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DOD Establishes Policy to Manage Access to IT Systems
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DOD Establishes Policy to Manage Access to IT Systems

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has released a document establishing policy to manage access to DOD’s information technology resources hosted by systems and system components as part of efforts to ensure security of the department’s information systems.

The latest DOD Instruction, which took effect Tuesday, Sept. 3, outlines the responsibilities of the DOD CIO, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and the chief data and artificial intelligence officer, among other officials, to facilitate access management for the department’s IT systems.

The document, for instance, directs the CIO to provide guidance to facilitate the implementation of access management procedures; coordinate with heads of other DOD components to build and maintain requirements for identity, credential and access management platforms; and work with CDAO and other component heads to track migration to dynamic access to meet mission requirements.

The new policy also covers IT resource and system protocols, enterprise authoritative services approval processes and implementation procedures for access requirements, authoritative attribute service requirements and non-person entity access, among others.

Leslie Beavers, acting CIO at DOD and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, approved the latest instruction.

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NGA Will Begin Solicitations for $700M Data Labeling Contract in Sept.
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NGA Will Begin Solicitations for $700M Data Labeling Contract in Sept.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is expected to open a $700 million opportunity for industry to provide artificial intelligence and data labeling capabilities, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

Under the multi-vendor indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, the agency will look to improve machine learning systems designed to examine satellite imagery and other geospatial data.

Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director of NGA and a multiple Wash100 Award winner, said, “This represents a significant investment in computer vision, machine learning and AI.”

“NGA will engage with commercial partners to navigate the challenges posed by increasing levels of geoint data,” Whitworth added.

The IDIQ contract will prioritize deciphering raw data, including images and videos, to make findings comprehensible for machine learning models. The NGA also aims to manufacture computer vision programs to classify these objects in new unlabeled images. In terms of satellite imagery, specific objects like buildings, roads and vegetation will be labeled.

Whitworth told reporters that a request for industry bids should be released by the end of September. The IDIQ contract represents the NGA’s most ambitious data labeling initiative to date.

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Air Force Wants A6 to Focus Solely on Cyber Operations
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Air Force Wants A6 to Focus Solely on Cyber Operations

The Department of the Air Force plans to elevate cyber functions by dividing the offices of the deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, known as A2, and the deputy chief of staff for information dominance, called A6, Federal News Network reported Monday.

Lt. Gen. Leah Lauderback, who has been deputy chief of staff of ISR and cyber effects operations at the Air Force since 2022, said she hopes the Senate will confirm a three-star officer by the spring of 2025 to lead the newly created A6, which will focus on cyber issues.

She added that she expects A2 to return to its function of overseeing ISR efforts at the department.

The move is one of the 24 changes proposed by the department’s senior leaders in February to reoptimize the Air Force and Space Force for great power competition.

According to the lieutenant general, the move to split A6 from A2 aligns with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall’s efforts to transition Air Forces Cyber into a standalone service component command.

“It needs to be elevated so that it is on par with air superiority, with mobility superiority, with electromagnetic superiority,” Lauderback said of the move. 

“I think that this elevation of both the 6 and then of AFCYBER is going to put this at the forefront of all of the senior leadership within the Department of the Air Force so that they understand you can’t work without comms and you can’t work without cyber operations, attacking the enemy and defending from the enemy,” she added.

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DIU Seeks Commercial Solution to Distribute Data Across DOD Networks
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DIU Seeks Commercial Solution to Distribute Data Across DOD Networks

The Defense Innovation Unit has posted a solicitation for a commercial solution to securely transmit data across various Department of Defense network enclaves, which communicate through routing protocols and devices.

The desired solution must facilitate data-sharing between different classification levels and prevent unauthorized access, DIU said.

According to the solicitation notice, DOD requires a data distribution prototype to manage the transport and caching of information across a globally distributed infrastructure using an asynchronous publisher-subscriber messaging system.

The agency expects that the prototype will run on government-issued equipment, use government-provided authentication methods and can be readily integrated with enterprise data meshes to enhance interoperability between systems.

Interested businesses are invited to submit their proposed solutions with technical details and examples of previous deployments in the commercial sector.

DIU noted that proposals that specifically address the problem statement and product requirements will be prioritized, adding that submitters should indicate if they will work on the project with partners or subcontractors.

The unit will accept proposals until Sept. 13.

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NSF Funds 25 Projects Seeking to Deploy AI Tech in Geosciences
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NSF Funds 25 Projects Seeking to Deploy AI Tech in Geosciences

The National Science Foundation has invested over $20 million in 25 projects seeking to develop and implement advanced artificial intelligence technologies in geosciences.

Awarded through the Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences—or CAIG—program, the grants are meant to expand access to education and training opportunities for using AI capabilities in geosciences research, the NSF said on Friday.

According to Wendy Graham, the director of the research, innovation, synergies and education division at NSF, the selected CAIG projects will provide cross-training for AI and geoscience knowledge and bolster the United States’ capacity to study and analyze extreme weather, solar activity and earthquake hazards.

The program will enable the 25 research teams to unlock geoscience questions and promote collaborations between geoscientists and AI experts, Graham added.

Under the initiative, researchers will employ AI techniques, such as generative AI and surrogate models, to better understand complex Earth systems.

The research teams will work to enhance the use of geoscience models, improve forecasting and mitigation of natural hazards, increase understanding of earthquake dynamics, and improve natural resource management and decision-making to address climate change, NSF noted.

The selected projects aim to achieve needed advancements in AI, cyberinfrastructure and advanced computing, which the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 identifies as critical technology areas for the United States.

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NGA Unveils Pilot Program for Accrediting GEOINT AI Models
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NGA Unveils Pilot Program for Accrediting GEOINT AI Models

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has introduced a pilot program to facilitate the accreditation of geospatial intelligence artificial intelligence models for the National System for GEOINT, also known as NSG, Defense Daily reported Friday.

The Accreditation of GEOINT AI Models pilot “will expand responsible use of GEOINT AI models and posture NGA and the GEOINT enterprise to better support the warfighter and create new intelligence insights,” said Vice Adm. Frank Whitworth, director of NGA and a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

“Accreditation will provide a standardized evaluation framework, implements risk management, promotes a responsible AI culture, enhances AI trustworthiness, accelerates AI adoption and interoperability, and recognizes high quality AI, while identifying areas for improvement,” he said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast Friday.

According to Defense Daily, the Analytic Services Production Environment for the National System for GEOINT, also called ASPEN, is another NGA AI program of record that tracks behavior changes worldwide to update and warn U.S. officials.

Whitworth called the five-year ASPEN program a “larger mission” than targeting.

“Underscoring all these tenets of targeting, warning, and safety is this issue of distinction and being certain, as best we can, in making assessments and keeping an archival record of our observations,” the vice admiral added.

NGA Unveils Pilot Program for Accrediting GEOINT AI Models

Register here to join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Intel Summit on Sept. 19 and hear top U.S. intelligence community officials and industry executives discuss the technologies shaping the future of American intelligence.

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DHS Conducts Maritime Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise With Japan
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DHS Conducts Maritime Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise With Japan

Following the success of a maritime security tabletop exercise with the government of Indonesia in June, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted a second one on Aug. 21 and 22, this time with counterparts from Japan.

The August exercise simulated a major cyber incident impacting the operations of one of Japan’s ports and sought to provide participants an opportunity to test incident response policies and procedures, DHS said Friday.

The exercise also sought to facilitate discussions about enhancing preparedness for critical infrastructure threats.

Commenting on the activity, DHS Undersecretary for Policy Robert Silvers said, “Exercises like these bolster our nation’s capabilities and establish reliable channels for coordination with key international partners.”

“Cyber attacks pose a shared risk, beyond any single nation’s control, making it imperative for the United States and Japan to collaborate in addressing these challenges to thrive in such interconnected environments,” Silvers added.

For his part, Masahiro Inada, director general of the Ports and Harbours Bureau within Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, said, “Cyber attacks to ports and harbors could potentially disrupt key international logistics functions which serve as a lifeline of Japan, a country surrounded by the sea, affecting both Japan and the United States.”

“I intend to share best practices gained through this exercise and continue to promote the reinforcement of cyber security of ports and harbors, while working together with relevant parties,” Inada added.

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DOD Names Diba Hadi as Cyber Academic Engagement Office Principal Director
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DOD Names Diba Hadi as Cyber Academic Engagement Office Principal Director

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer has appointed Diba Hadi, a more than three-decade higher education and program management leader, as principal director of the Cyber Academic Engagement Office.

DOD said Friday Hadi will oversee all academic outreach initiatives and several CAEO programs, including the DOD Cyber Service Academy, National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and the Virtual Institutes for Cyber and Electromagnetic Spectrum Research and Employ.

Hadi most recently served as the senior academic and project management adviser at the FBI, where she led professional development efforts, managed accreditation standards and offered strategic academic guidance.

In June, the department’s OCIO launched CAEO to serve as a central hub for defense and academic cyber activities.

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Peter Guinto Joins OUSD(A&S) as Senior Technical Advisor
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Peter Guinto Joins OUSD(A&S) as Senior Technical Advisor

The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment has appointed Peter Guinto as senior technical advisor of Price, Cost and Finance, effective Aug. 5. 

OUSD said he will oversee the operations and activities of the office within the Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy directorate. Guinto will report directly to John Tenaglia, principal director of the latter directorate.

In addition, Guinto will manage the PCF directorate as it conducts peer reviews of sole source contracts, offer training programs for pricing strategies, develop pricing policies and strategies and provide support  to major defense acquisition teams on business negotiation matters.

Guinto was vice president of government affairs and president of government, defense and aerospace at Resilinc, before joining the PCF Directorate.

The U.S. Air Force veteran spent almost 12 years in the service and held several leadership positions including chief of contracts, senior contract analyst and senior cost/price analyst.

Prior to joining the Air Force, Guinto embarked on a medical and legal career. He worked as a registered respiratory therapist for five years before becoming a law clerk and a self-employed lawyer.

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NLRB Appoints David Gaston as 1st Chief AI Officer
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NLRB Appoints David Gaston as 1st Chief AI Officer

The National Labor Relations Board has appointed David Gaston, its assistant general counsel and branch chief of E-litigation, as the board’s first chief artificial intelligence officer. 

In his new role, Gaston will oversee compliance with federal AI regulations, including risk management on the technology’s use, the NLRB said Thursday.

The CAIO functions add to his current responsibility of overseeing the board’s information strategy, including developing tools for electronic collection, storage and retrieval of data on legal proceedings.

Jennifer Abruzzo, NLRB’s general counsel, said Gaston’s seven years of experience leading the agency’s information and litigation strategy will enable the agency “to move forward strategically in the area of AI.”

One of the board’s initiatives to check AI use in the labor front came in a memorandum of understanding with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau signed in March 2023. Under the MOU, the agencies will collaborate to ensure that American employers’ AI practices do not infringe upon workers’ rights.  

Before NLRB, Gaston worked as a special assistant attorney at the Department of Justice and as an attorney advisor at the Department of Agriculture.

Gaston holds a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Georgia, both earned with magna cum laude distinctions.

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