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Army Initiates Force Structure Transformation
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Army Initiates Force Structure Transformation

The U.S. Army has released a white paper outlining changes to its force structure to advance modernization and better address future threats amid the evolving security environment.

The military branch said Tuesday it is advancing a force structure transformation effort after performing an assessment using the Total Army Analysis process — a.k.a. TAA — and conducting consultations with Congress.

The transformation effort will enable the Army to develop new capabilities to meet the requirements outlined in the National Defense Strategy and reduce the gap between force structure and current active duty end strength.

According to the document, TAA decisions will reduce the “authorized” troop levels to about 470,000 warfighters by fiscal year 2029.

To enact the transformation initiative, the Army will add more than 30 new or updated systems across its critical modernization portfolios into new and current types of units.

The service will complete the establishment of its five multidomain task forces: new theater-level assets that include a headquarters and headquarters battalion; a long-range fires battalion; a multidomain effects battalion; a brigade support battalion; and an indirect fire protection capability, or IFPC.

The military branch is making key investments in the force structure supporting integrated air and missile defense at the division and corps levels. These include four additional IFPC battalions, nine counter-small unmanned aircraft system batteries and four additional Maneuver Short Range Air Defense, or M-SHORAD, battalions.

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DOE Backs Cyber Tool Development Projects to Boost Energy Sector Resilience
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DOE Backs Cyber Tool Development Projects to Boost Energy Sector Resilience

The Department of Energy is funding 16 projects aimed at supporting the development of cybersecurity tools and technologies for reduced cyber risks and improved American energy system resilience.

DOE said Monday it awarded $45 million to the projects managed by its Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, or CESER, to help prevent cyber attacks against power grids, renewable energy generation sources, electric utilities and pipelines, and lessen cyber incident-caused energy disruptions.

General Electric‘s GE Research arm is one of the awardees. It looks to create a quantum-based capability to secure communication of time-sensitive coordination messages important to power grid resilience.

Another funding recipient is Georgia Tech Research Corp., which will develop a framework that uses artificial intelligence approaches to automate vulnerability assessment, discovery and mitigation in distributed energy resources tools.

Click here to learn more and view the full list of the selected projects across six states.

“DOE is committed to strengthening the nation’s energy sector, including protecting it against current or emerging cyber threats that would threaten Americans’ access to secure, reliable energy,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Keen on gaining more insights about cyber-focused government efforts? Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 and hear from esteemed cyber experts, government leaders and industry visionaries speaking on the dynamic and ever-evolving role of cyber in the public sector. Register here!

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit
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NASA, SpaceX Update Launch Schedule for NOAA’s Final GOES-R Series Weather Satellite
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NASA, SpaceX Update Launch Schedule for NOAA’s Final GOES-R Series Weather Satellite

NASA and SpaceX now expect to launch the fourth and final satellite in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites – R Series no earlier than May.

The new target date for the GOES-U satellite launch will provide the agency and the company more time to perform additional testing on a new center core booster of the Falcon Heavy rocket, NOAA said Tuesday.

NOAA manages the GOES-R Series Program through an integrated office with NASA and oversees satellite operations and the ground system.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland developed the Magnetometer instrument for GOES-T and GOES-U satellites and is responsible for the acquisition of instruments and spacecraft.

Lockheed Martin is responsible for designing, developing and testing the GOES-R series satellites, while L3Harris Technologies is the provider of the Advanced Baseline Imager instrument and ground system.

The launch of the GOES-U satellite was originally set to occur no earlier than April 30.

POC - 2024 Space Summit

Hear government leaders, space experts and industry executives discuss the latest space technologies, commercial investments and urgent issues facing the space domain at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5. Register here.

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Sen. Mark Warner on Importance of AI Regulations, Standards
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Sen. Mark Warner on Importance of AI Regulations, Standards

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has highlighted the need for regulations and standards to guide the secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence technologies, warning that the lack of guardrails in AI could pose risks to federal programs, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Warner has sponsored a bill with Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., that aims to advance risk management guidelines for federal use of AI technologies.

The bill would require agencies to incorporate the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework into their AI management policies and programs.

“When the NIST standards come out, they ought to be the rules at least all government operates against,” the three-time Wash100 awardee said. “You drive government as first actor — not the whole society — but start with government.”

Warner said that unregulated AI technologies could also harm elections and the financial markets.

To address AI market threats, Warner and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., introduced the Financial Artificial Intelligence Risk Reduction Act to require financial regulators to address financial market disruptions caused by AI-generated content.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21 to hear more about cutting-edge AI innovations from government and industry experts. Register here!

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EY Report: Federal IT Leaders Use Internal Data Repositories as Main Source for Training AI Models
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EY Report: Federal IT Leaders Use Internal Data Repositories as Main Source for Training AI Models

An Ernst & Young report has found that 58 percent of federal respondents turn to internal data repositories as the key source used to train artificial intelligence models and that agencies are looking at various sources of data such as public datasets, third parties and internal data marketplaces to perform data analysis tasks.

EY collaborated with Market Connections to conduct an online survey of 200 federal government information technology decision-makers and influencers responsible for AI policy management in October and found that respondents are using various methods to build and train AI tools.

According to the survey, 51 percent of respondents said they are using supervised learning models and 41 percent noted that they are using natural language processing. The other methods used are hybrid and reinforcement learning models.

The report found that a lack of staff focused on data governance, data security and budget constraints are the top challenges to data discovery and access.

Sixty-five percent of federal IT leaders said their agencies have named a chief data officer, while 14 percent stated they are in the process of hiring a CDO, according to the survey.

The respondents noted that their organizations are exploring, building or using AI systems for about five use cases with data analysis tools, document analysis and process and predictive analytics as the most prevalent purposes.

The report also provided several measures agencies can take to advance AI adoption, such as developing a data management and governance plan to establish a foundation of reliable and trusted data, considering a hybrid approach and assessing and acquiring the right AI tool.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Register here to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21 and hear federal leaders and industry experts discuss the latest developments in the field.

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GAO Says DOD Needs Data Analytics to Improve Contract Fraud Detection, Investigation
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GAO Says DOD Needs Data Analytics to Improve Contract Fraud Detection, Investigation

The Government Accountability Office included the Department of Defense’s contract management practices in its high-risk list after finding gaps in its handling of potentially fraudulent vendors.

In a report released Tuesday, GAO found that DOD lacked data analytics tools such as information matching to prevent or detect fraud, despite having a Fraud Reduction Task Force.

The likelihood of fraud is high in DOD’s contracting activity due to the value of its contracts and scope of products and services. Although the agency had established a task force to address this issue, it failed to specify which DOD unit had the primary responsibility of planning, scheduling and implementing data analytics to detect dubious activity.

The government watchdog recommended that DOD review and analyze adjudicated procurement fraud cases and it mobilize its Office of Inspector General for collaboration on developing practices to maximize the use of data analytics to prevent contracting scams.

DOD agreed on some, but not all, of the recommendations.

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JFHQ-DODIN Completes Pilot Testing of Cyber Operational Readiness Assessment Program; Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner Quoted
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JFHQ-DODIN Completes Pilot Testing of Cyber Operational Readiness Assessment Program; Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner Quoted

Joint Force Headquarters – Department of Defense Information Network is on track to commence its Cyber Operational Readiness Assessment program, previously known as the Command Cyber Readiness Inspection program.

JFHQ-DODIN said it plans a March 1st launch for CORA, which underwent a nine-month pilot run using MITRE ATT&CK tactics, techniques and procedures.

CORA will measure the security preparedness of DODIN areas of operation, including order execution, anomaly detection and use of adversary threat information.

“The assessment provides commanders and directors a more precise understanding of their high-priority cyber terrain and their overall cyber security and defensive posture enabling greater command and control and enhancing decision making,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner, JFHQ-DODIN commander and winner of the 2024 Wash100 award.

The Potomac Officers Club is building its lineup of speakers for the 2024 Cyber Summit in June. Wash100 inductee David McKeown, DOD’s deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and senior information security officer, will be one of the honored guests at the event. Register now to learn from industry and government experts about the digital revolution in the federal procurement sector.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit
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Space Force Plans to Tap Commercial Sector for Space Domain Awareness
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Space Force Plans to Tap Commercial Sector for Space Domain Awareness

Lt. Gen. David Miller, commander of Space Operations Command, said the Space Force is planning to strengthen collaboration with industry partners to achieve space domain awareness by acquiring commercial space tracking data and analytics capabilities, SpaceNews reported Tuesday.

Miller noted that commercial satellite services can support mission-critical space operations but the service branch has to consider the advantages and disadvantages of relying on private systems compared to government-owned devices.

“Where they can provide operational utility, mission resilience, rapid reconstitution and backstopping for core capability, I’m all in, and I want to see it happen,” Miller said. “I want to leverage capability for analytics, data interpretation, speed in decision cycles.”

The Space Force’s commercial strategy is being established to guide the service branch in working together with private satellite service providers.

“There’s more mission areas to be plowed, some to be provided by commercial partners and allies,” Miller said.

POC - 2024 Space Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5 to learn how new technologies, commercial investments and adversarial threats are shaping the future of space. Click here to register!

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DOD Issues Memo on Cybersecurity Activities for Cloud Service Offerings
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DOD Issues Memo on Cybersecurity Activities for Cloud Service Offerings

The Department of Defense has released a memorandum detailing its policy, responsibilities and procedures for performing defensive cyberspace operations and other cybersecurity activities for cloud service offerings.

The DOD’s chief information officer will oversee the development and implementation of the department’s cybersecurity capabilities and architectures to safeguard the DOD Information Network and ensure that developed capabilities are integrated into the DOD Information Enterprise Architecture, according to the memo released Tuesday.

The document states that DOD component heads should ensure that the mission owner and authorizing official are responsible for ensuring all cloud service contracts include licensing agreements and accreditation boundaries for cybersecurity activities and requirements for cybersecurity service provider notification and acknowledgment procedures for cyber incidents.

The mission owner will address and ensure the performance of all cybersecurity activities for infrastructure-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service and software-as-a-service offerings.

The activities are classified into identify, protect, monitor and detect and respond categories. For the identify category, activities include vulnerability assessment and analysis, penetration testing and intrusion assessment.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 and hear cyber experts, government and industry leaders discuss the latest trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector. Register here.

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USAF Leaders Gen. David Allvin & Frank Kendall Call for Urgent Military Optimization
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USAF Leaders Gen. David Allvin & Frank Kendall Call for Urgent Military Optimization

Warfighting today has reached “a time of consequence,” according to Gen. David Allvin, chief of staff for the U.S. Air Force.

During a Brookings Institution-hosted discussion, Allvin noted that though distractions and complexity in modern warfare may obscure this idea, those who can look ahead and make important decisions “will look back in at ourselves and be proud,” the Department of Defense said on Wednesday.

The Air Force recently introduced major changes designed to develop people, generate readiness, project power and develop capabilities in both the near- and long- term to stay at the forefront of great power competition.

“We are moving forward with a sense of urgency to ensure we are ready to deter and, if necessary, win,” said Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a 2024 Wash100 Award winner. He emphasized that the U.S. can no longer delay its military modernization.

Allvin said that in the future, the USAF needs to be able to operate in more contested environments at wider ranges, a transformation that calls for more agile force development and joint capabilities. He described this restructuring as a “different way of warfighting.”

USAF Leaders Gen. David Allvin & Frank Kendall Call for Urgent Military Optimization“It’s really about adapting our institution to be able to be more conducive for the environment, which is more fast paced, rapid, where opportunities come and go faster,” he said.

One way the DOD is shaping the future of the U.S. military is through the Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control initiative, which aims to enhance connectivity between DOD components and allies. Join us at the Potomac Officers Club’s Achieving Transformative Cooperation for National Defense Forum on March 14 for a deep dive into this major project. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.

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