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Kurt Campbell Nominated for Deputy Secretary of State Post
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Kurt Campbell Nominated for Deputy Secretary of State Post

President Joe Biden has nominated Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council, to serve as deputy secretary of the State Department.

Campbell served as assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs between 2009 and 2013, the White House said Wednesday.

He was the founding chairman and CEO of strategic advisory firm The Asia Group, co-founder and chief executive of the Center for a New American Security and director of the Aspen Strategy Group.

His government career included time as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, director of the Democracy Office at the NSC and White House Fellow at the Department of the Treasury.

Campbell, who authored several books and served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, previously served as an associate professor of public policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

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Gen David Allvin Confirmed as Air Force Chief of Staff
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Gen David Allvin Confirmed as Air Force Chief of Staff

Gen. David Allvin has been confirmed as the Air Force chief of staff after a Senate vote on Thursday.

The four-star general will succeed Gen. CQ Brown, who was confirmed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September, the Air Force Times reported Thursday.

Allvin has served as the Air Force’s acting chief of staff since October 2023 and as the vice chief of staff since November 2020. In July, Allvin was nominated to lead the Air Force by President Biden.

“Gen. Dave Allvin is the right leader for this defining decade, as our Air Force continues to adapt to the evolving global security environment, and ensure we have the culture, concepts and capabilities needed to compete and win in a highly contested environment,” Brown said in a statement released by the Air Force in July. “His expertise in strategy and planning will be crucial to the service’s success in this era of sustained strength and deterrence.”

Allvin’s confirmation comes after a monthslong block on military promotions catalyzed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., earlier this year. Brown’s confirmation as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman in September marked the first breakthrough of the blockade.

Two other top military officials were also confirmed on Thursday alongside Gen. Allvin. Adm. Lisa Franchetti has been approved as chief of naval operations for the U.S. Navy after serving in the role on an acting basis for several months. Franchetti is the first woman to lead the Navy.

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney was also promoted to general and has been confirmed as the Marines’ new assistant commandant.

National Science Foundation Awards Funding for National Secure Data Service Project Proposals
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National Science Foundation Awards Funding for National Secure Data Service Project Proposals

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics at the National Science Foundation has awarded $7.5 million in total to multiple organizations to finance their proposals for the National Secure Data Service Demonstration Project.

The demonstration project seeks to develop an NSDS ecosystem that would facilitate expanded data use — especially in decision-making — by streamlining data access, linkages and privacy protections, the America’s DataHub Consortium said Tuesday.

The awardees are:

  • Knexus Research Corp.
  • The Urban Institute
  • Mathematica
  • NORC at the University of Chicago
  • Regents of the University of Michigan Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
  • Duality Technologies
  • HealthVerity

The awardees were chosen following a competitive evaluation process.

“The breadth and depth of subject matter expertise our awardees bring will allow us to further explore potential shared services for a National Secure Data Service,” said Heather Madray, a program director at the NCSES.

DOE Selects 6 Projects for Quantum Information Science Research
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DOE Selects 6 Projects for Quantum Information Science Research

The Department of Energy Office of Science has selected six projects to receive $11.4 million in funding to conduct research on quantum information science for fusion energy sciences.

The funding will focus on advancing quantum algorithms related to fusion and plasma physics, developing high-sensitivity measurement techniques for plasmas and exploring high-energy density physics methods for QIS materials discovery and synthesis, DOE said Monday.

Jean Paul Allain, associate director of science for the Fusion Energy Sciences program, said the awards will enable FES to “take advantage of QIS sensing techniques and future quantum computing hardware.”

“The convergence of quantum science, fusion energy, and plasma science is an exciting and revolutionary emergent area of discovery and broader impact.”

The QIS research projects were competitively peer-reviewed and will run for up to three years. DOE will provide $3.8 million in fiscal year 2023 and $7.6 million in outyear funding.

DOD All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office Unveils New UAP Reporting Form
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DOD All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office Unveils New UAP Reporting Form

The Department of Defense All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office introduced a new mechanism for reporting unidentified anomalous phenomena on its website.

The new reporting form marks the second phase of AARO’s initiative to ensure secure submission of UAP sightings that will inform its congressionally directed Historical Record Report, DOD said Tuesday.

The latest reporting mechanism is for current or former U.S. government employees, service members, or contractor personnel that have direct knowledge of domestic UAP programs or activities since 1945.

The submissions will be investigated and used as a resource for the Historical Record Report, which is expected to be submitted to Congress by June next year.

AARO emphasized that the form is not for submitting potentially sensitive, classified or unclassified but not publicly releasable information.

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Space Systems Command Debuts Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator
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Space Systems Command Debuts Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator

The U.S. Space Systems Command unveiled a new accelerator program for space domain awareness technology, applications and process at its operations command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Accelerator is supported by the nonprofit Virginia Tech Applied Research Corp. and Mitre, SSC announced Monday.

The program was created as a venue for SSC to collaborate with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Air Force Office of Scientific Research in commercializing SDA prototype technologies.

Every year, it will have a maximum of four cohorts working together for three months on projects specializing in SDA, space battle management and threat warning and assessment. The Space Force or other government agencies may award follow-on contracts as needed, SSC said.

The accelerator’s first-ever cohort focuses on technologies that prevent adversaries from using direct ascent anti-satellite weapons on geosynchronous satellites.

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IperionX Secures DOD Investment for Titanium Powder Production
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IperionX Secures DOD Investment for Titanium Powder Production

IperionX has received $12.7 million in funding from the Department of Defense to increase titanium powder production for defense supply chains.

The award is part of the DOD’s Defense Production Act Investment — or DPAI — program, which works to invest in critical industries to strengthen the nation’s industrial base, DOD said Monday.

Titanium powder is a key ingredient in the production of titanium alloys, which are used in a wide range of defense applications, including aircraft, spacecraft and missiles. The DOD currently relies on foreign suppliers for a significant portion of its titanium powder, but the DPAI program is working to increase domestic production and reduce reliance on foreign sources.

IperionX is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based company that is developing a new process for producing titanium powder from either titanium minerals or recycled material. The company’s goal is to produce 10,000 metric tons of titanium metal powder per year within five years.

The DOD’s investment in IperionX is expected to help the company commission and scale up its facility in Halifax County, Virginia to a demonstration plant. This will increase the company’s titanium powder production to 125 metric tons annually.

The DPAI program has made 21 awards totaling $674 million so far in 2023. The program is overseen by the ASD(IBP)’s Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Program, which is part of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience.

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NASA Unveils In Space Production Applications Implementation Strategy
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NASA Unveils In Space Production Applications Implementation Strategy

NASA has released a strategy for implementing in-space manufacturing capabilities in low Earth orbit to demonstrate the production of advanced materials and products in microgravity for terrestrial applications.

The agency said Tuesday it will implement a multi-phase award process for the In Space Production Applications initiative to demonstrate proof-of-concept, advance materials to high production quality and ensure that products are scalable for a commercial LEO destination.

InSPA Phase 1 will involve early proof-of-concept studies and basic flight hardware development and testing to evaluate products’ technology and manufacturing readiness levels. Demonstrations will occur during parabolic, orbital and sub-orbital flights on the International Space Station.

Phase 2 will enable design maturation and advanced flight hardware development to achieve a TRL of 8 and MRL of 7 to gain significant investor commitment for Phase 3.

The final phase will focus on achieving TRL and MRL of 9 by performing scaled flight hardware production on ISS or an alternative commercial LEO destination.

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VA Initiates AI Tech Sprint to Address Clinician Burnout
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VA Initiates AI Tech Sprint to Address Clinician Burnout

The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a tech sprint focused on developing artificial intelligence-powered tools to reduce burnout among healthcare workers while enhancing patient care and experience.

VA said Wednesday it is seeking technology proposals that offer speech-to-text tools for medical appointments and document processing systems for community care records.

The tech sprint offers $1 million in total cash prizes.

Shereef Elnahal, the under secretary for health at the VA, said that AI technologies can help eliminate the need for clinicians to spend time on non-clinical work and better focus on providing care services for veterans.

“This effort will reduce burnout among our clinicians and improve Veteran health care at the same time,” Elnahal said.

Interested parties have until Jan. 6, 2024, to submit proposals.

VA Initiates AI Tech Sprint to Address Clinician Burnout

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 6 to learn more about the emerging tools, technologies and trends in the healthcare sector. Register here to join the highly anticipated event.

Alejandro Mayorkas Urges Congress to Reauthorize DHS Counter-UAS Authority, CISA-Managed CFATS Program
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Alejandro Mayorkas Urges Congress to Reauthorize DHS Counter-UAS Authority, CISA-Managed CFATS Program

Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and a previous Wash100 awardee, said Congress should reauthorize programs and authorities that are seen as critical to supporting the department’s mission in ensuring the safety of the country.

During his testimony on Tuesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Mayorkas called on Congress to reauthorize DHS’ counter-unmanned aircraft systems authority, which is set to expire on Nov. 18, and the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, which is expected to sunset on Dec. 21.

The DHS secretary told lawmakers that the authority to implement the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program expired on July 28, resulting in the ability of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to perform risk assessments of high-risk chemical facilities.

“As of today, we have no longer been authorized to conduct over 450 inspections, when historically more than a third of inspections identify at least one gap in a facility’s security,” Mayorkas said at the Senate committee hearing.

Mayorkas also urged Congress to protect DHS’ intelligence collection authorities by reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and resisting a provision in a proposed bill that would limit the authority of the department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

POC - 2023 Homeland Security Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Homeland Security Summit in mid-November to hear government and industry leaders discuss the latest digital transformation efforts to protect and secure the homeland amid evolving global threats. Click here to register.

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