Weekly Roundup: July 15-19, 2024

GAO: Action on Open Recs Could Produce $200B Benefits. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reckons that the government could realize from $106 billion to $208 billion of benefits and savings if Federal government agencies took action on about four percent of the watchdog agency’s still-unimplemented recommendations. GAO regularly issues recommendations – about 1,200 per year – for actions by Federal agencies aimed at saving money and increasing revenue and calculated in its recent report that about 75 percent of those recommendations end up being implemented.

VA Missing Out on $665M in Revenue After Pausing Digital Tool. A new report out Tuesday from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General reveals that the VA has been unable to collect about $665 million in revenue after it paused operations of its Program Integrity Tool. The Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Program Integrity Tool serves as a data repository for veterans’ community care billing claims. The VHA, in collaboration with the VA’s Office of Information and Technology (OIT), paused the use of the tool in February 2023 after it discovered issues with its “database code logic and of compromised stored data.”

DoE, National Labs Unveil Roadmap for new AI Initiative. The Department of Energy (DoE) on Tuesday unveiled a roadmap for its new Frontiers in AI for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative announced earlier this year. Through FASST, DoE and its 17 national laboratories aim to “build the world’s most powerful integrated scientific AI systems for science, energy, and national security,” the agency said in a July 16 press release. DoE’s FASST initiative keys on four interconnected pillars: AI-ready data; frontier-scale AI computing infrastructure and platforms; safe, secure, and trustworthy AI models and systems; and AI applications.

State Dept. Paying Down Cyber Skills Debt With AI. A top cybersecurity official at the State Department said that the agency is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to “buy back time” for the cyber workforce. Deputy Assistant Director for Cyber Threat and Investigations Ray Romano explained that the workforce is using AI broader than large language models (LLMs) to help increase efficiency. “We truly believe that artificial intelligence can be an aide to our cyber workforce,” Romano said. “We look at it a little bit broader than just [LLMs]. That’s absolutely part of the conversation. But we are actually looking towards getting to automation.”

DIU Director Upbeat on DIU 3.0 Progress to Meet Growing Needs. As the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) reaches the one-year mark on its DIU 3.0 strategy, Director Doug Beck is looking back on the progress made and emphasizing that there is still more for the unit to accomplish. DIU 3.0 outlines DIU’s expanding role and lays out eight lines of efforts the organization is taking to ensure that DoD is taking full advantage of commercially derived capabilities to counter growing threats from adversaries. A key aspect of the DIU 3.0 strategy is embedding commercial technology and innovation with the warfighter.

DoD Facing Challenges with Outdated Info-Sharing Tech. Frustrations are mounting at the Defense Department (DoD) over outdated information-sharing and communications technologies that hinder effective collaboration with allies and partners. The Defense Innovation Board (DIB). created in 2016 to provide independent recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and other senior DoD leaders on emerging technologies and innovative approaches that Pentagon should adopt to ensure U.S. technological and military dominance. During an open meeting of the board on July 17, DIB members offered several recommendations to DoD leaders – including updating info-sharing technologies – based on their recently released study, “Optimizing Innovation Cooperation with Allies and Partners.”

Air Force Seeks Tech for Next-Gen Target Tracking. The Department of the Air Force issued a presolicitation on Tuesday for new target-tracking technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and other cutting-edge advancements. The presolicitation – issued by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and posted to SAM.gov – calls for research to design, develop, test, evaluate, and deliver innovative technologies and techniques for Next Generation Target Tracking architectures. Next Generation Target Tracking architectures utilize a diverse range of data sources and leverage AI, machine learning, and machine inferencing algorithms within a high-performance computing environment.

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ICYMI – Designing Military Decision-Making Anew. This week Michael Keegan welcomed Dr. Ben Zweibelson, Director, Strategic Innovation Group, U.S. SPACE COMMAND and author of Beyond the Pale. They discussed the mission of the Strategic Innovation Group, how we can redesign military decision-making for the 21st Century, and the most effective ways to adhere to military protocols while pushing transformative innovation.