Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and member of the United States Military Academy Board of Visitors, has been appointed to succeed Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. as co-chair of the Senate Army Caucus, Moran’s office said Thursday.

The bipartisan caucus is composed of over 30 senators from across the nation and advocates for initiatives intended to advance the U.S. Army goals.

Co-Chair Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. said Moran has been a “steadfast advocate” for the U.S. soldiers in the Senate.

“The Army is fundamentally a ‘People First’ organization, and the Senate Army Caucus is committed to supporting our soldiers, their families and our Army civilians and veterans. Sen. Moran will be a tremendous partner in this endeavor,” emphasized Reed.

To craft legislation in line with Army priorities, the caucus meets with the service’s leadership to receive timely information regarding the military branch’s readiness and evaluate soldier quality of life programs.

Inhofe, who currently serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced in February that he is retiring from the Senate on Jan. 3, 2023.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has released a statement emphasizing the importance of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 in advancing the Commerce Department’s mission.

Raimondo said in a statement published Thursday that the $11.2 billion in net discretionary funding for the department, a $1.3 billion increase from fiscal year 2022 allocations, will support a range of the department’s programs.

Department initiatives impacted by the bill include efforts to make high-speed internet more available to the public, job training, high-tech manufacturing and basic research, among others.

As funded by the law, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will receive $7 billion in funds for fisheries disaster assistance, fisheries services, climate research and weather forecasting. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will be given $4.25 billion to protect novel ideas and promote technological advancements and the Economic Development Administration will receive $1.54 billion to support economic development organizations and infrastructure recovery programs.

Other organizations affected include the International Trade Administration, the Bureau of Industry and Security and the Minority Business Development Agency. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program will also receive funding.

The bill provides an additional $1.9 billion in emergency relief funding for disaster management and response initiatives and other nondefense-related programs.

President Biden signed into law the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government through the end of September 2023. The bipartisan spending package includes $858 billion for defense spending and $773 billion for nondefense discretionary spending.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has created a new Hydrogen Analysis Lite Production model to support the techno-economic analysis of various hydrogen production technologies.

H2A-Lite is part of a broader suite of tools used in studies that aim to reduce costs and environmental impacts of the element’s production pathways, NREL said Wednesday.

“The H2A model is rigorous, with process information about each of the production technologies that helps you actually calculate nuanced production scenarios,” said Michael Penev, senior analyst for infrastructure and energy storage analysis at NREL.

“In the Lite model, we are focusing on making that framework more accessible to a wider set of audiences,” he added.

H2A-Lite uses technical and financial variables to provide projections of capital costs, operating costs and revenue. It builds on the H2A model used by the Department of Energy in hydrogen production case studies.

Current methods of producing hydrogen include thermochemical, electrolytic, direct solar water splitting and biological processes. Research is being conducted to make these pathways more sustainable as industries switch to renewable energy and the demand for hydrogen continues to rise.

The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command has provided details on its fiscal year 2022 priorities and initiatives to provide security assistance to Ukraine and other nations through foreign military sales missions, DVIDS reported Wednesday.

USASAC said that since February, it has delivered weapons, training and equipment worth $2 billion to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia and has ended the fiscal year with $14.1 billion in new business.

Training Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior to counter terrorist threats and protect critical infrastructure and managing the country’s Ministry of National Guard modernization initiative were other priorities of the command in 2022.

Over the past year, USASAC’s Security Assistance Training Management Organization also employed 30 security assistance teams in 16 countries in support of its mission to implement security assistance programs.

USASAC also made several leadership changes in FY 2022 including the appointment of Brig. Gen. Brad Nicholson as commander in May, who succeeded Brig. Gen. Garrick Harmon.