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White House Forum Provides Government, Industry Leaders Venue to Discuss Space Systems Cybersecurity
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White House Forum Provides Government, Industry Leaders Venue to Discuss Space Systems Cybersecurity

The Office of the National Cyber Director and the National Space Council hosted a forum on Tuesday to enable government and industry executives to discuss ways to improve cybersecurity in the space sector.

Representatives from industry cited the need to field quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms and ensure the security of open source libraries, while government officials mentioned the importance of having comprehensive guidance that could help developers and operators improve the cybersecurity of space systems, the White House said Tuesday.

Agencies also made commitments to advance space systems cybersecurity.

ONCD will conduct workshops to understand industry views on existing cybersecurity policies for space platforms and identify gaps that require more specific guidance.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology plans to release in fiscal 2023 a final report that seeks to provide commercial satellite operators with a method for implementing the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

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PNNL Director Steven Ashby Highlights Potential of ML for Nuclear Threat Detection
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PNNL Director Steven Ashby Highlights Potential of ML for Nuclear Threat Detection

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and its collaborators are exploring machine learning techniques to improve the detection of suspicious nuclear presence, PNNL Director Steven Ashby reported Monday.

In an article published on the Tri-City Herald, Ashby discussed the laboratory’s early-stage studies on the use of ML to identify abnormal activity in a nuclear reprocessing facility, and to help law enforcers trace radioactive materials.

In one initiative, PNNL and Sandia National Laboratories collaborated to design a system that can distinguish normal reprocessing patterns from potential diversion to the usual activities at a nuclear plant. The researchers employed a “transformer-based model,” which is used in applications such as language processing.

The study yielded promising results, but the technique needs further refinement before it can be deployed, Ashby noted.

A separate project used an autoencoder model, which scanned, compressed and decompressed microscopic images of radioactive materials to come up with their unique fingerprint. The technology is being developed to help law enforcement agencies build a database to help them find the origin of nuclear particles discovered in the field.

While ML has not surpassed human intelligence in detecting nuclear threats, it may be useful in the near-term to expedite and facilitate investigations to prevent nuclear proliferation, Ashby wrote.

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Army, Carnegie Mellon Train Leaders on Building Data-Centric Organizations
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Army, Carnegie Mellon Train Leaders on Building Data-Centric Organizations

The U.S. Army has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College to conduct a week-long collaborative executive training course aimed at preparing Army leaders to build and manage data-centric organizations.

Senior leaders from Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors participated in recent cohorts Army Data Driven Leadership Certificate Program held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that focused on topics including data engineering, data visualization, applied data science and artificial intelligence, PEO IEW&S said Tuesday.

“It provided the right amount of information at the appropriate depths so that [Army] leaders can understand how a data-centric organization can help them achieve their strategic goals,” said Col. Michael Williams, chief of the PEO IEW&S Integration Directorate.

Greg Hartman, deputy project manager for Project Manager for Intelligence Systems and Analytics, said the training course will improve data literacy across the Army and underscore the importance of data in achieving the service branch’s mission objectives.

“There is a great opportunity here for the Army to take advantage of data-centric concepts that could make our enterprise more efficient and effective,” Hartman said.

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Commerce’s Proposed Guardrails Under CHIPS Act Pose Question to Semiconductor Firms; Gina Raimondo Quoted
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Commerce’s Proposed Guardrails Under CHIPS Act Pose Question to Semiconductor Firms; Gina Raimondo Quoted

The U.S. Department of Commerce has proposed rules that would bar recipients of incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act from investing in semiconductor production in foreign countries of concern and some experts say such restrictions could prompt chip makers to consider whether to take the funding or keep their plans to expand in China, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology recently issued a notice of proposed rulemaking outlining guardrails to prevent the improper use of CHIPS incentives under the law, which seeks to protect U.S. technologies and innovation from foreign adversaries.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo cited the administration’s stance when it comes to doing business with China.

“We want American businesses to continue to do business in and with China. And vice versa,” Raimondo told WSJ in an interview.

“But we do have to be eyes wide open about the risks presented to the United States,” she added.

A group of Senate lawmakers wrote a letter to Raimondo expressing their concerns with the grant criteria in the department’s notice of funding opportunity related to its implementation of a $39 billion program to support the construction and modernization of semiconductor fabrication facilities under the CHIPS Act.

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Jen Easterly Breaks Down White House’s FY24 Proposed Budget for CISA Before House Panel
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Jen Easterly Breaks Down White House’s FY24 Proposed Budget for CISA Before House Panel

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the president’s fiscal 2024 budget request of $3.1 billion for CISA includes $493.1 million for mission support and $408.3 million for the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program.

Easterly, a 2023 Wash100 awardee, told House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee members during a budget hearing Tuesday the president’s request also includes $97.7 million for the implementation of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act.

She noted that the proposed FY 2024 funding for CIRCIA “was really about putting the technical infrastructure in place to allow us to be able to receive this massive amount of new reporting, to analyze it, to correlate it, to enrich it and then to use it to respond,” according to a report by Nextgov.

She told lawmakers that her agency is still in the rulemaking phase with CIRCIA and has initiated a “consultative process” to gather feedback from private sector entities with regard to the law’s implementation.

Easterly stated that the administration’s budget proposal earmarks $48.2 million for CyberSentry, $67.4 million for the National Cybersecurity Protection System and approximately $425 million for the Cyber Analytics Data System.

“In FY 2024, portions of the NCPS will transition to the new CADS program with intrusion detection and intrusion prevention capabilities remaining under the legacy program,” she said in her prepared remarks.

POC - Enhancing Cybersecurity for Critical Civilian Infrastructure Forum

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s Enhancing Cybersecurity for Critical Civilian Infrastructure Forum on March 30 to hear government and industry speakers talk about technological and policy-related aspects of improving cybersecurity for federal civilian agencies. Click here to register for the upcoming event.

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Jon Olansen Appointed Program Manager of NASA’s Lunar Space Station
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Jon Olansen Appointed Program Manager of NASA’s Lunar Space Station

Jon Olansen, a 33-year veteran of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, has been appointed program manager of the agency’s Gateway lunar space station initiative.

Olansen, who has been with the program since its formation in 2019, succeeds Dan Hartman, who is retiring after four years in the position, NASA said Tuesday.

Gateway is an international collaboration that seeks to build a multi-purpose outpost established around the moon to house capabilities for deep space research and exploration.

Olansen previously supervised the development of the Gateway program’s Habitation and Logistics Outpost module that will accommodate astronauts while they conduct research in support of Artemis missions.

During his more than three-decade career at Johnson Space Center, Olansen held various roles of increasing responsibility within the Engineering Directorate, Astronaut Office, the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance and the Space Shuttle Program.

“He’s a perfect fit for Gateway, which brings together international and commercial partnerships, and is an essential element in future human space exploration,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

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Frank Kendall, DAF Leaders Impress Importance of Timely Budget Appropriations
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Frank Kendall, DAF Leaders Impress Importance of Timely Budget Appropriations

Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a 2023 Wash100 awardee, said timely budget authorizations and appropriations are key to advancing the Air Force and Space Force’s modernization initiatives to address real-world challenges.

Speaking before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Kendall said that the Department of the Air Force is “ready to move forward with the next generation of capabilities we need and there is no time to lose.”

Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations and a fellow 2023 Wash100 Award recipient, agreed that budget must be approved on time to enable the Space Force to maintain its competitive advantage.

According to Saltzman, the service branch’s $30 billion budget request “is designed to deliver the forces, personnel and partnerships the Space Force requires to preserve U.S. advantages in space.”

Gen. Charles Brown, Jr., chief of staff of the Air Force, echoed the same sentiments during the subcommittee hearing.

“An on-time budget will continue the change required to address both todays and tomorrow’s national security threats,” Brown said.

DAF’s $259.3 billion budget request for 2024 includes $185.1 billion for the Air Force and $30 billion for the Space Force and represents a $9.3 billion increase over last year’s enacted budget.

Kendall, Brown and Saltzman told Congress that the budget request contains nearly two dozen new programs to add equipment and capabilities for countering strategic competitors like China and Russia. 

POC - 2023 Annual Air Force Summit

Kendall is slated to keynote the Potomac Officers Club’s 2023 Annual Air Force Summit on July 28. Click here to register and hear from Air Force leaders about the service branch’s digital transformation initiatives.

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Accenture, QuSecure Safeguard Satcom Data Transmission Using Post-Quantum Cryptography
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Accenture, QuSecure Safeguard Satcom Data Transmission Using Post-Quantum Cryptography

QuSecure and partner Accenture have completed a multi-orbit data communications test using post-quantum cryptography as a cybersecurity algorithm.

The demonstration highlights the potential of quantum-resistant crypto agility systems to secure data transmitted through satellite communications, Accenture said Tuesday.

Quantum computers have been proven powerful enough to intercept data from multi-orbit satellites. To prevent such attacks, QuSecure deployed QuProtect, a crypto-agile quantum-resilient channel, to a satellite in low-Earth orbit, without actually installing the software on the communications system.

Data transmission, which was facilitated by Accenture, involved switching from LEO to geosynchronous orbit satellite and back to Earth as a redundancy measure.

“Accenture’s Space Innovation and Security teams are working together to ensure our partners and clients are prepared and secure as they embark on their space journeys,”  said Paul Thomas, space innovation lead, technology innovation at Accenture. He welcomed the collaboration with on QuSecure integrating crypto security into space data transmission.

Quantum computing is the center of a virtual event hosted by ExecutiveBiz on April 5. Join the 2023 Quantum Technologies Forum by clicking on the banner below.

2023 Quantum Technologies Forum
Sec. Austin Appears Before Senate Armed Services Committee to Justify $842B Budget Request
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Sec. Austin Appears Before Senate Armed Services Committee to Justify $842B Budget Request

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee to endorse President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 budget proposal.

In his speech, published Tuesday, Austin said that the $842 billion defense budget request will fund strategies that include addressing threats posed by the government of China.

“I have three key priorities: to defend our nation, to take care of our outstanding people, and to succeed through teamwork,” Austin stated in his opening testimony. He explained that the funds will help continue implementation of the National Defense Strategy and National Security Strategy, and enable DOD to make the “largest-ever investments in both R&D and procurement.”

He highlighted the agency’s plans to invest a record $33.3 billion for space capabilities and resilience, as well as $61 billion for air and $48 billion for sea dominance.

Austin, a Wash100 Award recipient, justified the budget’s importance in supporting over-the-horizon counterterrorism efforts, including security challenges instigated by China and Russia. Other “21st century threats” such as climate change also need significant financial support.

He elaborated on DOD’s initiatives for its workforce by mentioning the proposed $146 billion investment in operations, training, and maintenance. He also touched on efforts to increase wages, fund mental health and medical care for veterans and their families, and establishing measures against sexual assault and other safety risks.

DeEtte Gray of CACI & Michael Tarulli of Goldman Sachs Highlighted for 2023 Wash100 Award Wins
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DeEtte Gray of CACI & Michael Tarulli of Goldman Sachs Highlighted for 2023 Wash100 Award Wins

Executive Mosaic publications sang the praises of 2023 Wash100 Award winners DeEtte Gray of CACI International and Michael Tarulli of Goldman Sachs on Wednesday, detailing the successes they have enjoyed to earn them government contracting’s most distinguished prize.

The Wash100 Award is a now decade-old tradition bestowed upon only the most accomplished and promising leaders working in the sector. These awardees are carefully selected by EM’s discerning voting body, vetted in the areas of innovation, vision, reliability, longevity of impact and more.

Concurrent with the rollout of Wash100 profiles is EM’s yearly popular voting contest. Held amongst the 100 awardees, it gives you the reader the chance to support your favorite change-makers from the roster. Voting closes in less than a month so participate today at Wash100.com!

Gray is no stranger to the award: a seven-time Wash100 recipient, the executive achieved another landmark year through her work enabling information technology transformation and advocating for STEM education. Her role as president of business and IT solutions at CACI finds her spearheading the delivery of technology modernization services to government customers. The services are concentrated in enterprise applications design and development and business process services delivery.

If you want to learn more about Gray’s recent work and career, read her GovCon Wire profile here.

Tarulli is a first-time winner of the award and a managing director at Goldman Sachs who caught the voting body’s attention for his administration of the company’s international investments in the aerospace, defense and government services markets. In 2022 alone, Goldman Sachs was the exclusive financial adviser to Vectrus on its all-stock merger transaction with the Vertex Company to form V2X, along with a host of other significant GovCon transactions.

Read more about the deals and shrewd business acumen that resulted in Tarulli’s win at ExecutiveBiz here.

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