Companies

MetTel becomes first authorized Starlink partner to offer satellite SD-WAN services

The news makes MetTel the first Starlink authorized reseller for both commercial and government organizations.

Contracts

DHS highlights hiring and project milestones on anniversary of Biden’s AI order

The Homeland Security Department has hired 31 technologists for its AI Corps and completed three pilot projects that have provided “valuable insights into the real-life impact of GenAI tools as well as their limitations.”

Contracts

Inside the HHS reorganization to prioritize AI and emerging tech

Micky Tripathi wears many hats — assistant secretary for technology policy, national coordinator for health information technology and acting chief artificial intelligence officer — as the agency looks to expand its tech leadership.

Contracts

CIA looks to fast track AI adoption through cloud contract

A CIA official said the agency is working with the five recipients of its Commercial Cloud Enterprise contract to “get commercial [large language models] up into our high-side environments.”

Contracts

DOJ suit claims Georgia Tech ‘knowingly failed’ to meet cyber standards for DOD contracts

The Justice Department has joined onto a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two senior staffers on Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity compliance team that was filed in 2022.

Contracts

Air Force seeks secure cloud app to manage flights for govt VIPs

The new tool is critical “due to significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified in the existing scheduling system,” the branch says in a notice for industry.

Contracts

Treasury’s funding request for IRS cloud tech far outpaces other civilian agencies, report says

Treasury’s request is the largest out of a combined federal civilian total of almost $9 billion for cloud-related programs in their fiscal year 2025 IT budget requests.

Contracts

Biden looks to preserve tech, cyber legacy with veto threat

Experts see continuity in tech policy from the Biden administration to a possible Kamala Harris presidency, with possible divergence on some national security and antitrust issues.

Companies

WT 360: NextGov/FCW's Edward Graham on generative AI across Defense, Homeland Security

Edward Graham, our NextGov/FCW colleague who covers national security technology and policies, jumps in to update us on where the Defense and Homeland Security departments are at with generative artificial intelligence.

Contracts

DHS generative AI pilot embraces hiccups of emerging tech

Michael Boyce, director of the AI Corps at the Department of Homeland Security, said a pilot program using generative artificial intelligence to train new asylum and refugee officers is leaning into hallucinations to better mirror real interviews.

Contracts

DOD’s generative AI task force will help set guardrails for broader use

The head of the Pentagon’s Task Force Lima said recommendations from the project will help officials develop the infrastructure needed to adopt AI technologies.

Contracts

How DOD plans to make working with emerging tech companies easier

Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Radha Plumb said the Pentagon is trying “to be less hard to work with” when it comes to engaging with the commercial sector.

Contracts

Biden nominates new DISA director

Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, who currently leads the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence, has been picked to replace Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.

Contracts

VA extends EHR contract with Oracle Cerner for 11 months

The agreement comes after Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough said the department plans to end its pause on deployments of the modernized electronic health record system during fiscal year 2025.

Contracts

Veterans Health Administration creates new office to streamline tech initiatives

The Veterans Health Administration has combined a number of its existing programs into one office to serve as the agency’s “central coordinator of digital health strategy and execution.”

Contracts

Pentagon’s AI office awards Palantir a contract to create a data-sharing ecosystem

The Pentagon’s marketplace for quickly onboarding new tech solutions helped Palantir receive its contract in 30 days.

Contracts

NOAA looks to sharpen solar storm forecasts with new satellite

The agency’s GOES-U satellite, scheduled to launch next month, will include an advanced instrument, called a compact coronagraph, to provide scientists with faster, more reliable data about solar storms.

Contracts

VA plans to restart EHR deployments before the end of FY25, secretary says

Despite VA’s fiscal year 2025 budget request not allocating any money toward the deployment of its new EHR at additional medical facilities, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said it has “existing money” that will be made available to resume system rollouts.

Companies

Space operations likely to be shaped by sustainable emerging tech, report says

Innovative capabilities that promote reusability, safety and longevity are likely to dictate the future of space exploration, according to a recent white paper from Forecast International.

Contracts

Lawmakers eye 2025 defense bill for AI proposals

A leader of the Senate’s bipartisan AI working group said that next year's must-pass defense policy bill could include some substantive AI proposals, but the Senate is “not ready” for a comprehensive AI bill at this time.