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ARPA-H Deputy Director Susan Monarez Discusses Agency’s Adoption of Generative AI
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ARPA-H Deputy Director Susan Monarez Discusses Agency’s Adoption of Generative AI

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is increasingly integrating generative artificial intelligence into its operations and looking into use cases across the wider health sector, Federal News Network reported on Tuesday.

According to ARPA-H Deputy Director Susan Monarez, the agency is already leveraging these technologies.

During a webinar hosted by the Association for Federal Information Resources Management, she explained that ARPA-H is working to learn from the technology while harnessing it as information and “translating that into knowledge” in order to shape its programs, from recruitment to project development.

Generative AI will also help the agency design unique, high risk, high reward programs that can benefit the healthcare ecosystem, Monarez added.

“How could we actually help improve those patient outcomes through improved access to high quality primary care, help access screening diagnostics, help accessing monitoring for someone who has a chronic disease,” she said. “So we are looking at that particular space. We don’t have any programs yet, but it is something that we’re super excited about.”

POC - 2023 Healthcare Summit

Healthcare technology will be among the topics of discussion at the 2023 Healthcare Summit, a Potomac Officers Club event. Register now to participate at the gathering on Dec. 6.

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DOD Making Progress in Becoming More Agile, Says Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks
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DOD Making Progress in Becoming More Agile, Says Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks

According to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the U.S. Department of Defense is advancing in its work to become more agile.

DOD leaders are pushing these efforts forward to promote change within the department, the three-time Wash100 Award winner told the Defense Writers Group Tuesday.

Hicks noted the replicator initiative — a program that aims to field thousands of self-piloting ships and uncrewed aircraft over the next few years — as an example of this progress. Replicator and other similar projects that are designed to accelerate the process of moving technologies from research to fielding are the future of the DOD, she said.

Despite some setbacks, there “has been phenomenal work that’s happened across the department.”

“One of the great things about our defense system is that innovation happens all across it,” said Hicks.

Simultaneous advancements both within the DOD and in the private sector are another factor in the department’s increased agility, Hicks stated. A major part of bringing all of these elements together, she said, is “predictable, reliable and appropriately strategically driven resources.”

Hicks also highlighted the benefits of working alongside international partners. She said it is important to “leverage that alliance structure” to maintain an asymmetric advantage, offering the U.S.-Philippine defense relationship as an example of “incredible progress.” The Australia-United Kingdom-United States agreement and partnership with India are also areas in which there is “lots of really positive momentum and real gains.”

Leadership, Hicks added, is critical to moving this process forward. She said the message to individuals advancing these efforts must be consistent.

Navy Aims to Achieve Cyberspace Superiority With Inaugural Cyber Strategy; Carlos Del Toro Quoted
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Navy Aims to Achieve Cyberspace Superiority With Inaugural Cyber Strategy; Carlos Del Toro Quoted

The U.S. Department of the Navy has released its first-ever cyber strategy outlining key goals for establishing information and cyberspace superiority.

In line with the Department of Defense Cyber Strategy and National Defense Strategy, the DON Cyber Strategy is built on seven lines of effort primarily surrounding information technology, critical infrastructure and partnership, the Navy said on Tuesday.

“This inaugural strategy builds on years of lessons learned from cyber domain operations across the globe,” said Carlos Del Toro, secretary of the Navy and a 2023 Wash100 awardee. “We are focused on aggressively enhancing our cyber enterprise, while fostering cooperation and collaboration with our allies and partners.”

Specific target areas include supporting the cyber workforce, shifting from compliance to cyber readiness and defending enterprise information technology, data and networks.

Through the framework, the Navy also aims to protect defense critical infrastructure and weapon systems, conduct and facilitate cyber operations, partner to secure the defense industrial base and foster cooperation and collaboration.

The strategy, which covers both Navy and Marine Corps cyber operations, was jointly developed by the Office of the Principal Cyber Advisor and Office of the Chief Information Officer.

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DOD OIG Releases Audit of Navy’s Management of MQ-25 Aerial Refueling Drone Program
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DOD OIG Releases Audit of Navy’s Management of MQ-25 Aerial Refueling Drone Program

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General has recommended that the U.S. Navy delay the production phase of its MQ-25 Stingray drone program until relevant tests are completed or the program’s risk management documentation is updated.

Suggestions were made after a DOD OIG audit that found that the Navy had planned to finalize production decisions before the completion of tests and evaluations necessary to ensure that the program meets operational capability requirements, the office said on Monday.

“The audit underscores the risks associated with premature decision-making and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing to ensure the MQ-25 program meets operational capability requirements, avoids deployment delays and manages costs effectively,” said DOD IG Robert Storch.

“The MQ-25 program’s risk documentation, including the risks contained in the acquisition strategy, did not identify, assess or develop mitigation plans for significant risks associated with the Navy’s scheduling decisions,” he added.

The DOD OIG also called on the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition to ensure that the program’s risk documentation is updated to account for risks of additional delays in receiving the MQ-25A aerial refueling drone, according to the audit report.

The office recommends that these steps be made prior to the Milestone C decision, which determines if the program will move to the production and deployment phase, and the initial operating capability decisions.

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HHS Begins Market Research for Zero Trust Implementation Support Services
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HHS Begins Market Research for Zero Trust Implementation Support Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Chief Information Officer has asked for information regarding potential sources of support services for the department-wide implementation of zero trust architecture.

To comply with a 2021 cybersecurity executive order, the OCIO is seeking information on the establishment and maintenance of a program management office that would support ZTA implementation efforts, according to a request for information published on Monday.

The task scope and bjectives of the RFI include identifying zero trust capabilities and gaps in each operating division, developing and maintaining a zero trust maturity scorecard and providing a secure test and data environment to enable the testing of multiple products to support ZTA implementation, among numerous others.

Interested offerors should provide a summary of their technical capabilities to meet the requirements, share information on current ZTA and cybersecurity contracts or task orders and state how they would use performance monitoring and reporting tools to perform contract work.

Responses to the RFI are due Dec. 6.

POC - 2023 Healthcare Summit

Find out the latest health care technology trends at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 6. Register here to attend this important event.

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OFPP Seeks Comments on Draft OMB Acquisition Data Management Circular
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OFPP Seeks Comments on Draft OMB Acquisition Data Management Circular

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget has requested feedback on a proposed OMB circular aimed at expanding federal agencies’ access to relevant acquisition data.

The circular is also intended to create a centralized strategy for data management to develop comprehensive knowledge and data banks, enhance agency access to resources and tools for decision-making associated with acquisition and establish common data sharing processes, according to a Federal Register notice published Friday.

Currently, the OMB is developing a framework for Hi-Definition acquisitions to foster enterprise wide data analysis, data interoperability and data sharing across agencies.

According to the notice, the proposed circular would create an acquisition data management policy to encourage Hi-Def acquisitions to enable agencies to easily access data when procuring supplies and services.

It would also direct agencies to develop yearly strategic plans, promote data-sharing technologies, implement policies for agency collection and sharing of acquisition data, create an interagency working group and facilitate other collaborative actions and workforce development with data management.

Comments are due Jan. 16, 2024.

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GSA Aims to Emphasize Best Value in MAS Acquisitions
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GSA Aims to Emphasize Best Value in MAS Acquisitions

The General Services Administration has issued a legislative proposal that aims to modify language within the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984 to reduce the use of the lowest price, technically acceptable method of selection, Federal News Network reported Friday.

The proposed update is intended to ensure that acquisitions made under the Multiple Award Schedule program emphasize best value for the government rather than lowest price.

Specific changes suggested include striking references to “lowest overall cost alternative” – which the agency says is often confused with “lowest price” – and replace them with “best value” instead, a term defined by the Federal Acquisition Regulation as “the expected outcome of an acquisition that, in the Government’s estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the requirement.”

These updates would align MAS standards with Congress’ preference for best value to become the “acquisition objective” of the government. They would also enable contractors to offer their solutions without being worried about price, GSA Senior Procurement Executive Jeff Koses told Federal News Network in an interview.

“Over the last 40 years, we’ve moved to a best value mindset. Acquisition is not about trying to buy the lowest priced item,” said Koses.

DIU Launches PFAS Remediation Projects at Select Military Bases
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DIU Launches PFAS Remediation Projects at Select Military Bases

The Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program and the Defense Innovation Unit have launched a new set of prototype projects to demonstrate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance treatment technologies at three military installations.

The Environmental Remediation & Restoration from PFAS Initiative will deploy water source remediation, soil treatment and destructive technologies to treat PFAS-contaminated media at selected U.S. Navy and Air Force bases, DIU said Friday.

Allonnia, Cyclopure and ECT2 have been selected to conduct water source remediation work at former Naval Air Station Joint Base Willow Grove and nearby Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

ASRC Consulting, Savron and TRS will deploy soil treatment technologies at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Meanwhile, Aquagga, Arcadis, Battelle and General Atomics will employ destructive technologies at a DOD-identified site.

“With a successful demonstration, the prototypes will be able to provide treatment options for DoD installations impacted by PFAS,” said Dr. Andrea Leeson, deputy director and environmental restoration program manager at ESTCP.

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IARPA Solicits Proposals for New Cyberthreat Attribution Technologies
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IARPA Solicits Proposals for New Cyberthreat Attribution Technologies

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity has issued a broad agency announcement for a new program to develop technologies designed to help forensic experts attribute a cyberattack based on coding styles.

IARPA said Monday the two-phase Securing Our Underlying Resources in Cyber Environments program aims to determine similarities between binary code and source code files and provide information to forensic experts on the likely origins of cyberattacks.

“As a result, SoURCE CODE will make it more difficult for cyber-criminals to operate without detection and remain anonymous,” said Program Manager Kris Reese.

Phase one will run for 18 months to conduct foundational research that will guide the development of novel methods to identify cyberthreat actors. Phase two will last one year to apply the techniques across both the source code forensics and binary forensic domains.

Sandia National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Software Engineering Institute will test and evaluate the participants’ systems.

Responses to the BAA are due Jan. 22, according to a notice posted Wednesday on SAM.gov.

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Keysight, AFRL Partner to Test Communication Networks at Sub-THz Frequencies
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Keysight, AFRL Partner to Test Communication Networks at Sub-THz Frequencies

Keysight Technologies has signed a cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, with the Air Force Research Laboratory to deliver its testbed technology to advance communications in sub-terahertz for next-generation networks.

Under the agreement, AFRL will use Keysight’s existing testbeds to evaluate full device characterization and measurement concepts at sub-THz frequencies, Air Force Materiel Command announced Monday.

Keysight will gain access to AFRL’s expertise in developing long-range outdoor end-to-end communications links and modeling wireless channel properties.

The test and measurement equipment company will also provide AFRL researchers access to its resources and capabilities to conduct performance analysis, including link simulations and digital twin modeling.

“Keysight aims to significantly advance sub-terahertz wireless technologies to support defense and civilian communication links and networks through this CRADA with AFRL,” said Vince Nguyen, vice president and general manager for Keysight’s technologies aerospace defense and government solutions team.

Learn more about the Department of Defense’s research and development priorities in 14 critical and emerging technology areas at the Potomac Officers Club’s 10th Annual Defense Research and Development Summit on Jan. 31, 2024.

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