Artificial Intelligence
Google Wants More Work from the Defense Department
A senior vice president ruled out working directly on weapons programs, but said other areas are fair game.
Modernization
Two-Thirds of Air Force’s $5.5B IT Contract Goes To Small Businesses
The General Services Administration announced 75 awards on the 2GIT contract, which is open to all federal buyers.
Artificial Intelligence
US Reliance on China Problematic for AI Efforts, Commission Says
But despite concerns, Eric Schmidt and Bob Work warn that decoupling from China 'will hurt the United States.'
Cybersecurity
DISA Official: ‘No One Knows’ How Cyber Standards Will Impact Contractor Pool
Many small businesses might find themselves excluded from the Pentagon’s most sensitive tech projects under the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.
Ideas
Robots Can Outwit Us on the Virtual Battlefield, So Let's Not Put Them in Charge of the Real Thing
A bot called AlphaStar plays the popular real-time strategy game StarCraft II at Grandmaster level
Artificial Intelligence
Defense Innovation Board Lays Out 5 Key Principles for Ethical AI
The guidance is intended to steer the department’s expanding AI portfolio and reassure the public that military leaders take concerns about bias, transparency and accountability seriously.
Emerging Tech
Army Consortium Wants Cutting-Edge Hemorrhage Detection Technology
Life-threatening blood loss has accounted for more than 33% of prehospital deaths and 50% of deaths occurring within 24 hours after a traumatic injury.
Artificial Intelligence
DISA Is Looking to Buy AI-Powered Cyber Defenses
The tools would use automation and machine learning to respond to common cyberattacks without any human intervention, freeing personnel to focus on more complex intrusions.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence Will Still Need Training in the Field, Deputy Defense CIO Says
The Office of the CIO and Joint AI Center are focused on getting AI deployed throughout the military, which will require some significant culture change.
Modernization
Pentagon Tech Chief Defends Integrity of JEDI Award
The White House had no sway over the $10 billion JEDI cloud computing contract that the Defense Department awarded Microsoft, according to Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy.
Modernization
Microsoft Wins Massive JEDI Cloud Contract
In a $10 billion upset, after months of legal and Trump-fueled political controversy, Amazon loses out to a competitor.
Digital Government
Military Algorithm Can Predict Illness 48 Hours Before Symptoms Show
The program lead says future troops might be deployed with wearables like watches or chest straps that will know when they are getting sick and how long it will take them to get better.
Digital Government
As Secret Pentagon Spending Rises, Defense Firms Cash in
Classified spending has edged up faster than overall defense budget requests, and accounts for nearly 11 percent of the $716 billion proposed for 2020.
Emerging Tech
Pentagon to Begin Testing 5G at Four Domestic Installations
The department will release a draft solicitation for the program in November.
Emerging Tech
Army Partners with UFO Researchers to Study Active Camouflage and Other Sci-Fi Tech
The partnership will explore metamaterials, quantum communications, beamed energy propulsion and other futuristic tech for use on the military’s ground vehicles.
Modernization
Esper Recuses Himself from JEDI Cloud Contract Review
The Pentagon’s acquisition team will continue its review of bids submitted by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, as the department’s deputy secretary of defense takes over the process.
Emerging Tech
Marines Try Using Drones to Bring Blood to Battle
The light unmanned aircraft made hundreds of supply drops during recent Australian live-fire wargames.
Cybersecurity
Pentagon Receives 2,000 Comments on Vendor Cyber Certification Program
The next iteration of the framework will be released in early November, according to Undersecretary for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord.
Cybersecurity
DISA Wants a Pentagon-Wide Identity Management System
The Enterprise Identity Service would let Pentagon officials oversee the access credentials and online activity of every user who touches its networks.
Emerging Tech