the F35 Production Execution Program Manager and commander of the 58 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

1 … 272 273 274 275 276 … 2,656