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Report: Some Federal Agencies Looking to AI to Deal With FOIA Requests
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Report: Some Federal Agencies Looking to AI to Deal With FOIA Requests

The State Department, Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have started testing artificial intelligence tools to help process large volumes of requests under the Freedom of Information Act, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Eric Stein, deputy assistant secretary for the State Department, said the agency is currently assessing two AI models to help handle FOIA requests.

One of these tools, he said, uses machine learning algorithms to sift through records in centralized archives and databases – which contain over 3 billion records.

Several government agencies have begun testing a Mitre-built AI prototype, dubbed FOIA Assistant, designed to find records in government datasets and recommend redactions of information under the law.

“It’s not perfect,” Jason Baron, a University of Maryland professor who helped test the prototype, said of FOIA Assistant. “But using this type of AI actually could be of enormous help in the future when agencies routinely are finding tens or hundreds of thousands of potentially responsive records that they otherwise would have to review manually, a process that almost assuredly will take many years.”

Though progress is being made, some civil rights and open government advocates have urged caution when implementing AI before standards are fully put in place.

Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum

Join the ExecutiveBiz Trusted Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy Forum on Sept. 12 to hear public sector leaders and technology experts as they discuss the opportunities and risks associated with generative AI and related tools. Click here to register.

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Linda Neilson Retires as Director of Defense Acquisition Regulations System
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Linda Neilson Retires as Director of Defense Acquisition Regulations System

Linda Neilson, director of the Defense Acquisition Regulations System, has retired after more than four decades of federal service and 15 years in the position, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment announced Wednesday.

While serving as DARS director, Neilson chaired the DAR Council and oversaw the development and maintenance of the Department of Defense’s acquisition rules and guidelines for purchasing goods and services for warfighter support.

Neilson’s career included the positions of deputy division director at Naval Sea Systems Command, contracting officer at Naval Air Systems Command and executive director of acquisition workforce and career management at the Defense Acquisition University. She also served as a member of Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy, now known as the Office of Defense Pricing and Contracting, where she worked on policy development.

She has managed contracting programs for major weapons systems, submarine repair and overhaul services, facilities and leases and research and development, among other areas.

Dawn Messer has been appointed acting director of DARS for the DPC.

IRS’ New Paperless Processing Initiative Targets Digitalization Starting 2024; Janet Yellen Quoted
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IRS’ New Paperless Processing Initiative Targets Digitalization Starting 2024; Janet Yellen Quoted

The Internal Revenue Service has initiated the next step of its digitalization plan – an effort that would give taxpayers the option to go paperless beginning in the 2024 tax filing season.

On Wednesday, the agency shared that it expects the initiative to enable individuals to electronically submit their selected tax forms as well as non-tax forms, notice responses and other correspondence by Filing Season 2026.

“This ‘Paperless Processing’ initiative is the key that unlocks other customer service improvements,”commented Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

“It will enable taxpayers to see their documents, securely access their data, and save time and money. And it will allow other parts of the IRS to rely on these digital copies to provide faster refunds, reduce errors in tax processing, and deliver a more seamless and responsive customer service experience,” Yellen explained.

With the digitalization of non-tax document submissions, the IRS expects to convert 125 million paper files and accommodate 94 percent of taxpayers online instead of by mail per year.

The electronic filing of 20 additional tax forms, including amendments to Forms 940, 941 and 941SSPR, is expected to result in the paperless processing of 4 million documents per year.

The agency is working toward electronically processing all paper-filed information and tax returns by the 2025 filing season. This would amount to 76 million documents being digitally processed every year, reducing times to refund taxpayers.

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CISA’s Jen Easterly, FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel on Need to Advance Border Gateway Protocol Security
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CISA’s Jen Easterly, FCC’s Jessica Rosenworcel on Need to Advance Border Gateway Protocol Security

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Communications Commission hosted a workshop with government agency partners to discuss the need to address security vulnerabilities associated with the Border Gateway Protocol, a set of technical rules that enables data routing on the internet, CISA Director Jen Easterly and FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared in a joint blog post published Wednesday.

The workshop included discussions on measures that should be taken to bolster the security of internet traffic routing, protections the FCC should implement to safeguard the nation’s communications networks from BGP-related risks and how the public and private sectors can best collaborate to advance the implementation of best practices and standards to mitigate negative impacts posed by these vulnerabilities.

In the blog post, Easterly, a two-time Wash100 awardee, and Rosenworcel commended network operators and internet service providers that have allocated resources to implement Route Origin Validation and Resource Key Public Infrastructure.

They also called on all network operators, chief information officers and chief information security officers to inform ISPs about the significance of BGP security and Route Origin Validation implementation.

The two leaders noted that CISA is working with the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of the National Cyber Director to create a roadmap for agencies to reach the recommended BGP security practices.

“BGP security is a global problem that requires a community solution, and we look forward to continuing our partnership and making real progress in the coming year,” they added.

SBA, Pentagon Discuss Biden’s AM Forward Initiative With Industry Leaders
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SBA, Pentagon Discuss Biden’s AM Forward Initiative With Industry Leaders

Small Business Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, a 2023 Wash100 awardee, recently met with industry leaders to discuss President Biden’s AM Forward initiative to support small business suppliers within the U.S. supply chain.

The AM Forward program encourages large manufacturers to help stimulate the use of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, among smaller U.S.-based suppliers, the Small Business Administration said Wednesday.

Lockheed Martin and General Electric, investment bank Stifel Financial and nonprofit research institute ASTRO America were represented at the meeting.

Attendees considered how the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company program could help entrepreneurs break down barriers to adopting new manufacturing technologies.

“The AM Forward Initiative, the SBA’s SBIC program and the establishment of DoD’s Office of Strategic Capital tell a compelling story about the power of partnerships to ensure that America’s small and medium-sized businesses continue to lead the world in innovation and critical technologies,” Hicks said.

The Department of Defense established the OSC in 2022 to help technology developers find needed capital to bring platforms to the military and national security markets.

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Space Force STARCOM Releases 2 Doctrines on Intelligence, Operations; Col. Jack Fulmer Quoted
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Space Force STARCOM Releases 2 Doctrines on Intelligence, Operations; Col. Jack Fulmer Quoted

The Space Training and Readiness Command has published two doctrines detailing the U.S. Space Force’s view of best practices and principles regarding space intelligence and operations.

Space Doctrine Publication 2-0, Intelligence, focuses on the role of intelligence as related to military spacepower, while SDP 3-0, Operations, provides guidance to help joint forces gain an advantage in space, STARCOM said Monday.

Space Force Doctrine “establishes a common framework for employing Guardians as part of a broader joint force,” said Col. Jack Fulmer, Space Delta 10 commander.

“By offering fundamental principles and authoritative guidance, doctrine acts as an informed starting point for decision-making and strategy development.”

SDP 2-0 discusses the importance of intelligence in space operations, as well as the Guardians’ functions in the intelligence community. The publication is aligned with the Chief of Space Operations’ Planning Guidance, and is based on lessons learned during exercises and real-life missions.

SDP 3-0 contains advice and best practices that the joint force commander can leverage to achieve space superiority. It is based on the experience, knowledge and expertise of Space Force operations personnel.

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DOD CIO John Sherman Releases New Cyber Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan
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DOD CIO John Sherman Releases New Cyber Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan

John Sherman, chief information officer for the Department of Defense and a two-time Wash100 Award recipient, has approved the department’s new 2023-2027 Cyber Workforce Strategy Implementation Plan.

The plan will guide the DOD as it carries out its work to recruit, develop and retain a strong cyber workforce, the department announced on Wednesday.

“Maintaining a highly skilled cyber workforce is vital to protecting our Nation against global cyber threats,” Sherman commented.

He elaborated on the plan, saying that it will “take progressive measures” to create a workforce that is “flexible and responsive in an ever-changing cyber domain.”

The strategy is built on four major goals – consistently conducting capability assessment and analysis processes, establishing an enterprise-wide talent management program, changing internal culture and encouraging collaboration – that will inform the execution of 22 objectives and 38 initiatives. Each step of the strategy is designed to help the DOD cultivate an agile, flexible and responsive cyber workforce.

To ensure the success of the plan, the DOD will continuously collect feedback to monitor its progress. Department components will build and adapt action planning efforts as needed to bring these goals to fruition.

“Our goal is to ensure we are not only finding and hiring a diverse group of highly skilled cyber professionals but also develop the tools, resources, and partnerships required to continue growing these individuals,” said Patrick Johnson, director of the Workforce Innovation Directorate.

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Watch: Zscaler’s Ken Urquhart Talks Decryption & The Future of Quantum
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Watch: Zscaler’s Ken Urquhart Talks Decryption & The Future of Quantum

As the field of quantum computing advances, new opportunities and threats are emerging. One key threat federal leaders are focusing on is decryption.

“It’s all about decryption. It’s all about cracking your secrets,” said Dr. Ken Urquhart, global vice president of 5G strategy at Zscaler, in a recent video interview with Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt.

But right now, Dr. Urquhart said we’re not quite at the stage of being able to crack quantum encryption.

“So let’s look at where we are today — we don’t have enough qubits to do really interesting things with most of the algorithms. To crack RSA encryption, we had one group say about 6,000 qubits. Are we there yet? No — we may hit about 1,000 this year and now we’re going to go for 4,000. Still not at 6,000 qubits,” he shared.

Dr. Urquhart said that based on estimates from physicists and quantum experts, we may not achieve full-scale quantum computing capabilities for another 50 years. But despite this, those in the quantum field are still working to find new algorithms that are stronger and less likely to be cracked using quantum or classical computing.

“Turns out you can build encryption algorithms for quantum computing that are just as hard to break as encryption algorithms in classical computing,” he said. “In fact, there was one algorithm for quantum encryption that would be considered unbreakable on a quantum computer that turned out you could break on a classical computer pretty quickly.”

Watch Dr. Urquhart’s full video interview here to learn more about quantum effects and when they may start to impact our world.

5 AFWERX Government Contracts Awarded by the U.S. Air Force
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Top government contracts of the U.S. Air Force; AFWERX Government Contracts
Photo by zieusin on Shutterstock

The Air Force Work Project (AFWERX) is a part of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) that focuses on innovation based at the Air Force Research Laboratory. It partners with small businesses and defense contractors to quickly and affordably bring new technology. AFWERX has experienced recent growth, increasing its contract team members by 80% and nonmilitary staff by 50%.

With rampant steps toward innovation, the USAF launched AFWERX to expeditiously issue SBIR and STTR contracts valued at least $7.5 million.

Top AFWERX government contracts awarded the U.S. Air Force

 

Xage Security’s Military Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation

Xage Security Military Cybersecurity and Digital Transformation
Vector by HNK on Shutterstock
  • Contract date: December 2019
  • Company Awardee: Xage Security

In December 2019, the United States Air Force (USAF) awarded a Phase-1 SBIR contract to Xage Security. Xage Security creates trusted networks in intricate systems using blockchain technology. This technology stores information about which nodes can join the network, identity and privilege details and a record of activities.

The blockchain cybersecurity contract was a part of AFWERX’s program, which allows Xage Security to supply the Air Force and the Department of Defense’s computer security and data management needs.

About Xage Security

Xage Security is a security company renowned for its unique zero-trust approach. Its cutting-edge solution is based on blockchain technology and covers dynamic data security, cybersecurity, access management, etc. Xage’s services cater to energy, utilities, mining, transportation, and manufacturing industries. 

Exosonic’s Fifth-Generation Supersonic Targets Development

Exosonic Fifth-Generation Supersonic Targets Development
Photo by Miguel Lagoa on Shutterstock
  • Contract date: May 2023
  • Contract value: $1.25 million
  • Company Awardee: Exosonic

In May 2023, Exosonic received an estimated $1.25 million SBIR Phase 2 contract from AFWERX. Under the contract, Exosonic develops a digital design and trade study for a fifth-generation supersonic target. This allows the Air Force to maintain its edge in aerial combat. Exosonic’s Direct-to-Phase II SBIR analyzes propulsion, avionics, and landing gear options, which can lead to a viable design and potential aircraft prototyping.

The project also addresses the need for supersonic targets for missile training, which expands capabilities beyond previous proposals by other companies.

About Exosonic

Exosonic is an early-stage aerospace start-up that develops supersonic UAVs for many military and commercial use cases, including air combat training, aerial targets, and collaborative combat aircraft.

VivSoft’s MLOps and DevSecOps Automation Security

VivSoft MLOps and DevSecOps Automation Security
Vector by Garinblack on Shutterstock
  • Contract date: January 2020
  • Company Awardee: VivSoft

In January 2020, VivSoft won a contract from the U.S. Air Force through its SBIR AFWERX technology innovation program to support the Air Force Cyber Systems and Process.

VivSoft’s patent-pending blockchain technology, ENCHOC, will enhance USAF’s security for MLOps and DevSecOps automation pipelines. This safeguards software artifacts and AI/ML data sets within the federal government and encourages collaboration across agencies.

ENCHOC integrates with DevSecOps and MLOps guidelines, which provides visibility into creating and deploying code and data sets. 

About VivSoft

VivSoft uses innovative technologies to solve the public sector’s complex problems. It partners with federal, state, and local government leaders to accelerate innovation using DevSecOps, cloud, AI/ML, and blockchain technology. The company thrives on ongoing contracts and partnerships with the Department of Defense accelerators like AFWERX and DIU.

SCOUT Space’s Space Domain Awareness Enhancement

SCOUT Space's Space Domain Awareness Enhancement
Photo by Dmitriy Rybin on Shutterstock
  • Contract date: July 2022
  • Company awardee: SCOUT Space

In July 2022, the U.S. Air Force AFWERX program awarded SCOUT Space a Phase II SBIR contract to enhance space domain awareness. Under the agreement, SCOUT collaborates with Air Force Research Lab Intelligence Systems Division (AFRL/RIE) and Space Operations Command (spOC) Delta 2 to advance Space Development Agency metric observation tasking and catalog augmentation using space-based sensing. SCOUT also developed an orbital-distributed sensor network for spacecraft to understand their surroundings better.

About SCOUT

SCOUT is a volunteer-run startup established in 2019. Its mission is to create technologies and orbital products to bring a new era of space safety, transparency, and enhanced Space Domain Awareness to government and defense customers.

Spectrohm and Battelle’s Threat Detection Tool Development

Spectrohm and Battelle Threat Detection Tool Development
Vector by HNK on Shutterstock
  • Contract date: April 2023
  • Company awardee: Spectrohm and Battelle

In April 2023, Spectrohm and Battelle’s partnership secured a Phase II  contract from the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm. The agreement requires them to create a hand-held screening tool to check sealed vehicle tanks for illegal substances like narcotics and explosives.

This award is also a part of AFWERX’s Small Business Technology Transfer program that develops a fuel-tank screening technology to ensure safety at the entry points in the Department of Defense facilities. Spectrohm-Battelle Team’s threat detection tool can enhance border security, critical infrastructure protection, and law enforcement.

About Spectrohm and Battelle

Spectrohm is an expert in internal imaging applications for security, medicine, and inspection. Battelle is a worldwide leader in devising real-world carbon management strategies serving as a valued collaborator for industry and government for a safer future for all generations.

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White House Issues Draft Ecosystem Services Guidance for Benefit-Cost Analysis
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White House Issues Draft Ecosystem Services Guidance for Benefit-Cost Analysis

The Office of Management and Budget’s office of information and regulatory affairs has released a draft guidance for reviewing changes in ecosystem and environmental services in benefit-cost analysis as part of efforts to strengthen analyses of government investments and regulations.

OIRA collaborated with the Office of Science and Technology Policy on the draft document, which was issued in accordance with an executive order that seeks to strengthen the country’s forests, communities and local economies.

The draft guidance marks a “critical step to help agencies account more fully for costs and benefits linked to the environment,” reflects collaborations with economists and ecologists across agencies and aligns government best practices with scientific knowledge, OIRA Administrator Richard Revesz and OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar, a previous Wash100 awardee, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

According to the draft document, considering ecosystem services in benefit-cost analyses could help agencies understand tradeoffs among various ecosystem services and with other benefits and costs.

The document also recommends five steps for assessing ecosystem services, such as ensuring that the analysis’ scope is sufficiently broad to reflect key ecosystem services in the baseline and across alternatives and describing the links between regulatory alternatives and likely changes to ecosystem services.

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