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Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale Named Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence
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Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale Named Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence

Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale, formerly commanding general and commandant of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence at Fort Huachuca, has been appointed deputy chief of staff for intelligence at the U.S. Army.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines welcomed Hale’s appointment in a statement published Thursday, noting that the Army official is “an extraordinary leader who has developed the Army intelligence enterprise and profession over a lifetime of service.”

Before his appointment, Hale has served as special assistant to the director of the Army Staff since September 2023.

He was also the director of intelligence for U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Hale succeeds Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, who has held the position since September 2020 and was recently assigned as director of the Army Staff.

Haines, a three-time Wash100 awardee, congratulated Potter on her new assignment and commended her “partnership and leadership of the Army intelligence enterprise over the past few years.”

“She balanced operations and crisis in this complex environment all while building a culture of continuous improvement and modernization to address emerging demands,” Haines said.

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Strategic Capabilities Office Accepting Research Submissions in Deep Learning, Cyber via BAA
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Strategic Capabilities Office Accepting Research Submissions in Deep Learning, Cyber via BAA

The Strategic Capabilities Office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense has issued a five-year broad agency announcement soliciting research submissions in five technical areas.

SCO is interested in submissions describing new and unconventional uses of existing platforms and emerging technologies that can be rapidly deployed to counter or deter U.S. adversaries, according to a solicitation notice published Wednesday on SAM.gov.

The five key technical areas are autonomous systems, deep learning, cyber, cross-domain kill chains and non-traditional defense technologies.

Each topic of interest comes with subcategories. Under the deep learning technical area, for instance, subcategories include approaches that use synthetic data to train neural networks, semantic processing and deep learning enabled by graphics processing unit computing.

Submissions could be solicited through individual calls in one or more of the five technical areas. Competitions under this BAA will consist of a phase for white paper submission, a downselect, a proposal phase and a final selection decision.

SCO expects the BAA to result in multiple awards that could be in the form of a procurement contract or an other transaction agreement.

The BAA will run through Jan. 16, 2029.

POC - 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit

Register here to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 31 and hear defense leaders, researchers and experts discuss the latest developments in the field of military technology.

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GAO Cites Gaps in Agencies’ Compliance With FedRAMP Process for Cloud Services
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GAO Cites Gaps in Agencies’ Compliance With FedRAMP Process for Cloud Services

A study conducted by the Government Accountability Office found that some federal agencies have been using cloud services that were not covered by the Office of Management and Budget’s Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program.

The government watchdog on Thursday recommended that OMB update FedRAMP guidance to help agencies track and reduce the cost of applying for FedRAMP authorization.

Use of FedRAMP increased 60 percent from 2019 to 2023, but some government departments still do not use the process to procure services such as cloud security, GAO wrote. Reports from both federal entities and cloud service providers, or CSPs, cited delays in stakeholder response when they apply for authorization, with some CSPs failing to submit complete documentation.

The challenges have prompted OMB to revise its FedRAMP guidance to improve the efficiency of the program. However, OMB has not implemented the new version, which includes monitoring and reporting agencies’ use and spending on the authorization process.

OMB has so far not expressed its intention to follow GAO recommendations from the report.

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CRDF Global to Support State Department Counterterrorism Program Under New Contract; Tina Dolph Quoted
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CRDF Global to Support State Department Counterterrorism Program Under New Contract; Tina Dolph Quoted

CRDF Global has been selected to participate in a U.S. Department of State program.

Under prime contractor Valiant, CRDF Global will support a Somalia-based initiative overseen by the department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, the Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit announced on Tuesday.

“CRDF Global’s vision of creating a safer world is realized through partnerships like this, and we are proud to work alongside Valiant on this program,” said Tina Dolph, president and chief operating officer of CRDF Global and a four-time Wash100 Award winner.

Wash100 will return for its 11th year next week! Visit Wash100.com to browse the full list of previous awardees and access more information about the 2024 Wash100 celebration.

Peter Capwell, general manager of Valiant’s mission support arm, said the enterprise is “honored to implement this program and play a role in the region.”

This award  follows CRDF’s October win of a five-year contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, under which the nonprofit is responsible for improving laboratory systems and services associated with HIV and tuberculosis testing.

CRDF has previously worked with the State Department. In September 2022, the nonprofit entered a $3.9 million cooperative agreement with the department intended to promote sustained dialogue between the U.S. and U.K. on possible applications for nuclear science.

Earlier that month, CRDF Global received a $7 million award to help the State Department cultivate cross-sector efforts to prevent the development of chemical and biological weapons.

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New NIST Special Publication Refines Guidelines for Organizational Cybersecurity Infrastructure Evaluation
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New NIST Special Publication Refines Guidelines for Organizational Cybersecurity Infrastructure Evaluation

The National Institute of Standards and Technology revised a special publication designed to guide organizations in the measurement of their cybersecurity infrastructure’s effectiveness.

NIST on Wednesday launched a solicitation for public comment for its draft guidance, which can be implemented alongside the institute’s Cybersecurity Framework.

The first of the two-volume special publication centers on quantitative and qualitative metrics, data analysis techniques and impact and likelihood modeling. NIST provides recommendations on the approach that best fits an organization. The second part of the document discusses the development and implementation of an information security management program.

“Everyone manages risk, but many organizations tend to use qualitative descriptions of their risk level, using ideas like stoplight colors or five-point scales,” said Katherine Schroeder, one of the publication’s authors. “Our goal is to help people communicate with data instead of vague concepts.”

The public comment period will close on March 18.

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NASA Demos Software Enabling Spacecraft Swarm Navigation
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NASA Demos Software Enabling Spacecraft Swarm Navigation

NASA recently used its Starling CubeSats to demonstrate a key component of the Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment, which is focused on developing a capability that would enable each member of a spacecraft swarm to achieve awareness of its location and the location of the other spacecraft within the group.

During the recent demo, a piece of StarFOX software was able to process imagery captured by Starling CubeSat sensors to distinguish members of the swarm from other spacecraft and the starfield in the background, and to estimate with accuracy the orbits of the other swarm members, NASA said Wednesday.

The processing was carried out on Earth, with the captured images being transmitted to the ground. A subsequent test will have to be carried out in orbit and achieve similar results.

The Starling mission comprises four CubeSats that were launched aboard Rocket Lab‘s Electron vehicle in July. The spacecraft completed commissioning in December and subsequently moved into swarm experiment configuration. The mission’s overarching goal is to test various technologies, including the Stanford University-led StarFOX, that would make it possible for spacecraft to work cooperatively in swarms.

Sue Gordon, John Kelly & Chris Stewart Added to INL Advisory Committee
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Sue Gordon, John Kelly & Chris Stewart Added to INL Advisory Committee

Idaho National Laboratory has added national security veterans Sue Gordon, John Kelly and Chris Stewart to its National and Homeland Security Strategic Advisory Committee.

The new committee members will help advise INL leadership on matters related to national and homeland security missions of the Department of Energy and other federal agencies, the laboratory said Wednesday.

Gordon most recently served as the principal deputy director of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She previously held leadership roles within the intelligence community, including deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, director of the CIA’s Information Operations Center and senior cyber adviser to the CIA director.

Kelly is a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and former commanding general of U.S. Southern Command. The previous Wash100 awardee served as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration.

Stewart, a 14-year U.S. Air Force veteran, is a former U.S. representative and member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Appropriations Committee.

“The expertise that the Honorable Sue Gordon, Gen. John Kelly and Congressman Chris Stewart bring to the table is crucial to our mission,” said Zach Tudor, associate laboratory director at INL.

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CISA, FBI Post Guidance on Cybersecurity Risks From Chinese-Manufactured UAS
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CISA, FBI Post Guidance on Cybersecurity Risks From Chinese-Manufactured UAS

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have released guidance warning organizations of potential cybersecurity threats posed by Chinese-manufactured unmanned aircraft systems.

CISA said Wednesday China has enacted laws to access and control data held by Chinese firms and the use of drone systems originating from Beijing could risk exposing sensitive information to the Chinese government.

“We encourage any organization procuring and operating UAS to review the guidance and take action to mitigate risk. We must work together to ensure the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure,” said David Mussington, executive assistant director for infrastructure security at CISA.

The guidance recommends that organizations use U.S.-made drones that are secure by design and implement cybersecurity measures as part of their UAS program, policies and procedures.

GSA, DOD, NASA Seek Public Comment on Proposed FAR Changes for Small Business Subcontracting
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GSA, DOD, NASA Seek Public Comment on Proposed FAR Changes for Small Business Subcontracting

The Department of Defense, General Services Administration and NASA are seeking public feedback on their proposed changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation’s ruling on small business subcontracting.

The draft amendment aligns with the Small Business Administration’s 2016 amendment that standardizes limitations on non-manufacturers and subcontractors participating in SB socioeconomic programs, according to a notice published Wednesday on Federal Register.

Under SBA rules, the prime contractor’s subcontracting limits will include service agreements with other companies considered as a similar situation entity to the lead vendor’s subcontractor.

Existing FAR regarding SBA contracting, specifically FAR 19.8, has not incorporated the administration’s final rule.

The deadline for responding to the request for comment is on March 18.

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Marine Corps Tests New Air Defense System Against Unmanned Aerial Threats
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Marine Corps Tests New Air Defense System Against Unmanned Aerial Threats

The U.S. Marine Corps’ Program Executive Officer Land Systems tested the capability of a low-rate initial production model of an air defense integrated system against unmanned aerial threats during a live-fire test held in December at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

The Marine Air Defense Integrated System, also known as MADIS, is a short-range, surface-to-air platform designed to help low altitude air defense battalions deter and counter fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems, USMC said Wednesday.

MADIS can be mounted on joint light tactical vehicles and comes with surface-to-air missiles, radar systems, command-and-control elements and other disparate systems.

“MADIS can complete the entire kill chain, and we witness that during this event,” said Col. Andrew Konicki, program manager for Ground Based Air Defense.

“It is a linchpin for mission success and our ability to neutralize airborne threats…which in turn, increases our lethality,” added Konicki.

During the test, MADIS detected, identified, tracked and hit several drones and other unmanned aerial targets using a 30mm cannon and Stinger missiles.

The 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion will be the first MADIS recipient within the Marine Corps.

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