NewsBrief March 25, 2022

Air Force turning to AI for better fitness, injury prevention

(Federal News Network) Musculoskeletal injuries are the primary source for disability in the military and account for 2.4 million health care visits each year. That can add up to be a serious readiness issue for the services. The Air National Guard is especially looking for ways to reduce physical injury and make training less strenuous on joints, bones and ligaments. “We’re always carrying heavy rucksacks that could weigh anywhere from 70 pounds upwards of 120 pounds,” Chief Master Sgt. Jeremy Mullins, enlisted supervisor for the 118th Air Support Operations Squadron. Read More

US Cyber Command wants more information operations specialists

(fedscoop) The head of U.S. Cyber Command told Congress he needs more information operations experts at his organization. “We use information operations in every cyber mission that we do. It’s that important to what’s going on to be able to communicate a message to an adversary,” Gen. Paul Nakasone told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations Thursday. Read More

Air Force aims to sharpen vision for teaming pilots with drones

(DefenseNews) ORLANDO, Fla. — The Air Force’s next budget proposal, expected to be released by the end of March, will provide more clues on how it hopes to mix manned fighters and bombers with autonomous combat drones. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall views this concept as so vital that elements of it made up two of the seven operational imperatives he outlined in his March 3 keynote address to the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium here. Read More

The Coast Guard launches a new job class to strengthen its cyber capabilities

(Federal News Network) The Coast Guard will establish a new rating next year called cyber mission specialist. Officials hope it will attract new recruits and strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to carry out its cyber mission. Joining the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with details, the chief of the Coast Guard’s Cyberspace Forces, Capt. Alain Balmaceda. Read More

Software modernization and cloud migration go hand in hand for DOD

(fedscoop) Cloud migration and software modernization go hand in hand for the Department of Defense, according to a top technology official. The department recently minted a new software modernization strategy, published in February, aimed at developing an enterprise approach to building software. That strategy replaced the 2018 cloud strategy as well. Read More

Soldiers integrate air defense for the first time in major Alaska exercise

(ArmyTimes) The recent biennial, large-scale arctic warfighting exercise in Alaska that puts soldiers, airmen and a mix of the other services to the test defending the far north saw its own first –— air defense integration. The U.S. Northern Command “Arctic Edge 2022″ exercise, the largest joint exercise held in Alaska, pushed about 1,000 U.S. troops from a combination of more than 35 units from both the United States and Canada in land, air and sea maneuvers in frigid temperatures and harsh conditions in late February and early March. Read More

New Army unit will combine military intelligence with open source data on foreign adversaries

(fedscoop) The Army has created a new group that will blend historical military intelligence activities with commercial data and public information to support cyber operations, according to a spokesperson. While designated under Intelligence and Security Command, the Cyber Military Intelligence Group (CMIG) will directly support requirements for Army Cyber Command and function under its operational control, according to an Army news article released in February. Read More

Smart operators: How leading companies use machine intelligence

(McKinsey & Company) Making good use of data and analytics will not be done in any single bold move but through multiple coordinated actions. Despite the recent and significant advances in machine intelligence, the full scale of the opportunity is just beginning to unfold. But why are some companies doing better than others? How do companies identify where to get started based on their digital journeys? Read More

NASA Provides Update to Astronaut Moon Lander Plans Under Artemis

(NASA) As NASA makes strides to return humans to the lunar surface under Artemis, the agency announced plans Wednesday to create additional opportunities for commercial companies to develop an astronaut Moon lander. Under this new approach, NASA is asking American companies to propose lander concepts capable of ferrying astronauts between lunar orbit and the lunar surface for missions beyond Artemis III, which will land the first astronauts on the Moon in more than 50 years. Read More

Odd circular shape beneath the ocean in Google Earth images is probably not aliens

(Space.com) A circular shape on the seafloor visible on Google Earth is raising cries of “UFO,” but chances are … it’s not aliens. The sighting comes courtesy of Scott Waring, proprietor of UFOsightingsdaily.com and frequent discoverer of objects that he dubs “100% proof” of ancient aliens. (He’s also an avid peruser of photographs from NASA’s rovers, and he has claimed to find everything from a monkey on Mars to the 24-foot-tall (7.3 meters) body of a Martian monarch killed in battle 1 million years ago.) Read More