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Army, Johns Hopkins APL Use Human-AI Teaming Method for Medical Care in Combat
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Army, Johns Hopkins APL Use Human-AI Teaming Method for Medical Care in Combat

A study being conducted by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the U.S. Army aims to combine human and artificial intelligence capabilities to improve emergency medical response during combat.

The Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center partnered with Johns Hopkins APL to leverage AI, augmented reality and robotics to serve as virtual assistants to medics and soldiers on the battlefield, the research institute said Wednesday.

The research team is testing a scenario in which a medic is assisted by robots equipped with sensors in tending to multiple casualties. The machines are expected to perform subtasks such as vital signs, retrieving intubation kits and providing bag-valve-mask ventilation.

They are also designing cognitive architecture that would enable the robots to adapt to human-machine teaming.

“When we show where we are headed to Army medics, they seem very excited about the possibilities, and they come up with new ideas and capabilities for us to explore,” said David Handelman, a senior roboticist in Johns Hopkins APL’s Research and Exploratory Development Department who is leading the study. “This could potentially save lives and improve the overall health of patients.”

The Potomac Officers Club will host its eighth annual Army Summit on Aug. 1 in McLean, Virginia. Join the event by registering here.

POC - 8th Annual Army Summit
BAE Systems Business Forms Alliance With Parsons to Continue Operating Army Chemical Processing Facility; John Swift Quoted
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BAE Systems Business Forms Alliance With Parsons to Continue Operating Army Chemical Processing Facility; John Swift Quoted

A BAE Systems subsidiary has made its next move as the operating contractor for a U.S. Army modernization initiative with a newly formed partnership with Parsons Corporation.

The collaboration will advance BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc.’s modernization efforts at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant and support its goal to continue servicing the facility through 2035, the Kingsport, Tennessee based organization announced on Thursday.

“Our team is committed to modernizing the Holston Army Ammunition Plant and delivering safe, reliable products for our customers,” said John Swift, who serves as vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc.

He said that BAE Systems’ “strong legacy” of modernization initiatives is “strengthened” by Parson’s previous success, well-rounded engineering staff, range of capabilities and experience in conducting challenging projects concurrently.

The Holston Army Ammunition Plant was stood up during World War II to support U.S. military activities. Currently, BAE is working to evolve the installation into an advanced chemical processing plant by providing program management and modernization integration services. These efforts support the Army’s goal of broadening its explosives and propellant manufacturing capabilities.

As a partner, Parsons will bring its engineering and construction management offerings to the project.

John Moretta, president of engineered systems at Parsons, emphasized the company’s commitment to providing its services and moving this modernization initiative forward.

“Through this partnership, we’re leveraging our engineering and complex delivery capabilities to further advance the Army’s modernization efforts and benefit the environment,” he said.

Parsons was recently chosen by the  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide a new Explosive Decomposition Chamber facility at the same plant. The enterprise also received a contract to support another BAE Ordnance Systems-operated installation — the Radford Army Ammunition Plant — by delivering the Energetic Waste Incinerator.

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CSBA, CASBO & Carahsoft Attempt to Streamline IT Acquisition for California Public Schools via Partnership; Tim Boltz Quoted
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CSBA, CASBO & Carahsoft Attempt to Streamline IT Acquisition for California Public Schools via Partnership; Tim Boltz Quoted

The California School Boards Association, the California Association of School Business Officials and Carahsoft Technology have formed a partnership to facilitate the procurement of technology products and services by public schools in the state.

Local education agencies in California can acquire learning management systems, student safety and security, content management and data analytics, workforce readiness, multicloud, education funding services, internet of things and cybersecurity products and services through a streamlined process under the Golden State Technology Solutions partnership, Carahsoft said Wednesday.

Tim Boltz, director of EDUStrategy at Carahsoft, said the partnership contract executed by the company with CASBO and CSBA will meet the information technology needs of the TK-12 community and help simplify the process for California K-12 customers as they purchase cloud, software, hardware and other services to support faculty and students.

CASBO is a nonprofit organization serving over 24,000 school business professionals in California through education, professional development, advocacy and certification programs, while CSBA represents elected officials that oversee nearly 1,000 public school districts and county offices of education supporting nearly 6 million students in the state.

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FCC Issues Notice of Inquiry for Proposed National Broadband Standard Changes; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted
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FCC Issues Notice of Inquiry for Proposed National Broadband Standard Changes; Jessica Rosenworcel Quoted

Jessica Rosenworcel, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, issued a Notice of Inquiry for her proposal to make broadband networks affordable and accessible to everyone in the country.

The updated notice calls for a higher fixed broadband standard, as well as a future national goal of 1 Gigabits per second for download and 500 Megabits per second for upload, the FCC announced Tuesday.

The proposal was drafted in compliance with Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act, as well as requirements under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The 25/3 Mbps download/upload standard, which has not been updated since 2015, will increase to 100/20 Mbps if FCC’s recommendation is approved.

“In today’s world, everyone needs access to affordable, high-speed internet, no exceptions,” Rosenworcel commented. “It’s time to connect everyone, everywhere. Anything short of 100% is just not good enough.”

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Michael Bloomberg: DOD Must Learn to Fail Fast to Improve Tech Innovation & Acquisition
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Michael Bloomberg: DOD Must Learn to Fail Fast to Improve Tech Innovation & Acquisition

Michael Bloomberg, chair of the Department of Defense Innovation Board, said that DOD is lagging behind the private sector in the technology race because of its antiquated acquisition system.

In an opinion piece published Tuesday on Defense News, Bloomberg noted that the government must learn from commercial companies’ practices in order to advance to the forefront of technological innovation.

The former New York City mayor highlighted the private sector’s “fail fast” principle, a trial-and-error approach to newly developed ideas in order to quickly determine if they should be pursued or reevaluated from the beginning.

He also mentioned a proposed bill entitled “Rapid Response to Emergent Technology Advancements or Threats,” which would authorize the secretaries of the different military branches to acquire new capabilities as needed, even before Congress approves a final budget.

Bloomberg called for the expansion of spending authority to DOD acquisition officials, asserting that they should be given more flexibility in procuring state-of-the-art equipment and technology at a faster pace, before the products become obsolete.

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SwRI to Develop Ultra-Wideband Receiver Technology for Electronic Warfare Applications
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SwRI to Develop Ultra-Wideband Receiver Technology for Electronic Warfare Applications

The U.S. Air Force has selected nonprofit research and development organization Southwest Research Institute to design a digital, ultra-wideband receiver technology for the detection of advanced enemy radar signals.

SwRI said Tuesday the open-architecture UWR system uses a single processing card to rapidly intercept signals across a broader instantaneous bandwidth coverage of the electromagnetic spectrum and works to eliminate false detections to ensure accuracy.

“This open-system-based receiver will offer the military an ultra-wideband capability that can be integrated into existing defense systems to improve situational awareness and mission effectiveness,” said Finley Hicks, head of the UWR development team at SwRI.

SwRI will deliver the size, weight and power-optimized technology to the Air Force under a $4.8 million contract.

“It is important that the U.S. stays ahead of the advanced and emerging radars of potential combatants, while maintaining the ability to operate in ever-congested radio-frequency environments that contain a wide range of signals, from military radars to cell phones, TV and radio signals,” Hicks said.

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NIST Report Focuses on Cyber Risk Management for Commercial Satellite Businesses
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NIST Report Focuses on Cyber Risk Management for Commercial Satellite Businesses

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a report outlining the fundamental concepts for managing cybersecurity risks in the commercial satellite industry.

The report is intended to introduce the Cybersecurity Framework to commercial space businesses by describing a method for applying the framework to a portion of commercial satellite operations, according to NIST.

The document lays out an abstracted set of cybersecurity requirements, outcomes and suggested controls and outlines example requirements that could be used by space companies to develop an initial baseline. It also includes sections that offer a high-level architectural view of commercial satellite operations, enumerate the steps of the Cybersecurity Framework and provide a notional example of how satellite businesses might apply the framework to their space vehicles.

NIST noted that the document focuses on unmanned commercial space vehicles that will not dock with crewed spacecraft.

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Biden Nominates Jon Holladay as USDA Chief Financial Officer
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Biden Nominates Jon Holladay as USDA Chief Financial Officer

President Biden has nominated Jon Holladay, a specialist leader at Deloitte Consulting since 2017, to serve as chief financial officer of the Department of Agriculture.

Holladay held the position during the Obama administration and provided strategic direction and leadership to 16 agencies, 12 staff offices and two wholly owned government corporations with approximately $150 billion of budget authority, the White House said Tuesday.

He served as the department’s acting CFO from September 2009 until his confirmation in November 2014.

During his more-than-two-decade career at USDA, Holladay held various positions including deputy CFO, program manager and associate CFO for financial policy and planning.

He is credited with implementing enhancements in USDA’s financial systems and processes and establishing the department’s modernized internal control program.

The Senate received Holladay’s nomination on Tuesday.

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Jen Easterly Says CISA Will Hire Regional Advisers to Strengthen Election Security
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Jen Easterly Says CISA Will Hire Regional Advisers to Strengthen Election Security

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has shared that CISA is taking actions to boost resources within the agency to increase the resilience of the U.S. election infrastructure.

In a blog post published Tuesday, Easterly said CISA will hire an election security adviser for each of its 10 regions to work directly with state and local election officials and regional directors to strengthen election security and impenetrability.

“Importantly, election security advisors will be experts in the infrastructure, jurisdictional requirements, and operating environments unique to their regions to offer more tailored guidance and support,” the two-time Wash100 awardee said.

According to Easterly, the hiring of the new election security advisers builds on CISA’s previous efforts, including the establishment of cybersecurity advisers and cybersecurity state coordinators, regional external affairs officers and regional training and exercise coordinators.

“As we gear up for upcoming elections, including the 2024 presidential election, we will continue to lean forward and do our part to ensure the American people can have confidence in the security and resilience of our democratic process,” she said.

Easterly announced the efforts at the National Association of State Election Directors’ summer conference.

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DOD Issues Updated Guide on Other Transaction Agreements
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DOD Issues Updated Guide on Other Transaction Agreements

The Department of Defense’s office of the undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment has released an updated guide on other transaction agreements.

The document outlines lessons learned related to planning, solicitation, evaluation, award and administration of production and prototype OTs and offers information on the three types of OTAs: prototype, research and production.

According to the guide, OTs seek to provide DOD access to novel technology platforms from traditional and nontraditional defense contractors through potential teaming arrangements, support dual-use projects and encourage flexible project design and implementation.

The document provides pre- and post-award information, processes and best practices, as well as additional resources—including myths, approval thresholds and other facts related to OTs.

DOD also addresses the use of consortia in production and prototype OTAs in the updated guide.

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