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Deltek Report: Federal Agencies Spent $7.7B on AI in Past 3 Fiscal Years
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Deltek Report: Federal Agencies Spent $7.7B on AI in Past 3 Fiscal Years

A new Deltek report revealed that federal agencies’ spending on artificial intelligence technologies totaled $7.7 billion between fiscal years 2020 and 2022, reflecting an increase of 36 percent over the three-year period.

The report showed that research and development accounted for 60 percent of agencies’ total AI prime contract obligations from FY 2020 through FY 2022, Christine Fritsch, a senior principal research analyst at Deltek, wrote in a market analysis piece published Tuesday.

Agencies have cited data quality, ethics, security, effective oversight, explainability and transparency as top challenges to AI adoption in the federal government and that they are buying AI capabilities to support both their mission needs and the procurement process, according to the company’s Federal Artificial Intelligence Landscape, 2024 report.

The analysis noted that other transaction agreements and other contracting mechanisms have enabled agencies to increase spending on AI tools and Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer program awards have benefited some small vendors.

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Top Government Contracts Awarded by the Air Force Research Lab
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What are the top government contracts won by AFRL?
Photo by Freepik from Freepik.com

The United States Air Force (USAF) has led several missions encompassing aerospace defense, technological advancement, and homeland security missions on land, sea, and cyber spaces. Behind many of these efforts is the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

This scientific research and development (R&D) division leads and develops various research initiatives and products for warfighters and the air and space forces. AFRL’s mission success is influenced by federal contracts from the USAF and other federal government agencies.

Top 6 Government Contracts Won by Air Force Research Lab

Outlined below are the top government contracts won by Air Force Research Lab and awarded to trusted government contractors.

Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory Won a Contract for Space-related Tech Development and Mission Support

USU/SDL Space-related tech development and mission support
Photo by Gorodenkoff from Shutterstock.com
  • Contract awardee: Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory
  • Value: $1 Billion
  • Contract type: Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
  • Contract date: November 15, 2021

The Space Dynamics Laboratory at Utah State University (USU/SDL) achieved a significant milestone on November 15, 2021, as it was chosen to fulfill one of the Air Force Research Lab’s largest contracts. Under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract worth $1 billion, USU/SDL was tasked to develop space and nuclear-advanced prototypes, conduct space-related research and technology efforts, and provide mission support to the AFRL and its partners.

Additionally, the contract award solidifies AFRL’s alliance with USU/SDL, with the partnership accelerating crucial space science and technology projects. Some areas to be tackled under the IDIQ agreement are space sensors, space cybersecurity, space environmental research, advanced satellite navigation, and many more.

 

AFRL Awarded Agile Cyber Technology 3 Contract to Five Small Businesses

Agile Cyber Technology 3 Contract for future digital transformation
Photo by Blue Planet Studio from Shutterstock.com
  • Contract awardee/s: Assured Information Security, CNF Technologies, Global InfoTek, Invictus International Consulting, and Radiance Technologies
  • Value: $950 Million
  • Contract type: Multi-award IDIQ
  • Contract date: June 13, 2022

On June 13, 2022, five small businesses made significant turning points in their government contracting operations as the Air Force Research Lab awarded them the third iteration of the Agile Cyber Technology contract. With a contract value of $950 million, the contract awardees were assigned to support rapid research phases, develop and prototype cyber capabilities, and deliver innovative technology to the US warfighters.

The previous Agile Cyber Technology contracts had a combined value of $1.4 billion and entailed the development and delivery of cyber technology capabilities to different agencies under the Department of Defense. Agile Cyber Technology 3 is a combination of the first two contracts as the evolving cyber domain requires a compatible pace and an increasing demand signal from operation units to executive rapid development, enhancement, and deployment of cyber capabilities.

Assured Information Security, CNF Technologies, Global InfoTek, Invictus International Consulting, and Radiance Technologies, the contract awardees, are expected to complete Agile Cyber Technology 3 by 2032.

 

PAR Government Systems Won a Contract for the Development of Anti-drone Technology

AFRL anti-drone technology
Photo by Dizfoto from Shutterstock.com
  • Contract awardee: PAR Government Systems Corp.
  • Value: $490 million
  • Contract type: Single-award IDIQ
  • Contract date: September 24, 2021

On September 24, 2021, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded PAR Government Systems the IDIQ contract–with cost-plus-fixed-fee completion and firm-fixed-price type orders– for providing software, hardware, and technical documentation of the Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft System (C-sUAS) technologies.

Under the agreement worth $490 million, PAR Government Systems implemented research, designing, prototyping, testing, evaluation, integration, transition, and technical installation of C-sUAS machinery and equipment.

Counter-small Unmanned Aircraft Systems are designed to detect, track, disrupt, and destroy uncrewed airborne vehicles such as drones. The development of C-sUAS tech bolsters the military’s efforts to face evolving threats from commercial uncrewed aircraft that can potentially carry explosives and can be networked with swarms of drones.

PAR Government Systems received fiscal 2021 research and development funds worth $5.7 million at the time of awarding and will continue developing and testing anti-drone technology until August 31, 2029.

 

AFRL Awarded Howard University Contract to Establish University Research Consortium

AFRL Howard University research consortium contract
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  • Contract awardee: Howard University
  • Value: $90 Million
  • Contract type: Indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity
  • Contract date: January 19, 2023

The academic domain achieved a significant milestone through Howard University’s landing of the Air Force Research Lab’s contract for its Tactical Autonomy R&D project. With a contract value of $90 million, the IDIQ tasked Howard University, a private research university based in Washington, DC, to establish a center to employ research projects for identifying and aiding the transition of practical applications of autonomous technology.

Howard University received fiscal 2023 funds of nearly $3 million to complete the contract’s first task order. The research university is expected to complete the research consortium by January 31, 2028.

 

Northrop Grumman Landed Contract to Establish Communication with Military Platforms via Commercial Space Internet Service

Commercial Space Internet Service
Photo by Gorodenkoff from Shutterstock.com
  • Contract awardee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corp.
  • Value: $80.3 Million
  • Contract type: Cost-plus-fixed-fee
  • Contract date: June 2, 2023

Northrop Grumman Systems, a distinguished government contractor in the aerospace and defense realms, secured a contract from the Air Force Research Lab for the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet Advanced Research Announcement program.

Under the cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, the Virginia-based defense company was awarded $80.3 million to develop and demonstrate the ability to communicate with military platforms through commercial space internet constellations in various orbital dominions. The contract also entails Northrop Grumman testing these space technologies with common user terminal and hardware elements.

A total of $31 million in fiscal R&D funds have been awarded to Northrop Grumman to complete some of the agreement’s task orders. AFRL’s Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet Advanced Research Announcement contract is scheduled to conclude on February 25, 2027.

 

Concurrent Technologies Corporation Secured AFRL Contracts to Improve Microgrid Resiliency and USAF Efficiency

CTC Microgrid resiliency
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  • Contract awardee: Concurrent Technologies Corp.
  • Value: $9.4 Million (combined)
  • Contract date: June 2023

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) achieved significant milestones when it secured two contracts from the Air Force Research Lab to improve microgrid resiliency and provide support to the USAF in June 2023.

The first contract, which has a value of $4.8 million, tasked CTC to build direct current (DC) microgrid technology to bolster energy resilience at the Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. CTC’s improvement of microgrid solutions will help save energy when connected to the utility grid and provide resilient power during power loss. Added to that, the resilient microgrids reduce the air base’s reliance on DC/AC inverters, which are common failure points for traditional inverters.

The other deal, valued at $4.6 million, entailed overhauling diesel-powered generators for fighter aircraft used during the Vietnam War. Due to CTC’s previously successful battery hybrid generator prototypes, AFRL tapped into the company to design, develop, and test a second version of Next Generation Powerhead Systems to support the US Air Force’s missions.

 

AFRL Awarded KBR Contract for xGEO Space Situational Awareness

KBR Inc. non-traditional orbit research
Photo by Sophia Dagnello from NRAO/AUI/NSF
  • Contract awardee: KBR Inc.
  • Value: $25 million
  • Contract date: July 31, 2023

KBR Inc., a trusted government contractor for the Department of Defense and NASA, received a task order contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to study and analyze non-traditional orbits within the xGEO domain, or the orbit out of the Earth that goes beyond out to the Moon. With contract funds worth $24.9 million, KBR was tasked to implement research on space situational awareness.

KBR cover areas on N-body problems, predicting the individual movement of a group of celestial matter interacting with each other gravitationally. It will also work on developing robust solutions for data association, maneuver detection, initial orbit determination, and analyzing and predicting orbital motion and is expected to complete the task orders by 2028.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Air Force Research Lab?

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the research and development division of the US Air Force, spearheading the delivery, discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies tailored for the air, space, and cyberspace forces.

For over a century, AFRL has revolutionized the aerospace industry by employing cutting-edge research methods, modernizing old technology, and tailoring solutions and services to suit the needs of its academia, private business, and government customers.

What are AFRL’s products and services?

The Air Force Research Laboratory offers its full-spectrum laboratory and a broad range of services and solutions to the US Air Force and Space Force, the US Department of Defense, and other enterprises focused on space-based technologies.

AFRL’s roster of capabilities includes munitions, sensors, space vehicles, aerospace systems, directed energy, artificial intelligence, integrated capabilities, cross-domain solutions, and healthcare crisis response.

Where is AFRL’s headquarters located?

Air Force Research Laboratory is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the home of the Wright Brothers and where aviation originated. Within AFRL’s headquarters is the Center for Rapid Innovation, an agency that handles urgent operational requests from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Mobility Command, and other USAF division commanders.

 

AFRL Government Contracts: Leading Industries to Greater Heights

As a distinguished research and development agency, the Air Force Research Laboratory has maintained over 100 years of expertise in aviation, aerospace, and cyberspace to deliver innovative solutions to customers and partners in the private sector and federal government.

Over the years, AFRL has partnered with companies to deploy government missions effectively. Its federal contracts have revolutionized space-based technologies and propelled various industries to greater heights.

 

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4 DOE National Labs Conduct Power Grid Simulation With Supercomputers
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4 DOE National Labs Conduct Power Grid Simulation With Supercomputers

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory collaborated with three other Department of Energy facilities to conduct the largest simulation of power grid interruption and response using the Frontier supercomputer.

Frontier operator Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratories participated in the experiment as part of the Exascale Computing Project’s ExaSGD project, LLNL said Monday.

Scientists ran the HiOp pen-source optimization solver on 9,000 nodes of Frontier to go through 100,000 possible grid failures and weather scenarios in 20 minutes.

They used the data to determine the grids’ safest and most reliable level of operational capacity.

“The goal of this project was to show that the exascale computers are capable of exhaustively solving this problem in a manner that is consistent with current practices that power grid operators have,” said Cosmin Petra, computational mathematician and principal investigator for LLNL.

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DIU on the Hunt for Tactical Range Extender Enhancer for Military Ground Vehicles
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DIU on the Hunt for Tactical Range Extender Enhancer for Military Ground Vehicles

The Defense Innovation Unit has issued a commercial solutions opening for technologies that can extend the range of future ground vehicles with a single all-electric, battery-driven powertrain.

DIU is looking for an all-in-one tactical range extender enhancer unit that uses aviation turbine fuel to produce high-voltage direct current power to charge the vehicle’s propulsion energy storage system.

The system must be able to operate on-vehicle or in a stationary condition as a high-voltage DC fast-charging station for ground vehicles.

It must also integrate with onboard communication systems, electrical systems and fuel systems.

DIU also requires that the unit’s system control software be able to integrate and interface with the vehicle.

Responses to the CSO are due Aug. 22.

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NSA Transitions SharkSeer Cyber Defense Tool to DISA Oversight
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NSA Transitions SharkSeer Cyber Defense Tool to DISA Oversight

The Defense Information Systems Agency has assumed responsibility for the management and operations of a cyber defense tool previously managed by the National Security Agency.

SharkSeer is a system of government, commercial and open-source systems designed to detect and block malicious network traffic through the use of automated and blocking mechanisms, DISA said Monday.

In 2015, NSA developed the SharkSeer program as an adaptive platform to rapidly integrate new technologies. The system serves as a boundary cyber defense tool to help ensure the security of the Department of Defense Information Network and generates unique threat data content to enable other defensive platforms to mitigate threats.

NSA officially handed over the program to DISA in late June and celebrated the final transition on July 20 in Annapolis Junction, Maryland.

“Geographically deploying the SHARKSEER capability at the 10 DISA-managed internet access points to monitor traffic provides an unprecedented level of visibility to the warfighter supporting the DOD cyber network defense incident response mission,” said Alexis Grayson, SharkSeer program manager at DISA.

Grayson said DISA will further develop the systems by transitioning to a zero-trust framework, adding multifactor authentication capability and using more cloud-based security tools.

Parsons was involved in the SharkSeer program’s original design and implementation. In 2020, the company received a task order to further improve the program with the development of new defensive cyber capabilities.

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Report Says USDA’s National Finance Center Should Pursue IT Modernization, Enhance Employee Experience
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Report Says USDA’s National Finance Center Should Pursue IT Modernization, Enhance Employee Experience

The National Finance Center within the U.S. Department of Agriculture should implement organizational transformation initiatives, advance information technology modernization and improve employee and customer experience to meet priorities and modernize operations as it delivers shared services to federal employees and retirees, according to a report by the National Academy of Public Administration.

The report provides NFC with 16 recommendations classified into four themes: improving governance and developing a vision; engaging customers and employees; implementing a multiphase IT system modernization process; and obtaining funding needed now and in the future, the academy said Monday.

To effectively modernize IT systems, the report recommends that NFC prioritize upgrades that improve customer experience and address security vulnerabilities as well as accelerate mainframe modernization efforts to allow the center to enhance its operations, reduce risk and address skills shortages.

NFC should automate processes and functions and address major workforce issues and its leaders should transform the center into a data-driven organization by collecting and analyzing feedback from employees and customers.

“The new leadership team at NFC, coupled with the agency’s decision to begin implementing some of the Panel’s recommendations before this report was published, represents a positive step in the right direction,” said Terry Gerton, president and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration.

“However, NFC’s success will require sustained attention and support not only from USDA senior leaders but also from other federal entities, including customer agencies, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress,” Gerton added.

New Orleans-based NFC has been providing payroll, human resources and retirement services to 650,000 federal employees across 170 client agencies for over five decades.

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Sagetech, NSWC Partner to Advance UAS Technology Development
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Sagetech, NSWC Partner to Advance UAS Technology Development

Sagetech Avionics has signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division to jointly develop next-generation unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. Navy.

Under the agreement, Sagetech will integrate identification friend or foe, collision avoidance and combat identification capabilities into small UAS being developed by NSWC PCD to expand battlefield advantage, Naval Sea Systems Command reported Monday.

“If this CRADA achieves its goals, any UAS which NSWC PCD develops, will have a leg up on the competition by allowing us to present a value-added solution to the warfighter,” said Gavin Taylor, an engineer at NSWC PCD Expeditionary Systems Division.

Sagetech will also help the center train the technical skillset of its UAS engineers and developers.

“In addition, our engineers will have the opportunity to gain experience by working alongside Sagetech engineers through the integration process on both the hardware and software,” Taylor said.

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NASA Uses Manikin to Test Artemis Orion Crew Spacesuit
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NASA Uses Manikin to Test Artemis Orion Crew Spacesuit

A manikin used by NASA on the Artemis I flight test beyond the Moon will be used as a crash test dummy for the acceptance vibration test of the Artemis II Orion crew module.

The human model, named Commander Moonikin Campos, will be outfitted in an Orion Crew Survival System spacesuit to gauge the extent of vibration that actual astronauts will experience and be able to tolerate during the Artemis II mission, NASA said Saturday.

During the Artemis I flight, the manikin wore the OCSS suit and had a seat that was equipped with sensors for acceleration and vibration monitoring. After the mission, Moonikin underwent acceleration sled trials in a simulated contingency landing environment at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The latest test will be conducted at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as engineers continue to study and make improvements on the safety and comfort of the suit for Artemis astronauts.

The manikin’s last name was taken after NASA engineer Arturo Campos, whose contributions helped the Apollo 13 crew return safely to Earth.

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FAR Council Reviews Proposed Cyber Regulations for Federal Acquisition; GSA’s Jeff Koses Quoted
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FAR Council Reviews Proposed Cyber Regulations for Federal Acquisition; GSA’s Jeff Koses Quoted

The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council is evaluating at least 12 proposed rules meant to implement cybersecurity requirements across the government procurement process driven by the cybersecurity executive order, national cyber strategy and other policies, Federal News Network reported Monday.

Jeff Koses, senior procurement executive at the General Services Administration, said the increasing number of cyber acquisition rules being proposed reflects the importance the White House and Congress are giving to cybersecurity.

Koses mentioned that two of the rules being reviewed by the FAR Council focus on secure software development and incident reporting.

“Hopefully you all have seen the recent form that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued. The basic requirement comes down to software producers are going to be required to attest that they have secure development practices. CISA have drafted and posted a common form that basically outlines what they will be looking for in that attestation. And that attestation itself is going to become the basis of the FAR case,” Koses said at an Aug. 2 summit.

“The incident reporting is really trying to put focus on the core ideas about prevent, detect, assess and remediate. They’re trying to put that focus on the role itself,” he noted.

He added that the proposed incident reporting rule is currently within the Office of Management and Budget’s office of information regulatory affairs.

Koses said there are plans to develop a new section within the Federal Acquisition Regulation containing the cybersecurity requirements.

“We are proposing to create a new part of the FAR, FAR Part 40, as the home for all of the cybersecurity requirements. We think it cannot be confused with pure IT requirements — cybersecurity is everything everywhere, and it needs its own home,” he commented.

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Two Six Exec Daniel Ragsdale Accepts Deputy Assistant Director Post at Office of National Cyber Director
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Two Six Exec Daniel Ragsdale Accepts Deputy Assistant Director Post at Office of National Cyber Director

Daniel Ragsdale, vice president for Department of Defense strategy at Two Six Technologies, has been appointed deputy assistant director for workforce and education at the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director.

Beginning Aug. 14, he will be responsible for ONCD’s cyber workforce initiatives, mentoring and interagency coordination efforts related to cyber education, Two Six said Monday.

Ragsdale joined the company in 2021 as part of its external boards and advisory groups. As VP of DOD strategy, he led research, development and integration strategies to help the Joint Force modernize its capabilities.

He spent 40 years of his career in various roles at the U.S. Army, DOD and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 2021, he was named principal director for cyber at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Two Six announced Ragsdale’s instatement at ONCD one week after the Biden administration released its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy.

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