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Justin Fanelli Issues Memo on DON CTO’s Priority Tech Areas
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The Department of the Navy Acting Chief Technology Officer Justin Fanelli unveiled his five priority technology areas

Justin Fanelli, acting chief technology officer at the Department of the Navy, has signed and issued a memo outlining the DON CTO office’s priority technology areas, or PTAs, to help guide modernization efforts and signal to industry, academia and mission partners where they should allocate resources.

In a LinkedIn post published Tuesday, the DON chief information officer said the PTAs are designed to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies, improve information advantage and align with the Department of Defense’s broader goals.

The PTAs will be updated at least annually and paired with DON’s Investment Horizons framework to identify gaps in the department’s technology pipeline and strategic plan, and rapidly deploy platforms for operational impact.

Justin Fanelli Issues Memo on DON CTO's Priority Tech Areas

Fanelli will be one of the speakers at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Navy Summit on Aug. 26. Hear him and other experts discuss these PTAs, modernization imperatives, latest tech advancements, policies and trends shaping the future of naval operations. Book your seats now!

AI, Quantum & Other DON CTO Priority Tech Areas

The Navy’s PTAs are artificial intelligence and autonomy; quantum technologies; transport/connectivity; C5ISR/naval space; and cyberspace operations/zero trust.

The DON seeks AI-driven platforms to facilitate real-time data analysis and automated decision-making to improve operational effectiveness. Level 2 areas include core capabilities such as applied machine learning and natural language processing; trust, assurance and governance; autonomous systems; and infrastructure and deployment.

For cyberspace operations, priorities include advanced cyber defense networks, threat intelligence automation and proactive security measures to counter adversarial cyber operations. Level 2 areas include zero trust architecture, identity and access management, cyber operations, and operational technology.

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GSA, Elastic Sign OneGov Agreement to Offer Product Discounts to Federal Agencies
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GSA and Elastic are working to deliver IT cost savings to federal agencies through the OneGov agreement

The General Services Administration and Elastic have signed an agreement to reduce the price of the latter’s Search AI platforms for federal agencies through September 2027.

GSA said Monday the strategic partnership with Elastic is part of the agency’s OneGov initiative, which seeks to transform how federal agencies buy goods and services and deliver IT cost savings across the government while advancing the modernization of legacy IT systems.

OneGov Agreement Between GSA & Elastic

Under the OneGov agreement, agencies can receive discounts of up to 60 percent on Elastic’s self-managed platforms, with discounts starting at 27.5 percent. 

For FedRAMP Moderate cloud deployments through GovCloud, discounts range from 15 percent to 32 percent based on volume. 

The offer will run through Sept. 30, 2027.

Elastic will offer a suite of Search AI platforms through GSA Advantage, including Elastic’s Security Incident Event Monitoring, Observability, Zero Trust Architecture, Search AI Lake and vector database for building GenAI applications. The offerings include capabilities such as Elastic’s AI Assistant for Security, native NLP model support, Attack Discovery and enhanced data onboarding features.

Elastic’s Search AI platform is designed to facilitate real-time analysis, deliver searchable results, drive operational resilience and advance cyberthreat detection.

“We appreciate Elastic’s cooperative approach in establishing pricing structures that are not only cost-effective in the present but also guarantee sustained financial benefits for taxpayers in the long run,” said Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service.

“Through the OneGov initiative, we are actively converting these beneficial collaborative relationships into formalized, enduring agreements with our industry partners, with the goal of systematically reducing procurement expenses for the foreseeable future,” added Gruenbaum, a 2025 Wash100 awardee.

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SDA Launches T1DES Prototype Satellite
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SDA launched its first T1DES Proto space vehicle

The Space Development Agency launched the first prototype risk reduction satellite from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on June 23.

T1DES Proto

The agency said Tuesday the satellite is one of 12 planned prototypes under the Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System, or T1DES, constellation program. The T1DES Proto space vehicle, also known as York Space Systems’ Dragoon, was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter 14 rideshare mission.

The space vehicle is intended to facilitate the integration of the tactical satellite communication, or TACSATCOM, system from low Earth orbit and to test the delivery of tactical data to military platforms to support targeting, missile warning and advanced missile threats tracking capabilities. The launch also served as a test for York’s LX-CLASS satellite platform, which is expected to be utilized for other agreements between SDA and York.

SDA Launches T1DES Prototype Satellite

Get insights on satellite communications and other critical air and space defense initiatives at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit this coming July 31.

Future T1DES Deployments

The SDA intends to deploy the other 11 T1DES space vehicles in 2026. These prototype satellites will perform further experiments and demonstrations involving capabilities vital for ensuring seamless connectivity for joint military forces worldwide, including TACSATCOM, advanced waveforms and Integrated Broadcast Service technologies.

SDA Director Derek Tournear on the T1DES Program

“T1DES will demonstrate mission payloads and configurations for potential proliferation through future tranches of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture in an effort to lower latency of tactical data delivery and enhance beyond line-of-sight targeting capability,” said SDA Director Derek Tournear, winner of the Wash100 Award in 2021.

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Keeper Security Marks New Milestone With SOC 3 Compliance
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Zoya Schaller, director of cybersecurity compliance at Keeper Security, spoke about Keeper's new SOC 3 compliance achievement

Keeper Security has achieved System and Organization Controls, or SOC, 3 compliance. 

The cybersecurity company said Tuesday that an independent third-party auditor conducted a rigorous evaluation of its internal controls as part of its annual Type II audit. 

“SOC 3 is more than a certification – it’s a public demonstration of the trust we’ve earned through rigorous security and compliance practices,” commented Zoya Schaller, director of cybersecurity compliance at Keeper. “Transparency is non-negotiable in today’s cybersecurity landscape. This achievement reinforces our ongoing commitment to protecting sensitive data and holding ourselves to the highest standards.”

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or AICPA, governs the SOC, which assesses the effectiveness of controls within an organization. SOC 3 specifically addresses organizations relevant to security, confidentiality and privacy, the AICPA explained.

What Keeper Offers

Keeper’s core product KeeperPAM is a next-generation privileged access management technology for cloud-first and hybrid cloud environments. 

KeeperPAM enables multi-factor authentication with a single login, allowing users to quickly but securely gain access to servers, databases, web applications, software-as-a-service platforms and remote systems. 

According to Keeper, it does not have access to user credentials or customer infrastructures. 

The security company also maintains a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program certification at the Moderate Impact Level and complies with the Government Risk and Authorization Management Program, or GovRAMP, standards.

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New DISA System Secures Cross-Domain Data Transfer
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DISA boosts DevSecOps support through software integration in Amazon Web Services Cross-Domain Solution

The Defense Information Systems Agency has authorized its Program Executive Office services to integrate the Amazon Web Services Cross-Domain Solution within its Citadel software factory to support DevSecOps efforts. The setup provides a secure data transfer system between unclassified impact level 5 and classified impact level 6 information, DISA said Tuesday.

Tackling Manual Cross-Domain Data Transfer Risks

The new cloud-based cross-domain transfer system addresses the security challenge that DevSecOps users and DISA mission partners face when transferring between classified and unclassified information, the agency explained. 

Currently, such data transfer often requires manual processes, such as moving compact discs from one device to another, DISA noted. It also said the Citadel integration in AWS CDS will significantly boost DevSecOps frontliners, including warfighters and analysts, in complex and dynamic environments requiring sharp situational awareness and quicker response times.

Besides its cross-domain systems, DISA provides other tools and services for DevSecOps support, such as its Defense Enterprise Office Solution, or DEOS, a secret cloud environment wherein approximately 200,000 end users were migrated as of February 2024. DISA deployed in DEOS the DOD365-Secret classified cloud platform to support the implementation of Microsoft‘s suite of cloud-based productivity tools, Office 365.

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NSA, CISA Release CSI Urging Adoption of Memory Safe Languages for Enhanced Software Security
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NSA and CISA have released a Cybersecurity Information Sheet promoting memory safe languages adoption

The National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have jointly published a cybersecurity information sheet titled “Memory Safe Languages: Reducing Vulnerabilities in Modern Software Development” to emphasize the importance of memory safe languages, or MSLs, in bolstering software security.

Enhancing Cybersecurity With Memory Safe Languages

NSA said Tuesday the CSI encourages the adoption of MSLs to enhance cybersecurity by addressing memory vulnerabilities. The two agencies advocate for organizations to assess the feasibility of adopting MSLs. The document also urges software producers, particularly those developing for national security systems and critical infrastructure, to utilize the guide to start leveraging MSLs for their software systems.

Organizations can use the CSI to plan for the adoption of MSLs. It discusses various adoption approaches and engineering considerations for proper MSL implementation, as well as ways to utilize interoperability for integration without rewriting existing codebases. Furthermore, the CSI offers recommendations for enhancing the safety of non-MSL code if adoption is not practical.

How Do MSLs Work?

MSLs are designed with integrated safeguards such as bounds checking, memory management and data race prevention. These security features work against memory vulnerabilities and threats to prevent safety issues, including data breaches, system crashes and operational disruptions.

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Army Accepts Bell Textron’s First MV-75 FLRAA Virtual Prototype
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Bell is developing two MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft virtual prototypes for the Army

Bell, a Textron subsidiary, has delivered to the U.S. Army the first virtual prototype of the MV-75 Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, or FLRAA. 

A second virtual prototype of the FLRAA is expected to arrive at the Army Aviation Center of Excellence in the coming weeks, the service branch said Tuesday. 

“We are incredibly proud to have reached this critical milestone,” commented Col. Jeffrey Poquette, project manager for FLRAA, about the delivery. “Our virtual prototype demonstrates a clear path to delivering a next-generation multi-mission aircraft that will fundamentally change how the Army conducts long-range assault operations.”

According to the Army, the virtual prototype will enable soldiers to assess the weapon system and give feedback, informing future design improvements, software development, verification, integration and test. The technology will also help identify tactics, techniques and procedures through experimentation. 

Army Development of the FLRAA 

The Army used a rapid prototyping pathway for the FLRAA. In 2022, Bell received a contract to build the MV-75 based on the V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The program completed a preliminary design, achieved Milestone B approval and then transitioned to the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase in 2024. 

“Thanks to consistent support from Army leadership, the Department of Defense, and Congress, we’ve been able to accelerate the FLRAA program and bring next-generation aviation capabilities to the warfighter faster than ever,” said Brig. Gen. David Phillips, program executive officer for Army Aviation. 

What Is the FLRAA?

The MV-75 FLRAA is a multi-mission aircraft designed to cover twice as far and fly twice as fast as the Army’s current fleet of long-range assault vessels. It will have a modular open systems approach to enable faster fielding and integration of new capabilities. 

The aircraft is expected to complement the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to improve survivability in contested environments.

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OSTP Director Michael Kratsios Issues Federal Guidance on Gold Standard Science
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An OSTP guidance directs agencies to submit a report outlining their implementation of the nine Gold Standard Science tenets

Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a two-time Wash100 awardee, has released a memorandum guiding how federal agencies should implement and incorporate “gold standard science” principles into their research activities.

In May, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to restore agency use of gold standard science to spur innovation. Under the EO, the director of OSTP should work with agency heads to release guidance for implementing gold standard science in managing their scientific activities.

“President Trump’s Gold Standard Science EO will transform the conduct and management of federal science, from research design to public communication, in order to strengthen scientific inquiry, rebuild public trust, and ensure the U.S. continues to be the global leader in rigorous, evidence-based science,” Kratsios said in a statement published Monday.

“But federal agencies are only one part of our nation’s research ecosystem. American universities, scientific journals, industry and philanthropic leaders all have a crucial role in improving the overall quality of research, and we encourage this executive action to serve as a model for the entire scientific enterprise,” he added.

What Are the Tenets of Gold Standard Science?

The memo defines the nine key tenets of gold standard science and describes agency responsibilities regarding each tenet. The EO defines gold standard science as science conducted in a way that is reproducible; transparent; communicative of error and uncertainty; collaborative and interdisciplinary; skeptical of its findings and assumptions; structured for falsifiability of hypotheses; subject to unbiased peer review; accepting of negative results as positive outcomes; and without conflicts of interest.

To advance reproducible and replicable science, for instance, agencies should prioritize disciplined scientific methods and experimental design; encourage depositing raw data and code that contributes to research outcomes in publicly accessible repositories; address barriers by promoting training, shared infrastructure and incentives for open science practices; and establish grant programs, awards and other incentives to encourage researchers and institutions to prioritize both reproducibility and replicability.

Gold Standard Science Implementation Plan

Within 60 days, agencies should submit to OSTP and post on their websites a report outlining their plans to implement gold standard science.

The implementation plans should include descriptions of how the agency is addressing each of the tenets of gold standard science; discussion of how technology will be leveraged for implementing gold standard science; development of standardized metrics and evaluation mechanisms to evaluate adherence to these tenets and their impact on scientific quality; and plans for providing training and resources to ensure that agency employees understand and adhere to the tenets.

Exploring Use of Artificial Intelligence

The OSTP document directs agencies to explore the use of AI and other advanced technologies to implement Gold Standard Science, including the use of automated tools to validate reproducible protocols, standardize transparent data reporting and detect biases in peer and merit review.

“By integrating these technologies into research frameworks, agencies can optimize compliance efficiency, reduce administrative overhead, and enable researchers to focus on discovery, thereby enhancing the credibility, rigor, and impact of scientific outcomes,” Kratsios wrote in the memo.

Initial agency reports are due Aug. 22, and future annual reports are due to OSTP by Sept. 1 of each year starting in 2026.

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Daniel Hibner Installed as US Army Joint Modernization Command Lead
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Daniel Hibner, the new commander of the US Army Joint Modernization Command.

Brig. Gen. Daniel Hibner is now the new leader of the U.S. Army Joint Modernization Command, taking over from Brig. Gen. Zachary Miller, who is now the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

A change-of-command ceremony was held on June 17 at Noel Field on Fort Bliss, the Army said Monday.

Who Is Daniel Hibner?

Hibner most recently was the commander of the USACE South Atlantic Division. His other command assignments include commandant of the U.S. Army Engineer School and USACE Savannah District commander. The new JMC lead also held various leadership positions from platoon to brigade and has deployed once in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo, four combat tours to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and one deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

As the newly installed JMC commander, Hibner will oversee the execution of Joint Warfighting Assessment 25 in July in the Indo-Pacific Command area. He attended parts of Project Convergence Capstone 5 in preparation for his role.

“It’s truly an honor to stand before you as the Commander of the Joint Modernization Command,” Hibner said during the ceremony. “JMC is the bridge between today’s formations and tomorrow’s battles. That bridge is built with creativity, innovation, and relentless drive to improve and reinvent.”

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GAO Reviews VA Online Scheduling Modernization Project
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The VA's modernization effort includes dozens of systems veterans use

The Government Accountability Office has called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a comprehensive plan for the modernization of its appointment systems.

In a new report, the congressional watchdog said the project schedule of the VA’s modernization effort does not indicate a complete list or description of all IT work needed to be completed.

Veterans Struggle to Navigate VA Online Appointment Systems

The report noted that veterans make “tens of millions” of health-related appointments annually. Over years, the VA has adopted dozens of systems to support appointment scheduling and address various needs.

Many veterans find it challenging to navigate the agency’s complex systems, leading to many patients receiving delayed care.

VA has undertaken a modernization process to improve its systems, with the Veteran Health Administration, or VHA, and the Office of Information and Technology, better known as OIT, leading the initiative.

GAO Findings in VA Modernization Review

In its report, the VA warned that, without a comprehensive project scheduling that covers all IT work required in the modernization, the VA cannot ensure that VHA and OIT agree about what still needs to be done and when.

The VA, according to GAO, also does not fully monitor requirements by maintaining bi-directional traceability for deliverables. By maintaining traceability, the VA can ensure that solutions meet requirements and address veteran needs.

Aside from a comprehensive project schedule for its modernization effort, the VA must also ensure that key practices for effectively managing requirements are implemented.

The VA concurred with all of GAO’s recommendations.

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