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12 Dec 18. Deasy: AI and big data are driving cloud push. The Pentagon’s top tech official told Congress that the push for enterprise cloud isn’t for the sake of modernization or convenience – it is to leverage artificial intelligence and big data.
“The reason why I’ve been so vocal and energized about wanting to get to an energized cloud capability is I want to provide the Department of Defense with a way to handle that unlimited compute capacity, unlimited storage, on demand as needed with high integrity,” CIO Dana Deasy said at a Dec. 11 hearing of the House Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.
The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) will be tasked with determining the “rules of the road” for data, which will also be one of its biggest stumbling blocks, Deasy said. JAIC is responsible for unifying DOD’s AI efforts and will need to standardize and “technically describe what we need to do to ingest the data,” as well as determine what new tools are needed as systems develop.
“The enterprise cloud is going to become the foundation for which all the data and all that compute are going to reside on top of and those algorithms will use,” he said.
Deasy’s dwelled on DOD’s need for enterprise cloud solutions in his testimony without once mentioning an ongoing $10 billion cloud procurement by name.
The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, dubbed JEDI, is the subject of ongoing criticism and protest by some in industry and is currently the topic of a lawsuit brought by Oracle in the Court of Federal Claims.
But DOD isn’t looking for “a centralized single, repository,” Deasy said. Instead, the department is moving toward a “decentralized world” where the warfighter at the tactical edge can “work in a compromised, degraded mode…a cloud that can handle the edge all the way to clouds that can handle the central.”
JAIC and the AI workforce
Subcommittee Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said she was “deeply concerned” about the U.S. lagging behind in AI.
Dr. Lisa Porter, DOD’s undersecretary for research and development, said that while the U.S. is still ahead, “we are in danger of losing that position.” She cited talent and workforce issues as key factors.
JAIC is expected to help with workforce issues and have locations across the nation.
Deasy said the organization is in the process of looking for “academic environments” to house mini-JAIC incubators in addition to a Washington, D.C., location to help stimulate recruitment. As another recruitment tactic, JAIC will team up skilled service members with data scientists.
“How we’re recruiting people is a combination of commercial contacts, academia contacts, think tank contacts,” and a list of people under review to add to the center, he said.
That may not be enough, however. Deasy also said DOD might have to create something akin to the Cyber Excepted Service to fast-track employees to AI positions.
Other than shaping data policy, JAIC is working with Cyber Command to use artificial intelligence for pattern recognition of hackers’ signatures and data for network defense to prevent exfiltration, Deasy said.
He said JAIC, which was created in June, hasn’t yet been used to access publicly available data because it’s only a few months old, but promised there will be future programs to incorporate such information.
Future uses being explored include electronic warfare, such as detecting when the electronic spectrum has been compromised, and use while sharing data in classified spaces. (Source: Defense Systems)
11 Dec 18. High-tech polymer could better protect against chemical weapons. To help alert troops to chemical attacks, researchers are working to incorporate chemical sensors into soldiers’ uniforms that detect chemical agents in the air. In 2017, Anastasios Angelopoulos, a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cincinnati, published a paper describing how breath exhaled by diabetics onto a polymer membrane caused a reaction that created flavans, chemical compounds that changed color depending on the chemicals in the patient’s breath.
Nafion, the synthetic polymer membrane used in electrolysis, mineral extraction and fuel cells, was already known to be able to limit the movement of large organic compounds, like those found in chemical warfare agents. The problem has been that the membrane was not effective in the presence of sweat, a substance soldiers have in abundance. Funding from the National Science Foundation will help Angelopoulos learn how Nafion can catch large compounds even in the presence of water, which could lead to a fiber can be woven into suit that can “trap and convert chemical warfare agents into benign materials,” Angelopoulos said.
Combining the two discoveries about Nafion would allow development of a flexible, color-changing fabric for uniforms, which would protect soldiers from chemical agents.
“Not only are soldiers protected by chemical warfare agents with this membrane — they’re also aware of the chemical agents present in their environment,” Angelopoulo said. “That’s the beauty of this approach.” (Source: Defense Systems)
12 Dec 18. Need to upgrade Army vehicle software? Got 10 minutes? The Army is rolling out a new streamlined tool for updating critical software on thousands of vehicles that use the Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P) system. Vehicles depend on the Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below system to deliver communications, friendly and hostile-force tracking, maps and other key intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functionality. But FBCB2 is out of date, and upgrades have required the pricey and time-consuming replacement of both hardware and software.
“We wanted to give war fighters the option of doing a software-only upgrade,” said Dan Ghio, JBC-P deputy product manager. “We will still hit them with the full hardware upgrade eventually. This just gets us to a more common software baseline in the meantime. It’s a stopgap for those who can get at least some of the upgrades done.”
The upgrades started rolling out in the spring and so far over 800 vehicles have completed the process. Of the 103,000 fielded platforms, roughly 20,000 to 30,000 can be updated using the new approach, which applies to platforms such as Humvees and Mine-Resistant Ambushed-Protected vehicles. All upgrades should be completed by fiscal 2023, said Lt. Col. Shane Sims, JBC-P product manager.
“We started with a unit at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, just to see if we were on track,” Sims said. “The process is pretty easy. You call our help center and our folks will send out a new hard drive with the new software loaded on it. Once you attach it to the system it’s a 10-minute process to load it up.”
While it would have been technically possible to upload the software via the internet, connectivity constraints made the hard drive a better option. “These are users with very limited bandwidth. It would take a very long time to fully download a new operating system,” Sims said.
By sending out new hard drives, the engineers also help to position the system for future enhancements, while reducing the overall burden of system support.
“We want to keep pushing more and more capabilities out into the field, but right now our support teams in the field have to support 18 different hard drives. There is a huge sustainment cost to supporting all of that,” Sims said. “We’re a huge Army and the more we standardize, the better it is.”
The latest software version includes a few significant functional enhancements. The user interface has been modernized and made more intuitive; engineers have hardened the security on the back end and made the system more reliable, Ghio said.
By creating a “standardized, repeatable and intuitive process” for upgrades, he said, Army aims to empower war fighters to take control over their most critical technologies.
“We believe solders and commanders can take on some of the [technology] mission themselves if given the right tools and the right instructions,” Sims said. “As we move to the future, we are going to have to rely on our units to modernize things on their own. That will allow us to inject new capabilities at a much faster pace.”
Looking ahead, Army engineers are still looking to overcome the bandwidth limitations that presently prohibit them from pushing out upgrades online.
“We are definitely looking at ways to do an over-the-air update,” Sims said. “It would be a lot of easier, just the same way you do an update to an iPhone or an Android. We could send a message to the entire force and have everyone updated at once. That would improve our security posture and would serve to keep everyone current.”
At the same time, safety and security concerns factor heavily, as the Army looks to enhance systems on vehicles that are equipped for live fire. “A software malfunction on a firing system would be a catastrophic event, so we have to make sure that our software doesn’t interfere with any of the safety mechanisms on these platforms,” Sims said. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
10 Dec 18. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division today announced its new Unattended Network Storage (UNS) system, a rugged network attached storage (NAS) solution that provides Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) encryption to protect critical data-at-rest (DAR) on unmanned deployed platforms. As the number of sensors on unmanned intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms – such as UAV, UUV, USV, and UGVs – continues to proliferate, the challenge of protecting the critical data collected and stored on those platforms has grown in significance. The UNS prevents unauthorized access to classified information in the event that the unattended platform is lost or stolen. It uses a DAR Type-1 encryptor that is planned to be certified for unattended operations of classified data Top Secret and below. The UNS provides system integrators with a fully rugged off-the-shelf solution that significantly lowers costs and program risk while speeding time to deployment.
“Our new Unattended Network Storage solution provides designers of unattended platforms with a network file server that protects critical data-at-rest to the highest levels,” said Lynn Bamford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Defense Solutions division. “This open architecture COTS solution addresses the growing need for Type-1 encrypted data storage on unattended platforms with a rugged, fully integrated solution that’s ready for deployment.”
Designed for high-speed data storage, the UNS combines >2GB/s data transfers with 32 TB of encrypted data storage on a rugged Removable Storage Module (RSM). The RSMs ease the transport of data-at-rest between unmanned platforms and base stations for post-mission analysis. The encryptor uses Pre-Placed Keys (PPK) which are filled in Black Key format. The use of symmetric PPKs enables the same key to be loaded onto multiple encryptors so that data can be encrypted onto an RSM in one location for decrypting later at another location.
The UNS’s network interfaces include 4 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) ports and 8 x 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) ports. It supports industry-standard network storage protocols (iSCSI, NFS, CIFS, HTTP, and FTP). It also supports remote client booting via Pre-boot Execution (PXE) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) protocols. In addition to enabling system designers to eliminate redundant storage devices, remote booting allows fast updates to a client’s operating system and application software.
11 Dec 18. Rafael envisions mothership for optionally manned vehicles. Israeli defense company Rafael is working to create a network of manned and unmanned armored vehicles, with one acting as a mothership to coordinate the use of their weapon systems against targets.
With such a suite of armored vehicles, an operator could manage drones and a variety of weapons systems. Inside the company’s prototype, several screens display a 360-degree picture of what is happening outside, and a map shows the locations of friendly forces. The mothership vehicle could slave the capabilities of other vehicles who have a better view of a target to adjust and hit the threat.
Rafael said the technology already exists to transform any armored vehicle — from armored personnel carriers to tanks — into this “ultra-modern combat system” that simultaneously acquires and neutralizes multiple targets. But how quickly would armies want to move in this direction?
“I believe many of the forces that will start this program will go in several steps and will not go straight to the complete autonomous capabilities,” said Shmulik O., a former Israel Defense Forces armored corps brigadier general who is now the head of Rafael’s innovation program center. The former officer’s last name is omitted due to his involvement with a sensitive project.
Located at Rafael’s headquarters north of Haifa, the system the firm has developed initially sought to reduce the number of people needed to operate a large armored vehicle while keeping them safe inside the vehicle at all times. With two chairs, one for the mission controller and another who deals with attack and defense management, the system allows for optional autonomous driving. But the designers realized that besides having a computer system that manages many of the tasks previously performed by humans, a third person could be integrated into the vehicle to control other missions. (Source: Defense News)
10 Dec 18. Harris to invest in internal research and development in Florida, US. Harris has revealed plans to invest more than $125m in internal research and development (R&D) activities in the US state of Florida. The investment will focus on areas such as electronic warfare, robotics, avionics and smallsats, as well as strengthen partnerships with companies and universities across the region. With nearly 7,000 employees in Florida, including over 3,300 engineers and scientists, the investment is expected to create high-paying jobs locally. The company said that internal research and development activities will be mainly carried out at its central Florida locations. Harris noted that it has about 375 openings in the state, primarily in engineering.
US Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said: “As the largest aerospace and defense company headquartered in Florida, Harris Corp plays an integral role in our state.
“With the announcement of this research and development, I’m pleased to see that they are continuing to invest in our state’s aerospace industry and the economy, as well as the future of US national security.”
The company has partnership agreements in place with the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida and Florida Institute of Technology and several other colleges and universities in the state.
In addition, it works with a number of Florida-based suppliers and spends more than $200m on an annual basis. It also operates the 464,000ft² Harris Technology Center and the 23,000ft² Global Innovation Center in the region.
Harris chairman, president and CEO William M Brown said: “Our industry-leading R&D investment is good for our stakeholders and the state, advancing the company’s technical capabilities and bringing high-quality jobs to the area.
“We strive to advance technology initiatives at all levels by supporting emerging technology today and the workforce of tomorrow.”
In October, Harris and aerospace and defence company L3 Technologies agreed to merge in an all-stock deal. The new entity called L3 Harris Technologies will be a $33.5bn global defence technology conglomerate. (Source: army-technology.com)
09 Dec 18. Hi-Tech Coating Which Makes RAF’s New £100m F-35 Fighter Jets ‘Invisible’ to Enemy Radar Is Wearing Off. A problem with Britain’s new £100m F-35 fighter jet is leaving it susceptible to enemies and making it as visible on their radar as a 747. The single-engine jet was given a coating which makes it ‘invisible’ to enemy radar, but it is wearing off quicker than expected, with RAF chiefs saying they have to replace it after every flight. RAF sources are now saying scratches are delaying the jets getting put into operational service when they get shipped from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The Maryland-based company have acknowledged the defects in the coating, called LO or Low Observable, that makes it hard for enemy radars to pick up the jets. They also made it clear that the coating does have to be replaced but not at the frequency that the RAF are dealing with. Speaking to reporters at Lockheed’s media day on Monday, Jeff Babione acknowledged that they were having a problem with the material. “It’s not a human problem; that’s just the result of our ability. We’re approaching the limits of our ability to build some of these things from precise-enough technology,” Babione said in reaction to unprecedented orders for the jet.
An RAF source told The Express: “This situation obviously has to be rectified before the plane enters operational service.” The source also told the paper that defence secretary Gavin Williamson and RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen have always known about the issue. (Source: defense-aerospace.com/Mail Online)
06 Dec 18. Report: AI strategy essential for future defense. To ensure that America retains its competitive edge in artificial intelligence technology, the U.S. government needs a comprehensive strategy to spur the development and adoption of AI, according to a recent report from the Center for Data Innovation. A national AI strategy is necessary, the report stated, to boost competitiveness, support defense capabilities and “overcome market failures,” that could slow adoption, such as the lack of skilled workers, insufficient research and development funding, inadequate data sharing and inertia caused by risk aversion and underinvestment.
The report advocates a number of policies for the administration and Congress that would enable greater data collection and sharing, cultivate AI talent and substantially increase R&D funding for AI.
When it comes to public sector adoption of AI, the report said, government faces unique challenges, including limited funding for capital expenditures, acquisition complexity, oversight questions and outdated IT infrastructures.
Lynne Parker, the assistant director of artificial intelligence in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, agreed that implementing the technology within government can be a struggle because of agencies’ legacy infrastructure. It can require an entire reconstruction of a business process, she said.
“The way AI works, it might change a process in some way — but not the entire process, but a piece of the process. So if you’re able to address a piece of the process, that means the rest of your business work model or business flow has to be changed, but it might not align as well with your current structure or your current personnel,” she told the audience at a Dec. 4 event hosted by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. The Trump administration plans to update a 2016 AI research and development strategy first published under the Obama administration, according to Parker, who added that the plan should be ready by early spring.
Other countries have developed national AI strategies — most notably China, which wants to be the world leader in AI technology by 2030 and plans to invest more than $147 bn to make that happen. Canada, France, India, Japan and Taiwan also have formal national strategies, while countries like South Korea and the United Kingdom have begun to make investments in the technology and workforce, according to the report.(Source: Defense Systems)
10 Dec 18. Innovative UAS Solution for BAF RF Measurement. The Benefield Anechoic Facility tests installed radio frequency systems. But testing in the BAF has some operational limitations: duration can be dominated by setup and calibration time; there are RF coverage limitations over the backbones of large aircraft; and dynamic antenna transmission restrictions. Shea Watson and Aleksandr Yarovinskiy, engineers at the BAF, conceptualized and developed a prototype RF measurement unmanned aerial system to overcome these limitations with the goal of developing and deploying RF test sets as payloads.
Their idea was to develop a high-power, high-payload, tethered UAS suitable for optimized chamber operations with nearly unlimited loiter time and an operationally relevant RF payload.
The ultimate goal is an RF Measurement UAS that consists of a large quadcopter with a lifting capacity in excess of 100 lbs. They brought their proposal to the EXCITE Team and received funding to pursue their innovative idea. This innovation project is not without risk. There is the potential for interference between the UAS flight controls and antenna measurement parameters which will require full system characterization in the mini-BAF. There is also the potential for system limitations due to UAS positioning, which has required real-time position correction utilizing the BAF’s existing laser tracker system. Currently, the system is undergoing airworthiness review by the Emerging Technologies Combined Test Force and thrust testing for power characterization. Future system development includes RF hardening, obstacle avoidance sensors, expansion to an Octo-configuration, complete vehicle health monitoring for fault detection, and power tether upgrades for increased payload capacity. (Source: UAS VISION/USAF)
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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