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DARPA Announces Teams to Develop Battlefield Obscurants for Coded Visibility Program
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DARPA Announces Teams to Develop Battlefield Obscurants for Coded Visibility Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has selected the research teams to work on a program aimed at developing safe military obscurants that will suppress adversary forces’ vision and detection systems to provide U.S. warfighters with an asymmetric advantage on the battlefield.

A team led by Raytheon Technologies Research Center will work on the passive asymmetry technical area of the Coded Visibility program, which involves the development of new obscurants composed of multiple particulates and demonstration of asymmetric vision capabilities in laboratory, pilot and field tests, DARPA said Tuesday.

Northeastern University, Signature Research and Georgia Tech Research Institute were selected to participate in the program’s active symmetry technical area to assess new tunable particulates and associated active modulation mechanisms.

The selected teams in both technical areas will also model and simulate the obscurants to assess performance against sensors.

“The teams we selected aim to develop new types of non-hazardous obscurant particulates that can be tailored to provide asymmetry – that is to allow U.S. and allied forces to see the enemy through the plume in one direction, while the adversary is unable to see through the plume in the opposite direction,” said Rohith Chandrasekar, CV program manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office.

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NASA Set to Launch Moon Rocket for Artemis I Mission
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NASA Set to Launch Moon Rocket for Artemis I Mission

NASA is transporting its Space Launch System to its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida following the completion of final tests of the rocket’s flight termination system, TechCrunch reported.

The SLS rocket is set to launch on Aug. 29 for its first mission to space, called Artemis I, to test the Lockheed Martin-built Orion exploration spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the moon and deep space.

Artemis I is the first in a series of planned missions that will enable human exploration in space. During the mission, the Orion capsule will orbit the moon before conducting a splashdown back on Earth.

NASA has backup launches on Sept. 2 and 5 for Artemis I.

The agency worked with defense and aerospace company Boeing on the development of the SLS rocket. The team completed the majority of outfitting efforts for the spacecraft’s core stage engine section in 2019.

Fairbanks Morse Defense, Deck Marine Systems Partner to Develop Unmanned Vehicle Launch & Recovery Tech
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Fairbanks Morse Defense, Deck Marine Systems Partner to Develop Unmanned Vehicle Launch & Recovery Tech

Fairbanks Morse Defense and Deck Marine Systems will jointly develop a system to deploy and recover unmanned marine vehicles as part of a licensing agreement.

FMD said Tuesday it will have exclusive rights to market Deck Marine’s launch and recovery technology, instrument deployment units and winches to government sectors in North America, Australia and the U.K.

In exchange, Deck can utilize six FMD-owned service centers as well as the latter’s network of field technicians and regional account managers.

The two companies partnered as part of efforts to bring technologies to the U.S. Navy programs and grow footprints in the defense market.

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ONCD Kicks Off Search for Cybersecurity Planning & Operations Director
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ONCD Kicks Off Search for Cybersecurity Planning & Operations Director

The Office of the National Cyber Director has begun its search for a new director of cybersecurity planning and operations.

The incumbent will formulate, coordinate and implement policy related to cyber resilience planning, cyber incident response planning and defensive operational planning, according to a USAJobs notice published Monday.

The selected candidate will work with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Intelligence Community and other agencies to keep abreast of malicious cybersecurity incidents, threat actors and related campaigns.

The office also expects the incumbent to oversee and evaluate the effectiveness of agency programs and defensive cyber campaigns. 

ONCD has set Aug. 29 as the deadline for submission of applications but will close the job posting once it receives 200 applications.

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ColdQuanta Aims to Productize Quantum Clock Tech With Backing of DARPA, In-Q-Tel
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ColdQuanta Aims to Productize Quantum Clock Tech With Backing of DARPA, In-Q-Tel

ColdQuanta has secured an award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to further develop the company’s atomic clock technology for potential government and commercial applications.

DARPA is supporting the development project via the agency’s Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative with an In-Q-Tel business venture, the quantum technology maker said Tuesday.

Scott Faris, CEO of ColdQuanta, said the company aims to help address a demand for time reference units in partnership with DARPA and IQT Emerge.

The agency’s EEI, which launched in February 2021 after a two-year pilot phase, offers technical research teams access to funding support, mentorship and opportunities to network with investors and corporations.

IQT, the intelligence community’s venture capital organization, is working with the DARPA in efforts to help developers transition government-funded projects to the national security market.

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Joint Military Team Performs Test Launch of Unarmed Minuteman III ICBM
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Joint Military Team Performs Test Launch of Unarmed Minuteman III ICBM

A joint team of service personnel from the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy conducted on Tuesday a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from an airborne control center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The test is part of routine activities meant to demonstrate the capability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent program to deter threats, the Air Force said Tuesday.

Airmen from Air Force Global Strike Command teamed up with Navy personnel to test the ICBM equipped with a test reentry vehicle, which traveled about 4,200 miles to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

“This scheduled test launch is demonstrative of how our nation’s ICBM fleet illustrates our readiness and reliability of the weapon system,” said Col. Chris Cruise, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander.

“It is also a great platform to show the skill sets and expertise of our strategic weapons maintenance personnel and of our missile crews who maintain an unwavering vigilance to defend the homeland,” added Cruise.

The Air Force plans to replace Minuteman III with the LG-35A Sentinel Ground Based Strategic Deterrent system, which is expected to reach initial capability status by 2029.

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Treasury Issues Guidance on Electric Vehicle Tax Credit
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Treasury Issues Guidance on Electric Vehicle Tax Credit

The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service have issued guidance and frequently asked questions to provide initial information on changes to the electric vehicle tax credit as a result of the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The move seeks to provide information on the North America final assembly requirement to help consumers determine their eligibility for a tax credit of up to $7,500 following their purchase of electric vehicles, the Treasury said Tuesday.

According to the FAQs, the law will authorize tax credits for pre-owned cars and commercial clean vehicles starting Jan. 1, 2023.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday, Aug. 16, signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act and the Treasury said the final assembly requirement does not apply before the enactment of the measure.

Individuals who signed a written binding contract to buy a new electric vehicle prior to Aug. 16, but do not yet have the unit until on or after the said date can claim the tax credit based on regulations that were in effect prior to the legislation’s enactment.

The departments of Energy and Transportation also issued resources to guide consumers seeking to claim tax credits for vehicles procured after the enactment of the law.

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BlueHalo Secures DOD Contract for Titan Unmanned Aerial Systems; CEO Jonathan Moneymaker Quoted
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BlueHalo Secures DOD Contract for Titan Unmanned Aerial Systems; CEO Jonathan Moneymaker Quoted

A division of defense and aerospace contractor BlueHalo has secured a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for a delivery of the company’s unmanned aerial systems.

As a result of the $24 million contract, BlueHalo Titan Defense will provide its Titan Counter-Unmanned Aerial System product, which is designed using artificial intelligence, machine learning and radio frequency, the Arlington, Virginia-based company said Tuesday.

Jonathan Moneymaker, CEO of BlueHalo and a 2022 Wash100 Award, explained that Titan works by utilizing the aforementioned technologies to hone in on threats and maintain thresholds of safety for warfighters.

Moneymaker cited Titan as a “force multiplier” for military personnel and said it is intended to prevent casualties on the battlefield and will help the DOD meet objectives.

The award also comes on the heels of the DOD’s recognition of the Titan platform as a Program of Record technology, after more than five years of proven effectiveness in combat and domestic usages.

Titan’s products will be employed for pre-deployment processes, mobile security, fixed site protection and dismounted operations by a confidential government agency through the new DOD contract. The line of autonomous systems have been contracted in the past by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, U.S. Special Operations Forces and various federal departments.

In May, BlueHalo filled a $4 million order for Titan C-AUS kits from the Army.

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Amyx to Assist DLA with System Modernization Under New Task Orders; CEO William Schaefer Quoted
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Amyx to Assist DLA with System Modernization Under New Task Orders; CEO William Schaefer Quoted

Amyx has won two new task orders from the Defense Logistics Agency on the J6 Enterprise Technology Services contract vehicle.

The Industrial Base Management System Development and Sustainment award will involve Amyx assisting DLA with cloud migration while the Enterprise-Wide Electronically Stored Information Technical Support award entails archiving data and preventing data loss, the Reston, Virginia-headquartered company said Tuesday.

“Securing these systems and information and providing DLA with the technical expertise and experience needed in today’s operating environment remains a top priority,” shared Amyx CEO and President William Schaefer.

Work under the IBMS Development and Sustainment task order will find Amyx evolving and moving the DLA’s various functional architectures, such as their development, testing, staging and production operations, from on-location hosting facilities to a Microsoft Azure-based cloud platform. The company will also harness its team’s agile and scrum skill sets to strengthen supply chain processes through efficient, advanced analytical strategies.

Meanwhile, the ESIDD Technical Support task order expects Amyx to administer and oversee incoming data streams so that there is no data loss while migrations to the cloud are occurring. They will also support the release and implementation of a new technology portfolio within the DLA that is aimed to enable the governing, identification, preservation, collection, reviewing, analysis and presentation of all electronically stored information within the agency.

The latter task order additionally includes the introduction of a system to archive SMS text messages, establishing a clear pipeline from network carriers to the DLA.

Amyx has been supporting the DLA through the JETS contract vehicle for some time now, with the two new task orders amounting to nearly 40 total individual contracts offered by the agency to the company.

The newest DLA awards follow two contract wins in May from the Department of Defense, one of which was for the DLA’s Defense Agencies Initiative.

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DOD Releases Policy Outlining Principles of Official Social Media Use
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DOD Releases Policy Outlining Principles of Official Social Media Use

The Department of Defense has released a policy that outlines the core principles of social media use across the Pentagon to ensure transparency and proper dissemination of information while maintaining trust in the credibility of the U.S. military.

The policy, titled “Official Use of Social Media for Public Affairs Purposes,” provides departmentwide guidance that specifically addresses the use and management of official DOD social media accounts to maintain the professionalism of online posts and interactions, the Pentagon reported Monday.

Official DOD social media posts must be accurate, appropriate, timely, delivered in the proper tone and approved for public release.

“Social media has an effect on every one of our service members, civilians, contractors and their families — whether they run an official account or have never heard of Twitter,” said Andy Oare, director of digital media for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

According to Oare, the policy is not intended to be restrictive or prescriptive, “but rather to lay out some commonsense rules that simply have not been formally articulated at this level.”

The policy applies to the OSD, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the military services and combatant commands as well as other DOD offices and agencies.

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