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U-M, ASU Lead Efforts to Create Center for Digital Twins in Manufacturing
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A digital twins graphic. U-M and ASU intend to launch the Center for Digital Twins in Manufacturing.

The University of Michigan and Arizona State University have collaborated to establish a new National Science Foundation research center, Michigan News reported Monday.

Advancing Manufacturing with Digital Twins

The universities intend to launch the Center for Digital Twins in Manufacturing to address the challenges that hinder digital twin technology from advancing manufacturing. The proposed center will focus on resolving precompetitive issues to expand the use of digital twins to enhance manufacturing performance, quality and uptime.

Learn more about how the Air Force and Space Force are utilizing digital twins in their advanced engineering at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31 at the Hilton McLean!

The center aims to develop generalized, reusable, extendable and maintainable digital twins for particular machine types, such as a 3D printer that could be customized to simulate another specific machine. The digital twins are intended to simulate natural wear and tear and reflect enhancements after repairs and part replacements.

It is also meant to quantify and reduce uncertainty in digital twins, create digital twins for human-robot collaboration, leverage digital twin software for simulation and “what-if” analysis, and develop Autotwin, a software designed to generate and run digital twins.

“Everyone’s building digital twins, but we’re trying to build the glue or connectivity that enables digital twins to work together — to be composable, reusable and maintainable,” said Dawn Tilbury, chair of the Ronald D. and Regina C. McNeil Department at U-M.

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Expert: Public-Private Partnerships Essential to Cloud Identity Security Challenges
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The CISA logo. JCDC's associate director promotes public-private partnerships to address cloud identity security challenges.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has highlighted the need for public-private partnerships to address the growing risks to cloud identity systems.

In a blog post CISA posted Tuesday, Clayton Romans, associate director of CISA’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, said that while cloud providers have implemented security measures, nation-state-affiliated actors have exploited vulnerabilities in token authentication, key management and logging practices.

To mitigate the risks, cloud service providers are advised to harden authentication and authorization mechanisms, prioritizing improvements in token technology, secrets management, access control, logging and forensic capabilities. Enhancing security in token validation technology, secrets management systems and logging practices, however, presents complex challenges, Romans said. 

Learn more about cloud computing and other cutting edge cybersecurity topics during Navy Chief Information Officer Jane Rathbun’s keynote address at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on August 26 at the Hilton McLean!

Cloud Providers Gathered to Discuss Identity Security Practices

The JCDC is working with cloud service providers to address the challenges, including through the discussion of best practices for strengthening cloud identity security.

In June, CISA hosted the JCDC Cloud Identity Security Technical Exchange, during which 50 experts across the U.S. federal government and top cloud service providers analyzed core cloud identity security practices. The attendees included representatives from Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, HashiCorp, IBM, Microsoft, Okta, Oracle, Wiz, the OpenID Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Security Agency.

According to Romans, the exchange laid the foundation on how the agency can work with the private sector to improve the adoption of essential cloud identity security practices and enhance the resilience of critical cloud infrastructure. 

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Celina Tent, CIC Team on Prototype Shelter for Global Strike Missileer Protection
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A photo of a handshake. Celina Tent and the Cyber Innovation Center developed a prototype shelter for missile maintainers

Celina Tent and the Cyber Innovation Center collaborated to develop a prototype shelter to safeguard Air Force Global Strike Command missile maintainers and equipment from extreme weather conditions and potentially boost productivity.

Celina Tent, CIC Team on Prototype Shelter for Global Strike Missileer Protection

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Prototype Shelter for Global Strike Missileer Protection

STRIKEWERX said Tuesday that the 20-foot-tall shelter comprises two pieces: one stationary section and a second shelter enclosing the intercontinental ballistic missile Advanced Extremely High Frequency antenna and the crane used for its maintenance. The shelter is designed to inflate and deflate quickly to enhance the protection POC – 2025 Air and Space Summitof AFGSC personnel tasked with maintaining the ICBM AEHF antenna.

The tent-like shelter aims to reduce weather-related injuries, including hypothermia and heat exhaustion. The inflatable shelter’s faster deployment and takedown cut maintenance time by half, which could minimize overnight stays at missile alert facilities. The modernized shelter is also intended to lessen the need for “Work Rest Cycles,” which is currently practiced by missile maintainers.

The prototype shelter was developed during a design sprint facilitated by STRIKEWERX, CIC’s innovation hub. Personnel from Celina Tent and multiple Air Force bases worked on the design. The prototype will be tested for further refinement and potential deployment to AFGSC’s Missile Wings.

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Clyde Richards Named NSF CIO
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Clyde Richards has been named the National Science Foundation's CIO

The National Science Foundation has appointed Clyde Richards, a U.S. Army veteran, as chief information officer.

Richards announced his new position at NSF in a LinkedIn post.

Before this position, Richards was NSF’s acting CIO, a position he took on in March following Terry Carpenter’s retirement.

Who Is Clyde Richards?

Richards joined NSF in March 2024 as deputy CIO.

He has over three decades of experience in programs and operations management, business leadership, defense acquisitions, technology, logistics and contract management.

Prior to NSF, he spent more than three years at the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, where he served as deputy program executive officer responsible for the development, implementation and sustainment of the IT systems portfolio.

He held various leadership roles within the Department of Defense, including director of the Army Mission Command portfolio within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army; director of the Army and Marine Corps portfolio at the Defense Contract Management Agency; and senior program manager at the Army’s Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems, now known as PEO Enterprise.

The Rutgers University mathematics and computer science graduate has a master’s degree in information technology management from the Naval Postgraduate School.

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DSCA Director David Cattler to Retire in September
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David Cattler is set to retire as director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency

David Cattler is set to retire as director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, effective Sept. 30.

The DCSA said Monday will retire from public service, capping a 35-year career in the military, national security and civil sectors.

David Cattler’s Career Achievements

Cattler was appointed agency director in March 2024, replacing Daniel Lecce, the acting director at the time. He managed a global workforce of 15,000 federal and contract support personnel while overseeing the DCSA’s efforts to provide integrated security services, including counterintelligence support, industrial engagement, security training and vetting. 

Before joining the DCSA, Cattler served four years at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the assistant secretary general for intelligence and security. He also spent over four years at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, holding various positions, including assistant director of national intelligence, chairman of the national intelligence management council, national intelligence manager for the Near East and principal deputy national intelligence officer for military issues.

Cattler briefly served as deputy assistant to the president for regional affairs at the National Security Council and was the director of the defense combating terrorism center at the Defense Intelligence Agency, leading its counterterrorism efforts. Cattler also held various leadership roles during his stints at the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of the Navy and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Earlier in his career, Cattler worked at Whitney, Bradley & Brown and was a naval surface warfare officer.

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Dustin Gard-Weiss Appointed as CIA Executive Director
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Dustin Gard-Weiss headshot. The official has taken the role of executive director at the CIA

Dustin Gard-Weiss, who previously performed the duties of the under secretary of defense for intelligence and security, has been appointed as executive director of the CIA. The executive director role will replace the chief operating officer position, the CIA said in a press release on Friday.

Dustin Gard-Weiss Appointed as CIA Executive Director

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Gard-Weiss welcomed his appointment, saying that he was delighted to work with CIA Director John Ratcliffe, a one-time Wash100 Award winner, and Deputy Director Michael Ellis.

“It is the honor of my career to enable the CIA workforce to accomplish their exceptional mission,” he said.

Comments by CIA’s John Ratcliffe

Commenting on Gard-Weiss’ appointment, Ratcliffe expressed that he was glad to have him on the team. 

“Dustin is an outstanding leader with a wealth of experience in the Intelligence Community, and we are deeply fortunate to count him as a member of CIA’s senior leadership team,” he remarked. 

Who Is Dustin Gard-Weiss?

Gard-Weiss brings his two decades of leadership experience in defense, national security and intelligence missions. He became the executive director of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, where he supported the under secretary and deputy under secretary in overseeing intelligence, counterintelligence, and security efforts, according to his DOD profile.

He also held several top positions in the Navy, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

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GAO’s Alyssa Hundrup: Healthcare Sharing Agreements Could Play a Key Role in Cost Avoidance
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GAO's Alyssa Hundrup. Hundrup said cost avoidance is one area where healthcare sharing agreements could play a role

Alyssa Hundrup, healthcare director at the Government Accountability Office, said she believes cost avoidance is one area where healthcare sharing agreements could play an important role, Federal News Network reported Monday.

“We are all interested in saving taxpayer dollars, and with these agreements, there can be great opportunities for cost employment avoidance,” Hundrup told FNN.

Hundrup’s remarks are in response to a recent GAO analysis, which found that the departments of veterans affairs and defense do not evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare sharing agreements and fail to identify opportunities for new or expanded sharing agreements.

Double-Digit Increase in Active Healthcare Sharing Agreements Between DOD, VA

According to the GAO report, DOD and VA had 185 active sharing agreements in place as of April 2025, up 14 percent from 162 agreements in October 2022.

Such agreements allow DOD and VA to share facilities, administrative personnel and medical staff, and provide training, patient administration and other nonmedical services.

The congressional watchdog recommended that VA and DOD implement a process for assessing the effectiveness of their healthcare sharing agreements and use the results to introduce changes. The evaluation process should include establishing performance goals, creating performance measures and collecting data to assess progress.

Developing Nonreimbursable Agreements

According to the GAO report, medical facilities lack information on developing nonreimbursable agreements. Instead of billing each other, organizations share healthcare resources under these agreements.

“These are really important, because there may be some services where doing the reimbursable or the dollar amount may just not make the most sense, or it may be easier,” Hundrup said.

“For example, DoD may have specialized equipment, and VA may have the technician available. Costing it out and figuring out the dollars, it may just be more efficient and more useful to have a non-reimbursable agreement, and this is where it’s services in kind,” she added.

GAO recommended that DOD finalize guidance on developing nonreimbursable sharing agreements, including instructions on how to create a required justification through a business case analysis plan.

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Space Force Developing Advanced Swarm Digital Training Platform
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The U.S. Space Force logo. The military component is working on an advanced Swarm digital training platform for end of 2025.

The U.S. Space Force has revealed that it aims to develop and utilize a more advanced Swarm digital training platform by the end of 2025 to enhance the service branch’s readiness in the face of escalating threats to national space capabilities posed by China and Russia, Defense News reported Saturday.

Space Force Developing Advanced Swarm Digital Training Platform

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What Is Swarm?

Swarm is a training tool the Space Force is developing and utilizing to provide Guardians with enhanced tactical training exercises. The digital training platform is designed to simulate adversarial scenarios and various capabilities of U.S. and allied forces, enabling operators to train against enemy tactics and use realistic Space Force systems.

Planned Swarm Enhancements

The Space Force will prioritize further developing its current simulators to address training and tactics development needs. It will leverage existing and new systems for now, but the ultimate goal is to build a comprehensive virtual training infrastructure. The Space Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM, aims to shift Swarm to a cloud environment within the next two years, enabling operators in different geographies to conduct training together.

The service branch has requested a budget of $141 million to develop a National Test and Training Complex that will host virtual technologies for basic and advanced training. In addition, Space Force is ensuring that program offices developing satellites and ground systems will prioritize training requirements.

Maj. Gen. Tim Sejba, STARCOM commander, said, “This is basically a digital environment at various classification levels that is going to allow us to be able to provide a red threat. We’re bringing units together at Space Flag already and executing within that digital environment.”

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Catalyst Campus Selects 3 New Companies for Cohort Two of SDA TAP Lab Mini Accelerator
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Catalyst Campus runs the Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Mini Accelerator

Catalyst Campus has welcomed three new small businesses to its two-month mini accelerator program.

The non-profit said Monday that the new members of Cohort Two of its Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab Mini Accelerator were selected based on proposed solutions’ alignment with SDA mission areas and potential impact on national defense.

Catalyst Campus Selects 3 New Companies for Cohort Two of SDA TAP Lab Mini Accelerator

Leaders from across the space defense industry will come together at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on July 31. Register for the in-person event here.

The SDA TAP Lab Mini Accelerator is open to early-stage companies and serves as a pipeline into Project Apollo, the Space Force’s collaborative technology accelerator. As part of the mini accelerator, participants will get access to mentorship opportunities and exposure to key Department of Defense and SDA stakeholders.

New SDA TAP Lab Mini Accelerator Cohort

Catalyst Campus named BQP, Paterson Aerospace Systems Corp. and R4C Tech as members of its Cohort Two.

BQP is working on BQPhy, a quantum-accelerated digital twin platform that can integrate into existing engineering workflows and infrastructure. BQPhy can bridge the gap between high-performance computers and future quantum computers.

Meanwhile, Paterson Aerospace Systems Corp. is developing technologies that can track orbital debris smaller than 10 centimeters, which pose a significant threat to space systems. The company believes that providing data on small orbital debris could prevent a future where space becomes inaccessible.

Led by scientists and aerospace, defense, and artificial intelligence developers, R4C Tech specializes in creating cyber-physical intelligence software systems that can detect and characterize threats and support data-driven decision-making. The company is currently building tools that will integrate machine learning and weather-based predictors to identify rocket launch windows.

Cohort Two commenced on July 8 and will run through Aug. 22 in Colorado.

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INL Named SMART USA Chief Digital Officer to Advance Semiconductor Manufacturing
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Idaho National Lab logo. INL will serve as SMART USA chief digital officer.

The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory will serve as the chief digital officer for the Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins USA Institute, or SMART USA.

The partnership with the Department of Energy will enable the SMART USA program to use the agency’s investments in high-performance computing to tackle the semiconductor industry’s toughest challenges by advancing American digital twin technology, building a digital backbone and applying it to the semiconductor supply chain to reduce the time and costs associated with chip design and production and boost domestic manufacturing competitiveness, INL said Monday.

SMART USA is a new Manufacturing USA Institute funded by the National Institute for Standards and Technology CHIPS for America program and led by Semiconductor Research Corporation Manufacturing Consortium Corp.

INL — An Expert in Digital Twin Technology 

According to Chris Ritter, INL’s division director of scientific computing and AI, the laboratory was selected as the chief digital officer for its vast expertise in digital twinning, high-performance computing, digital engineering, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. In the said role, INL will be responsible for “developing tools and methodologies to provide agile responses to supply chain disruptions, ensuring continuous and efficient semiconductor production,” he added.

The lab has already applied digital twin technology in key areas, including nuclear operations, energy systems, advanced materials, fuel cycles and cyber-physical security.

Addressing a Shortage of Skilled Workers

In addition to leading SMART USA efforts, INL will also oversee the Rocky Mountain region’s Digital Innovation Semiconductor Centers. INL will collaborate with universities and companies, including Micron and Texas Instruments, to build a skilled semiconductor workforce.

“We are thrilled to embark on this exciting partnership with Idaho National Lab,” said Todd Younkin, executive director of SMART USA. “INL’s pioneering work in digital twins, which integrate physical assets with computational capabilities, is set to revolutionize semiconductor manufacturing.”

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