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President Biden Meets With Science & Tech Advisory Council Over AI Risks & Policy
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President Biden Meets With Science & Tech Advisory Council Over AI Risks & Policy

Technology companies have a responsibility to ensure that their products are protected against artificial intelligence exploitation before they are launched on the market, President Joe Biden said Tuesday in his meeting with an advisory group composed of scientists and engineers.

Biden spoke with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology regarding the opportunities and risks of AI to national security, the economy and the public.

“AI can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but we also have to address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security,” he told the council.

He mentioned the increasing adverse effects of inadequate safeguards on technologies such as social media, citing mental health implications especially on young people. 

Biden highlighted actions taken by the government, including proposing a bill of rights to ensure early-stage security incorporation into AI platforms. He also reminded the council of his administration’s recommended bipartisan legislation to limit tech companies’ access to personal consumer data.

PCAST was founded in 2001 to make policy recommendations on science, technology and innovation. It currently has 27 members and three co-chairs: Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Wash100 awardee; Maria Zuber, vice president for research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Frances Arnold, Linus Pauling professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology.

All three officials were present at the meeting.

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AFWERX Taps Spectrohm-Battelle Team to Develop Threat Detection Tool
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AFWERX Taps Spectrohm-Battelle Team to Develop Threat Detection Tool

A partnership between Spectrohm and Battelle has secured a contract from the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm to develop a hand-held screening tool to support the inspection of sealed vehicle tanks for illegal substances, including narcotics and explosives.

The phase two contract was awarded under AFWERX’s Small Business Technology Transfer program to develop a fuel-tank screening technology intended to secure entry control points across the Department of Defense facilities, Spectrohm said Tuesday.

Tim Cargol, CEO of Spectrohm, said the resulting platform will have potential applications in border security, critical infrastructure protection and law enforcement.

Joe Cochran, manager of Battelle’s infrastructure, security and protection division, said the company offers its LS10 liquid threat detection platform to address DOD’s force protection requirements.

A Pair of DOD VIPs, Robert Skinner & Christine Wormuth, Earn 2023 Wash100 Awards
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A Pair of DOD VIPs, Robert Skinner & Christine Wormuth, Earn 2023 Wash100 Awards

Executive Mosaic publications on Wednesday extolled the virtues of two integral Department of Defense leaders for their 2023 Wash100 Award recognitions. Individual profiles on Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner and the Hon. Christine Wormuth were published in GovCon Wire and ExecutiveBiz respectively that cataloged their 2022 triumphs and previewed what they’ll contribute to national security objectives in the year ahead.

A much-anticipated, rolling tradition, the Wash100 is now in its 10th year and has established itself as the most revered reflection of achievement in government contracting and the federal arena. Only candidates with outstanding leadership, innovation, vision and reliability are considered, much less inducted. Recipients span the public and private sectors.

If you’ve so far managed to avoid the Wash100 popular vote contest, put an end to your procrastination and cast 10 votes for your favorite candidates today at Wash100.com!

Skinner, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and commander of Joint Force Headquarters of the Department of Defense Information Network, received his second consecutive Wash100 Award for his work in bringing the U.S. closer to a ‘joint and coalition environment.’ His efforts served to assist in bridging the gaps between mission partner environments and Joint All-Domain Command and Control, the initiative to unite and unify all communications systems across the DOD.

If you want to read more about Skinner’s legacy and the pedigree that earned him a spot in the 2023 Wash100 class, read his profile here.

Wormuth is the secretary of the U.S. Army and a first-time winner of the award. Her recent work has been guided by a modernization plan that is aimed to help the Army reach its target future state by 2030. In remarks at various speaking events, she highlighted focus areas such as sensing technologies, data analytics, logistics, deterrence and more as crucial to the Army’s current strategy.

Delve into all six concentration points of Wormuth and the Army’s future-forward approach in her profile here.

Executive Mosaic warmly congratulates Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner and the Hon. Christine Wormuth on their richly deserved 2023 Wash100 Awards!

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CBO Reports Federal Deficit of $1.4T in FY 2022
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CBO Reports Federal Deficit of $1.4T in FY 2022

A Congressional Budget Office infographic shows that the federal budget deficit in fiscal year 2022 reached $1.4 trillion, which is equivalent to 5.5 percent of gross domestic product.

CBO said in another infographic published March 28 the federal government’s mandatory outlays totaled $4.1 trillion in FY 2022 with Social Security and Medicare programs accounting for nearly 50 percent of the figure.

According to the agency, mandatory outlays represented 16.5 percent of GDP.

Discretionary spending in the previous fiscal year amounted to $1.7 trillion and the government recorded higher nondefense outlays at $910 billion in FY 2022 driven by spending on programs meant to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government received $4.9 trillion in FY 2022 revenues and receipts from individual income taxes hit $2.6 trillion, which represented more than half of the total revenues recorded in the previous fiscal year.

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Tiffany Hixson: GSA Weeks Away From Issuing Final RFP for OASIS+
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Tiffany Hixson: GSA Weeks Away From Issuing Final RFP for OASIS+

Tiffany Hixson, assistant commissioner of the office of professional services and human capital categories at the General Services Administration’s Federal Acquisition Service, said GSA is set to release in the next few weeks the final request for proposals for a multiple-award contract that will replace the One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contract vehicle, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Hixson told FNN in an interview the final solicitation for OASIS+ will reflect GSA’s two years of work on the vehicle, including efforts to integrate industry comments and feedback into the RFP.

“Given the amount of feedback that we got, it took us most of January and February to process that and so then we issued a second draft RFP on March 6. And the intent of that draft really was to say, ‘this is what we heard, here are the things that changed, here’s why we changed them based on feedback that we had received from an industry,’” Hixson said.

She noted that approximately 2,700 attendees joined an industry day on March 15, which she said provided GSA an opportunity to inform vendors of some of the details of the second draft RFP.

“We’re still getting feedback from industry on that second draft and we are crossing our T’s dotting our I’s, getting these last minute changes into the final RFP so we can get ready to release it,” she added.

Industry feedback helped drive changes to the upcoming final RFP and Hixson discussed some of those changes, including modifications to the evaluation of contractors, changes to the North American Industry Classification System codes structures and supply chain risk management requirements.

2023 GSA Forum

Join thought leaders as they talk about tech priorities, supply chain initiatives and acquisition reform efforts at GovCon Wire’s 2023 GSA Forum on May 23. Register here.

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GSA Posts RFP for U.S. Army Europe Cyber Workforce Training Program
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GSA Posts RFP for U.S. Army Europe Cyber Workforce Training Program

The General Services Administration is seeking small businesses that can provide cybersecurity and information technology training to the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command and its areas of responsibility.

GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service on Friday issued a request for proposal to enhance the skills and capabilities of USAREUR’s cyber workforce.

The USAREUR Information Technology Training Program is divided into two training areas for career development and industry standard certification. GSA intends to award a hybrid contract consisting of firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials/cost reimbursement provisions. 

The chosen vendor would be given a 12-month base period of performance beginning Aug. 10, as well as four options with a period of 12 months each. Work will be performed outside the continental U.S.

Interested companies may submit their RFP responses until May 1.

CISA’s National Supply Chain Integrity Month to Emphasize Resilience Through Risk Management
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CISA’s National Supply Chain Integrity Month to Emphasize Resilience Through Risk Management

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is focusing on risk management and resilience for this year’s National Supply Chain Integrity Month.

The April appreciation is calling for stakeholders and partners to implement comprehensive supply chain risk management approaches to fortify the overall security posture of the industry, CISA said Monday.

CISA established the National Supply Chain Integrity Month in 2018 in collaboration with industry and government partners, which include the Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the Office of the National Cyber Director.

CISA has issued various guide materials to align with its weekly themes, such as SCRM cybersecurity and other essentials, and SC resilience in information and communication technology for small and medium-sized businesses. Other themes include vendor/supplier trustworthiness and SCRM threat scenarios.

“As organizations introduce technology into their operations, they must take a comprehensive approach in their strategy for supply chain resilience, which includes being smart about their procurement process, knowing who makes up their extended supply chains, and applying basic cyber hygiene,” said Mona Harrington, CISA assistant director for the National Risk Management Center. “Government and industry must work together to shift from a reactive to a proactive approach for supply chain risk management.”

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OSTP Releases Action Plan for Improving NEO Impact Preparedness
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OSTP Releases Action Plan for Improving NEO Impact Preparedness

The Office of Science and Technology Policy has unveiled a national strategy and action plan to prepare for the impact of hazardous near-Earth objects, such as asteroids and comets, that could come close to the Earth’s orbit.

The National Preparedness Strategy and Action Plan for Near-Earth Object Hazards and Planetary Defense outlines six key objectives, including enhancing NEO detection, characterization, modeling and prediction capabilities and developing technologies for reconnaissance and deflection missions, the White House said Monday.

Developed by the Planetary Defense Interagency Working Group, the action plan also seeks to increase U.S. preparedness to address NEO impacts by increasing international cooperation, exercising emergency procedures and action protocols and enhancing interagency collaboration to improve planetary defense management.

To support each goal, the working group has developed a set of strategic actions, including desired timelines for completion to aid concerned government agencies.

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INSA Publishes Recommendations for Government-Industry Collaboration on Cyber Defense
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INSA Publishes Recommendations for Government-Industry Collaboration on Cyber Defense

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance has published a paper highlighting the importance of the private sector in strengthening cybersecurity in U.S. government operations.

Public-private collaboration, such as what has been demonstrated in the support of Ukraine during the Russian invasion, can improve the cyber resilience of U.S. critical infrastructure, INSA said Tuesday.

The paper, entitled “Industry Contributions to U.S. Government Offensive Cyber Operations,” suggested that commercial entities’ experience from online attacks have enabled them to gain technical background to preempt or prevent security threats.

In order to effectively leverage private-public IT defense cooperation, INSA’s Cyber Council recommended the creation of a Cyber National Guard for state, local and federal deployment. It also called for the establishment of a Corporate Cyber Reserve, which will leverage private IT defense capabilities to support government institutions.

Other possible approaches include forming a private sector advisory committee under the U.S. Cyber Command, or a whole-of-nation alliance to gain input from the tech and commercial industries, as well as the academic and scientific communities.

The Potomac Officers Club will tackle cybersecurity at its annual summit on June 8. To register for the 2023 POC Cyber Summit, click on the image below.

POC - 2023 Cyber Summit
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AFRL, Northrop Flight Test Terahertz Band Frequencies for Aircraft Communications
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AFRL, Northrop Flight Test Terahertz Band Frequencies for Aircraft Communications

The Air Force Research Laboratory has partnered with Northrop Grumman and Calspan Flight Research to test the ability of aircraft to communicate at radio frequencies above 300 gigahertz.

AFRL said Monday the team conducted flight experiments as part of the Terahertz Communications program to prove the viability of using THz band frequencies to address future aircraft communications requirements.

During the event, AFRL’s Information Directorate researchers measured propagation loss between two aircraft to determine if frequency intensity was reduced at different altitudes and ranges.

Northrop supported the three-day experiment through its Terahertz Electronics program, a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency-backed initiative to develop critical device and integration technologies necessary to produce electronic circuits operating at various frequencies.

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