/
VP Kamala Harris Announces New Safety Institute, Other Initiatives to Drive Responsible AI Use
Published on
VP Kamala Harris Announces New Safety Institute, Other Initiatives to Drive Responsible AI Use

Vice President Kamala Harris has launched several initiatives to promote the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence, including the establishment of the U.S. AI Safety Institute within the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The US AISI will come up with guidelines, best practices, benchmarks and tools to evaluate and mitigate dangerous capabilities and conduct red-teaming to detect and address AI risk as part of efforts to operationalize NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework, the White House said Wednesday.

Other initiatives are the formation of a funders network to advance AI in the public interest, political declaration on the responsible military use of AI and autonomy and the release of a draft policy document on the use of AI tools by the U.S. government.

The Office of Management and Budget has issued for public comment its draft policy guidance that would encourage responsible AI innovation, protect federal employees, develop AI governance structures, manage risks associated with government uses of AI and improve transparency.

Comments on the draft policy are due Dec. 5.

The initiatives came days after President Joe Biden signed an executive order to advance safe and trustworthy development of AI.

//
Executive Mosaic Launches Call for Nominations for 2024 Wash100 Award
Published on
Executive Mosaic Launches Call for Nominations for 2024 Wash100 Award

Executive Mosaic, the government contracting sector’s leading events and media organization, is pleased to announce the launch of the 2024 Wash100 Award season and is honored to open nominations for the 11th iteration of the prestigious recognition.

“As we enter the widely-anticipated second decade of our Wash100 season, we are gearing up for our most exciting, dynamic and comprehensive year of prestige and recognition yet,” said Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the Wash100 Award. “2023 ushered in groundbreaking change, monumental executive leadership shifts and notable trends in the GovCon ecosystem, and we’re already seeing the clear leaders and trailblazers for 2024 emerging at the top of the industry.”

Visit the Wash100 website to submit your nominations and learn more about the history of the widely respected accolade and previous awardees detailing their industry achievements and career highlights.

Since 2014, the Wash100 Award has recognized hundreds of GovCon executives and government officials for their leadership, innovation, achievements and commitment to serving the American people.

“I am excited to once again invite our community to participate in nominating the most visionary and transformative leaders shaping the federal landscape,” Garrettson noted. “The Wash100 Award is a forward-looking celebration of those who are pushing the boundaries of innovation, propelling government missions to new heights and leading organizations to success. Who will you choose as your 2024 champions?”

Individuals representing GovCon firms, policy groups, consulting organizations, government advisers, academic institutions and other industry-related organizations are eligible for nomination.

Executive Mosaic is gearing up for another year of record-breaking participation from the GovCon community, expecting to receive the largest number of nominations in the award’s history. The media and events organization will announce the winners on Jan. 24.

Nominations will close on Jan. 10. Click here to submit your nomination for the 2024 Wash100 Award.

/
New Executive Order Reflects Biden Administration’s Expanded Effort to Ensure AI Trustworthiness
Published on
New Executive Order Reflects Biden Administration’s Expanded Effort to Ensure AI Trustworthiness

President Joe Biden has issued an executive order expanding his administrations efforts to enforce public protection against the potential risks of artificial intelligence technologies.

The EO issued Monday requires AI developers to conduct and disclose the results of safety tests to the government before sharing them with the public.

Software companies will also be required to comply with National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines for designing safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems. The new standards will be applied by the Departments of Energy and Homeland Security to critical infrastructure entities.

The executive order also directs the Department of Commerce to establish guidance and best practices for detecting and labeling AI-generated content while authenticating official content. This provision aims to protect consumers from AI-enabled fraud by helping distinguish verified versus artificial intelligence data.

Aerospace Industries Association Writes Congress to Prioritize 2024 Appropriations Bill
Published on
Aerospace Industries Association Writes Congress to Prioritize 2024 Appropriations Bill

The Aerospace Industries Association — or the AIA — called on Congress to authorize full-year appropriations to support the industry as it struggles to operate amid economic inflation.

A letter signed by 31 AIA members urged lawmakers to prioritize the approval of the 2024 budget that includes additional proposed funding in the Senate Defense Appropriations Bill.

The organization emphasized the significance of the aerospace sector and the defense supply chain in general in the frontlines of national security.

The letter discussed how inflationary pressures are causing delivery delays and rising supply chain costs. It also highlighted the impact of such challenges on small aerospace and defense businesses.

“Completing full-year appropriations must be Congress’ top priority now. Continuing resolutions extend outdated funding levels that do not address inflationary growth, and a shutdown is even more harmful to businesses in the aerospace and defense supply chain,” the association wrote.

OMB Requests Comments on Draft Regulatory Impact Report to Congress
Published on
OMB Requests Comments on Draft Regulatory Impact Report to Congress

The Office of Management and Budget is seeking industry comments on its draft report to Congress that outlines the benefits and costs of previous federal regulations and summarizes agency compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

In a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, OMB said the first part of the report is divided into three chapters, with the first one reporting the effects of regulations issued in fiscal years 2020 through 2022.

Chapter II discusses regulatory impacts on state, local and tribal governments; small businesses; wages and employment; and economic growth. Chapter III provides recommendations for regulatory reform, including a summary of the administration’s efforts to implement a presidential memorandum to improve and modernize regulatory review.

The second part of the report summarizes agency compliance with UMRA from October 2019 through September 2022.

The comment period will close on Dec. 15.

/
CISA Updates Open Log Management Tool for Cyberthreat Monitoring
Published on
CISA Updates Open Log Management Tool for Cyberthreat Monitoring

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has launched an updated version of an open source log management platform designed to help organizations detect and counter cyberthreats using available security data.

The U.K. National Cyber Security Center originally developed and maintained the Windows-based Logging Made Easy tool and CISA announced plans in April to update and relaunch the platform.

“Logging is critical for proactive monitoring of threats and retroactive investigation and remediation in the event of an incident,” Chad Poland, product manager for cyber shared services at CISA, said in a statement published Friday.

Poland added that CISA is excited to offer Logging Made Easy as a shared service capability to help U.S. and international entities mitigate cyber vulnerabilities.

CISA said the new Logging Made Easy comes with self-installation guides to facilitate usage and troubleshooting, event-driven logs to help security professionals diagnose threats and prebuilt elastic security detection rules to support analysts in defending assets, among other features.

/
Updated Joint Doctrine Establishes SPACECOM’s Offensive, Defensive Space Operations
Published on
Updated Joint Doctrine Establishes SPACECOM’s Offensive, Defensive Space Operations

A new version of the joint publication guiding the armed forces operations in the space domain sets forth that U.S. Space Command and other combatant commands must conduct offensive and defensive space operations during a conflict, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

An update to the Joint Publication 3-14: Joint Space Operations directs SPACECOM to use “direct or enabling” capabilities against adversary space assets, including satellites, terrestrial control stations and data links.

The updated doctrine clarifies that the command’s area of responsibility in joint operations starts at 100 kilometers above mean sea level and outlines key space mission areas, including space domain awareness; positioning, navigation and timing; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and satellite communications.

First published in 2002, JP 3-14 provides foundational principles and guidance to help the U.S. military plan and execute the integration of space operations across the joint force.

SPACECOM led the revision of the publication in collaboration with the Space Force and the Joint Staff with the goal of aligning the doctrine with the Unified Command Plan.

/
CBO Reports FY24 Navy Shipbuilding Plan Will Cost $34B to $36B Per Year Over 30 Years
Published on
CBO Reports FY24 Navy Shipbuilding Plan Will Cost $34B to $36B Per Year Over 30 Years

A Congressional Budget Office report estimates that the U.S. Navy’s fiscal year 2024 shipbuilding plan to expand its fleet size to between 319 and 367 aircraft carriers, submarines, surface combatants and other battle force ships would cost approximately $34 billion to $36 billion in 2023 dollars annually over three decades.

CBO said Thursday the figures were based on its analysis of three alternative projections of the Navy’s future fleet in the service’s FY 2024 shipbuilding plan.

According to the report, the projections rose by 5 percent to 10 percent in real terms compared with CBO’s estimates for the 2023 plan.

The Navy’s total budget would climb to approximately $315 billion to $330 billion by 2053 to support the 2024 plan, up from the current budget of $245 billion.

The Navy would purchase more large surface combatants under alternative 1, buy more submarines under alternative 2 and procure more vessels of all types under alternative 3, except for submarines, according to the report.

CBO said the military branch would see the firepower of its fleet of ships reduced over the next 10 years but would increase the number of missile cells and field them on more vessels under all three alternatives to expand its missile capability.

Cyber Innovation Center Secures $129M in Federal Funding to Expand Key Cybersecurity Initiatives
Published on
Cyber Innovation Center Secures $129M in Federal Funding to Expand Key Cybersecurity Initiatives

The Cyber Innovation Center has secured five-year funding grants worth $129 million combined for its cybersecurity workforce development initiative and Air Force Global Strike Command’s national innovation hub.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency awarded the nonprofit CYBER.org $34 million in funding through the Cybersecurity Education and Training Assistance Program to provide cybersecurity education and training for K-12 learners to address the nation’s cybersecurity workforce shortage, CIC said Monday.

With the CISA funding, CYBER.org aims to expand its network of educators from 30,000 to 50,000 over the next five years to support the Biden administration’s National Cybersecurity Workforce and Education Strategy.

Meanwhile, CIC received $95.6 million in funding through a partnership intermediary agreement with AFGSC to enable the STRIKEWERX innovation hub to continue to serve as the command’s technology transfer, technology transition and innovation resource.

/
ODNI, DOD Reveal FY23 Appropriated Funds for National, Military Intelligence Programs
Published on
ODNI, DOD Reveal FY23 Appropriated Funds for National, Military Intelligence Programs

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense have released the aggregate amount of congressional appropriations for their respective intelligence initiatives in fiscal year 2023.

ODNI said Monday that Congress allocated $71.7 billion in FY 2023 funds to the National Intelligence Program, a.k.a. NIP, including supplemental funding.

In a separate release, DOD revealed that the total budget appropriated for the department’s Military Intelligence Program, or MIP, in FY 2023 reached $27.9 billion.

Breaking Defense reported that the FY23 NIP reflected a $3 billion increase from ODNI’s budget request and the MIP figure was over $1 billion more than the Pentagon had requested in the previous fiscal year.

ODNI is seeking $72.4 billion in FY 2024 funds for the NIP and DOD is requesting $29.3 billion for the MIP, according to the report.

1 … 412 413 414 415 416 … 2,598