Estonia kicks off work on semi-autonomous vessel for European navies

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  August 7, 2020 | International, C4ISR

  SOCOM industry day solicits proposals to update Global Analytics Platform

  by Carlo Munoz The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is soliciting industry proposals to revamp its command-wide battlefield intelligence analytics programme, updating the legacy system with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and cloud computing architectures to support current and future operations. Potential industry participants in the Global Analytics Platform (GAP) update programme will lay out their tentative proposals to SOCOM acquisition officials, and members of the command's science and technology directorates, during the upcoming GAP virtual industry day at the end of August. Industry proposals will focus on technological applications in data management and dissemination that are designed to support “the search, discovery, and collaborative analysis of large volumes of data within a suite of secure web-based applications,” the 3 August solicitation states. “Companies with experience in information system environments that search, discover, and analyse large volumes of data within a suite of secure web-based applications across a multi security cloud architecture are highly desired,” the solicitation stated, regarding the upcoming industry day. “Additionally, companies with experience in data movement and transport, and data science are also encouraged to attend,” it added. SOFWERX, in conjunction with SOCOM's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Center, will sponsor the three-day industry event, beginning on 25 August. The main thrust of the 3 August solicitation is to “add, upgrade, and replace individual [GAP] components, tools, and services, using defined interoperability and interface controls to maintain a leading-edge capability” to keep pace with SOCOM's evolving operational requirements, the solicitation stated. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/socom-industry-day-solicits-proposals-to-update-global-analytics-platform

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  February 5, 2019 | International, C4ISR

  A tweaked DoD cloud strategy looks beyond Amazon

  By: Jessie Bur A recent Department of Defense memorandum indicates that the agency wants to pursue multiple commercial cloud vendors as it attempts to modernize its IT and data infrastructure, though a single provider will still have singular influence over the agency's “general purpose cloud.” “DoD is driving toward an enterprise cloud environment that is composed of a general purpose cloud and multiple fit-for-purpose clouds,” the memorandum to Congress, released Feb. 4, said. “In addition, it should be recognized that the Department will still need non-cloud data center capability for applications that are not suited for the cloud. Over time, with the adoption of an enduring enterprise cloud strategy, the non-cloud environment should become smaller.” That general purpose slot will be filled by the awardee of the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract, which has been criticized for its single-award intent as giving the winner an outsized control of the defense cloud market. Many companies vying to support the Pentagon's cloud requirements claimed that the odds were stacked in Amazon's favor. The approach spurred protests and a lawsuit in fact. According to the memorandum, the fit-for-purpose environment will be made up of the Defense Information Systems Agency's milCloud suite, as well as other unnamed vendors. Throughout the cloud migration process, DoD will stick to four guiding principles: War-fighter First — any cloud solution must at all times address the needs of improving lethality while not jeopardizing the safety and mission of American war fighters. Cloud-Smart, Data-Smart — cloud solutions must streamline transformation and embrace modern capabilities while enhancing data transparency and visibility. Leverage Commercial Industry Best Practices — the cloud strategy should promote competition and innovation while preventing lock-in of one particular solution or technology. Create a Culture Better Suited for Modern Technology Evolution — the strategy will need to create a culture of learning and innovation while discouraging custom, federated approaches. This approach to commercial cloud is not entirely unexpected, as DoD Chief Information Officer Dana Deasey said during an October 2018 press event for the Defense Enterprise Office Solution cloud contractthat the agency would be delineating between general purpose and fit for purpose contracts. "This marks a milestone in our efforts to adopt the cloud and also in our larger efforts to modernize information technology across the DOD enterprise," Deasy said in a statement on the memo to Congress. “A modern digital infrastructure is critical to support the war fighter, defend against cyberattacks and enable the department to leverage emerging technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence.” The new strategy also means that DoD will move away from a cybersecurity posture that focuses on perimeter defense and instead prioritize the protection of data and systems. “DoD will produce a unified cybersecurity architecture that addresses cloud and the needs of classified and unclassified missions and data. The capabilities will be tested and assessed independently and frequently to ensure that cybersecurity attributes remain effective against developing threats,” the memo said, adding that the CIO will determine the command and control requirements between the agency and the cloud service providers. Cloud contracts will also likely include requirements for training and workforce development to ensure that DoD can develop the expertise necessary to use and protect their new cloud environments. And any potential migrations to cloud will have to come with thorough evaluations of legacy DoD applications. “It is imperative that DoD has a cloud strategy to ensure that legacy applications are not moved to cloud without properly re-architecting them to make use of the data, security, resiliency and application advantages that cloud provides,” the memo said. “Additionally, DoD should independently test and assess cloud network security to verify security compliance and incident response and review all contractor and third-party testing results to ensure that performance and security monitoring are sufficient.” https://www.federaltimes.com/it-networks/cloud/2019/02/04/dod-to-officially-pursue-a-multi-vendor-cloud-strategy

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  September 4, 2024 | International, C4ISR

  Clearview AI Faces €30.5M Fine for Building Illegal Facial Recognition Database

  Clearview AI fined €30.5M by Dutch authorities for illegal facial data collection and GDPR violations.