New Rule Requires Agencies to Prioritize Procurement, Use of Sustainable Products & Services
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New Rule Requires Agencies to Prioritize Procurement, Use of Sustainable Products & Services

The Department of Defense, General Services Administration and NASA have issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require federal agencies to purchase and use sustainable products and services identified or recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Under the final rule, federal agencies are required to purchase WaterSense-label water-efficient products and services and Safer Choice-certified products that contain safer chemical ingredients, the White House said Friday.

The final rule also mandates that agencies follow the EPA’s recommended environmental standards and ecolabels, updated in October 2023, to help purchasers correctly identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services.

“Through these enhanced purchasing standards, we are advancing the Administration’s environmental objectives while supporting U.S. manufacturing and generating significant economic benefits across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

“As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to support U.S. manufacturing and climate action, these new standards will help Federal agencies prioritize the purchase of sustainable products and services certified to EPA-recommended standards and ecolabels that create good-paying jobs right here at home,” said Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

The final rule will help advance the Biden administration’s Federal Sustainability Plan, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions and other procurement goals by 2050.

FISA Section 702 Reauthorization Bill Signed Into Law
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FISA Section 702 Reauthorization Bill Signed Into Law

President Biden on Saturday signed into law a bill that seeks to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and introduce reforms to better protect the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan issued a statement calling FISA’s Section 702 one of the country’s “most vital intelligence collection tools.”

“The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act will retain essential authority to understand and protect against a wide range of dangerous threats to Americans while enhancing safeguards for privacy and civil liberties through the most robust set of reforms ever included in legislation to reauthorize Section 702,” Sullivan added.

The president signed the measure hours after the Senate cleared the reauthorization legislation in a 60-34 vote, The Hill reported.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Section 702 plays an “indispensable” role in the Department of Justice’s efforts to protect citizens from cyberthreats, nation-state actors and terrorists.

“This reauthorization of Section 702 gives the United States the authority to continue to collect foreign intelligence information about non-U.S. persons located outside the United States, while at the same time codifying important reforms the Justice Department has adopted to ensure the protection of Americans’ privacy and civil liberties,” Garland added.

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Vice Adm. Michael Boyle Nominated as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
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Vice Adm. Michael Boyle Nominated as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations

President Biden has nominated Navy Vice Adm. Michael Boyle, commander of the Third Fleet, to serve as deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, N3/N5, within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

Defense Secretary and three-time Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin announced Boyle’s nomination in a Department of Defense news release published Friday.

Boyle, a naval aviator, took the helm of the Third Fleet in June 2022.

The vice admiral previously served as director of maritime operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, director of international engagements within the Office of the CNO and executive assistant to the commander within the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

His operational assignments include time serving as commander of the Carrier Strike Group-12 and commander of Naval Component, U.S. Forces Korea and United Nations Command, Korea.

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FAA to Require Reentry Vehicle Operator to Obtain License Prior to Launch
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FAA to Require Reentry Vehicle Operator to Obtain License Prior to Launch

The Federal Aviation Administration has released a notice stating that a reentry vehicle may be launched as a payload and return to Earth as a reentry spacecraft provided that the operator has secured the necessary reentry license or authorization.

An operator or owner of a reentry vehicle that will lift off as a payload and reenter Earth must meet the payload review requirements for the launch phase and the reentry requirements for the reentry phase, according to a notice published Wednesday in Federal Register.

FAA outlined some of the concerns associated with the launch of a reentry vehicle without reentry license or reauthorization, including public risks, limited options for the safe reentry of the vehicle and payload review.

“Launch of a reentry vehicle without an authorization for reentry would pose safety concerns that are designed to be addressed by the reentry licensing process,” the notice states.

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CISA, Partners Warn Organizations of Akira Ransomware Attacks
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CISA, Partners Warn Organizations of Akira Ransomware Attacks

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and its U.S. and international partners have released a joint cybersecurity advisory, or CSA, warning organizations against the Akira ransomware that has targeted critical infrastructure entities in North America, Europe and Australia.

The CSA outlines known tactics, techniques and procedures used by Akira ransomware operators and indicators of compromise to help organizations respond to ransomware attacks, CISA said Thursday.

According to the advisory, Akira threat actors have deployed a Linux variant targeting VMware ESXi virtual machines after initially focusing on Windows systems.

As of January, the ransomware group has targeted more than 250 organizations and gained approximately $42 million in ransomware proceeds.

In August 2023, Akira attacks started using Megazord, using Rust-based code, and Akira ransomware written in C++ and encrypted files.

CISA and its partners encourage organizations to implement the mitigations outlined in the CSA to reduce the impact of Akira ransomware attacks.

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Senate Bill Aims to Facilitate Public-Private Collaboration to Advance AI Innovation
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Senate Bill Aims to Facilitate Public-Private Collaboration to Advance AI Innovation

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., have introduced bipartisan legislation that would maintain U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence by strengthening collaboration between the government and the commercial sector.

The Future of AI Innovation Act would authorize the U.S. AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop voluntary AI standards and create testbed programs with the Department of Energy’s national laboratories, Young’s office said Thursday.

The bill would also authorize public-private partnership testbeds to create new materials for advanced manufacturing, create grand challenge prize competitions to encourage AI innovation across the private sector, develop publicly available datasets to accelerate new AI advancements and create international alliances on AI research and development.

“This bipartisan bill will create important partnerships between government, the private sector, and academia to establish voluntary standards and best practices that will ensure a fertile environment for AI innovation while accounting for potential risks,” Young said.

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Air Force, DARPA Demo Machine Learning-Based Autonomy Using X62A VISTA Aircraft
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Air Force, DARPA Demo Machine Learning-Based Autonomy Using X62A VISTA Aircraft

The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have demonstrated the capability of artificial intelligence algorithms to control the X-62A Variable In-Flight Stability Test Aircraft as part of DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution program.

The military branch and DARPA tested the AI-controlled X-62A VISTA aircraft against a manned F-16 plane in within-visual-range combat scenarios, also known as dogfighting, during a demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Air Force Materiel Command said Wednesday.

“It’s very easy to look at the X-62A ACE program and see it as under autonomous control, it can dogfight, but that misses the point. Dogfighting was the problem to solve so we could start testing autonomous artificial intelligence systems in the air. Every lesson we’re learning applies to every task you could give to an autonomous system,” said Bill Gray, the school’s chief test pilot.

The demonstration marks the first-ever use of machine learning-based autonomy in flight-critical platforms.

“The X-62A is an incredible platform, not just for research and advancing the state of tests, but also for preparing the next generation of test leaders,” said Col. James Valpiani, commandant of the Test Pilot School.

Aside from the Air Force, DARPA’s ACE program partners include Johns Hopkins University, MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Calspan, Cubic, EpiSci, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works arm and Shield AI.

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NOAA Selects 4 Contractors for Ground Processing Demonstrations
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NOAA Selects 4 Contractors for Ground Processing Demonstrations

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has tapped Booz Allen Hamilton and three other contractors to perform research and demonstration of new technologies and novel concepts for ground processing in support of future operations of the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, or NESDIS.

NOAA said Tuesday it awarded over $3.46 million in Ground Processing Demonstration contracts to Axta Space, Booz Allen, Cognitive Space and KSAT for work with at least eight months of period of performance.

Studies and demonstrations from contractors are intended to assist NESDIS in evaluating innovative technologies for enhanced ground processing enterprise. The focus areas are constellation mission operation, next generation ground infrastructure and data processing and dissemination.

The NESDIS-administered Joint Ventures Partnerships program funds the GDP awards.

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DTS Founder Edward Tuorinsky Proposes ‘Robust Response’ to Ensure Compliance With NIST SP 800-171 Revision
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DTS Founder Edward Tuorinsky Proposes ‘Robust Response’ to Ensure Compliance With NIST SP 800-171 Revision

A “robust response” to the upcoming release of the third revision of National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-171 must feature three elements, according to Edward Tuorinsky, the founder of and managing principal at cyber, consulting and management services provider DTS.

Organizations must first evaluate the compliance of their security posture with the revised special publication’s new assessment objectives. Revision 2 had a total of 320 assessment objectives while Revision 3 brings that number up to 390, Tuorinsky wrote in a Thursday Federal News Network article.

Organizations must then prepare a plan of action and milestones, or POAM, that would close the gaps identified in the initial evaluation. The POAM would have to outline the tasks that have to be undertaken and propose a schedule for the work.

The third element involves preparing a new system security plan that would provide documentation proving that an organization meets Revision 3’s 390 assessment objectives. These objectives are spread across 95 security controls, down from 110 in Revision 2. In order for an organization to be compliant with a given control, all associated assessment objectives must be met.

Tuorinsky says an organization can reuse elements from a prior system security plan based on Revision 2 and simply edit them to align with the requirements of Revision 3.

NIST 800-171 rev 3 is expected to come out in late April or May.

DTS Founder Edward Tuorinsky Proposes 'Robust Response' to Ensure Compliance With NIST SP 800-171 Revision

Edward Tuorinsky will join other cyber experts, government leaders and industry visionaries in speaking 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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DHA Requests Commercial Technology Proposals to Transform Military Health System
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DHA Requests Commercial Technology Proposals to Transform Military Health System

The Defense Health Agency is seeking commercial platforms designed to provide a human-centered patient experience for its beneficiaries and improve the collection of patient interactions and data in the Military Health System Information Portal.

DHA’s patient care transformation initiative is focused on three lines of effort: improving patient care, developing provider-supported technology in the Health Ecosystem and acquiring data management support services, according to a notice posted by the Defense Innovation Unit.

In the first LOE, DHA is looking for a commercial technology designed to provide beneficiaries frictionless access to care and services, enable seamless integration with the existing electronic health record and allow interoperability with wearables and devices.

The agency also plans to expand the Health Ecosystem to include applications for scheduling, chart search, virtual nursing telemetry, remote patient monitoring and hospital command centers to reduce administrative burdens on its workforce.

For the final LOE, DHA is inviting the industry to propose technologies designed to allow MHS users to access, manipulate and present patient-specific health data to inform decision-making.

Interested parties have until May 1 to submit responses.

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