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Pentagon Launches Innovation Pathways Website; Kathleen Hicks Quoted
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Pentagon Launches Innovation Pathways Website; Kathleen Hicks Quoted

The Department of Defense has unveiled a new website that would enable DOD to bring in new technologies and other novel concepts from industry and universities.

“The Innovation Pathways website is one part of our on-going efforts to make it easier for those across the innovation ecosystem, including small businesses, new entrants to the defense markets, universities, and traditional defense suppliers, to find ways to collaborate with the DoD and each other,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in a statement published Friday. 

“For the first time, the Department has a website that puts the range of these different opportunities across the Department in one place,” added Hicks, a 2022 Wash100 Award winner.

The online platform features several pathways, including a section for companies looking for business opportunities within the Pentagon and experimentation and prototyping opportunities.

The Innovation Steering Group played a role in the establishment of the new website, which also offers pathways for warfighters and civilians and students and faculty members.

DOD intends to periodically update the website in response to technological advances and user requirements.

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GSA Seeks to Address Climate Change Via Acquisition Advisory Committee; Robin Carnahan Quoted
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GSA Seeks to Address Climate Change Via Acquisition Advisory Committee; Robin Carnahan Quoted

The General Services Administration plans to establish a new committee to advise GSA on how to address the climate crisis and promote sustainability using acquisition authorities and tools.

The GSA Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Committee will be composed of representatives from federal, local and state government agencies, academia and industry groups and will drive policy and regulatory changes to advance sustainability and climate considerations in federal acquisition process.

GAP FAC will operate in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act’s provisions.

“We have a responsibility as the world’s largest buyer to solicit ideas from top experts in both the public and private sector about how we approach acquisition, particularly in regards to priorities like advancing sustainability and tackling climate change,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. 

“I look forward to seeing how this committee can help uncover new strategies and approaches to help us buy cleaner,” Carnahan added.

GSA is calling for nominations to the committee and will accept submissions through May 23.

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Radiance Technologies Appoints TV Personality Dr. Travis S. Taylor as a Principal Research Scientist; CEO Bill Bailey Quoted
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Radiance Technologies Appoints TV Personality Dr. Travis S. Taylor as a Principal Research Scientist; CEO Bill Bailey Quoted

Radiance Technologies announced on Friday that Dr. Travis S. Taylor, scientist, author, engineer and television star, has joined the company as a principal research scientist.

“Dr. Taylor is an outstanding and highly qualified scientist whose inventive way of thinking will be a great asset for Radiance,” said Radiance Technologies CEO Bill Bailey. 

In his new role, Dr. Travis Taylor will be support technical activities across the company as part of Radiance’s defense sector. With more than 20 years of experience supporting NASA, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command as well as other customers, Dr. Taylor brings a wealth of experience to the company, which includes advanced concepts in space technologies. 

In addition, he’s also starred in television shows such as the National Geographic Channel’s “Rocket City Rednecks” and the History Channel’s “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch.” Taylor has also written two textbooks, over 15 papers and 21 science fiction novels.

“I’m a hands-on type of researcher, and I really look forward to getting acquainted with all the work being done at Radiance and what we might do that is new in the future,” said Taylor.

About Radiance Technologies

Radiance Technologies is an employee-owned small business prime contractor founded in 1999. Radiance has over 900 employee-owners across the United States serving the Department of Defense, national intelligence community and other government agencies. 

From concepts to capabilities, Radiance leads the way in developing customer-focused solutions in the areas of cyber security, systems engineering, prototyping and integration as well as operational and strategic intelligence including scientific and technical intelligence.

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Edge Autonomy Introduces Enhanced Epsilon 180MG Surveillance Payload; CGO Joshua Stinson Quoted
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Edge Autonomy Introduces Enhanced Epsilon 180MG Surveillance Payload; CGO Joshua Stinson Quoted

Edge Autonomy, a global leader in tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) technologies, announced on Wednesday that the company has launched the advanced Epsilon 180 electro-optical (EO) mid-wave infrared (MWIR) gimbal payload.

“The quality provided in such a compact and hardened payload is nearly unprecedented for a payload of this size,” said Joshua Stinson, chief growth officer for Edge Autonomy. “At just over seven pounds, the new Epsilon 180MG can be incorporated into a smaller UAS, adding superior performance while not drastically reducing the endurance of the platform due to the gimbal’s weight.” 

Some of the notable features and improvements for the Epsilon 180MG include a 4K EO camera with 90x super-resolution zoom and 15x continuous optical zoom MWIR as well as a sealed structure filled with dry gas, enabling it to operate in any weather conditions, which allows it to address the demands of ISR applications. 

In addition, the multi-mission Epsilon 180MG surveillance system features the most powerful onboard processor in its class, which also allows for a variety of software features such as automatic target tracking and moving target indicators.

“This payload represents a leap forward in capabilities, it’s what the government and commercial customers have demanded for years and Edge Autonomy is delivering,” said Michael Buscher, chief strategy officer for the company, at the initial launch of the technology. 

“Furthermore, the ISR payload integrates high-performance Inertial Navigation System (INS), a high-precision, fully integrated solution for geo-pointing and real-time target geolocation,” he added. 

About Edge Autonomy

Edge Autonomy (Edge) is the leader in the small, fixed-wing UAV segment. They also develop and produce subsystems, stabilized EO/IR camera payloads and accessories for the unmanned and manned aircraft industry. 

Edge systems, airframes, components and subsystems are delivered to nearly 60 different countries and in use with the government. Edge has manufacturing facilities on two continents, with key support offices located in Bend, Oregon and Herndon, Virginia. 

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NASA Tech Leader Joseph Pelfrey Appointed Deputy Director of Marshall Space Flight Center
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NASA Tech Leader Joseph Pelfrey Appointed Deputy Director of Marshall Space Flight Center

Joseph Pelfrey, a NASA technology leader with almost two decades of experience, has been appointed to serve as deputy director of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

He will oversee the Huntsville, Alabama-based flight center’s 7,000-strong workforce and help manage its work portfolio in areas including human spaceflight, science and technology development, the space agency said Thursday.

During his almost 20-year career at Marshall, Pelfrey held positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as manager of the Human Exploration Development and Operations Office where he focused on the development and integration of space station payload, facility and environmental control and life support systems.

He also served as design integration lead within the Engineering Directorate, an engineering task manager for the Space Launch System and manager of the Exploration and Space Transportation Development Office.

Pelfrey started at Marshall in 2004 as an aerospace engineer in the Science and Mission Systems Office.

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DOE Funds 6 University-Led Cybersecurity Development Projects for Energy Systems; Jennifer Granholm Quoted
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DOE Funds 6 University-Led Cybersecurity Development Projects for Energy Systems; Jennifer Granholm Quoted

The Department of Energy has awarded $12 million in funding to six university teams for the research, development and demonstration of cybersecurity technologies that can protect energy delivery systems.

The awardees will work on anomaly detection, artificial intelligence, machine learning and physics-based analytics to embed cybersecurity features in the design of next-generation energy systems, the agency said Thursday.

Technologies developed using the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response’s finances are expected to detect and mitigate cyberattacks targeting the power grid.

“This funding will bolster our commitment to a secure and resilient clean energy future by fortifying American electricity systems and building a stronger grid,” shared Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

The project leads that received funding are:

  • Florida International University
  • Iowa State University
  • New York University
  • Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
  • University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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New $7.3M Air Force Facility to Use Modeling, Simulation in Satellite Technology; Col. Jon Luminati Quoted
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New $7.3M Air Force Facility to Use Modeling, Simulation in Satellite Technology; Col. Jon Luminati Quoted

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate has opened a new $7.33 million facility that will house the development of satellite technologies using advanced modeling and simulation.

The Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico will help speed up the delivery of space systems to warfighters, the AFRL said Thursday.

The RAPID lab features collaborative modeling and simulation workspaces for up to 50 scientists in which experts from the government, industry and academia can work together on projects addressing the U.S. military’s space requirements.

“Through modeling and simulation, we’ll be able to rapidly test out programs without the time-consuming and more expensive process of building a satellite prototype,” explained Col. Jon Luminati, head of SVD’s Integrated Experiments and Evaluation Division, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kirtland.

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DIU Taps Into Chicago Tech Industry With New Innovation Office; Michael Brown Quoted
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DIU Taps Into Chicago Tech Industry With New Innovation Office; Michael Brown Quoted

The Defense Innovation Unit will open a new facility in Chicago in an attempt to gain access to the state’s commercial technology ecosystem to support military and national security innovation.

The technology accelerator said Thursday the new DIU office will be located at the Discovery Partners Institute and serve as a bridge between the Pentagon and commercial companies working on technology areas such as artificial intelligence, energy, space and cybersecurity.

“DIU is excited to add Chicago to deepen the DOD’s reach to identify new solutions, companies, and talent to solve our national security challenges,” said Michael Brown, director of DIU and an inductee to the 2022 Wash100 Award.

Kathleen Hicks, deputy secretary of defense and a fellow 2022 Wash100 awardee, said the new office will allow DOD to tap into the diverse talent and technology offered by the region to enhance military innovation and modernization capabilities.

Chicago will be the fifth location for DIU, which also has offices in Mountain View, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Austin, Texas; and Washington, DC.

DIU, through its Commercial Solutions Opening program, has awarded contracts to more than 263 domestic and international companies for prototype projects. The technology accelerator has fielded 43 commercial technologies for DOD partners.

GSA Builds Measurement Systems Lab at NASA’s Langley Research Center
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GSA Builds Measurement Systems Lab at NASA’s Langley Research Center

A new research and development facility was constructed at Langley Research Center campus in Hampton, Virginia, to support space exploration, science and aeronautics missions of NASA.

The General Services Administration said Thursday its Mid-Atlantic Region built the Measurement Systems Laboratory to help ensure that Langley continues its critical R&D support for NASA in the 21st century.

The lab is a 5-story, 175,000-gross-square-foot facility designed to be sustainable while providing cutting-edge capabilities.

“The research that will take place in this new facility will help Langley deliver on its core mission to make revolutionary improvements to aviation, expand understanding of Earth’s atmosphere and develop technology for space exploration,” said Joanna Rosato, acting regional administrator for GSA’s Mid-Atlantic Region.

The NASA center and the GSA unit have been on a two-decade revitalization program to make sure that Langley is capable of adapting to changing mission and societal requirements.

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Army Vet Terry Wolff Named US Coordinator for Ukraine Security Assistance
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Army Vet Terry Wolff Named US Coordinator for Ukraine Security Assistance

The White House has chosen Terry Wolff, a 34-year U.S. Army veteran, to coordinate the U.S. government’s security assistance to Ukraine.

His appointment comes one week after a bipartisan group of senators urged President Biden in a letter to establish the coordinator position to manage response time for the transfer of defense articles to the Ukrainian armed forces defending their country amid Russia’s invasion.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., were among the signatories of the April 14 letter and they both lauded the designation in a joint statement Thursday.

Wolff retired from the Army in February 2014 with the rank of lieutenant general. He served as director of strategic plans and policy at the Joint Chiefs of Staff for more than two years prior to his retirement.

His military service also included time as commander of the U.S. Army Europe’s 1st Armored Division, Coalition Military Assistance Training Team and 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

He also held a nearly two-year stint as senior director at the National Security Council for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wolff has served as director of the Department of Defense’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies since June 2014 and held a 39-month stint at the State Department as deputy special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS from November 2015 to February 2019.

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