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Promoting Use of AI at NRC Requires Framework, New Report Says
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Promoting Use of AI at NRC Requires Framework, New Report Says

Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are calling for the development of a framework that would guide the agency as it works to take advantage of artificial intelligence, FedScoop reported Friday.

The framework is part of a set of recommendations detailed in a paper dated April 25, which tackles an “overall approach to effectively leverage AI to drive value for the agency and enhance how it meets its mission.”

According to the paper, an AI framework would have to be underpinned by four elements — a mature data management program, AI governance, an IT infrastructure capable of supporting AI development and a skilled AI workforce — and called for steps to be taken to establish them.

The paper also proposed making investments in what it described as “foundational tools” in order to advance AI use at the agency. These investments include the acquisition of generative AI services that can be incorporated into existing systems and the integration of AI into the agency’s cognitive search technology called the Agencywide Documents Access and Management System.

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DARPA Posts Updates on 10-Year Lunar Architecture Capability Study
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DARPA Posts Updates on 10-Year Lunar Architecture Capability Study

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has unveiled the technology concepts included in its 10-year capability study, which aims to evaluate commercial systems that can jointly operate to build the future lunar economy for the U.S. and international partners.

Technology concepts presented for the Lunar Architecture Capability Study include robotics as a service, recyclable in-situ resource utilization and aggregated thermal generation and rejection as a service, DARPA said Friday.

“The LunA-10 program has uncovered how current foundational technologies and capabilities could stitch together into a self-sustaining lunar economy, and where there are gaps that require further exploration and technology maturation,” said Michael Nayak, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office.

In December 2023, DARPA selected 14 companies to collaborate on a seven-month study to develop a “future civil lunar framework for peaceful U.S. and international use.”

At the Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Spring Meeting, the LunA-10 Government Integration Team presented a preliminary analytical framework and enterprise value chains mapped to 19 space applications.

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GovCon Index Soared Upward Last Week
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GovCon Index Soared Upward Last Week

Last week, GovCon Index showcased significant gains with a 2.16% rise, an increase that elevated the average to over $5,000.

GovCon Index is an aggregate index that tracks real-time stock market data from 30 major government contracting organizations. With this information, users are able to evaluate the performance of each individual enterprise and analyze the overall financial state of the GovCon market.

AeroVironment, which grew by nearly 9.50%, took last week’s top spot. The company was followed by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, which rose by 6.60%. Booz Allen Hamilton achieved third place with a 5.65% increase, and RTX (+4.63%) was fourth. Leidos (+3.94%) came in fifth.

GovCon Index kicked off last week with a successful Monday, when it rose by 1.19%. Though GovCon Index was able to grow slightly on Tuesday, Wednesday was marked by small losses. This decline was brief, and GovCon Index jumped back up on Thursday and continued to rise on Friday.

Check out last week’s market reports to get even more insights into daily GovCon Index performance. Click here to access the complete list of tracked organizations.

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Dustin Brown Named SSA Chief Operating Officer, Acting Chief of Staff
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Dustin Brown Named SSA Chief Operating Officer, Acting Chief of Staff

Dustin Brown, formerly deputy assistant director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, has been named chief operating officer and acting chief of staff at the Social Security Administration.

Brown shared his new post Friday on LinkedIn and extended his gratitude to his colleagues at the Office of Performance and Personnel Management, or PPM, and the General Services Administration’s Office of Shared Solutions and Performance Improvement.

“The mission of PPM to improve the outcomes of the Federal government and the trust of the public has never been more important, and I am confident the amazing team and the management routines we have in place will continue to advance that ambitious mission,” Brown said.

He spent more than two decades at OMB, taking on roles of increasing responsibility, including a program examiner for the Housing Branch, an examiner for the International Affairs Division and the special assistant to the director.

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Interagency Invoicing Capability Implemented on Logistics Modernization Program System
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Interagency Invoicing Capability Implemented on Logistics Modernization Program System

Users of the Logistics Modernization Program system now have access to the Government Invoicing system following its implementation on LMP in March.

The G-Invoicing system works to address the lack of an integrated procurement and sales process among government organizations, including the U.S. Army, the Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems website said Thursday.

The system works to ensure the reconciliation of the ledgers of buying and selling agencies by facilitating the accurate tracking and management of transactions.

The use of G-Invoicing by military services was mandated by the Department of the Treasury in 2022 for intragovernmental buy/sell transactions.

The latest implementation of G-Invoicing was carried out by the LMP Product Management Office, the Army Shared Services Center, Army Materiel Command, the Department of the Treasury and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Operations and Information.

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CISA Releases Cyber Advisory on Ransomware-as-a-Service Threat Used Against Over 500 Organizations
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CISA Releases Cyber Advisory on Ransomware-as-a-Service Threat Used Against Over 500 Organizations

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has announced the release of a joint cybersecurity advisory concerning a ransomware-as-a-service variant known as Black Basta.

CISA said on Friday that the advisory seeks to inform cybersecurity defenders about the tactics, techniques and procedures that known Black Basta ransomware affiliates use, as well as indicators of compromise.

More than 500 private industry and critical infrastructure, or CI, organizations across North America, Europe and Australia have been targeted by Black Basta affiliates, resulting in data encryption and theft from at least 12 out of 16 CI sectors.

Black Basta was first identified in 2022.

The cybersecurity advisory was co-authored by CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

CISA Releases Cyber Advisory on Ransomware-as-a-Service Threat Used Against Over 500 Organizations

Cyber experts, government leaders and industry visionaries will speak about the dynamic and evolving role of cyber in the public sector at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit, which will take place in June. Register now to attend this important event!

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New Partnership to Advance DOD’s Commercial Emerging Tech Adoption
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New Partnership to Advance DOD’s Commercial Emerging Tech Adoption

The Defense Innovation Unit has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division to collaborate on identifying, evaluating and advancing the adoption of emerging commercial technologies across the Department of Defense.

Under the agreement, NSWC PHD will get access to DIU’s program management and acquisition functions, including its commercial solutions opening process that uses other transaction authority to enter into transactions with industry partners, DIU said Friday.

“This partnership enables us to build a network of highly-talented contracting professionals – ultimately enabling us to evolve defense innovation and acquisition through teamwork in alignment with our strategy to ensure the DoD can leverage the best of commercial technology,” said Cherissa Tamayori, director of acquisition at DIU.

Mariluz Chan-Endres, a contracting officer and team lead at NSWC PHD, said the partnership aligns with Naval Sea Systems Command’s fleet support mission by leveraging other transaction knowledge and collaboration across the enterprise.

Chan-Endres is a participant in the first cohort of the Immersive Commercial Acquisition Program fellowship.

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NOAA Releasing BAA on Technologies That Can Enhance Systems Delivering Environmental Intelligence
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NOAA Releasing BAA on Technologies That Can Enhance Systems Delivering Environmental Intelligence

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration intends to conduct a study concerning advanced technologies that can improve environmental intelligence and is releasing a broad agency announcement for the effort.

The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service website said Friday that the study aims to improve the systems and information NOAA uses to inform weather and climate decision-making as well as improve their use and trustworthiness.

The BAA covers the evaluation and demonstration of technologies that can contribute to the development and management of an enterprise information processing system capable of answering contextual queries from various NOAA users with the help of a “knowledge mesh.”

The BAA will, in part, be a follow-on to 2022’s Earth Observation Digital Twin BAA. The subsequent study will be part of NOAA’s System Architecture and Engineering office Joint Venture Partnership.

State Department Clears Emergency Sale of HIMARS Launchers to Ukraine
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State Department Clears Emergency Sale of HIMARS Launchers to Ukraine

The State Department has approved the immediate sale of high mobility artillery rocket systems and logistics and program support worth $30 million to the government of Ukraine.

The foreign military sale agreement, funded by the German government on behalf of Ukraine, waived the congressional review requirements under the Arms Export Control Act to deliver three HIMARS rocket launchers from the U.S. Army inventory to Ukraine, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Friday.

DSCA noted that the proposed FMS deal will help enhance Ukraine’s national defense capability amid continued Russian aggression.

Ukraine will not require the deployment of U.S. government or contractor representatives upon implementation of the FMS transaction.

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Japan, South Korea in Talks to Join AUKUS
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Japan, South Korea in Talks to Join AUKUS

Many in the U.S. defense ecosystem agree that the People’s Republic of China poses among the most if not the most consolidated global threat to American prosperity and values. In response to Chinese military developments and their perceived Indo-Pacific strength, AUKUS — an alliance between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. — was formed in 2021.

Now, it looks as though Japan and South Korea might join the three aforementioned nations in the pact. The first wave of activities, Pillar 1, will remain just the trio of originating countries as they work toward a goal of furnishing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines. But Pillar 2 could involve opening the doors to let Japan and South Korea in, according to some speculation and public comments.

International alliances and deals have a new prevalence in government contracting and Potomac Officers Club is answering this demand with a brand new event: the 2024 GovCon International Summit. On October 10, join leaders in the foreign military sales space as they talk strategy and future plans for global GovCon partnership.

Pillar 2 of AUKUS will be focused on cultivating and sharing expertise in up-and-coming technology areas like artificial intelligence, quantum, undersea systems, cybersecurity and more. Korean Defence Minister Shin Won-sik has emphasized that its defense, science and tech capabilities could be an asset to the partnership, a sentiment echoed in Japan by Hirohito Ogi, a senior research fellow at the Asia Pacific Initiative and Institute of Geoeconomics at the International House of Japan, as well as a former national defense official.

“Korea is a country with deeply impressive technology where we do have shared values,” said Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles. “As AUKUS Pillar 2 develops there will be opportunities in the future, and we’re seeing that play out in relation to Japan as well.”

While some believe Japan’s admission in particular would be mutually beneficial, others contest that given the existing bilateral agreements Tokyo has with London, Washington and Canberra, its participation might be unnecessary and provide “little incentive,” per Ogi.

Furthermore, including South Korea and Japan may cause hold-ups, as the U.S. has laws in place about how much and how quickly it can share technology with other nations.

AUKUS will be one of several topics of discussion at the 2024 GovCon International Summit in October. Don’t miss this essential gathering examining the U.S. GovCon market from an international lens!

Japan, South Korea in Talks to Join AUKUS
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