DOD Cautiously Studying Brain-Machine Interfaces
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DOD Cautiously Studying Brain-Machine Interfaces

An information warfare official at the U.S. Department of Defense has urged caution about a capability that can connect directly to electric signals in the human mind, the Washington Times said on Friday.

Referred to as brain-machine interfaces, these technologies are designed to link electrical brain signals with specific devices so users can give commands from their minds.

Lt. Cmdr. Mark Wess, a cryptologic warfare officer, wrote in the May issue of the U.S. Naval Institute’s magazine Proceedings that “no emerging technology is potentially more important to the military.” In the future, Wess sees a world where naval officers can employ BMI tools to control a battleship’s navigation, weapons and engineering systems.

The DOD has made some research and development efforts regarding BMIs. Capt. Ayesha Ahmad analyzed earlier neuroimaging experiments conducted by the department, including a Navy study in which researchers used electroencephalograms to detect lies. The study has a median 95% statistical confidence and error rate lower than 1 percent.

In 2018, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency launched the Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology program to develop BMI tools that could be used to facilitate human-machine interaction with unmanned aerial vehicles and active cyber defense systems.

While the U.S. military is looking into these tools, BMI technologies are also being developed by the nation’s near-peer competitors, according to Wess, who warned against potential negative uses of this technology and its ability to gather information regarding human brain functions.

Brain Talker, a joint project between China’s Tianjin University and China Electronics Corp., was announced in 2019. The press release about its creation said it is designed to understand a person’s goals using neural electric signals.

DOD Cautiously Studying Brain-Machine Interfaces

At the Potomac Officers Club’s 10th Annual Defense R&D Summit, you will have the chance to hear about many more DOD R&D initiatives from officials across the department. Last year’s edition of the event featured keynote speakers from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the Defense Innovation Unit and the Air Force. To learn more and register to attend, click here.

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Raylene Yung Steps Down as Head of GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund
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Raylene Yung Steps Down as Head of GSA’s Technology Modernization Fund

Raylene Yung, executive director of the General Services Administration’s Technology Modernization Fund Program Management Office, is stepping down after two years in the position, Federal News Network reported Friday.

Jessie Posilkin, director of TMF’s customer experience portfolio, will serve as acting executive director of the program until a permanent replacement is identified.

Yung joined the TMF PMO in September 2021 and has since overseen the $1.2 billion funding initiative that supports the information technology modernization efforts across the federal government.

She previously served as the co-founder and CEO of the U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit initiative that facilitates collaboration between government and organizations to address critical public needs amid the pandemic.

The Stanford University graduate was also a tech policy fellow at the Aspen Institute.

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Former CYBERCOM Intelligence Director Maj. Gen. Select Matteo Martemucci Named CSS Deputy Chief
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Former CYBERCOM Intelligence Director Maj. Gen. Select Matteo Martemucci Named CSS Deputy Chief

Maj. Gen. Select Matteo Martemucci has been appointed deputy chief of the Central Security Service.

He will serve under CSS Chief and National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, overseeing military and U.S. Coast Guard signals intelligence missions, NSA announced Friday.

Martemucci most recently served as director of intelligence for the U.S. Cyber Command, which is also led by Nakasone. He was primarily responsible for cyber operation planning and execution, which was critical in the implementation of combat missions around the globe.

As a decorated U.S. Air Force brigadier general, he was deployed in operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, Decisive Endeavor and Southern Watch.

He also led intelligence units in the U.S. and overseas, such as the Test Squadron Intelligence Support at Edwards Air Force Base and the 51st Operations Support Squadron at Osan Air Base in South Korea.

“I am excited to continue my working relationship with Brig Gen Martemucci. He is a steadfast leader who will build upon the solid foundation laid by his predecessor, Maj Gen Douglas Coppinger. I place my full confidence in him to lead the CSS,” remarked Nakasone, a seven-time inductee into the Executive Mosaic Wash100.

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ARServices to Continue Providing Clinical Trial Support for National Cancer Institute Following Contract Recompete Win
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ARServices to Continue Providing Clinical Trial Support for National Cancer Institute Following Contract Recompete Win

Management and technology consulting services provider ARServices has won a recompete contract with the National Institutes of Health.

ARServices said on LinkedIn that the contract involves providing support for clinical trials carried out by the Protocol Information Office within the NIH National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Prevention.

Work under the contract includes maintaining DCP clinical trial records, abstracting elements from protocol-related documents and supporting clinical trial reviews.

Funding from the NCI, NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services is financing the project.

ARServices President and CEO Jay McCargo said his organization is humbled to continue supporting NCI, adding: “Our commitment to excellence and collaboration drives our dedication to advancing medical research and improving lives.”

ARServices to Continue Providing Clinical Trial Support for National Cancer Institute Following Contract Recompete Win

Potomac Officers Club will hold the 2023 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 6. The event will feature top healthcare professionals, who will discuss what’s on the horizon for the sector. Click here to register.

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CISA to Update National Cyber Incident Response Plan in 2024; Eric Goldstein Quoted
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CISA to Update National Cyber Incident Response Plan in 2024; Eric Goldstein Quoted

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is working with the private and public sector to amend the 2016 National Cyber Incident Response Plan next year.

CISA announced Friday that it is preparing to seek input from government agencies, critical infrastructure organizations and other industry partners to align the NCIRP with new cyber policies and technologies.

The NCIRP 2024 Planning Initiative will discuss advancements in ransomware and other cyber threats and improvements in public-private coordination over cyber incident response. It will also take into consideration the evolving capabilities of U.S. adversaries when it comes to online security.

“Our approach to update the NCIRP will be grounded in transparency and collaboration, recognizing that the private sector is often the first responder to many cyber incidents and that adversary campaigns increasingly transcend national borders,” said Eric Goldstein, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity.

National security officials and experts from the government and private sectors are gathering at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 15. Be part of the event by registering now.

POC - 2023 Homeland Security Summit
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Marines Test ‘Robotic Goat’ in Combat Center Rocket Weapon Launch
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Marines Test ‘Robotic Goat’ in Combat Center Rocket Weapon Launch

U.S. Marines with the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group from Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command have partnered with the Office of Naval Research to test a quadruped robotic platform, dubbed “the robotic goat,” at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in California.

During the test, the mechanism carried an M72 light anti-tank weapon rocket launcher, enabling the Marines to control the anti-armor system remotely, the U.S. Marine Corps said Thursday.

“Instead of having a Marine handle the weapon system, manipulate the safeties, we could put a remote trigger mechanism on it that allowed it to all be done remotely,” said 1st Lt. Aaron Safadi, officer in charge of the emerging technology integration section at TTECG.

Safadi said the robotic goat could enable Marines to stay in cover and concealment while the weapon system approaches its target.

MCAGCC is reportedly the largest Marine Corps base that hosts military exercises to test new technologies, including robotic platforms, augmented reality and artificial intelligence systems.

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Scale AI’s Michael Kratsios: Lawmakers Should Advance Sector-Specific, Risk-Based Approach to AI Regulation
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Scale AI’s Michael Kratsios: Lawmakers Should Advance Sector-Specific, Risk-Based Approach to AI Regulation

Michael Kratsios, managing director of Scale AI and the 4th chief technology officer of the U.S., said lawmakers should ensure that federal agencies implement existing laws to advance responsible adoption of artificial intelligence and “pursue a use case and sector-specific, risk-based approach rooted in high quality testing and evaluation.”

Kratsios, a two-time Wash100 awardee, said at a House Science, Space and Technology Committee joint subcommittee hearing on Wednesday that the U.S. government should harness the strength of the country’s innovation ecosystem to push responsible AI development efforts forward.

He noted that Congress has the opportunity to do that by creating and funding the National AI Research Resource.

“Doing so would create a critical shared research infrastructure, providing expanded access to computational capabilities, high-quality datasets, and educational resources. Access to high-quality training data is the bedrock for developing responsible AI systems,” he said at the joint hearing.

“The NAIRR could serve as a crucial engine to drive the curation and availability of such data across government agencies,” Kratsios added.

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Treasury, OMB Report $320B Increase in FY 2023 Deficit; Janet Yellen & Shalanda Young Quoted
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Treasury, OMB Report $320B Increase in FY 2023 Deficit; Janet Yellen & Shalanda Young Quoted

The Department of the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget reported that the deficit rose by $320 billion, or 23 percent, to $1.7 trillion in fiscal year 2023 and that governmental receipts totaled $4.4 trillion, reflecting a drop of 9.3 percent, or $457 billion, from FY 2022.

OMB and the Treasury said Friday the decline in FY 2023 receipts can be attributed to lower individual income tax receipts due to lower capital gains realizations and lower earnings deposits by the Federal Reserve driven by higher interest rates.

Outlays dropped by 2.2 percent or approximately $137 billion to $6.1 trillion due to a Supreme Court decision on certain student loan programs, reductions in COVID-19 relief spending and expiration of the Child Tax Credit.

Federal borrowing from the public totaled $26.2 trillion in FY 2023, an increase of $2 trillion from the previous fiscal year.

The two agencies associated the increase with borrowing needed to finance the deficit and net borrowing related to other transactions.

“The U.S. economy remains resilient despite global headwinds. Previous expectations that the U.S. would fall into recession over the course of 2023 have not borne out. Our economy added over 300,000 new jobs in September and our GDP growth continues to surprise forecasters to the upside, even as inflation has come down significantly since last year,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.

Under President Biden’s leadership, “inflation is down, job growth remains strong, and unemployment is near record lows—we’ve shown that investing in our nation and achieving meaningful deficit reduction are not mutually exclusive,” said OMB Director Shalanda Young.

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Elementum 3D, RPM Innovations Help NASA Create Aluminum-based Rocket Engine Nozzle
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Elementum 3D, RPM Innovations Help NASA Create Aluminum-based Rocket Engine Nozzle

NASA worked with Elementum 3D and RPM Innovations to build and test a rocket engine nozzle from weldable aluminum using additive manufacturing.

The 3D printing experiment shows promise in the creation of aluminum-based rocket components, whose lightweight, high-strength and high-density features would allow for more payloads to be carried during deep space missions, NASA said Thursday.

The aluminum engine nozzle is part of the agency’s Reactive Additive Manufacturing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution project. Scientists developed a new aluminum variant and employed RPMI’s laser powder directed energy deposition, or LP-DED technology to modify Elementum’s powder used to build the nozzle as a single piece.

Hot fire tests were conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

“This test series marks a significant milestone for the nozzle,” RAMFIRE Principal Investigator Paul Gradl said. “After putting the nozzle through the paces of a demanding hot-fire test series, we’ve demonstrated the nozzle can survive the thermal, structural, and pressure loads for a lunar lander scale engine.”

NASA and its private sector partners will share their LP-DED additive manufacturing process to academic institutions and commercial stakeholders. The novel aluminum is already being examined by aerospace companies as a potential ingredient for satellites and related technologies.

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FDIC Should Develop Plan for Assessing Risks Related to Crypto-Related Activities, New Report Says
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FDIC Should Develop Plan for Assessing Risks Related to Crypto-Related Activities, New Report Says

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Office of Inspector General has called on FDIC to establish a plan with time frames for reviewing crypto-related risks and update relevant feedback processes for reviewing supervised institutions’ engagement with crypto.

The recommendations were informed by an FDIC review, in which it assessed the state of its strategies to manage risks associated with crypto assets, the OIG said Wednesday.

According to the report, the lack of existing guidance on assessing risks associated with crypto activities may deter the FDIC and supervised institutions from making targeted efforts to address risks posed by crypto assets.

If FDIC does not provide financial institutions with timely feedback, the risk of FDIC being viewed as unsupportive of institutions that engage in activities associated with crypto could increase, the report said.

The FDIC intends to respond to the recommendations with corrective actions by Jan. 30, 2024.

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