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NASA Seeks US Organizations Interested in Partnering With Government to Use VIPER Moon Rover
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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.

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William LaPlante: DOD Laying Groundwork for ‘Partnership for Indo-Pacific Industrial Resilience’
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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.

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

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NASA Ends NEOWISE Operation, Sets Stage for Larger Asteroid Discovery
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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.

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

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FCC Holds Public Consultation on Proposed Robocall, Robotext Rules
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FCC Holds Public Consultation on Proposed Robocall, Robotext Rules

The Federal Communications Commission is seeking public comments on its proposed rules that would protect consumers from unwanted and illegal telephone calls and texts generated by artificial intelligence.

A notice of proposed rulemaking, adopted at a recent commissioners meeting, would require the people behind robocalls and robotexts to disclose to consumers that AI technologies are used to resemble human voice or generate call and message content, the FCC said Thursday.

According to the agency, it is seeking comments to ensure the rules keep pace with the fast-developing changes in AI technologies and do not hinder the potential benefits that AI technologies can offer, including making telecommunications more readily accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Feedback on the proposed rulemaking will be accepted within 30 days following its publication in the Federal Register.

The agency made the proposal amid increasing complaints regarding robocalls and robotexts.

Earlier in 2024, residents in New Hampshire received AI-generated pre-recorded voice calls impersonating President Joe Biden, urging them to abstain from voting. Following the incident, the FCC proposed a $2 million fine on the telecom carrier that distributed the calls and a $6 million fine on the party responsible for the scam calls.

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CISA’s Matt House Discusses CDM Shift Toward Cloud
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CISA’s Matt House Discusses CDM Shift Toward Cloud

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency‘s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program has historically focused on monitoring network cyber threats but is now turning its attention to cloud computing services, although according to CDM Program Manager Matt House, the shift is not without it challenges, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

House said during a recent episode of the Ask the CIO podcast that CDM’s cybersecurity tools are not directly applicable to platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service.

The CISA official noted, however, that infrastructure-as-a-service is “a logical, if not, concrete extension of what we’re doing for traditional assets,” so CDM will begin working on that and then apply lessons learned to PaaS and SaaS.

House also said that existing CDM tools “are often evolving right in place” and possess “a lot of richness that we can still tap.” So, although different cloud subclasses may require the use of varying tools and capabilities, tapping into or augmenting existing ones may be preferable to developing new solutions from scratch.

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Gen. Stephen Whiting: Missile Defeat Effects, Space Fires Among SPACECOM’s Key Priority Investments
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Gen. Stephen Whiting: Missile Defeat Effects, Space Fires Among SPACECOM’s Key Priority Investments

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said missile defeat effects, space fires, assured telemetry, tracking and commanding architecture and space systems cyber defense capabilities are some of SPACECOM’s key priority investment areas cited in its fiscal year 2027 Integrated Priority List, the command reported Thursday.

“Missile Defeat Effects will significantly enhance our ability to defeat trans-regional ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missile threats, as well as air-launched or ground-launched, direct ascent threats,” Whiting said Tuesday during his speech at a symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

“Missile Defeat Effects involve new and innovative approaches, across all domains, which evolve beyond point solutions and one versus one missile interceptors. The services and the Missile Defense Agency are all actively working on ways to defeat an ever-increasing myriad of threats,” he added.

The general also mentioned some of his priorities for 2040 and beyond, including the need to sustain maneuver through dynamic space operations technologies and the development and deployment of a multilayered missile defense architecture.

“Dynamic Space Operations is based on the idea that, in a future fight, some of our assets in space must be able to do what our terrestrial assets do all the time—maneuver and sustain themselves,” Whiting said.

”Doing so will allow our space-based capabilities to execute their mission until the objectives are met, not until they run out of the gas they launched with,” the commander noted.

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HHS Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Regulation Change on Health IT Procurement
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HHS Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Regulation Change on Health IT Procurement

The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a rule that would update requirements under the Health and Human Services Acquisition Regulation — a.k.a. HHSAR — concerning the procurement of health IT.

The proposed rule would align the health IT procurement requirements with the standards and implementation specifications that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology adopted under section 3004 of the Public Health Service Act, in line with relevant provisions within the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, according to a notice posted Friday on the Federal Register.

Specifically, the proposal adds a new subpart to HHSAR Part 339, which offers definitions and policy concerning health information technology. The subpart also prescribes a new clause, as articulated in a revision of HHSAR Part 352, implementing the requirements of the HITECH Act regarding the procurement of health IT and the use of such technologies in contracts and agreements with healthcare providers, health plans or health insurance issuers.

These changes seek to put into effect policies put forward by the secretary of health and human services that seek to ensure the effective use of health IT systems as well as their interoperability.

HHS is calling on the public to provide feedback on the changes to the HHSAR. Interested parties have until Oct. 8 to comment.

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