Battelle Embarks on DARPA ECHO Program

On the same subject

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  July 15, 2019 | International, Other Defence

  Digital Modernization to Benefit Warfighters, DOD CIO Says

  BY DAVID VERGUN Information technology is the backbone of today's modern battlefield and even more important in a constantly evolving security climate. That's why digital modernization is more important than ever. To usher in digital modernization, the DOD chief information officer has launched its first Digital Modernization Strategy, underpinned by four modernization pillars: cloud; artificial intelligence; command, control and communications, known as C3; and cybersecurity. First, DOD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasy said, an enterprise cloud will be created that will enable information sharing across the entire military and most importantly, to the warfighters on the tactical edge. Also, the enterprise cloud will deliver the next generation of applications that the warfighters will need to succeed. Second, for the enterprise cloud to effectively and efficiently enable information sharing on a vast scale, it will be powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. To develop and deliver AI to the enterprise cloud, DOD needed to create the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, known as the JAIC, Deasy said. The JAIC "will be used by all the services, which will be the way in which we start to create new AI solutions at scale – that can be used across the department," he added. Third, is the ability to communicate to the warfighter with C3, Deasy said, which is "how do we ensure that we can get the end results from our cloud, from our AI solutions out to the tactical edge, out to the warfighter." Fourth, to prevent the department's technology from being compromised, it must be protected by defensive and offensive cyber capability, he said, noting that the Defense Department must be resilient when dealing with inevitable attacks from adversaries. "The Digital Modernization Strategy is all about the warfighter," Deasy said. "In everything we're building we're always challenging ourselves and asking: Are we doing this in the most thoughtful way that's going to enable the warfighter to be successful?" https://www.defense.gov/explore/story/Article/1903843/digital-modernization-to-benefit-warfighters-dod-cio-says/

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  March 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  The Air Force wants to start a new $35M offensive cyber program

  By: Mark Pomerleau The Air Force wants to start a new program to develop a series of offensive cyber tools, according to the White House's budget request for fiscal year 2020. This project will provide advanced cyber warfare capabilities to the Air Force's cyber mission force personnel, who work on projects for U.S. Cyber Command. In the service's budget books, the program is named Cyber Mission Force Foundational Tools. “Activities within the program deliver operations-ready cyberspace superiority capabilities through the research, development, testing, evaluation, accelerated prototyping, demonstration and fielding of cyber technologies and capabilities," Air Force research and development budget documents state. “This program enables Combatant Commanders the ability to operate in and through cyberspace to manipulate, disrupt, deny, degrade or destroy targeted computers, information systems and networks.” In fiscal 2020, Air Force leaders want the program to expand on past efforts to produce a family of foundational tools, to develop additional tools and software factories and to deliver prototypes that are interoperable with Cyber Command's architecture. Cyber Command leaders have vowed that the services will no longer develop stove-piped tools or infrastructure for individual service use. The budget documents note that these foundational tools will be incorporated into the Air Force's Distributed Cyber Warfare Operations portfolio. “The DCWO portfolio enables delivery of cyber effects to Combatant Commanders to include cyber operational preparation of the environment, offensive counter-cyber, cyberattack, electronic warfare operations, mission planning, intelligence, cybersecurity products and services and Command and Control/Situational Awareness (C2SA) tools needed to attack enemy networks, telephony, Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS), command and control systems, and create cyber effects through the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS),” the document state. Budget documents note that the program leverages previous efforts from Cyber Command and the Air Force for foundational tool development and were funded in other programs. https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/air-force/2019/03/20/the-air-force-wants-to-start-a-new-35m-offensive-cyber-program/

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  June 13, 2019 | International, Naval, Other Defence

  Join DASA to launch the search for the future of the Naval operating environment

  The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is launching ‘Intelligent Ship – The Next Generation' – a multi-million pound competition for the future Naval operating environment. This competition is seeking proposals for novel and innovative projects that enable and facilitate the wider use of ‘intelligent systems' within future warships, with the potential for wider use across defence. The future sees elements of automation, autonomy, machine learning and artificial intelligence being more closely integrated and teamed with human decision makers. The aim of this competition is to de-risk and evaluate technologies and approaches that could provide alternative, revolutionary future fleet concepts that can maintain or enhance UK military advantage within complex, cluttered, contested and congested operating and data environments. £1m is available to fund multiple innovative proposals that form phase 1, with an additional £3m potentially available to fund follow-on phases. Further details are available in the competition document The competition closes on 23 July 2019 at midday. Queries should be sent to accelerator@dstl.gov.uk. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/join-dasa-to-launch-the-search-for-the-future-of-the-naval-operating-environment