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MITRE Highlights Need for National AI Strategy to Set Holistic Goals, Approach Collaboration Strategically
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MITRE Highlights Need for National AI Strategy to Set Holistic Goals, Approach Collaboration Strategically

MITRE has responded to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information saying a comprehensive national strategy on artificial intelligence should focus on both risks and opportunities and establish holistic goals and expectations.

The National AI Strategy could help foster AI accountability and assurance and advance the adoption of AI to determine and address inequities, the nonprofit organization said Tuesday.

MITRE highlighted the importance of sharing ideas and workload in advancing AI innovation and ensuring the country’s competitiveness and security.

The organization noted that collaboration could be in the form of public-private partnerships, as well as cross-domain and interagency cooperation.

“It is imperative that the nation approach collaboration on AI issues strategically and holistically, rather than as individual and disconnected endeavors,” MITRE’s response reads. “The national strategy that this RFI is supporting must set the foundation, direction, and expectation to do so, both individually and collectively.”

OSTP issued the RFI in May to seek input from individuals and organizations to help inform the development of the National AI Strategy.

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Millennium Space Systems Completes SSC Missile Track Custody Program Design Review; Frank Calvelli Quoted
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Millennium Space Systems Completes SSC Missile Track Custody Program Design Review; Frank Calvelli Quoted

Millennium Space Systems has concluded the Missile Track Custody Program Design Review for the Space Systems Command.

With the completion of this milestone in only four months, the initiative remains on track for Critical Design Review in the fourth quarter, the El Segundo, California-based company announced on Wednesday.

During a testimony with the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee on April 26, Frank Calvelli, assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration, called the MTC program an “outstanding effort building small sats in medium Earth orbit.”

“We’re clearly demonstrating we can design, build and test systems in shorter time frames on schedule,” said Millennium Space Systems CEO Jason Kim.

“In the PDR, our team demonstrated sound technological understanding of mission needs and requirements, including the space and ground segments and how launch plays into those,” he added.

Using its ALTAIR spacecraft — a product Millennium Space Systems has continuously invested in since 2015 — and efficient manufacturing practices, the organization was reportedly able to minimize risk and move quickly throughout the process.

Millennium Space Systems is now focusing on the detailed design phase to prepare for CDR. The digital model will function as the single source of truth for the project.

The MTC program aligns with Calvelli’s push for smaller, proliferated and resilient systems across multiple mission areas. In his testimony, Calvelli cited the move away from legacy missile warning architectures to a resilient missile warning architecture in order to improve missile threat tracking as an example of this work.

Currently, Millennium Space Systems is contracted for MTC space vehicle one with options for two additional space vehicles that the company expects to be exercised. Millennium Space Systems also anticipates an additional contract for vehicles four, five and six in quarter four.

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US to Advance Sale of F-16 Jets to Turkey
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US to Advance Sale of F-16 Jets to Turkey

The White House plans to go ahead with the potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The move came hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the green light to Sweden to join NATO.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan dismissed claims that pushing the sale of the fighter jets to Turkey was in exchange for Erdogan’s decision on Stockholm’s bid to become a NATO member.

“President Biden has been clear for months that he supports the transfer of F-16s to Turkey, that this is in our national interest and the interest of NATO,” Sullivan told reporters at the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Lithuania. “He’s placed no caveats or conditions on that.”

The Middle Eastern country has sought the aircraft to update its aging fleet of fighter jets to support its fight with Kurdish militants in Iraq and deter adversaries, according to the report.

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Senator Seeks Response From DOD Over Potential Office of Strategic Capital Conflict of Interest
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Senator Seeks Response From DOD Over Potential Office of Strategic Capital Conflict of Interest

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote a letter to the Department of Defense expressing concerns about the lack of necessary measures to prevent conflicts of interest within DOD’s newly created Office of Strategic Capital.

In December, DOD formed OSC to help technology developers find the capital they need to bring platforms to the military and national security markets.

Warren noted in the July 9 letter that OSC hired as special government employees individuals who continue to work for defense consulting and investment firms, the senator’s office said Monday.

“Their positions provide them access to non-public political intelligence information, which ‘can be collected through briefings, meetings, committee hearings, public or non-public documents, personal conversations, and other communications between an employee of a political intelligence firm and an executive branch employee, a Member of Congress, or a legislative branch employee,’” the senator wrote in the letter.

The lawmaker asked Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, to respond by July 28 to a list of 18 questions with regard to how the newly established office works to prevent conflicts of interest.

General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers John Lewis-Class Replenishment Oiler to Navy
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General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers John Lewis-Class Replenishment Oiler to Navy

General Dynamics‘ NASSCO subsidiary has delivered to the U.S. Navy the second ship in its John Lewis class of fleet replenishment oilers following the completion of acceptance trials with the Board of Inspection and Survey.

Military Sealift Command will operate the USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206) to provide diesel fuel, lubricating oil and jet fuel replenishment to Navy ships at sea, Naval Sea Systems Command said Tuesday.

The John Lewis-class ship will support the Navy’s Combat Logistics Force, which provides underway replenishment to U.S. naval ships worldwide.

General Dynamics NASSCO is contracted to build the first six fleet replenishment oilers under the Navy’s T-AO program. Construction of the first oiler commenced in September 2018 and work is underway to build USNS Earl Warren (T-AO 207), the future USNS Robert F. Kennedy (T-AO 208), USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209) and USNS Sojourner Truth (T-AO 210).

In May, the contractor received a $736.2 million contract option to build an additional fleet replenishment oiler for the John Lewis class.

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Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson Presents 2023 Wash100 Award to HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green
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Executive Mosaic CEO Jim Garrettson Presents 2023 Wash100 Award to HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green

HII Mission Technologies President Andy Green accepted his fifth Wash100 Award during an in-person plaque handover by Jim Garrettson, CEO of Executive Mosaic and founder of the prestigious accolade.

Green, who also holds the executive vice president title at HII, joined this year’s Wash100 group for his key role in transforming the company’s portfolio for continued business growth and national security mission support. Read his full profile here.

Under his leadership, the Mission Technologies division experienced a 2.7 percent jump in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2022 and a 61.7 percent hike in full year sales, which were driven primarily by a higher volume of work from the acquisition of Alion Science and Technology.

One of the segment’s most significant bookings in 2022 was an $826 million task order for mission and technology support services to the Department of Defense.

Executive Mosaic congratulates Andy Green and the HII organization on their award. The annual Wash100 Award recognizes prominent government and industry figures who have made an exceptional impact on government contracting activity and national security. It also looks forward and anticipates who will be the change-makers in the year to come.

Gen. Charles Brown Commits to Accelerating Change to Maintain Competitive Advantage
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Gen. Charles Brown Commits to Accelerating Change to Maintain Competitive Advantage

Gen. Charles Brown Jr., chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, said he would concentrate on accelerating change in the U.S. military to stay ahead of emerging threats if confirmed as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Brown told the Senate Armed Services Committee that his extensive military experience has made him “mindful of the security challenges at this consequential time and [of] a need to accelerate to stay ahead of the growing threat.”

According to Brown, he has held leadership positions focused on addressing the key threats to U.S. national security.

“I’ve held leadership positions focused on our five national security challenges: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and violent extremists,” he said.

Brown also vowed to work with Congress on strengthening national security efforts and sustaining public trust in the U.S. military.

“Above all, I will dedicate myself to this proposition: That the American people should understand and know their military and its service members solely as unwavering defenders of the Constitution and our nation,” the general said.

If confirmed, Brown would succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term is slated to end in October.

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Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Joins NSSA Board of Advisors
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Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Joins NSSA Board of Advisors

Former NASA Administrator and Wash100 Award winner Jim Bridenstine has been selected to the National Security Space Association’s board of advisors.

As a board member, Bridenstine will leverage his extensive experience in the space and national security fields to drive the association’s mission to cultivate and maintain long-term collaborations between the public and private sectors going forward, the NSSA shared with ExecutiveGov in an email sent last week.

“Since the National Security Space Association’s founding, they have managed to create a coalition highlighting the national importance of space that often transcends the national security community,” Bridenstine said.

Bridenstine shared his excitement to contribute to the board, which he said “already holds unparalleled expertise and a wide breadth of perspectives.”

In April 2018, Bridenstine was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 13th NASA administrator, a role he held until January 2021. While serving in this position, Bridenstine played a leading role in progressing NASA’s aeronautic, science and space exploration initiatives.

Before joining NASA, Bridenstine represented Oklahoma’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.

Bridenstine assumed his first public sector role as a U.S. Navy pilot in 1998, during which he flew the E-2C Hawkete off the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. Following his transition from active duty to the U.S. Navy Reserve, Bridenstine returned to Tulsa, Oklahoma and assumed the position of executive director at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.

“Jim brings a diversity of experience and insight that will highly inform the Association’s priorities and focus, thus enabling us to better support the national security space enterprise and our member companies,” said NSSA Chairman Joe Dodd.

Outside of NSSA, Bridenstine works as an independent consultant across multiple defense, aerospace and intelligence markets.

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Jeff Rezmovic Nominated as Homeland Security Department CFO
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Jeff Rezmovic Nominated as Homeland Security Department CFO

Jeff Rezmovic, who most recently served as deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Homeland Security, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to assume the chief financial officer role at DHS.

According to a White House announcement on Tuesday, the national security leader has experience in advancing DHS’ strategic, policy and operational priorities such as counterterrorism, cybersecurity, border security, immigration and emergency management.

Rezmovic also helped Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas oversee DHS’ $98 billion budget and 260,000 personnel.

“Jeff’s accomplishments demonstrate his talent and commitment to making government more capable, efficient and accountable to the people we serve. During his tenure at DHS, he led the creation of the congressionally-mandated Surge Capacity Force,” Mayorkas said about Rezmovic.

Rezmovic’s career with the department started in 2010, when he joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a presidential management fellow and speechwriter.

After that, he assumed roles of increasing responsibility such as acting deputy chief of staff, counselor to the deputy secretary and branch chief at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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US Government Emails Hacked by Chinese Cyber Attackers
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US Government Emails Hacked by Chinese Cyber Attackers

China-based hackers have breached government email accounts in a cyber attack intended to collect intelligence, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

In total, approximately 25 organizations and government agencies have been affected by the hack, which targeted specific accounts rather than broader organizational networks. According to Adam Hodge, a White House National Security Council spokesman, classified networks were not affected by the attack, and there is an ongoing assessment to identify how much information was compromised.

GovCon Expert Chuck Brooks, president of Brooks Consulting International, told Executive Mosaic that the news is “not surprising,” but that despite this major vulnerability, government agencies are still making positive strides in strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity.

“Government is playing a game of catch up with legacy systems, and agency networks are still potentially exposed from millions of current and past users. The attack surface is a huge one for targeting by state actors,” said Brooks. “As SolarWinds demonstrated, adversaries are likely already lurking in networks.”

The breach is reported to be smaller and less damaging than the SolarWinds hack of 2020, but experts believe it could still provide critical U.S. information to the Chinese government and intensify the ongoing competition between the two countries during a time in which relations are somewhat strained.

“The good news is that I believe the government, led by CISA, NSA and DOD, has recognized the vulnerabilities and are on the right path to closing gaps with policies of zero trust and security by design. Enhancing the public private partnership with intelligence threat sharing for critical infrastructure is also being accelerated,” Brooks shared.

Read Brooks’ latest GovCon Expert piece here for more insights on the country’s cybersecurity posture.

“Mitigating the threats will take time but discovering and fixing the vulnerabilities, and employing risk management roadmaps are a prudent way to make sure the future will be more cyber secure,” he added.

For the latest news and developments on intelligence threats, join the Potomac Officers Club’s 9th Annual Intel Summit on Sep. 21. Don’t miss your chance to learn from and network with intelligence community leaders from NGA, CIA, ODNI and more. Register here.

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