FAA Invites Industry Input on Planned Aerospace Rulemaking Committee for Launch, Reentry Licenses
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FAA Invites Industry Input on Planned Aerospace Rulemaking Committee for Launch, Reentry Licenses

The Federal Aviation Administration is inviting industry experts to give recommendations regarding its plan to form a new aerospace rulemaking committee for securely reviewing and approving flight launch and reentry licenses.

The agency announced Wednesday that the new committee SpARC will help prepare FAA-licensed launch and reentry operators comply with Part 450 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The plan to create a new committee was triggered by the surge in FAA license applications from commercial space operators in 2023. Last year, the number of licensed commercial operators tripled to 124 compared to that in 2020. They are expected to increase by more than twofold by 2026.

The agency has increased the number of staff working on the applications, developed several guidelines and created an electronic portal to facilitate the submission process.

“The SpARC input will help us reduce the burden on commercial space transportation applicants and licensees and enable the FAA to process applications and make safety determinations with greater expediency,” remarked Kelvin Coleman, associate administrator for FAA’s commercial space transportation division.

FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet in April to discuss the Part 450 requirements for launch and reentry licensing.

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DOE to Provide Kairos Power $303M to Support Development of Hermes Nuclear Reactor
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DOE to Provide Kairos Power $303M to Support Development of Hermes Nuclear Reactor

Kairos Power has entered into a technology investment agreement with the Department of Energy to put into effect the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program risk reduction award, which the nuclear technology company received in 2020.

Kairos said Wednesday that, under the agreement, the DOE will provide up to $303 million on a performance-based, fixed-price milestone basis to enable the design, construction and commissioning of the company’s Hermes demonstration reactor, for which a construction permit has already been issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Mike Laufer, Kairos Power co-founder and CEO, described the technology investment agreement as an “innovative contract” that will facilitate the completion of the Hermes project. “This agreement incentivizes efficiency, drives performance, and establishes credibility to deliver,” Laufer added.

For her part, Office of Nuclear Energy Assistant Secretary Kathryn Huff said, “The Hermes reactor is an important step toward realizing advanced nuclear energy’s role in ushering forward the nation’s clean energy transition.”

Hermes is meant to result in the development of the Kairos Power Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor, an advanced piece of nuclear technology powered by tri-structural isotropic particle fuel in combination with low-pressure fluoride salt coolant.

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New Executive Order Seeks to Strengthen Cybersecurity of US Ports, Vessels, Waterfront Facilities
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New Executive Order Seeks to Strengthen Cybersecurity of US Ports, Vessels, Waterfront Facilities

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order that seeks to enhance the U.S. Coast Guard’s authority to address and respond to cyberthreats facing vessels, harbors, ports and waterfront facilities.

The EO directs mandatory reporting of cyber incidents involving any vessel, port or harbor to the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Captain of the Port, or the Officer of the Coast Guard, the White House said Wednesday.

The new policy will provide the Coast Guard with authority to inspect vessels and waterfront facilities as well as control the movement of any vessel that poses a cyberthreat to the country’s maritime infrastructure.

According to a White House fact sheet, the Coast Guard will release a maritime security directive on cyber risk management measures for Chinese-built ship-to-shore cranes at U.S. commercial strategic seaports as part of efforts to ensure the security of the U.S. maritime infrastructure’s digital ecosystem.

Crane operators and owners must conduct several actions on such cranes and related operational and information technology systems.

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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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Investing in Secure AI Development to Realize CJADC2 Goals
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Kathleen Hicks: DOD Investing in Secure AI Development to Realize CJADC2 Goals

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, said the Department of Defense is investing in the responsible development and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies to help realize its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, initiative.

Speaking at the Advantage DOD 2024: Defense Data and AI Symposium, Hicks said the Pentagon is scaling data and AI technologies through cloud computing contracts, network infrastructure, data integration and rapid acquisitions of commercial software.

“All of this is helping to realize Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control. Of course, CJADC2 isn’t a platform, or a single system. It’s a fusion of concepts, technologies, policies, tools, and talent that’s advancing how we command and control forces with key allies and partners,” the four-time Wash100 Award recipient said.

According to Hicks, DOD has delivered its initial iteration of the CJADC2 initiative representing a minimum viable capability combining software applications, live data integration, real-world networks and cross-domain operational concepts to provide decision advantage to warfighters.

“That’s the beauty of what software can do for hard power. Delivery doesn’t take years or a decade. Our investments in data, AI, and compute are empowering warfighters today,” she 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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PDDNI Stacey Dixon and HII’s Andy Green Named to 2024 Wash100 List
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PDDNI Stacey Dixon and HII’s Andy Green Named to 2024 Wash100 List

Executive Mosaic is pleased to welcome Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Dr. Stacey Dixon and Andy Green, an executive vice president of HII and president of the HII Mission Technologies division, to its Wash100 Class of 2024.

Each year, the Wash100 list recognizes the most influential, distinguished and promising executives in the U.S. federal government and the government contracting industry. These individuals are the ones to watch in the coming year as they continue to deliver positive impacts to critical government missions and initiatives.

Dr. Dixon earned her fifth consecutive Wash100 recognition this year for her important contributions to helping the U.S. intelligence community achieve information advantage. In 2021, Dr. Dixon won the Wash100 popular vote contest after receiving record-breaking votes and participation from the GovCon community. Read more about Dr. Dixon and why she was selected as a 2024 Wash100 Award winner here. 

Green secured his sixth Wash100 Award this year for his “leadership in advancing strategic growth through major contract wins and pushing innovation in support of warfighters,” according to his Wash100 profile. Under Green’s leadership, HII hit $5.4 billion in new contract awards and $2.8 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2023, and the company secured key contracts with U.S. military branches and combatant commands. 

Vote for Dr. Stacey Dixon and Andy Green in this year’s Wash100 popular vote competition! Only one 2024 Wash100 winner can be the popular vote champion — who will it be? Cast your ten votes at Wash100.com today. 

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FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee for 2024 to Zone In on AI Tech; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee for 2024 to Zone In on AI Tech; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission is reviving its consumer advisory committee — known as the CAC — to address artificial intelligence and new issues impacting customer protection.

The agency announced Tuesday that the twelfth batch of the CAC will be comprised of 28 new and returning members, including co-chairs Claudia Ruiz, senior civil rights policy analyst at UnidosUS, and John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League.

The panel was relaunched amid growing concern over the exploitation of AI technologies to compromise consumer privacy. The 2024 members will convene for the first time on April 4.

“As AI rapidly advances, illegal calls utilize more sophisticated tactics, and too many communications tools potentially leave limited-English speakers behind, we are committed to actively engaging these challenges and opportunities today and looking into the future,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel explained. “I look forward to the work the committee will do and hearing their recommendations for now the Commission can advance these efforts to help and protect consumers.”

NASA Names University Teams Selected to Conduct Aeronautical Research
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NASA Names University Teams Selected to Conduct Aeronautical Research

Five additional university teams will participate in a NASA program to conduct real-world aeronautical research to help the agency develop next-generation aviation technologies.

Research teams from the University of California, Berkeley; Ohio University; The George Washington University; Cornell University; and the University of Washington, Seattle will submit proposals for the two lines of efforts of NASA’s University Innovation project, the agency said Wednesday.

UC Berkeley, Ohio University and GW were selected for the University Leadership Initiative, which provides $18 million in funding for the next three years to help the awardees build their multidisciplinary teams and create their agenda for aeronautics research.

Cornell University and the University of Washington, Seattle will participate in the new cycle of the University Student Research Challenge that offers a grant worth up to $80,000 for new research ideas to solve technical challenges in aviation.

“The idea is to give students, faculty and their partners the chance to conduct research – both physical and digital – that helps us realize our vision for 21st century aviation that is sustainable and offers more diverse air travel options,” said Koushik Datta, University Innovation project manager for NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

Arizona State University to Help Lead Semiconductor Supply Chain Diversification Initiative
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Arizona State University to Help Lead Semiconductor Supply Chain Diversification Initiative

The State Department Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs has awarded Arizona State University a $13.8 million cooperative agreement under the International Technology Security and Innovation, or ITSI, Fund to help lead a new initiative to diversify the global semiconductor supply chain.

ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering will support the State Department in leading a new multi-regional initiative to boost the semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging capabilities in ITSI partner countries in the Americas and Indo-Pacific, the State Department said Tuesday.

The effort will focus on enabling ITSI partners to invest in the semiconductor sector and advance workforce capacity to create new talent pipelines.

The initiative is meant to equip workforce development programs to assist partner nations in building workforce skills necessary to advance technology and spur economic growth.

ITSI was created by the CHIPS Act of 2022 to provide the State Department with $500 million in funding over five years to develop secure and trustworthy telecommunications networks and diversify the semiconductor supply chain.

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Bradley Brooker to Assume General Counsel Role at FBI
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Bradley Brooker to Assume General Counsel Role at FBI

Bradley Brooker, a national security legal adviser with two decades of combined industry and government experience, has been named general counsel and head of the Office of the General Counsel at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

He will assume his new position in early March and oversee the bureau’s office that provides legal advice on investigative and administrative operations, the FBI said Tuesday.

Before his appointment, Brooker was deputy general counsel in the OGC and head of the FBI’s National Security and Cyber Law Branch.

In this role, he advised the FBI senior leadership team on the oversight, compliance and privacy programs related to national security, cyber threats, terrorism and espionage.

Prior to joining the FBI, Brooker served as principal deputy general counsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He took on the position after serving twice as ODNI’s acting general counsel.

Earlier in his career, Brooker served as a law clerk for a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and a judge in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals.

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CNAS EVP Paul Scharre on Large Language Models, Other Emerging AI Tech
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CNAS EVP Paul Scharre on Large Language Models, Other Emerging AI Tech

Top officials at the Department of Defense met with technology industry leaders at a four-day symposium that kicked off Tuesday in Washington to talk about the potential military applications of LLMs or large language models and other emerging artificial intelligence technologies, The Washington Post reported.

Paul Scharre, executive vice president at the Center for a New American Security, said the flexibility of LLMs to manage diverse tasks is one of the factors that has excited officials at the Pentagon.

“Most AI systems have been narrow AI,” Scharre, a former DOD official, said at the symposium. “They are able to do one task right. AlphaGo was able to play Go. Facial recognition systems could recognize faces. But that’s all they can do. Whereas language seems to be this bridge toward more general-purpose abilities.”

Scharre also noted that AI models of China are about 18 to 24 months behind U.S.-built AI systems.

“U.S. technology sanctions are top of mind for them,” he said. “They’re very eager to find ways to reduce some of these tensions between the U.S. and China, and remove some of these restrictions on U.S. technology like chips going to China.”

Craig Martell, head of DOD’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, talked at the event and highlighted the role of industry in helping DOD develop its AI models.

U.S. Navy Capt. M. Xavier Lugo, mission commander of CDAO’s Task Force Lima, Shannon Gallagher, a Carnegie Mellon researcher and Nathan VanHoudnos, another Carnegie Mellon scientist, joined Martell and Scharre at the symposium to discuss LLMs and other AI technologies.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Scharre will join a panel discussion at the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21. Register to hear federal leaders and industry experts discuss the latest developments in the field. 

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