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DIU Unveils Blue Manufacturing Initiative to Boost Defense Manufacturing
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DIU Unveils Blue Manufacturing Initiative to Boost Defense Manufacturing

The Defense Innovation Unit has unveiled Blue Manufacturing, an initiative aimed at revolutionizing defense manufacturing by facilitating collaborations between advanced technology firms and commercial producers.

DIU said Thursday the initiative is intended to support the Department of Defense in meeting emerging threats by encouraging the agency to adopt advanced manufacturing capabilities, with a more reliable supply chain, to provide warfighters an advantage.

Fostering Collaboration to Boost Production

Through Blue Manufacturing, advanced commercial manufacturers can connect with technology companies to develop and deploy commercial innovations for the defense sector. DIU intends to establish a reliable network of manufacturers adept in 3D printing, automation, high-rate production and other capabilities necessary to accelerate the manufacturing process.

DIU will create a pre-vetted catalog containing a roster of trusted manufacturing partners that can ramp up defense technology production.

The first group of manufacturing companies that will be included in the Blue Manufacturing Marketplace should be capable of small and large-format metal additive parts production, composite or ceramic additive, automated metal machining and forming, advanced post-processing, and 3D printed tooling. In addition, companies specializing in cyber, adversarial capital, supply chain risk and other advanced capabilities will be considered for the marketplace.

Doug Beck, director at DIU, remarked, “The Blue Manufacturing Initiative will focus on pairing the very best hardware and software manufacturers in defense technology with the very best advanced manufacturing providers to help both strategically critical industries to scale.”

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MITRE Underscores Importance of Workforce, R&D in Domestic Chip-making
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MITRE Underscores Importance of Workforce, R&D in Domestic Chip-making

MITRE has offered several recommendations in response to the Office of Management of Budget’s request for information on advancing domestic chip manufacturing in commercial IT.

The nonprofit company said Tuesday its recommendations encompass critical areas, including improving workforce development, strengthening research and development, promoting technological innovation and addressing supply chain vulnerabilities.

In its response to the RFI, MITRE said a strong workforce plays an integral role in improving U.S. semiconductor capabilities and that educational pathways should be strengthened to ensure a continuous supply of skilled professionals in semiconductor manufacturing.

When it comes to R&D, the company highlighted the need to enhance capabilities in advanced packaging equipment and make strategic investments in next-generation lithography technologies to maintain a competitive edge in chip manufacturing.

Mitigating Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

To address supply chain vulnerabilities, MITRE has recommended that the U.S. invest in the domestic production and purification of critical materials and chemicals essential for chip production and establish methods to streamline U.S. regulations and policies to reduce approval times for critical mineral mining and production.

According to the organization, the U.S. should invest in digital twins, automation software security and other smart manufacturing technologies to enhance fab automation.

The country should also support semiconductor manufacturing and mitigate risks associated with supply chain disruptions by investing in reliable power generation, water supply and transportation infrastructure.

Enhancing Chip Manufacturing Efficiency With Innovations

MITRE has cited the role of digital twins in improving manufacturing efficiency in the semiconductor industry and recommended that the U.S. leverage partnerships between electronic design automation, or EDA, vendors and foundries to develop digital twin capabilities.

In its response, the organization also called for investment in artificial intelligence-driven EDA tools to speed up design timelines and enhance the quality of semiconductor products.

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Army Aims to Transform IT Procurement Through PL Digital Market
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Army Aims to Transform IT Procurement Through PL Digital Market

The U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office, or PEO, Enterprise has unveiled the Product Lead Digital Market to modernize and streamline the procurement of IT hardware, software and services to deliver a more efficient experience to Army and Department of Defense users.

The Army said Wednesday the PL Digital Market program management office replaces the PL Computer Hardware, Enterprise Software and Services, or CHESS, organization.

CHESS served as the Army’s mandatory source for commercial off-the-shelf IT hardware, software and services.

Reginald Shuford, project director of Enterprise Services at PEO Enterprise, has been named acting product lead for Digital Market.

“This effort will result in a more Agile, rapid and efficient way for users to procure IT products and services,” Shuford said. “As we usher in the era of the Digital Market program management office, our team is dedicated to empowering the Army with innovative, efficient, and user-centric procurement solutions that will drive mission success well into the future.”

Managing Army’s Enterprise License Agreements

PL Digital Market will modernize the procurement process by improving its management of the military branch’s enterprise license agreements, or ELAs, and community-based licensing.

“We’re changing how we buy software licenses,” said Andi Fehl, the lead for ELAs. “This means identifying Army license needs, changing when we buy them and developing agreements that maximize the Army’s investments.”

‘Digital Marketplace’

PL Digital Market will provide a modern digital experience through its future online ordering platform, which will be called “Digital Marketplace.”

According to PEO Enterprise, the Digital Marketplace will help streamline the acquisition process through artificial intelligence, automated workflows, and a new catalog search and order functionality.

Susan Williams, the lead for the Digital Marketplace development effort, said her team is conducting research on platforms that could deliver an e-commerce-like capability with minimal configuration and customization.

“Our focus is on fully developed commercial solutions that enable seamless catalog integration and an intuitive, e-commerce-like experience,” Williams said.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. Listen to experts as they discuss how emerging technologies and the latest tech advancements are reshaping government operations. Register now!

POC - 2025 Digital Transformation Summit
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ISS National Lab to Back Startups Through Orbital Edge Accelerator Program
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ISS National Lab to Back Startups Through Orbital Edge Accelerator Program

The International Space Station National Laboratory has launched an accelerator program that seeks to connect startups to investment partners to advance space-based innovation and drive commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit.

Under the Orbital Edge Accelerator program, investors E2MC, Stellar Ventures and Cook Inlet Region Inc., or CIRI, will invest in the inaugural cohort of six startups, the ISS National Lab said Wednesday.

Each selected startup will get a $500,000 investment and an opportunity to propose future spaceflight missions with the support of the ISS National Lab, which is also working with TechConnect on the accelerator. 

TechConnect will conduct a webinar on April 22 to inform interested stakeholders on the accelerator program’s scope.

Application Process for Orbital Edge Accelerator

Interested startups have until May 19 to submit their applications for the accelerator program.

The ISS National Lab will work with TechConnect and three investment partners to assess each submission and select up to 20 finalists to pitch their proposed technologies in a virtual setting by mid-June.

The lab will announce the first cohort of startups on July 7.

As a corporate partner for the accelerator, Amazon Web Services will provide mentoring support for the selected startups.

What Does the ISS National Lab Do?

The ISS National Lab provides researchers with access to a microgravity research environment to further develop space-based business models, drive science literacy, improve the quality of life on Earth and broaden a sustainable market in low Earth orbit.

The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space oversees the ISS National Lab for NASA under a cooperative agreement.

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ORNL Tests New Technique for Protecting Nuclear Propulsion System Components
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ORNL Tests New Technique for Protecting Nuclear Propulsion System Components

A team comprising university students and personnel from the Department of Energy‘s Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently conducted an experiment to determine the effectiveness of a new fuel coating technique the laboratory is developing.

Table of Contents

NTP Technology

The fuel coating is meant to protect the critical components of a rocket driven by a nuclear thermal propulsion—or NTP—system, whose reactor generates high levels of heat and radiation, ORNL said Wednesday.

NTP systems are regarded as more efficient than traditional chemical propulsion and are expected to reduce travel time in long-range space exploration missions, like those heading to Mars.

Experiment Details

The experiment, which was carried out at the Ohio State University Research Reactor, involved subjecting multiple nuclear thermal rocket fuel sample surrogates to irradiation and repeated temperature cycling over two days. The samples were coated with zirconium carbide, which works to protect against hydrogen infiltration and corrosion without affecting reactor neutronics.

The experiment also involved the use of the In-Pile Steady-State Extreme Temperature Testbed, a specialized furnace that works to rapidly heat materials while making it possible to handle them soon after neutron irradiation. The sample surrogates were placed within this testbed.

The team will analyze the results of the experiment later this spring. Brandon Wilson, a staff member at ORNL’s Nuclear and Extreme Environment Measurement group, said, “The findings from this experiment will represent a crucial step in advancing nuclear thermal propulsion technology for future human space exploration.”

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USAF’s VENOM Autonomous F-16 Program Begins Modifications, Simulations
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USAF’s VENOM Autonomous F-16 Program Begins Modifications, Simulations

F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft have begun undergoing autonomous aircraft modifications as part of the Air Force’s Viper Experimentation and Next-gen Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed program, or VENOM.

The Air Force Material Command said Wednesday the last F-16 aircraft to undergo modification under the VENOM program arrived at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on April 1.

VENOM Program Modifications

Under the VENOM program, F-16s will undergo several adjustments to their software, hardware and instrumentation, which will enable autonomous flying. One physical change to the aircraft will be the addition of an auto-throttle, which will allow for the automatic regulation of flight control surfaces and the thrust.

Maj. Trent McMullen, the 40th Flight Test Squadron’s advanced capabilities division chief, said, “Modifying the aircraft is the result of a rigorous design phase and brings us one step closer to testing autonomy on a fighter jet with real mission systems and capabilities.”

Aside from physical changes to the F-16s, the VENOM program has also continuously tested the autonomy software in faster-than-real-time modeling and simulation environments for various combat scenarios.

“These simulations provide an efficient way to train the autonomy to learn complex air combat tactics. A specific scenario can be run 1,000 times and the variations and decisions made throughout that mission can be studied. We can then make recommendations to the developers on how to improve the autonomy’s behaviors and overall performance,” McMullen added.

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DOD Expects Zero Trust Implementation in Weapon Systems by 2035
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DOD Expects Zero Trust Implementation in Weapon Systems by 2035

The Department of Defense is aiming to implement zero trust in weapons systems in 2035. At a recent event, Randy Resnick, director of the Zero Trust Office within the Pentagon’s Chief Information Office and a Wash100 Award winner, said the DOD will work with vendors to ensure that present and future critical systems are protected.

The official admitted that building zero trust in tanks, aircraft and ships will not be easy. He added that effort may even take 10 years or more.

However, he noted that although Congress mandated zero trust in weapon systems, it may not make sense for all platforms to adopt the security framework.

“We need to start thinking and talking about how can we put elements of zero trust in it, and whether or not it even makes sense,” he commented.

“The spirit of wanting to do some more things to control those systems is there. We’re open-minded,” he added

Zero Trust in Operational Technology

Resnick also set a soft deadline of 2030 for zero trust implementation on all operational technology systems at the Pentagon.

In November, the official announced that his office would focus on OT in response to growing adversarial cyberthreats to critical infrastructure.

The Zero Trust Office is working on an official guidance for implementing zero trust for OT. Resnick revealed that the guide will be published by October or even a little sooner depending on the feedback his office. The guide, he shared, will be distributed across the Pentagon within the coming weeks.

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NASA Issues RFI for Commercial LEO Space Destinations Ahead of ISS Retirement
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NASA Issues RFI for Commercial LEO Space Destinations Ahead of ISS Retirement

NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, or JSC, has started seeking industry input for the Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination Contract, or CLDC.

According to the request for information notice posted on SAM.gov Wednesday, the JSC is soliciting feedback from potential contractors for the development of new LEO space destinations and supporting systems, including in-orbit destination, docking vehicles, supporting launch vehicles and ground systems.

NASA Preparing for ISS Retirement

Through the Commercial LEO Development Program, or CLDP, JSC is leading efforts to prepare for the eventual retirement of the International Space Station, or ISS, by the close of the decade. NASA intends to transition from the ISS to commercially-owed LEO space destinations to ensure a continuous U.S. presence in space.

The program will utilize a multi-phase approach to drive the transition. Phase 1 aims to accelerate the development of commercial orbital platforms and capabilities, with NASA already awarding the Space Act Agreements to several companies. Under the SAAs, the Commercial Destinations Free Flyer agreements were awarded to Blue Origin and Starlab Space, while the Collaborations to Commercial Space Capabilities agreements were also allocated to Blue Origin, as well as Northrop Grumman, Sierra Space, SpaceX, Special Aerospace Service, Think Orbital and Vast Space. Axiom Space was awarded the Commercial Destination ISS contract for further Commercial LEO Destination, or CLD, development tasks.

Phase 2 is still in development as NASA refines the requirements for CLD capabilities, designed to support NASA and international astronauts and spaceflight participants and ensure their safety in LEO while aboard a commercially owned space station.

Interested vendors can submit their responses by April 23.

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ODNI Issues RFP for Intelligence Community Data Consortium
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ODNI Issues RFP for Intelligence Community Data Consortium

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, on behalf of the Office of the Open Source Intelligence Executive, or OSIE, has started soliciting industry feedback for potential approaches to managing a commercial data consortium in response to challenges to the Intelligence Community Data Consortium, or ICDC.

ICDC Challenges

According to the request for proposal issued on SAM.gov Tuesday, the IC is faced with challenges regarding commercial data acquisition duplication and commercial data replication and storage. The IC’s current acquisition method for commercially available information, or CAI, often results in duplicate purchases of the same data for various agencies. The data is copied and stored on various systems, resulting in increased costs.

Streamlining Access to Commercially Available Information

ODNI is seeking potential contractors capable of providing consortium data acquisition and management and software creation to address these issues. This unified commercial data acquisition approach aims to streamline access to CAI and avoid duplicate purchases and unnecessary expenses. In addition, this approach can potentially reduce overall data storage.

The agency intends to award one or multiple prototype Other Transaction Agreements, or OTA, to small businesses or nontraditional defense contractors. Traditional defense companies can participate if they involve a nontraditional contractor or provide a one-third cost share.

Interested vendors have until April 28 to send in their responses.

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CIA Leveraging Digital Transformation Tools in HUMINT Missions
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CIA Leveraging Digital Transformation Tools in HUMINT Missions

One of the United States’ most secretive agencies is using digital transformation tools such as AI and human-machine teaming as it tries to solve the nation’s toughest national security problems.

Since the CIA established the Directorate of Digital Innovation, or DDI, in 2015, the agency has increasingly encouraged entwining digital technology into its core human intelligence, or HUMINT, mission, where intelligence is obtained from human sources. Juliane Gallina, the CIA’s deputy director for digital innovation, said every DDI mission is guided by human-machine teaming, which starts with data and is improved with AI before being put to use by CIA agents.

“It is important to remember that CIA is not only a HUMINT-focused organization, but we also serve as the functional manager for [open source intelligence, a.k.a. OSINT] for the intelligence community,” Gallina said.

Who Is Juliane Gallina?

Gallina is the latest keynote speaker to be added to the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit, which will take place on April 24 at the Hilton McLean in McLean, Virginia. CIA officials rarely speak in public, making this a phenomenal opportunity to network with Gallina and hear what the CIA has in store for digital transformation in 2025. Tickets are selling fast. Don’t miss out!

How Does the CIA Use AI?

The CIA expects AI to help officers make sense of an overwhelming amount of information by triaging data faster than any human could alone, while gaining more insights from a mixture of OSINT and clandestine intelligence collection. CIA officers can now triage information in a fraction of the weeks or months it previously took by leveraging the latest in AI technologies and data science to help sort, and make sense of, all the information.

“Failure to harness AI and develop robust human-machine teaming will diminish our ability to generate insight, give advantage to adversaries more advanced in their use of AI and challenge our relevancy,” Gallina said.

Lakshmi Raman, the CIA’s chief AI officer, said in an agency podcast that the CIA is incorporating large language models, or LLMs, in generative AI to help the agency’s open source mission. The CIA is also considering the workforce that will be using generative AI features. The agency, Raman said, has a cohort of data scientists, analytic methodologies, AI professionals and engineers that are helping the CIA ensure its data is AI ready, that it can train and run an AI model and that the agency is incorporating AI into the applications it regularly uses.

“We think it’s the human-machine teaming that is going to get us where we need to go,” Raman said. “We need the benefits and the computational ability that a model can provide to our already incredibly experienced analysts who have really strong tradecraft to help them move … further down the field.”

Why the CIA Created the DDI

The DDI was established to help the CIA respond to its growing need to understand, utilize and respond to emerging digital technologies. The DDI combines the agency’s missions of cyber collection and security, OSINT, IT, data and others. The agency views these technologies as increasingly required for its success in a world of ubiquitous sensing, increasing cyber threats and the exponential growth in data.

One of the DDI’s key functions is to connect the proper subject matter and digital and technical experts across the CIA so the agency can adapt to future and emerging threats in the digital realm. The CIA said on October 9 that the DDI houses the most current version of many former offices that separately focused on technology, HUMINT or clandestine operations, under one roof. This brought together these once disparate disciplines into a single CIA approach for the modern digital environment.

The DDI now has a “Digital C-Suite” comprised of all of the CIA’s senior digital officers, including the CIO, chief data officer and chief information security officer. This transition permits these offices to have a better impact on all the IT work happening across the agency.

Juliane Gallina is among an eye-popping lineup of federal government IT experts who are speaking at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24. This is a great chance to learn about business opportunities for government contractors in digital transformation amidst this environment of unprecedented change. Sign up now!

CIA Leveraging Digital Transformation Tools in HUMINT Missions
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