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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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DHS Allocates $375M for FY 2023 Cybersecurity Grant Program; Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted
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DHS Allocates $375M for FY 2023 Cybersecurity Grant Program; Alejandro Mayorkas Quoted

The Department of Homeland Security has announced an additional $375 million in grant funding to help state, local and territorial governments improve the security of critical infrastructure and enhance the resilience of information systems against cyber threats.

The funding allotment for the fiscal year 2023 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, an increase from the $185 million allotted in the previous year, will be used to support STL governments in implementing their cybersecurity risk management plans, DHS said Monday.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a previous Wash100 awardee, said the department aims to ensure that communities have the resources to meet cyber threats to protect the public and safeguard their critical infrastructure.

“These cybersecurity grants will help state, local, and territorial governments do just that, and I strongly urge communities across the country to submit an application,” Mayorkas said.

SLCGP is administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and allocates $1 billion over four years.

Eligible state and local governments have until Oct. 6 to apply for FY23 funding.

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DCSA Director William Lietzau Underscores Importance of Industrial Security
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DCSA Director William Lietzau Underscores Importance of Industrial Security

Supply chain security has been top of mind for the government and for government contractors in recent years as new threats emerge. In a new video interview with Executive Mosaic, William Lietzau, director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, spoke about the urgency behind securing the supply chain and shared what his agency is doing to help.

“For two decades now, we’ve been focused on the counterterrorism fight — and terrorists are not out there trying to get on the board of directors of one of our major defense corporations. Our near-peer adversaries are,” Lietzau told Executive Mosaic’s Summer Myatt, “and we need to up our game in that regard.”

Lietzau, a 2023 Wash100 Award winner, explained that DCSA has two main pillars: personnel security and industrial security. On the industrial security side of the agency, Lietzau said, “We vet companies just like we vet people.”

“We vet most specifically the companies in the NISP, the National Industrial Security Program, those companies that are doing classified work for the United States government. Like personnel clearances, we do about 90 to 95 percent of the US government’s contractor workforce,” said Lietzau.

According to Lietzau, the DCSA works on industrial security missions related to arms and ammunition controls, cyber controls and foreign ownership, control and influence, or FOCI, among others. The agency also sometimes provides counterintelligence information to its trusted contractor workforce to help them defeat intrusion attempts.

But DCSA is also moving more into the unclassified side of the defense contractor base due to a shift in supply chains.

“More recently, we’ve started expanding into the unclassified defense supply chain, recognizing that, unlike a couple of decades ago, where the supply chain meant food, fuel and water, today’s supply chain includes software, minerals from that are not naturally part of our supply chain and things that are much more vulnerable to intervening forces of foreign intelligence entities or adversaries,” he said.

“And in that case, we’re starting to look at the progeny of companies as they take on big defense contracts, even if it’s not for classified work, so that we can identify which companies are safer bets from a foreign ownership, control and influence perspective,” Lietzau added.

Find out more about DCSA’s role in industrial security reform and in the whole-of-government effort to modernize personnel vetting processes — watch the full video interview with DCSA Director William Lietzau here.

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