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Senate Bill Aims to Boost Space Traffic Coordination in LEO
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Senate Bill Aims to Boost Space Traffic Coordination in LEO

A bipartisan group of Senate lawmakers has introduced legislation that would authorize the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce to create a space traffic coordination system to provide the public access to unclassified information on space activities in low Earth orbit.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement published Thursday the Situational Awareness of Flying Elements in Orbit Act, or SAFE Orbit Act, would require the OSC to collect and share relevant data to boost space situational awareness, also known as SSA.

“Building our knowledge of objects orbiting in space and their surrounding environments well help us mitigate the risks associated with space exploration and commercial space development,” Cornyn said.

Under the SAFE Orbit Act, the OSC must make basic services available for public use via an accessible web-based interface at no charge, maintain a public catalog of SSA data and information and develop and implement voluntary industry consensus standards.

The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.; Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

The OSC recently convened members of its Independent Review Board to review and provide feedback on the Traffic Coordination System for Space program, which aims to provide data and services related to spaceflight safety, space sustainability and international coordination.

POC - 2024 Space Summit

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Space Summit on March 5 to learn how new technologies, commercial investments and adversarial threats are shaping the future of space. Click here to register!

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GSA Begins Federal Acquisition Service Catalog Platform Rollout; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Begins Federal Acquisition Service Catalog Platform Rollout; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service has unveiled a web-based platform designed to manage vendor catalogs on the GSA Advantage! purchasing website.

The new FAS Catalog Platform, or FCP, integrates with the agency’s eMod contract modification tool and replaces the Schedule Input Program meant to facilitate the process of uploading and accessing catalogs for Multiple Award Schedule contractors, GSA said Monday.

FCP provides contractors access to market research data by automatically providing a compliance and pricing report, as well as publishes modifications within two days. It also features automated data validation checks, a central hub to assess catalog actions and statuses and a shared user interface between vendors, contract specialists and vendor support center personnel.

“This is a game-changer because it streamlines the process and reduces the time it takes for contractors to get their catalogs updated,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan.

“By using the great feedback from the pilot program, we’re moving closer to accomplishing one of our big goals: making it easier for people to do business with the federal government and succeed in the federal marketplace,” added Carnahan.

GSA expects to onboard the majority of Schedule contractors in fiscal year 2024 with plans to conduct a pilot for service functionality by the end of FY 2024.

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White House Issues Progress Report on Initiatives From Executive Order on Trustworthy AI Use
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White House Issues Progress Report on Initiatives From Executive Order on Trustworthy AI Use

The Biden administration has disclosed key initiatives to follow through on its Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.

The action items include a search for talent to help implement responsible AI use while improving government services and a program to educate K-12 up to college undergraduate students about the technology, the White House announced Monday.

The National AI Talent Surge will help foster research, development and innovation and create policies regarding civil rights, privacy and safety, said Deirdre Mulligan, principal deputy U.S. chief technology officer, and Mina Hsiang, administrator of the U.S. Digital Service. Interested applicants can visit ai.gov/apply for more information.

Meanwhile, a program called EducateAI will be led by the National Science Foundation to provide learning opportunities beginning in the K-12 level. The goal is to lay the foundation for future AI experts that can be recruited into the federal workforce.

On March 21, government officials will join AI industry experts in sharing insights and updates about the future of the technology in the public sector. Register now for the 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit
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DOD Launches 1st AI Bias Bounty to Uncover Risks in Large Language Models
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DOD Launches 1st AI Bias Bounty to Uncover Risks in Large Language Models

The Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office has launched the first round of its new artificial intelligence crowdsourced effort to identify biases in generative AI systems.

CDAO is spearheading the first AI Bias Bounty exercise in partnership with ConductorAI, Bugcrowd and BiasBounty.AI to generate novel approaches to algorithmic auditing and red-teaming AI models to find unknown risks in large language models, starting with open-source chatbots, the Pentagon said Monday.

“Given the Department’s current focus on risks associated with LLMs, the CDAO is actively monitoring this area; the outcome of the AI Bias Bounties could powerfully impact future DoD AI policies and adoption,” said Craig Martell, chief digital and AI officer at DOD and a 2024 Wash100 awardee.

DOD invites members of the public to participate in the bounty and earn monetary rewards for their findings based on evaluation by ConductorAI-Bugcrowd.

The first bounty exercise will run from Jan. 29 through Feb. 27.

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. Click here to register!

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DIU Requests Proposals for Production-Ready Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle Interceptors
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DIU Requests Proposals for Production-Ready Small Unmanned Surface Vehicle Interceptors

The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking proposals for small unmanned surface vehicle interceptors, or sUSVs, capable of coordinating and cooperating in groups while executing a shared task in contested environments.

DIU said in a commercial solutions opening announcement that it is looking for a group of sUSV interceptors using five primary metrics: production readiness, vehicle performance, sense-and-avoid, autonomous intercept and acceptance of collaborative multi-agent autonomy solutions.

The interceptors must also be able to carry a readily deployable small unmanned aircraft system, or sUAS, to help search for and localize ships of interest and adjust emissions control posture when in the vicinity of specific vessels and aircraft.

DIU encourages partnerships and teaming arrangements to integrate individual companies’ specializations into a single sUSV interceptor offering that is production-ready, affordable and operationally effective.

Responses are due Feb. 12.

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Executive Mosaic Honors CACI’s John Mengucci & Army’s Christine Wormuth With 2024 Wash100 Award
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Executive Mosaic Honors CACI’s John Mengucci & Army’s Christine Wormuth With 2024 Wash100 Award

Executive Mosaic spotlighted CACI President and CEO John Mengucci and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth for their induction into the 2024 Wash100 class on Tuesday.

The coveted Wash100 Award annually honors the most powerful figures shaping the government contracting industry. Its 11th class represents the highest tier of GovCon leaders, who were selected for both their past achievements and forward momentum.

Mengucci’s 2024 win marks his fifth consecutive year as a Wash100 awardee. This year, he was recognized for spearheading innovation and securing major contracts for CACI, which include a $2.7 billion National Security Agency contract and a $5.7 billion blanket purchase agreement with the Department of the Air Force. Read his full profile here.

Wormuth earned her second Wash100 Award this year for her work to architect the U.S. Army’s future. By guiding major initiatives like the Army of 2030 and Army of 2040, Wormuth has continuously demonstrated a strong commitment to transforming the service branch. Click here to read her full profile.

Each year, Wash100 gives you the opportunity to choose your favorite winners through its popular vote contest. Click here to join the competition and cast your votes.

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USAID Leads Request for Information for Proposed AI in Global Development Playbook
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USAID Leads Request for Information for Proposed AI in Global Development Playbook

The United States Agency for International Development, Department of State and the National Institute of Standards and Technology are inviting feedback from experts to guide them in developing a playbook for artificial intelligence in global development.

The AI in Global Development Playbook is a directive from the October 2023 Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, according to a Federal Register notice posted by USAID on Friday.

The agencies are interested in hearing from people located in global majority countries about the barriers to responsible design and deployment of AI technologies in compliance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

They also want to know the variances in benefits and risks of AI among marginalized, disadvantaged and similar groups, as well as in different cultures and geographical regions.

The Potomac Officers Club will hold its 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21 in Falls Church, Virginia. Join experts from government and industry in discussing the increasing integration of AI into the public sector’s processes and operations. Register now.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit
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Kirsten Dalboe Named Federal CDO Council Chair, Robert King Appointed Vice Chair
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Kirsten Dalboe Named Federal CDO Council Chair, Robert King Appointed Vice Chair

The Federal Chief Data Officers Council has appointed government officials Kirsten Dalboe and Robert King as chair and vice chair, respectively.

The council announced the executive moves in a LinkedIn post published Friday.

Dalboe currently serves as CDO at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Prior to FERC, she was the director of data operations within the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services and chief data architect and director of enterprise data management at the Department of Homeland Security.

King, a 20-year data, analytics and systems executive, is CDO at the Department of Energy.

Before coming to DOE, he was CDO and associate commissioner at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Analytics and Improvements and led enterprisewide data management and governance strategies at DHS.

King spent more than a decade in the private sector as an information technology systems architect and integrator.

AFRL, Brookhaven National Laboratory to Establish Empire State Quantum Network in New York
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AFRL, Brookhaven National Laboratory to Establish Empire State Quantum Network in New York

The Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory revealed that it is working with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to build the Empire State Quantum Network, a quantum computing hub.

The quantum networking project is a result of a memorandum of understanding signed by the two laboratories in December, which pledges cooperation between AFRL’s Distributed Quantum Networking Testbed Local Area Network and Brookhaven’s Wide Area Quantum Network, both located in New York state, BNL announced Friday.

Under the MOU, the organizations will exchange access to publicly available studies on quantum network transduction and node connectivity requirements.

They will also work together to support interoperability engineering for a new fiber-based quantum network connecting their LAN and WAN campuses.

The partnership “will leverage our respective strengths to meet the many challenges in developing the quantum devices required for long-distance networks,”  BNL Director JoAnne Hewett remarked. “We are very excited to be working in partnership with AFRL to realize the potential of large-scale quantum communication systems and other applications of this emerging technology.”

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GSA Solicits Comments on Draft FedRAMP Emerging Technology Prioritization Framework
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GSA Solicits Comments on Draft FedRAMP Emerging Technology Prioritization Framework

The General Services Administration has begun seeking public comments on a draft document describing the operational framework meant to enable the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program to prioritize CSOs, or cloud service offerings, that utilize emerging technologies during the authorization process.

The draft Emerging Technology Prioritization Framework for FedRAMP will be applied to artificial intelligence, specifically chat interfaces; code generators and debugging tools; and prompt-based image generators, according to a blog post published Friday.

The proposed prioritization framework will not establish additional pathways for authorization and will keep the same rigorous authorization requirements.

GSA wants interested stakeholders to share their thoughts on how FedRAMP can best evaluate whether providing a relevant emerging technology is the “primary purpose” of the CSO.

The agency is asking how the benchmarking process should be structured to ensure that the process is focused on eligibility, which entity should determine which benchmark to adopt and whether the agency needs to release more information about how different benchmarks better apply to specific AI use cases, among others.

Comments on the draft framework are due March 11.

POC - 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Register here to attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 5th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on March 21 and hear federal leaders and industry experts discuss the latest developments in the field.

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