Russia | The Contracting Education Academy

October 5, 2020 By cs

New Pentagon initiative aims to help allies, contractors work together on AI

New tools are planned to help various militaries and defense companies cooperate and interoperate on artificial intelligence.

To better compete with China and Russia in developing artificial intelligence, the Defense Department will launch a new partnership with defense organizations from more than 10 nations, with more expected to join over the coming year, Defense Secretary Mark Esper recently announced.

The AI Partnership for Defense will “create new frameworks and tools for data sharing, cooperative development, and strengthened interoperability” across partner militaries, Esper said at the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center’s Symposium. It will also help embed awareness and understanding of AI into contracting and training for personnel working in areas that include AI.

More details, including which nations will initially join the partnership, will become available soon, a Defense Department senior official said on background.

Esper said the Pentagon’s approach to AI development is more grounded in democratic values than those of China and Russia. “We are pioneering a vision for emerging technology that protects the U.S. Constitution and the sacred rights of all Americans. Abroad, we seek to promote the adoption of AI in a manner consistent with the values we share with our allies and partners: individual liberty, democracy, human rights, and respect for the rule of law, to name a few,” he said.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/09/new-pentagon-initiative-aims-help-allies-contractors-work-together-ai/168343/

September 16, 2020 By cs

Pentagon, Defense contractors are out of step on tech innovation, GAO finds

The Pentagon wanted to fund ambitious research into future tech breakthroughs but contractors spend most of their money on safer bets, GAO has found.

Two years after the Pentagon set out to spend billions on 10 breakthrough research and engineering efforts, defense contractors instead are putting most of their money in less ambitious research projects.

The development gap between the military and its suppliers troubled investigators at the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, who determined in a report released last Thursday that the Defense Department isn’t keeping good watch over those private efforts and doesn’t know how much of it would fit into the military’s tech goals.

The Pentagon’s undersecretary for research and engineering in 2018 laid out several big idea research areas that would be most relevant to maintaining an edge on China or Russia. Many are in the very early stages of maturation; the biggest breakthroughs are expected in the second half of the coming decade.

Keep reading this article at: https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2020/09/pentagon-defense-contractors-are-out-step-tech-innovation-gao-finds/168237/

June 20, 2018 By AMK

New federal contracting rule cuts off Kaspersky

The government is seeking to eliminate all traces of cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs from federal systems, issuing a new interim rule in the June 15 Federal Register to extend the governmentwide ban to contractors.

The rule, issued by the General Services Administration, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, amends the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require that all contracts and solicitations finalized after July 16, 2018, include language prohibiting the presence of Kaspersky hardware, software and products.

The rule applies not just to federal contracts but also smaller “micro” purchases and the purchase of commercial off the shelf items, which are often exempt from many contracting regulations. The notice states that the interim rule was issued without prior opportunity for public comment due to “urgent and compelling reasons.”

Keep reading this article at: https://fcw.com/articles/2018/06/15/kaspersky-rule-contractors.aspx

August 17, 2017 By AMK

Why are local governments using a Russian software the feds won’t?

The Washington Post revealed on July 23rd that several local governments across the U.S. are using a Russian brand of security software that the federal government fears could be leveraged by the foreign country for cyberespionage.

In July, the federal government removed Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based company that sells anti-virus security software, from its list of approved vendors. Meanwhile, nearly all the local governments interviewed by the Post appeared unaware of the controversy. Upon learning about it, most said that they had no immediate plans to stop using the product.

The news is merely the latest development in an ongoing debate about whether local governments are doing enough to protect themselves from cyber threats.

Cybersecurity experts have long been sounding the alarm about local governments’ vulnerability to cyberattacks and the impact such an intrusion could have. They say most local governments face great barriers to protecting their data and systems, including lack of funding, shortage of cybersecurity professionals and general ignorance about the seriousness of the threat.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.governing.com/topics/mgmt/gov-local-governments-cybersecurity-kaspersky-russia.html

New tools are planned to help various militaries and defense companies cooperate and interoperate on artificial intelligence.

The Pentagon wanted to fund ambitious research into future tech breakthroughs but contractors spend most of their money on safer bets, GAO has found.

The government is seeking to eliminate all traces of cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Labs from federal systems, issuing a new interim rule in the June 15 Federal Register to extend the governmentwide ban to contractors.

The Washington Post revealed on July 23rd that several local governments across the U.S. are using a Russian brand of security software that the federal government fears could be leveraged by the foreign country for cyberespionage.

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