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ULA’s Vulcan Launch System Now Space Force-Certified for National Security Missions
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ULA’s Vulcan Launch System Now Space Force-Certified for National Security Missions

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command unveiled that the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch system has been certified for National Security Space Launch missions.

The SSC said Wednesday ULA is now one of two providers allowed to launch NSSL missions.

The NSSL certification involves a strict evaluation process to determine the capabilities of launch service providers, particularly their ability to design, manufacture and qualify a launch system meant to deploy national security space satellites.

Leaders’ Remarks on the USSF Certification

“We are proud to have launched 100 national security space missions and honored to continue serving the nation with our new Vulcan rocket,” said Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance. “We thank the Space Force for their collaboration and confidence and we are honored to support our national security needs for many years to come,” the Wash100 Award winner added.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, program executive officer for assured access to space, stated, “Assured access to space is a core function of the Space Force and a critical element of national security. Vulcan certification adds launch capacity, resiliency and flexibility needed by our nation’s most critical space-based systems.”

“The SSC and ULA teams have worked together extremely closely, and certification of this launch system is a direct result of their focus, dedication, and teamwork,” added Panzenhagen.

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NIST Publishes Guidance for Mitigating Adversarial ML Threats
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NIST Publishes Guidance for Mitigating Adversarial ML Threats

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued a document that identifies threats associated with adversarial machine learning. The Adversarial Machine Learning: A Taxonomy and Terminology of Attacks and Mitigations, published Monday, collates common tactics used against artificial intelligence, the agency said. 

Securing AI

The new document provides guidance to individuals and groups involved in the design, development, deployment and management of AI. It seeks to address adversarial machine learning, or AML, threats by empowering organizations that use AI to identify and mitigate an attack. 

NIST dedicates sections of the document to evasion, poisoning, privacy and misuse attacks of predictive and generative AI. Evasion, poisoning, privacy and misuse are among the most widely studied risks associated with AML. 

In addition, the guidance aims to standardize AML-related concepts and keywords used across technology communities. 

NIST said the document was developed with contributions from experts in AML. The agency continues to work with domestic partners and in the United Kingdom to update the manual as new information emerges.

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INL Needs Investor in Innovation Incubator for Tech Startups
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INL Needs Investor in Innovation Incubator for Tech Startups

The Idaho National Laboratory is in search of an industry sponsor to invest $5-10 million in a privately funded innovation incubator for tech startups.

INL said Tuesday the program, which integrates the national laboratory’s capabilities with private-sector commercialization know-how, will grant promising access to the laboratory’s world-class facilities and technical expertise to reduce risks and support their innovations’ advancement.

What the Innovation Incubator Offers

Under the program, INL and the industry sponsor will invite entrepreneurs and startups developing innovations in nuclear energy, integrated energy systems, cybersecurity and advanced materials.

In exchange for the investment, the sponsor will be able to tap into various ongoing innovations at a fraction of normal acquisition costs, particularly in the sponsor’s areas of strategic interest, opening up new growth opportunities.

INL will help with technology de-risking through due diligence conducted via its national laboratory scientists and laboratory capabilities, which subsequently accelerates technology development.

A partnership with the laboratory will also give the sponsor additional credibility, helping to demonstrate its technical innovation leadership in the country.

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Five Companies Win DIU Contract to Enhance DOD Biosurveillance
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Five Companies Win DIU Contract to Enhance DOD Biosurveillance

The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded five companies prototype contracts to develop a platform to enhance the Department of Defense’s biosurveillance capabilities using artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics.

Integrating Biosurveillance Tech

Under the effort, Booz Allen Hamilton was tapped to integrate biosurveillance technologies within the DOD’s operational infrastructure while Bana Solutions was chosen to provide an IT system for data ingestion and visualization of biosurveillance insights, DIU said Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Cyberhill Partners, data.world and KUNGFU.AI are tasked to deliver secure software, AI-powered analytics and knowledge graph-based systems to enhance real-time threat detection and intelligence insights.

According to Cyberhill Partners, the collaborative effort will build a prototype, which will be evaluated in simulated threat environments to measure its ability to provide real-time decision support and operational readiness.

Leveraging Commercial Innovation

The initiative aims to use commercial innovation to bolster the country’s biosurveillance infrastructure and ensure it remains ahead of emerging threats, DHA Public Health Director Brandon Taylor said. “The ability to rapidly identify and assess biological threats is critical to national security,” he explained.

DIU picked the program participants from 78 companies that submitted their proposed capabilities. The selected contractors will prototype their technologies and refine them over the next 12 to 24 months. The prototypes will be tested to check their effectiveness in detecting and mitigating health threats from diverse data sources.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Programs and the DOD Chemical and Biological Defense wing will spearhead the program.

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AFRL Seeks Industry Input on Software Baselines for GARDEM Program
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AFRL Seeks Industry Input on Software Baselines for GARDEM Program

The Air Force Research Laboratory is soliciting industry input on software research and development services for the Command and Control, Space and Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, or C2-SpISR, of its Global Application Research, Development, Engineering and Maintenance 2 program, also known as GARDEM 2. The C2-SpISR R&D requirements include engineering, prototyping, integration and testing as well as technology enhancements and modifications, according to an AFRL request for information posted on SAM.gov Tuesday.

$99M Potential Maximum Order Value

The RFI anticipates a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the C2-SpISR services within a potential five-year period, with a maximum order value estimated at $99 million. The RFI’s inputs are solely for AFRL planning and possible market research use on small business set-aside proposal determination, the lab said in the SAM.gov post’s reference attachments. 

The information that the Air Force lab seeks covers technical work on several GARDEM software baselines, including C2Core Cyber, Net Ops and Air, as well as National Tactical Data Manager, Advanced Collection Requirements Engine and the tools suite for Integrated Solutions to Situational Awareness. 

Colorado On-Site Provisions

The requirements in the RFI’s draft statement of work also include the provision of on-site system R&D, test and installation at the Colorado campuses of the United States Space Force, Schriever AFB and Air Force National Tactical Integration Colorado Buckley SFB. The deadline for submitting RFI responses is April 1.

AFRL initiated the GARDEM program in January 2020, wherein Parsons Corporation secured a spot in its multiple-award contract with a potential seven-year term and an estimated value of $427 million. In March 2024, Parsons also secured a three-year, $28 million AFRL contract to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance C2 and space software baselines for the program.

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Michael Kratsios Confirmed as OSTP Director
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Michael Kratsios Confirmed as OSTP Director

The Senate on Tuesday voted 74-25 to confirm Michael Kratsios, a two-time Wash100 Award winner, as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, or OSTP.

Kratsios’ confirmation as head of OSTP marks his return to the White House. He served as the U.S. chief technology officer during President Donald Trump’s first term.

He was officially nominated for the OSTP director role in January. 

Michael Kratsios’ Career Background

Kratsios most recently served as managing director at Scale AI.

Under his leadership as U.S. CTO, the White House launched national initiatives for artificial intelligence, 5G, quantum computing, commercial drones, autonomous vehicles, STEM education and advanced manufacturing.

He previously served as acting under secretary of defense for research and engineering. In this capacity, he was responsible for research, development and prototyping efforts across the Department of Defense.

Kratsios spent seven years at Thiel Capital, where he held leadership positions, including principal, chief financial officer and chief compliance officer.

Earlier in his career, the Princeton University graduate served as an analyst at Barclays Investment Bank.

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Jayanta Bhattacharya to Lead NIH Following Senate Confirmation
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Jayanta Bhattacharya to Lead NIH Following Senate Confirmation

The Senate has confirmed Jayanta Bhattacharya as the next director of the National Institutes of Health by a vote of 53 to 47. He is set to take over as head of the NIH, a role held by Matthew Memoli since January 2025 in an acting capacity.

Bhattacharya’s Credentials

Bhattacharya, whom then President-Elect Donald Trump nominated in November 2024, serves as a professor of medicine at Stanford University, a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute and director of Stanford’s Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging.

The newly-confirmed NIH director is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research and at Acumen.

He holds a doctorate degree in economics from Stanford University and a doctor of medicine degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Priorities as NIH Director

During his confirmation hearing on March 5, Bhattacharya told Senate lawmakers that his priorities as NIH director would include a greater emphasis on chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.

Bhattacharya also said the NIH should be more open to dissenting perspectives regarding scientific issues. Bhattacharya himself held dissenting views regarding the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, as articulated in an open letter released in October 2020 called the Great Barrington Declaration, which he co-authored.

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Greg Autry Nominated for NASA Chief Financial Officer
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Greg Autry Nominated for NASA Chief Financial Officer

Greg Autry has been nominated by President Donald Trump for chief financial officer at NASA on March 24.

The agency said Tuesday NASA acting administrator Janet Petro issued a statement announcing the nomination. According to Petro, if confirmed, Autry will be responsible for handling over $25 billion in funds for Moon and Mars missions and other projects.

“With his previous experience as the White House liaison during President Trump’s first administration, as well as his extensive experience in space policy, I look forward to welcoming Greg as our next CFO,” said Petro. “If confirmed, we will work together with the current Trump Administration to ensure NASA’s success in maximizing efficiencies, refining our processes and remaining effective stewards of every tax dollar invested in our agency,” she added.

Who Is Greg Autry?

Autry is currently an associate provost for space commercialization and strategy at the University of Central Florida. As the university’s Space Czar, he is tasked with developing strategies and maintaining partnerships with industry and government space agencies. He is also a visiting professor at Imperial College London and a member of the board at Elevated Materials.

He spent nearly three years as the business case subcommittee chair responsible for assessing business cases in proposals for the agency’s In Space Production Applications. Autry was also chair of the safety working group advising the Office of Commercial Space Transportation of the Federal Aviation Administration and was part of the NASA Agency Review Landing Team.

His career in the academe includes stints with the Thunderbird School of Global Management, University of Oxford, International Space University, University of California’s Paul Merage School of Business and Chapman University.

Autry was previously nominated for CFO at NASA in 2020 but was unconfirmed.

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GSA’s Stephen Ehikian on Centralizing Procurement, Advancing GenAI
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GSA’s Stephen Ehikian on Centralizing Procurement, Advancing GenAI

Stephen Ehikian, acting administrator of the General Services Administration, said streamlining and centralizing procurement and rationalizing IT infrastructure and software as a shared service are part of his vision for GSA.

Centralizing Government Procurement

In a blog post published Tuesday, Ehikian wrote that GSA has started an initiative with four agencies to centralize the procurement of common goods and services in accordance with a recently signed executive order.

To streamline the procurement process, he said GSA is working with Federal Acquisition Regulation council partners to restore merit-based opportunity in contracting and updating compliance standards to accelerate the adoption of best-in-class technologies.

The agency is also working to improve its technology infrastructure for procurement to improve vendor management, reduce paper-based workflows and enhance data-driven decisions.

Advancing Generative AI, Breaking Down Data Silos

As part of GSA’s IT infrastructure rationalization effort, the acting chief said the agency will continue to pilot generative artificial intelligence to enable contracting officers and acquisition officials to search across acquisition policies, internal directives or circulars, and code generation.

Ehikian noted that the agency is working to break down data silos to improve collaboration, enhance communication and prepare for future AI opportunities.

Other initiatives under this effort are driving automation and reimagining the FedRAMP authorization process to accelerate secure cloud adoption across agencies. 

The GSA official said the agency also aims to optimize software and cloud spending by “conducting a line-by-line evaluation of every technology solution, ensuring we only pay for the licenses that we use and eliminate redundant systems.”

Other GSA Initiatives

Ehikian said his vision for the agency includes optimizing GSA’s federal buildings portfolio and embracing the agency’s model of efficiency.

Initiatives to optimize the agency’s buildings portfolio include reducing deferred maintenance liabilities, increasing office occupancy and advancing greater interoperability between agencies.

GSA will also assess its operations and consolidate shared services to realize efficiencies.

“My goal is that GSA returns to our founding mission of streamlining federal operations, consolidating resources and efficiently providing essential services that allow government agencies to focus on their core missions,” Ehikian wrote. 

“GSA is the tip of the spear – we’re setting the example for other agencies and serving as a collaborative partner to help them cut wasteful contract spending, right size the federal real estate portfolio and deploy software to drive efficiency and productivity,” he added.

Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Digital Transformation Summit on April 24, and hear experts discuss how emerging technologies are reshaping government operations. Register now!

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DOD Considers Turning Advana Into Program of Record
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DOD Considers Turning Advana Into Program of Record

Breaking Defense reported Tuesday that the Department of Defense indicated in an internal memo its intent to make the Advana big-data platform of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, or CDAO, into a formal program of record.

What Does the DOD Memo Say?

Steven Morani, acting under secretary of defense for sustainment at DOD, signed the memo on March 13, directing the CDAO Component Acquisition Executive, or CAE, to submit within 30 days drafts of a capability needs statement, program roadmap, program cost estimate and “other supporting documentation” to determine whether to turn Advana into a program of record.

Morani wrote that the DOD acquisition and sustainment team should submit within 60 days “courses of action for my approval regarding pausing the issuance of any solicitation covering Advana efforts sponsored or executed by the CDAO CAE, acquisition pathway(s), program management appointment and a transition agency for Advana.”

What Is Advana?

Managed by CDAO, Advana is the Pentagon’s enterprise data and analytics environment.

The platform provides DOD users with tools, analytics and services as well as data derived from the department’s over 400 business systems to facilitate data-driven decision-making.

In 2021, the General Services Administration awarded Booz Allen Hamilton a $674 million contract to provide maintenance and related support for DOD’s Advana platform.

CDAO’s Plans for Advana Recompete

In September, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office hosted an industry day to discuss its plans for a recompete contract as part of efforts to scale Advana and work with additional vendors, particularly small businesses and nontraditional contractors.

Breaking Defense reported the potential 10-year Advana multivendor recompete contract could be worth up to $15 billion.

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