NewsBrief

How to Fund an Unfunded Artificial Intelligence Mandate

(NextGov) The federal government is often accused of not being able to keep policy aligned as new technologies emerge. Over the past two years, the administration has issued a lot of guidance around robotic process automation, or RPA, and the broader technology field of artificial intelligence. Whether sparked by China’s announcement of its intention to be the world’s AI superpower or just good strategic leadership, the emphasis is welcomed. Read More

Trump administration to focus on data as an IT enabler

(Federal Times)
The federal government will need to ensure that it has reliable, accessible data sources in order to pursue more modern technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. According to the federal chief information officer, Suzette Kent, the Trump administration will use 2019 to publish a federal data policy that enables such advancements.Read More

Pentagon’s Cyber Mission Force Needs Better Training Plan

(NextGov) The Defense Department’s cyber warrior teams are struggling to maintain readiness, according to a congressional auditor. In 2013, the Defense Department began a years-long process to stand up 133 Cyber Mission Force teams of military personnel with elite cyber training to defend critical information networks. The department reached full operating capability before its deadline, but a Government Accountability Office audit released Wednesday found the Cyber Mission Force began experiencing training and readiness issues last year.Read More

The US Navy’s top acquisition priority is getting a new boss

(Defense News) The U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is getting a new head and a new program office, the service’s top acquisition boss announced Wednesday. Program Executive Office Columbia will be stood up this month and headed by Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, a graduate of the Naval Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He most recently headed up the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Read More

$2 billion cost to clean up water contamination at military bases, defense official says

(Military Times) Cleaning up and protecting U.S. drinking water from a class of toxic chemicals used in many household items could cost in the tens of billions of dollars nationally, including $2 billion for the Department of Defense alone, witnesses testified Wednesday before a House panel urging the federal government to move more quickly on the cleanup.Read More

National Security Agency Travelers Misspent $285,000, Watchdog Finds

(Government Executive) As part of transparency efforts at one of the government’s most secretive organizations, the National Security Agency’s inspector general on Monday released an unclassified version of an audit of employee travel expenses that found a concerning number to be improper. Read More

USCIS is fighting immigration fraud using data science

(fedscoop) The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently awarded a $49.5 million contract to support the work of the agency’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate. Excella, an Arlington, Va.-based tech consultancy, will help USCIS detect potential immigration fraud through advanced data analytics.Read More

DHS continues a trend in IT contracting by no longer managing its own

(Federal News Network) The Homeland Security Department spends billions of dollars a year on technology products and services, and for much of the past 14 years through its EAGLE and FirstSource vehicles. nWhile Soraya Correa, DHS’ chief procurement officer, signaled a change in approach for the third version of EAGLE late last year, a new procurement notice details DHS’s plans. Read More

Crater Hunters Score Meteoric Hole-in-One

(Space Daily) Curtin University planetary scientists have announced the discovery of two new large cosmic ‘hole-in-one’ meteorite impact structures, located in Western Australia and Central America. The research was published in two separate papers in leading journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.Read More