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NSF-Funded Effort Seeking Data-Driven Approaches to Technology Assessment, Investment Concludes Pilot Year
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NSF-Funded Effort Seeking Data-Driven Approaches to Technology Assessment, Investment Concludes Pilot Year

The National Network for Critical Technology Assessment has released a report marking the conclusion of a $4 million pilot program that sought analytical approaches for determining the maturity, trajectory and impact of various technologies with the ultimate aim of helping the government make data-driven investments.

The work that the National Network performed focused on four technology areas — artificial intelligence, biopharmaceuticals, energy and critical materials and semiconductors — with the findings informing the Assessing and Predicting Technology Outcomes program, which aims to forecast the results of technology investments, the National Science Foundation said Tuesday.

Erica Fuchs, National Network director for its pilot year, said that the project demonstrated the feasibility of assessing critical technologies using new data and analytics approaches, adding: “This assessment can ensure that the country makes smart investments in the new technologies vital to national security, prosperity, and broad-based social well-being.”

For his part, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said: “This pilot helped map current capabilities and identify where additional investments are needed to develop the science and technology that will drive advanced technology assessment and prediction.”

He added that technology assessment and prediction could transform U.S. investment in research and innovation.

The National Network for Critical Technology Assessment is funded by the NSF.

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Treasury & AWS Helping Advance Cloud Adoption in Finance Sector, Says Treasury’s Graham Steele
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Treasury & AWS Helping Advance Cloud Adoption in Finance Sector, Says Treasury’s Graham Steele

Graham Steele, assistant secretary for financial institutions at the Department of the Treasury, said the department is working with cloud service providers — a.k.a. CSPs — like Amazon Web Services to support financial institutions in advancing their cloud adoption efforts.

Steele said AWS collaborates with Treasury’s Cloud Executive Steering Group to improve transparency and monitoring of cloud services within the financial services sector, the department said Tuesday.

“By bringing CSPs into the fold alongside other private sector and regulatory stakeholders, we are working toward establishing a more transparent model that places less pressure on cloud customers and asks CSPs to take more responsibility for the security of those customers,” Steele shared at the AWS Gov2Gov Summit.

In his speech, Steele also noted the benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence and automated systems in the financial services sector.

“AI may offer benefits, such as reducing costs and improving efficiencies, identifying more complex relationships, and improving performance and accuracy,” he said.

However, financial institutions may also face challenges and risks arising from the design, deployment and use of AI technologies.

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DARPA Gears Up for New Program to Protect Mixed Reality Users From Cognitive Attacks
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DARPA Gears Up for New Program to Protect Mixed Reality Users From Cognitive Attacks

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has begun accepting abstracts from vendors interested in participating in the Intrinsic Cognitive Security program.

ICS is a two-phase, 36-month effort that aims prepare for potential attacks on mixed reality, or MR systems, which are increasingly being adopted in military operations, DARPA said Tuesday.

The program will apply mathematical approaches called formal methods on MR user behavior models in order to prove guarantees that an MR system can protect users from cognitive attacks.

Phase 1 of the project will involve proving the guarantees and supporting the cognitive models, while the second phase will center on the guarantees’ validation as well as prototyping of the ICS technology.

“We need to develop methods to protect mixed reality systems before systems lacking protections are pervasive,” said Matthew Wilding, DARPA’s ICS program manager. “This program will show how to protect personnel using rigorous, math-based development practices that enable MR adoption plans in DOD organizations.”

The agency released a broad agency announcement on Oct. 16, with abstracts and proposals due Nov. 2 and Dec. 20, respectively.

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Randy Resnick: DOD CIO Office to Oversee Review of Zero Trust Implementation Plans
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Randy Resnick: DOD CIO Office to Oversee Review of Zero Trust Implementation Plans

Randy Resnick, director of the Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office within the Department of Defense’s Office of the Chief Information Officer, said the CIO office is set to review in the next few weeks 43 zero trust implementation plans that will serve as roadmaps for military services and defense agencies to address gaps in their cyber capabilities, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“We’re expecting to get these plans and whether or not they exceed our expectations will meet our expectations, that’s to be determined. We are confident that probably 80% to 90% will, but there will be some that we’re going to have to go back and forth,” Resnick told FNN in an interview.

According to Resnick, the CIO office developed from February through July a set of metrics that will be used to review each implementation plan, which he said will be analyzed by the different architectures, such as on-premise, all cloud or hybrid infrastructure.

He offered details on how the CIO office will look into each zero trust implementation plan.

“Our plan is that we’ve assembled probably the equivalent of maybe 17 or 18 full-time equivalents (FTEs), probably about 25 people, if you count them all, to spend the next four to six weeks analyzing every one of those plans and measuring the success of those plans, and whether or not they’re giving us the information,” Resnick said.

“We want to know how every single component is going to be hitting target level zero trust or higher by fiscal 2027 or earlier, and a layer on top of that is how are they going to achieve it,” he added.

Resnick said DOD will submit a report to Congress in December after conducting the internal review and then brief lawmakers on its assessment by January.

House Bill Suggests Improvements on Digital Service Delivery Across Federal Government
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House Bill Suggests Improvements on Digital Service Delivery Across Federal Government

Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.; Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga.; and William Timmons, R-S.C. have introduced bipartisan legislation to improve the delivery of digital services by increasing accountability and coordination across federal agencies.

The Government Service Delivery Improvement Act would mandate the Office of Management and Budget director to designate a senior OMB official to lead and coordinate efforts to improve the public’s online interaction with government agencies, Khanna’s office said Monday.

The bill would also require agency heads to build better trust with the public and appoint a senior agency official to spearhead agency-wide customer experience initiatives.

“The federal government has an obligation to efficiently and effectively deliver quality services that Americans rely on including Social Security, retirement benefits, Medicare health coverage, veterans programs, student loans and grants,” Khanna said.

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Michael Whitaker Confirmed as FAA Administrator
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Michael Whitaker Confirmed as FAA Administrator

The Senate unanimously confirmed Michael Whitaker, most recently chief operating officer of Hyundai Motor Group subsidiary Supernal, to serve as head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

In September, President Joe Biden nominated Whitaker, who served as deputy FAA administrator between 2013 and 2016 and helped lead the transition of the country’s air traffic control system to the satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast technology, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee said Tuesday.

Whitaker has over three decades of aviation experience, including serving as group CEO at India-based travel conglomerate InterGlobe Enterprises, senior vice president at United Airlines and assistant general counsel of international and regulatory affairs at Trans World Airlines.

He has a juris doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a private pilot who serves on the Flight Safety Foundation’s board.

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New CISA Guidance Aims to Help Small & Medium ICT Businesses Achieve Supply Chain Resilience
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New CISA Guidance Aims to Help Small & Medium ICT Businesses Achieve Supply Chain Resilience

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published a resource guide to help small- and medium-sized information and communications technology businesses develop a supply chain resilience plan.

The guidance provides recommendations to create a risk management plan that includes a list of critical suppliers, supplier diversity initiatives and a vendor attestation process, CISA said Monday.

The resource guide was formulated by the ICT SCRM Task Force, which has a subgroup specializing in small business needs. According to the task force, ICT enterprises should identify risks related to hardware and software used in operations, set up an alert for scheduled patches and updates and determine the end-of-life of the systems so that they can prepare for a timely transition or upgrade.

The experts also emphasized the importance of service level agreements and regular auditing and monitoring of the performance of their vendors to maintain product and service quality.

“In acknowledging the resource challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses amidst today’s complex supply chain risks, we’re committed to offering vital support,” said Mona Harrington, CISA assistant director for the National Risk Management Center.

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2023 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 15. Registration is now open.

POC - 2023 Homeland Security Summit
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DCSA Transitions Federal Agencies, Companies to National Background Investigation Services eApp
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DCSA Transitions Federal Agencies, Companies to National Background Investigation Services eApp

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has successfully migrated 100 federal agencies and 11,000 companies with classified contracts to the National Background Investigation Services eApplication, DVIDS reported Monday.

DCSA said users can use the NBIS eApp to initiate their applicants and employees and submit requests for personnel background investigations.

Cleared industry and federal agencies shifted to the new system in scheduled phases over the course of a year.

The NBIS eApp replaces the legacy Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system, which was decommissioned on Oct. 1.

Jeff Smith, DCSA program executive officer and NBIS executive program manager, said the transition of the federal and industry personnel security enterprise from eQIP to eApp concludes a year of planning and development by DCSA and its partners.

Biden Administration Details Proposed Actions to Implement National Arctic Region Strategy
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Biden Administration Details Proposed Actions to Implement National Arctic Region Strategy

The Biden administration has released its implementation plan for the ten-year National Strategy for the Arctic Region.

The plan includes over 30 objectives and 200 recommended actions to address the impact of climate change on the region while creating sustainable development opportunities for its inhabitants, the White House said in a statement issued Monday.

NSARIP discusses four main pillars focusing on homeland security, environmental protection, sustainable economic development and international cooperation and governance.

It assigns one lead representative each from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to coordinate military and civilian activities for security as well as research and development.

The government will also involve allied partners such as Canada and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to strengthen information sharing and contingencies in the face of threats from adversaries including Russia.

The plan will undergo annual review, with progress reports from federal agencies, and revisited every five years, the White House stated.

FCC Space Bureau Launches Transparency Initiative for Satellite Operations Applicants; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Space Bureau Launches Transparency Initiative for Satellite Operations Applicants; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

The Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau will release guidance on its procedures and authorization requirements for space and earth station operations as part of its transparency initiative for satellite applicants.

FCC said Monday it will host an Open House on Nov. 1 to gather questions from interested parties about the commission’s space station licensing process.

The Space Bureau will post answers to frequently asked questions regarding its authorization procedures and update applicant guides and other explanatory documents as part of the initiative.

“Making sure everyone understands how to be a part of that growth is a crucial part of maintaining U.S. leadership, and increasing competition in the space sector benefits us all,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

Established in April, the Space Bureau oversees policy and licensing matters related to satellite and space-based communications.

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