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DOD Wants Feedback on Proposed Changes to Eligibility Criteria for DIB Cybersecurity Program
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DOD Wants Feedback on Proposed Changes to Eligibility Criteria for DIB Cybersecurity Program

The Department of Defense is soliciting public comments on a proposed rule aimed to revise the eligibility criteria for the Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity Program as part of efforts to encourage more defense contractors to participate in the program and improve the benefits of bilateral information sharing.

DOD is amending the voluntary DIB CS program to align the program description with the updated eligibility requirements, according to a Federal Register notice published Wednesday.

“As a result, references to cleared defense contractors have been replaced with contractors that own or operate a covered contractor information system,” the document reads.

The proposed rule will eliminate the requirement that a company should have an existing facility clearance to at least the Secret level in order for it to be eligible to take part in the program.

According to DOD, the move seeks to help safeguard the department’s controlled unclassified information from cyberattacks and better align the program with DOD’s mandatory cyber incident reporting requirements.

The department has also proposed changes to some definitions, including DIB CS program participant and government furnished information.

Public comments are due June 20.

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ARPA-E Seeks to Advance Green Tech via California Energy Commission Partnership
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ARPA-E Seeks to Advance Green Tech via California Energy Commission Partnership

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy has agreed to cooperate with the California Energy Commission to identify funding opportunities for green technology research and development under a signed memorandum of understanding.

ARPA-E said Wednesday the partnership will work toward achieving tech advancement goals such as energy cost reduction, grid modernization and environmental mitigation.

“This collaboration will accelerate our critical work to research, develop, demonstrate, and ultimately deploy energy technologies,” commented Evelyn Wang, director of ARPA-E.

The two agencies expect their joint effort to benefit the economy and society not only at the state level but also on a national scale.

A prior collaboration supported projects at Halotechnics, Glint Photonics, 24M Technologies, Blackpak, Glint Photonics, Otherlab, EnZinc and several universities.

NSF Solicits Industry Input on Technology R&D Investment Roadmap
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NSF Solicits Industry Input on Technology R&D Investment Roadmap

The National Science Foundation is seeking industry input on developing a roadmap to guide investment decisions of its new technology directorate that aims to advance “use-inspired” research and development of critical and emerging technologies.

The CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 mandates that the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships develop an investment roadmap to evaluate funding in 10 critical technology areas, including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum information science and technology and advanced manufacturing, NSF said Monday.

TIP investments will also support efforts to address challenges in national security, manufacturing and industrial productivity, skills gaps and workforce development, climate change and inequitable access to education.

“Through the creation of a roadmap informed by thoughtful and diverse contributors, we can strategically advance key technology areas, address societal and economic challenges, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness for generations to come,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships.

NSF will accept feedback and comments until July 27.

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Lockheed-built Solar Array for GOES-U Satellite Passes NOAA Deployment Test
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Lockheed-built Solar Array for GOES-U Satellite Passes NOAA Deployment Test

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has completed test deployment of the solar array installed on its fourth Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R series.

The GOES-U solar array, which was built by Lockheed Martin, effectively deployed during a zero-gravity simulation at the company’s facility in Littleton, Colorado, NASA announced Wednesday.

The solar system consists of five panels, each measuring 13 feet tall and 4.5 feet wide. The array, which weighs approximately 45 pounds, is folded upon the launch of GOES-U and unfurls to form a single wing when the satellite reaches geostationary orbit.

The system is expected to produce more than 5,000 watts of electricity, enough to power the entire satellite.

GOES-U is the final satellite in the GOES-R program, which is a collaborative project between NASA and NOAA. The agencies plan to launch the spacecraft in April 2024.

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Mark Munsell Named Director of NGA Data & Digital Innovation Directorate
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Mark Munsell Named Director of NGA Data & Digital Innovation Directorate

Mark Munsell, deputy director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Data and Digital Innovation Directorate since 2021, has been appointed director of the directorate, according to a LinkedIn post published Wednesday.

In this role, Munsell will create and deliver automation, artificial intelligence and data science capabilities to provide actionable insight across the agency.

Munsell joined NGA in 1995 as a software engineer following a four-year stint at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrator.

He left NGA in 1997 to join Northrop Grumman as a technical director responsible for several software development projects.

In 2005, Munsell returned to the agency, where he held various technical and operational positions for six years before becoming director of the Office Targeting and Transnational Issues in 2011.

He also served as the agency’s chief technology officer and deputy director of the information technology directorate.

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Senators Reintroduce Commercial Satellite Cybersecurity Bill
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Senators Reintroduce Commercial Satellite Cybersecurity Bill

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, have reintroduced legislation that tasks the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency with providing recommendations on protecting commercial satellite operators from cyberthreats.

The Satellite Cybersecurity Act would direct CISA to consolidate voluntary satellite cybersecurity recommendations for companies and develop guidance for small businesses to help them defend their space-based systems against cyberattacks that could significantly impact national and economic security, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said Wednesday.

The bipartisan bill would also require CISA to establish a public online hub for satellite-specific cybersecurity resources and the Government Accountability Office to study how the government ensures the security of commercial satellites.

“This bipartisan bill will ensure that commercial satellite owners and operators have the tools and resources they need to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses,” Peters said.

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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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