October 2, 2024 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon taps commercial vendors for low-cost, throwaway drones
Officials at the Defense Innovation Unit plan to hold a live flyoff demonstration as soon as December to evaluate the proposed systems.
July 24, 2020 | International, C4ISR, Security
Pentagon AI team sets sights on information warfare
About two years after it was created, the Pentagon's artificial intelligence center is setting its sights on new projects, including one on joint information warfare.
This initiative seeks to deliver an information advantage to the Department of Defense in two ways. The first is improving the DoD's ability to integrate commercial and government AI solutions. The second is improving the standardization of foundational DoD data needed to field high-performing AI-enabled capabilities to support operations in the information environment, said Lt. Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, a spokesman for the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.
Nand Mulchandani, the JAIC's acting director, told reporters in early July that this initiative also includes cyber operations — both broad defensive and offensive measures for use by U.S. Cyber Command.
The DoD is discovering that it needs ways to process, analyze and act upon the vast amounts of data it receives.
“As we look at the ability to influence and shape in this environment, we're going to have to have artificial intelligence and machine-learning tools, specifically for information ops that hit a very broad portfolio,” Gen. Richard Clarke, commander of Special Operations Command, said at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in May. “We're going to have to understand how the adversary is thinking, how the population is thinking, and work in these spaces in time of relevance. If you're not at speed, you won't be relevant.
“To make sure the U.S. message and our allies' and partner message is being heard and it's resonating. What we need is adapting data tech that will actually work in this space and we can use it for our organization.”
A program in support of network incident detection, called MADHAT — or Multidimensional Anomaly Detection fusing HPC, Analytics, and Tensors — is helping the JAIC develop an information warfare capability. The program allows for the exploration of network data as a way of enabling more effective detection of nuanced adversarial threats, Abrahamson said.
MADHAT has already been deployed, he added, and analysts working on the High Performance Computing Modernization Program are being trained on the tool for operational use. This program accelerates technology development and transitions it into defense capabilities through the application of high-performance computing.
Mulchandani also told reporters that other information warfare-related efforts include using natural language processing, which involve processing and analyzing text.
“NLP and speech-to-text is actually a fairly mature AI technology that can be deployed in production. And that actually is going to be used in reducing information overload,” he said. “So being able to scan vast quantities of open-source information and bring the sort of nuggets and important stuff on the NLPs.”
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August 9, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land
Military researchers think spider silk may keep US troops lighter and cooler in combat
Christopher Woody\ Researchers are looking at ways to lighten the load troops carry in the field and better regulate their temperatures. Synthetics like artificial spider silk are one material they're looking at for that purpose. Scientists have often found military applications in strange substances found in nature or made in labs. The silk spiders produce is tougher than Kevlar and more flexible than nylon, and Air Force researchers think it could it could be key to creating new materials that take the load and heat off troops in the field. Scientists at the Air Force Research Lab and Purdue University have been examining natural silk to get a sense of its ability to regulate temperature — silk can drop 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit through passive radiative cooling, which means radiating more heat than it absorbs, according to an Air Force news release. Those researchers want to apply that property to synthetics, like artificial spider silk, which is stronger than Kevlar, the polymer typically used in body armor, and more flexible than nylon. Enhancing body armor and adding comfort for troops is one of many improvements hoped for by a team led by Dr. Augustine Urbas, a researcher in the Functional Materials Division of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. "Understanding natural silk will enable us to engineer multifunctional fibers with exponential possibilities. The ultra-strong fibers outperform the mechanical characteristics of many synthetic materials as well as steel," Urbas said in the release. "These materials could be the future in comfort and strength in body armor and parachute material for the warfighter." https://www.businessinsider.com/military-scientists-want-to-use-spider-silk-for-body-armor-parachutes-2018-8
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January 11, 2024 | International, Aerospace
How the US replaced Russia’s RD-180 engine, strengthening competition
Opinion: The Vulcan launch and engine development should be considered a success story for U.S. industrial policy.