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President Biden Nominates Vice Adm. William Houston as Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Director
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President Biden Nominates Vice Adm. William Houston as Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Director

President Joe Biden has nominated U.S. Navy Vice Adm. William Houston as director of the Department of Energy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Houston, who currently commands the Naval Submarine Forces, Submarine Force Atlantic and Allied Submarine Command, will be promoted to the grade of admiral if the directorship is confirmed, Secretary of Defense and Wash100 Award honoree Lloyd Austin announced Wednesday.

Houston was appointed to his current posts in September 2021. Prior to that, he was director of the Undersea Warfare Division. He also served as deputy director of the U.S. Strategic Command’s Strategic Targeting and Nuclear Mission Planning unit. 

His other flag assignments were as director of plans and operations of Naval Forces Europe-Africa, deputy commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, and commander of Submarine Group 8.

The vice admiral gained experience in nuclear propulsion through his roles as flag lieutenant for Commander Submarine Force Atlantic’s Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, principal director for nuclear matters at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and director of the Navy Personnel Command’s Submarine and Nuclear Propulsion Distribution division.

The service branch will be the center of the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Navy Summit, to be held on June 21. Register here to participate in the event.

POC - 2023 Navy Summit
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MITRE Joins New CMU Research Coalition for Human-Centric AI Development; Douglas Robbins Quoted
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MITRE Joins New CMU Research Coalition for Human-Centric AI Development; Douglas Robbins Quoted

MITRE has joined Carnegie Mellon University’s new artificial intelligence-focused multidisciplinary research coalition.

Funded by a $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the AI Institute for Societal Decision Making aims to boost responses to a variety of societal concerns using human-centric AI technologies, MITRE announced from its McLean, Virginia headquarters on Thursday.

“We believe in the potential for AI to help us tackle hard problems from new drug discovery, to climate change mitigation, to national security challenges,” said Douglas Robbins, vice president of engineering and prototyping at MITRE.

He said that the company has prioritized advancing AI assurance across both the public and private sectors and harnessed its knowledge of federal agency decision-making scenarios and workflows to promote government adoption of “safe, equitable and effective” AI tools.

AI-SDM is the seventh institute established under the NSF’s $140 million investment to empower collaborative research within the U.S.

“The National AI Research Institutes are a critical component of our nation’s AI innovation, infrastructure, technology, education and partnerships ecosystem. These institutes are driving discoveries that will ensure our country is at the forefront of the global AI revolution,” said Sethuraman Panchanathan, NSF director.

Technologies developed by the coalition are intended to aid responders in making critical decisions across multiple areas, including disaster management and public health. Researchers will also conduct interdisciplinary training to enhance the speed and effectiveness of response in uncertain and dynamic circumstances.

The research will consider both controllable and uncontrollable factors pertaining to AI implementation, such as ethics, risk, equity and transparency. Paul Lehner and Ozgur Eris, two MITRE researchers, will apply the institute’s research to organizational efforts to adopt AI-assisted decision-making.

“MITRE will leverage its unique vantage point as an operator of federally funded research and development centers to articulate national decision-making challenges that are aligned with the institute’s goals, catalyze actionable connections to federal agencies that are in a position to address those challenges and identify transition paths to federal government operations for lasting national impact,” said Eris.

Aarti Singh, a professor in the machine learning department at CMU’s School of Computer Science, will direct AI-SDM.

She said that the institute’s partnership with MITRE is “critical to achieving a national impact for our research and outreach efforts” due to the company’s relationships with important federal stakeholders.

“MITRE is also well positioned to develop an extensive historical and current AI use case repository that will enable the study of factors governing AI adoption and human-AI complementarity,” Singh added.

In conducting their research, the AI-SDM team, which includes participants from a number of other organizations, will work alongside public health departments, emergency management agencies, nonprofits, companies, hospitals and health clinics to improve decision-making.

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Biden Administration Releases National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology
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Biden Administration Releases National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology

The Biden-Harris Administration has released the National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology, which sets guidelines to ensure that U.S. technologies are safe and interoperable.

Based on four guiding principles, the strategy is intended to protect technology used by U.S. consumers and empower the nation’s leadership and competitiveness in global standards development, the White House said on Thursday.

Through the strategy, the federal government seeks to expand its relationships with industry and academia, whose “innovation fuels effective standards development.” The strategy also urges these partners to make long-term investments in standards development.

According to the White House, technological advancements generated through research and development are the “driving force behind new standards,” and the government aims to support pre-standardization research that will promote innovation, cutting-edge science and translational research to keep the U.S. at the forefront of international standards development.

Though the number of standards organizations has quickly increased over the past decade, the U.S. standards workforce has not kept pace. In line with the strategy, the federal government intends to invest in educating and training a variety of stakeholders so they are better equipped to participate in technical standards development.

Working with like-minded allies, the U.S. government will ensure that the international standards system is created on the foundation of technical merit using fair processes that will invite global participation and foster inclusive growth.

The goals of the National Standards Strategy harmonize with a number of preexisting federal initiatives, including the National Security Strategy, the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the CHIPS and Science Act as well as the American National Standards Institute’s United States Standards Strategy.

Currently, the U.S. federal government, academia and civil society groups contribute to global standards activities. The nation is already collaborating with partner countries in the International Standards Cooperation Network and through the U.S.-EU governmental cooperation.

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White House to End Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers, Contractors
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White House to End Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers, Contractors

The White House said it will stop implementing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal contractors and employees and foreign air travelers on May 11.

The move will coincide with the end of the public health emergency in the U.S., the White House said Monday.

The departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security will also begin the process of ending the vaccine mandates for Head Start educators, health care facilities certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and individuals entering the U.S. through its land borders.

DHS and HHS will provide more details on the plan in the next few days.

“While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary,” the White House statement reads.

The Biden administration also cited how the vaccination requirements and whole-of-government approach helped reduce COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations.

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CISA’s Eric Goldstein Recommends 4 Steps to Help SMBs Counter Cyberthreats
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CISA’s Eric Goldstein Recommends 4 Steps to Help SMBs Counter Cyberthreats

Eric Goldstein, executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, recently laid out four steps small and medium businesses should take to protect their organizations from ransomware attacks and improve their cybersecurity posture, the first being the need for SMB leaders to discuss cybersecurity with direct reports.

“If you have regular email communications to staff, include updates on security program initiatives. When you set quarterly goals with your leadership team, include meaningful security objectives that are aligned with business goals,” Goldstein wrote in a blog post published Tuesday.

He called on SMBs with on-premises systems to transition to cloud-based platforms and enable multifactor authentication for all services and accounts.

Another step these businesses should take, according to Goldstein, is to seek the assistance of their local CISA cybersecurity advisers when it comes to Cybersecurity Performance Goal assessments.

“These assessments are designed to assist organizations of any size identify areas for near term improvement prioritized by Cost, Impact, and Complexity,” Goldstein noted.

The CISA executive also highlighted the need to transition to a “model in which technology products are safe and secure by design and default” to help advance cybersecurity for such businesses.

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US Navy’s Mine Countermeasures & Sonar Systems Achieve Initial Operating Capability
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US Navy’s Mine Countermeasures & Sonar Systems Achieve Initial Operating Capability

The U.S. Navy achieved initial operating capability for the mine countermeasures mission package and AN/AQS-20 sonar mine detection sets installed on its littoral combat ships.

The systems and sensors passed operational testing and evaluation aboard the USS Cincinnati, which began last fall, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced Tuesday.

MCM MP enables littorals to perform full detect-to-engage operations while widening standoff distance from the location of the mine threat.

AN/AQS-20 features wideband forward-looking, side look synthetic aperture and digital gap fill sonars which are integrated in underwater towed body. It is towed from the MCM unmanned surface vehicle.

The IOC declaration is “a critical step in the Navy’s progress towards the hybrid fleet described in Force Design 2045 by providing a modular MCM capability that leverages unmanned technologies to prosecute mines,” said Rear Adm. Casey Moton, program executive officer of unmanned and small combatants. PEO USC leads the LCS mission modules program.

On June 21, the Potomac Officers Club will host the 2023 Navy Summit to provide a venue for the service branch to share its projects and plans on fleet modernization, acquisition reform, cybersecurity and more. Register to hear what service branch representatives have to say.

POC - 2023 Navy Summit
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Navy Tests MUOS Connectivity for MQ-25 Drones Using UH-1Y Helicopters
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Navy Tests MUOS Connectivity for MQ-25 Drones Using UH-1Y Helicopters

The U.S. Marine Corps has tested the data transmission capabilities of the Department of Defense’s next-generation satellite communications system for the MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone using the UH-1Y Venom helicopter.

During the test, the MQ-25 Stingray team at Patuxent River and Webster Outlying Field in Maryland transmitted data to the UH-1Y during flight, validating the Mobile User Objective System’s ability to establish connectivity for aerial operations, Naval Air Systems Command said Tuesday.

MUOS is a space-based communications network that provides secure ultra-high frequency satcom capability for mobile forces.

The Bell-built UH-1Y Venom is a twin-engine, multi-role utility helicopter with a digital cockpit that features multifunction flat panel displays and increased payload capabilities.

“Testing MUOS with H-1 will facilitate the MQ-25 test infrastructure development and ensure MUOS connectivity configuration,” said Ray Belcher, MQ-25 Integrated Test Team communications lead.

Boeing manufactures the Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based drones as part of a six-year, $805.3 million engineering and manufacturing development contract awarded in 2018.

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State Department OKs Potential $110M Naval Strike Missile Sale to Latvia
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State Department OKs Potential $110M Naval Strike Missile Sale to Latvia

The State Department has approved a potential $110 million foreign military sale of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defense System and related equipment to the government of Latvia.

The foreign buyer has requested to purchase the missile defense system along with mobile operational platforms, training missiles, containers, integration equipment and ordnance handling equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Tuesday.

Contract items include spares, training equipment and aids, technical documentation, logistics, program support and technical and product assistance.

DSCA noted that Latvia will use the requested defense equipment to boost its interoperability with U.S. and NATO allies and enhance coastal defense capability in the Baltic Sea maritime domain.

The proposed deal will not require the deployment of contractor and government representatives to Latvia.

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Microsoft Says Iran Is Accelerating Use of Cyber-Enabled Influence Operations
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Microsoft Says Iran Is Accelerating Use of Cyber-Enabled Influence Operations

Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center has revealed that Iranian state actors are employing cyber-enabled influence operations to boost cyberattacks and achieve greater geopolitical impact.

Clint Watts, general manager of the Digital Threat Analysis Center, wrote in a blog post published Tuesday that Microsoft researchers connected 24 unique cyber-enabled IO to the Iranian government in 2022, a significant increase compared to just seven in 2021.

According to Watts, Iran’s integration of cyber and influence operations accelerated in June 2022, with researchers tracking 17 operations from June to December.

Iran’s cyberattacks are mainly targeted at Israel, Gulf state adversaries and other opposition figures and organizations.

Tehran also launched cyber operations against the U.S., Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In a new Microsoft Threat Intelligence report, the company defines cyber-enabled IO as combining offensive computer network operations with online messaging and amplification to influence target audiences’ decisions, perceptions and behaviors.

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Gen. Paul Nakasone: Cybercom’s Strategy is ‘Persistent Engagement’
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Gen. Paul Nakasone: Cybercom’s Strategy is ‘Persistent Engagement’

Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, revealed that “persistent engagement” is Cybercom’s strategic approach to operate in a challenging strategic environment, DOD News reported Tuesday.

He highlighted the importance of alignment with partners across the joint force and the private sector to address security challenges in the cyber domain.

“In this environment, the winners will be those that can set conditions for dynamic collaboration, that enable understanding and action,” he said Tuesday at a conference.

“Our desired end state is an end state of a unity of effort,” said Nakasone, who also serves as director of the National Security Agency and head of the Central Security Service. “This is an intangible competitive advantage.”

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