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DHS Plans to Replace Information Sharing Platform With New Cloud-Based System
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DHS Plans to Replace Information Sharing Platform With New Cloud-Based System

The Department of Homeland Security is looking for companies that can develop a cloud-based platform for sharing sensitive-but-unclassified homeland defense data between government, international and private sector members.

DHS plans to use a new information and communication technology system to replace its existing Homeland Security Information Network system, according to sources sought notice published on SAM.gov.

According to a draft statement of objectives, the envisioned HSIN Phoenix must feature shared services, human-centered design, zero trust cybersecurity architecture, DevSecOps, Agile methodologies and other capabilities.

DHS explained that the new system would address problems caused by the existing platform being complex, costly and not optimized for cloud and mobile features.

The agency will accept responses to its notice until April 25th.

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Yext’s Justin Fessler Talks Federal Tech Needs with Potomac Officers Club
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Yext’s Justin Fessler Talks Federal Tech Needs with Potomac Officers Club

Senior Director of Yext’s federal business, Justin Fessler, recently participated in an Executive Spotlight interview with the Potomac Officers Club to discuss the federal government’s technology needs and share the core tenets that steer his career working with the public sector. An IBM alumnus, Fessler now works to enhance citizen services using AI-powered solutions and natural language processing for Yext’s federal clients.

In this excerpt from his spotlight, Fessler describes how he got his start in the federal landscape and talks about how to meet the government’s evolving requirements:

“I’ve always been a tech geek. My father worked for IBM for 39 years and I wanted to be like him. I went to Binghamton University’s Watson School of Engineering and wanted to get into technology sales for IBM. When I started working with the federal government, it became clear that there are three objectives that a technology provider needs to align with in order to drive efficiencies: mission, budget and priorities. As government needs and challenges evolve in the fields of R&D, cyber, tech modernization and others, the need for enhanced capabilities grows. If you are a technology company and can’t align to those basic objectives of mission, budget and priorities, then it’ll be difficult to provide much value in the evolving technology needs within the federal government.”

Read the full Executive Spotlight interview with Yext’s Justin Fessler at PotomacOfficersClub.com, where you can also learn more about the platform’s membership options and benefits. 

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Ylli Bajraktari: Federal Government Needs to Increase Basic R&D Spending
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Ylli Bajraktari: Federal Government Needs to Increase Basic R&D Spending

Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project, said the federal government should increase its spending on basic research and development efforts to help maintain its competitive edge in artificial intelligence and other emerging technology areas, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

“If we don’t outmaneuver and not out-innovate China, we will not be in the lead position when it comes to these emerging technologies,” said Bajraktari, former executive director of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

“The lead position in emerging technologies ensures that our economy keeps progressing, that our society is using all the benefits from these technologies, and ultimately, our military has the latest and greatest capabilities if they need to utilize it for warfighting purposes,” he added.

Bajraktari noted that maintaining a high R&D spending level will play a key role in building up the STEM workforce in order for the U.S. to remain competitive.

“If these are our comparative advantages, then I think basic R&D can help towards incentivizing students and Ph.D. candidates at universities to come up with next-generation AI capabilities,” he said.

The White House’s budget request for fiscal year 2023 seeks to increase R&D budget to over $204 billion, reflecting a 28 percent rise from the enacted FY 2021 level. Part of the proposed R&D budget would go to existing and new national AI research institutes.

White House Offers Infrastructure Funding Playbook to Rural Communities
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White House Offers Infrastructure Funding Playbook to Rural Communities

The White House has created a document for rural stakeholders planning to apply for grants and technical assistance programs under President Biden’s $1 trillion nationwide infrastructure investment package.

More than 100 programs that offer a cost-sharing option or a match waiver are listed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook, the White House said Monday.

The playbook contains “what, when, where and how” details regarding the grant application process.

Senior administration officials will participate in tour events during the month of April to discuss how federal funds can support transportation, health care, flood mitigation and water projects among others.

The Biden administration has offered more than $100 billion to state-level programs aimed at modernizing roads and highways, airports, bridges and ports. These allocated funds will also support electric vehicle charging, internet, clean energy and weatherization services.

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DIA Report Cites Security Threats to US Space Capabilities; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Quoted
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DIA Report Cites Security Threats to US Space Capabilities; Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier Quoted

A new Defense Intelligence Agency report has found that the combined in-orbit satellite fleets of Russia and China increased by more than 70 percent between 2019 and 2021.

The DIA report “Challenges to Security in Space – 2022” shows that China and Russia have advanced the militarization of the space domain by incorporating space and counterspace capabilities into their combat strategies to challenge the U.S.

According to the study, Russia and China are integrating into their military exercises space scenarios and continue to build and test antisatellite weapons that could pose risk to space assets of the U.S. and allies.

“The loss of space-based communication and navigation services could have a devastating impact on warfighters during a conflict — that’s one of the most serious scenarios anticipated. A secure, stable and accessible space domain is crucial as China and Russia’s space-based capabilities and electronic-warfare activities continue to grow,” said DIA Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier.

The report noted that North Korea and Iran will continue to build and operate electronic warfare systems to deny space-based navigation and communications.

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Lawmakers Want DOE to Remain Lead Cybersecurity Agency for Energy Sector
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Lawmakers Want DOE to Remain Lead Cybersecurity Agency for Energy Sector

House and Senate lawmakers urged the Department of Energy to ensure that DOE carry out its duty as the lead agency for the U.S. energy sector when it comes to cybersecurity.

The legislators wrote a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm Friday asking her to work with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to harmonize requirements for reporting cyber incidents in the energy sector with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s upcoming reporting requirements to provide consistency and clarity.

The lawmakers also stressed the federal government’s role in cyberthreat response efforts and the need to avoid duplicative requirements for the industry.

Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Frank Pallone, D-N.J., signed the letter with Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Joe Manchin, D-W. Va.

Pallone and McMorris Rodgers serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee as chairman and ranking member, respectively. Manchin is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, while Barrasso serves as the panel’s ranking member.

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Amentum Provides Unmanned System Research and Manufacture Under $260M DHS Task Order; President Jill Bruning Quoted
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Amentum Provides Unmanned System Research and Manufacture Under $260M DHS Task Order; President Jill Bruning Quoted

Amentum has secured a potential five-year, $260 million contract from the Department of Homeland Security to generate a defense strategy for attacks from unmanned systems.

The Department of Defense Information Analysis Center multiple-award contract task order, issued by the DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate, requires Amentum to construct and implement new technologies and prototypes designed to combat unmanned system threats, the contractor said Tuesday.

Jill Bruning, president of the IS4 business unit at Amentum and a previous recipient of the Wash100 Award, said the project marks the company’s commitment to safeguarding “national security.”

The team at Amentum is expected to evolve and update new capabilities via intensive research and development and test and evaluation practices. Their efforts are intended to modernize the department’s own unmanned systems arsenal at a fast pace in order to embolden security and shield critical infrastructure.

During the undertaking, the company will aim to anticipate and offset burgeoning adversarial maneuvers from a variety of sources, including air, land, maritime, space and cyber. They will do so through an engineering and development methodology that harnesses software tools and an iterative approach.

The U.S. Air Force’s 774th enterprise sourcing squadron offers the DOD IAC MAC task orders in order to boost the Defense Technical Information Center’s knowledge bank as well as the R&D and science and technology fields.

Amentum’s DHS contract award follows its January $301 million U.S. Air Force task order for maintenance and training aircraft flight procedures.

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Army Selects 23 Small Businesses for AI/ML Innovation Research Contracts; Matt Willis Quoted
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Army Selects 23 Small Businesses for AI/ML Innovation Research Contracts; Matt Willis Quoted

The U.S. Army has awarded 23 small businesses around $19 million in Applied Small Business Innovation Research Program contracts to develop artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies for various military applications.

The Army said Monday 14 awardees will further concepts and nine companies will develop prototypes for electronic warfare sensors, information systems, battlespace environments and human systems.

The selected small businesses will team up with Army program offices to receive feedback and resources for maturing technologies such as radio frequency emission recognition, multiple-signal classification and synthetic training data generation.

“We decided to move forward to get them the funding they need, as well as direct feedback from the Army subject matter experts, to advance their solutions and transition them into the hands of Soldiers,” explained Matt Willis, director of Army Prize Competitions and the Army Applied SBIR Program.

The awardees are:

  • Alphacore
  • Arete Associates
  • Barron Associates
  • Cenith Innovations
  • Charles River Analytics
  • CLOSTRA
  • EpiSys Science
  • Expedition Technology
  • HyPercomp
  • InferLink
  • Intellisense Systems
  • Language Computer Corp.
  • Nu-Trek
  • Outside Analytics
  • R-DEX Systems
  • SAAZ Micro
  • SciX3
  • Soar Technologies
  • Space Micro
  • University Technical Services

Small businesses interested to join the 23 awardees could submit proposals for the Army Applied SBIR Program until April 26.

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AFRL Finishes Prototype Testing of Non-Toxic Propellant Spacecraft Thruster; Corinne Sedano Quoted
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AFRL Finishes Prototype Testing of Non-Toxic Propellant Spacecraft Thruster; Corinne Sedano Quoted

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has completed testing of prototype thrusters that use low-toxicity propellant to provide satellites with in-space propulsion.

The 1 Newton-class Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-toxic Propellant thrusters (ASCENT) recently underwent a series of hot-fire testing in a vacuum environment at the AFRL Chemical in-Space Thruster Test and Research Site, the laboratory said Monday.

Performance data from the evaluation will inform the development of ASCENT thrusters from the prototyping phase to the upcoming demonstration of flight weight-representative units. 

“This work is important to the U.S. Space Force since it provides satellites with propulsive capabilities that support space resiliency and space domain awareness,” explained Corinne Sedano, AFRL group lead and senior research aerospace engineer.

ASCENT, which already operated in space from 2019 to 2020, provides thrust using a 1990-era propellant designed to feature low toxic levels and improved efficiency.

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Marine Corps F-35Bs Showcase Lightning Carrier Concept Onboard USS Tripoli
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Marine Corps F-35Bs Showcase Lightning Carrier Concept Onboard USS Tripoli

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recently showcased the concept of providing intelligence collection and strike capabilities using mostly F-35B Lightning II fighters from an amphibious assault carrier for the first time.

F-35B fighters conducted operational tests onboard the USS Tripoli in the Pacific Ocean during the demonstration of the lightning carrier concept from March 30th to April 8th, the Marine Corps said Monday.

The demonstration showed the ability of America-class assault carriers like Tripoli to field either two F-35B squadrons or a battalion-sized sized landing force and assault support aircraft depending on a fleet commander’s needs, explained Capt. Joel Lang, commanding officer of Tripoli.

With numerous F-35Bs onboard an aircraft carrier, combatant commanders gain not just the fighters’ strike capabilities but also the sensors that come with their avionics suite, added Lt. Col. Alexander Goodno, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225.

The concept, which is part of a service effort to provide more creative options for naval leaders, is not expected to change the make-up of Amphibious Ready Groups and Marine Expeditionary Units.

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