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NSF & Intel Corporation Invest in Semiconductor Education Projects
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NSF & Intel Corporation Invest in Semiconductor Education Projects

The U.S. National Science Foundation and Intel Corporation have partnered to offer funding to boost STEM education and training for the microelectronics industry.

The $7.6 million investment is part of a 10-year partnership between NSF and Intel in hopes of growing what’s seen as a diminished semiconductor workforce, NSF announced Wednesday.

Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF director, said, “Today’s announcement reaffirms NSF’s commitment to strengthen the U.S. workforce and ensure we have the knowledge and skills needed for innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing.”

“This investment will support talent development across the semiconductor industry and improve education and training opportunities in technology fields that are crucial for our global competitiveness,” he added.

The six new projects are the product of a pair of NSF programs: Advanced Technological Education and Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They both came about through NSF and Intel’s collaboration. Students who want to learn about technician training programs are provided with full-ride scholarships at two-year colleges and four-year universities.

Richard Uhlig, senior fellow and director of Intel Labs, said, “Intel invests in education and workforce development through private-public partnerships and ongoing collaborations with NSF.”

“This initiative reflects Intel’s commitment to fostering innovation, driving economic growth and preparing a skilled workforce to meet the evolving demands of semiconductor technologies,” Uhlig continued.

NSF and Intel are jointly devoting $100 million over the course of the decade-long project.

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CISA-FBI Customer Guide Offers Pointers to Check Software Security
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CISA-FBI Customer Guide Offers Pointers to Check Software Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have issued a guide to help customers ensure that the secure by design concept is a core manufacturing consideration in the software they are eying to purchase.

Titled “Secure by Demand Guide: How Software Customers Can Drive a Secure Technology Ecosystem,” the manual is designed for software customers’ procurement talks with third-party resellers, CISA said Tuesday.

Citing technology vendors who have earlier joined CISA’s Secure by Design pledge, Jen Easterly, the agency’s director, said businesses can also help the effort through “better risk-informed decisions” in software purchases.

“This new guide will help software customers understand how they can use their purchasing power to procure secure products and turn Secure by Design into Secure by Demand,” she said.

The guide provides questions that an organization’s acquisition staff can ask in a software purchase to assess security in the procurement stages and product lifecycle.

It also recommends action steps, such as obtaining and inspecting the manufacturer’s software bill of materials listing third-party components. Another recommendation calls for customer checks on suppliers’ disclosure policy and roadmaps addressing their products’ vulnerabilities.

In addition to using the guide, CISA suggests that customers review the software acquisition roadmap in the cyber-supply chain risk management playbook it recently published.

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Space Force Seeks Industry Feedback on Draft Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve Framework
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Space Force Seeks Industry Feedback on Draft Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve Framework

The U.S. Space Force has started soliciting industry input to help inform the development of a framework designed to ensure that the military branch can leverage the commercial space industry’s capabilities to improve the resilience, effectiveness and capacity of its national security space architecture.

According to a request for information published Tuesday, Space Systems Command expects the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve framework to be developed in a way that is adaptable and flexible to commercial offerings, evolving technologies and operational requirements.

SSC published an overview of the draft CASR framework, which includes nine elements.

These elements include the concept of operations and decision authority; policy, regulatory and legal conditions; contractual structures; interoperability and integration; risk mitigation; commercial partnerships; and cybersecurity.

The command wants interested stakeholders to share their insights on the draft CASR framework’s structure, engagement process, incentive types, participation barriers, readiness criteria, support and resources, assessment process, contract clarity and flexibility, integration with existing operations, implementation timeline and confidentiality and security, among other factors.

Responses are due Sept. 6.

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William Dunlap Appointed Permanent Deputy DOD CIO for Information Enterprise
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William Dunlap Appointed Permanent Deputy DOD CIO for Information Enterprise

William Dunlap, a veteran information technology leader within the Department of Defense, has been named permanent deputy chief information officer for information enterprise within DOD’s Office of the CIO.

DOD CIO announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday.

Dunlap assumed the role on an interim basis in February.

In this capacity, Dunlap provides policy guidance, oversight and strategic direction to DOD’s efforts to advance digital infrastructure modernization efforts in support of defense operations.

He also oversees DOD Information Network modernization initiatives, software modernization and cloud implementation within and outside the continental U.S.

Dunlap previously served as CIO and director of the IT directorate within the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. His two-decade career at DARPA included time as chief of classified IT operations and Special Access Program CIO.

Prior to DARPA, the deputy CIO for information enterprise served in the U.S. Air Force as a Security Forces member.

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Leonel Garciga Releases Army’s Mobile Applications Vetting & Approval Guidance
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Leonel Garciga Releases Army’s Mobile Applications Vetting & Approval Guidance

Leonel Garciga, chief information officer of the U.S. Army and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, has issued a memorandum outlining the steps officials need to take when authorizing mobile applications that link to Army systems in Department of Defense and commercial application stores.

The memo published on Friday offers updated guidance on mobile application vetting and approval and identifies three paths for deployment that are available for Army mobile applications.

According to the document, the mobile application authorization process includes establishing and maintaining a phased mobile app submission and evaluation process, assessing Army mobile apps in accordance with Defense Information Systems Agency and National Information Assurance Partnership Protection Profile requirements and ensuring that the apps meet the criteria specified in the Non-tactical Pathway to Production before being approved for use on the military branch’s information technology and networks.

The pathway to production includes several steps, including analysis that calls for determining needs, design and development review and implementation of approved mobile products.

The memo also assigns responsibilities to Army authorizing officials, the chief information security officer, Army deputy chief of staff G-6 and command CIOs, among others.

GSA Targets Government Sustainability Goals With Latest P100 Federal Building Standards Update
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GSA Targets Government Sustainability Goals With Latest P100 Federal Building Standards Update

The General Services Administration has released its 2024 update to the P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service.

The update seeks to advance the U.S. government’s federal sustainability goals, which includes achieving net-zero emissions from all federal buildings by 2045, the adoption of clean and efficient technologies and the use of low-carbon construction materials made in the U.S., the GSA said Monday.

The 2024 edition of the P100 includes standards for building equipment and systems electrification using clean energy sources; benchmarks for enhanced building envelope performance, with the aim of minimizing energy loss; a mandate for buildings to have a potable water reuse rate of 15 percent; and requirements for the use of low-carbon methods when constructing federal buildings.

Commenting on the latest update to the P100, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan said, “These new standards represent GSA’s decades-long commitment to sustainable design practices and will accelerate our progress toward achieving a net-zero emissions portfolio by 2045.”

For his part, Public Buildings Service Commissioner Elliot Doomes said, “What I’m particularly proud of is that the P100 includes new standards that will push the industry toward using more sustainable materials and pioneering practices.”

NASA and UC Berkeley Form Agreement on Supercomputing Resources Hosting
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NASA and UC Berkeley Form Agreement on Supercomputing Resources Hosting

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the University of California, Berkeley are working together to host supercomputing resources.

The agency said Friday it has entered into an agreement with the research university to host its supercomputer and storage systems at the Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. In particular, they will be hosted at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Facility, or NAS, the agency’s foremost supercomputing center.

The Reimbursable Space Act Agreement is aimed at developing novel computing algorithms and software for various areas in science and technology. It will also facilitate an exchange of knowledge and resources between the two parties.

Rupak Biswas, director of exploration technology, said the move to support UC Berkeley’s supercomputing operations “opens up possibilities for gaining new knowledge in aeronautical and space sciences, materials sciences and information science.”

Under the three-year pact, researchers from the land-grant university will gain vital knowledge about optimizing modern computing codes from NASA. On the other hand, the agency will learn about UC Berkeley’s best practices in operating and maintaining computing systems.

A NASA data center will house the latest addition to the university’s “Savio” supercomputer. It will have 192 dual Intel Ice Lake Xeon processor nodes, 32 NVIDIA graphics processor unit accelerated nodes and 1.3 petabytes of flash storage.

The recent development is in line with UC Berkeley’s collaboration with SKS Partners in October 2023. The San Francisco-based real estate developers will construct the Berkeley Space Center, a 36-acre innovation center, at the NASA Research Park.

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USAF Starts Flight Tests on New Boeing Modular Weapons Pylon
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USAF Starts Flight Tests on New Boeing Modular Weapons Pylon

The U.S. Air Force’s 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, has started flight testing of the Boeing-designed load adaptable modular pylon to check its capability to carry and deploy a variety of weapons for maximum mission agility.

A B-1B Lancer bomber was used in the initial LAM pylon test, but the system is designed to be modifiable for attachment to other types of aircraft, the Air Force Materiel Command said Monday.

Lt. Col. Scott Ponzer, 9th flight test squadron commander, said the pylon testing is geared to check weapons delivery in a “variety of different configurations,” including new armaments.

“We’re excited that the LAM pylon is going to be able to allow the warfighter to carry a whole new set of weapons and capabilities very important for winning future conflicts and deterring our adversaries,” he added.

According to Dan Ruder, Boeing’s B1-B advance program manager, pylon ground tests previously covered interface and flutter testing.

The testing is one of the Edwards base teams’ efforts to work with private industry and test professionals in infrastructure innovation.

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DIU to Hold Competition to Refresh Blue UAS List
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DIU to Hold Competition to Refresh Blue UAS List

The Defense Innovation Unit will expand its lists of approved drones and National Defense Authorization Act-compliant unmanned aerial system components and software through a competition.

Product proposals to join the Blue UAS Refresh Challenge will be accepted until Aug. 19, with the finalists expected to be identified within a month in preparation for a demonstration event at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms from Nov. 4 to 6, the DIU said.

The competition, organized in partnership with the National Security Innovation Network, will evaluate First Person View, Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3 platforms and UAS components, capabilities and software to select the products that could be added to the Blue UAS List or the Blue UAS Framework List.

The winners will be announced on Nov. 15, after which the technologies will undergo verification to ensure they are governed by the 2020 and 2023 National Defense Authorization Acts and the 2024 American Security Drone Act.

A cybersecurity analysis will also be performed.

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NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh Announces AI-Powered Penetration Testing Tool for IC Vendors
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NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh Announces AI-Powered Penetration Testing Tool for IC Vendors

The director of the National Security Agency said at a recent dinner event with the Intelligence and National Security Alliance that his agency now possesses an artificial intelligence-powered autonomous penetration testing tool meant for use by vendors supporting the intelligence community, Defense One reported Monday.

According to U.S. Air Force Gen. Timothy Haugh, the APT tool will work to help vendors in automating the process of evaluating the robustness of their cyber defenses.

The tool will make it possible for users “to more quickly broaden penetration tests of their internal assets, identify issues, implement mitigations, and confirm effective closure of any identifiable vulnerabilities,” said Haugh, who also leads the U.S. Cyber Command.

The 2024 Wash100 awardee went on to say that the same tool will also work to help traditional penetration testing capabilities in learning new threats, adding that AI-powered penetration testing is seen as an efficient way of addressing vulnerabilities and minimizing the extent to which a vendor’s systems are left exposed.

The APT tool will be made available via NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.

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