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Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson on NIST’s Efforts to Advance Trustworthy AI
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Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson on NIST’s Efforts to Advance Trustworthy AI

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, said the federal government should work with the private sector to optimize the benefits of artificial intelligence to society and manage AI-related risks.

Johnson, chairwoman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, wrote in an opinion piece published Tuesday on The Hill that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has initiated efforts to address AI risks in compliance with the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act.

She noted that NIST has hosted workshops on AI trustworthiness, evaluation, explainability, bias and other topics to help industry identify and prevent outcomes that weaken public trust in AI.

Johnson said NIST is seeking public input on a voluntary risk management framework that aims to support the creation and deployment of trustworthy AI. Public comments are due Sept. 15th, Wednesday.

“We know that AI has the potential to benefit society and make the world a better place. In order for the U.S. to be a true global leader in this technology, we have to ensure that the AI we create does just that,” Johnson wrote.

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DARPA Unveils Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node Program; Greg Kuperman Quoted
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DARPA Unveils Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node Program; Greg Kuperman Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has launched a new program that seeks to develop a reconfigurable optical communications terminal that would enable different small satellite constellations in low-Earth orbit to communicate with each other.

The Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node program seeks to create a low-cost terminal that would facilitate communications among various constellations by adapting to optical intersatellite link standards, DARPA said Tuesday.

“This lack of OISL standardization results in a fragmented, stove-piped ‘Wild West’ space domain with new constellations that can’t interoperate, government satellites that can’t communicate between one another, and government satellites unable to take advantage of emerging commercial communications capabilities,” said Greg Kuperman, Space-BACN program manager at DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office.

The Space-BACN program will focus on three technical areas: optical aperture that can couple into single-mode fiber, reconfigurable modem and a cross-constellation command and control approach.

DARPA has issued a solicitation for Space-BACN and will accept abstracts for technical areas covering optical aperture and modem through Oct. 4. The agency will also host a virtual information session on Sept. 22.

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Military Intel Leaders Cite Initiatives to Fight Online Disinformation; Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy Quoted
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Military Intel Leaders Cite Initiatives to Fight Online Disinformation; Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy Quoted

Military intelligence officials discussed some of the efforts service branches are initiating to counter adversaries’ online disinformation campaigns and malign influence messages, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

Alex Miller, Army G-2 senior adviser for science and technology and innovation, said military personnel are adopting the OODA loop approach to decision-making – which means observe, orient, decide and act – to help counter falsities online.

Lt. Gen. Mary O’Brien, Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and cyber effects operations, highlighted the importance of people involved in efforts meant to fight malign influence.

“So there are pockets of people that have experience in how we could get after this. We need to make sure that they're part of our whole effort, and not some group over on the side doing something that other people don't understand or value,” O’Brien said. “We absolutely have to value people who are working in this space.”

Marine Corps Deputy Commandant, Information Lt. Gen. Matthew Glavy said the service is trying to emulate the Air Force’s efforts to implement a culture around “convergence.”

“They've been able to take their intel apparatus, their [online intelligence] apparatus, their cryptology apparatus and a lot of the capabilities kind of under the 16th Air Force now with a commander, with unity-of-effort, unity-of-command and unity-of-purpose,” Glavy said. “So the Marine Corps is trying to mimic that as well.”

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GovExec Continues Growth Trajectory Through Acquisition Strategy; CEO Tim Hartman Quoted
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GovExec Continues Growth Trajectory Through Acquisition Strategy; CEO Tim Hartman Quoted

GovExec announced on Tuesday that the company has acquired Market Connections, a highly respected research and insights company within the public sector, to further enhance the company’s data and insights products, buyer intent capabilities and content production to support government contractors’ entire go-to-market strategy. 

“Market Connections brings its deep expertise in research and, even more importantly, in mining that research for insights that can drive strategy, marketing and spend decisions,” said GovExec CEO Tim Hartman. 

Market Connections has helped government contractors develop and execute comprehensive research for more than 25 years that enables them to understand the greater competitive landscape. 

Through the acquisition, Market Connections will accelerate its growth and work to build more products and insights solutions for the public sector.

“Bringing their actionable intelligence in-house fuels the growth of our Research Center of Excellence and will prove to be a real game-changer as we expand our offerings across the public sector,” Hartman added. 

Aaron Heffron, who will become the executive vice president for Market Connections following the completion of the acquisition, will lead the new research center and bring his two and a half decades of experience in the research and analysis of various industries, including the federal sector, trade associations, technology and others. 

In addition, Market Connections CEO Lisa Dezzutti will remain with the company in an advisory capacity. Dezzutti expressed her excitement to bring the growth of the company to the next level and elevate its products and service offerings to support its clients. 

Recently, the company announced its acquisition of 1105 Media Inc’s Public Sector 360 Group to expand its audience in government technology and reinforce its commitment to the government market. 

With the news of Market Connections being the latest acquisition for GovExec, the company’s consolidation of industry platforms continues with its ninth addition to the company since its inception in March 2020.

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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Awards Octo with Agile Coaching Contract; Charlie McQuillan Quoted
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Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Awards Octo with Agile Coaching Contract; Charlie McQuillan Quoted

Octo announced on Tuesday that the federal IT modernization provider has been awarded a five-year contract to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Payment System Modernization (MPSM) program in the agency’s transition to modern technology platforms.

Under the contract, Octo, a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Gold partner, will implement open source technologies, Agile and DevOps processes and application program interfaces (APIs) to streamline CMS’s operations, maintain Medicare’s Fee-For-Service systems and enable the agency’s components and offices to utilize Lean-Agile practices at scale. 

Charlie McQuillan, general manager of Octo’s Health Business Unit, said “Octo is ready and able to help CMS meet its modernization goals and realize the potential of Agile methodologies and processes.”

Octo will provide CMS employees and contractors with workshops, hands-on training and support services in order to adopt Agile principles and methods, adjust existing product planning and management processes and impose maintainable solutions for ensuring continuous delivery. 

“We have led dozens of organizations through their Agile journey and are proud to say the results have been shining examples of why Agile works,” McQuillan continued, citing Octo’s decade of experience with Agile adoption and integration.

Additionally, Octo will employ long-term strategic planning, incremental delivery and backlog prioritization to prioritize sustainable Agile maturity. 

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DHS Tasks Texas-Based Small Business to Develop Small Drone Tracker in Urban Canyons
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DHS Tasks Texas-Based Small Business to Develop Small Drone Tracker in Urban Canyons

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded Texas-based small business Cobalt Solutions $750,000 to develop its Urban Canyon Detection Tracking and Identification of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles system.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award tasks Cobalt to keep working on a system that uses commercial 5G signals to find adversarial small UAVs in urban canyon environments, DHS said Monday.

The award follows a Phase I effort where the company showed the feasibility of its 5G Passive Radar UAS Tracking and Targeting sensor.

Under Phase II, Cobalt must produce a prototype after 24 months and demonstrate its tracking system to potentially secure a Phase III award and eventually commercialize the technology.

“As more 5G mmWave transceivers are deployed in city centers, the ability to detect and track drones in complex urban geometries becomes easier, while not contributing to an already crowded radio frequency spectrum,” explained Jeff Randorf, a DHS Science and Technology (S&T) engineering adviser and SBIR topic manager.

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Air Force Eyes ‘GHOST’ Sensor to Improve Aircraft Tech Flexibility
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Air Force Eyes ‘GHOST’ Sensor to Improve Aircraft Tech Flexibility

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s (AFLCMC) sensor division is eyeing to utilize a sensor that offers flexibility in flying on various aircraft as the unit develops a platform-agile and open architecture technology for airborne signals intelligence. 

Under the Global High-altitude Open-system Sensor Technology (GHOST) program, the sensor will be placed in a pod attached under the aircraft as part of the initial configuration, the Air Force Materiel Command said Friday. 

Jeremy Shock, signals intelligence branch chief, said they are also developing a platform-agnostic technology to allow easier transfer from one airborne platform to another. 

AFMC said the GHOST program is currently working with three vendors on a 12-month project to design prototypes. 

The government is set to conduct an open architecture testing of the vendors’ systems. Afterward, the GHOST team will conduct an open-source selection to pick an offeror that will develop airborne models for fielding efforts.

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GSA Offering Over 7 Bitcoins During End of Season Auction; Thomas Meiron Quoted
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GSA Offering Over 7 Bitcoins During End of Season Auction; Thomas Meiron Quoted

The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced eight auction lots of a combined 7.85 bitcoins estimated to be worth over $360,000 as part of its End of Season sale. 

The cryptocurrencies, the last from GSA Auctions for 2021, are up for bidding until Wednesday, with an option for extension to take in last-minute offers, the agency said Monday.

GSA requires the winning bidder to hold a digital wallet to receive the bitcoins and pay the transaction fees that may apply before Sept. 17th.

The latest auction concludes GSA's first year of offering cryptocurrencies on behalf of the U.S. government that amounted to over $1 million worth of more than 25 bitcoins and 150 litecoins.

"We’ve seen great success and enthusiasm for GSA’s cryptocurrency sales in 2021 so far," shared Thomas Meiron, Federal Acquisition Service regional commander. “This is the last auction for the year and is a great opportunity to join the crypto community.”

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GSA Names Technologist Waldo Jaquith as Administrator Robin Carnahan’s New Senior Adviser
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GSA Names Technologist Waldo Jaquith as Administrator Robin Carnahan’s New Senior Adviser

The General Services Administration (GSA) has appointed Waldo Jaquith, a technology expert and former Biden-Harris transition team member, as a senior adviser to agency Administrator Robin Carnahan.

Jaquith, who has previously data-related roles at the White House, will provide Carnahan with advice on issues and initiatives related to state, local, tribal and territorial governments, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The newly appointed adviser most recently held a fellowship at the Beeck Center for Social Impact where he helped states in procuring, developing and maintaining various software.

Jaquith was also a core team volunteer at U.S. Digital Response, a non-partisan initiative assisting federal, state and local government with their technology, data, communications and other related needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the White House, he helped execute the former Obama administration's open data initiative and lent his expertise to the Project Open Data advisory team.

The appointment marks Jaquith's return to the federal government after over seven years in the private sector.

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Cybersecurity Exec Kiersten Todt Named CISA Chief of Staff
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Cybersecurity Exec Kiersten Todt Named CISA Chief of Staff

Kiersten Todt, formerly executive director of a cybersecurity commission under Barack Obama, has been appointed to serve as chief of staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

She will lead efforts to develop plans, manage resources and establish objectives in pursuit of CISA’s goals, the agency said Monday.

Todt formerly served as CEO of Liberty Group Ventures, where she also supported the National Institute of Standards and Technology in efforts to develop a cybersecurity framework.

She also held the role of managing director at the Cyber Readiness Institute, a nonprofit that gathered executives from across the globe to create free cybersecurity resources for small businesses.

In 2016, she was the executive director of Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, where she led the documentation of cybersecurity recommendations.

“I look forward to shaping CISA’s long-term planning and working with industry, federal agencies and state, local, tribal and territorial government partners to chart the path forward for a more secure and resilient nation,” Todt said about her new role.

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