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Electra.aero Wins $85 million in Funding to Develop eSTOL Aircraft Prototype for the Air Force; John Langford Quoted
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Electra.aero Wins $85 million in Funding to Develop eSTOL Aircraft Prototype for the Air Force; John Langford Quoted

Electra.aero has received a Strategic Funding Increase award with a total value of up to $85 million between private investments, government funding and matched Small Business Innovation Research funding from the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation unit.

The award will fund the development of a full-scale, pre-production prototype electric short takeoff and landing aircraft, which is intended to be used by the service branch to validate requirements and operational use cases, Electra announced from Manassas, Virginia on Thursday.

“This STRATFI award reinforces the Air Force’s commitment to dual-use eSTOL technology as a solution for national security and other government missions, and validates Electra’s aircraft design and engineering work to date,” said Electra Founder and CEO John Langford.

Electra’s work under the award, which finalizes an investment partnership for the rapid development, test and evaluation of the prototype, is expected to expedite the Air Force’s adoption of the company’s commercial nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft for mission use.

Built to operate in soccer field-sized spaces, the eSTOL aircraft is defined by its helicopter-like operational flexibility and cost-effectiveness. It is able to function in a multiple of environments, such as urban areas and remote landing strips, as well as in various fly missions, including those surrounding on-demand urban and regional air mobility, cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, among others.

“Electra’s eSTOL is ideally suited to serve as a small highly fuel-efficient airlifter that helps the Air Force execute its Agile Combat Employment doctrine and meet its operational energy goals to reduce aviation carbon emissions,” explained Ben Marchionna, director of technology and business development for Electra.

Activities under the STATFI award expand on Electra’s relationship with the AFWERX Agility Prime program, which seeks to accelerate growing dual-use markets with the use of federal resources for swift and cost-effective fielding and strengthen the nation’s technology advantage.

Electra currently holds six active Air Force SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II and Phase III contracts, which serve as the foundation for the company’s new collaboration with the service branch.

Under these earlier awards, Electra is perfecting eSTOL’s distributed electric propulsion, blown lift aerodynamics and acoustics, precision flight controls and hybrid-electric powertrains technologies.

“It is vital that we ensure new advanced air mobility technologies with dual-use applications are developed and manufactured here at home in the U.S.,” emphasized Lt. Col. John Tekell, who leads Air Force Agility Prime.

“Electra’s eSTOL technology has the potential to deliver valuable logistics and mobility capabilities to the Air Force,” he added.

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Craig Martell Says Data Labeling Key to Winning Against China’s AI Development
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Craig Martell Says Data Labeling Key to Winning Against China’s AI Development

Craig Martell, chief digital and artificial intelligence officer at the Department of Defense and a 2023 Wash100 Award recipient, said the U.S. must boost its data collection, analysis and labeling capabilities to stay ahead of China’s competitive AI efforts, DefenseNews reported Friday.

“If we’re going to beat China, and we have to beat China in AI, we have to find a way to label at scale. Because if we don’t label at scale, we’re not going to win,” Martell said during the Strategy and Warfare Center Symposium in Colorado.

Labeled data can train AI and machine learning systems with pattern recognition capabilities. Thus, data labeling for AI training and algorithmic models is key to ensuring that these systems work as intended.

“Fundamentally, at the bottom, we have to get the data right. On top of that, we have to get great analytics,” Martell said.

Data from the Government Accountability Office revealed that the Department of Defense had more than 685 AI projects, including several related to major weapons systems, as of early 2021.

POC - 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

Martell is set to speak at the Potomac Officer Club’s 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit scheduled to take place on Feb. 16 in McLean, Virginia. Click here to register and join to learn about the federal government’s AI priorities and initiatives for 2023 and beyond.

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Gen. Paul Nakasone on FISA Section 702 Surveillance Authorities
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Gen. Paul Nakasone on FISA Section 702 Surveillance Authorities

Gen. Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency and Central Security Service chief, said Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has provided authorities to enable NSA to gather intelligence data on some high-priority targets.

“FISA Section 702 is irreplaceable,” Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, said during his keynote remarks at a virtual roundtable discussion. NSA reported on Nakasone’s comments Thursday.

“It is focused and limited, yet agile enough to address national security threats in an ever-changing technological and threat environment,” he added.

Nakasone discussed how FISA Section 702 has enabled the U.S. government to identify ransomware attacks perpetrated by foreign threat actors on U.S. critical infrastructure and examine the strategic intentions of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

“This intelligence positioned the government to respond to and mitigate these events, and in some instances prevent significant attacks on U.S. networks,” he noted.

Nakasone also cited how privacy and civil liberties are protected under FISA Section 702.

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NIST Releases Risk Management Framework for Building Trustworthy AI Systems
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NIST Releases Risk Management Framework for Building Trustworthy AI Systems

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has unveiled the first version of its guidance document for helping organizations manage risks posed by artificial intelligence systems.

NIST said Thursday the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework outlines four core functions for ensuring trustworthiness in AI platforms: govern, map, measure and manage.

The “govern” function focuses on building a culture of risk management within organizations to identify and manage threats an AI system can pose. This area incorporates processes to assess potential impacts and provides a structure by which AI risk management functions can align with organizations’ principles and policies.

The next step is to “map” the broader contributing factors of AI risks. In this step, NIST seeks to help organizations contextualize risks related to an AI system to anticipate and address their potential sources.

According to the framework, outcomes in the map function will serve as the foundation for the remaining two steps. 

In the “measure” function, organizations are advised to employ “quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method tools, techniques, and methodologies to analyze, assess, benchmark, and monitor AI risk and related impacts.”

For the last function, framework users will put in place a plan for prioritizing risk and regular monitoring and improvement.

POC - 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit

The Potomac Officers Club will hold its 4th Annual Artificial Intelligence Summit on Feb. 16 to discuss the federal government’s AI priorities and initiatives for 2023 and beyond. Click here to register and hear from the speakers, including Craig Martell, chief digital and AI officer at the Department of Defense, and Lakshmi Raman, director of AI at the CIA. 

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DOE to Distribute Up to $105M Over 3 Years for Biopreparedness Research Projects
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DOE to Distribute Up to $105M Over 3 Years for Biopreparedness Research Projects

The Department of Energy Office of Science earmarked up to $105 million to finance studies that can benefit the Biopreparedness Research Virtual Environment initiative.

Funds will be distributed over three years, with individual awards estimated at $2 million to $4 million annually, DOE announced Wednesday.

The BRaVE initiative was created last year to leverage the epidemiological information, health protocols, and supply logistics developed by DOE’s national laboratory researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Going forward, it is slated to concentrate on real-time deciphering of host-pathogen dynamics, molecular interactions that can be used in designing target interventions, and epidemiological modeling based on multiscale ecosystem complexities. BRaVE also aims to expedite materials design, discovery, and manufacturing, and refine data analytics, experimental techniques and user facility instrumentation.

DOE will source $35 million from its fiscal year 2023 budget as well as Congress-approved outyear funding for the initiative.

“The knowledge and capabilities advanced by this research will have broader impacts in energy, climate change, food security, health, sustainability, and other areas critical to national and economic security,” Office of Science Director Asmeret Asefaw Berhe said.

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Pentagon Unveils Small Business Strategy; Kathleen Hicks, William LaPlante Quoted
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Pentagon Unveils Small Business Strategy; Kathleen Hicks, William LaPlante Quoted

The Department of Defense has unveiled a plan to harness the full potential of the small business industrial base to strengthen the development of innovative systems and capabilities for the warfighter. 

The Small Business Strategy outlines three strategic objectives to expand the Pentagon’s partnerships with small businesses that offer technologies designed to address the most complex challenges facing the U.S. military, the DOD said Thursday.

As part of the first objective, the framework aims to implement a unified approach to managing small business programs and activities distributed across the military services, defense agencies and DOD components.

The second objective states that to address national security concerns, DOD small business activities must align with national security priorities to ensure access to secure products and services.

The strategy’s third objective focuses on strengthening the DOD’s overall engagement and support of small businesses. 

According to the strategy, the Pentagon must also enhance its ability to engage with companies from underserved communities by lowering barriers to entry and increasing set-asides for small business competitions.

“Reducing barriers and creating more opportunities for small businesses will allow us to expand, innovate, and diversify, increasing our warfighter advantage, strengthening our supply chains, increasing competition in our marketplace, and growing our economy here at home,” said Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and a 2023 Wash100 Award winner.

“All of American industry, especially our innovative small businesses, has a role in developing, delivering, and sustaining the critical capabilities that are required to further implement the National Defense Strategy,” said William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a fellow 2023 Wash100 Award recipient.

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White House Seeks Info to Help Determine Digital Asset R&D Priorities
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White House Seeks Info to Help Determine Digital Asset R&D Priorities

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has begun to solicit feedback from the public to help identify research and development priorities related to digital assets and attendant technologies such as blockchain, decentralized finance, smart contracts and distributed ledgers.

OSTP issued the request for information as the federal government develops a national agenda for research and development involving digital assets, according to a Federal Register notice published Thursday.

The office is soliciting information on goals, sectors or applications that could be enhanced with digital assets and associated technologies and where digital assets might introduce risks or harms.

Interested stakeholders could also offer their input on federal research opportunities that could be launched or modified to back efforts to mitigate risks from digital assets; research and development that should be prioritized for digital assets; opportunities to advance responsible innovation in the broader digital assets ecosystem; and other information that should inform the R&D agenda.

Responses to the RFI are due March 3.

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USRA, Partners to Study Emerging Technologies for DHS Use Cases
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USRA, Partners to Study Emerging Technologies for DHS Use Cases

The Universities Space Research Association and the MSI STEM Research and Development Consortium will research the potential applications of emerging technologies in homeland security. 

USRA said Wednesday the Integrative Research in Emerging Technologies for the Department of Homeland Security Use Cases Program will engage minority-serving institutions to assess how artificial intelligence, quantum information science and autonomy can support disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts.

“This program will drive innovation with an integrated portfolio of use-inspired and foundational research in emerging technologies focused on supporting high priority needs of today while preparing for the future at the same time,” says David Bell, Director of the USRA Research Institute for Advanced Computer Science and principal investigator for the program.

Amanda Smith Hackler, director of education at USRA and co-principal investigator for the program, said findings from the initiative will contribute to the DHS Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs’ broader mission and align with its strategic plan.

The initiative will also focus on bridging the current gaps in the homeland security workforce and boosting U.S. competitiveness in the global market, Hackler said.

GSA Launches Pilot Coworking Space to Improve Federal Agencies’ Offices; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Launches Pilot Coworking Space to Improve Federal Agencies’ Offices; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration has inaugurated its Workplace Innovation Lab as part of the Biden administration’s Management Agenda to modernize the federal workplace.

The facility was built at GSA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., as a hub for government agencies to test innovations that can benefit their on-site operations, GSA said.

It was additionally designed to serve as an experimental federal coworking space where GSA can gather user experience feedback for continuous improvement.

Allsteel, Cisco, Haworth / Price Modern, Miller-Knoll, Kimball International and Swiftspace / VOE were tapped by GSA to furnish the 25,000-square foot facility.

”The future of the office workplace is now. We’re imagining it and building it right here in partnership with both industry innovators and our federal customers,” GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan remarked. “This is a space where agency decision makers and their teams can experience the latest technologies, equipment, and furniture that’s designed to empower federal employees to deliver even more effectively.”

Senate Bill Proposes U.S.-Wide TikTok Ban; Senator Josh Hawley Quoted
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Senate Bill Proposes U.S.-Wide TikTok Ban; Senator Josh Hawley Quoted

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has introduced a bill that would prohibit Americans from downloading social media app TikTok on their devices and ban U.S. companies from transacting with its parent company ByteDance. 

“TikTok poses a threat to all Americans who have the app on their devices. It opens the door for the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans’ personal information, keystrokes, and location through aggressive data harvesting,” Hawley said in a statement published Wednesday.

The No TikTok on United States Devices Act comes less than a month after a bill banning the video-sharing platform from federal government devices was signed into law as a provision in a $1.7 trillion government spending bill.

“Banning it on government devices was a step in the right direction, but now is the time to ban it nationwide to protect the American people,” Hawley said.

The new bill would direct the president to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to prohibit commercial transactions with Chinese company ByteDance and require the director of national intelligence to submit a report to Congress on national security threats posed by TikTok.

The legislation has a companion bill in the House introduced by Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.

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