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House OKs $886B Annual Defense Authorization Bill
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House OKs $886B Annual Defense Authorization Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday voted 219-210 to pass its version of the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, Reuters reported the same day.

The $886 billion defense policy bill includes a salary increase for servicemembers, an additional $300 million to support Ukraine’s efforts against Russian invasion and initiatives to counter China.

“The FY24 NDAA protects our homeland from threats by investing in a stronger missile defense and modernizing our nuclear deterrent,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement published Friday.

“The legislation also boosts innovation and revitalizes the industrial base to ensure they can deliver the systems we need to prevail in any conflict,” Rogers added.

The Senate is set to kick off debate on the NDAA on Tuesday and is expected to approve its iteration of the measure later this month, according to the news wire agency.

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Aarish Gokaldas to Succeed Rebecca Andino as CEO of Highlight Technologies
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Aarish Gokaldas to Succeed Rebecca Andino as CEO of Highlight Technologies

Aarish Gokaldas has been selected by Highlight Technologies’ Board of Directors to serve as its new CEO, succeeding company founder and current CEO Rebecca Andino.

The transition will take place immediately, and Andino, who held the CEO position for 15 years, will continue her role as chairperson of the board, the Fairfax, Virginia-based company announced on Monday.

“I am thrilled to join Highlight. Rebecca and team have done a phenomenal job on building this company the right way – with a three-part focus on client mission, employee well-being and an infrastructure built to accommodate rapid growth,” Gokaldas commented.

Andino expressed Highlight’s excitement to welcome Aarish as CEO, and said that under his leadership, the organization will continue to provide its services and innovations to public sector customers while taking on new clients in the national security and defense markets.

“Aarish shares our passion for Highlight’s entrepreneurial, customer-focused and diverse and inclusive culture, which is foundational to Highlight’s identity and brand,” she added.

A seasoned government contracting industry leader, Gokaldas has 20 years of experience working with national security and federal civilian customers. Prior to joining Highlight, Gokaldas founded The Eclipse Network, a growth strategy and business consulting firm where he previously served as CEO. Earlier, he was chief growth officer of Applied Information Systems.

Before Applied Information Systems, Gokaldas was CEO and chief growth officer of OGSystems, where he devised and implemented a long-term, sustainable growth strategy. Gokaldas’ leadership played a crucial role in the company’s 2019 acquisition by Parsons, where he later served as executive vice president of the space and geospatial solutions arm. While holding that role, Gokaldas oversaw the profit and loss function of the unit’s $300 million portfolio and the capture, proposal and award of a 10-year, $300 million intelligence community contract.

His experience with the IC began with the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he served as an intelligence officer prior to his entry into the private sector.

NOAA Climate Program Office Opens Applications for FY 2024 Grant Competitions
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NOAA Climate Program Office Opens Applications for FY 2024 Grant Competitions

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office has opened applications for new research funding opportunities to deepen understanding of Earth’s climate processes.

CPO’s grant program for fiscal year 2024 comprises six competitions that aim to boost communities’ ability to understand, plan for and respond to climate variability and climate change, NOAA said Thursday.

Several of the competitions are designed to address the top environmental issues facing society today, including extreme heat, droughts, floods and coastal changes.

Through the program, NOAA is working to improve understanding of urban air composition, advance understanding of ocean variability and enhance climate models and applications.

“The funded projects will meet urgent climate challenges, incubate innovative advancements in Earth system and social science, support world-class assessment reports and help grow the next generation of experts supporting NOAA,” said Wayne Higgins, director of CPO.

Applications for all competitions are due Nov. 17.

DIU Launches Commercial Solutions Opening for Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Platforms
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DIU Launches Commercial Solutions Opening for Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Platforms

The Defense Innovation Unit has initiated its solicitation of proposals for the development of software and hardware to support large diameter unmanned underwater vehicles.

The technology will be used by the U.S. Navy on future LD UUVs that can carry customizable payloads and navigate autonomously and unnoticed to long-distance targets, the agency said.

The Navy is banking on underwater autonomous technology to provide supplementary underwater sensing and deliver payloads in contested environments in support of its submarine forces.

The commercial solutions opening is for vendors that can develop platforms with navigation capabilities despite the absence of global positioning systems. Their prototype must be able to operate at a minimum 2,500 meters deep and be designed for collaborative autonomous capabilities. The technology should also be interoperable with software used by the government.

CSO management is being handled by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport and DIU will accept responses until July 28.

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UTEP Unveils Digital Engineering Design Center at NASA Johnson
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UTEP Unveils Digital Engineering Design Center at NASA Johnson

The University of Texas at El Paso has unveiled a new center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston that will focus on advancing the adoption of digital engineering toolsets and processes for space applications.

UTEP Aerospace Center will operate the Digital Engineering Design Center and oversee efforts to provide immersive, project-based training to students enrolled in the program, NASA said Thursday.

NASA engineers will offer hands-on learning experiences to students on digital engineering skills necessary to support NASA projects, while UTEP professors will provide instructions on digital engineering software.

Among the focus areas is in-situ resource utilization, which can enable Artemis astronauts to collect, store and use resources found on the moon and Mars.

“Collaborations like this one show we are committed to having the most talented, diverse, and motivated engineers that can continue to meet the exploration goals of the agency,” said Julie Kramer White, director of engineering at Johnson Space Center.

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DARPA Enlists 4 Teams for Warfighter Mental Health Screening Tool Development Program
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DARPA Enlists 4 Teams for Warfighter Mental Health Screening Tool Development Program

Two companies and two universities will lead teams under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-backed initiative to develop tools for identifying diagnostic biomarkers of suicide risk in military personnel.

Participants in the Neural Evidence Aggregation Tool development program aim to provide clinicians an objective method to detect early signs of suicidal ideation that could augment subjective mental health questionnaires for active-duty service members and veterans, DARPA said Tuesday.

Charles River Analytics will collaborate with Emory University, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Tufts University on the NEAT project.

Meanwhile, Draper’s team comprises two teaching hospitals of the Harvard Medical School, Northeastern University, the Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Pennsylvania.

Data analytics company Deliberate.ai, neurotechnology maker Intheon, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and University of Washington will be part of the University of Minnesota-led group.

The University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles, will jointly support the program.

DARPA chose Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to be the program’s validation and verification services provider and enlisted RAND to analyze the societal implications of NEAT research efforts.

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GSA’s IT Modernization COE Oversees New Applied AI Large Language Model Challenge
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GSA’s IT Modernization COE Oversees New Applied AI Large Language Model Challenge

The General Services Administration’s Artificial Intelligence Community of Practice has begun its third applied AI competition, this time focusing on large language models.

The Applied AI Challenge: Large Language Models will involve deploying LLM platforms to government agencies in an aim to analyze the technology’s risks and benefits, the GSA IT Modernization Centers of Excellence announced Thursday.

The competition will center on four priority areas: the climate crisis, equal opportunity, economic resilience and government customer service improvement.

AI COP will accept applications until July 26 and hold an industry day on Aug. 31. It will give away four top prizes on Sept. 14.

The first Applied AI Challenge, launched in April 2022, was focused on technology demonstration and hardware. The second challenge took place in February and concentrated on healthcare.

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Michael Horowitz Named DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Force Development & Emerging Capabilities
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Michael Horowitz Named DOD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Force Development & Emerging Capabilities

Michael Horowitz was named deputy assistant secretary for force development and emerging capabilities within the Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary for Policy, according to a Tuesday Twitter post.

The defense official has more than two decades of experience in international security issues. He was a director within the former Emerging Capabilities Policy Office from April 2022 until recent dates.

In his new role, Horowitz will be responsible for leading the development and issuance of force planning and programming guidance as well as ensuring DOD Component compliance with it. He will also provide senior policy leaders with advice on force development efforts.

Horowitz’s career includes time with Foreign Policy Research Institute and University of Pennsylvania, where he worked as director of Perry World House and under the Richard Perry professorship. He is on a leave of absence from the university.

NDIA Institute Releases Report on Software Opportunities to Modernize DOD
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NDIA Institute Releases Report on Software Opportunities to Modernize DOD

The National Defense Industrial Association released a report recommending that the Department of Defense create a science and technology board to guide the agency on software adoption and deployment opportunities.

NDIA’s Emerging Technologies Institute said Thursday that its recommendations were based on data from its Software as a Modernization Priority workshop, which took place in Nov. 2022.

ETI conducted the workshop in order to gain insights from DOD and the industry on the challenges in maximizing software’s potential to maintain the United States’ competitive advantage in terms of defense.

The recommendations came from experts representing NDIA member companies and universities, who also suggested the development of tools that can aid decision-making when it comes to software product pipelines.

Software S&T investments should also depend on DOD’s prioritization of long-term needs, according to the report. The authors encouraged the agency to consider capabilities that employ artificial intelligence to address data security concerns.

The report was written in cooperation with Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute and Rebellion Defense.

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Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein Nominated as Vice Chief of Space Operations
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Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein Nominated as Vice Chief of Space Operations

President Biden has nominated Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, commander of Space Systems Command, for promotion to the rank of general and to serve as vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a 2023 Wash100 awardee, also announced the nomination of Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs and requirements, to succeed Guetlein as head of SSC, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

SSC is the Space Force’s acquisition and logistics field command that designs, acquires, launches and sustains the service branch’s space systems, including satellites and associated command and control apparatuses.

Guetlein took the helm at the command in 2021 after serving as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, where he dual-hatted as the commander of the Space Force Element.

Garrant worked as program executive for ground-based weapon systems for the Missile Defense Agency and vice commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center before assuming his current duties.

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