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CSC 2.0 Report Calls for Designation of Space Systems as Critical Infrastructure Sector
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CSC 2.0 Report Calls for Designation of Space Systems as Critical Infrastructure Sector

The CSC 2.0 project, the successor to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, has released a report concluding that space systems should be designated as a U.S. critical infrastructure sector to address gaps and demonstrate that the U.S. considers space security and resilience as top priorities.

The report offers six recommendations for the executive branch and these include designating NASA as the sector risk management agency for the space systems sector; strengthening international norms and standards; and integrating the National Space Council into the governance of the sector, CSC 2.0 said Friday.

The project calls on Congress to provide NASA the resources to carry out its mission and direct the Congressional Research Service to conduct a legislative review.

For private sector organizations, the document recommends the establishment of a coordinating council focused on the sector and advancement of efforts that leverage the existing work of information sharing and analysis centers.

The CSC 2.0 report urges industry and government to form a co-led risk management enterprise while advancing the implementation of cybersecurity best practices and improving U.S. resilience by adding space assets positioned outside of traditional operational areas.

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DCSA Announces Move to National Background Investigation Services eApp
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DCSA Announces Move to National Background Investigation Services eApp

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency has announced a transition from the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system to the National Background Investigation Services eApplication starting Oct. 1.

DCSA is asking federal contractors and customer agencies under the National Industrial Security Program to secure NBIS eApp user accounts for key employees and start entering applications into the app to facilitate the transition, according to a federal investigations notice released Wednesday.

DCSA Director William Lietzau said the move is part of the agency’s efforts to comply with federal requirements to move from legacy platforms to the new NBIS system.

The agency will release notices to provide users additional guidance on the decommissioning of the e-QIP system, which will no longer be accessible after Oct. 1.

DVIDS reported that 11 percent of federal organizations have fully transitioned to the new app already and no longer use e-QIP.

According to the report, the eApp comes with real-time validation and error detection, U.S. Postal Service address validation and auto saving functions, among other features.

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NIST Requests Comments on Semiconductor Quantum Dot Devices Tuning, Characterization
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NIST Requests Comments on Semiconductor Quantum Dot Devices Tuning, Characterization

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking industry input on a program to advance artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for the characterization and autonomous tuning of semiconductor quantum dot devices.

In a Federal Register notice published Thursday, NIST said it is looking to establish a publicly available data repository of metrics and associated datasets for benchmarking automated methods for quantum dot devices.

The agency is scheduled to hold a workshop on July 19 and 20 to discuss the needs and gaps in quantum dot device tuning automation with government partners, industry and academia.

The workshop will focus on key performance metrics for the characterization, auto-tuning and control of semiconductor quantum dot devices.

Responses to the notice are due June 12.

FAA Creates List of Factors to Consider in Managing Airspace Near Launch Sites
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FAA Creates List of Factors to Consider in Managing Airspace Near Launch Sites

The Federal Aviation Administration has established a set of factors to provide equal access to airspace near space launch sites.

The agency on Thursday published a list of considerations to objectively determine when to prioritize commercial space operations, and commercial and military aviation.

In the event of a space launch, FAA will take into account the number of flights and/or passengers that will be affected, as well as the time, location and window duration of the space mission. The agency is calling on the commercial space operators to schedule their launches at night to avoid peak airline flight hours.

Priority will be given to space missions with national security or national interest objectives, as well as those for payload transportation.

Holidays, military exercises and other significant events that cause congestion in the national airspace system will also be considered by the FAA.

The agency plans to mobilize its new Airspace Access Priorities Aviation Rulemaking Committee in June to build on its guidelines and tools for fair and equitable airspace access.

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Draper Reaches Review Milestones for NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program
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Draper Reaches Review Milestones for NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program

Draper has completed the mission architecture and requirements review and payload interface preliminary design review for the three NASA science and technology payloads scheduled for launch to the moon in 2025.

The review milestones validate that the Commercial Lunar Payload Services CP-12 initiative, managed by the NASA Science Mission Directorate, meets design and performance requirements and aligns with resource allocation, Draper said Thursday.

“Our CP-12 effort is on track as we work diligently to establish payload delivery to the lunar surface and prepare for future, more complex lunar surface operations,” said Pete Paceley, acting vice president of space systems at Draper. 

The company is working with industry partners to deliver three NASA-sponsored experiments to the lunar impact crater under a $73 million contract awarded in July 2022.

The payloads will ride on Draper’s SERIES-2 lunar lander, which will also carry other missions for commercial customers.

Draper leads a team that includes General Atomics‘ electromagnetic systems division, ispace technologies U.S. and Systima Technologies.

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Army Tests Laser Variant of Stryker-Based SHORAD System
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Army Tests Laser Variant of Stryker-Based SHORAD System

The U.S. Army has concluded a live-fire test of the 50-kilowatt laser weapon variant of the service branch’s Stryker-based Short-Range Air Defense system at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, DefenseNews reported Thursday.

Lt. Gen. Robert Rasch, head of the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, said the Directed Energy Maneuver-SHORAD prototypes demonstrated their ability to target unmanned aerial systems in the Group 1, 2 and 3 categories during the test.

The first two DE M-SHORAD prototypes were delivered to the Army in 2022 for training with soldiers, while the third prototype is scheduled to undergo acceptance testing. The final unit in the platoon set is expected to be delivered within the next couple of months.

In August 2019, the Army awarded a $203 million other transaction authority agreement with Kord Technologies, a subsidiary of KBR, to integrate a laser system onto the SHORAD systems developed by General Dynamics’ land systems division under a $1.219 billion contract.

Kord subsequently teamed up with subcontractors Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies to develop competing prototypes of the laser system. Raytheon’s offering was selected for the DE M-SHORAD program.

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DOE OKs Funding Renewal for Composite Manufacturing Innovation Institute
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DOE OKs Funding Renewal for Composite Manufacturing Innovation Institute

The Department of Energy has approved a five-year funding renewal for the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, a public-private partnership formed in 2015 to support DOE’s clean energy technology research and development efforts.

IACMI will receive $6 million in federal funds during the extended investment’s first year to further drive the manufacturing ecosystem for composite materials, DOE said Tuesday. 

University of Tennessee helped establish IACMI as one of the six department-backed Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institutes in the country.

DOE initially provided $70 million to support the creation of IACMI, while partner organizations collectively contributed more than $180 million.

The institute has helped create more than 3,000 jobs and trained more than 2,000 individuals over the past eight years.

Air Force Reports Progress in Military Construction, Sustainment & Modernization Contracts
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Air Force Reports Progress in Military Construction, Sustainment & Modernization Contracts

The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center is ramping up efforts to accomplish more military construction programs, with 120 projects scheduled for completion in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the service branch reported Wednesday.

MILCON contracts worldwide amounted to $7.6 billion over a 25-month period ending March 31, said Brig. Gen. Mark V. Slominski, mobilization assistant to the commander of the Air Force Materiel Command.

AFIMSC is focusing on facilities construction, sustainment, restoration and modernization, as well as weapons system infrastructure. The FY23 defense budget included funding for the B-21 Raider strategic bomber and the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile delivery system. Department of Air Force installations are being recapitalized through nearly $1.5 billion in large SRM contract awards this year.

The center also has 16 buildings planned or undergoing construction to serve as child development centers, dormitories and other community facilities.

“Our work is extremely important. Our execution inspires confidence with built infrastructure stakeholders, confidence from Congress as we execute authorized design and construction appropriations, and adversary awareness of our capabilities to set theaters of operation,” Slominski commented.

POC - 2023 Annual Air Force Summit

The Potomac Officers Club will host the 2023 Air Force Summit on July 18. Don’t miss this year’s opening keynote speaker, Secretary of the Air Force and Wash100 awardee Frank Kendall, as well as other leaders from the military and private sectors as they discuss digital transformation within the branch. Register for the event by clicking on the banner above.

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US Joins 6 Other Countries in Writing Guidance for Secure-by-Design Tech Product Shipment; Jen Easterly Quoted
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US Joins 6 Other Countries in Writing Guidance for Secure-by-Design Tech Product Shipment; Jen Easterly Quoted

The governments of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand have released a joint guidance on implementing cybersecurity measures in the shipment of software and other tech products.

CISA said Thursday the creation of the guidance was led in the U.S. by the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Security Agency.

The first-of-its-kind document urges software manufacturers to take a secure-by-design and -default approach in developing products that are shipped to customers. It also includes core principles for incorporating cybersecurity at the design phase, prior to product development.

“Ensuring that software manufacturers integrate security into the earliest phases of design for their products is critical to building a secure and resilient technology ecosystem,” CISA Director Jen Easterly remarked. “These secure by design and secure by default principles aim to help catalyze industry-wide change across the globe to better protect all technology users,” the 2023 Wash100 award winner added.

A prior Wash100 award recipient, NSA Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce, echoed the sentiment. “Insecure technology products can pose risks to individual users and our national security,” he commented. “If manufacturers consistently prioritize security during design and development, we can reduce the number of malicious cyber intrusions we see.”

The guidance, entitled “Shifting the Balance of Cybersecurity Risk: Principles and Approaches for Security-by-Design and -Default,” is available on CISA’s website.

POC - 2023 Cyber Summit

On June 8, the Potomac Officers Club will host the 2023 Cyber Summit to discuss the evolving role of the technology in the public sector. Join the event by clicking on the banner above.

US Army Space & Missile Defense Command Begins Operations of High-Energy Laser Testing Lab
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US Army Space & Missile Defense Command Begins Operations of High-Energy Laser Testing Lab

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center inaugurated the Directed Energy Systems Integration Lab at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service reported Wednesday.

DESIL was built for use by military, industry and other customers that need to develop and characterize their directed energy weapon systems in alignment with the branch’s modernization plans.

The facility’s services range from software simulation, systems integration and subject matter expert consultation, to customer support and assistance in subcomponents testing and experimentation.

The 5,400-square-foot site also includes a 400-meter directed energy range as well as a distributed network where research data sharing can take place.

“All of the high energy laser testing at the DESIL will be “below-the-horizon” into a 60-foot earth berm to keep the energy contained to the test area,” said Daniel Bryant, director of systems engineering at SMDC Technical Center. “Directed energy technology promises to increase ‘magazine depth,’ reduce the ‘cost per kill’ of missiles for air defense, and significantly reduce the logistics required.”

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