The Department of Energy has begun seeking industry comments on the establishment of a new foundation that will aim to raise and invest funds to accelerate the development of clean energy technologies.

The Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation will help facilitate public-private partnerships, invest in clean energy technology manufacturers and promote inclusion of underrepresented groups in DOE funding programs, the department said Thursday.

Authorized under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, FESI will be DOE’s first ever agency-related foundation and will be tasked with engaging with the philanthropic communities and private sector partners to boost the commercialization of existing and future clean energy technologies.

“This first-of-its-kind foundation will serve as a critical new partner to the Department in our efforts to strengthen American ingenuity and deliver the technologies of the future so critical to an equitable clean energy economy,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

DOE is seeking comments from national laboratory foundations, potential investors, industry stakeholders and other potential collaborators.

Responses gathered from the request for information will be used to inform DOE’s efforts to establish FESI by September 2023.

The Department of Homeland Security has joined the United States Global Change Research Program, a Congress-mandated alliance that uses science to address evolving environmental conditions that impact government missions.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will represent DHS in the program for a two-year term, contributing information on climate change research, DHS said Thursday.

USGCRP was formed in 1989 and is comprised of 14 agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA and the Smithsonian Institution. DHS became its latest member after nearly 20 years.

As USGCRP delegate, FEMA will coordinate with other components of DHS, including the Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Coast Guard, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The S&T Directorate will step in when FEMA finishes its term.

“To address the evolving challenges we face, we are constantly looking to build greater cohesion both within the federal government and outside of it,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS secretary and a previous Wash100 Award recipient. “DHS’s membership on the USGCRP is part of that critical effort and supports our enduring mission to safeguard the homeland.”       

A Raytheon Technologies subsidiary will deliver air-to-ground munitions kits and related equipment to the government of Singapore under a potential $55 million foreign military sales agreement approved by the U.S. Department of State.

Raytheon Missile and Defense will serve as the principal contractor on the proposed deal that includes the provision of joint direct attack munition tail kits and munitions, laser guidance sets, spare parts and support equipment, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday.

Singapore also requests aircraft and munitions support, personnel training and training equipment and technical and logistics services.

DSCA said the foreign buyer will use the requested articles and services to boost its national defense capabilities and support coalition operations.

The agency noted that the potential FMS deal does not require the deployment of U.S. government or contractor representatives to Singapore.

On President Biden’s orders, the Department of Defense shot down an unidentified object that had flown over Alaska, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The object’s arrival follows the recent event of a Chinese spy balloon flying above U.S. territory, which was shot down over the Atlantic last week.

Though very little information is known about the object at this time, the Pentagon swiftly took action against the potential threat. Any relationship to military operations has not been confirmed, but at 40,000 feet in the air, the object posed risks to civilian aircraft, according to government officials.

Pilots confirmed that the object was unmanned before it was brought down over the Arctic Ocean by the northeast border of Alaska and Canada.

White House spokesman John Kirby said that an attempt to recover the debris will be conducted. Current knowledge of the situation indicates that the object’s payload was “roughly the size of a small car,” which is significantly smaller than that of the Chinese balloon.

Informed by last week’s situation, President Biden issued his orders out of an “abundance of caution.” 

Michael Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, expressed his support for the president’s decision. He said that if the object is another Chinese spy balloon, it could indicate an effort to deliberately provoke the U.S.

He also stressed the necessity of communication between the U.S. and Chinese governments in these scenarios.