Purdue said Monday its CHEETA: CMOS+MRAM Hardware for Energy-EfficienT AI project, one of four awardees announced on Sept. 18, aims to make AI hardware more energy efficient and the sensor-to-decision response time faster. This development will enhance the “size, weight and power” metrics, which are expected to support defense initiatives.
The project intends to utilize CMOS+X and magnetic random-access memory, or MRAM, to develop efficient in-memory computing hardware fabrics.
The team will receive $21 million for over four years from the Applied Research Institute to fund the project. It is made up of faculty members from the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and collaborating partners Northrop Grumman, Everspin Technologies, Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Michigan.
Purdue President Mung Chiang, stated, “Purdue is strongly committed to supporting the CHIPS Act and the U.S. DOD’s ME Commons program, enhancing economic prosperity to the Silicon Heartland and national security of the U.S.”
Karen Plaut, executive vice president for research at Purdue, emphasized that the collaboration will enhance defense technologies and boost the nation’s leadership in advancing critical technologies.
“By uniting the strengths of our partnerships with Argonne National labs, NSWC Crane as well as government agencies, leading industry partners and top academic institutions, we are embarking on a groundbreaking project that will push the boundaries of semiconductor innovation,” Plaut said.
The U.S. Department of State has awarded Exovera a contract to continue its media monitoring services in support of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Iraq.
Under the potential five-year agreement, Exovera will continue reporting on Iraqi multimedia platforms to help embassy officials better understand Iraq’s politics and governance, security and economic affairs and other issues related to the U.S., the software and data science company announced Wednesday.
Bob Sogegian, Exovera CEO, said, “With the demonstrated depth of analytical capabilities, local and regional contextual knowledge and editorial judgment, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Iraq relies on Exovera’s experts and technology to deliver comprehensive situational awareness.”
Exovera will leverage its exoINSIGHT platform to provide the embassy with interactive access to open-source content and a host of artificial intelligence analytic and reporting capabilities. The application uses machine learning and natural language processing to retrieve insights from a growing body of organized data.
“With the demonstrated depth of analytical capabilities, local and regional contextual knowledge, and editorial judgment, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Iraq relies on Exovera’s experts and technology to deliver comprehensive situational awareness,” Sogegian added.
The center will support U.S. engagement in international standardization for critical and emerging technologies, or CETs, that are essential to safeguard the country’s competitiveness and national security, NIST said Tuesday.
The center will conduct pre-standardization engagement to ensure that the private sector will participate in international standardization efforts. It will also build a pipeline of professionals who will lead U.S. international standards development efforts.
In addition, the center will start a collaborative program with NIST to accelerate the development of industry-driven standards for selected CETs and create a data-sharing hub for all stakeholders involved in standardization.
According to Charles Romine, the associate director for laboratory programs at NIST, the public-private partnership will help the United States advance international standardization for CETs, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and biotechnology.
ASTM International will work on the project with several partners, which are expected to provide the needed international expertise for standards development, education and optimization.
Under a cooperative agreement, NIST will fund the project over five years, engage with the center and its stakeholders, and provide technical expertise and leadership.
The Department of Homeland Security is working to defend U.S. cybersecurity through a research and development program called the Cyber Analytics and Platform Capabilities research initiative, according to Benson Macon. The initiative aims to support the defense of U.S. cyber and physical infrastructure through the development of various technologies and curriculums, Macon, a program manager in the DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s Office of Mission & Capability Support, said in an article published Tuesday on the DHS S&T website.
Initiative Collaborators
The CAPC initiative focuses on four primary areas, namely: cyber risk analysis, the automated analysis of malware and software vulnerabilities, R&D gap analysis and cloud telemetry analysis. The initiative involves the collaboration of various academic, private and government partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the National Security Agency.
Ongoing CAPC Work
Work under the CAPC is already ongoing. This past spring, the initiative held a two-day technical exchange where participants sought to discuss inventions and research trends in various areas, including cybersecurity, training and data analytics. Publications will be released that summarize the best practices and lessons learned that emerged from the event.
The initiative is also running two research projects. The first, titled Fleet Vehicle Cybersecurity Research, seeks to identify cybersecurity gaps affecting the IT systems and networks enabling the fleet of vehicles operated by the U.S. Secret Service. The project also seeks to develop training and tools that will help safeguard the vehicles and their operators.
The second research project, titled Cybersecurity Training for Law Enforcement, seeks to determine the impact of cyber threats to Internet of Things devices and machine learning tools on the capabilities of first responders, particularly those working on federal criminal investigations. The results of the research project will be used to enhance law enforcement cybersecurity training curricula.
Hear from various speakers to learn more about the various security concerns facing the U.S. and what’s being done to address them at the Potomac Officers Club’s Annual Homeland Security Summit, which will take place on Nov. 13. Register now to attend this important event!
The Partnership for Public Service plans to open a new center to help educate federal workers “from interns to executives” on the potential applications of artificial intelligence.
Dubbed the Center for Federal AI, and backed by a $10 million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, the nonpartisan good government organization’s new technology hub will launch in March 2025 with the aim of educating federal employees on how to utilize AI, helping build up and retain the federal AI workforce and in general promoting the effective use of the technology by federal agencies.
“AI is today’s electricity — it’s a transformative technology that is fundamental to the public sector and to our society,” said Max Stier, the Partnership’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Google.org’s generous investment will enable the Partnership to expand our current programming and research, and offer innovative new programming to empower agencies to capitalize on AI and better serve the public.”
Partnership officials said in a blog that the AI center will build on previous efforts, including its AI federal leadership cohort program, which educated senior federal leaders on AI best practices and how to incorporate the technology into their workforces.
President Joe Biden in 2023 issued an executive order to guide safe federal usage of AI. The Government Accountability Office in September found that federal agencies have fulfilled all of that directive’s initial management and recruitment benchmarks, including publishing AI guidance to agencies and creating a hiring page on the government’s AI website.
The Office of Management and Budget on Sept. 24 released an AI memorandum directing federal agencies to update their acquisition policies to ensure responsible and collaborative applications of AI, while ensuring competitive procurement.
The office noted the lack of transparency on the volume of sensitive data when third parties are tapped for commercially available information with personal identification.
During a White House roundtable on data broker practices in August 2023, participants revealed ways by which data brokers gather detailed personal data even without the subjects’ consent, the OMB also said.
Public input on OIRA’s request for information will support the OMB’s continuing efforts on AI risk mitigation through privacy guardrails and other safety standards.
The office, in pursuing Biden’s EO on agency management of AI risks, earlier issued an RFI on privacy impact assessments, as well as a memorandum on responsible AI acquisition in government.
A prevailing public sentiment these days seems to be “government is broken and federal employees should be fired.” Frankly, it’s an idea that has been around for a very long time—I remember President Reagan saying, “The most terrifying nine words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”
Recent polling by my organization, the Partnership for Public Service, shows this idea has generally permeated public opinion, with just 23% of Americans saying they trust the federal government, down from 35% in 2022.
The problem is that this distrust leads people to conclude that the solution is to break the government apart. It also compels them to ignore that mission-driven, qualified people serve our country through federal jobs, providing programs and services that people across the U.S. and around the world rely on.
It may sound trite, but the reality is that federal agencies ensure our national security, protect our food and water supply, and make it possible to travel safely. And it’s the federal government that issues passports, provides Social Security and Medicare benefits, and delivers veterans’ health services.
The real answer is to make federal agencies work better, not dismantle parts of the government or allow political appointees to arbitrarily fire civil servants and replace them with individuals deemed loyal to the White House, a proposal from the last administration that has regained currency.
Every time I hear blanket statements such as “you can’t fire federal employees,” “agencies are unaccountable and underperforming” or “government has bad customer service,” it makes me think about my house. When parts of it need fixing, I make repairs.
What I would not do is bulldoze the whole thing.
Undermining and politicizing the federal workforce would wreak havoc on our government. The next administration, in cooperation with Congress when needed, should take a more constructive approach—particularly in the many areas that are still bound by laws that haven’t been updated since the 1970s and 80s.
Fixing these systemic issues would maximize the impact of agencies and career civil servants already doing amazing work every day. Just look at our Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals® winners and finalists honored annually for their outstanding public service.
These stories only scratch the surface. It’s high time that we work together—Congress, political leaders, career professionals and external stakeholders—to reduce burdensome laws and processes that hamper effective government and appropriately resource the areas that need improving.
That’s why we recently released a reform agenda. It’s a call to action to focus on a few core areas where fixes would lead to better outcomes—for the government and for all of us.
These certainly aren’t the only places where change is necessary. But we must start somewhere, and we must prioritize foundational areas that enable agency missions to happen. The following actions are most critical.
Modernize leadership requirements: All federal executives and managers, including political appointees, need to meet a new standard for leadership that holds them accountable for running healthy and high-performing agencies. The government should adopt a framework that requires leaders to prioritize and demonstrate skills essential to effective federal service, including the foundational value of being a steward of the public good.
Make it easier to hire and keep great public servants: Leaders should prioritize fixing the broken hiring process. Agencies should evaluate current hiring processes to discover where they are not working for applicants, hiring managers and human resources specialists.
Hold poor performers accountable: Managers should use probationary periods to evaluate employees, and they should be trained and provided with support to use disciplinary and removal procedures.
Make better use of artificial intelligence, technology and data to achieve positive outcomes for the public: Congress must work with federal agencies on a long-term funding strategy to modernize outdated technology systems, plan for future technological needs and develop uniform rules around the responsible use of emerging technologies like AI. Agencies and Congress also must make better use of data to inform federal policies, services and programming.
Build modern, customer-friendly services: Agency leaders should be held accountable for providing a first-rate customer experience. Agencies should identify senior officials to lead customer experience work, fund and staff customer experience teams, and encourage the adoption of best practices.
Congress and the next president shouldprioritize this reform agenda to support the federal workforce and promote practical ways to improve our government’s performance and accountability. Only then will our government keep up with the pressing challenges facing our nation and regain the public’s trust.
Jenny Mattingley is the vice president for government affairs at the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, an organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy.
The U.S. Army has introduced a pilot program that seeks to explore generative artificial intelligence and its potential applications in supporting the military branch’s acquisition activities.
The Army said Tuesday the program will use LIGER, a generative AI tool that delivers tailored responses and improves the efficiency of information retrieval and analysis.
“By utilizing LIGER, we aim to streamline our acquisition processes while enhancing the accuracy of information,” said Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering and software.
“The ability to query curated document sets for generating new content, along with providing citations, will ensure that our outputs are not only accurate but also easily fact-checked,” she added.
In September, LMI launched the LIGER platform to help federal agencies streamline government operations and provide them with actionable insights and recommendations to address complex challenges.
Generative AI Pilot Program’s Objectives
The pilot program aims to streamline access to critical data relevant to acquisition activities using LIGER, facilitate collaboration to promote sharing of best practices and insights regarding AI integration and improve accuracy by ensuring the verifiability and integrity of generated content.
The initiative includes the use of customizable user-access controls to safeguard “need to know” information and will focus on identifying erroneous outputs or “hallucinations” to strengthen the reliability of AI-generated content.
The Labor Department’s largest employee union is accusing Acting Secretary Julie Su of shirking her duty to negotiate with the department’s workforce after Su announced that she will implement new telework restrictions later this year.
Last November, the Labor Department announced new restrictions on employees’ use of telework, requiring employees to spend at least five days per biweekly pay period at traditional work sites. Though initially slated for implementation in January 2024, the department postponed those plans in order to negotiate the policy change’s implementation with the National Council of Field Labor Locals, which represents roughly two-thirds of the department’s nearly 15,000 employees and is part of the American Federation of Government Employees.
In an email to staff last week, Su announced that new in-person work requirements will take effect Dec. 1. Beginning on that date, all non-bargaining unit employees outside of the Washington, D.C., region and all members of the NCFLL bargaining unit will be required to spend five days per pay period in traditional offices or on field work. The new policy does not apply to the more than 100 employees who are part of the National Union of Labor Investigators, with whom the department continues to negotiate, or Office of Inspector General employees, while non-bargaining unit D.C.-area workers already have been commuting for half of their work hours.
“The department has engaged with NCFLL over the course of several months to obtain the union’s input into matters affecting employees in their bargaining unit; to meet any labor-management obligations it may have had in advance of implementation,” Su wrote. “The department remains engaged with NULI to obtain their input into matters affecting employees in their bargaining unit and remain in the collective bargaining process . . . I know the implementation of the five-day requirement may impact the work-life balance of those of you to whom it applies and do not take this decision lightly.”
Management and the NCFLL had been negotiating off and on since the policy was first announced last year. Over the summer, the issue reached the Federal Service Impasses Panel, but following a fruitless 11-hour mediation session, the department argued that the union’s proposals improperly interfered with management’s rights to assign work and direct employees and are therefore nonnegotiable. The panel last month dismissed the union’s case for lack of jurisdiction, since negotiability disputes must go before the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
In a letter announcing the decision, FSIP Chairman Martin Malin criticized the department in a footnote, implying that management engaged in underhanded tactics when it asserted that the issue was non-negotiable.
“Despite dismissing the case, the panel takes a moment to address concerns regarding the agency’s actions in this dispute,” Malin wrote. “The agency’s negotiability argument was formally raised in its post hearing brief on August 26, 2024—over 80 days after the union first sought the assistance of the panel. In those 80 days, the panel and its representatives devoted significant resources to seeking resolution via investigation, caucuses and mediation. The agency never indicated an intent to raise a negotiability argument other than in its August 8 statement mentioned above that it walked back the next day. The agency’s post-hoc decision to raise this argument has resulted in an ineffective and inefficient expenditure of taxpayer funded resources that cannot be justified in light of the results, i.e., a straightforward dismissal.”
In a message to union members Tuesday, NCFLL President Daryl Laurie accused Su of abdicating her responsibility to bargain over the implementation of workplace policy changes with the union prior to implementation, given that the FLRA has yet to weigh in on whether the telework policy is negotiable. Laurie was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
“In her email of Oct. 11, 2024, Acting Secretary Su believes that the department’s labor management obligations have been met; however, the NCFLL takes exception,” Laurie wrote. “[The] NCFLL has a pending negotiability appeal before the FLRA. This appeal had to be filed because the department claimed that the NCFLL bargaining proposals were non-negotiable. It is the FLRA, not the department, who decides whether a bargaining proposal is negotiable.”
Laurie wrote that he has reached out both to the union’s attorney and AFGE’s national office to discuss next steps. Unions typically have two avenues for challenging the unilateral implementation of a workplace policy change: the arbitrated grievance process or an unfair labor practice complaint.
The Labor Department declined to comment beyond Su’s email to the workforce Wednesday.
The Department of Defense has released an updated directive establishing policy and assigning responsibilities for DOD space-related activities in accordance with several strategies and policies, including the National Space Policy, the U.S. Space Priorities Framework and the National Cislusnar Science and Technology Strategy.
The updated DOD Space Policy, which took effect Tuesday, recognizes space as a priority domain of national military power, protects and defends the use of space for U.S. national security purposes, promotes long-term sustainability of the space environment and enhances the department’s partnership with the Intelligence Community to strengthen unity of effort and enhance the effectiveness of space operations.
The document highlights the need to improve intelligence, space domain awareness and command and control capabilities, expand intelligence support in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, integrate space into national, joint and combined operations and shape the strategic environment to improve deterrence and stability in the space domain.
The directive also outlines the space-related duties and responsibilities of several DOD officials, including the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, director of the Defense Technology Security Administration, defense under secretaries for acquisition and sustainment and research and engineering and director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Kathleen Hicks, deputy DOD secretary and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, approved the space policy document.
The policy is an update to the directive issued in 2022.
