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David Mussington: CISA Working on ‘Physical Security Performance Goals’
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David Mussington: CISA Working on ‘Physical Security Performance Goals’

David Mussington, executive assistant director for infrastructure security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said CISA is developing “physical security performance goals” amid increasing threats to critical infrastructure, Federal News Network reported Friday.

“Right now, they’re in interagency coordination,” Mussington told FNN in an interview.

“At some point in the future, after the interagency has their say, we’ll be doing coordination with stakeholders in different industry domains, to try and make sure that we have customized goals and practices that are refined in the context of specific industry needs,” he added.

According to Mussington, the next critical step for CISA is to transition those high-level security performance goals into specific practices for different sectors and industries.

“There will be a general version, but goals applied to a specific business setting that allow you to put metrics together for your programs to see how you’re doing against best practices and against industry benchmarks,” Mussington said.

“So benchmarking, lessons learned, and revisiting and refreshing familiarity with best practices through training of staff, training of managers, to make sure that they’re cognizant of what the risk situation is,” he noted.

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NIST to Evaluate Societal Impacts of AI Systems Through ARIA Program
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NIST to Evaluate Societal Impacts of AI Systems Through ARIA Program

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has launched a new program aimed at assessing the societal impacts and risks of artificial intelligence tools.

NIST said Tuesday the ARIA program, which stands for Assessing Risks and Impacts of AI, will help develop a set of metrics and methodologies to quantify how AI systems function within societal contexts once fielded.

Results from the ARIA program will help inform the U.S. AI Safety Institute’s testing efforts to establish the foundation for the development of trustworthy and secure AI systems.

“The ARIA program is designed to meet real-world needs as the use of AI technology grows,” said Laurie Locascio, director of NIST and undersecretary of Commerce for standards and technology. “This new effort will support the U.S. AI Safety Institute, expand NIST’s already broad engagement with the research community, and help establish reliable methods for testing and evaluating AI’s functionality in the real world.”

NIST expects the program to help operationalize the risk measurement function of the AI Risk Management Framework.

“ARIA will consider AI beyond the model and assess systems in context, including what happens when people interact with AI technology in realistic settings under regular use. This gives a broader, more holistic view of the net effects of these technologies,” said Reva Schwartz, head of the ARIA program at the NIST Information Technology Lab.

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William White Receives Nomination to Serve on Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
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William White Receives Nomination to Serve on Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

William “Ike” White, senior adviser to the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management since 2019, has been nominated by President Biden to serve on the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

DOE said Tuesday it has selected senior adviser Candice Robertson to lead EM and oversee its environmental cleanup missions.

White is credited with helping EM advance its liquid waste treatment systems, including beginning operations at the Savannah River Site’s Salt Waste Processing Facility, completing construction of the facilities supporting the Hanford Site’s Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste Treatment approach and beginning the first large-scale radioactive and chemical tank waste treatment at Hanford’s Tank-Side Cesium Removal System.

Before joining EM, he was the chief of staff and associate principal deputy administrator for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Meanwhile, Robertson’s government career includes roles such as principal deputy assistant secretary and associate principal deputy assistant secretary at EM, chief human capital officer at DOE and chief of staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

She was an elected Nye County commissioner in Nevada, which hosts the Nevada National Security Sites.

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FCC Space Bureau Seeks Additional Comments on Orbital Debris Mitigation Rules
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FCC Space Bureau Seeks Additional Comments on Orbital Debris Mitigation Rules

The Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau is seeking additional comments on previously proposed rule changes regarding the mitigation of orbital debris in the new space age.

In a Federal Register notice published Tuesday, the FCC said it seeks to take into consideration its experiences gained in the satellite licensing process, various market developments and improvements in mitigation practices and technologies.

In 2020, the FCC sought comments on a further notice of proposed rulemaking on amendments to its orbital debris mitigation rules.

The Space Bureau aims to refresh the record on debris mitigation practices for constellations, including specific considerations related to risks of collisions with large space objects.

Specifically, the bureau seeks comments on whether it should analyze collision risks based on the entire system or on individual spacecraft within a multi-satellite non-geostationary orbit.

The comment period is open until June 27.

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New State Department Strategy Seeks to Maximize Benefits of Open Source Intelligence for Diplomatic Missions
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New State Department Strategy Seeks to Maximize Benefits of Open Source Intelligence for Diplomatic Missions

The Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research has released its first-ever strategy on the development of policy and guidance that would govern the use of open source intelligence, or OSINT.

Defined as “intelligence derived exclusively from publicly or commercially available information that addresses specific intelligence priorities, requirements, or gaps,” OSINT is seen by the INR as “an invaluable resource” that can benefit diplomatic objectives, the newly-issued Open Source Intelligence Strategy says.

According to Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Brett Holmgren, OSINT provides data that helps “enrich intelligence analysis, inform U.S. diplomats and policymakers, and enable intelligence diplomacy.”

For these reasons, the “the power and potential of OSINT” must be harnessed, which is what the OSINT Strategy aims to realize, Holmgren said in an accompanying statement.

In addition to policy development, the strategy also tackles OSINT-related capability investments, training and cooperation.

“Together, these actions will help INR realize the full potential of OSINT in an efficient, secure, and responsible manner while continuing to deliver expert insights to U.S. diplomats and State Department officials worldwide,” Holmgren said.

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NSF to Solicit Proposals, Funding Requests for National AI Research Resource Pilot Demo Projects
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NSF to Solicit Proposals, Funding Requests for National AI Research Resource Pilot Demo Projects

The National Science Foundation’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure has announced its interest in receiving Early-concept Grants for Exploratory Research — a.k.a. EAGER — proposals and supplemental funding requests for demonstration projects as part of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Pilot.

According to a Dear Colleague Letter published Tuesday, the demonstration projects will be undertaken by teams of AI researchers, cyberinfrastructure specialists and domain scientists who are addressing research challenges that use or rely on one or more NAIRR Pilot resources.

NSF expects the multidisciplinary efforts to lead to scientific publications and demonstrate potential capabilities of a future NAIRR.

Interested stakeholders should first submit a three-page concept outline to NSF. The concept outlines should include a problem statement describing a specific research challenge, a draft budget and a description of the proposed work and NAIRR resources that will be required to perform the work.

NSF will return without review EAGER proposals and funding requests to parties that didn’t both submit an initial outline and were subsequently invited to fully submit by NSF.

“EAGER proposals and supplemental funding requests for demonstration projects submitted by July 10, 2024, will have the highest opportunity to be funded in FY2024. Submissions after July 10, 2024, may be considered in FY2025,” the letter states.

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Defense Department Issues CSO for AI-Powered Biosurveillance Data Analysis Platform
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Defense Department Issues CSO for AI-Powered Biosurveillance Data Analysis Platform

The Department of Defense is seeking a cloud-based information technology capability that will be used by analysts under the agency’s biosurveillance program to help mitigate health and biological threats.

The capability is envisioned as an artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered platform that would enable analysts to address biosurveillance queries by ingesting data and providing anticipatory analysis, according to a commercial solutions opening posted on the Defense Innovation Unit website.

The same system would also work to provide all levels of command with situational awareness.

Multiple agreement awards are expected to result from the CSO, although contractors experienced in developing software at the Top Secret level are preferred.

Interested parties have until June 7 to respond.

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Aeyon-Palantir Team to Lead Navy GFP Remediation Pilot Program Under New Contract; Pat Collins & Akash Jain Quoted
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Aeyon-Palantir Team to Lead Navy GFP Remediation Pilot Program Under New Contract; Pat Collins & Akash Jain Quoted

Aeyon and Palantir have secured a contract from the U.S. Department of the Navy to manage the Government Furnished Property, or GFP, Remediation Pilot Program, which targets audit issues associated with the service branch’s GFP inventory.

As program leaders, the two companies will identify ways to improve the Navy’s GFP management capabilities and work with the government to find appropriate candidates, Aeyon told ExecutiveGov on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to have been selected by the DON for this important initiative. This contract underscores our commitment to driving innovation and delivering tangible results that strengthen the DON’s audit posture,” said Aeyon Chief Growth Officer Pat Collins.

Akash Jain, president of Palantir and a previous Wash100 Award winner, emphasized the importance of pairing data and operations “to provide decision advantage and speed at all levels of our military.”

“We’re honored to support the Department of the Navy on their critical mission and to be part of the team selected to bring leading technology solutions to their operations,” he said.

Under this contract, Aeyon will leverage its understanding of audit remediation to guide stakeholders through the program’s goals. Palantir will provide its artificial intelligence platform.

Together, the contractors will put together a reconciliation that shows a complete and accurate population of GFP and help BSOs execute causative research efficiently to address any variances. The companies will also create a standard ontology/data model to ensure the consistent application of asset condition codes across BSOs.

“Through this pilot program, we aim to implement tailored solutions that streamline processes, improve transparency, and ultimately bolster the Navy’s financial resilience,” explained Conrad Symber, senior vice president at Aeyon.

Aeyon-Palantir Team to Lead Navy GFP Remediation Pilot Program Under New Contract; Pat Collins & Akash Jain Quoted

Interested in learning more about current Navy initiatives? The Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Navy Summit on August 15 will bring together experts to discuss the service branch’s top priorities and challenges. To view additional information and register to attend the event, click here.

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Charles River Analytics Creates Installation Risk Assessment Toolkit for Air Force
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Charles River Analytics Creates Installation Risk Assessment Toolkit for Air Force

Charles River Analytics has developed a toolkit under a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research funding from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center to support installation security and risk assessment decision-making of the U.S. Air Force.

The Real-Time Assessment and Decision Interactive, or READI, Toolkit is designed to characterize potential threats and provide service members with risk assessments and insights into securing installations by utilizing probabilistic programming and deep learning approaches as well as ecological situation awareness visualizations, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based software company said Tuesday.

READI also employs hybrid AI techniques and uses information from disparate sources to support threat response decision-making.

“It’s helping a security officer understand what should be acted on and in what order to prioritize response activities,” said Nicolette McGeorge, human factors engineering scientist and principal investigator on the READI project.

Phase II of the READI development effort will focus on a wider range of threats caused by hurricanes, floods, fires and other natural disasters. It will build on Phase I efforts that involved characterizing environmental threats, developing probabilistic models and creating visualizations of them to support decision-making.

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Harry Coker: Federal Agencies Advance Resource Public Key Infrastructure Adoption
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Harry Coker: Federal Agencies Advance Resource Public Key Infrastructure Adoption

White House National Cyber Director Harry Coker said he expects more than 50 percent of all advertised federal internet protocol space will advance use of secure routing agreements by the end of 2024 as part of efforts to accelerate implementation of Resource Public Key Infrastructure, or RPKI, Federal News Network reported Thursday.

“We recognize that implementing RPKI is a first step in improving internet routing security,” Coker said Thursday during his address at an event.

“Collectively, we have much more to do to secure the technical foundations of the Internet going forward, and we look forward to the government and private sector working together to address these critical challenges,” he added.

RPKI offers security for internet routing to prevent hackers from compromising traffic.

Coker said several agencies within the Department of Commerce, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, signed contracts in early May to register their IP space and establish “route origin agreements,” which RPKI uses to verify the owners of IP addresses.

“These contracts … are models for other agencies across the government to follow,” Coker added.

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