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AI Advocates Young Bang & Dana Barnes Spotlighted for 2024 Wash100 Wins
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AI Advocates Young Bang & Dana Barnes Spotlighted for 2024 Wash100 Wins

On Friday, Executive Mosaic highlighted the accomplishments of Young Bang, principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology for the U.S. Army, and Dana Barnes, president of Dataminr’s government business unit, in honor of their 2024 Wash100 Award wins.

The esteemed Wash100 Award is the most prestigious recognition for government contracting industry executives. Each Wash100 class is hand-picked using a selection process that puts the past achievements of each nominee under a microscope and evaluates their forward momentum.

Bang, a first-time awardee, was chosen for his tireless commitment to Army technology development and acquisition initiatives. He has zeroed in on novel capabilities like artificial intelligence and is working to ensure that its adoption is done responsibly. He is also a passionate advocate for government-industry collaboration. Read his full profile here.

Barnes was welcomed into the ranks of Wash100 for the third time this year in recognition of his efforts to empower AI innovation. In 2023, Barnes repeatedly spoke about the benefits of AI and the necessity of making sure both public and private sector organizations embrace it responsibly. To read his full profile, click here.

Dataminr is sponsoring the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual AI Summit on March 21, which will gather experts in the field to discuss the future of AI technologies in the federal government. To learn more and register to attend the event, click here.

The beloved Wash100 popular vote contest has returned! Visit Wash100.com to vote for your favorite 2024 winners.

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ISS National Lab Seeks Concept Summaries for In-Space Production Applications Funding Opportunity
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ISS National Lab Seeks Concept Summaries for In-Space Production Applications Funding Opportunity

The International Space Station National Laboratory is soliciting concepts that could advance in-space production applications in advanced materials and manufacturing as part of a new funding opportunity.

The ISS National Lab said Wednesday it is interested in proposed concepts that could demonstrate space-based manufacturing and production initiatives that reflect sustainable and scalable market opportunities with the potential to create demand for access to low Earth orbit.

The organization may grant funding to flight projects that could back mission operations and integration for research efforts on the orbiting laboratory.

The national lab will hold a webinar on March 25 and accept concept summaries regarding in-space production applications through May 2.

Selected participants may submit full proposals for the funding opportunity through July 8.

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FBI Report Reveals Top 3 Ransomware Targets in 2023
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FBI Report Reveals Top 3 Ransomware Targets in 2023

A report by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, has found that healthcare and public health, critical manufacturing and government facilities are the top three critical infrastructure sectors that were affected by ransomware attacks in 2023.

The healthcare sector landed the top spot with a total of 249 complaints, followed by critical manufacturing at 218 and government facilities at 156.

“The IC3 received 1,193 complaints from organizations belonging to a critical infrastructure sector that were affected by a ransomware attack. Of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors, IC3 reporting indicated 14 sectors had at least 1 member that fell to a ransomware attack in 2023,” the Internet Crime Report reads.

According to the report, Lockbit, ALPHV/Blackcat, Akira, Royal and Black Basta were the top five ransomware variants that had an impact on a member of a critical infrastructure sector in 2023.

There were 14,190 complaints of government impersonation received in 2023, generating losses of approximately $394 million.

Meanwhile, tech and customer support-related impersonation scams that were reported in the previous year reached at least 37,000 complaints with losses of about $924.5 million.

“Call centers overwhelmingly target older adults, with devastating effects. Almost half the complainants report to be Over 60 (40%), and experience 58% of the losses (over $770 million),” the report notes.

POC - 2024 Cyber Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Cyber Summit on June 6 and hear cyber experts, government and industry leaders discuss the latest trends and the dynamic role of cyber in the public sector. Register here.

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NIST Researchers Demo Novel Compact Microwave Chip That Can Benefit GPS, Radar
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NIST Researchers Demo Novel Compact Microwave Chip That Can Benefit GPS, Radar

Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and their partners from other institutions have demonstrated a chip that converts light into microwaves while reducing small, random changes in microwave signal timing called timing jitter.

The improved stability of the microwave signals can benefit other technologies that depend on high-precision timing and communication, including radars, phone and internet connections and GPS, NIST said Wednesday.

The current phase of the work sought to demonstrate that the various components of the technology — including lasers, amplifiers and modulators — could work together, according to Frank Quinlan, a physical scientist with NIST. The next phase aims to integrate them into a single chip.

Another achievement in the demonstration is the miniaturization of the components. A system that would otherwise have come in the size of a tabletop was reduced to the size of a digital camera memory card.

The reduction of timing jitter at that scale reduces power usage.

Navy Receives Future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) From Austal USA
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Navy Receives Future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) From Austal USA

Austal USA turned over the future USS Kingsville (LCS 36) to the U.S. Navy just over a month following the completion of acceptance trials of the 18th Independence-variant littoral combat ship — a.k.a. LCS — in late January.

The shipbuilder said Wednesday that the team demonstrated the mission readiness of Kingsville’s major systems and equipment, and that the ship is now being prepared for fleet introduction.

“We are excited to provide Kingsville to the Navy to join her sister ships operating in the Pacific providing a critical capability to the fleet,” commented Michelle Kruger, acting president of Austal USA.

Six Independence-variant LCS were deployed by the Navy throughout 2023. The ships, with their fast, agile, mission-focused platform, are capable of operating in near-shore environments and addressing 21st-century coastal threats.

In addition to Kingsville, which is the first Navy ship honoring the Texas city home to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Austal USA is also building the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), the final Independence-class LCS of the service branch.

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House Bill to Increase Transparency, Accountability Requirements for Federal AI Use
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House Bill to Increase Transparency, Accountability Requirements for Federal AI Use

Reps. James Comer, R-Ky., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., have introduced bipartisan legislation to establish new mechanisms to increase transparency and accountability on the use of artificial intelligence across the federal government.

The Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act would define safeguards for the development, acquisition and oversight of AI technologies used by federal agencies and authorize the Office of Management and Budget to issue governmentwide policy guidance on federal AI use, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability said Wednesday.

The bill would also require federal agencies to issue governance charters for high-risk AI systems and other tools that interact with sensitive government records and consolidate and streamline existing law regarding the government’s use of AI.

“The bipartisan Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act ensures that the federal government’s use of AI will improve government operations while protecting privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, and upholding American values,” Committee Chairman Comer said.

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. Register here!

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Derek Tournear on SDA’s Work on Laser Communications Crosslinks, Link 16 Demo
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Derek Tournear on SDA’s Work on Laser Communications Crosslinks, Link 16 Demo

Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency and a previous Wash100 awardee, said SDA is working to establish a “mesh network” of laser communication crosslinks and demonstrate the Link 16 waveform as it prepares to operationalize the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, the Air and Space Forces Magazine reported Wednesday.

According to Tournear, two SpaceX-built missile tracking satellites that lifted off in April 2023 have demonstrated the functionality of the laser communications crosslinks. He also described how SDA and York Space Systems are working together to test the transmission of space-derived data using the Link 16 waveform.

In “the May timeframe, we’ll be able to have the mesh network [moving data] between the York satellites,” the SDA director said. “And then we’ll work the crosslinks between York and SpaceX.”

Tournear said he expects the agency to secure clearance to perform national airspace testing with its Tranche 0 satellites by the end of 2024.

He noted that SDA is also advancing efforts to launch Tranche 1 satellites by September.

“We don’t expect to—we will launch Tranche 1 satellites in 2024,” Tournear remarked.

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SEMPRE to Deliver Resilient Communication Nodes to Air Force
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SEMPRE to Deliver Resilient Communication Nodes to Air Force

Air Force Global Strike Command has awarded a two-year tactical funding increase contract to SEMPRE, a provider of secure communications infrastructure for the U.S. military, to help the command deploy resilient communication nodes.

AFGSC said Wednesday SEMPRE has demonstrated its ability to deploy communication nodes in under 10 minutes, allowing warfighters to establish secure communications and application processing in complex, isolated environments.

SEMPRE also showcased the nodes’ ability to enable automatic failover to alternative connectivity sources to ensure seamless operations during link disruptions.

“The tactical funding increase contract signed with SEMPRE is a win for our command and will help us address the challenge of providing reliable and resilient communications nodes across multiple connectivity sources,” said Col. Kevin Kippie, deputy director of AFGSC A5/8.

The contract valued at $1.8 million was awarded through the Air Force Research Laboratory’s AFWERX innovation arm.

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DIU Director Doug Beck Attests DOD’s Progress With Commercial Sector Partnerships
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DIU Director Doug Beck Attests DOD’s Progress With Commercial Sector Partnerships

Doug Beck, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, said the recent progress in two DIU-led projects indicates that the Department of Defense is making strides in tapping into the commercial technology sector for new capabilities, National Defense reported Tuesday.

The first of the two projects is the Lionfish small unmanned undersea vehicle systems being developed by HII under a $347 million production contract awarded in 2023.

Beck said the program marks the first time that the Navy transitioned from a prototype other transaction agreement contract to a production contract at scale, setting a “great example of working together as a service and then scaling.”

The program also resulted in the development of artificial intelligence tools designed to automate software updates for the Lionfish unmanned vessels.

According to Beck, the team “used a set of what in the commercial tech world are pretty standard machine learning ops tools, worked with five extremely innovative artificial intelligence startups … and brought that six months down to one to two weeks.”

Beck also highlighted the Tactical Hybridization Project, which aims to hybridize the U.S. military’s fleet of combat ground vehicles to reduce fuel consumption.

BAE Delivers Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Prototype With Turreted Mortar System
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BAE Delivers Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Prototype With Turreted Mortar System

BAE Systems has delivered to the U.S. Army its first prototype of an armored multi-purpose vehicle outfitted with a turreted mortar system.

The AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype features a new top plate system called External Mission Equipment Package that enables the rapid integration of turrets including Patria’s NEMO, a turreted, remote-controlled 120 mm mortar system, BAE said Wednesday.

The new system is designed to support the multiple rounds simultaneous impact capability that targets multiple targets simultaneously by firing up to five mortar rounds.

“The AMPV Turreted Mortar prototype was born from a capability discussion we had with the Army in 2022—the same year ExMEP was conceptualized with industry partners, and we look forward to its evaluation,” said Bill Sheehy, AMPV program director at BAE.

In September 2023, BAE secured a potential $1.6 billion contract to proceed with full-rate production of the AMPV, which will replace the Army’s M113 family of armored vehicles.

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