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NASA Opens Facility for Advanced Aerospace Communications Research & Development
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NASA Opens Facility for Advanced Aerospace Communications Research & Development

NASA has unveiled an aerospace communications facility dedicated to the research and development of advanced radio frequency and optical communication technology.

The agency on Wednesday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Multiple Asset Testbed for Research and Innovative Communications Systems, which is located at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The 54,000-square-foot facility, also known as MATRICS, features 25 research laboratories, rooftop and ground-based antenna fields and a radio frequency-shielded high-bay space.

MATRICS consolidates the workspace of 80 researchers previously scattered across the Glenn Research Center campus. They are expected to advance studies that apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to future low Earth orbit and deep space networks.

The site will also be home to a new quantum metrology laboratory, which will focus on the use of photons and quantum physics to transmit and protect data.

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NIST Requests Comments on Draft Software Supply Chain Security Framework
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NIST Requests Comments on Draft Software Supply Chain Security Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has opened for public comment a new draft report outlining strategies for integrating software supply chain security in DevSecOps continuous integration/continuous delivery pipelines.

The draft NIST Special Publication 800-204D aims to ensure that security measures are embedded in the agile software development life cycle to ensure the overall security of the software supply chain, the agency said Wednesday.

The NIST framework provides actionable steps to integrate the various SSC security building blocks into DevSecOps CI/CD pipelines to prepare organizations to deploy cyber-hardened cloud-native applications.

According to NIST, due diligence practices must be followed during the SDLC to prevent malicious threat actors from exploiting attack vectors and ensure that cloud-based software applications are free of defects.

Comments are due Oct. 13.

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DOE Funds 3 Projects to Support Quantum Networking Research Advancement
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DOE Funds 3 Projects to Support Quantum Networking Research Advancement

Three research projects specializing in quantum computer networking will receive a total of $24 million in grants over a period of up to three years from the Department of Energy.

DOE announced Tuesday that the chosen projects will help advance devices, techniques and protocols to make distributed quantum computers a reality.

One of the teams involves Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. They are using a full-stack, heterogenous approach to co-designing scalable quantum networks.

The Argonne and Fermi laboratories are also part of another study with the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University and the California Institute of Technology. It focuses on error noise-robust correction techniques as well as hyper-entanglement-based networking, which are expected to enhance quantum networks used in science discovery.

Another group is developing performance-integrated scalable quantum internet protocols and architecture. The study is a collaboration among Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Arizona and the Arizona State University.

Osprey MK III Completes 1st Autonomous Flight via AFWERX Autonomy Proving Ground
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Osprey MK III Completes 1st Autonomous Flight via AFWERX Autonomy Proving Ground

The U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm has conducted the first autonomous test flight of the Osprey MK III unmanned aerial system at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida under a testbed demonstration for autonomous technologies and capabilities.

Test operators launched Osprey MK III before the aircraft switched control to onboard autonomy and independently flew around designated airspace located at Duke Field as part of AFWERX’s Autonomy, Data and AI Experimentation Proving Ground effort, Air Force Materiel Command reported Wednesday.

The onboard autonomy was designed to fly MK III outside the user-defined airspace boundary constraints. It disengages and sends the UAS to a safe remediation point each time it is about to violate the airspace boundary.

The autonomy watchdog feature is part of the Test of Autonomy in Complex Environments, the software component of the Autonomy Prime Environment for Experimentation, which is a subset of ADAx.

ADAx is a joint venture between AFWERX and the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and AI Office.

Naval Air Warfare Center & SPARC Collaborate on Missile Propulsion Enhancement Initiative
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Naval Air Warfare Center & SPARC Collaborate on Missile Propulsion Enhancement Initiative

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division will partner with SPARC Research on enhancing missile range and capability for warfighters over a three-year period.

SPARC said Wednesday the team will aim to boost the performance of solid rocket motors and air-breathing engines under a cooperative research and development agreement.

“We are honored to be working with SPARC Research to enable us to cooperatively develop, build, test and effectively transition emerging propulsion technologies to future weapon development programs,” said Matthew Gross, principal investigator at NAWCWD.

Based in Warrenton, Virginia, SPARC works to advance rocket and airbreathing technologies, spanning from development and initial design to prototype presentation. The company also collaborates with propulsion suppliers, missile prime contractors and government laboratories.

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White House Official Says External Red-Team Assessments of LLMs Could Improve AI Developer Accountability
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White House Official Says External Red-Team Assessments of LLMs Could Improve AI Developer Accountability

External red team assessments, which use real-world cyberattack techniques to identify an organization’s security weaknesses, are effective in detecting artificial intelligence risks such as bias, discrimination, privacy and other novel threats, according to Alan Mislove, assistant director of data and democracy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In a blog post published Tuesday, Mislove relayed findings from the first-ever red-teaming event held at the AI Village during the 2023 DEF CON hacking conference from Aug. 10 to 13 in Las Vegas.

While external red-teaming is currently being used in cybersecurity in general, its specific application to AI systems is not yet common. The AI Village event focused on the assessment of large language models, which underwent intensive testing until they produced undesirable outcomes.

The findings helped establish red-teaming norms to expose threats to data rights and safety when it comes to LLMs, Mislove said. The approach may help increase transparency and accountability among AI companies, he added.

On Sept. 12, ExecutiveBiz, an affiliate publication of ExecutiveGov, will host the Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum. The event, which will be held in person in Falls Church, Virginia, is open for registration.

Trusted AI and Autonomy Forum
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USAF, Army Battle Labs Conduct Joint Experiment on Airspace Awareness Software With DARPA
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USAF, Army Battle Labs Conduct Joint Experiment on Airspace Awareness Software With DARPA

The battle laboratories of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army worked with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on a joint experiment on a DARPA program designed to enable airspace operations and deconfliction in highly congested combat environments.

The Air Space Total Awareness for Rapid Tactical Execution program seeks to automate the capability to provide a common operational image of airspace in real time to speed up the execution of joint fires, the Air Force said Thursday.

Raytheon, now RTX, developed the artificial intelligence-enabled ASTARTE software using a modular approach to facilitate its integration with the command and control systems of the Army and the Air Force.

Air Force and Army personnel assessed the ASTARTE software in an air-ground conflict by simulating a division-level Joint Air Ground Integration Center. They evaluated ASTARTE and its ability to process multiple data streams to provide a unified operational picture and offer recommendations for improving joint fires through JAGIC battle drills.

“In comparison to previous test events, we observed significantly reduced reliance on legacy C2 systems while using the ASTARTE software, and the role players reported a greater understanding of how the ASTARTE system executes tasks,” said Mary Schurgot, ASTARTE program manager at DARPA’s strategic technology office.

The Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System Battle Lab, also known as the 805th Combat Training Squadron’s Shadow Operations Center-Nellis, hosted the joint ASTARTE experiment in collaboration with DARPA and the Army’s Mission Command Battle Lab.

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OMB’s Quarterly PMA Update Underscores Progress in Federal Customer Service Delivery
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OMB’s Quarterly PMA Update Underscores Progress in Federal Customer Service Delivery

The Office of Management and Budget has provided quarterly updates to the President’s Management Agenda and shared progress on the second PMA priority, which seeks to transform federal service delivery and customer experience.

The implementation leads for the second priority offered updates on efforts to reimagine federal government services, particularly in the areas of high-impact service providers and life experience projects, according to a Performance.gov blog post published Wednesday.

According to the report, 26 of the 35 HISPs are publicly reporting data on their public interactions to improve accountability and that some HISPs, including the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, have made strides when it comes to delivering services to citizens.

HHS, for instance, performed prototyping and user interviews to help inform changes to Medicare.gov.

Two life experience projects reportedly achieved milestones, one of which is via the “Navigating Transition to Civilian Life” life experience. Under the “Prototyping integrated transition planning support for Service members” project, the Department of Veterans Affairs is developing prototypes and minimum viable products for a shared software meant to help former service personnel access their benefits.

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Wendy Noble Ascends to Deputy Director at NSA
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Wendy Noble Ascends to Deputy Director at NSA

Wendy Noble, former executive director of the National Security Agency, has been appointed deputy director of NSA.

She succeeds George Barnes, who will retire by the end of September after serving as deputy director of NSA for six years, the agency said Wednesday.

In this capacity, Noble will oversee strategy execution, operations and the senior civilian leadership, in addition to helping the defense and intelligence enterprise develop national security policies.

As NSA’s executive director between 2019 and 2022, she guided operational strategies, implemented policies and led all aspects of the global enterprise.

Noble most recently held a position at the Department of Defense wherein she was responsible for advancing foreign partnerships. 

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QinetiQ to Support SDA Proliferated Space Architecture Development Under $224M Contract; Shawn Purvis Quoted
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QinetiQ to Support SDA Proliferated Space Architecture Development Under $224M Contract; Shawn Purvis Quoted

QinetiQ’s U.S. arm has booked a five-year, $224 million Space Development Agency contract for systems engineering and technical services.

Under the firm-fixed price award, QinetiQ is responsible for providing engineering and technical analysis, management and professional services and acquisition support to help SDA progress the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture initiative, QinetiQ shared with ExecutiveGov in an email sent Thursday.

“This award further expounds on our long-term commitment to the space mission. We are proud to be continuing our partnership with SDA to advance mission operations of this critical space program in support of our warfighter,” said QinetiQ US President and CEO Shawn Purvis, a three-time Wash100 Award recipient. 

The PWSA is a resilient layered network of military satellites and associated components intended to provide the joint warfighter with necessary space-based capabilities using a proliferated low Earth orbit satellite constellation. QinetiQ’s work is intended to advance the development, fielding and operation of the PWSA.

Steve Iwicki, executive vice president of QinetiQ US’ space initiatives and defense technologies and solutions portfolio, said the company has been “fully committed” to making sure it delivers the right technical offerings to drive mission success while also providing the full life cycle support it has partnered with SDA on, which spans requirements generation to launch operations.

This award closely follows multiple contract wins for QinetiQ. Earlier this month, QinetiQ received a contract from the U.S. Army to provide technical and programmatic services for the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Center at the Fort Belvoir Prototyping Integration Facility.

In March, QinetiQ secured a $92.7 million award also from the Army, under which the enterprise is responsible for developing, testing and demonstrating a night vision device that uses digital sensor and display systems.

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