FCC, NTIA Must Take Steps to Better Ensure Radio Frequency Spectrum Efficiency, GAO Says
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FCC, NTIA Must Take Steps to Better Ensure Radio Frequency Spectrum Efficiency, GAO Says

The Government Accountability Office has issued a report calling on the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to take steps to ensure improvements to radio signal receiver devices, thereby enhancing the use of the radio frequency spectrum in the U.S.

The GAO said in a report released Thursday that in 2023, the FCC had established spectrum management principles that, among other things, put forward policy and technical considerations that called for non-federal receivers to be designed so that they could reduce interference from signals transmitted in adjacent and nearby spectrum bands.

By having more robust receivers, different services would be able to operate closer together, thereby promoting spectrum efficiency.

The report noted that in implementing the spectrum management principles, the FCC had failed to apply key practices, namely identifying measurable goals related to those principles, strategies to achieve those goals and barriers preventing them. The report recommended that the FCC apply these practices to provide better guidance to those working to improve non-federal receiver performance.

The GAO also reported that the NTIA collects information regarding the performance of federal receivers but while it is sufficient for preventing harmful interference, it is not enough to provide insights regarding other aspects of receiver performance.

The GAO called on the NTIA to evaluate its current sources of information and identify and collect additional data as needed.

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DNI Avril Haines Expresses Gratitude for Christy Abizaid’s Service as NCTC Director
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DNI Avril Haines Expresses Gratitude for Christy Abizaid’s Service as NCTC Director

Director of National Intelligence and 2024 Wash100 awardee Avril Haines has released a statement thanking Christy Abizaid, the outgoing director of the National Counterterrorism Center, for her service.

Haines said Thursday, “Since being sworn in as NCTC Director more than three years ago, Christy led the Center to address an evolving counterterrorism threat environment while also preparing the NCTC workforce for future challenges.”

Abizaid’s departure was confirmed in early June.

In an interview with The Cipher Brief, Abizaid said that one of the “seminal moments” during her term as NCTC director was the fall of Kabul. Her organization had “a big part” in the effort to evacuate not only U.S. citizens but also Afghan partners from the city.

NCTC worked to ensure “that the people that come here are the people that are those partners and allies we care so much about while protecting against bad people who might want to enter the country,” the outgoing official said.

Abizaid is succeeded by Brett Holmgren, former assistant secretary of State for intelligence and research.

Regarding Holmgren’s appointment, Haines said, “We are so fortunate to have a distinguished member of the IC leadership team and another truly exceptional counterterrorism leader join us at ODNI.”

Holmgren takes charge of NCTC in an acting capacity.

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NRC Appoints Mirela Gavrilas as Executive Director for Operations
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NRC Appoints Mirela Gavrilas as Executive Director for Operations

Mirela Gavrilas, head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, will officially assume the role of executive director for operations on July 28.

In this capacity, she will serve as the chief operating officer and oversee NRC’s administrative and operational functions, the agency said Wednesday.

NRC Chair Christopher Hanson said Gavrilas will bring to the role her technical expertise, management and communications skills and ability to transform work processes and metrics.

“She is well poised to lead the NRC staff as we tackle challenges and embrace new opportunities, particularly after the recent passage of the ADVANCE Act,” added Hanson.

Since 2020, Gavrillas has served as director of NSIR, where she oversees the development and implementation of security and emergency preparedness policy.

She first joined NRC in 2004 as an engineer within the agency’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

Before NRC, the former MIT post-doctoral fellow served as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland at College Park.

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GSA Updates Progress of FedRAMP’s Modernization, Cybersecurity Roadmap
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GSA Updates Progress of FedRAMP’s Modernization, Cybersecurity Roadmap

The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program has provided an update on recent IT modernization and cybersecurity efforts and offered new details on upcoming projects.

The General Services Administration, which oversees FedRAMP, said Tuesday that it will periodically update the public on its current and future activities in line with its new roadmap for fiscals 2024 and 2025.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2024, the GSA launched its technical documentation hub automate.fedramp.gov, which is designed for cloud service providers to support the validation and submission of digital authorization packages.

The agency also recently published the final version of its Emerging Technology Prioritization Framework. FedRAMP plans to open submissions for industry requests for emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence tools, to be prioritized for authorization.

The emerging technology framework provides a list of cloud-based tools and services that federal agencies may use for their respective missions.

More recently, the GSA opened submissions for its Agile Delivery pilot program that will assess a new non-blocking process for reviewing changes to cloud service offerings. Applications to participate in the pilot are due on July 26.

Among the government’s plans is the publication of knowledge-base articles on how CSPs can avoid potential FedRAMP-related issues and delays. The first article will be on using domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance practices to protect government email addresses.

In addition, the government will recruit more software engineers, data scientists and senior security professionals to support the continuous monitoring and authorization processes and address increased demand due to the program’s growth.

The GSA plans on releasing new metrics to assess cost, time, security and other aspects of the FedRAMP authorization processes to improve customer experience.

In a previous statement, Clare Martorana, federal chief information officer, said FedRAMP’s 2024-2025 roadmap will ensure the secure and efficient adoption of cloud technology in government.

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Texas Institute for Electronics Secures $840M DARPA Award to Establish Microelectronics R&D Center
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Texas Institute for Electronics Secures $840M DARPA Award to Establish Microelectronics R&D Center

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency has awarded $840 million to the Texas Institute for Electronics at the University of Texas at Austin to build a national open-access center to support 3D heterogeneous integration microsystems research, development and low-volume production.

The award was made under the Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing—or NGGM—program, which aims to provide an accessible chip prototyping capability to advance microelectronics innovation, DARPA said Thursday.

As part of the partnership, the Texas Institute for Electronics will establish a consortium to encourage collaboration among the defense industrial base organizations, domestic foundries, vendors and startups, chip designers and manufacturers, and other stakeholders.

According to Whitney Mason, director of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office, having an accessible R&D facility “will break down silos and foster an ecosystem that enhances the U.S. competitive advantage.”

The NGMM program is funded by the Department of Defense and is separate from the semiconductor initiative under the CHIPS and Science Act.

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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin: ‘Collective Agility’ Potentially New Kind of Combat Power
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Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin: ‘Collective Agility’ Potentially New Kind of Combat Power

U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin delivered a keynote address at the Global Air and Space Chiefs’ Conference in London during which he discussed the concept of “collective agility,” which describes the ability of members of a fighting coalition to act in complete synchronization.

Allvin likened collective agility to birds flying in formation and reacting to threats in concert with one another, according to an article posted Thursday on the Air Force website.

The official further developed the concept in a primer, where he said that, in military terms, such synchronicity is already present within Air Force squadrons, and that the challenge lies in achieving the same effect across dissimilar units and even across whole air forces.

For Allvin, achieving that effect requires the prioritization of mission systems over platforms as well as the increased sharing of information, which itself is founded on shared values and relationships among allies and partners.

In the keynote, the Air Force chief of staff said collective agility “can be a new form of combat power” and “is the edge we can deliver over potential adversaries.”

“We can do this together,” he said.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin: 'Collective Agility' Potentially New Kind of Combat Power

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Jen Shreckhise Named VP of Federal Civilian Technology Sales at IBM
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Jen Shreckhise Named VP of Federal Civilian Technology Sales at IBM

IBM has appointed Jen Shreckhise as vice president of U.S. federal civilian technology sales.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the position, Shreckhise said she is “thankful to continue working closely with Federal customers and the best sales force at IBM to support and enhance our country’s most mission-critical programs.”

Shreckhise served in two director positions at IBM — U.S. federal director of data, AI and automation software and director of sales for U.S. federal civilian agencies such as the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Foreign Affairs and Treasury — before being selected to support IBM’s product distribution as vice president of federal civilian technology sales.

She also worked as IBM’s client unit executive for the Department of Homeland Security, spearheading sales, strategy and support for the company’s systems.

Shreckhise began her career as an intern for Touchstone Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm.

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Defense Innovation Board Calls for Creation of International Integration & Cooperation Office Within DOD
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Defense Innovation Board Calls for Creation of International Integration & Cooperation Office Within DOD

The Defense Innovation Board has recommended that the Pentagon recombine the Offices of the Undersecretaries for Acquisition and Sustainment and Research and Engineering and operate the new entity as the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for International Integration and Cooperation, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

Congress divided the Office of the Undersecretary for Acquisition Technology and Logistics into two offices — A&S and R&E — in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2017.

Charles Phillips, a member of DIB and head of tech investment firm Recognize, said A&S and R&E should be merged back together because the Department of Defense “need[s] integrated designs, we need integrated manufacturing capacity around the world. It’s hard to do that in separate organizations.”

Phillips, who is also a former president of Oracle, noted that creating the International Integration and Cooperation office would enable the department to leverage the innovative efforts of allied countries.

Michael Mullen, a DIB member and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the combined office could benefit small businesses and startups that intend to bring their technology offerings to DOD.

“Now I’m out there as a startup. Where do I start? How do I even get into this system? In my world, which is an old world, you know, where’s the number in the Yellow Pages that I call to get in? It’s an unbelievably difficult building to penetrate,” Mullen noted.

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Jeff Greene, Trent Frazier Take On Leadership Roles at CISA
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Jeff Greene, Trent Frazier Take On Leadership Roles at CISA

Jeff Greene has been appointed executive assistant director for cybersecurity at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, while Trent Frazier has been appointed assistant director for stakeholder engagement.

Commenting on the new leadership appointments, CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement Wednesday, “Both Jeff and Trent bring a wealth of expertise and experience to these critical roles, and I’m grateful for their willingness to continue to serve our nation.”

Greene had served in his role in an acting capacity before being formally appointed. As executive assistant director for cybersecurity, he will be in charge of the agency’s mission of protecting government agencies and critical infrastructure from cybersecurity threats.

Before joining CISA, Greene had served as senior director for the cybersecurity program at The Aspen Institute.

Like Greene, Frazier had also served in his role in an acting capacity. As assistant director for stakeholder engagement, his responsibilities include managing the agency’s national and international partnerships, stakeholder outreach programs and information-sharing and coordination.

Before joining CISA, Frazier had served in the Department of Homeland Security, holding various leadership roles.

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Commerce Department, GlobalWafers to Advance US Chip Production Through $400M Proposed Funding
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Commerce Department, GlobalWafers to Advance US Chip Production Through $400M Proposed Funding

The Department of Commerce and GlobalWafers have signed a preliminary memorandum of terms, or PMT, to provide $400 million in proposed funding to advance semiconductor production in the United States.

The proposed investment under the CHIPS and Science Act would build new wafer manufacturing facilities and support projects of approximately $4 billion in Missouri and Texas, the Commerce Department said.

The investment aims to secure the U.S. supply chain, generate over 2,000 jobs across Missouri and Texas and improve economic and national security for Americans, according to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Under the PMT, GlobalWafers would build and expand facilities in Sherman, Texas, and St. Peters, Missouri to manufacture the country’s first 300mm silicon wafers, which are used in mature-node and memory chips production.

The company would also repurpose a part of its facility in Sherman to produce 150mm and 200mm silicon carbide epitaxy wafers that are critical components for electric vehicles and clean energy infrastructure.

In a statement, Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, noted that the initiative will produce the semiconductor wafers that could enable the U.S. to compete in the global economy.

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