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Parsons Receives Biometric Collection Systems Army Contract
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Parsons Receives Biometric Collection Systems Army Contract

Parsons has secured a technical direction letter from the U.S. Army valued at $1.9 million for the acquisition of biometric mobile and static collection devices, including peripherals and software, in support of the Next Generation Biometrics Collection Capability, dubbed NXGBCC.

The Army said Tuesday under the TDL, which runs through April 2025, the devices will be integrated into the Ares Gateway Transaction Manager, or AGTM, to collect, store, match and share fingerprint, facial, iris and voice biometric modalities.

The AGTM will operate on a government-provided Amazon Web Services Impact Level 5 Gov-Cloud. The cloud service submits collected data to the Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System. After the system evaluates the biometrics data, it will return matches to the AGTM and the collection device. 

The NXGBCC is expected to be field-ready and provide soldiers with identity information in real-time by 2025.

The project manager for terrestrial sensors and the product manager for biometrics oversee the NXGBCC and DOD ABIS programs.

Lareina Adams, project manager of terrestrial sensors, said, “The NXGBCC searches a given biometric submission against 30 million encounters and more than 13 million identities in DOD ABIS, as well as against the largest unsolved latent fingerprint file in the government.”

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Senate Bill to Require DOD to Assess Risks of AI in Defense Systems
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Senate Bill to Require DOD to Assess Risks of AI in Defense Systems

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has introduced a bill that would require the Department of Defense to report to Congress on risk assessments of the use of artificial intelligence in defense systems as part of a push to improve DOD’s ethical technology leadership and transparency.

Welch’s office said Tuesday the proposed Artificial Intelligence Weapons Accountability and Risk Evaluation Act, also known as the AWARE Act, would establish a risk assessment process that evaluates AI technologies against several factors, including bias, bias towards escalation, cybersecurity, privacy, dependability and risk of civilian harm.

The measure would apply the risk assessment to any AI-enabled weapons, targeting or decision support tools, catalog the covered technologies and assessment outcomes in a risk ledger that is unclassified to the extent possible but may include a classified appendix and annotate which of the tech platforms have been shared, exported or used by a foreign individual or government.

Under the bill, DOD should perform an annual risk assessment of all covered AI-enabled systems and conduct a new risk assessment if a weapons review process is initiated, when a technology is procured, or when there is an update to an underlying AI model.

The legislation includes a requirement to report to Congress on an annual basis on the progress of implementing the measure, the ledger and a report on the findings.

“We know that AI-enabled weapons are exacerbating harm to civilians in warzones, and without effective oversight these systems could dangerously reshape our future. The United States has an obligation as a leader in AI innovation to also lead in AI ethics,” said Welch.

“We must be ready to answer questions about accuracy, security, privacy, and harm when we use AI-enabled weapons—and we need better data to do that,” added the Senate Commerce Committee member.

Register now to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s GovCon International Summit on Oct. 10. Listen to speakers as they discuss how international partnerships, emerging technologies and coalition warfare are reshaping the defense landscape and how the U.S. can stay ahead of the curve.

POC - GovCon International Summit
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Michael Tarulli Returns to Goldman Sachs to Lead Aerospace & Defense
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Michael Tarulli Returns to Goldman Sachs to Lead Aerospace & Defense

Michael Tarulli has rejoined the Goldman Sachs Group, where he spent a total of 15 years previously, as a partner and global head of aerospace defense within global banking and markets.

Tarulli returns to the firm from fellow investment banking organization Evercore, where he was a senior managing director in the aerospace, defense and government services wing, Goldman Sachs said Monday.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the move, Tarulli wrote, “After a brief sojourn, I’m excited to be back home at Goldman Sachs.”

The 2023 Wash100 Award recipient came onboard Goldman Sachs in 2006 working as an associate in the securities division. Tarulli attended New York University Stern School of Business and then rejoined the firm in the Investment Banking Division in 2011. The executive earned the stripe of managing director at Goldman Sachs in 2019.

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Army Seeks Input for Project Linchpin AI Modeling, Simulation
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The project manager for intelligence and analytics within the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office – Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors is soliciting industry input to address the modeling and simulation, or M&S, requirements of the service branch’s Project Linchpin.

The solicitation focuses on artificial intelligence-based solutions collecting and generating data for secure model training within the tactical environment, according to a request for information posted on SAM.gov on Monday.

The RFI also seeks to pinpoint industry capabilities to support collaboration within the AI ecosystem driving Project Linchpin’s M&S applications.

The deadline for RFI responses is on Nov. 8.

Project Linchpin was initially conceptualized in 2022 to establish trusted environments that would support development and validation of AI-powered solutions for integration with the Army’s weapons and other systems.

In March, the service branch launched the second iteration of its xTechScalable AI competition, with the project as its focus.

The Army also released an RFI in November 2023 to seek industry information on ways to implement and automate an artificial intelligence bill of materials for the project.

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NASA Deep Space Communications Tech Achieves Laser Data Milestone
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NASA Deep Space Communications Tech Achieves Laser Data Milestone

NASA has sent a laser signal from its ground architecture to the Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away from Earth. The space agency said Thursday that the successful send marks a major step forward in its development of deep space optical communications. 

For the demonstration conducted from June to July, NASA sent data to and from Psyche as bits on a near-infrared light, which can transport up to a hundred times higher data rates than radio frequencies.

According to the agency, the maximum data transmission rate achieved during the demonstration was 267 megabits per second, or almost comparable to broadband internet download speeds, when Psyche was only about 33 million miles away from Earth. When Psyche was about 240 million miles away, NASA recorded a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second. 

The spacecraft was launched in October 2023 to study a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter. 

“Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn’t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,” said Meera Srinivasan, the project’s operations lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Now the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.”

After the demonstration, NASA powered down Psyche’s flight laser transceiver to ensure that it could operate for at least a year. It will be powered back up on Nov. 4 for the post-conjunction phase.

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DOE Awards 8 Projects for Clean Energy Cybersecurity Initiatives
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DOE Awards 8 Projects for Clean Energy Cybersecurity Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an estimated $23 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to eight projects to enhance cybersecurity in clean energy infrastructure.

The DOE said Thursday the research, development and demonstration projects aim to develop tools and technologies that protect clean energy infrastructure—including distributed energy resources, or DER, inverter-based resources and virtual power plants—from cyber threats.

The projects selected by the DOE Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, or CESER, include:

  • University of Arkansas – high-speed programmable networks that secure communications in DER aggregations by reducing manual effort and response time to cyber attacks
  • University of Arkansas – artificial intelligence-driven cybersecurity toolkit for inverter-based resources to help operators determine cyber attacks and design mitigation strategies
  • Electric Power Research Institute – technical specifications to aid energy companies in selecting cybersecurity capabilities for their DER gateway products and demonstrate them in commercial products and open-source software
  • Georgia Tech Research Corp. – a framework that allows operators of renewable energy systems to detect and patch infected devices and back up sensitive data
  • MITRE – a toolkit for wind generation asset operators to quickly respond and recover from cyberattacks, allowing remote access to a device’s memory and AI analysis
  • Texas A&M University – enhanced monitoring capabilities and cyber-physical resilience of IBR and DER components like solar photovoltaic systems
  • University of Texas-Arlington – an encryption framework that secures communications between a cloud and its DER in a virtual power plant
  • Washington State University – advanced 5G capabilities and networking tools to enhance global visibility and management of grid-edge DER 

Puesh Kumar, director of CESER, said, “Securely monitoring, detecting, communicating and mitigating cyber threats is essential if we are going to realize our clean energy goals.”

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FCC Names Andy Hendrickson Its Enforcement Bureau CTO
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FCC Names Andy Hendrickson Its Enforcement Bureau CTO

The Federal Communications Commission has appointed technology industry veteran Andy Hendrickson as the Enforcement Bureau’s chief technology officer.

FCC said Thursday Hendrickson will provide technical and strategic advice on technological developments and matters related to the bureau’s work and support the commission’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force.

Loyaan Egal, chief of the Enforcement Bureau and chair of the FCC’s Privacy and Data Protection Task Force, said he is pleased with the addition of Hendrickson to the bureau.

“Andy’s expertise and deep understanding of how communications networks operate, and how they have come to operate with the rapid development of new technologies and new networks, will only enhance our investigatory capabilities,” Egal stated.

The newly appointed CTO has over two decades of experience in the telecommunications sector with a focus on tech and business transformation initiatives.

Hendrickson previously served as senior director of technology at Verizon, led global tech initiatives at Esri and worked as a part-time lecturer on environmental geomatics at Rutgers University.

He is an active member of the Open Infrastructure Foundation and the Network Time Foundation, among other industry organizations.

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US, Poland to Further Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation
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US, Poland to Further Strengthen Cybersecurity Cooperation

The United States and Poland will further boost their partnership in cybersecurity and emerging technologies under a memorandum of understanding signed between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs on Monday. 

The MOU’s focus areas include increasing exchanges in cyber policies and strategies, as well as developing safe and secure artificial intelligence technologies, DHS said Thursday.

DHS entities, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Science and Technology Directorate, will contribute to the MOU’s implementation. MDA units, including the Polish national research institute NASK, will also be mobilized in the cooperative agreement. 

Conveying pride on signing the MOU, DHS Undersecretary for Policy Robert Silvers said: “Through our strong public–private partnerships, DHS is the key link domestically for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure, and we’re increasingly becoming that link for global partners facing similar threats.”

In March, DHS announced an agreement with the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications, Networks, Content and Technology to collaborate on streamlining cyber incident reporting for victim organizations, particularly multinational companies.

The signing of the U.S.-Poland cybersecurity MOU coincided with Monday’s opening of the four-day Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit of nearly 70 countries, which includes 18 new members.

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OMB Memo Promotes Responsible Government AI Procurement
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OMB Memo Promotes Responsible Government AI Procurement

The Office of Management and Budget has issued new guidance directing federal agencies to advance the responsible procurement of artificial intelligence systems.

The White House said Thursday the new memo offers recommendations around three strategic goals as agencies acquire AI technologies: managing AI risks and performance, promoting a competitive AI market with innovative acquisition and ensuring collaboration across the federal government.

The document requires the early involvement of agency privacy officials in the AI procurement process to enable them to identify and manage privacy risks, promotes the use of outcomes-based acquisition techniques and instructs agencies to negotiate contractual requirements to ensure vendors provide sufficient information for them to assess vendor claims and manage risks.

The OMB memo directs agencies to integrate acquisition principles to minimize vendor lock-in when developing contractual requirements and consider transparency and interoperability during market research, development of requirements and vendor evaluation processes.

According to the document, agencies should foster collaboration by prioritizing AI investments that best serve their mission and fostering the adoption of cross-functional best practices.

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JPEO A&A Inaugurates New 155mm Metal Parts Production Facility
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JPEO A&A Inaugurates New 155mm Metal Parts Production Facility

The U.S. Army’s Joint Program Executive Office for Armaments and Ammunition has launched a new 155mm metal parts production facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in Ingersoll, Canada, on Oct. 2.

The Army said the newly commissioned IMT Precision Production Facility, capable of producing 15,000 shell bodies per month, will be operated by the IMT Group.

The new facility will utilize advanced automation, digital data capture and high flexibility in its production lines to produce metal parts for the M795 and the M1128 155mm projectiles.

The Army intends to increase the production of 155mm artillery munitions to 100,000 artillery shots produced per month by fiscal year 2026. To achieve this goal, the service has opened a new metal parts facility in Mesquite, Texas and is on track to unveil three other facilities in Illinois, Florida and Arkansas.

Maj. Gen. John Reim, JPEO Armaments and Ammunition officer, said, “This IMT Precision Facility, with its new and advanced forging, furnaces, non-destructive testing and machining capabilities, is further proof of that progress.”

Cheryl Hacking, CEO of IMT Group, focused on the company’s history of supporting the defense industry. “Our history of service with the defense industry dates back to the First World War. We are proud to be a part of that important history that made us uniquely suited for this project.”

Guests at the ceremony included representatives from both the Canadian and U.S. armies, elected officials from Ingersoll and industry leaders.

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