Defense
How DOD plans to make working with emerging tech companies easier
Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Radha Plumb said the Pentagon is trying “to be less hard to work with” when it comes to engaging with the commercial sector.
People
DHS hires initial cohort of 10 to join its AI Corps
The Department of Homeland Security’s AI Corps is designed to deploy tech-savvy experts across its operations to drive the adoption of AI capabilities within its various mission areas.
Modernization
Lawmakers press VA to report on delays in burn pit registry revamp
An October 2022 report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine said VA should “initiate a new phase” of its Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry to make it “a user-friendly, efficient and effective resource.”
Artificial Intelligence
Bill would require Commerce to launch AI public awareness campaign
The education campaign acts on a proposal included in the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group’s framework that was released last month.
Acquisition
Lockheed Martin tapped to develop NOAA’s new series of weather satellites
Lockheed Martin won a contract to build three satellites for NOAA’s Geostationary Extended Observations program, with the option to develop an additional four spacecraft, under a $2.27 billion award announced on Tuesday.
People
Biden nominates new DISA director
Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.
Digital Government
House panel advances bill to study TSA’s embrace of digital IDs
Travelers from nine states can now use mobile driver’s licenses to verify their identities at 27 U.S. airports.
Acquisition
VA extends EHR contract with Oracle Cerner for 11 months
The agreement comes after Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the department plans to end its pause on deployments of the modernized electronic health record system during fiscal year 2025.
Emerging Tech
Veterans Health Administration creates new office to streamline tech initiatives
The Veterans Health Administration has combined a number of its existing programs into one office to serve as the agency’s “central coordinator of digital health strategy and execution.”
Artificial Intelligence
Legislation seeks to establish AI research partnerships between U.S. and foreign cities
The bill would limit collaborative experimentation to “non-national security areas” of AI.
Artificial Intelligence
Use AI to fight AI-generated election threats, report recommends
Hyperlocal voter suppression, language-based influence operations and deepfakes were listed as the most likely AI-generated threats to upcoming elections.
Modernization
VA still needs to shore up usability of new EHR system, GAO says
More than one-third of the government watchdog's priority open recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs have to do with improving oversight and management of the new electronic health record system.
Modernization
Lawmakers look to restore TSA funding to speed screening tech deployment
The measure is one of three bipartisan proposals rolled out this week that seek to bolster funding for TSA’s deployment of new technologies and to limit invasive pat-downs of travelers.
Emerging Tech
Bipartisan House bill seeks to reauthorize federal counter-drone authority
A proposal to extend the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice’s authority to mitigate threats from unmanned aircraft systems would also grant new counter-drone abilities to the FAA.
Defense
Pentagon’s AI office awards Palantir a contract to create a data-sharing ecosystem
The Pentagon’s marketplace for quickly onboarding new tech solutions helped Palantir receive its contract in 30 days.
Defense
Defense Digital Service directors tapped unauthorized tech without proper waivers, watchdog finds
The Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General found that former Defense Digital Service heads had “exposed DOD information to additional cybersecurity risk and increased the risk of compromise.”
Digital Government
HHS launches online tool to identify communities hit hardest by extreme heat
The heat and health index tool provides zip code level data to flag neighborhoods that are the most at risk of experiencing harmful health outcomes as a result of high temperatures.
People
VA's tech training program for vets is up for renewal, but backers want more accountability
A provision in a recently introduced legislative package would extend VA’s VET-TEC training program through September 2026 while seeking to address employment disparities.
Emerging Tech
NOAA looks to sharpen solar storm forecasts with new satellite
The agency’s GOES-U satellite, scheduled to launch next month, will include an advanced instrument, called a compact coronagraph, to provide scientists with faster, more reliable data about solar storms.
Cybersecurity
Watchdog calls out EPA for continued cybersecurity concerns
The EPA has still not implemented GAO’s 2019 recommendation to develop a process for conducting an organization-wide cybersecurity risk assessment.
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