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Accenture Federal Establishes Center Dedicated to Generative AI Development; John Goodman Quoted
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Accenture Federal Establishes Center Dedicated to Generative AI Development; John Goodman Quoted

Accenture Federal Services has established a Federal Generative AI Center of Excellence intended to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence by government agencies.

The new facility will provide a dedicated space for designing prototypes and scaling pre-built products and accelerators to promote the application of generative AI models to real-world, mission-critical challenges, the enterprise said in an email sent to ExecutiveGov on Thursday.

“Generative AI has captured the world’s attention faster than any other recent technology. But how people are using it right now is just the beginning,” said John Goodman, CEO of AFS and a six-time Wash100 Award winner.

“We can already see that this technology is poised to shape the future of science, enterprise data and how we design and deliver solutions for federal missions,” he said.

Michael Thieme, AFS’ generative AI lead, listed several potential benefits of AI, which he said include optimizing tasks, augmenting human capabilities and creating a new language for enterprise reinvention.

“We look forward to partnering with federal leaders to explore use cases, rapidly prototype solutions and deliver responsible, trustworthy solutions to meet the unique needs of the federal government,” said Thieme.

Alongside the center’s launch, AFS released a suite of generative AI applications designed to tailor language learning models and foundation models for individual federal use cases.

The company also published its “A New Era of Generative AI for Everyone” study, which contains guidance for business leaders seeking to use this emerging technology. Its results indicate that up to 40 percent of total working hours will be supported or enhanced by language-based AI in the near future.

To modify Accenture’s generative AI capabilities for customers involved in federal missions, AFS is reportedly working closely with the organization’s Generative AI and Large Language Model Center of Excellence.

Stephen Homeyer: VP For Defense And Space Intelligence At BAE Systems
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Stephen Homeyer: VP For Defense And Space Intelligence At BAE Systems

For over 30 years, Stephen Homeyer has led and managed public and private sector organizations engaged in research and technology. He is renowned for simplifying complex scientific issues and presenting answers that everybody can understand and support.

Learn about Stephen Homeyer, and his career journey to becoming the Vice President for the Defense And Space at BAE Systems.

Meet Dr. Stephen Homeyer

Dr. Stephen Homeyer has served in various executive positions before becoming the vice president of Defense and Space Intelligence at BAE Systems..

In addition to his current role, Homeyer has been elected to serve a two-year term on the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) board of directors. He provides strategic guidance, direction, and business oversight to help the organization achieve its goal of bolstering public-private partnerships and advancing intelligence and national security priorities.

Stephen Homeyer has an extensive educational background, getting honors and awards and finishing a Cum Laude in college.

  • In 1989, Stephen Homeyer earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University.
  • Bachelor of Arts with a dual major in Chemistry and Mathematics at Huntingdon College (1986)
  • Master of Science in Inorganic Chemistry at Northwestern University (1987)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry at Northwestern University (1989)

Stephen Homeyer Leadership

For more than three decades, Stephen Homeyer has held several executive positions in different companies in research and development, national security, and the defense industry.

  • BAE Systems Vice President- Intelligence Strategy from November 2020 to Present
  • Intelligence and National Security Alliance Board Member from February 2023 to Present
  • US Federal Government Deputy Director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center from July 2018 to November 2020
  • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Deputy Director, Research Directorate from August 2016 to July 2018

About BAE Systems, Inc

Stephen Homeyer vp for defense and space intelligence BAE Systems

Photo of DCStockPhotography from Shutterstock

BAE Systems Inc is a U.S. subsidiary of a prominent aerospace, defense, and security company initially based in London, England, BAE Systems plc. The company works with the DoD through multiple trillion-dollar government contracts. BAE Systems Inc provides products and services such as advanced electronics, security, and IT solutions.

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Atlantic Council’s Interim Report Offers Recommendations to Advance Defense Tech Adoption
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Atlantic Council’s Interim Report Offers Recommendations to Advance Defense Tech Adoption

An interim report released by the Atlantic Council presents 10 policy recommendations to help the Department of Defense and Congress address challenges in adopting defense innovations amid the geopolitical environment facing the U.S.

The report outlined eight enterprise challenges with regard to defense technology adoption, including outdated research and development model, valleys of death, program-centric acquisition, long timelines and the shrinking industrial base, the Atlantic Council said Wednesday.

Some of the recommendations for DOD leaders, congressional defense committees and agencies to advance tech adoption within the Pentagon are introducing a new capability portfolio model, consolidating program elements, strengthening the alignment of capital markets to defense outcomes and incentivizing tech companies to do business with DOD.

The council’s commission on defense innovation adoption also called for the modernization of budget documents, efforts to scale the Space Development Agency model and establishment of a bridge fund for successfully demonstrated technologies.

Former DOD Secretary Mark Esper and Deborah Lee James, former secretary of the Air Force, serve as co-chairs of the Atlantic Council’s commission on defense innovation adoption. Both officials are previous Wash100 awardees.

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DARPA Holds 3rd Experiment for RACER Off-Road Unmanned Vehicle Demonstration Program
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DARPA Holds 3rd Experiment for RACER Off-Road Unmanned Vehicle Demonstration Program

In March, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency performed the third experiment in March for a program that seeks to demonstrate and assess the performance of combat-scale autonomous vehicles in off-road environments at the U.S. Army National Training Center at Fort Irwin in California.

Teams from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Washington participated in the three-week experiment as part of DARPA’s Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency program, the agency said Tuesday.

“At Experiment Three, we successfully demonstrated significant improvements in our off-road speeds while simultaneously reducing any interaction with the vehicle during test runs,” said Stuart Young, RACER program manager at DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office.

Army Research Laboratory researchers also took part in the experiment by demonstrating the performer team’s autonomy software.

Performer teams conducted more than 55 autonomous runs through challenging terrain with a dozen RACER fleet vehicles, logging 246 miles in 24.6 total hours and speeds of approximately 25 miles per hour.

“During this latest experiment, we continued to push vehicle limits in perceiving the environments to greater distances, enabling further increase in speeds and better adaptation to newly encountered environmental conditions that will continue into RACER’s next phase,” noted Young.

Under the second phase, performers will further develop their software stacks and test the autonomous movement of their vehicles in longer off-road environments with fewer interactions.

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NOAA Sets Sights on Satellite, Ground Tech Partnerships
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NOAA Sets Sights on Satellite, Ground Tech Partnerships

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is looking to conduct research into emerging satellite and ground technologies through broad agency announcements.

Forthcoming BAAs will focus on potential projects to design a microwave sensor, demonstrate ground processes and address passive sensor data corrupting emissions, NOAA said Friday.

The agency wants to explore modern tools that could support the modernization of numerical weather prediction models and satellite support infrastructure.

NOAA added that the research efforts are part of a partnership program under the Office of System Architecture and Advanced Planning.

The agency will post the announcements on the SAM website and host an event for organizations interested in the exploratory initiatives.

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DOD Conducts Inquiry Into Classified Documents Leak
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DOD Conducts Inquiry Into Classified Documents Leak

The Department of Defense has formed a team to carry out its own investigation to determine the authenticity of the purported classified documents containing information on the Ukraine war and intercepted communications and other intelligence on U.S. allies that appeared online, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Chris Meagher, a spokesman for DOD, said Defense Secretary and 2023 Wash100 awardee Lloyd Austin is overseeing the Pentagon inquiry, which includes senior military officials from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and officers from legislative affairs, public relations and defense policy teams.

“This team is really working to get our arms around everything that has to do with this distribution,” Meagher told reporters Monday.

“It’s assessing the national security implications; it’s making sure that we’re engaging with members of Congress; and it’s making sure we’re engaging with allies and partners,” he added.

According to WSJ, the Department of Justice and the FBI are also conducting a criminal investigation into the leaked documents.

The agencies’ move comes as the U.S. government engages with allies to address the diplomatic fallout from the leaked files.

“Those conversations began over the weekend and are ongoing,” Meagher said.

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NTIA Invites Public Input for Formulating AI Accountability Policy; Alan Davidson Quoted
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NTIA Invites Public Input for Formulating AI Accountability Policy; Alan Davidson Quoted

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is seeking public comment on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence technology.

The agency said Tuesday that it is gathering feedback to guide the Biden administration in formulating policies for AI assessments, audits and certifications for tech developers and the sectors whose work concerns AI.

To build an AI accountability ecosystem, NTIA and the Department of Commerce are looking for recommendations on the trust and safety tests that should be completed by AI developers and the enterprises that use their products. Furthermore, the agencies are considering whether different industries will require different approaches to accountability.

The request for comment is also intended to help regulators and relevant organizations establish incentives and other programs to promote data safety and security measures.

“Our inquiry will inform policies to support AI audits, risk and safety assessments, certifications, and other tools that can create earned trust in AI systems,” said Alan Davidson, NTIA administrator and assistant secretary for communications and information at the Department of Commerce.

The RFC will close on June 10.

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DHS S&T Requests Info on Technologies to Counter Small UAS
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DHS S&T Requests Info on Technologies to Counter Small UAS

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has published a pair of requests for information to identify industry sources capable of demonstrating technologies designed to counter threats posed by small unmanned aerial systems.

DHS S&T said Tuesday it is in need of counter-UAS tools that are able to detect, track, report and neutralize sUAS with low or no radio frequency emissions as well as kinetic tools to mitigate threats from small drones.

Vendors will be required to perform live product demonstrations starting in July under the direction of DHS S&T’s C-UAS initiative, which assesses counter-drone technologies in laboratory and operational environments.

A live demonstration of the selected C-UAS technologies is scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 11 at Oklahoma State University, with follow-up events potentially occurring in mid-2024.

DHS S&T is also set to conduct kinetic mitigation demonstrations on July 10 to 28 in 2023, and July 2024, at the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in North Dakota.

Responses to both RFIs are due May 5.

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CISA Unveils Version 2 of Zero Trust Maturity Model
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CISA Unveils Version 2 of Zero Trust Maturity Model

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has released the second version of its framework to advance the implementation of zero trust architecture across the federal government.

CISA said Tuesday the Zero Trust Maturity Model version 2 incorporates feedback and recommendations received from the public in 2021 and includes a new stage called “Initial” to identify maturity for each zero trust technology pillar.

The latest version adds new functions and updates to existing ones to guide zero trust transition plans throughout the four maturity stages.

“As one of many roadmaps, the updated model will lead agencies through a methodical process and transition towards greater zero trust maturity. While applicable to federal civilian agencies, all organizations will find this model beneficial to review and use to implement their own architecture,” said Chris Butera, technical director for cybersecurity at CISA.

The framework also outlines five pillars of achieving zero trust maturity: identity, devices, network, data and applications and workloads. Each pillar provides details on three cross-cutting capabilities: visibility and analytics, automation and orchestration and governance.

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FCC Senior Counsel Julie Kearney Appointed Chief of Space Bureau
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FCC Senior Counsel Julie Kearney Appointed Chief of Space Bureau

The Federal Communications Commission has appointed Julie Kearney, senior counsel for space law and policy since February, as chief of the Space Bureau, the FCC’s newly launched organization tasked with overseeing satellite policy and licensing matters.

The FCC said Tuesday the Space Bureau was officially launched Tuesday as part of the International Bureau reorganization effort to improve interagency coordination and address future mission requirements of the satellite industry.

Before joining the agency, Kearney was vice president of communications regulatory affairs and policy at customer engagement company Twilio.

Her industry career includes time as global head of communications regulation and policy at Alphabet’s Loon business, director of public policy and legislation at NPR and senior director and regulatory counsel of the Consumer Technology Association.

FCC also announced the appointment of Ethan Lucarelli as chief of the Office of International Affairs, Joel Taubenblatt as chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and Ronald Repasi as chief of the Office of Engineering and Technology.

“These hardworking, talented professionals interface with our international counterparts, modernize our satellite and orbital debris rules, review license requests for undersea cables upon which international interconnectivity relies, and much more,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

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