The Insider

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has established a task force to focus the Defense Department's "exploration and responsible fielding" of generative artificial intelligence capabilities, including Large Language Models.

"Generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, such as Large Language Models (LLM), are growing in popularity, capability, and impact around the globe," Hicks writes in a memo issued today. "These capabilities are trained on massive datasets in order to generate content at a level of detail and apparent coherence that would have previously required human authorship. These capabilities unlock new opportunities, just as they pose significant new risks. The DOD faces an imperative to explore the use of this technology and the potential of these models' scale, speed, and interactive capabilities to improve the Department's mission effectiveness while simultaneously identifying proper protection measures and mitigating a variety of related risks."

Hicks wants Task Force Lima to "develop, evaluate, recommend, and monitor the implementation of generative AI technologies across DOD to ensure the Department is able to design, deploy, and use generative AI technologies responsibly and securely. The Task Force will provide guidance and make recommendations for the relevant policy-making bodies to address."

The deputy secretary has designated the Pentagon's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer to lead Task Force Lima, according to the memo, which was released publicly but is marked as "CUI" (controlled unclassified information).

"[S]pecific roles and responsibilities for governance are discussed in the attached Charter and Generative Artificial Intelligence Coordination and Governance Plan," her memo states.

The task force, the memo states, "will provide the framework and initiative for DOD to:

• "Accelerate promising generative AI initiatives and joint solutions;
• "Federate disparate developmental and research efforts into a DoD community of practice to accelerate innovation and implementation;
• "Evaluate solutions across Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy;
• "Drive education and build a culture of responsible implementation and use; and,
• "Ensure coordinated DoD engagement with interagency, international, educational, civil society, and industry partners regarding responsible development and use of generative AI."

The Pentagon wants to tweak the acquisition rules to require explanations to companies who lose certain defense contracts worth less than $6 million.

The requirement is mandated by language in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, "which, for task orders or delivery orders exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold (SAT) but not greater than $6 million, requires contracting officers to provide, upon written request from an unsuccessful offeror, a brief explanation as to why the offeror was unsuccessful, including the rationale for award and an evaluation of the significant weak or deficient factors in the offeror's offer," according to a Federal Register notice published this week.

"While the statutory threshold is $5.5 million, this rule is imposing these debriefing requirements at the higher $6 million threshold to align with the current threshold at [Federal Acquisition Regulation] 16.505(b)(6)," the Aug. 9 Defense Department notice states. "This avoids a gap between $5.5 million and $6 million. This new debriefing requirement for orders above the SAT and below $6 million does not provide a debriefing at the level of detail currently afforded to unsuccessful awardees over $6 million, however, this information is expected to benefit entities by improving future offers.

"While not expressly required by the statute, the proposed rule adds a postaward notification requirement for the applicable task orders and delivery orders to ensure unsuccessful awardees are provided an opportunity to obtain the debriefing information in a timely manner," the notice continues.

DOD says it expects the proposed rule "to increase the availability of debriefing information to significantly more small and large entities participating in fair opportunity competitions than is currently required by the FAR. When requested by an unsuccessful awardee, the information provided is expected to enable these entities to improve future offers."

Defense industry professionals will have the opportunity to learn about the Navy's technology needs, including for unmanned systems at the Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons' Industry Event 2023 next month.

The PEO(U&W) is hosting the event Sept. 26-28 in Maryland as both an in-person and virtual conference, according to an updated contract opportunity special notice.

The notice, issued Wednesday, is a request for information to identify “potential technologies and capabilities to consider for the future of the Navy from industry.”

The three-day forum is for industry participants to hear firsthand about the technology needs of Naval Air Systems Command, PEO(U&W) and of the “Navy’s unmanned community with the potential for follow-up for briefings,” according to the notice.

The briefings will collect information on technology that industry has developed, the notice stated.

Advance registration is required for each day of the forum.

Opening day is restricted to attendees with final secret-level clearance and will be held in-person only at a site on or near Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD.

“Only contractors or subcontractors performing a current DOD or federal intelligence community contract” are permitted, the notice stated.

Individuals need to be registered with their clearance verified to attend the first day of the forum. All registration and security verification materials for day-one attendance need to be submitted by Sept. 18, according to the notice.

Day one topics will cover “the threat, the fight tonight and the fight tomorrow and how industry can help,” the notice said.

The rest of the event is unclassified and open to registered participants, with sessions held in-person and available for live-streaming online. Details will be made available on the registration website.

Day two activities will cover the following:

• PEO(U&W) portfolio review of strike weapons, targets and mission planning followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session;
• “Rapid capability insertion” with information on upcoming exercises and events and how industry can participate. Capability briefs will be provided by naval air warfare centers (both aircraft and weapons divisions), fleet readiness centers and the Office of Naval Research. A panel discussion and Q&A session will follow.

• Presentations on supporting small businesses. Additional presentations and Q&As may also take place.

Day three comprises the second Navy industry outreach event as required under the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and is described as a “follow-on” to the Navy’s March 1-3 unmanned industry event.

Day three will also include a PEO(U&W) portfolio review of unmanned aviation and mission planning. There will be presentations on aviation, surface and subsurface unmanned systems, AI and autonomy.

Northrop Grumman delivered two critical satellite constellations of the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission, which will provide protected satellite communications to the Northern polar region, according to an Aug. 7 announcement.

“Our work to deliver protected polar satellite communications will fill a critical need for our customers,” Tom Wilson, Northrop’s Space Systems corporate vice president and president, said.

The mission will use Northrop’s GEOStar-3 platform, which includes the main satellite structure and systems essential to maintain operations, according to the announcement. The company would also be providing the payload and ground system for the mission.

Additionally, satellites will also carry multiple hosted payloads, including an X-Band payload for the Norwegian Defense Ministry; a Ka-Band payload for Inmarsat, a British mobile satellite service; and the Norwegian Radiation Monitor payload commissioned by the European Commission.

Recently, Space Systems Command accepted the formal delivery of the Control and Planning Segment ground system, which is currently transitioning to the operational phase, preparing the ground system for early operations with the two on-orbit operational Enhanced Polar System payloads.

Northrop will also provide support to the two EPS-Recapitalization payloads after the mission launch, the announcement states.

In February 2020, a Pentagon official said the EPS-R would prevent a coverage gap in the protected polar satellite communications, until the mid-2030s, for warfighters in the North Polar Region, in a benign and contested environment.

ASBM is a collaboration between Northrop, the U.S. Space Force and Space Norway, owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and is now preparing the next phase of pre-launch.

This Tuesday INSIDER Daily Digest has news on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet's next-generation infrared sensor, the Space Development Agency's Tranche 1 Transport Layer program and more.

While the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system has faced a series of delays that pushed operational testing from early FY-21 to the middle of FY-24, the program is now progressing through production readiness assessments and holding to its first quarter FY-25 target for full-rate production:

Navy predicts new Super Hornet sensor will begin full-rate production in early FY-25 despite IOC delay

The Navy expects its next-generation F/A-18E/F Super Hornet infrared sensor to enter full-rate production in early fiscal year 2025 even though the system's anticipated initial operational capability date has slipped from the third to the fourth quarter of FY-24.

We have an update on the Space Development Agency's Tranche 1 Transport Layer program:

Lockheed completes CDR for SDA's military satellite constellation

Lockheed Martin announced today it has completed the critical design review for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 1 Transport Layer program, a part of the SDA's contract awarded to build 42 satellites.

Defense Department leaders are working to finalize a memorandum of agreement that codifies roles and responsibilities for the missile defense of Guam:

DOD still working to sort out defense of Guam organizational roles and responsibilities

Pentagon leaders are working to clarify lanes of responsibility for the defense of Guam, an unusually complex project -- even for the Defense Department -- that involves many intertwined organizational, functional and technological dimensions in a high-stakes, quick-moving project deemed crucial to defending, if necessary, Taiwan from China beginning in 2024.

While the Navy initially planned to buy 13 of the flight II Landing Platform Dock amphibious warfare ships, its fiscal year 2023 budget proposed truncating production after just three vessels:

Navy signals intent to procure at least three more LPDs

The Navy is planning to issue a solicitation to shipbuilder HII for long-lead-time materials and detail, design and construction of three amphibious warships -- LPD-33, LPD-34 and LPD-35, according to a presolicitation notice published Friday.

The Marine Corps is strengthening its defenses against small drones:

Small drone defense at Marine Corps sites to grow

The Marine Corps is enhancing five small unmanned aerial system defense platforms fielded at undisclosed U.S. military sites, with plans to add the high-tech equipment at other installations.

The Army awarded the first of four multiyear contracts this month that will support artillery production as the war in Ukraine continues, service acquisition chief Doug Bush said on Monday.

The $162 million contract was for M1128 projectiles and was awarded to IMT Defense Corp. in Westerville, OH, Bush said during a media briefing at the Pentagon Monday. The multiyear contract spans fiscal year 2023 through FY-27, he said.

The Pentagon has sought to increase the number of multiyear contracts as the United States continues to supply Ukraine with weapons and equipment during its war with Russia.

“That’s something we have had the authority to do for a while,” Bush said of the multiyear contracts.

“I think the conflict raised the importance of doing it to strengthen the industrial base. And, of course, the other multiyear under discussion requires congressional approval. These four we’re doing are under the threshold, and we’re able to execute them this year based on language we received for fiscal year 23.”

Bush said that there are various hurdles that have to be overcome when it comes to increasing artillery production, such as establishing new production lines, filling the shells with explosives and producing the charges that go behind the shells. The Army’s current rate of production is 24,000 rounds per month, and Bush said that will soon increase to 28,000 per month. By FY-25, the service aims to get to between 80,000 and 85,000 rounds per month, he said.

“If you do the math on the 80,000 to 85,000 a month, I mean that’s a million a year. So, between supporting Ukraine, replenishing ourselves and supporting other allies, we expect to use that capacity. That’s the overall reason we’re doing it,” he said.