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Anne Bonfante Gebhards Sworn in as Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy
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Anne Bonfante Gebhards Sworn in as Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy

Anne Bonfante Gebhards, who most recently served as senior adviser for international affairs at the Department of the Navy, has been sworn in as deputy undersecretary of the Navy for policy.

Gebhards was sworn into office by Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, during a ceremony held on Monday, the Navy said Wednesday.

In this capacity, Gebhards will be the principal civilian adviser on matters associated with defense and foreign policy, naval force posture, defense and naval strategy and security cooperation policy.

Earlier in her career, Gebhards served as country director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as a foreign affairs specialist at the State Department. She additionally served as defense advisor to the former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control.

Gebhards is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. She gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the University of the West of England and completed the Senior Executive Fellows program at the Harvard Kennedy School.

EPA Selects Fordham University as Grantmaker on Environmental Justice Program; Michael Regan Quoted
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EPA Selects Fordham University as Grantmaker on Environmental Justice Program; Michael Regan Quoted

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued Fordham University a $50 million grant to support environmental justice programs.

With the funds, Fordham will award subgrants to community-based groups across EPA Region 2, which encompasses New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Indian Nations, and uplift faculty-led environmental research, the EPA said on Wednesday.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the grant program is a response to a call for the U.S. government to focus on environmental justice concerns. The agency, he said, is addressing these issues by “removing barriers that have traditionally held communities and applicants back from accessing these historic investments in America.”

The goal of the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program is to provide underserved communities with pathways to access federal funds they can use to tackle climate-based issues. As a grantmaker on the initiative, Fordham will review applications for subgrants from community organizations that may consider local clean ups, emergency preparedness, environmental workforce development and air quality, among other matters.

Of the funding, $10 million will go to Fordham’s own research activities and $40 million will be split between subgrants valued at up to $350,000. In total, the program is valued at $550 million, and 11 universities were selected as grantmakers.

Lisa Garcia, administrator of EPA Region 2, said Fordham’s selection “will be the start of a fruitful relationship” that leverages the agency’s environmental justice work and the university’s “promise of equity and environmental stewardship.”

To issue the subgrants, Fordham will cooperate with the agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Awards are set to become available by summer 2024.

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NASA Launches 14 Research Payloads to Support Technology Demonstration in Space
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NASA Launches 14 Research Payloads to Support Technology Demonstration in Space

NASA has launched 14 Flight Opportunities research payloads aboard Blue Origin‘s New Shepard reusable suborbital rocket to help researchers test new technologies and materials for space applications.

Among the payloads launched on New Shepard is a research project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to evaluate in-space manufacturing techniques to turn wax-based products like paraffin and beeswax into alternative fuel options for small spacecraft, NASA said Tuesday.

The agency also sent to space a project from Ecoatoms to advance the production of biosensors in low Earth orbit and an experiment by researchers at Montana State University and the University of Colorado Boulder that explores the use of a yeast variant to understand how the impact of microgravity on humans.

New Shepard lifted off from Blue Origin’s Launch Site One in West Texas and deployed the research payloads at an altitude of 351,248 feet.

“Working with commercial flight providers like Blue Origin allows the agency to make space exploration and commerce more accessible to a broader range of researchers,” said Danielle McCulloch, program manager for Flight Opportunities at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center.

NASA Launches 14 Research Payloads to Support Technology Demonstration in Space

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 operations. Register here to save your seat!

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NIST Requests Industry Feedback on AI Security Standards Development
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NIST Requests Industry Feedback on AI Security Standards Development

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is requesting industry feedback on the implementation of its responsibilities to support the secure and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence technologies.

NIST said Tuesday it is seeking comments on establishing guidelines and best practices for AI safety and security as part of an executive order published in October.

The EO mandates NIST to develop guidelines for AI evaluation and red-teaming, facilitate the development of consensus-based standards and provide testing environments for assessing AI systems.

The NIST guidelines and infrastructure intend to the AI community to ensure the development and deployment of safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems.

The agency calls for information related to AI red-teaming, generative AI risk management, synthetic content risk reduction and responsible AI development standards.

“I want to invite the broader AI community to engage with our talented and dedicated team through this request for information to advance the measurement and practice of AI safety and trust,” said Laurie Locascio, undersecretary of commerce for standards and technology and director of NIST.

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. Click here to register!

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CISA, FBI Release Advisory on ALPHV Blackcat Ransomware
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CISA, FBI Release Advisory on ALPHV Blackcat Ransomware

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI have issued a joint advisory to inform organizations of tactics, techniques and procedures and indicators of compromise associated with the ransomware-as-a-service called ALPHV Blackcat.

ALPHV Blackcat threat actors gain initial access to a company by conducting open source research and using advanced social engineering techniques and then deploy remote access software to exfiltrate data, according to the advisory published Tuesday.

After data encryption and exfiltration, affiliates talk to victims through email, Tox, TOR or encrypted applications.

To mitigate risks posed by ALPHV Blackcat, CISA and the FBI have called on organizations to implement application controls, identify and investigate abnormal activity and potential traversal of indicated ransomware with a networking monitoring tool and implement user training on social engineering and phishing attacks.

The agencies urged organizations to test and validate their security programs against threat behaviors mapped to the Mitre ATT&CK for Enterprise framework.

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Data Foundation-Deloitte Survey Identifies AI Adoption as a Priority for Federal CDOs in 2024
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Data Foundation-Deloitte Survey Identifies AI Adoption as a Priority for Federal CDOs in 2024

Chief data officers, or CDOs, in U.S. government agencies are getting better at building their organizational structure, even with the emergence of new challenges such as artificial intelligence implementation, according to a study conducted by the Data Foundation and Deloitte.

The foundation on Tuesday published the 2023 Federal CDO Survey, which showed that 95 percent of the CDOs plan to use AI and other emerging technologies next year.

CDOs are prioritizing information strategy or governance development, data-driven decision-making facilitation and data infrastructure modernization in their agencies, according to the survey.

While 55 percent of the officers reported that they were already using basic or advanced AI in their organization, respondents considering adopting AI in 2024 increased by 50 percent since last year, now amounting to 95 percent, or almost all of the CDOs surveyed.

In light of the findings, the researchers recommended that the leaders establish ethical guidelines for responsibly adopting AI and other technologies.

The study indicates “that providing federal CDOs with more resources and authorities can help agencies maximize the use of data to improve the delivery of important government services for people and families across the country,” said Adita Karkera, CDO for Deloitte’s government and public services practice.

The Potomac Officers Club is bringing together government and private sector officials and experts for the 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21, 2024. Join them as the look into the future of AI in government contracting. Register now.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit
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Senate Confirms 11 Four-Star Military Nominees
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Senate Confirms 11 Four-Star Military Nominees

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the remaining 11 senior military nominees after Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., decided to lift his hold on their nominations, Defense News reported.

The move came weeks after the upper chamber approved 425 military nominees.

The 11 confirmed military leaders are:

  • Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, nominated to serve as head of Air Combat Command
  • Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory Guillot, nominated to serve as head of U.S. Northern Command
  • Air Force Lt. Gen. James Slife, nominated to serve as vice chief of staff of the Air Force
  • Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider, nominated to serve as commander of Pacific Air Forces
  • Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, nominated to serve as head of U.S. Cyber Command
  • Army Lt. Gen. James Mingus, nominated to serve as vice chief of staff of the Army
  • Navy Vice Adm. James Kilby, nominated to serve as vice chief of Naval operations
  • Navy Vice Adm. Stephen Koehler, nominated to serve as head of U.S. Pacific Fleet
  • Navy Vice Adm. William Houston, nominated to serve as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program
  • Space Force Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, nominated to serve as vice chief of Space operations
  • Space Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, nominated to serve as head of U.S. Space Command
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NSA Reiterates Achievements in AI & Defense Against Russia, China in 2023 Cybersecurity Review
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NSA Reiterates Achievements in AI & Defense Against Russia, China in 2023 Cybersecurity Review

Artificial intelligence, online threats from China and the use of quantum computing for malicious activity were among the highlights of this year’s National Security Agency Cybersecurity Year in Review.

The report released Tuesday noted NSA’s accomplishments including the addition of the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s AI Security facility and initiatives to address threats from China as well as Russia.

In 2023, NSA collaborated with allies such as Japan and South Korea to detect online threats to China and Russia, including cyber actor BlackTech and a cyberespionage malware called Snake.

In total, the agency blocked 10 billion ransomware, botnets, phishing attempts and suspicious domains.

“Cybersecurity matters. It matters to our partners and it matters to us. It ensures that our information, our intelligence, our knowledge can be shared securely,” remarked U.S. Army Gen. Paul Nakasone, U.S Cyber Commander, chief of the Central Security Service and director of NSA. Nakasone is a seven-time inductee into the Wash100 roster of outstanding leaders in government contracting.

“The combined talent of our partners is the greatest competitive advantage we have to confront the increasingly sophisticated threats we see today,” said Rob Joyce, NSA director of cybersecurity and two-time Wash100 winner.

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Air Force Eyes January Rollout of Platform to Assist in Investment Decision-Making
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Air Force Eyes January Rollout of Platform to Assist in Investment Decision-Making

The U.S. Air Force intends to field in January 2024 the first iteration of a platform meant to allow decision-makers to predict how an investment in one capability might impact an entire program and its budget, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Developed by the Air Force in partnership with technology company Rhombus Power, the Rhombus Guardian platform uses meta-models of how the military service works, which can then be tailored to various weapon systems.

The platform will run various applications, which are still undergoing development.

“This tool will allow a senior leader to see the dynamic impacts if you’re going to invest in something — how does it ripple across the ecosystems of the Air Force, readiness, aircraft availability, strategic basing?” Joseph McDade explained to Federal News Network at the recent AFCEA Air Force IT Day.

The Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for plans and programs pointed out, however, the likelihood of bugs shipping out with the platform’s initial rollout and subsequent public criticism.

“Our view of that is if you’ve got valid points, we’ll just roll it into continuous updates,” McDade said.

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ODNI General Counsel Christopher Fonzone Confirmed as DOJ Assistant Attorney General
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ODNI General Counsel Christopher Fonzone Confirmed as DOJ Assistant Attorney General

Christopher Fonzone, general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence since June 2021, has been confirmed as the assistant attorney general in charge of the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel.

“His confirmation is well deserved, albeit bittersweet for those of us in the Intelligence Community because it means he no longer will serve as ODNI’s General Counsel,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement published Tuesday.

As ODNI’s chief legal officer, Fonzone oversees and coordinates legal issues across the intelligence community.

“We have depended on Chris time and time again for timely, practical, and sound counsel on some of the toughest questions facing the country and I am incredibly heartened to know that his exceptional judgment will now be relied upon by the Attorney General in this incredibly important position,” Haines, a three-time Wash100 awardee, said.

Before joining the IC, he was a partner within the privacy and cybersecurity group at global law firm Sidley Austin, where he focused on legal issues related to cyber and information technology.

He also served as deputy assistant and deputy counsel to the president and legal adviser to the National Security Council during the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017.

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