CDC Announces $176M in Funding for 48 Public Health Partners
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CDC Announces $176M in Funding for 48 Public Health Partners

Forty-eight Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public health partners are set to receive $176 million for the first year of a 5-year-cycle under the National Partners Cooperative Agreement, a funding mechanism that seeks to finance organizations with the ability to support the needs of the public health infrastructure and workforce.

Using the funds, the health partners will work to bolster the ability of various agencies and organizations to deliver services to bring about positive health outcomes, the CDC said Wednesday.

For CDC Director Mandy Cohen, the financial support being provided through the National Partners CoAg demonstrates her agency’s commitment to building a public health system that is strong and resilient.

Regarding public health partners, Cohen said they are “critical to building trust with communities and providing the essential services and capacity needed to face health threats.”

For her part, CDC Public Health Infrastructure Center Director Leslie Ann Dauphin said the funding awards “will help build a strong public health infrastructure with enhanced ability to detect and control diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide essential healthcare services to all communities.”

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DARPA to Develop Techniques for AI to Automatically Understand Human Languages
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DARPA to Develop Techniques for AI to Automatically Understand Human Languages

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a new program seeking to automatically translate obligations, permissions and prohibitions, known as deontic concepts, into logical programming language.

The Human-AI Communications for Deontic Reasoning Devops, or CODORD, program intends to reduce the required cost and time to transfer deontic knowledge, DARPA said Friday.

The project will develop innovative techniques for translating natural human language into a language form that artificial intelligence can readily process, according to CODORD Program Manager Benjamin Grosof.

CODORD will accelerate the transmission of deontic knowledge so AI researchers can take advantage of advances in large language models and logical programming languages, Grosof added.

DARPA projects that CODORD could enable automated and accurate deontic reasoning to support AI applications that comply with command orders, regulations, laws, operational policies, ethics and contracts.

The capabilities produced under the program are expected to advance military and civilian use cases, the agency noted.

Col. Robert Gerbracht, special assistant to the DARPA Director, said CODORD would assure commanders that an AI will transmit directives or intents “within the ethical, legal and moral guidelines.”

DARPA will hold a proposers day for the program on Oct. 8 and will publish a full solicitation on the effort in the weeks ahead.

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NASA’s JPL Secures NOAA Contract to Study RF Band Corruption
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NASA’s JPL Secures NOAA Contract to Study RF Band Corruption

Jet Propulsion Laboratory has booked a contract valued at $1.1 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study radio frequency band corruption.

The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service said Friday the contract that NOAA awarded on Sept. 10, aims to investigate the disruptions of RF bands used by Earth observation satellites.

JPL is responsible for detecting, identifying and characterizing harmful emissions interfering with a passive band. It is expected to provide possible measures to mitigate or reduce the impact of these issues.

The center will assess the risks, processes and modifications necessary to implement enhanced passive remote sensing globally. It will also develop methods and evaluate resources needed for the mitigation strategies.

Increasing RF emissions from congested band sources, including private satellites and advanced wireless services, can corrupt data from Earth’s satellites that are vital for weather forecasting.

The contract, a Joint Venture Partnerships broad agency announcement, is intended for research purposes. There are no current plans for an RFI detection or mitigation satellite mission.

The Office of Systems Architecture and Engineering’s Joint Venture Partnerships program, operated by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, is managing the contract.

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NSF, DOC Issue Solicitation for National Network for Microelectronics Education Coordination Hub
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NSF, DOC Issue Solicitation for National Network for Microelectronics Education Coordination Hub

The U.S National Science Foundation, in coordination with the Department of Commerce, has issued a solicitation for the creation of a Network Coordination Hub for the National Network for Microelectronics Education.

The Network Coordination Hub will establish and operate regional nodes across the United States, where educational programs will be implemented, according to a notice released on Sam.gov Friday.

These nodes will offer instructional materials, experimental opportunities and teacher professional development programs to help train the semiconductor and microelectronics industry’s workforce.

The NSF will manage the Network Coordination Hub with the help of the DOC.

Interested vendors may submit their proposals by Oct.28, at 4 pm EDT. An information webinar will be held on Oct. 4 to discuss the hub and the application process.

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MDA Chooses Northrop Grumman for Glide Phase Interceptor Program
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MDA Chooses Northrop Grumman for Glide Phase Interceptor Program

The Missile Defense Agency has selected Northrop Grumman as the single contractor to deliver services for the the Glide Phase Interceptor, or GPI, program, DefenseScoop reported Wednesday.

The GPI program is an initiative that aims to produce an advanced missile that can meet, counter and dispense with adversarial hypersonic weapons that can reach speeds of Mach 5 or greater. The system will look to intercept and defeat incoming hypersonics while traveling through the perimeters of the Earth’s atmosphere—the glide phase.

Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, MDA director and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said, “Today’s decision represents a turning point for hypersonic glide phase defense.”

The MDA is developing the program alongside Japan’s Ministry of Defense and expects Northrop Grumman’s selection to result in follow-on development and production.

“I’m very proud of the entire team including our industry partners, for all the hard work to get to this point. It is also an honor to have Japan as our partner as we move forward on this critical counter-hypersonic capability,” Collins added.

Northrop Grumman’s GPI design reportedly features an advanced seeker for threat tracking and hit-to-kill accuracy, a re-ignitable upper-stage engine for threat containment and a dual engagement mode to deal with threats across a wide range of altitudes, the company said in a release. Northrop Grumman beat out RTX for the continued development of the GPI. 

Wendy Williams, Northrop Grumman’s vice president and manager of launch and missile defense systems, said the GPI provides “mission critical” capabilities in warfighting situations where distance creates strategic opportunities. 

“Tailorable to a multitude of mission requirements, Northrop Grumman’s revolutionary solution is designed to perform in the evolving threat landscape,” Williams stated. 

MDA requested $182 million for GPI in its fiscal 2025 budget and plans for the missiles to reach initial operational functionality by the end of 2029 and full operational capacity by the 2030s.

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VA Begins Market Research for Data Management SaaS Platform
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VA Begins Market Research for Data Management SaaS Platform

The Department of Veterans Affairs has started soliciting information from industry stakeholders on a software-as-a-service platform that could meet its data management and data analytic requirements.

According to a presolicitation notice published Friday, the SaaS platform should be authorized at the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program High level and meet the Federal Information System Management Act, or FISMA 2014 High requirements.

The commercial-off-the-shelf platform should be fully configurable, deployed and ready for VA use within 14 days of award to facilitate ingestion of data, metadata and transformations and allow user configurations.

The contractor should sign a service-level agreement and provide the architectural diagram and artifacts representing the SaaS platform’s security controls.

VA expects the SaaS platform to ingest and analyze unstructured and disaggregated data from various sources and formats, provide operational decisional support to VA and its stakeholders and provide granular security controls.

According to the department, the platform should maintain data origin and reproducibility of all integrated data sources and develop a comprehensive analytics framework that links data to key analytic questions and decisions it informs to rapidly expand the data’s utility.

Responses to the request for information are due Oct. 3.

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GSA Names Dovarius Peoples as Deputy CIO
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GSA Names Dovarius Peoples as Deputy CIO

Dovarius Peoples, chief information officer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will officially join the General Services Administration on Oct. 6 to serve as its new deputy CIO, Federal News Network reported Friday.

He succeeds Beth Killoran, who left in May 2023 for the Government Accountability Office to serve as the congressional watchdog’s CIO.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dovarius – a leader who is passionate about improving government services through technology – to GSA, where he will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organization,” GSA CIO David Shive said in an email statement.

Since April 2019, Peoples has been serving as CIO/G-6 at the Army Corps of Engineers, where he works as the principal adviser to the Corps Commanding General on information technology-related matters.

According to FNN, he has helped USACE advance its zero trust implementation, application modernization efforts and transition to a hybrid cloud environment.

Peoples also served as the association CIO for the Office of Personnel Management for two years.

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FCC to Back Advanced Satellite Services With New Block of Spectrum
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FCC to Back Advanced Satellite Services With New Block of Spectrum

The Federal Communications Commission has announced new rules to open up 1300 megahertz of spectrum in the 17 gigahertz band for use by fixed-satellite systems operating in non-geostationary orbit.

FCC said Thursday the newly adopted rules will enable satellite operators to broaden their ability to deploy high-speed internet access and other advanced services.

According to the commission, the new policy seeks to align the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations with international allocations to offer a more cohesive framework worldwide for fixed-satellite services in the 17 GHz band.

“Our rules allow a range of use cases from different orbits, bolstering competition in the space economy and creating more opportunities for companies from the United States around the world,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement published Thursday.

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VA Makes Tele-Emergency Care Available to Veterans Nationwide
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VA Makes Tele-Emergency Care Available to Veterans Nationwide

Tele-emergency care is now available nationwide to veterans enrolled in VA healthcare.

Tele-EC is a component of VA Health Connect, a phone service that veterans can contact when they need to speak to a clinical triage nurse regarding a medical situation they are experiencing, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Thursday.

When clinically appropriate, the triage nurse will connect a caller to a Tele-EC provider, who will then evaluate the caller and recommend next steps, including treatment or in-person care if necessary.

“Sometimes, you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing is a minor emergency or not — and tele-emergency care can help you resolve those questions,” VA Undersecretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said regarding the service, which underwent a pilot program in recent months.

“Veterans can get immediate, virtual triage with a VA medical provider who has direct access to their medical records. This avoids having to potentially drive to the nearest emergency department and wait to be evaluated, if appropriate,” Elnahal explained.

Tele-EC is also accessible via the VA Health Chat app.

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Senate Bill Seeks to Establish Cybersecurity Standards for US Healthcare
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Senate Bill Seeks to Establish Cybersecurity Standards for US Healthcare

Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced a bill that would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to establish and implement mandatory minimum cybersecurity standards for healthcare providers, clearinghouses, health plans and business associates, including those for key entities that are important to national security.

The Senate Finance Committee said Thursday the proposed Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act would provide upfront investment payments worth $800 million for rural and urban safety net hospitals and $500 million to all hospitals to implement improved cybersecurity standards. 

The legislation would require HHS to audit the data security practices of at least 20 regulated entities each year and support the department’s security oversight and enforcement activities through a user fee on all regulated institutions.

Under the proposed measure, business associates and covered entities would be required to perform independent cybersecurity audits each year and stress tests to determine their capability to quickly restore service following a cyber incident.

The bill would also remove the statutory caps on the department’s fining authority, require top executives to annually certify compliance with requirements to strengthen corporate accountability and codify the HHS secretary’s authority to provide accelerated and advanced Medicare payments in the event of a healthcare system disruption caused by a cyberattack.

“With hacks already targeting institutions across the country, it’s time to go beyond voluntary standards and ensure health care providers and vendors get serious about cybersecurity and patient safety. I’m glad to introduce legislation that would mandate sensible cybersecurity protocols while also getting resources to rural and underserved hospitals to ensure they have the funding to meet these new standards,” Warner said.

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