///
Army Expands AI-Enabled Acquisition Effort With Source Selection Tools, ARP Prototypes
Published on
Artificial intelligence. The Army is testing AI tools to modernize acquisition documentation processes.

The Army is expanding its use of artificial intelligence in procurement, with the Program Executive Office Enterprise anticipating fiscal year 2026 Small Business Innovation Research awards for two AI-enabled source selection tools, DVIDS reported Wednesday.

The service branch has been working to accelerate its procurement processes. In January, personnel at Army Contracting Command’s contracting centers in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Detroit Arsenal and Rock Island started evaluating AI prototypes under ACC’s Smart Contracting Initiative. One prototype focuses on accelerating the development of Acquisition Requirement Packages, or ARPs — documentation that defines what the government intends to buy and how statutory and regulatory requirements are addressed. 

Army Expands AI-Enabled Acquisition Effort With Source Selection Tools, ARP Prototypes

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2026 Army Summit on June 18, bringing together senior Army officials and industry leaders to discuss how the service is restructuring its approach to resources, contracting and modernization following recent transformation efforts. The event will provide insight into how the Army is working toward its Army 2030 goals. Register now.

Why Is the Army Improving the ARP Development Timeline?

Patrick Colleran, director of acquisition management at PEO Enterprise, described ARP development as the most resource-intensive activity during the pre-award phase. The packages can span hundreds of pages and require consistency across evolving technical and regulatory inputs. Errors or inconsistencies can lead to unclear solicitations, prolonged question-and-answer exchanges with industry, and potential protests that delay contract awards.

PEO Enterprise previously used one of the prototypes in fiscal year 2025 to support two supply-type contract awards. The Army is now piloting the tools across a broader mix of acquisitions, including services and non-IT supply categories.

“Our goal is to integrate the tool so that it can fully populate a solicitation within Army Contract Writing System and send the ARP documents directly into the contract file of record,” Colleran said. “Right now, the user has to download files and manually move them over.”

How Does the ARP Prototype Testing Fit Into the Smart Contracting Initiative?

The Smart Contracting Initiative traces back to an August 2025 call for solutions issued by ACC–Aberdeen Proving Ground. The notice highlighted procurement issues, including long award timelines for high-value contracts and a largely manual drafting and review process that can extend beyond a year.

It sought AI-enabled capabilities to automate document preparation, improve compliance and reduce administrative burden across contracting workflows. The ARP prototype testing represents one of the early operational applications of that modernization effort.

The initiative aligns with the Army’s broader experimentation with generative AI in acquisition, including a 2024 pilot program using LIGER, a tool designed by LMI to support acquisition teams through faster information retrieval and AI-generated outputs supported by citations.

//
NASA CSDA Signs 8 Agreements for Multispectral, SAR Data
Published on
SAR Image. NASA's CSDA program has finalized eight agreements to deliver multispectral and synthetic aperture radar data.

NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition, or CSDA, program has finalized eight agreements with seven commercial providers to deliver multispectral and synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, data for Earth science research and applications.

The agency said Wednesday the agreements expand CSDA’s access to commercial data and enhance the quality and availability of Earth observation information for researchers.

“These new agreements will provide users with a range of high-quality multispectral and SAR data that can be used in a variety of applications from environmental monitoring to surface deformation,” said Dana Ostrenga, CSDA project manager. “In addition, they exemplify the CSDA Program’s commitment to acquiring data that enhances and supports the agency’s application and research objectives.”

What Do CSDA’s Agreements Cover?

NASA executed three agreements with Planet Labs, Airbus U.S. and Vantor to obtain near-global multispectral and pan-sharpened electro-optical imagery covering most of the world’s land and coastal areas. The datasets offer spatial resolutions ranging from approximately 30 centimeters to 10 meters and include top-of-atmosphere radiance and surface reflectance products across visible and near-infrared bands.

The CSDA program has expanded its Satellite Data Explorer, or SDX, platform to include three of Vantor’s Precision3D elevation products along with imagery from its Legion satellite archive, dating back to 1999.

Five agreements with Capella Space, ICEYE US, MDA Space, Umbra and Airbus U.S. provide high-resolution SAR imagery in multiple modes, including Spotlight and StripMap. The all-weather, day-night imaging supports monitoring of flooding, land deformation, sea ice movement and infrastructure impacts.

Who Can Access the Data?

Authorized NASA-funded investigators and designated collaborators may access the datasets under established End User License Agreements. Data will be available through the CSDA Satellite Data Explorer and related portals.

/
Treasury Completes AI Cybersecurity Initiative for Finance Sector
Published on
Treasury seal. The Treasury Department completed a public-private effort to enhance AI cybersecurity in financial services.

The Department of the Treasury has completed a public-private initiative aimed at strengthening cybersecurity and risk management for artificial intelligence in the financial services sector.

Treasury Completes AI Cybersecurity Initiative for Finance Sector

With the White House’s AI Action Plan accelerating adoption across federal missions, the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18 will spotlight how policy is translating into real-world AI deployment. Sign up now!

The department said Wednesday it will publish six resources in February that were developed with industry and federal and state regulators. The resources are intended to promote secure, resilient AI adoption across the U.S. financial system.

The initiative follows 2024 Treasury reports noting that financial institutions are increasing their use of AI, including generative AI, for cybersecurity and fraud detection, and highlighting potential vulnerabilities associated with AI adoption in the financial sector.

What Is the Artificial Intelligence Executive Oversight Group?

The Artificial Intelligence Executive Oversight Group, or AIEOG, brings together financial institutions, federal and state regulators, and sector stakeholders. Formed through a partnership between the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee and the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, the group examined gaps in AI adoption and developed tools to address AI-specific cyber risks.

What Do the New Resources Address?

The resources will cover potential uses of AI in governance, data practices, transparency, fraud prevention and digital identity. They are designed to provide practical implementation guidance rather than new regulatory mandates, with a focus on helping small and mid-sized institutions manage AI-related threats.

How Does the Treasury Initiative Support the AI Action Plan?

The initiative aligns with the White House’s AI Action Plan through efforts to enhance AI system security across financial services, advance best practices for responsible deployment and support broader international use of U.S.-developed AI technologies.

//
DOW CIO Kirsten Davies Outlines Warfighter-Focused Vision for Information Enterprise
Published on
Kirsten Davies. The War Department’s CIO said the DOW information enterprise must directly support the warfighter.

Kirsten Davies, the Department of War’s chief information officer and a 2026 Wash100 awardee, emphasized a mission-first approach to technology modernization, stating that DOW’s information enterprise must directly support the warfighter and align with the National Defense Strategy, DOW said Tuesday.

DOW CIO Kirsten Davies Outlines Warfighter-Focused Vision for Information Enterprise

The DOW CIO’s remarks underscore how senior defense technology leaders are aligning modernization efforts with measurable mission outcomes and direct support to the warfighter. Reserve your seat at the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit on April 22 to connect with government and industry executives driving the next phase of federal digital modernization.

“Our mission is to support the National Defense Strategy … and the warfighters,” Davies said during Feb. 10 remarks at the department’s Mark Center location in Alexandria, Virginia in front of senior Pentagon officials. “Everything we do should be supporting the warfighter community and their mission.”

She described the Office of the CIO vision as building an information enterprise that is “resilient, modern, secure and agile,” and said the department’s IT environment must be “worthy of the warfighter.”

Davies, who was confirmed by the Senate as the department’s CIO in December, also called for what she described as “ruthless prioritization” of ongoing initiatives, noting that some efforts may be eliminated if they do not directly support the warfighter mission.

What Are Davies’ Technology Transformation Priorities as DOW CIO?

Davies said the department must transform its technology landscape in response to a rapidly evolving information environment. She identified data analytics and artificial intelligence as key focus areas, along with securing the department’s advantage in the electromagnetic spectrum.

“We need to execute on data analytics and AI. … We need to secure our advantage in the spectrum,” Davies said, describing the effort as a long-term national security priority for the department and its allies.

She directed OCIO leaders to become familiar with the recently published National Defense Strategy and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s ongoing “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, which aims to reform acquisition processes to speed up the delivery of capabilities to warfighters and strengthen U.S. manufacturing capacity.

What Did Davies Say About Visibility Across the DOW Enterprise?

Davies highlighted visibility as a priority area for OCIO.

“We can’t defend what we can’t see, [and] we can’t optimize something if we don’t know what’s there,” she noted.

According to Davies, increasing enterprisewide visibility will help OCIO evaluate how resources are allocated across the department.

/
Devin Ure Named DOT Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget & Programs
Published on
DOT logo. Devin Ure has been appointed deputy assistant secretary for budget and programs at the DOT.

The Department of Transportation has promoted Devin Ure to deputy assistant secretary for budget and programs. Ure announced the appointment Sunday in a LinkedIn post.

“I’m incredibly grateful for my previous role as the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of the Secretary at U.S. Department of Transportation and for the mentors who supported me along the way. I’m looking forward to working with the talented team we have,” said Ure.

Who Is Devin Ure?

Ure is a career public servant with extensive experience applying analytics-driven strategies to financial management and organizational modernization. He has implemented automation, dashboards and predictive tools to streamline legacy processes, reduce inefficiencies and support real-time decision-making, while guiding teams in shifting from transactional roles to strategic advisory functions.

What Will Ure Do in His New DOT Role?

In his new role, Ure oversees more than $140 billion in budget and contract authority, leading a team of over 80 professionals responsible for the department’s budget development and execution. He also leads agency-wide performance evaluation and risk management efforts, with an emphasis on operational transformation and data-driven decision-making.

What Experience Does Ure Bring?

Ure has spent nearly 14 years at the department. Prior to this appointment, he served as CFO for the Office of the Secretary, managing a $5 billion annual budget. The government finance leader also served as director of financial management at the Volpe Transportation Center. Earlier in his career, Ure held budget analyst roles at both DOT and the Department of Labor.

/
INL, NVIDIA Partner to Advance AI-Driven Nuclear Deployment Under Prometheus Challenge
Published on
Partnership. INL and NVIDIA have teamed up to speed up the deployment of nuclear reactors using artificial intelligence.

The Idaho National Laboratory and NVIDIA have partnered to leverage artificial intelligence to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear energy systems.

INL, NVIDIA Partner to Advance AI-Driven Nuclear Deployment Under Prometheus Challenge

As AI adoption continues to expand across government and industry, collaborations like the INL-NVIDIA effort underscore how emerging technologies are being applied to complex national priorities. These developments reflect the broader momentum behind AI-driven modernization efforts across the federal landscape. Save your spot now at the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18!

INL said Tuesday the partnership supports the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission and focuses on a “grand challenge” known as Prometheus, which aims to bring commercial-scale nuclear reactors online in years rather than decades.

“This partnership represents a transformative approach to one of our nation’s greatest challenges for deploying abundant, reliable nuclear energy at the speed and scale required for our AI-driven future,” said INL Director John Wagner. “By leveraging AI to design, license and operate reactors, we can fundamentally change the timeline for bringing advanced nuclear energy online.”

What Is the Objective of the Prometheus Challenge?

The Prometheus Grand Challenge aims to use AI-enabled, human-in-the-loop workflows to accelerate nuclear reactor development and operations.

According to INL, Prometheus seeks to achieve at least a twofold acceleration in deployment schedules and more than a 50-percent reduction in operational costs. The initiative also aims to address rising electricity demand and harness AI to drive a scientific and industrial revolution.

What Are the Strategic Initiatives of the INL-NVIDIA Collaboration?

INL said its partnership with NVIDIA will focus on several strategic initiatives: AI-powered nuclear design, licensing, manufacturing, construction and operation; industry advancement; supercomputing infrastructure; data validation; and code acceleration.

Through the collaboration, the two organizations will expedite nuclear energy deployment by developing generative AI, agentic workflows and digital twins and advance the use of MOOSE, BISON, Pronghorn, Griffin and other nuclear simulation codes on NVIDIA GPU architectures to enhance simulation capabilities.

“Combining INL’s decades of nuclear expertise with NVIDIA AI infrastructure will put AI to work to design, license and operate reactors faster, safer and at lower cost — delivering the abundant energy needed to power scientific discovery,” said John Josephakis, global vice president of sales and business development for HPC/supercomputing at NVIDIA.

The partnership may expand to include reactor developers, investors, utilities and other national labs to develop a broader ecosystem for AI-enabled nuclear deployment.

“This public-private partnership presents a targeted approach to AI-acceleration that goes beyond incremental ‘uplift’ improvements. It has the potential to transform the paradigm for how we deploy nuclear energy in addition to how we advance R&D and discovery,” said Rian Bahran, deputy assistant secretary of energy for nuclear reactors.

What Is the Genesis Mission? 

According to DOE, the Genesis Mission is a national initiative that aims to develop a scientific platform to drive energy innovation, accelerate discovery science and strengthen national security. 

Established through a November executive order, the mission seeks to connect leading supercomputers, AI systems, experimental facilities and unique scientific datasets to double the research productivity and impact of U.S. research and innovation within 10 years.

DOE recently announced 26 science and technology challenges intended to advance the Genesis Mission and accelerate AI-enabled innovation. Prometheus is one of those challenges.

In December, DOE signed agreements with NVIDIA, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Google, Oracle, Microsoft and 18 other organizations to advance the Genesis Mission and announced a $320 million investment to accelerate the development of AI capabilities in support of the initiative.

NVIDIA also signed a memorandum of understanding with Argonne National Laboratory to leverage AI and high-performance computing to address energy and national security challenges.

//
New NIST Initiative Aims to Promote Secure, Interoperable Agentic AI Systems
Published on
Artificial intelligence. NIST launched the AI Agent Standards Initiative

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation has introduced a new initiative to ensure the interoperable and secure adoption of artificial intelligence agents, or systems capable of autonomous decision-making.

NIST said Tuesday that the AI Agent Standards Initiative aims to strengthen U.S. dominance in AI.

New NIST Initiative Aims to Promote Secure, Interoperable Agentic AI Systems

The Potomac Officers Club will host multiple panel discussions on federal AI, including how to integrate the technology into legacy systems and establish a security foundation for a mission-ready AI, at the 2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 18. Learn directly from top government and industry officials about new strategies and use cases. Attendees will also get the opportunity to network and forge new partnerships. Get your tickets today.

What Is the AI Agent Standards Initiative?

Under the initiative, CAISI will work with NIST’s Information Technology Laboratory, the National Science Foundation and other federal partners to advance three priorities:

  • Promoting industry-led AI agent standards and U.S. leadership in international standards bodies
  • Supporting community-driven open-source protocol development for AI agents
  • Advancing research on AI agent security and identity

NIST plans to issue research, guidance and additional deliverables as part of the initiative in the coming months. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide input through CAISI’s request for information on security threats, technical safeguards and assessment methods tied to agentic AI. Responses to the RFI are due March 9. Interested parties may also submit their input through the ITL’s concept paper on AI agent identity and authorization until April 2.

What Security Risks Are Associated With Agentic AI?

The Information Technology Industry Council previously raised concerns about vulnerabilities tied to agentic AI.

In a paper published in November, ITI identified jagged intelligence as a key risk, noting that highly capable models can fail unpredictably at basic tasks, potentially causing cascading errors in automated workflows. Agentic systems are also susceptible to prompt injection, data poisoning and unauthorized tool access, which could allow malicious actors to manipulate automated agents.

ITI is urging policymakers to adopt risk-based, context-specific governance approaches, strengthen transparency and data protections, and encourage industry-led standards to support secure and responsible deployment of agentic AI.

//
CISA Urges OpenEoX Adoption for EOS Device Tracking
Published on
CISA logo. CISA recommended adopting the OpenEoX standard to identify end-of-support edge devices.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has recommended adopting OpenEoX, an international standard that defines how end-of-support product lifecycle information is shared across the hardware and software industries.

CISA said Friday that OpenEoX could help organizations better identify unsupported technologies that remain embedded in enterprise networks and critical infrastructure environments.

The guidance follows CISA’s recent issuance of Binding Operational Directive 26-02, which requires federal civilian agencies to inventory and replace end-of-support edge devices.

CISA Urges OpenEoX Adoption for EOS Device Tracking

The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Cyber Summit on May 21 will bring together government and industry leaders to discuss federal cybersecurity priorities, emerging threats and implementation challenges. Register now.

Why Is CISA Focused on End-of-Support Edge Devices?

CISA said the presence of unsupported edge hardware and software allows threat actors to exploit systems that no longer receive vendor updates. The agency warned that nation-state adversaries have increasingly used these devices to gain access, maintain persistence and compromise sensitive data.

What Is OpenEoX and How Does It Work?

OpenEoX is an OASIS OPEN international standard that provides a machine-readable JSON schema for exchanging product lifecycle information. It is designed to integrate with existing vulnerability management standards, including software bills of materials and the Common Security Advisory Framework.

What Benefits Does OpenEoX Provide?

CISA said OpenEoX allows technology producers to standardize and automate how they communicate end-of-support milestones, reducing manual processes and improving transparency for customers.

For organizations managing IT and operational technology environments, the standard enables faster identification of products approaching or past end-of-support, allowing risks to be addressed earlier.

CISA said broader adoption of OpenEoX will require coordinated action across the vulnerability management ecosystem and urged both producers and consumers to incorporate the standard into their processes.

For producers, CISA recommended publicly publishing OpenEoX documents for products without barriers, such as customer portals or paywalls, and integrating OpenEoX into vulnerability-scanning and asset-management tools to automate lifecycle tracking.

For consumers, the agency advised incorporating OpenEoX data into vulnerability management workflows to support proactive replacement of end-of-support devices, timely patching of vulnerabilities, and software and hardware updates. CISA also urged organizations to encourage suppliers and partners to adopt OpenEoX as part of broader efforts to reduce ecosystem risk.

//
DARPA, GA-ASI Complete X-68A Drone Tests Ahead of Flight Demo
Published on
DARPA logo. DARPA and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems have completed ground and subsystem tests for the X-68A drone.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., or GA-ASI, have advanced the X-68A air-launched uncrewed aircraft toward flight testing following completion of major ground and subsystem demonstrations.

What Technical Progress Has the X-68A Achieved?

DARPA said Tuesday the X-68A, developed under the LongShot program, successfully underwent full-scale wind-tunnel testing, including validation of its parachute recovery and weapons-release systems. These tests verified that the X-68A maintains structural stability during captive munition ejection, enabling an autonomous platform to be deployed from crewed combat aircraft while extending operational reach. These efforts reduced technical risk and cleared key requirements needed before integrated flight trials can begin.

What Is the LongShot Program?

The LongShot program is a DARPA initiative that aims to reshape air combat by developing an uncrewed aircraft that can be launched from a larger platform, fly ahead of manned forces, and engage adversaries using its own air-to-air missiles. Designed to operate independently of a specific host aircraft, the system could be deployed from fighters, bombers or palletized configurations on mobility aircraft, extending mission range while reducing risk to pilots.

When Will X-68A Flight Testing Begin?

Current efforts are focused on ground and integration testing, with flight testing expected by late 2026. The demonstration will validate the X-68A’s ability to deploy from an F-15 aircraft, confirming its overall airworthiness in powered flight. The maiden flight test had originally been targeted for December 2023 but was postponed as the team revised its strategy, moving away from a phased glider approach to concentrate on a single fully powered LongShot configuration and transitioning the launch platform to an F-15, Breaking Defense reported.

//
DOW, DOE Partner With Valar Atomics for Transport of 5-Megawatt Nuclear Reactor to Utah
Published on
Michael Duffey, under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment. Duffey discussed the need for the nuclear reactor

The Department of War and the Department of Energy have partnered with Valar Atomics to transport a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor from March Air Reserve Base in California to Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

DOW said Sunday that it loaded the Ward 250 nuclear reactor, which could power about 5,000 homes, on a C-17 Globemaster.

Michael Duffey, under secretary of war for acquisition and sustainment and a 2026 Wash100 winner, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright also boarded the C-17 aircraft with the reactor and its components, Reuters reported.

The nuclear reactor will next be delivered to Utah San Rafael Energy Lab for testing and evaluation.

Why Is the DOW Building Nuclear Reactors?

According to Duffey, the future battlespace will demand far more power to support artificial intelligence-enabled systems, directed-energy weapons, and space and cyber infrastructure.

“Powering next generation warfare will require us to move faster than our adversaries, to build a system that doesn’t just equip our warfighters to fight, but equips them to win at extraordinary speed,” the official stated.

“By supporting the industrial base and its capacity to innovate, we accelerate the delivery of resilient power to where it’s needed,” he added.

How Does the DOW-DOE Partnership Support Trump’s Nuclear Energy EO?

Officials said the War and Energy Departments’ collaboration aligns with President Donald Trump’s four executive orders issued May 23, 2025, to strengthen America’s nuclear energy posture. The directives focus on revitalizing the domestic nuclear industrial base, reforming reactor testing at DOE, overhauling the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and deploying advanced reactors to support national security missions.

“President Trump signed multiple executive orders that have unleashed tremendous reform of all the things that stopped the American nuclear industry from moving,” Wright said.

1 … 36 37 38 39 40 … 2,719