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NDIA’S BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE www.NATIONALDEfENSEMAGAZINE.OrG DOWNLOAD THE FREE NDIA AR APP. If previously installed, please update to the latest version by checking the App Store or Google Play. Training and Simulation 28 LOOK FOR n The Air Force is grappling AUGMENTED with an aviator shortage. New REALITY technologies and approaches, CONTENT ON: such as the Pilot Training Next initiative and Undergraduate PAGE24 Pilot Training 2.5, are being uti- lized to deal with the problem. PAGE30 Cover: Air Force photo PAGE33 by Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen

3D Printing 24 n The Army is gung-ho about using additive manufacturing to create parts for its weapon sys- tems. A new center of excellence has been established to leverage the capability.

Nuclear Modernization 20 n Northrop Grumman has been awarded an engineering and manufacturing devel- opment contract to build the U.S. mili- tary’s next generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is being touted as a pathfinder program, but the project faces 4 8 10 12 a tight schedule to replace aging legacy systems.

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 1 VIEWPOINTS 34 Pentagon, Industry Investing December 2020 In Space Force Simulations volume cv 16 China Exploiting The newest military branch is continuing number 805 Supply Chain Vulnerabilities to build out the framework for training Risks include counterfeit, corrupted or obso- warfighters for a future conflict in space. lete components entering the supply chain. BY MANDY MAYFIELD EDITOR IN CHIEF BY JAY TOWN Stew Magnuson 36 (703) 247-2545 COMMENTARY COVID Drives Navy [email protected] 18 Training to Innovate CMMC: Tips for Bidding on Restricted movement of personnel is CREATIVE DIRECTOR Government Contracts prompting the sea service to take innova- The Pentagon has new Cybersecurity tive approaches to course instruction. Brian Taylor Maturity Model Certification rules. BY EDWARD LUNDQUIST (703) 247-2546 BY SUSAN WARSHAW EBNER AND [email protected] ROLANDO SANCHEZ 39 Working from Home Sharpens MANAGING EDITOR INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE Focus on Cyber Training Jon Harper The expansion of remote work during the (703) 247-2542 19 Comply-to-Connect COVID-19 pandemic has heightened con- Protects Military Systems cerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities. [email protected] The military can no longer view the safe- BY CONNIE LEE SENIOR EDITOR guarding of “cyber things” and “physical things” as distinct, siloed responsibilities. DEPARTMENTS Yasmin Tadjdeh BY DEAN HULLINGS (703) 247-2585 [email protected] FEATURES 4 NDIA Perspective Challenges Ahead for New Administration STAFF WRITER STRATEGIC WEAPONS BY ARNOLD PUNARO Connie Lee (703) 247-2543 20 Next-Gen Nuclear Missile 6 Up Front Viewed as Pathfinder Random facts and figures from industry [email protected] The program could serve as a model for and government EDITORIAL ASSISTANT future modernization initiatives. BY STEW MAGNUSON BY JON HARPER Mandy Mayfield 8 Editor’s Notes (703) 247-9469 COMMUNICATIONS BY STEW MAGNUSON [email protected] 22 Challenges Loom for Joint All-Domain Command, Control 9 Algorithmic Warfare What’s coming in artificial intelligence, JADC2 is envisioned as a way to better big data and cybersecurity link sensors and shooters on the battlefield. National Defense BY YASMIN TADJDEH BY YASMIN TADJDEH 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22201 10 Budget Matters ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Who’s funding what in Washington 24 Army Gung-Ho on BY JON HARPER 3D Printing Spare Parts The service wants to quickly reproduce 12 News Briefs NDIA MEMBERSHIP: The BY CONNIE LEE AND MANDY MAYFIELD National Defense Industrial parts without needing to rely on industry. Association (NDIA) is the premier association BY CONNIE LEE representing all facets of the defense and technol- 15 NDIA Policy Points ogy industrial base and serving all military services. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AI Ethical Principles Offer Strength, For more information please call our membership Opportunity department at 703-522-1820 or visit us on the web at NDIA.org/Membership 26 Pentagon Trying to Manage BY ELLIOT SECKLER Quantum Science Hype The military is faced with the double 41 Ethics Corner challenge of developing the complex tech Contractors Face Tougher Ethical Standards National Defense (ISSN while also managing expectations. BY ADAM A. BARTOLANZO AND 0092–1491) is published BY JON HARPER JOHN W. CHIERICHELLA monthly by the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 700, Arlington, VA COVER STORY 42 Government Contracting Insights 22201–3060. TEL (703) 522–1820; FAX (703) 28 Air Force Embracing New Parsing the Meaning of Performance Risk 522–1885. Advertising Sales: Kathleen Kenney, Scores 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 700, Arlington, VA 22201–3060. TEL (703) 247–2576; FAX (703) Tech to Solve Pilot Shortage CONTRIBUTED BY COVINGTON & The service aims to leverage virtual 522–4602. The views expressed are those of the BURLING LLP authors and do not necessarily reflect those of reality and artificial intelligence. NDIA. Membership rates in the association are BY YASMIN TADJDEH 43 NDIA News $40 annually; $15.00 is allocated to National Defense for a one-year association basic subscrip- tion and is non-deductible from dues. Annual TRAINING AND SIMULATION 44 NDIA Calendar rates for NDIA members: $40 U.S. and posses- 33 sions; District of Columbia add 6 percent sales Army Using Simulators Complete guide to NDIA events tax; $45 foreign. A six-week notice is required For ‘Soldier Centric’ for change of address. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, VA and at additional mailing Technology Development 48 Next Month office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The service is developing upgrades to boost National DEFENSE, 2101 Wilson Blvd, Suite 700, the lethality of tanks and other vehicles. Arlington, VA 22201–3060. The title National BY STEW MAGNUSON 48 Index of Advertisers Defense is registered with the Library of Congress. Copyright 2020, NDIA.

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Challenges Ahead for New Administration n It is with a great sense of humility and excitement that I President Biden and in the Senate Armed Service Committee begin my second two-year tour as chairman of the National under the chairmanship of either Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., Defense Industrial Association. or Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., will continue — and the same can For over 100 years, NDIA has been the organization that be said for the House Armed Services Committee and the two has connected government and industry in ways to enhance appropriations committees. national security. All will have to address a daunting challenge: mainly that We are entering a period of unprecedented challenges. Chi- the 3 to 5 percent real growth in the defense budget that is na’s activities — in military, economic, technological and dip- required to implement the existing National Defense Strategy lomatic terms — present a more comprehensive and serious is unlikely to be achieved, so adjustments are necessary. challenge than any we have faced since the Cold War. China Today, we have the world’s finest military for three reasons: is eroding our technological edge both on and off the battle- we recruit and retain the highest quality personnel, we give field and its economy and defense spending continue to grow, them constant and realistic training, and our industry provides all while its economic espionage and clandestine efforts have them with cutting edge technology that ensures they never continued unrestrained. We also continue to face a resurgent face a fair fight. But all three of these fundamental aspects are Russia and a belligerent North Korea and Iran. under strain. We have a defense establishment that itself needs substantial We have to recognize that the 17- to 24-year-old popula- improvements. Over the years, the fully burdened costs of the tion — the heart and soul of the future fighting force — is all-volunteer force and the Defense Department’s overhead not motivated in the same ways as past generations, while our costs have risen substantially. Accordingly, as the topline has personnel management approaches are still too mired in the expanded, the warfighting force has contracted. We simply are antiquated up-or-out system. not getting the most out of the dollars we spend in defense. And in industry, we have to ensure that key emerging tech- And over the past year, across American society we have nologies are developed and converted to capabilities on an struggled to address the full implications of a pandemic that accelerated timeline and at affordable costs. NDIA will provide has caused disruptions across the country. The defense indus- leadership in this respect with our new Emerging Technology trial base has had to deal with the challenges of the COVID Institute, spearheaded by Chairman Emeritus Dick McConn. crisis — challenges impacting the safety of the workforce, the I want to take a moment to thank the current Pentagon stability of supply chains, and the ability to meet the expected leadership for their excellent working relationship with indus- try, led by Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and “We will be Sustainment Ellen Lord and the acquisition executives in the services and their teams. It has been a model of a strong, col- dealing with laborative partnership between industry and government and a new set of we urge the incoming leaders to build on this positive record. We will be dealing with a new set of national security lead- national secu- ers as the Biden administration fills its ranks. We will very likely see adjustments to the National Security Strategy and rity leaders ...” National Defense Strategy. There will always be a tendency to attempt to do more than is budgetarily possible or technologi- delivery of new capabilities to warfighters. Unlike other sectors, cally feasible. the defense industry has benefitted from having a customer New officials need to take a hard look at the current reform that pays its bills and has taken steps to assist rather than aban- efforts within the Defense Department and keep us steady on don its suppliers. that course to ensure we start getting more bang for the buck. Everyone would agree that the complexity of the strategic The department needs to recognize that Congress continues to environment, the increasing threats, and the daunting budget- have the power of the purse and the responsibility to provide ary condition presents us with significant challenges. But they for the common defense. Congressional leaders need to ensure are not insurmountable. that the Defense Department has a timely and reliable source We are facing some old challenges in new times regarding of funding, and also allow it to make tough choices when nec- the overall national security environment, along with some essary. changed conditions. Meeting these objectives will take a united effort from all of First, the recent election of President-Elect Joe Biden will us within NDIA and the broader national security community. certainly change the immediate dynamics. We will have a new I know that we have the knowledge and the motivation to administration and a new Congress. Though there are predict- make a difference as we move forward, and I ask for your sup- able patterns we have seen based on the control of each cham- port in doing so. ND photoiStock ber, national security has remained a largely bipartisan issue. We can expect that this tradition of bipartisanship under a Arnold Punaro is chairman of NDIA’s board of directors.

4 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020

FURTHER READING COMPILED BY STEW MAGNUSON UP FRONT Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers: Observations on the Navy’s Hybrid Electric Drive Program Enough with the Acronym Soup By the Government Accountability Office n The Pentagon is famous for cooking up “acronym soup” — abbreviations that are a n In 2006, the Navy began studying mouthful or jumbled and confusing. One example? C5ISRT. whether hybrid electric drive (HED) “The most grotesque acronym that I’ve encountered is C5ISRT,” said Marine Corps Lt. engines could save the service energy, Gen. Michael Groen, head of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center. and therefore money, using the sys- That officially stands for command, control, communications, com- tems to power its DDG-51 Flight IIA puters, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting. destroyers. Officials throw around the term C5ISRT as if it was a singular thing, but Such ships normally use two gas tur- it’s made up many different technologies, he noted during a Center for bine engines — one for propulsion and Groen Strategic and International Studies event. another to provide electricity to the rest “What that tells me ... is that C5ISRT is a code word for, ‘Well, that’s of the ship. all that data stuff that I don’t want to be bothered with,’” he said. “We shorthand infor- Swapping in one HED could provide mation in an information age as, ‘Yeah, that’s that stuff that we don’t care about.’” all the ship’s electricity, plus power the That’s a strange way to treat systems that are critical to modern warfare, he said. engines to sail up to 11 knots. A typical “It’s just death to an … information age force to not treat data as a weapon, ... or at DDG-51 can achieve speeds of up to least as the fuel for the weapons,” Groen said. 30 knots, but most of the time it’s op- erating at 11 knots, or below. The other Calling the ‘Geek Squad’ engine could remain idle until these n The Pentagon needs its own version of Best Buy’s iconic Geek Squad, the company’s higher speeds are required. An analysis legion of agents who provide customers with expert support, said Timothy Grayson, conducted in 2013 predicted the fuel director of DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office. savings would pay for the engines after “We need a new type of unit and force structure that doesn’t exist today that includes about 12 to 17 years. what I like to call figuratively a combat support Geek Squad,” he said. The Navy ultimately bought six DARPA is doing studies to see what that may look like, he said during NDIA’s JADC2 HED systems for $108 million to place & All Domain Warfare Symposium. in destroyers for operational experi- “You would have warfighters in one room sitting there building their mission plan, and ments, but only installed one on the then … right next door [or] in the next chat room, you’ve got the geeks who are taking USS Truxtun in October 2018. By July that immediate mission plan and saying, ‘OK, I need to go configure those interfaces.’” 2020, the service canceled the program “It’s configuring networks. It’s configuring C2 tools and playbooks. It’s tuning up an AI and said the remaining five engines app or an EW mission data file,” he added. would be used for another experiment called the Propulsion Derived Ship CMMC: Small Biz Has Nothing to Complain About Service (PDSS). n Kevin Fahey, assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, rejected the notion that Congress never received any of the small businesses would suffer pursuing the new Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certifica- data it had required to determine how tion, which all Defense Department vendors will need in order to do the one engine performed during its business with the military. eight months at sea and tasked GAO “We have small businesses say, ‘Oh, this is going to kill us. It will cost with finding out why the program was us a million bucks,’” he said. terminated. Fahey The requirements for small companies are not that onerous, he said The Navy said the eight-month sea at a recent NDIA conference. “It’s like $1,000 to do the things that are trial was insufficient to draw conclu- in Level 1,” he said. It’s password protection and encryption, the basics most people do sions and admitted that a comprehen- on their home computers, he said. “We have spent a lot of time with small businesses sive test and evaluation of the program trying to explain it to them,” he noted. was never carried out. For more on CMMC requirements, see page 18. GAO examined six Navy statements explaining why the program was can- London Calling for Naval Modernization celed, but found contradictory informa- n The Royal Navy needs to adopt new technologies, but if faces hurdles, First Sea Lord tion for each one of them. Meanwhile, Adm. Tony Radakin said at the Atlantic Future Forum. the service couldn’t produce any docu- “This feature of our bureaucracy where we have these quite fixed structures, we have mentation justifying the PDSS program, programs of record [and] they go on for quite a long time, we have a tendency to revere or explaining how the extra five HED the status quo — I think this is a really significant issue when the backdrop is a world systems would be used.

where there is a technological revolution that’s ongoing,” he said. “The Navy did not supply us with photos Dept. Defense Another concern will be finding more funding to procure new tech in large quantities. any information on why it is necessary The Royal Navy can’t expect “handouts from big government,” he added, noting that to suspend the HED program,” the tough decisions may be required to free up money to invest in the “new, exciting things.” GAO report stated. — Reporting by Jon Harper, Yasmin Tadjdeh and Stew Magnuson — Stew Magnuson

6 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020

for the DoD Research Center TRUSTED SYSTEMS A University Affiliated HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT TRANSFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND SYSTEMS www.sercuarc.org ENTERPRISES AND SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS Posted by Jon Harper on Oct. 29. For the the For 29. Oct. on Harper Jon by Posted — — A second defense official said the the said official defense second A “We’re going to be looking at a vari- a at looking be to going “We’re There will be a near-, mid- and long- and mid- near-, a be will There full story, go to https://bit.ly/2UdDera to go story, full plan and the development of specific specific of development the and plan Pentagon will take a “crawl, walk, run run walk, “crawl, a take will Pentagon adap- cognitive dynamic, real kidding, and management spectrum of kind tive out systems “Some said. he operations,” we’ve and antiquated and old are there R&D the on coming stuff new got influence to have to going We’re front. depend.” to going it’s So, stuff. that forward as part of the implementation implementation the of part as forward plan, implementation the within tasks upgrades near-term identify will we necessary.” be might … that approach.” approach.” no after get to … things different of ety divest- to regard with approach term will that and systems legacy of ments added. he investments, future influence 7

NATIONAL DEFENSE • Which legacy systems will need to to need will systems legacy Which of thousands obviously are “There The implementation could have a have could implementation The EMS-related its update will “DoD DECEMBER 2020 pursue emerging technologies, and and technologies, emerging pursue to innovations commercial incorporate the systems,” EMS-dependent its adapt with department, “The said. document to need will services, the on emphasis require- their harmonize and evolve perhaps acquisitions, new for ments to modifications major incorporating systems.” existing timetable? what on and modified, be defense the of one said depends, That reporters. briefed who officials the use that today use in out systems narrow particular of approaches legacy “Going said. he frequencies,” of ranges mentation plan is expected to be be to expected is plan mentation to according March, in released reporters briefed who officials defense new The anonymity. of condition on in Congress by mandated was strategy Authoriza- Defense National 2019 the Act. tion acquisi- the on impact wide-ranging and research including enterprise tion legacy to upgrades and development systems. processes, cooperative enhance policies, The Defense Department’s new new Department’s Defense The Today’s electromagnetic operational operational electromagnetic Today’s include: goals strategic five The deliber- department’s the “Through imple- and roadmap detailed A

strategy for maintaining military military maintaining for strategy electromagnetic the across superiority have will 29, Oct. released spectrum, the as industry for implications major China of ahead stay to tries Pentagon Russia. and complex, increasingly is environment constrained, and contested congested, more a requiring say, officials defense transitioning and approach holistic of ways traditional the from away as warfare electromagnetic of thinking management. spectrum from separable capabilities; EMS superior develop integrated fully and agile an to evolve force total pursue infrastructure; EMS enduring secure EMS; the in readiness and advantage; EMS for partnerships governance. EMS effective establish these of pursuit cooperative and ate possess will commanders military goals, interop- and capabilities resources, the mili- decisive for necessary erability power great against overmatch” tary U.S. threatening are that competitors this in maneuver of freedom military said. document the domain, n BEST OF THE WEB THE OF BEST UNVEILS PENTAGON NEW ELECTROMAGNETIC STRATEGY SPECTRUM GLOBAL GLOBAL SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY MARKET SHARE, SALES, BY 2019 By By the Numbers SOURCE: SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, 2020 STATE OF THE U.S. SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY NOTE: SALES BASED ON THE LOCATION OF COMPANY HEADQUARTERS

iStock illustration Editor’s Notes BY STEW MAGNUSON

As for China, U.S. Must Take Care of Business

n Hand-wringing on the “China threat” has become com- computing and biotech R&D budgets will have positive ben- monplace in national security circles. The day this column is efits for the U.S. economy. published there will probably be another dozen similar articles Another point: the United States doesn’t have to go it sounding the alarm about the possibilities of China overtaking alone. While China does sit on a seemingly unending pile the United States in various technology fields. of money to invest in these technologies — and the United The more articles the better. One problem is that the gen- States faces years of flat budgets — we have friends and allies. eral public and a good many lawmakers are either not aware Japan, Australia, Israel, NATO nations and Chinese-speaking of the importance of the rivalry, or are not taking it very seri- Taiwan and Singapore are motivated and able to contribute, ously. As they say in addiction recovery programs, the first especially in the realm of military technology. We need to step is acknowledging you have a problem. It’s not clear that break down the barriers to creating joint R&D programs. the United States has taken that step yet. A second part of “taking care of your own business first” Meanwhile, the 19th Central Committee of the Com- concerns intellectual property theft. National Defense was at munist Party of China in a recent communiqué reiterated its a trade show back in 2005 when a Pentagon official warned determination to become a technology powerhouse. members of industry that they were being robbed blind by an In the “Editor’s Notes” for the November issue of the maga- entity called “the advanced persistent threat.” If contractors zine, I put forth that the United States and China are engaged didn’t start securing their sensitive data, the Defense Depart- in a “Tech War,” and that we were already 0-1 as Beijing over ment would have to step in, he warned. the past few decades managed to secure a monopoly on rare Fifteen years later, the government felt compelled to cre- earth processing, along with several other strategic minerals. ate the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. The But China’s ambitions extend to commercial tech, trade Trump administration came into power four years ago with an and influence on the world stage. It would be myopic for anti-regulation fervor, but it sure created a big fat new layer readers of this magazine to see the rivalry solely in terms of of bureaucracy with the CMMC, which forces all defense military technol- contractors to comply with varying ogy. The Tech War “No matter how levels of cybersecurity standards in involves many fronts, order to receive contract awards. some of which may America reacts Why? Because industry was appar- not be obviously con- ently not doing enough to secure nected to defense. to this rivalry, vital data and the “advanced per- A strong U.S. or Tech War, sistent threat” lived up to its name, military depends on a particularly the persistent part. strong U.S. economy. expect China to While policy dictated — for some The recent trade reason — that officials couldn’t conflict with China be relentless.” call the “APT” what it was, namely resulted in massive China, a long line of U.S. diplomats losses in agricultural sales for American farmers. The Trump went to Beijing to ask its government to stop stealing IP. Chi- administration had to bail out the sector with some $28 bil- nese officials smiled, said “sure” or “we’ll look into that,” but lion in subsidies. Could the Pentagon, or other departments, nothing changed. And, news flash, nothing will change. No have put $28 billion to other use? Surely. Is the agriculture matter how many times industry was told that Beijing was sector every bit as vital to the U.S. economy as the defense after its data, the theft continued unabated. sector? Without doubt. A cursory look at the basic requirements companies big and Here are some more thoughts on how to come out on small must meet to be CMMC compliant is a head scratcher top of this Tech War, which will probably continue for the for us outsiders. Why wouldn’t contractors want to do this remainder of the century. basic cyber hygiene to start with? The same could be said First, baseball managers come to mind. Every September of the federal government, which suffered its own security when a Major League skipper is asked about a pennant race breaches. Contractors and the government alike need to take with a rival team, he inevitably says, “we just have to take care care of their own business and put a cork on IP and data theft. of our business and not worry what the other team is doing.” No matter how America reacts to this rivalry, or Tech War, This analogy fits when it comes to investing in basic and expect China to be relentless. Its ambitions to knock the Unit- applied research in advanced technologies. Beijing has told the ed States off its perch as a technological and world leader are world exactly where it intends to spend its R&D yuan over clear and it will march toward those goals whether we take the next decade: biotechnologies, quantum tech, space, aero- action or not.

nautics, and so on. Congress needs to step up and support bills Next month, this column will take a look at the compli- photoiStock that call for Manhattan Project-like programs that seek big cated and controversial practice of allowing Chinese students investments in emerging technologies. Boosting 5G, advanced to study at U.S. universities. ND

8 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 Algorithmic Warfare BY YASMIN TADJDEH

‘SWAT Team of Nerds’ Expanding Operations n The Pentagon’s Defense Digital Service — which is made willing to surge and help and have time to get onto a bridge, up of software developers, engineers, data scientists, designers let’s talk through all of the things that are coming in.’ ... Every- and product managers focusing on high-impact projects — is one started signing onto the meeting and we were just doling expanding its portfolio and workforce to tackle tough prob- out ops.” lems facing the military. DDS created MySymptoms.Mil, which is a COVID-19 The “Horde of Nerds,” or “SWAT Team of Nerds,” as director symptom checker that is designed for the defense community, Brett Goldstein calls the organization, is made up of about 80 he said. people, with around 30 being onboarded since the COVID-19 “The ability to partner with the medical community and pandemic struck earlier this year. bring the best in diagnostics, means that less people are to That workforce is made up of mostly civilians coming from show up at the clinic,” he said. “We were able to generate Silicon Valley who serve two- to four-year terms, Goldstein software which helps for self-reporting of symptoms. When said during an October event hosted by the Center for a New you have a population as large as ours, let’s make technology a American Security. force multiplier.” DDS can work agilely and “if there’s a terrible tech fire Goldstein said DDS’ work with the novel coronavirus paid somewhere we’re able to go right away, we don’t have to call major dividends. anyone,” he said. “We work on some of the hardest problems “I would argue we helped save lives by doing this. And I that we can find here at the DoD.” was so proud of the team for surging and doing this and being When the office was established in 2015 the founding offi- completely swamped,” he said. “When you have an amazing cials focused on bringing innovation to the Defense Depart- component like this in technical ways, you can provide impact ment, Goldstein said. Now he wants to expand on that. all over the world.” DDS is working on major efforts such as Hack-a-Sat, which Meanwhile, DDS is tackling other “wicked problems” that took place in August at DEF CON, one of the largest hacker the Defense Department is facing. That includes countering conferences in the world, he said. The event was held in part- rogue, small, unmanned aerial systems, Goldstein said. The nership with the Air Force. team focuses on detecting, responding to and defeating the “We actually had a ‘capture-the-flag’ on a satellite, and that drones. was one of our activities where we’re encouraging … [hackers] “If something weird shows up, we’re able to fly there and to look at our resources, find weaknesses, help us make them just figure it out,” he said. better and continually raise the bar of hardware and software,” “If there’s a terrible DDS developed hard- he said of the cybersecurity event. ware to detect small DDS is also working on a program called Hack the Pentagon tech fire somewhere unmanned systems and where it holds bug bounties for Defense Department systems, even provided overwatch he said. we’re able to go right for the USNS Comfort While some of these programs are examples of bigger, long- away, we don’t have and USNS Mercy from standing efforts, Goldstein wants them to become more opera- small drones while they tional. to call anyone.” were supporting Los To support “national security, it’s not just about big enter- Angeles and New York prise programs, but it’s [about] critical operational need,” he City, respectively, during the early days of the pandemic, he said. said. One area where the office is addressing more operational Challenging personnel is one way to retain a talented work- problems is its work with the cyber protection mission for the force, Goldstein said. COVID-19 vaccine as part of Operation Warp Speed, he said. “For those of us who are engineers, we’ve all written some Operation Warp Speed is the U.S. government’s effort to pro- code that is the most boring thing and uninteresting thing in duce and deliver 300 million doses of a safe vaccine with ini- the world,” he said. “Give people some wicked problems, give tial doses available by January 2021. Army Gen. Gustave Perna them some critical code, give them that sort of meaningful is leading the campaign. work and people get excited.” As COVID-19 struck earlier this year, the DDS workforce Goldstein noted that the Defense Department’s effort to went from what was a mostly 9-to-5, five-days-a-week job recruit computer-savvy employees provides opportunities for pre-coronavirus to a non-stop, jammed-packed flow of work, Silicon Valley techies to contribute to national security even Goldstein said. if they’re not cut out for something like Special Operations “We started to get flooded with requests for assistance” Forces. ranging from symptom detection in Guam — where the USS “Now with technical skills … we all are able to do amaz- Theodore Roosevelt was sidelined following an outbreak of ing work and we all contribute to the national security and COVID-19 — to remote telework issues, he said. “I reached improving government, improving the DoD in different ways,” out to the team on a Saturday, and … [said], ‘If people are he said. ND

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 9 Demonstration of an air-launched, tube-integrated, unmanned system. The Army recently awarded BUDGET MATTERS OTAs for military helicopter BY JON HARPER “air-launched effects.”

using OTAs will be able to transition directly to produc- tion and fielding, or whether an engineering and manufac- turing development phase will be required to mature the technology. “Since the intent of using rapid prototyping as a pri- mary product development approach has in many cases been to increase the speed of fielding new systems, it is not clear that program officials will want to take the added time required for an Trends in OTA Spending Raise Questions EMD phase,” the report said. “The end result could be higher production costs and n The use of other transaction authority agreements, or OTAs, increased burdens on the sustainment system to support newly by the Pentagon continues to ramp up. The uptick raises a fielded systems.” number of important questions about how these trends will Non-traditional suppliers, often operating through consor- ultimately shape the future of defense acquisitions, analysts tia, are receiving the vast majority of the OTA work. A major say. question is whether these suppliers will have the capacity to Other transaction authority is a contracting mechanism in- support the rapid transition from prototype designs into pro- tended to cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed proto- duction of operational systems. typing and the delivery of new capabilities to the military. The “For more complex and expensive systems, this could present 2016 National Defense Authorization Act encouraged their use. a significant management challenge,” the study said. OTA obligations rose from $4.4 billion in 2018 to $7.7 bil- Non-traditional firms that successfully spearhead new tech- lion in 2019, the last year for which final numbers are available. nology development could shake up the marketplace. That represents a 75 percent bump. “If traditional defense companies are unable to increase their Between 2015 and 2019, they increased a whopping 712 market share in the next generation of defense systems, their percent, starting at less than $1 billion, according to a recent revenue base will start to erode as these systems are fielded,” study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies according to the report. “This raises the potential for a substan- tilted, “Defense Acquisition Trends 2020.” tial round of industry consolidation in the next five to 10 years. “The magnitude of growth here is enormous,” the report said. How might the DoD seek to manage industry consolidation About 82 percent of those obligations went toward research in these circumstances to ensure the continued viability and and development, while products and services each accounted resilience of the industrial base?” the study asked. for 9 percent, according to the study authored by Rhys McCor- Another uncertainty is the extent to which OTAs will be mick, a research fellow with the Defense-Industrial Initiatives leveraged for high-ticket major defense acquisition programs Group at CSIS. such as aircraft — for both prototyping and follow-on produc- Products would include follow-on systems based on suc- tion — not just smaller programs. cessful prototypes, while cloud computing is an example of a “There has been this question all along about, is OTA the service that can be procured under OTAs, according to Andrew right tool to actually acquire MDAP? Are we really going to do Hunter, director of the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives that? Are we really wanting to commit?” Hunter told reporters Group. during a media roundtable. OTA obligations for both products and services have seen “That storm is coming … of dealing with this issue of, are we significant growth in recent years at 124 percent and 280 comfortable with using an OTA instrument for the acquisition percent, respectively, while OTA obligations for R&D grew 426 of a real, honest to goodness, multi-tens-of-billions-of-dollar percent, according to the study. major defense acquisition program?” he said. “I think the an- “It is no longer a question of whether OTAs are supplanting swer is going to be yes.” traditional defense acquisition [for activities such as prototyp- Members of Congress over the last several years have ex- photo Army ing], but whether this transition is permanent,” the report said. pressed both interest and reluctance about that possibility, he It also remains to be seen whether the prototyping efforts noted. ND

10 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 Defense Department Looking Beyond 5G

n The Pentagon continues to pump additional funding into 5G technologies that have military and commercial applications. But it is also eyeing 6G and other next- generation communications capabilities. F-35A jet fighters The term 5G refers to the oncoming fifth generation of wireless networks that will yield a major improve- ment in data speed, volume and latency over today’s U.S. Arms Sales Remain fourth-gen networks, known as 4G. In October, the Defense Department announced Robust Despite Pandemic $600 million in awards for 5G test bed and experimen- tation activities at five U.S. military test sites. The work n Business is still booming on the foreign military sales front will be expanded to seven additional sites next year. even though the world is reeling from the economic effects of “These activities represent the largest full scale 5G the COVID-19 crisis. tests for dual-use applications anywhere in the world,” Boosting exports of U.S.-made defense equipment has been a Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Research and top policy goal of the Trump administration. Engineering Michael Kratsios told reporters. The government finished fiscal year 2020 with a total of $84 Commercial partners on the sites will include AT&T, billion in potential FMS sales that had been approved. Ericsson, Federated Research, Nokia and the Scientific Roman Schweizer, an analyst with the Cowen Washington Research Corporation. Research Group, called it a “massive” case load. “This isn’t techni- “This testing experimentation will not only dramati- cally the ‘real’ number but it’s still impressive,” he said in a news- cally improve our warfighting capabilities, it will also letter, noting that not all of the deals had been consummated. bring new uses and opportunities for this technology In 2019, $68 billion in potential FMS cases were announced, to the private sector,” Kratsios said. “These sandboxing with $55 billion in actual sales reported, according to the re- activities at military bases harness the department’s search group. unique authorities to pursue bold innovations and game The 2020 numbers were better than many observers antici- changing technologies.” pated. Nations that master advanced communication tech- “Some of the concerns that have been initially identified in nologies will enjoy long-term economic and military April have not come to fruition,” R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secre- advantages, he added. tary of state for political-military affairs, told reporters in October. Initial use cases for 5G envisioned by the Pentagon In July, the U.S. government processed the second highest include integrating augmented reality and virtual reality amount of FMS case work in the history of the State Depart- into mission planning and train- ment, he noted. ing; developing “smart” warehous- “On large items that would take a long train or trail in contract- es to enhance logistics operations; ing and production, have we seen a change there? No,” he said. and dynamic electromagnetic “If anything, the work toward getting significant procurement for, spectrum sharing in congested let’s say, F-16s or a Patriot missile battery, those things have not and contested environments. abated.” Starting in 2021, there will What explains this dynamic? be an emphasis on the security Some nations have had better than expected economic recov- aspects of 5G as well as innovations in next-gen capa- eries, Cooper said.

TrimbleForceCodie Air Perry,DavidgraphicClass by 1stForce Airman Air byphoto bilities such as 6G and 7G, Joseph Evans, the Defense “There has been a recommitment by states who at one point Department’s principal director for 5G, told reporters. understandably could have put on park or pause their modern- Broad agency announcements on those topics are ization plans,” he said. “Overall, if we’re looking at long-term slated to be released in the January 2021 timeframe, modernization plans across the board … we’re currently remain- Evans said. ing on a trajectory of where we were in FY ’19 going into ’21.” Elsa Kania, an adjunct senior fellow with the Technol- That doesn’t mean nothing will change, he noted. There will ogy and National Security Program at the Center for a probably be fluctuations on payments and payment schedules, he New American Security, suggested the Pentagon might said. Some buyers could seek foreign military financing or grant be getting ahead of itself. assistance, or sequence their procurements differently. “I will be a little bit skeptical of talk of 6G when 5G is While trends seem positive, government officials don’t have a still at a nascent stage in so many fronts and we have yet crystal ball when it comes to FMS in 2021 and beyond, he noted. to explore or exploit the full potential of 5G,” she said The new fiscal year began strong, with the Defense Security during a panel discussion. “I’m sure we will hear much Cooperation Agency announcing in October that it had cleared more about 6G in the years to come, but I think for the more than $4 billion worth of missiles to Taiwan, as well as $27.2 time being, keeping the focus on how to ensure that 5G billion worth of aircraft to Finland including F/A-18E/F Super itself is secure and reliable” is a better approach. ND Hornets, EA-18G Growlers and F-35 joint strike fighters. ND

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 11 Lockheed Martin illustration

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the she noted. California, enterprise- Concept art of a hypersonic glide vehicle we can’t take In 2018, collaborative, 100 of these things a year,” ARRW. or that happen need to have

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is assisting the office to ensure that this is taken into the air- of the most prominent initiatives includes “an integrated, intent is to have been one-off Many of the systems in development have of record, a program going to have we’re Crane “Figuring Manufacturing “If will help the transition The new partnership with Crane One The producing 20, such that we’re Bussey said. manufacture items at a large scale and at an affordable price. that require participation from companies demonstrations across the country, and better from the beginning to ensure a better transition of these technologies is something that we’re manufacturability of record, ing hypersonic weapons from R&D to a program noted. account when funding projects and writing contracts, going to do,” months to build a thermal protection nine months or several system or to build an engine. of technologies, response weapon, launched rapid Martin a $480 million Lockheed service awarded Air Force to develop the product. contract Base, Air Force at Edwards B-52 Stratofortress Force in August. for these types office identify suitable milestones and deadlines and any other hypersonic cruise missile ARRW vision work on new technologies into integrate to develop a plan to program platforms. these systems,” wide plan for putting capability via these new technologies into

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The organization is exploring topics such as ther- NEWS MAYFIELD MANDY CONNIE LEE AND BY Lewis, a missing was thing that we kind of thought it was she noted. to help move hypersonic weapons April set up in was third technology is listed as the Defense Department’s the office of organization — which is nestled under

2020 DEFENSE • DECEMBER NATIONAL

of- hypersonics transition joint The Defense Department’s Mark the priority go through the list of projects and identify “We’ll The “One The

12 department-funded basic research difficulty transitioning have applications. from universities through industry to operational It is a particular challenge in hypersonics, plines must intersect precisely to move forward.” engineering for modernization, research and engineering and director of defense research and rigorous systems engineering approach,” record, Milestone C. examining hypersonics projects from companies and universi- needs, to the Defense Department’s ties that may be relevant Bussey said. modynamics systems and engineering and design. ones and the ones that we can fund,” an interview. of to official programs from research-and-development efforts R&D priority, and engineer- the undersecretary of defense for research ing — to be tied to specific capabilities.” product teams], call every year for members of our [integrated to be tied to the programs, and these projects all have Division to expand its engineering expertise, director. group’s who are all plugged into these programs, n Center Crane Warfare Surface fice is working with the Naval Office Expands Pentagon Hypersonics Transition Purdue Pursues Charging Docks for Autonomous Vessels

n A team at Purdue University is developing charg- ing docks which would enable unmanned vehicles to operate at sea for longer periods of time. “What we are doing here is focusing on basically providing energy on demand for sea explorations,” said Nina Mahmoudian, an associate professor Army’s ‘Team Ignite’ Focusing at Purdue. “Unlimited energy has always been an Achilles’ Heel in sea exploration.” On AI, Synthetic Biology Usually, underwater robots quickly run out of bat- tery power and must be recharged at large installa- n An effort within Army Futures Command aimed at collaboration tions connected to the seafloor, she explained during between the service’s scientists and technical experts is zeroing in on an interview. However, researchers at the university synthetic biology, autonomy and artificial intelligence as key priorities, are working on portable stations that can be either a service official said in October. mobile or stationary so unmanned platforms at sea The Army established Futures Command in 2018 to spearhead the can work for longer periods of time without inter- service’s top acquisition initiatives. A group known as Team Ignite ruption. joined in 2019. “This technology that we are creating will provide “This transition was part of a strategic effort to bring intellectual an opportunity to distribute energy on demand in a capital into one Army command focused on the future,” said Maj. very difficult domain,” Mahmoudian said. Gen. John George, commanding general of Army Combat Capabili- The university group is working with an au- ties Development Command. tonomous vehicle that usually has an endurance of The team’s goal is to lead the systematic and continuous shaping of eight hours, but researchers hope to expand that concepts and capabilities for warfighters while fostering collaboration timeframe so it can operate for weeks or months at between CCDC and the Futures and Concepts Center, which are a time. The vessel is about two meters long, but the sister organizations that operate under the umbrella of Army Futures docking station can be used for vehicles of multiple Command, the service said. sizes, she noted. The team holds science concept workshops “that are based on The stations can also be used to collect data what is being developed in scientific labs, both inside and outside the gathered from the vessels, she said. Operating in the Army,” George said. Discussions in previous workshops have ranged maritime domain poses challenges because robots from synthetic biology and quantum sciences to alternative sources of are unable to transmit and receive radio frequency power and energy, he noted. signals underwater and To help prepare the military to combat adversaries, Team Ignite they rely on acoustic is “integrating fields like synthetic biology, autonomy and artificial signals. Because of this, intelligence into our future network,” George said during a speech at humans must often the Association of the United States Army’s annual conference, which deploy the unmanned was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These platforms with a pre- technologies will fundamentally change the military’s future operating

photo Command Development Capabilities CombatPike, JaredArmyPurdue by photoUniversity set itinerary. environment, he added. An underwater robot finds and uses a mobile docking station But with Purdue’s One research area related to synthetic biology that has garnered to recharge and upload data. new capability “the excitement during workshops is camouflage, George said. robots and the docks “We all know that missions are always safer when our soldiers and could coordinate with each other, so that they could their equipment are not detected, and so research in synthetic biol- recharge and upload their data, and then go back ogy has identified a series of plants that naturally filter light and hide out to continue exploring without the need for hu- things in plain sight,” he said. man intervention,” Mahmoudian said. One result of the workshops is a deeper understanding of the link- The next step will be operating the robots in age between science and technology and the creation of new tools for more challenging environments. soldiers — an understanding that materializes in what the team calls “We have developed mission planning algorithms, “discovery trees.” we have developed docking stations, but really the “Discovery trees allow the command to visualize the bonds be- next step is to deploy everything and have every- tween research in its science-and-technology programs and their path- thing work together autonomously without human way to capabilities,” George said. “There is a logical link, a network be- interruption,” she said. tween ideas to foundational science, to applied and advanced research The project is being funded by the Office of and ultimately to [the] delivery of Army capabilities,” he added. Naval Research and the National Science Founda- The team is leveraging this approach in a series of deep dives to tion. - CL explore S&T opportunities for modernization. - MM

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 13 News­Briefs FLIR­Eyes­Optionally­ Manned­Fighting­ Vehicle­Competition

n FLIR Systems is interested in partnering with another contractor for the Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle program, according to executives. “FLIR has a lot of technology that is applicable to OMFV,” said Tom Frost, vice president and general manager of unmanned ground systems and integrated solutions at the company. “We are certainly open to teaming on OMFV and providing that technology to various partners.” Pandemic­Focuses­Military­ FLIR is currently partnering with Textron Systems on the Army’s Robotic Combat Vehicle program in the On­Supply­Chain­Risks­ medium-variant category. “There are a lot of possibilities,” he said during a call n The armed services have been sharing more information and with reporters in October. “There’s a lot of capability, and using risk assessment tools to better secure their supply chains OMFV is a very exciting program.” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is seeing “a lot of pull” from a number Katie Arrington, chief information security officer in the of original equipment manufacturers and competitors office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and for 360-degree situational awareness sensors, noted Troy sustainment, said the pandemic highlighted how dependent Boonstra, vice president of product management for the U.S. supply chain is on products from adversarial nations. sensors. When the COVID-19 outbreak began, supply lines necessary The Army issued a request for proposals for the OMFV to sustain production within the defense industry were frozen, in 2019. It is intended to replace the M2 Bradley Infan- highlighting the vulnerability of the defense industrial base to try Fighting Vehicle. Some preliminary requirements for being cut off, analysts have said. the capability include transportability in a C-17 aircraft, For “those of us who have understood the vulnerability optionally manned and ability to be used in dense terrain. within the supply chain, the pandemic only heightened it and However, earlier this made us aware of the amount of reliance we’ve had on our year, the service can- adversaries” to provide critical materials and products, she said. celed the first iteration The Pentagon is working to dial back its reliance on nations of the OMFV program, of concern by “positioning our supply chains and our capabili- and announced plans to ties in allied partners countries ... that serve not just our [mili- restart the effort follow- tary] needs, but our commercial needs as well,” Arrington said ing an analysis of require- during the National Defense Industrial Association’s Special ments. According to Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict conference. The event was Army officials, a combina- held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. tion of requirements and Although the department had already been using risk assess- schedule overwhelmed ment tools to share information, the services are now working industry’s ability to respond within the Army’s timeline. with industry on employing them to secure supply chains, FLIR’s participation in the Robotic Combat Vehicle Arrington said. program could pay dividends when it comes to the The risk assessment tools the services are using allow them Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle initiative, Boostra to share information with industry partners as well, she noted. suggested. One of the biggest lessons learned has been how deeply sup- “As Textron moves forward in RCV-medium competi- pliers influence one another, she said. An adversary can easily tion, and we start to show more and more of this capabil- make an entire program vulnerable, Arrington said. Technolo- ity … it becomes sort of a demonstration platform as gies such as artificial intelligence could help the Pentagon well for future capability, and we’re certainly monitoring detect and manage problems, she suggested. OMFV closely,” Boonstra said.

“We have to really work on these tools and indicators and The Textron-FLIR team is putting forth its Ripsaw M5 Textronphoto,iStock conceptSystems warnings, and having AI behind them to help us,” she said. for the RCV competition. The Defense Department also needs to start tracking items “It’s absolutely loaded with sensors of all kinds and it may want to purchase sooner to ensure security, Arrington … not only is it a robot, but it has robots inside of the said. If a product or component is important to the Pentagon, robot,” Frost said. “With the sensors that it is equipped “shouldn’t we be tracking it from cradle, from inception and with, it can detect minute, new thermal signatures at [watching] who has been touching it, who is influencing it, great distance. It can actually see 360 degrees around the who is tweaking it?” she asked. -­MM vehicle at all times.” ­ -­MM

14 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 Policy Points BY ELLIOT SECKLER

AI Ethical Principles Offer Strength, Opportunity n “Artificial intelligence will be the future, and the depart- The adoption of AI ethical principles marks an important ment ... must readily and effectively adopt its best practices inflection point for the U.S. military and industry. But the fact if the [U.S.] wants to maintain its superpower status,” says that competitor governments in China and Russia have not Brian Schimpf, CEO and cofounder of Anduril Industries — a incorporated similar ethics into the way their militaries oper- defense technology company. ate may present challenges. But how the Defense Department merges ethics and arti- Megan Lamberth, a member of the technology and national ficial intelligence with American values will have a profound security program at the Center for a New American Security, impact on future military operations, industry and the acquisi- believes integrating ethical principles into the acquisitions tions process. process will “require tremendous speed and scale in fielding In response to the Defense Innovation Board’s October capabilities commensurate with U.S. competitors.” But she also 2019 report “AI Principles: Recommendations on the Ethical acknowledges that the “implementation process will take time Use of Artificial Intelligence by the Department of Defense” and will certainly involve changes to the DoD’s acquisition former Defense Secretary Mark Esper formally adopted five and procurement processes.” AI principles — responsibility, equitability, traceability, reli- According to Dr. Michael Horowitz, the director of Perry ability and governability — “to develop, acquire, or deploy World House at the University of Pennsylvania, “incorporating technology with AI capabilities.” AI principles into the defense acquisitions process should not Now, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center is tasked with be viewed as a constraint either for industry or U.S. military leading the implementation of these ethical principles. It has readiness.” since issued its first request for proposals, the Joint Warf- In fact, “AI ethics principles help reaffirm our values in a ighting National Mission Initiative, which seeks partners “to way that could strengthen our ability to develop and field design, develop and deploy [AI] technologies for the DoD.” capabilities with machine learning built in.” For Horowitz, Engagement with industry will be essential in operationalizing “keeping human judgment at the core of decisions regarding and establishing requisite evaluative criteria to meet the AI the use of force is a strength. It ethical principles. “Transitioning allows the U.S. to maximize what It has only been months since the department adopted people and machines each do these ethical principles, and uncertainty remains as much can ethical principles best.” change in how these ethical principles will alter its acquisi- Anduril Industries also believes tion, procurement and contract processes especially with from policy to strongly in AI ethical principles. new leadership taking up residence in the Pentagon. Specific practice is key.” According to Schimpf, “the United programs the JAIC may create moving forward could dramati- States needs to have the strongest cally impact how and what kinds of defense technologies or seat at the table when the world is establishing ethical norms systems companies can and will provide to the department. around AI and machine learning. We believe it is important Transitioning ethical principles from policy to practice is that an American company helps the U.S. compete for the key. In some ways, defense companies have already internal- technological edge that will allow the U.S. to dictate ethical ized the AI ethical principles and begun to incorporate them norms and standards instead of China or Russia.” into how they develop and think about capabilities. He also believes that creating the right kinds of incentives Elbit Systems of America, a maker of unmanned aerial sys- during the procurement process would allow the Defense tems, has taken AI ethics to heart. According to Scott Baum, Department to field and quickly integrate the best capabilities the company’s vice president of strategy and growth and and solutions required to meet national security challenges. former principal director of the Pentagon’s office of industrial Currently, “what is holding the U.S. back is the flawed pro- policy, integrating AI ethics “is what you do as being a good curement process that does not incentivize important innova- custodian and participant in the industrial base.” tion in AI and machine learning.” One way to address this issue He notes that “the most significant consideration indus- might be to award longer-term contracts to successful pilot try must now take into account at the start of any design programs that also meet the ethical principles. This may also approach to developing AI capabilities is the attention paid to increase the number of new entrants into defense programs. testing, simulation and training.” Some uncertainty remains in how industry will need to Ensuring the algorithms and data sets backed by machine respond to unforeseen changes and new requirements by inte- learning “remain reliable and traceable from the beginning of grating the principles. the acquisition process is fundamental to the DoD’s ethical One thing does remain clear: The next few years will be principles,” he states. And since industry will be required to critical for the Pentagon, industry and the defense acquisitions train defense personnel on their AI capabilities, companies process. U.S. national security may depend on the outcome. ND must now view training their AI systems as part of their devel- opment cycle. This could fundamentally alter the acquisition Elliot Seckler is a junior fellow at the National Defense Industrial cycle. Association.

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 15 Viewpoint BY JAY TOWN

China Exploiting Supply

Chain Vulnerabilities new frontier providing malign foreign actors the ability to con- duct cyberattacks, exfiltrate intellectual property and engage in n When Americans consider securing the engineering architec- economic espionage. ture of the nation’s arsenal, they too often examine only secure Bolstering the FBI’s assessment, the National Counterintelli- cyber environments and maturity. Asking if they can be hacked gence and Security Center recently warned that “foreign adver- and secrets stolen is typically the beginning — and the end — saries are attempting to access our nation’s key supply chains of analysis. at multiple points — from concept to design, manufacture, This reckless intellection fails to recognize that even the integration, deployment and maintenance.” most secure cyber environment offers virtually no protection The center continued by signaling that “foreign adversaries from counterfeit, corrupted or obsolete components entering could compromise the integrity, trustworthiness and authen- the supply chain. While cyber measures and firewalls are doing ticity of products and services that underpin government well guarding against external intrusions, the threats attached and American industry, or even subvert and disrupt critical to the supply chain are delivered on the components them- networks and systems, operations, products and weapons plat- selves directly through front doors. forms in a time of crisis. We must elevate the role of supply China and other nations depend on a false sense of security, chain security in the acquisition process.” provided by a fortified corporate cyber environment, so they It doesn’t matter whether the products are commercial, can exploit other supply chain security vulnerabilities. This industrial or military, China and other nemeses are intent upon emerging “Trojan Horse” threat must be addressed directly, corrupting the integrity of every American supply chain. with defense and offense. Strategic materials — such as rare earth materials, steel and Much of the nation’s supply chain integrity issues stem from ferroalloys critical to the development and maintenance of our dependence on single- and sole-source nations, primar- warfighting hardware — are used in manufacturing by all 10 ily China. The United States has spent the last two decades sectors of the economy. Rare earth materials are necessary to offshoring its domestic supply chains to benefit from foreign produce nearly all technical components, such as microchips, low-cost labor and eased environmental regulations. Free trade and are almost exclusively sourced from overseas. This allows agreements have extended supply chains farther from Ameri- for unforeseen disruptions and deliberate interference with can borders. essential national security supply chains. While these concerns Intended to optimize supply chains, reduce costs and there- pre-dated COVID-19, the vulnerabilities persist in need of a by maintain competitive price points, these trade agreements suitable solution. have landed U.S. supply chains in a precarious position. Sourc- The Trump administration recognized early on that the ing materials, managing inventories and maintaining stockpiles integrity of the national security supply chain was at risk for are fallen priorities behind greater financial returns. disruption or manipulation due to single- and sole-sourcing. Americans must begin to say aloud — despite their reliance In 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order upon China for retail goods, commercial products, medical proclaiming “a healthy manufacturing and defense industrial supplies, rare earth minerals and much more — that China is base and resilient supply chains are essential to the economic an adversary. After all, China is clear about its intentions to strength and national security of the United States.” jeopardize U.S. national security through supply chain threats The order required the Departments of Defense, Com- and stealing American ingenuity. merce, Energy and other agencies to provide an accounting of FBI Director Christopher Wray, during remarks at the strategic materials and munitions most vulnerable to supply Hudson Institute earlier this year, said, “the greatest long-term chain disruption or intrusion. The president recently followed threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, up with another executive order instructing that counter- and to our economic vitality, is the counterintelligence and solutions be developed to address the troubling reality that economic espionage threat from China. It’s a threat to our the “U.S. imports 80 percent of all of its rare earth materials economic security and, by extension, to our national security.” directly from China, with portions of the remainder indirectly Since 2018, Wray has sounded the alarm that supply chain sourced from China through other countries,” which signals risks are the new frontier of national security threats. greater anxieties that our strategic supply chains are vulnerable The annual cost to the U.S. economy from counterfeit to detrimental manipulation jeopardizing national security. goods, pirated software and theft of trade secrets is upwards The Departments of Defense and Interior have since of $600 billion. The FBI assesses that 80 percent of all federal deemed 35 strategic minerals as critical to the defense indus- economic espionage prosecutions have alleged conduct that trial base supply chain. The United States has virtually no pri- would benefit China. Additionally, around 60 percent of all IP mary production of 22 of these 35 strategic minerals. America theft cases have a direct nexus to China. Russia, Iran and other is more than 75 percent import reliant on an additional 10

adversaries make up much of the remainder. critical minerals, including titanium and uranium. photoiStock As the nation matures its cyber environments and becomes Conversely, China ranks as the lead global producer of 16 of more cyber aware, vulnerable supply chain integrity is that those 35 strategic materials and is a near-monopoly producer

16 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 of rare earth elements, producing over half the world’s alu- saries, it can also be compromised quickly by natural disasters, minum and accounting for a significant share of the steel and military conflicts and the tectonics of global trade policies. ferroalloys imported by the United States, either directly or Supply chain security is the collective responsibility of gov- through transshipment whereby countries buy Chinese steel ernment and the manufacturing base. As cyber environments and modify it before exporting to the U.S. mature and we become increasingly aware of cyber vulnerabili- Over 50 percent of the barite, used in fracking and other ties in commercial and government sectors, the next frontier of energy independence processes, comes from China. Gallium, national security is supply chain integrity. critical to the production of superconductors for computers, The U.S. acquisition process, especially in the defense indus- mobile phones and 5G technology, is 100 percent sourced trial base, can no longer afford to be driven by cost, schedule from overseas, 95 percent of which comes from China. The and performance. Contracting is too often over budget, behind graphite used in batteries, phones and hybrid vehicles all schedule and overly complex, making the system more vulner- comes from offshore, 60 percent from China. able and causing contractors to be reluctant to add integrated Further highlighting these strategic concerns, a recent hear- risk management frameworks into their acquisition systems for ing before the Senate Armed Services subcommittee on readi- fear of losing bids due to additional security controls increasing ness and management support focused exclusively on national costs. security and supply chain integrity. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alas- Since U.S. economic and national security depends upon ka, the subcommittee chair, irascibly pronounced his deep cyber and supply chain integrity, security requirements should concern with the nation’s reliance on China and said it needs incentivize reliance on more than the minimum standards or to put an end to its dependency, despite Beijing’s calculated bottom line. attempts to maintain it. Counterfeit, corrupted and obsolete components introduced Sullivan added that with the rise of China, “the vulnerabili- into the defense supply chain could cause mission failure. ties and gaps in our supply chains, particularly as it relates to These troubling imitation components may not have the tech- national security, have taken on a new urgency.” nical capability to perform at all. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the subcommittee’s ranking mem- Additionally, lacking the ability to diversify the sourcing of ber, emphasized the bipartisan nature of this threat when he strategic materials puts the entire manufacturing base at risk, expressed very clearly that America must act to prevent the especially defense. erosion of our supply chains. The solution is to integrate open source intelligence and Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment other available data sourcing, so risk assessment analysis is Ellen Lord testified at the same hearing and agreed the United increasingly robust and complete. Establishing security cre- States should “re-shore our supply chains,” and said she was dentials would immediately identify single-source, sole-source, “absolutely concerned about Chinese infiltration at every sec- ominous, or otherwise fragile supply chains. This sort of secu- tor of the U.S. economy.” Lord remarked rity assessment should further that “playing offense, as opposed “Lacking the ability to be required by the to [only] playing defense, is the way to government, thereby proceed.” diversify the sourcing of standardizing security The consensus: Relying on China at and moving the costs all in U.S. supply chains, especially as it strategic materials puts of such an assessment relates to defense, creates a fragility in the entire manufactur- out of the loss side of the marketplace and the national security competitive pricing. phalanx. ing base at risk ...” Supply chain managers The hearing revealed further how Chi- must analyze intelli- na leverages its strategic material supply chain advantages in gence to gain a full aperture of supply chain integrity. the marketplace by flooding the market with materials every The United States has entered an era of asymmetric warfare time a competitor dares to start mining or producing them. for which only comprehensive deterrence will be effective. China employs its deleterious domination of the world’s strate- As Lord reminds us, we must play both defense and offense. gic materials by threatening refusal to engage in any commerce Enemies exploit cyber and supply chain vulnerabilities to with nations and companies seeking alternative sourcing. exfiltrate intellectual property, corrupt quality and assurance, These unfair trade practices are being addressed through control production of strategic materials and manipulate our diplomatic and legislative efforts, but meanwhile, our supply cyber environments. chain security remains vulnerable to offshore sourcing. The cost to the nation comes not only in lost innovation, Because of the entangled labyrinth of the commercial, mili- jobs and economic advantage, but also in reduced U.S. military tary and government manufacturing and production base, with strength, critical mission failure or even loss of life. The supply a plethora of touch points in the procurement process present- chain integrity of the defense industrial base and U.S. manufac- ing constant product security risks, the nation’s supply chain turing sectors cannot afford to rely on China or other adversar- integrity response cannot simply address defense, but must ies for strategic materials, regardless of cost effectiveness. It’s foresee fragilities, targets and solutions in all 10 economic sec- just too expensive. ND tors. Economic and national security are forever interdependent Jay Town is the vice president and general counsel at Gray Analytics and, thus, jointly vulnerable to perilous manipulations and in Huntsville, Alabama. He is the former U.S. Attorney for the Northern disruptions to supply chains. Not only is the U.S. supply chain District of Alabama and an original member of the Trump administra- ecosystem weakened by the malign influence of foreign adver- tion’s China Initiative.

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 17 Commentary BY SUSAN WARSHAW EBNER AND ROLANDO SANCHEZ

CMMC: Tips for Bidding on Government Contracts

n The Defense Department released on Sept. 29 its highly CMMC Level 1 (low) through 4 or 5 (high), with Level 3 anticipated interim rule, which amends the Defense Federal (medium) containing the NIST SP 800-171 security require- Acquisition Regulation Supplement by including three new ments, fortified with additional practices and procedures, and clauses that implement a mandatory DoD Assessment Meth- mandating current compliance. A slow rollout of the CMMC is odology and adherence to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model expected, with full implementation by 2025. Contractors who Certification (CMMC) program. achieve compliance with NIST SP 800-171 security require- The purpose of the new rule is to give teeth to DFARS ments will be well positioned to be CMMC Level 3 certified. 252.204-7012 “Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Medium and high-level assessments are not self-assessments and Cyber Incident Reporting,” which requires that contractors — unlike the rule’s basic assessment — but assessments will be protect certain controlled unclassified information. The interim conducted by the Defense Contract Management Agency. rule was to take effect Nov. 30 and is likely to be issued as a The panelists provided several comments which shed light on final rule with some tweaks based on comments submitted and how contractors should approach self-assessment requirements experience with it in practice. under the interim rule. Contractors need to be familiar with the Immediately after the rule’s publication, the National DFARS interim rule and start basic assessments now. The core Defense Industrial Association planned a four-part series of of CMMC is the same NIST SP 800-171 requirements includ- tabletop webinars to illustrate a hypothetical contractor’s ed in DFARS clause 252.204-7012, which implement the 110 efforts to achieve compliance under the existing and interim NIST SP 800-171 requirements. If a contractor does not have DFARS cybersecurity clauses. The purpose of the series is to a full score of 110 now, it is understood that they can use the bring key stakeholders together in a practical format where system security plan (SSP) and plan of actions and milestones they can troubleshoot common implementation questions (POA&M) to reach 110. faced by contractors. CMMC will be a phased rollout. Since no The series is set to take the contractor POA&Ms or waivers will be allowed to imple- through self-assessment, preparation for basic ment CMMC requirements, implementing the assessment and future CMMC compliance, current DFARS 7012 now will put contractors bid proposal, contract award, performance in a great position to adopt CMMC. and performance/compliance challenges. Companies are encouraged to follow the tem- The first event in the series took place plate SSP that is included in NIST 800-171A. Oct. 22 and featured panelists from the Contractors may have multiple domains or Pentagon’s office of the undersecretary of systems. One best practice for CMMC compli- defense for acquisition and sustainment, the CMMC accredita- ance, if a contractor can do it, is to make sure their whole sys- tion board, industry members from large and small contractor tem is secured as there is going to be a value-add there. communities, and a cybersecurity service provider. Another best practice takeaway is to remember the govern- The audience of the initial exercise were asked poll questions ment/auditors are going to take a hard look at what is submit- to assess their current status with respect to the new cyber ted as the self-assessment. To avoid exposure to a potential standards. False Claims Act violation, be diligent in preparing a self-assess- Question one was: “When do you project that your company ment. will conduct a basic assessment per the new DFARS interim The government has not announced the CMMC level that rule?” will apply to specific procurements. Twenty-four percent of respondents stated that they had There are already companies out there claiming to do already completed this assessment, 35 percent responded “early CMMC consulting, but they may lack experience or expertise. 2021,” and 26 percent were not sure. As of Nov. 30, contractors Controls above Level 3 may be expensive to implement and subject to DFARS 252.204-7012 must conduct at least a basic are anticipated to be rare. Level 3 is where many contracts are assessment of the state of their compliance with NIST SP 800- expected to land, and that level will prepare contractors for 171 and enter it in the Supplier Performance Risk System. higher levels if needed. Where solicitations include the DFARS clauses, contractors Implementation of CMMC will be an allowable cost, includ- must be in compliance at the time of contract award. No waiv- ed in applicable cost pool for proportionate recovery under ers are expected to be given. contracts. However, the government expects contractors to The second question was: “Assuming that a third-party cer- have already implemented all 110 controls in NIST SP 800-171 tification process is activated, what is your projection for your and does not intend to pay for those costs in CMMC-covered company to achieve CMMC Level 3?” procurements. ND Forty-one percent of respondents stated that they projected Level 3 by mid-to-late 2021, 25 percent projected early 2021 Susan Warshaw Ebner is a partner at Stinson LLP, and Rolando San- photoiStock and 28 percent were not sure. chez of the Law Offices of Rolando R. Sanchez PLLC are co-chairs of Under the CMMC program, solicitations may specify the Cyber Legal Policy Committee, NDIA Cybersecurity Division.

18 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 Viewpoint BY DEAN HULLINGS

Comply-to-Connect Protects Military Systems

n The Defense Department increasingly relies on evolving cal equipment, and many other mission-supporting endpoints. IT systems and networks to conduct military operations and C2C combines all systems and their components “in one perform critical functions, such as logistics, budgeting, building house” as an integrated whole. This kind of approach is good automation and power distribution. news for administrators of formerly separated facility, IT and Today, it’s clear that while connected defense systems are operations worlds, because the lines between these are blurring. diverse, they share the same urgent need for secure configura- The integrated, zero trust approach of Comply-to-Connect tion and other defensive fundamentals. means personnel supporting these systems do not need to There is a growing mindset within the department that lead- search for new, piecemeal tactics for defending these blended ers can no longer afford to view the safeguarding of “cyber control systems. The Pentagon’s chief information officer and things” and “physical things” as distinct, siloed responsibilities. Defense Information Systems Agency are already providing it. Aligning security more tightly across connected devices, For installation cybersecurity teams to maximize the effec- facilities and other platforms is a long-sought, closely watched tiveness of Comply-to-Connect, they must include several com- Pentagon objective. ponents in their overarching strategy and execution. An all-inclusive view of cybersecurity becomes even more First, there must be comprehensive device visibility, including urgent as lines continue to blur between traditional office IT, a complete discovery, classification and security posture assess- internet-of-things enabled gear, and operational technology gov- ment. There are almost always more types of devices on a net- erning energy, facility access and other physical systems. work than periodic inventories suggest. Agencies must achieve The Defense Department is effectively becoming an “enter- complete visibility by combining active and passive network prise of things.” To fortify it all, Pentagon leadership must rec- monitoring techniques to identify multiplying numbers and ognize information technology and operational technology as a types of connected endpoints before any other security tools singular, united network environment which requires a holistic, can be effective. integrated cybersecurity strategy. Next, there must be automated orchestration of security and Think of integrated information and operational technology defense like homeownership. Homeowners don’t hire one com- “There must be automated orchestration pany to place sensors on windows, then turn to separate provid- ers for the front, back and garage doors, and another to monitor of security and management processes.” smoke detectors. The benefits of having sensors only goes so far. For effective situational awareness, one needs status and indica- management processes. The greatest value of true network vis- tors from all these sensors integrated in real time. ibility is being able to act on what is found. Defense systems Similarly, the Defense Department should take a “unified are governed by extensive compliance and configuration man- strategy” approach in maintaining combined IT/OT cybersecu- agement tools. To drive return on investment on these existing rity situational awareness and readiness. efforts, Comply-to-Connect is charged with enabling automa- Fortunately, there are proven tools and approaches that can tion and orchestration of actions necessary to restore systems to accelerate this unified strategy. Installation cybersecurity profes- a trusted state or control their level of access to network data, sionals can incorporate Comply-to-Connect (C2C) to improve applications and services until a trusted state is achieved. the authentication, authorization, compliance assessment and Finally, there must be continuous monitoring. The magnitude automated remediation of devices and systems. of devices and connected systems across Defense Department An already funded program, Comply-to-Connect enables IT networks, and Comply-to-Connect’s scope across office, data teams to authenticate endpoints including: physical and virtual center, cloud, facility and other non-traditional systems means workstations; physical and virtual servers; networked user sup- “continuous” is critical. port devices and peripherals; mobile devices; network infra- More than blocking unauthorized devices and remediating structure devices; platform information technology devices; and vulnerabilities, C2C’s wider value comes from continuously internet-of-things devices. assessing connected devices and users to ensure the integrity of They are then assessed for compliance with security policies the data sharing and other services these networks provide. prior to authorizing network access. In this “zero trust” security Each user has their own set of challenges. But they all share model, compliant devices and systems gain access to appropri- the same concerns about “what” is connected to their network ate network segments necessary for missions, while unauthor- and “who” is accessing “which” data, applications and services. ized devices do not. By creating a consolidated, integrated approach to cyber- The program brings unique value because its scope goes security with Comply-to-Connect, the Pentagon can replace beyond traditional IT networks that include desktops and serv- fragmented, ineffective measures with those that are proven to illustrationiStock ers. Comply-to-Connect also applies to non-traditional net- support comprehensive readiness. ND worked endpoints including internet of things and operational technology devices such as industrial control systems, building Dean Hullings serves as global defense solutions strategist at automation systems, weapons and other tactical systems, medi- Forescout Technologies in McLean, Virginia.

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 19 Next-Gen Nuclear Missile Viewed as Pathfinder

BY JON HARPER will likely be necessary over time to stay commonality provides a level of insight The Pentagon’s effort to ahead of competitors. I’ve never seen” before, Roper said. acquire new intercontinental “As adversaries develop more sophis- Boeing decided not to bid for the ballistic missiles is being touted as a ticated and effective missile defense sys- EMD contract last year after Northrop program that could serve as a model for tems of their own, then we will need to Grumman acquired solid rocket motor future modernization initiatives. The build countermeasures into our ICBM manufacturer Orbital ATK. That left project faces a tight schedule with little force to be able to penetrate through Northrop as the last competitor stand- margin for hiccups. their missile defense systems,” he said. ing. The Ground-Based Strategic Deter- “There are a lot of different ways you Some observers expressed concerns rent, or GBSD, program aims to replace could do that with hypersonic glide that a lack of further industry competi- the aging Minuteman III nuclear-armed bodies, with decoys, things like that that tion would hurt the government. Roper ICBMs that first became operational in you can build into it.” said digital engineering tools will help 1970. Air Force officials have been circum- the Air Force control costs. In September, Northrop Grumman spect about whether they intend to give “It doesn’t just help you engineer pro- was awarded a $13.3 billion engineer- the weapon hypersonic glide capabili- grams, it helps you evaluate proposals, ing and manufacturing development ties, which could make it much more it helps you do cost estimation because contract for the effort. The eight-year maneuverable and harder to shoot down all of that is digitally decomposed, and EMD phase will include weapon system than traditional ballistic missiles. there’s no place to hide because you design, qualification, test and evaluation “I will avoid the conversation on that have a digital representation of the and nuclear certification. Afterward the … because of classification consider- entire system and its lifecycle,” he said. platform is expected to move into pro- ations,” Ray said when asked about it by “As we close out a successful EMD, duction. National Defense. we will go into production with actual “GBSD ramps quickly,” said Kathy Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, who recently cost and pricing, and we will … ensure Warden, chairman, president and CEO served as Air Force deputy chief of staff that as we get into negotiations on of Northrop, during an earnings call in for strategic deterrence and nuclear inte- production lots, that they are fair and October. The company anticipates the gration, said hypersonic glide capabilities anchored prices for the government,” he project will contribute nearly $1 billion are not part of the threshold require- added. “This is a harbinger of things to of incremental growth to its space sys- ment for the system, but he noted that come of having more balanced negotia- tems division in 2021. GBSD will have an open architecture. tions, where government teams are more Air Force officials say the new missiles “As we bring the system online, we empowered because of these digital will have increased accuracy, extended will ensure that we have the ability to tools.” range and improved reliability compared roll different technologies in,” he said at Every new major acquisition effort to the legacy Minuteman III. an event hosted by the Mitchell Insti- will begin by building a digitally engi- GBSD will be also modular in design tute for Aerospace Studies. neered system, Roper suggested. and have open mission systems, noted A key element of the program has Warden said GBSD marked the first Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of Air been digital engineering, which involves time that Northrop delivered items for Force Global Strike Command. using digital models — also known review in a fully digital environment on “I can rapidly modify, upgrade and, as “digital twins” or “digital threads” a program of this size. Observers can more importantly, sustain it,” he said throughout the acquisition process expect more of that in the future, she during a media roundtable. “We will see including design, assembly, testing, noted. a two-thirds reduction in the number maintenance and upgrades — to better “As we think about next-generation of [security and maintenance] convoys simulate how systems will perform in air dominance and the programs that are I have to conduct. There will be a two- the real world. part of that overall campaign … they, thirds reduction in the number of times “We had godlike insight into all things too, will benefit from a full digital engi- I actually have to … open the launcher GBSD,” Assistant Secretary of the Air neering thread as is being required by and close the door. And when I talk to Force for Acquisition, Technology and our customers,” she said. the teammates at [the office of the sec- Logistics Will Roper told reporters. Undersecretary of Defense for Acqui- retary of defense] they absolutely affirm Ray said the technology enabled more sition and Sustainment Ellen Lord that we’ve really designed sustainment than a dozen design cycles that helped noted that project managers are lever- and modernization into this in an drive down risk during the technology aging agile software development and incredibly creative and effective way.” maturation and risk reduction phase, development security and operations, The system is expected to be fielded which wrapped up earlier this year. or DevSecOps, methodologies that will around 2030 and remain in the arsenal Northrop and Boeing were the two help deliver capabilities faster and more until 2070. companies that participated in that securely. Todd Harrison, director of defense phase. “GBSD’s DevSecOps … support mis- budget analysis and the Aerospace Secu- “We required both vendors to be in sion requirements while streamlining rity Project at the Center for Strategic the same digital engineering environ- the acquisition process and have allowed and International Studies, said upgrades ment as the government team, and that the program to gain accreditation and

20 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 begin early development with industry maintain at least some land-based com- Harrison doesn’t think it would be sus- in less than four months,” she said dur- ponent of the triad, you don’t have a lot tained. ing a press briefing in October. of options in terms of continuing the “The likelihood of the source selection Ray said: “I would call this a path- development program that’s underway getting overturned now is diminishing,” finder program in terms of its approach. right now.” he said. I would call it a pathfinder program in Even former President Barack Obama, Boeing did not provide comment for how we have to create the margin in who won the Nobel Peace Prize for this story regarding any protest plans. the system to be competitive in the long advocating for the eventual elimination However, even if the program isn’t haul.” of all nuclear weapons, ended up con- derailed politically, there is still program- However, sustained funding will be cluding that the GBSD initiative needed matic risk. required to keep the project on track to be kept on track, Harrison noted. “It’s a tough schedule,” Harrison said. and have the new missiles fielded The campaign press office for Presi- “I don’t think they have a lot of margin. around 2030, experts say. dent-Elect Joe Biden did not respond to … They are going to have to work hard The projected price tag of the GBSD a request for comment about his posi- to keep it on track.” program is upwards of $95 billion. tion on funding GBSD. Air Force officials have touted the Analysts expect defense spending to be On Capitol Hill, concerns about jobs risk reduction efforts that have been constrained in coming years as undertaken. But ICBMs are still lawmakers try to tamp down complex platforms. historically high federal budget “This is a brand new system deficits. But Harrison doesn’t that they’re building,” Harrison expect GBSD to be on the said. “The propulsion system and chopping block anytime soon, other things are certainly derived even if Democrats — who from systems that have already historically have been less been developed and tested enthusiastic about nuclear mod- extensively, but there’s still a lot ernization than Republicans — of risks in the program.” That gain more power in Washington, includes the ground-based com- D.C. ponents, he noted. While some Democrats are “Building the new launch sys- expected to take aim at the tems and control centers and all program, “I don’t think it’s likely of the kind of construction work that that funding will actually that goes around that — that’s a get cut, for the simple reason significant part of the program,” that when you start looking at he said. “There could be a lot of the details of it, unless you’re unknowns that are uncovered as willing to make some pretty they start doing more and more deep reductions in the size of of that work.” the land-based component of The Pentagon is already wor- the nuclear triad, you don’t ried about challenges related to have a lot of options” besides infrastructure that will be tied to building GBSD, Harrison said. GBSD. Regular testing of the Min- GBSD concept art “We have 500 separate items uteman III is projected to that need to be updated,” Lord reduce the ICBM force below told members of the Senate requirements by the early 2030s, he not- could motivate lawmakers to support Armed Services Committee during a ed. “We’re going to run out of missiles.” the program and defeat any efforts to hearing in September, adding that it Air Force officials have been banging cut it. would be “rather onerous” to have that the drum about the risk to deterrence The industry team for the effort many separate projects in the military if GBSD is delayed or scaled back. The includes a number of major contractors, construction, or MILCON, account. It service wants to replace the 400 Min- plus hundreds of small and medium- would be better to consolidate those in uteman IIIs currently in operation and sized companies. The project will a separate account, she said. acquire additional next-gen missiles to involve over 10,000 workers, according “We would ask [Congress] that we be used for testing. to Northrop. move some of that money out of MIL- It’s possible that the planned procure- “You’ve got more constituents that are CON to give us the flexibility on the ment for GBSD could be reduced at going to advocate to their own congres- program execution side to move forward concept Grumman Northrop some point. However, “the most logi- sional leaders to try to keep the pro- along the timelines,” Lord said. cal way to make those reductions is to gram,” Harrison said. “Now that they’ve Officials shouldn’t allow programmat- truncate the buy of missiles near the got the EMD contract awarded and the ic risks to create operational risks, she end of production, which is not going work is ramping up, it does become said. “I’m afraid if we don’t move some to save you any money until the 2030s,” politically more difficult to kill it.” of that money out of MILCON, that’s Harrison said. “As long as you’re going to Boeing could protest the award, but exactly what we would be doing.” ND

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 21 report said. A recent exercise took place Challenges Loom for Joint at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, in August and September which involved All-Domain Command, Control 500 personnel. The event — known as PC20 — focused on key objectives including: change how the Army fights BY YASMIN TADJDEH publish data to the central network so by shaping how it organizes for combat; The Defense Department is the joint force and our allies can sub- highlight ways to optimize operational making progress developing a scribe to the data and they can use it.” processes; evolve how the Army visualiz- vast network of internet of things that That will require the services to trust es, describes, decides and acts on enemy will connect the services’ platforms, but one another’s validation of an applica- threats; and build soldier and leader trust the initiative still faces some hurdles. tion, program or tool, he noted. in emergent technologies, according to Joint all-domain command and con- Once a program is authorized to oper- CRS. trol, or JADC2, is envisioned as a way to ate on one service’s network, it should “PC20 concentrated on what the better link the armed forces’ sensors and be authorized to operate on all of the Army calls the ‘close fight’ by integrating shooters on the battlefield. The Air Force services’ networks, Brown said. To bring new enabling technologies at the lowest has taken the lead on the effort through that to fruition, the military needs to operational level so that tactical net- the development of its Advanced Battle develop a set of common minimum Management System, or ABMS, and standards. has already held high-profile “on-ramp” “This will speed up acquisition, cut exercises this year where it has worked down some of the bureaucracy and cut alongside industry to test numerous down some of their redundancy,” he said. technologies. “At the end of the day, information shar- Data is the beating heart of JADC2, ing is a currency of trust.” officials say. Its success will be dependent The Air Force is working alongside the on efficiently managing information, said Army as it pursues combined JADC2 Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles and recently entered into a memoran- “CQ” Brown Jr. dum of understanding to “build the A key part of joint all-domain com- interconnected digital infrastructure mand and control will be “the structure needed to allow our services to bring of the data, publishing it so it’s available each of our capabilities to the flight and and then making it so that you can sub- still connect to one another,” Brown said. scribe to it and you can pull that data In an interview with National Defense, Air Force officers monitor a computer in support of and … build your own common opera- Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James the Advanced Battle Management System On-Ramp 2. tional picture any way you want,” he said. McConville said combined JADC2 piv- The services must make informa- ots the services toward transformational tion available via resilient networks and change. The military recently began works could facilitate faster decisions,” then control who can have access to it, using a modified acronym, CJADC2. the report said. Brown said during the National Defense “We’ve added a ‘C’ … because we “The results were remarkable,” Army Industrial Association’s virtual JADC2 & recognize the importance of working Secretary Ryan McCarthy said during a All Domain Warfare Symposium, which with our allies and partners, whether it’s speech at the Association of the United was held in partnership with Texas A&M in a competition phase [with potential States Army’s annual conference in University in October. adversaries] or it’s in the conflict phase,” October. That kind of rapid information sharing he said. “We want to make sure they’re Additional Project Convergence events and connectivity is already happening in included, and they want to be included. are planned. Draft objectives for the the commercial world every day, he said. “This is going to set the stage for how 2021 exercise include demonstrating a “One of my own means of access- we’re going to compete, deter and — if cloud-based network delivering the right ing data is via my phone,” Brown said. required — fight for maybe the next data to the right place at the right time, “I have the ESPN app. … I can swipe 40 years,” he added. “This is extremely and interoperability across Army and the options to track my favorite team, important and I’m very appreciative of other services’ systems to enable joint like the Cowboys. The app will send me the Air Force working closely with us.” all-domain operations, according to CRS. alerts about injury updates, changes in The Army is pursuing JADC2 through While there is broad support for the roster or even scores in real time.” its Project Convergence initiative which JADC2, there are both policy and tech- ESPN publishes information about is being billed as a “campaign of learn- nical challenges ahead of it, said Space all the NFL teams and many other ing,” according to the Congressional Force Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, sports via the company’s app, he noted. Research Service. It is designed around deputy chief of space operations, cyber But Brown only signs up to receive the five key elements including command and nuclear. updates that matter most to him. and control, information, weapons sys- Saltzman, who was a key part of the “We have to do the same thing with tems, soldiers and terrain. Air Force’s multi-domain command-and- all the data we leverage as a military,” he Army Futures Command plans to control concept, or MDC2, which even- said. “The services and partners [should] run the project on an annual cycle, the tually became joint all-domain command

22 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 guiding principles, goals and objectives as the military works to become a data- centric organization. In a foreword to the document, Dep- uty Secretary of Defense David Norquist said improved data management will enhance the Pentagon’s ability to fight and win wars in an era of great power competition with China and Russia. The success of the department’s digital modernization effort — which includes everything from artificial intelligence to 5G communications — depends on a secure and robust information infrastruc- ture, he said. Dave Spirk, the Defense Department’s new chief data officer, said JADC2 and the data strategy are closely linked. “When you lay the data strategy out and control, said the military is on the Origin, an autonomous system, prepares for a and you really go to the principles inside practice run during the Project Convergence right track. capstone event at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. of it, I think what you’ll see even down “Things like the accessibility of data, to the vision statement is it really is things like resilient self-healing networks about creating operational advantage and — these are foundational principles, is a challenge, he said. efficiencies,” he said. “The operational foundational capabilities and I see those While technically feasible, “we’re advantage puts JADC2 right at the heart in the ABMS on-ramps,” he said during struggling to implement [the concept] of the data strategy and it was designed an online event hosted by the Mitchell because of the way we built our data to be that way.” Institute for Aerospace Studies. “I see the structures, our pipes, etc., inside the Meanwhile, although only the Army emphasis being placed on those in future Department of Defense,” Saltzman said. and Air Force signed the combined iterations for how ABMS and other “Our links and nodes structure is not JADC2 memorandum of understanding, JADC2 work is done.” really built for cloud-based structures Spirk said that does not mean the other Saltzman said he’s pleased that the and moving data around like that. We services are not interested. MDC2 team was able to set a founda- still like direct feeds. We like firewalls.” “I have not seen a reluctance in any of tion of principles that are now being There has to be a redesign of how the services to not share their data,” he applied tangibly as the services start to the Pentagon manages its data as well as said, noting that he has multiple daily develop systems and bring them online. policy changes to manage security and engagements with all of the military “What doesn’t make me as happy is configuration control, he added. departments, chief data officers, senior how long it takes,” he added. “This is While commercial organizations may leaders throughout the joint staff and the just the nature sometimes I think of a be able to share data easily, the Defense combatant commands. “There’s a broad large organization trying to synchronize Department faces unique challenges, willingness and demand” for more data across multiple fronts, multiple services, Saltzman noted. sharing. multiple budget drills, multiple acquisi- “You can’t just say, ‘Hey, if Bank of Spirk said the fruits of those discus- tion projects. … There has to be a level America can move data around … sions and work should be more visible of patience.” globally, why can’t the Department of over the next year. There is a desire to craft common data Defense?’” he said. “It’s just really not too Additionally, he noted that JADC2 standards and common data protocols fair of an analogy when you talk about isn’t limited to just the U.S. military. The as well as ease integration and lower … adversaries, when you talk about dis- Defense Department recently hosted a thresholds so smaller companies can advantaged users that are in very austere call with members of the “Five Eyes” alli- engage with the Defense Department, places without a comm infrastructure to ance — which is made up of the United he noted. support them, relying on [radio frequen- States, the United Kingdom, Australia, “Those things are hard at first, but cy] transmissions and the data through- Canada and New Zealand — where the as you start to lock those into places put that those offer.” concept was discussed. you start to build momentum and can There are also policy considerations “All of them were talking about where go faster,” he said. “That’s what I see in which include getting all the services on they are in the development of their terms of big trending, and now we just board, he said. chief data officer journeys and how got to keep the pressure on.” The Defense Department is already important it would be for that collabora-

photos Dept. Defense But JADC2 is not an easy endeavor, thinking hard about how it can reform tion up front, so that we can set some he noted. Sharing information across its information management policies. To data commandments, and also build ... multiple security layers, harvesting data further its digital modernization effort, some security frameworks,” he said. ND and then turning it into accessible, dis- the Pentagon released a new data strat- — Additional reporting by coverable and transportable information egy in October which laid out numerous Jon Harper and Connie Lee

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 23 Army Gung-Ho on 3D Printing Spare Parts

BY CONNIE LEE Additive manufacturing has come to the forefront of the Army’s attention as the service looks for ways to quickly reproduce parts without needing to continuously rely on industry. In 2019, the service released a new policy directive that outlined its goals to expand its 3D printing processes and established an additive manufacturing products made out of titanium, 98,000 parts for various systems. SCAN center of excellence at Rock Island Arse- steel and aluminum. THIS “The organizations have evalu- nal, Illinois. “Our team here at TACOM IMAGE ated about 31 percent of those Maj. Gen. K. Todd Royar, command- — which provides oversight to and identified 237 CECOM ing general of Army Aviation and Missile the center of excellence — is and 15 DLA parts that could be Command, said on the aviation side, he partnered closely with the Army potential candidates for additive has been using the directive as a baseline Futures Command … to rap- manufacturing,” he said. for the command’s 3D printing efforts idly integrate the capabilities that See 3D Werner noted that Tank- printing and then incorporating additional stan- they’re looking for into our sustain- in action automotive and Armaments dards to ensure that it can meet Federal ment enterprise,” he said. Command has 48,000 items Aviation Administration regulations as Army Futures Command, based in lined up for review. Outside of that, the well. Austin, Texas, is spearheading the ser- command is looking at how to poten- “It really helped us by having that vice’s top modernization priorities. tially use 3D printing for components [directive] because it gave us the One of the Army’s largest additive that may no longer be in production, he groundwork and framework that we manufacturing efforts includes review- noted. TACOM is assigning stock num- are now nested under,” he said during ing weapons systems parts to see which bers to each item so a soldier can easily a media call with reporters in October ones could be recreated with 3D print- order that specific part and have it 3D during the Association of the United ing. For example, Aviation and Missile printed. States Army’s annual meeting, which Command is working with Wichita “Then just like the other commands, was held virtually this year due to the State University and contractor Sikorsky we will have some that actually will COVID-19 pandemic. “We continue to on completely taking apart an entire make it all the way through the process, develop that policy and we’ll continue UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to exam- [while] others will not be viable candi- to do that in conjunction with our ine its individual parts. dates,” he said. industry partners.” “We are currently disassembling it at TACOM has already leveraged the Maj. Gen. Mitchell Kilgo, command- Wichita State University,” Royar said. Army’s additive manufacturing capa- ing general of Army Communications- “They are scanning it, they’re making a bilities to make equipment to support Electronics Command, said CECOM 3D model of it from a [computer-aided U.S. government efforts to address the has taken the directive into account design] file and putting it in a format COVID-19 crisis, Werner noted. by attempting to obtain technical data that we can use.” “We’ve been able to produce a sig- packages for its equipment earlier in the The aircraft is expected to break nificant amount of COVID test swabs acquisition process so it can be prepared down into about 20,000 parts, he noted. and other material that we’ve provided to 3D-print parts if called upon to do so. The service expects to receive the CAD back into our supply chains to support Being able to do that upfront for com- files from the university in coming COVID response,” he said. mand, control, computers, communica- months so it can begin its evaluation. Col. Gavin Gardner, commander of tions, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and Every part “is not necessarily opti- Joint Munitions Command, said his reconnaissance, or C5ISR, equipment mized for advanced or additive manu- group has already determined that it has would “help us to be able to run faster facturing. ... But there’s a process that 77 parts that are good candidates for 3D with the evaluation to actually get to we’ll go through” to examine that, printing. the point where we can provision parts,” he said. “Our intent is to literally go However, the service must take steps he noted. through all of our parts.” to ensure that parts made through addi- Brig. Gen. Darren Werner, command- Other Defense Department organiza- tive manufacturing are reliable and safe. ing general of Army Tank-automotive tions are doing similar work with their Royar said that besides comparing the and Armaments Command, said the technologies. Kilgo noted that Commu- part with its original drawings, manufac- illustration iStock new additive manufacturing center of nications-Electronics Command and the turers must also take into account issues excellence at Rock Island now has 21 Defense Logistics Agency are working such as whether or not the metal has a 3D printers that are able to develop their way through evaluating about coating and the type of alloy used. Addi-

24 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 tionally, products may not always print noted. “This is where I think additive and out uniformly when employing additive Royar said 3D printing may have mass manufacturing are going to come manufacturing on a large scale, he noted. positive training implications as well. For into play,” he said. “If I have that 3D “It’s relatively easy once you have a example, a soldier could practice taking model, I already own the data rights. I 3D model to print something,” Royar apart a 3D model of a weapon system have the means to qualify it. Then we said. “But to ensure that it meets the prior to using the actual weapon system. can go get that whether it’s through the standards — the qualification standards “They can review the procedure, Army or we do it through commercial — that’s hard.” make sure they have everything to do it industry.” Printing parts at a larger scale will [and] they get to practice it before they One challenge the Army faces when require more data protection as well, actually put hands on” it, he said. implementing additive manufactur- Kilgo noted. The service may have to 3D printing is also expected to help ing processes is ensuring that there is take steps such as storing more criti- the service receive repair parts faster some kind of common data standard cal data offline and establishing layered than waiting for replacements to arrive for its files. By establishing a common cyber defenses, he said. Each company from the manufacturer. standard, different commands within that produces parts will need to make “We look at parts that potentially the service would be able to access each sure that the data rights are protected. could be ... remanufactured or improved other’s information when needed, Royar “It’s critical that we treat this data or repaired forward using our … mobile said. maybe more uniquely than some typical welding and shop set that has a five- For aviation, officials are keeping track data,” he said. “Where I get concerned is axle cutter as well as a polymer printer of which file formats are preferred in where we have not prime, but second-, inside the container that can be forward industry to try to ensure that all of their third-party tier vendors … producing deployed,” Werner said. “We’re looking data is as common as possible. In some parts, and that data [is] not necessarily at methods … [where] we can integrate cases, the information in programs can being protected.” the repair of parts as well.” be converted so that they are all in the One benefit of additive manufactur- Royar said the Army’s aviation com- same format, Royar noted. ing is that it is expected to lower the munity faces the problem of finding bid- For example, for the Army’s Future price of producing more costly weap- ders for certain parts that do not have Vertical Lift modernization priority, the ons parts, Werner said. More expensive to be produced on a large scale because service reached out to industry to see products are expected to be prioritized such efforts are not as profitable. After which file format was preferred. so the service no longer needs to keep finding a company willing to make the “They told us, ‘Yep,’ they’re gonna asking the original equipment manufac- product, it can be time consuming to plan to use this type of file,” Royar said. turers to develop them for the Army. go through the manufacturing process, “Then we went back and we’re working “We look at parts that are unnecessar- he noted. 3D printing can be used to through the UH-60L [and] they said, ily expensive because of competition,” bypass that process for situations in ‘Hey, what type of file do you want?’ I he said. In some cases, the prices go up which the Army may only need to man- want the same type of file. I want the because they are in low demand, he ufacture a small number of parts. same file format.’” ND

The C5ISR Center’s Prototype Integration Facility is using additive manufacturing. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command C5ISR Center photo by Daniel Lafontaine Daniel by photo Center C5ISR Command Development Capabilities Combat Army

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 25 In 2021, the Office of Naval Research Pentagon Trying to Manage will be pursuing a next-generation atomic clock that is expected to be more Quantum Science Hype rugged and have 1,000 times better performance than previous systems, he said. The Defense Innovation BY JON HARPER and you can Unit also recently put out a call to Experts say quantum science synchronize your tech companies for new quantum could yield game-changing force better than inertial sensors that could be used capabilities for the U.S. military. The your [enemy] coun- for navigation. Defense Department is faced with the terpart, you have an Meanwhile, researchers are pursuing double challenge of developing the com- inherent competitive advantage,” Assis- quantum computers which some predict plex technology while also managing the tant Secretary of the Navy for Research, will be exponentially faster than digital hype surrounding it. Development and Acquisition James computers. Quantum science is the study of the “Hondo” Geurts said in a Navy video “Quantum computing is the com- smallest particles of matter and energy. touting quantum technology. “We talk pression and subsequent acceleration of Quantum information science builds about massing a force, but decentralizing information, which allows computers to on those principles to obtain and pro- how it operates. That means everybody’s process seemingly infinite possibilities cess information in nontraditional ways, got to show up to the party at the same simultaneously,” according to the Future according to the Congressional Research time.” of Defense Task Force report. Service. In the future, U.S. forces might have However, there are major hurdles The basic element of quantum infor- to operate in GPS-denied environments, associated with the technology. mation systems is known as a qubit. and Pentagon officials are looking for “There’s a ton of excitement in the “The quantum world hosts a rich alternatives to space-enabled navigation. computer science community about variety of physics that could enable “We think that quantum is probably these new computers, and there’s a ton functionality far beyond what traditional the best way to do that,” Mark Lewis, of excitement in academia and industry technologies can achieve,” the National acting deputy undersecretary of defense for building these small prototypes,” Security Agency said in a press release. for research and engineering and director Lopata said. “But one of the key chal- “By probing and manipulating phenom- of defense research and engineering for lenges is understanding how to utilize ena that occur at the single particle scale, modernization, said at the Pacific Opera- them and which computing missions are the emerging field of quantum informa- tional Science and Technology confer- going to be the first ones to take advan- tion science (QIS) aims to create new ence earlier this year. tage of them. forms of computing, sensing and com- Lopata noted that the military relies “It’s not something that is anticipated munications that could revolutionize on high-quality sensors for a variety of to be making a military mission impact how we process and transmit data.” different missions. in the near term,” he added. The congressionally chartered, bipar- “There has been a tremendous In an interview, Bruce Jette, assistant tisan Future of Defense Task Force high- amount of progress shown that quantum secretary of the Army for acquisition, lighted the technology in its final report sensors can improve” those capabilities, technology and logistics, said the military released in September. he said. Research and development is is a long way from having a viable quan- “While still in the nascent stages moving into the prototyping phase and tum computing capability. One reason of development, whoever establishes the military wants to field the new tech for this relates to programming. quantum supremacy will maintain tre- as quickly as possible. “You don’t think of quantum com- mendous strategic capability over their “For the atomic clocks and quantum puting software in the same way you adversaries,” the study said. sensors, to a large extent the challenge is think of software for any other type The technology, one of the Pentagon’s developing the prototyping and manu- of computer,” he said. “You think of it top modernization priorities, could be facturing techniques that are required,” more in terms of quantum mechanics leveraged for a number of military appli- Lopata said. They sometimes need new and a superposition of [quantum] states, cations, said Paul Lopata, principal direc- lasers or the miniaturization of existing … and then how do I skinny it down tor for quantum science in the office lasers; new optical systems; new vacuum through quantum mechanics? So, it is of the undersecretary of defense for systems; or other components. “The real going to take a great deal of … analy- research and engineering, who is coordi- challenge for those technologies is reduc- sis and discovery in the proper way of nating the department’s efforts. ing size and improving the ruggedness applying a quantum computer.” “In the near term, the primary use … in order to field these systems.” Additionally, today’s quantum com- cases have to do with atomic clocks and The Defense Advanced Research puters are immature and their array of quantum sensors,” he said in an inter- Projects Agency has already developed gates make them larger and more cum- view. a chip-scale atomic clock that is smaller bersome than traditional computers, he Super accurate atomic clocks and than a credit card and uses less power noted. quantum-based sensors could aid with than an LED light bulb. It is so accurate “It is logically something to pursue, illustrationiStock precision navigation and timing, which is at time keeping that it would literally but I think to get to where some of the critical for military missions. take about a million years for it to be off people are advertising is going to take “If you can act with more precision by one second, according to Lopata. quite a bit of work and quite a bit of

26 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 time,” Jette said. hosted a “Million Dollar International especially given the rapid growth in the Experts are also eyeing quantum com- Quantum U Tech Accelerator” virtual field,” Lopata said. munications for defensive and offensive event. More than 1,000 experts from Defense Department basic research purposes. They say the capabilities could around the world attended the pitch day funding has been key to building the enable the development of communica- competition for contracts, according to a quantum workforce to where it is today. tion systems and data that can’t be inter- press release. The Pentagon is now working with cepted or decrypted. This type of event is expected to partners within the National Quantum “Likewise, it could be used to decrypt become an annual occurrence. Coordination Office and with academia otherwise secure information at previ- Assistant Secretary of the Air Force and industry to help expand that work- ously unknown speeds,” noted the Future Will Roper encouraged researchers to force, he noted. of Defense Task Force study. “This capa- deliver “spooky effects” that the Pentagon The United States is still ahead of Chi- bility will offer tremendous advantages can employ in “this new battleground of na when it comes to quantum, despite both militarily and in the private sector.” physics.” the hand wringing in some circles, he However, this technology also remains In October, the NSA’s Laboratory for said. immature, government experts say. Physical Sciences and the Army Research “If you look at what our industry has The NSA has been conducting an Office announced the creation of a new done between major companies and assessment of quantum key distribution “Qubit Collaboratory.” small startups … there’s no question that and quantum cryptography. “Despite this potential for tremendous the U.S. is the powerhouse here,” Lopata “While it has great theoretical inter- impact, the qubit, or the basic element said. “If you look at where the best aca- est and has been the subject of many of any quantum information system, still demic work is happening … that has led widely publicized demonstrations, it lags behind in the performance needed to the U.S. lead in this space.” suffers from limitations and implementa- to reach these [U.S. government technol- While many observers are gung-ho tion challenges that make it impractical ogy] goals,” according to a press release. about quantum’s potential, defense offi- for use in [national security systems’] The new collaborator will help “close cials are trying to manage expectations operational networks” in the near term, this gap in performance,” it said. about how quickly the tech will be ready the spy agency said in an October press The initiative also aims to create for military use. release. new workforce programs and training “Paul’s challenge honestly is as much A great deal of basic research needs to opportunities nationwide, and expand dampening the hype of quantum as it be done to understand the fundamental relationships with universities and other is focusing on the things that we think components of quantum communication organizations. are the biggest payoffs,” Lewis said of and its applications, Lopata said. Lopata. Challenges associated with storing Lopata noted that much of the hype single photons and storing quantum surrounds quantum computers and com- information make it “a real daunting munications. problem,” he added. “There has been a lot of folks who … Despite the hurdles, the U.S. govern- are evangelizing without having a deep ment is plowing ahead with a number of understanding,” he noted. “That being quantum initiatives. said, they are certainly part of our road- In August, the White House, National map and we’re going to be focused on Science Foundation and Department them for the long term.” of Energy announced awards worth up Conversely, there isn’t enough atten- to $625 million over five years for five tion surrounding advanced atomic clocks quantum R&D centers, with industry and quantum-based sensors, he said. and academia expected to kick in anoth- “It’s clear that there will be military er $300 million for the effort. benefits there, and I anticipate there will The centers will focus on a range of Members of the IBM quantum team at work be a lot of other benefits for our nation research topics including quantum net- investigating how to control increasingly large for improving those technologies,” he systems of qubits for long enough, and with few working, sensing, computing and materi- enough errors, to run the complex calculations added. als manufacturing, according to a press required by future quantum applications. The Pentagon has not publicly release. released its quantum roadmap. However, The effort builds on the 2018 Nation- Lopata gave a general forecast for when al Quantum Initiative Act, legislation “Our partnerships with academia and he expects new quantum technologies to aimed at boosting nationwide investment industry are critical for our success,” be ready for prime time in the military. and scientific focus on these technolo- Lopata said with regard to the Defense “One always gets in trouble when one gies. Department’s outreach efforts. tries to predict these things,” he said.

Zhou Connie byphoto IBM In addition to the work going on at The need for more quantum expertise “But I would anticipate seeing advance- Defense Department laboratories, the and STEM education has been high- ments in atomic clocks in the next five Pentagon has launched a variety of ini- lighted by observers who worry that the years, quantum sensors likely in the next tiatives to bring industry and academia United States may lose the tech race 10 years, and then the computing and further into the fold. with China. communication aspects safely on the In September, the Air Force and Navy “Workforce is a hot topic right now, other side of 10 years.” ND

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 27 TRAINING & SIMULATION AIR FORCE EMBRACING NEW TECH TO SOLVE PILOT SHORTAGE

BY YASMIN TADJDEH Facing an ongoing pilot shortage, the Air Force has been working to bolster the training of its undergraduate pilots and take advantage of new technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Key to that effort has been the service’s Pilot Training Next initiative, which is how Air Force Education and Training Command is rei- magining how it instructs pilots and includes new technol- ogy that can be tailored for individual students. Nestled under the initiative is Undergradu- ate Pilot Training 2.5. The effort is taking place at both Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, illustrationiStock

28 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 COVER STORY Texas, and Vance Air Force Base, Okla- ogy across the service, she said. in the airplane, they’ve already got that.” homa. UPT 2.5 is meant to adapt and “How do they scale this and at the An iPad can record their work in the assess the effectiveness of some concepts same time … [conduct] student-led simulator and software can provide gleaned from the Pilot Training Next training where we move at the pace of feedback, he noted. Instructors can use program and employ them on a broader the students’ ability to absorb and focus the system to point out the particular scale, said Col. Robert Moschella, 12th on the areas that they need to work on, areas the student needs to work on. Operations Group commander at San and make sure they’re retaining … what UPT 2.5 also allows for students to Antonio-Randolph. they’re being taught versus kind of rote train at their own pace, he noted. “The intent is to transform the pilot memory, which is kind of the way we “When I went to pilot training, if you training enterprise,” he told National did it in the past?” she asked. were … [doing] much better, you got Defense in an email. “UPT 2.5 will take The service is moving forward and shut down because … you got too far proven PTN concepts and adapt them embracing the new technologies that ahead of the rest of the class,” he said. in a scalable model to the pilot training can streamline training, Brown noted. However, now “if you have somebody pipeline.” “I talked to a lieutenant yesterday. that has … got good aptitude, they’re In July, then Chief of Staff of the Air They’ve been in here for two weeks, and able to keep going and not slow them Force Gen. David Goldfein said the ser- they’ve got VR goggles and are basically down, and we can probably get them vice had a shortage of 2,000 pilots out flying around in visual flight reference done a bit faster.” of a needed 25,000. pattern and seeing all of the ground ref- Brown, speaking during the Air Force “We’ve carried that shortage over erences,” he said. “When they finally get Association’s annual conference in Sep- the past couple of years,” he said during an event SCAN hosted by the Brookings THIS Institution. IMAGE Current Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown — who took the helm in See Pilot August — said the service Training is embracing virtual train- Next in ing as it embarks on the UPT action 2.5 effort which should help alleviate the shortage. “Virtual learning is an opportunity to produce pilots in less time by providing student-centered learning with integra- tive, immersive technology,” he told reporters during a media call in August at San Antonio-Randolph. “We antici- pate that we will be able to produce better pilots, not just faster, but better and cheaper, too.” Through the initiative, students receive more formal instruction time, including additional simulator hours, as compared to traditional flight train- ing programs where almost all of the instruction time is gathered in the air flying actual aircraft, he noted. During a visit to the base, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett tried on the same virtual reality goggles that stu- dents use for flight simulators and spoke with those going through the program. She noted that the students were much further ahead in their education than pilots had been in the past. One of the challenges for the Air Force will be scaling UPT 2.5’s technol-

30 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 TRAINING & SIMULATION

tember, noted that the ongoing COV- “This has the potential to create Turasz said the overarching goal is to ID-19 pandemic has helped the service additional capacity in the system,” he improve the way the service executes retain some pilots due to the uncertain- said. “The data is still being evaluated training through focused instructional ty in the commercial aviation industry. to determine if the shorter timeline will methods, a more flexible non-linear syl- However, the service is continuing to influence the pilot shortage.” labus and the adoption of technology to monitor the pilot shortage and address Lt. Col. Ron Knight, 559th Fly- produce high quality pilots in the most it by implementing programs such as ing Training Squadron commander at efficient manner possible. UPT 2.5. San Antonio-Randolph, said UPT 2.5 “UPT 2.5 uses new technology like “We’re taking steps in the right direc- incorporates and synchronizes a cloud- virtual training devices to replicate tion,” he said. based learning experience that includes operational environments,” he said. “It UPT 2.5 completion timelines are immersive technology and new learning focuses on challenging student pilots driven by individual performance, said methods to achieve student proficiency. and leveraging student-based learning to Col. Erick Turasz, 71st Operations “Early access to curriculum and develop skills in a more complex envi- Group commander at Vance Air Force increased student-centered simulator ronment over a shorter period of time.” Base. That means that high performing and instructor interactions are designed Knight noted that immersive technol-

ForceAir photo students can set their own pace, which to enable additional training opportuni- ogy offers students better visualizations allows the Air Force to accelerate them ties for more complex training missions of tasks associated with military flying and get them to the operational Air and/or advanced training competencies,” such as flying in formation, ground ref- Force sooner. he added. erences and emergency procedures. “It offers the opportunity to prac- tice the associated tasks, increasing the cognitive repetitions in a more realistic environment,” he said. Col. Tim Danielson, 71st Flying Train- ing Wing commander at Vance, said the Air Force is researching ways to intro- duce new technologies into its training curriculum. “For example, the combination of virtual augmented devices and trainers, in combination with communications from real air traffic controllers, permits students to get quality training repeti- tions that allows them to make mistakes on the ground with considerable less risk and saves valuable flight time for more challenging training,” he said. Additionally, virtual reality provides students with a more realistic “chair-fly- ing” experience, he said. While VR is not a replacement for live training, it makes such flights more productive and leads to higher quality graduates, he added. Turasz noted that UPT 2.5 rewards difficulty in the training course, which the service anticipates will result in a higher quality of pilot with founda- tional airmanship skills. “Maneuvers are weighted by difficulty, so students will be incentivized to challenge themselves,” he said. The combination of a student-based training curriculum and more challeng- ing training flights means that the Air Student pilots train on a Force is “winging pilots directly out of virtual reality flight sim- ulator as part of the Pilot T-6s rather than waiting after T-1s and Training Next program. T-38s,” he added. “We expect this foundational airman-

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 31 TRAINING & SIMULATION

ship may be able to produce higher- virtual academics.” regards to the whole context of COV- quality pilots in a shorter period of time The Air Force is working closely with ID,” he said. The platform has “more as well as pilots who are better prepared industry on its pilot training effort. one-on-one coaching, live chat forums, to adapt to challenges experienced in CAE recently received a contract and many, many classes.” complex, dynamic and contested envi- from the Defense Innovation Unit in The platform offers students and ronments alongside our joint partners,” support of UPT 2.5 for the installation instructors an adaptive learning environ- he said. and integration of a cloud-based learning ment through artificial intelligence and Vance Air Force Base recently started management system, or LMS, said Phil machine learning, he added. It can track its fifth UPT 2.5 class in T-6s and offi- Perey, director of technology for CAE’s an individual student and assess areas cials have noticed improvements in defense business. that are challenging them. student preparedness by the time they The effort is about integrating com- “The system comes up with a series of reach the flight line, which enables mercial technologies that already exist recommendations that the instructor has instructors to challenge students sooner “that can be brought into the fold and at a glance,” Perey said. in the program, Turasz noted. allow the Air Force to really rethink The instructor can then offer that “With our first class, which has now delivery of pilot training,” he said. particular student remedial training, if all completed their initial solo flights, LMS serves as a hub for students’ necessary, he added. the class averaged reaching the solo data and progression, with trainees and Moving forward, the Air Force is nearly 10 flights sooner than a tradition- instructors able to log into a single loca- already thinking about what UPT 3.0 al class, highlighting the benefits of early tion and see an individual’s entire pro- will entail. technological impacts of accelerating the gression throughout the undergraduate “We seek to build a training system learning curve,” he said. program, Perey said. that continually evolves and adapts to In total, there have been five classes “What we’re doing here is we are tak- meet the needs of our Air Force while under UPT 2.5 with a total of 135 stu- ing the government’s curriculum … and harnessing the latest available technolo- dents at Vance, Turasz said. staging and indexing it through some gy,” said Maj. Gen. Craig Wills, 19th Air The first UPT 2.5 class, which started newer interfaces,” he said. The system Force commander. “As such, 3.0 isn’t the in July, is approaching the mid-point of can “better describe and log how a stu- goal; 3.0 will be one more evolutionary the syllabus with promising results, and dent performed.” step and improvement in our system.” is projected to graduate in late February, It shows how much time a student Lt. Col. Steve Briones, 19th Air Force he said. Vance will soon be exclusively spent on a specific question and what A5 deputy director for innovation and executing the UPT 2.5 syllabus, and their specific proficiency level was, he technology, said the service needs to officials expect 450 students to enter noted. continually strive to incorporate emerg- the pipeline over the course of the year. ing technology into its training programs Twenty-two students are currently where it makes sense. enrolled in UPT 2.5 at San Antonio- “Over the past three years, we have Randolph, and 33 more are awaiting learned a lot about immersive technol- training start dates, Knight said. ogy and cloud services and how they As the Air Force moves forward with fit into flying training,” he said. “Going its new training curriculum, it is adjust- forward we need industry to transform ing to challenges posed by the ongoing right alongside us and include cost effec- COVID-19 pandemic. A large portion of tive digital twin solutions for all of our the academics has transitioned to Zoom, training platforms and crew positions.” Knight said. Briefings are conducted Seamless access to training tools and similar to pilot instructor training with content are valuable to students and mask wearing and social distancing to instructors, he added. the maximum extent possible. A student pilot uses a computer and virtual reality “As we take the next evolutionary goggles to hone his skills. The pandemic has forced the Air step to UPT 3.0 and beyond, we will Force to accelerate transitions to virtual incorporate mobile and extended real- learning environments and think differ- “It’s more than just saying, ‘Oh, I ity across a spectrum of devices,” he ently about how the service conducts passed it and I got 82 percent,’” he said. said. “Additionally, we must leverage training, Danielson said. “No, you spent a lot of time on question AI, machine learning and biometrics to “We found that in some cases in the 12 and you really aced all these other adaptively deliver content and training virtual environment, students felt more questions.” recommendations based on student per- empowered to ask challenging questions, CAE is also delivering a content formance.” using a moderator to bring questions management system for the Air Force’s Industry should be thinking beyond

forward at the appropriate time and curriculum with remote learning capa- the traditional end-to-end training ForceAir photo increasing students’ understanding of bilities. systems and leverage small business to the material,” he said. “The pandemic That’s “very much something that ... develop truly innovative open architec- highlighted the value of our digital and a lot of customers are interested in with ture software solutions, he added. ND

32 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 ARMY USING SIMULATORS FOR ‘SOLDIER CENTRIC’ TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

BY STEW MAGNUSON ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — On a coastal plain at the Army’s East Coast test and evalu­ ation center, researchers at the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Center spent the summer and fall developing upgrades to boost the lethality of tanks and other fighting vehicles. The ATLAS, or Advanced Targeting and Lethality Aided System, program wants to automate target acquisition to make fighting vehicle crews faster and more lethal on the battlefield. But behind two massive testbeds with their cannons fixed downrange on a variety of cutout targets, stood a small tent housing two booths, both of them resembling simulators that have been used in the military to train war­ fighters to operate weapon systems. SCAN About 50 soldiers have cycled through the THIS IMAGE tent over the past few months — not to learn how to drive a tank or find, fix and finish targets — they already knew how to do that

— but to try out the new targeting system and An Army researcher uses a simulator to teach a soldier how to use provide immediate feedback to researchers as See the the experimental Advanced Targeting and Lethality Aided System. ATLAS they develop the technology. in action “We can’t have five, six, seven­year programs where at the conclusion of the effort you haven’t hit the tar­ must then manually select the appropriate ammunition, carry gets that we’re trying to try to hit. There’s a concerted effort out range finding before pulling the trigger, then repeat the … to do more prototyping, but not just at the final system process for each target. level,” said Richard Nabors, acting principal deputy for systems ATLAS is using upgraded sensors, machine learning and and modeling and simulation and associate director for strate­ touchscreens to rapidly improve targeting times. The sensors gic planning at the C5ISR Center. scan the area for vehicles and foot soldiers and can place four He called the idea “soldier centric” development. or five potential targets on the screen for the crewmember to Christopher May, deputy director of the modeling and simu­ choose from. After picking a possible target, the touchscreen lation division at the C5ISR Center, said the simulators are a lists the types of ammunition that might be appropriate. digital representation of the new fire control system the Army It’s still up to the soldier to decide whether or not to pull is looking to possibly integrate in present or future fighting the trigger, developers said. vehicles. A secondary goal of the program is to shorten technology The booths were cobbled together from various off­the­shelf development timelines using the simulators. simulator components. The grips the soldiers use to control After the soldiers do several reps on the simulators, Army the turret and weapons are 3D printed, which allows for rapid psychologists debrief them to find out what they liked and

Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s C5ISR Center C5ISR Command’s Development Capabilities Combat Army changes if operators want to test the system on different plat­ didn’t like about the system and garner their feedback for pos­ forms. sible improvements. “It does give us the ability to swap that out if we wanted to They ask: “What are your general impressions of the system? see how the soldier would interact with a different set of hand How do you see this impacting the way that you currently do grips,” May said. your operations? And then what changes would you make to The simulators collect data on whether the new systems are the system based off of your use of it?” May said. indeed performing as desired. Unlike the real vehicles outside Nabors said using simulators to speed up development and the tent, developers can add “false alarms” and a wider variety gain user feedback earlier in the process is an idea bound to of targets to see how soldiers react. spread in the Army. ATLAS’ goal is to automate the process of finding and fixing “We don’t know how a soldier might use the tech until we targets, while lessening the cognitive load placed on crews. put it in front of them. And historically, we only do that when Searching for targets today has changed little over the past something is over. We need to get things to them much earlier 40 years, researchers noted. Once the soldier spots a target, he in the process,” Nabors said. ND

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 33 Artist’s rendering of two space situational awareness satellites

a warfighting domain, it was seen as Pentagon, Industry Investing a benign environment, and designing a space infrastructure to withstand conflict that would extend up into In Space Force Simulations the region was not heavily prioritized, Backes said in an interview. BY MANDY MAYFIELD warfare, space battle management, “Given that scenario, ... the way that As the Space Force nears the space access and sustainment, said our military operated when they did first anniversary of its creation, Space Force Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, wargaming and those types of things, it the new service is continuing to build director of operations and communica- didn’t really include a lot of space capa- out the framework for training warf- tions. bility,” he said. “Today, obviously, that ighters for a future conflict that could Moving forward, the service is looking has changed significantly.” take place in space. at how it will train students to under- Now, the military and industry are Maj. Gen. John Shaw, commander of stand weapons systems and capabilities looking at how assets are affected by the Combined Force Space Component from the inside out, she said during an threats from the ground and other at U.S. Space Command and deputy interview with the Space Force Associa- spacecraft, he noted. commander of the Space Force’s Space tion this summer. “Those threats could be [radio fre- Operations Command, touted the “We are going to get very detailed quency] communication interference importance of better simulators dur- and very specific in force packag- … either intentional or unintentional, ing the virtual Training and Simulation ing those various tracks and how we or those threats could be kinetic threats Industry Symposium, which was hosted would fight a war that could potentially where two satellites collide, or a satel- by the National Training and Simulation expand into space,” she noted. lite is a kinetic threat vehicle that could Association. NTSA is an affiliate of the As the service better defines these intentionally collide with another space National Defense Industrial Association. tactics, strategies and the positions its asset,” he explained. There are “other “We really don’t have simulators warfighters will fill, that clarity will types of threats as well that could today in which to train our folks,” Shaw drive how training evolves, said Frank impact space systems, so really what said. “We need to develop those and we Backes, senior vice president for federal we’re trying to do now is retrain or need better modeling and simulation space-related business at Kratos Defense train our new Space Force operators to capabilities where we can actually mod- and Security Solutions. understand these threats, understand el a potential conflict and fight, change “They’re still defining a lot of those how to recognize the threat and how to the variables, conduct war games, and components, so we’re starting to see mitigate” them. do this at a scale and scope that we training needs … on a program-by- The company is investing in a Space have not really done ... at this point.” program basis,” he said. “Next genera- Force Mission Trainer concept using Earlier this year, the service created tion, I believe we’re going to start seeing virtual, augmented and mixed reality rendering Force Air career tracks to train its personnel to integrated training requirements across technology that it believes could be specialize in a number of areas includ- the Space Force as a whole.” foundational to the service as it fleshes ing: orbital warfare, space electronic Prior to space being designated as out and defines what its operators will

34 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 TRAINING & SIMULATION

Aerospace, a startup focused on situ- ational awareness, a $1 million Small Business Innovation Research contract to build a training-and-simulation tool. The company received an additional $1 million in funding from ATX Venture Partners, a venture capital firm, to build the capability. Slingshot Aerospace has been tasked with creating the Slingshot Orbital Laboratory, a web application-based platform to teach students and other professionals the fundamentals of space domain awareness, including complex astrodynamics. The aim is to provide a new and engaging way to understand and predict object relations in space and orbital scenarios, according to the company. The first iteration of the tool will allow students “to adjust orbital ele- do, he said. The Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space ments of real or synthetic satellites in Surveillance System tracks thousands of objects Virtual reality, or VR, immerses users in space. a way where they can see the objects, in a computer generated environment, they can toggle on-and-off different such as video gaming. Augmented real- aspects of … the physics associated with ity, or AR, transposes data or other a radio-frequency threat to the com- that satellite” and the orbit that it is in, digitally created images on top of a real- munications infrastructure of the space said Melanie Stricklan, co-founder and world field of view. systems. You would want to be able to chief strategy officer at the company. “It’s not a scripted or textbook kind insert that threat — or a simulated ver- “Additionally, they will be able to of training environment. It’s an environ- sion of that threat — into a live com- explore orbital and satellite parameters ment that really immerses you into the munications environment that would streaming across the interface in real reality of the [situation] … and in many allow the operators to be using their time,” she said in an interview. “The stu- cases allows you to use the actual tools actual systems and see how interference dent can slow down and start up that you would use during a warfighting would impact their ability to do their visualization, and other students can be scenario and train as if you were in a job.” in looking at the same thing from dif- conflict,” he said. The company has the capability to ferent camera angles. So we’re starting The technology is currently being continuously alter its training envi- out from the get-go making it simple to used by the Defense Department to ronment to keep pace with evolving load, simple to use and simple to visual- train KC-46 Pegasus tanker pilots. The threats, he said. “This virtualized and ize from multiple perspectives with the company also created the Marine Com- dynamic approach allows you to keep collaborative capability behind it.” mon Aircrew Trainer that enables ser- changing the way that you’re doing The company is partnering with vicemembers to train on three different training based on what’s happening in visualization studio The Third Floor to platforms. Kratos is taking those training the real world.” build the capability. The Third Floor and simulation engines and applying Kratos currently has contracts with has created virtual reality graphics for that technology to scenarios relevant for the Pentagon that include training for space-related films and shows such as space warfighters, Backes said. space operators. However, they tend to The Martian, Gravity and The Mandalo- “The technology is the same tech- be narrowly focused on particular mis- rian. nology … but now we’re combining sions, he noted. But Backes expects that Slingshot will provide the space that with our other expertise we have trend to change as the service expands domain and data expertise while The in satellite communications and space its readiness efforts. Third Floor will be responsible for the command and control to bring a Space “What we believe will occur over the visualization component. Force-focused capability,” he said. next few years is a focus on the training “We quickly realized that they have The technology will allow warfight- of the entire Space Force,” he said. a very distinct capability to create phys- ers to simulate combating threats in a Meanwhile, the new military branch ics-accurate content that would make

Air Force photo Force Air contested, degraded and operationally has begun making small investments in our product offering even more power- limited space environment. training technology to teach warfighters ful,” Stricklan said. “The team both over Backes described one training scenar- space domain awareness. at The Third Floor and within Slingshot io: “Let’s say you’re trying to simulate In October, it awarded Slingshot shares their creative vision and a shared

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 35 vision for the way that we innovate and engineer around these kind of complex COVID Drives Navy physics-based capabilities.” Although the Space Force contract with Slingshot runs through December Training to Innovate 2021, the company is hoping to deliver the capability before that deadline, BY EDWARD LUNDQUIST “It is imperative that Stricklan said. The first prototype will Restricted movement of per- we continue to provide be optimized for personal computers. sonnel caused by the COV- training to fleet sailors However, the capability is being built ID-19 pandemic is prompting the and waterfront train- with future augmented and virtual real- Navy to take innovative approaches ing to our ships while ity solutions in mind, she said. to providing course instruction. protecting the health The contract is a step in the right At the Naval Leadership and Eth- of our workforce and direction for the service, as it needs ics Center, Newport, Rhode Island, families,” said Stoner. tools such as the Slingshot Orbital Lab- Capt. Harry Marsh, prospective “Therefore, we have oratory to continuously help students executive officer and commanding explored and imple- deepen their understanding of astrody- officer instructor, said training has mented distributed namics, Stricklan said. evolved from rigid curriculum-based, technology into our “Slingshot Orbital Laboratory is one instructor-led classes to facilitated mission-essential train- of the first [organizations] to be able to command-level discussions. ing.” really take things as complex as astro- “We still have instructor guides and Dr. Jeffery Temple, dynamics and make them so that any- training objectives, but there’s less CSCS chief technology one from a PhD to a GED across that rigor in exactly how we present that officer, said COVID- type of spectrum can leverage and learn information. We have more flexibil- related restricted from,” she said. ity,” he said. movement of personnel While the service is beginning to While much of the training relies called for an innovative make investments in these new capa- on the students sharing their own approach to provid- bilities, it will be awhile before new experiences in dealing with various ing course instruction trainees rise high through the ranks, issues related to managing and leading at remote locations. their units, the pandemic has forced Where the center some changes in how training is deliv- used to send instructors to locations ered. However, Marsh said, some of to teach, they became innovative in the instruction actually works better adopting technology to virtually send in a virtual environment. the instructor to the remote class- “We are guiding them to listen, room. think and write their ideas down, Instructors in San Diego taught the because that uses a different part Computer Aided Dead Reckoning of the brain, and then we match Tracer course to students in Yoko- the students in pairs, one-on-one, to suka, Japan, and a Tactical Tomahawk discuss their ideas. In the classroom, Weapons System Engineering course even though it’s a one-on-one discus- was taught from the Naval Air Sta- sion, there are still people around and tion Oceana Dam Neck Annex in other conversations in the classroom,” Virginia, to students at Pearl Harbor, Burt noted. As students coming out Marsh said. Hawaii, utilizing the appropriate clas- of training are put into the follow-on “We can get into issues that people sification teleconferencing capability tracks created for space operators, “it are uncomfortable talking about in and local assets. is going to take 10 years before those large groups, but in a Zoom environ- The center also looked at where individuals are squadron commanders ment, when I put them in a breakout instruction could be recorded and and squadron superintendents both room, it’s just the two people,” he uploaded to Navy secured servers for officer and enlisted,” she said. added. “It allows the students to really viewing by incoming students, Temple They will shape the way the service open up and discuss, and develop said. looks at its tactics, techniques and pro- something that’s a really useful prod- The Defense Collaboration Services cedures, she added. uct.” allows for dial-in teleconferencing and Burt said she wanted the service to Capt. Dave Stoner, command- presentations. This tool is available on Slingshot Aerospace Slingshot continue to leverage training processes ing officer at the Center for Surface both classified and unclassified gov- and procedures from the Air Force and Combat Systems, stressed the impor- ernment networks, he added. move as quickly as possible. ND tance of balancing risk to mission and According to Temple, the major- — Additional reporting by Jon Harper risk to force. ity of newer tools and applications

36 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 TRAINING & SIMULATION

The Center for Information Warfare Training and IWTC Corry Station onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida.

increase the need for more bandwidth was already in the works, but has been seminated without the need for every- and higher fidelity systems. CSCS is stepped up by the pandemic. one to be at one site, he said. working with its Office of the Chief The Center for Surface Combat “We’re looking at how to train the of Naval Operations sponsor and Systems is collaborating with the instructors to teach electronically, which other learning centers and commands Submarine Learning Center to learn many have never experienced. Evalu- to implement the Surface Training more about its Submarine On-Board ation of our curriculum is also being Advanced Virtual Environment to Trainer, Temple said. The surface train- performed with instructional design in develop and integrate training labs, ing community is in the process of mind for how best to train the mate- devices, simulations, networks and train- implementing a similar system based on rial, and how to distribute this training,” ing scheduling systems. technical expert knowledge to produce Temple said. As with all network collaboration, a repository of video snippets designed “The biggest lesson is ‘don’t wait for investments are being made to improve to enhance instruction and elaborate on a pandemic to enact what needs to be the network infrastructure, both classi- difficult maintenance steps in a You- done,’” he added. fied and unclassified. The programs are Tube-like format called TEKTube. Stoner said the Center for Surface being developed to manage, conduct “We want to get this capability Combat Systems has been able to main- and assess local and distributed training. directly to the ships in addition to our tain readiness. The training encompasses laborato- schoolhouses,” Temple said. “By developing new, innovative ways ries, where local and remote instruc- Distributed training — locally and of training, CSCS has graduated more tors teach and assess maintenance and across the nation — was already on the students at this point in the year than

Navy photo by Glenn Sircy Glenn by photo Navy operational personnel in various funda- Navy’s horizon, but was needed much we did in 2019,” he said. “We have mental and complex technical concepts, earlier than the infrastructure could completed 95 percent of our scheduled and integrated combat system and support, Temple said. training and made up the majority of bridge teams conducting basic through Future plans revolve around distribut- the other 5 percent. We must continue advanced tactical scenarios. ed training and how to get instruction, to take measures to limit COVID-19’s Temple said some of the coordination communication and information dis- spread, while also ensuring our sailors

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 37 TRAINING & SIMULATION

are ready to fight and win.” sified training virtually, but has been screen folks before they come in the The Center for Information Warfare successful in using off-site training for door, and there is sanitizer about every Training, meanwhile, “has dedicated a some course work. Tests must also be three feet,” he said. lot of time and energy on the COVID conducted in person, said Cmdr. Jim Marine Corps Lt. Col. Rory Feely, response, tracking metrics and report- Brennan, commanding officer of IWTC commanding officer of the U.S. Naval ing and ensuring that up-echelon has Virginia Beach. Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, the visibility of myriad data of those Cmdr. Josie Moore, commanding Maryland, has two priorities for the U.S. exposed, exhibiting symptoms, in officer at IWTC Monterey in California, Naval Test Pilots School: health and restricted movement, in quarantine, in which is located at the Defense Lan- welfare of the workforce and students isolation; and tracking the numbers of guage Institute, said the COVID impact while executing the mission. students and classes impacted, delays on has been manageable because language The school is a busy squadron, with the back end where we have impacts to training is relatively easy to conduct a lot of different aircraft types and a lot follow-on training, or ultimately train- virtually. of maintenance. ing supporting the fleet,” said Capt. “Almost the very next day after “We didn’t have the depth to have Marc Ratkus, the center’s commanding COVID restrictions were put in place, two teams. I needed everybody’s help officer. the civilian faculty at the Defense Lan- every day. We couldn’t run two shifts According to Cmdr. Zachary guage Institute were able to make the because we didn’t have the supervisory Mc Keehan, commanding officer of the switch to MS Teams and make use of all management with the approvals and Information Warfare Training Command the collaborative tools available on that authorities to do that. We put our arms Corry Station, most of its courses are platform,” Moore said. “Students were around those things we could control, classified, and taught in a sensitive com- able to stay in their rooms and do the such as the behaviors to keep people partmented information facility. interaction with their classmates as well staying healthy,” Feely said. “We were not able to do some of as their teachers, and they also conduct The Warfare Innovation Continuum the creative solutions that some other all of their exams and quizzes online Workshop at the Naval Postgraduate sites may have been able to do with with the teachers’ interaction, as well.” School in Monterey this year held a virtual or offline training. We have to At the Information Warfare Training hybrid in person-virtual event. have instructors in classrooms with the Command San Diego, commanding According to Professor Jeff Kline, the students to conduct training, so we have officer Cmdr. Tim Raymie said he had WIC workshop brings together a mix to posture the command to of faculty and students with the highest state of COVID the field, fleet, academia and safety conducting our day- industry. to-day mission of training,” “I was pleasantly surprised he said. at how well 157 people were In the first few months able to work together on of COVID, IWTC Corry Microsoft Teams and Sakai,” Station’s throughput stayed said Professor Lyla Englehorn. at a high level. “We aver- “We were able to include a age about 2,000 students greater breadth of participants on base here at Corry around the world this year. The Station on any day of the technology allowed us to do week, and we have basically that. We had students partici- maintained that,” said McK- pating remotely from Singa- eehan. pore and Romania, and a U.S. The command was suc- Marine Corps officer who is cessful in limiting the on an exchange program at the spread of the disease while Colombian Naval Academy.” An instructor and student prepare for a T-38C maintaining throughput numbers out to training flight. Even if COVID-19 restrictions the fleet, he added. are removed next year, Englehorn “We learned from a couple very said the school is thinking of hosting minor outbreaks here, and were able to initially drop scheduling down to hybrid events using these online tools to insulate and isolate the students about 50 percent because there was a to include a greater audience in the that were affected. In fact, we were limited amount of cleaning supplies and unclassified realm, and then maintain

able to work down some of our ‘await- masks in the supply system. the classified work, as well, to include Lagasse Paul by photo Navy ing instruction’ students who, for one “We have been focusing on telework- many more people working on these reason or another, were waiting for the ing, alternating schedules, minimizing problems. next course to ‘class-up,’” he said. exposure to the threat vectors that are “We’re not looking at the ‘new nor- The center’s Virginia Beach location out there. We’re back up to 100 per- mal,’” Englehorn said, “but the ‘new at Dam Neck also can’t conduct clas- cent. Everyone is wearing masks. We next.’” ND

38 NATIONAL DEFENSE • D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 The Air Force’s 624th Operations Center conducts cyber operations.

seen from [U.S. Cyber Command] is Working from Home Sharpens that the transition, because of COVID, increased the utilization of the system,” Hemingway said. “We’re starting to see Focus on Cyber Training that transition occur across all of the ser- vices in order to maintain cyber readi- BY CONNIE LEE encouraged to continue looking at ways ness across the force.” The COVID-19 pandemic it can operate remotely and continue The effort will be advanced with has forced the military to put to recruit new servicemembers who are Cyber TRIDENT, or Training Readi- a renewed emphasis on cyber training proficient in cyber activities, he noted. ness Integration Delivery and Enterprise as servicemembers increase their use of “If we can be in a situation where we Technology, which is a contract vehicle teleworking. can leverage talent anywhere inside the that will refine the integration factory The expansion of remote work has United States and allow them to work processes for the training platform, raised concerns about cybersecurity vul- within an enterprise that is both secure, according to the service. The Army plans nerabilities. but also reliable and fast and functioning to pick award winners in the fourth “It has shined a light on it,” said Dani … then I think that’s an advancement quarter of fiscal year 2021. Charles, a fellow with the New America that really lends itself to a much more “Cyber TRIDENT … is an estimated think tank’s cybersecurity initiative. New agile force,” Charles said. $957 million contract that we are put- “edge devices” that are outside of the The Army has seen an increase in its ting together to support [Cybercom] Defense Department enterprise or that use of its persistent cyber training envi- and the cyber mission force in delivering are connecting back into the enterprise ronment training platform, which tran- a cyber training platform,” he said. are also increasing cyber vulnerabilities, sitioned from prototyping to production The persistent cyber training envi- he noted. in March 2020, Col. Corey Hemingway, ronment was in the prototype phase The trend is prompting the services to project manager for cyber test and train- with several vendors, and a request for develop new cybersecurity technologies, ing, said in a recent interview. There proposals under Cyber TRIDENT was he said. were previously three major prototype released in June. Hemingway said the Air Force photo by William Belcher William by photo Force Air “It’s forcing ... the military to really releases, then two versions were released contract period of performance will accelerate focuses on technology and in the production phase. It is intended be eight years and the service has yet push forward a number of things that to help connect users from all of the to decide how many contracts will be otherwise might have been delayed for services and NATO to work on both awarded. traditional contracting reasons,” Charles defensive and offensive capabilities. The “The capability is providing new said. Army kicked off the effort in 2018. insights into a collaborative environment Hopefully the military will also be “One of the major things that we’ve supporting the cyber mission force,” he

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 39 TRAINING & SIMULATION

said. “Now we have the ability to see there,” he said during the Association of cybersecurity courses. Since June, more ourselves and be able to maneuver in the United States Army’s annual meet- than 3,500 Air Force and Space Force cyberspace in ways that we haven’t been ing in October, which was held virtu- professionals have completed over 6,000 able to do before.” ally this year due to the COVID-19 hours of training in areas such as cyber Graham Fleener, product lead for the pandemic. “First, the enemy continues operations, machine learning, software persistent cyber training environment to evolve their tactics and the ways they development and data science, he noted. in the Army, said the first version of the try to get around our defenses. But also, “Right now Digital U is a top focus product was a core portal which gave technology evolves … and the technolo- area for cybersecurity initiatives,” he users the ability to plan, execute and gies that will be leveraged by the enemy said. “Digital U is our digital transfor- assess cyber training events. The second as well.” mation effort and really gets after how version includes improvements such as It is also difficult to recruit people we train, assess and certify digital skills” an enhanced workflow and master cal- for the cyber industry, said Ryan Bagby, within the Air Force. endar and scheduler. the company’s director of cybersecurity The switch to widespread remote The platform is giving the services academy, cybersecurity, training and ser- work and use of commercial commu- and military commands the ability to vices. A Raytheon case study found that nications systems has also changed the procure, develop and share content at a it is very challenging to find qualified focus of the service’s cybersecurity train- faster pace than before, he said. individuals to fill these roles. Because of ing, he noted. The product has transitioned out of this, the company has focused on train- “Greater emphasis is being placed the prototype phase, Hemingway noted. ing its current employees in cybersecu- on cybersecurity topics applicable to “We’ve got over 4,000 users that are rity, he noted. both government and personally owned on the platform that have used this capa- “The global cyber talent gap that IT systems and capabilities, through bility,” he said. “We have already been in we’re seeing in the projections next year multiple message channels such as the development of nearly ... 144 terabytes [is] expected to be 3 million — that’s AF Portal and social media in addition of training content. That means all of the how many employees are going to be to the standard command channels services are developing and adding con- needed in this field that aren’t available for information distribution like email tent that can be utilized for their training right now because there aren’t enough notices to airmen on cybersecurity top- events across the board.” people to do those roles,” he said. ics,” Lancaster said. Charles said the interoperability of the Additionally, the military will likely The service is using its nascent 16th persistent cyber training environment is continue to compete with private Air Force group to glean lessons learned one of its most important features. The industry for cyber talent, Charles noted. about the cyber environment, he noted. platform’s ability to easily connect with Some steps the services are taking to Last year, the service created the new other users allows servicemembers to combat this challenge include putting information warfare group to focus on share and analyze data in real time. more focus on its reserve forces, which such capabilities that combines cyber, “Traditionally, the way systems have may have people who already possess global intelligence, surveillance, recon- been designed have not been for that the necessary technical skills. naissance, electronic warfare and infor- interoperability,” he said. “And that’s On the civilian side of its cyber mation operations. Under Air Combat workforce, the Air Force’s retention Command, the organization was activat- rate has been steady, service spokes- ed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, person Capt. Clay Lancaster said in an Texas, in October 2019, and became emailed statement. Over the last seven fully operational in July of this year. fiscal years, information technology “They are at the ‘front lines’ to see and management losses had an average what the latest cybersecurity threats are retention rate of 91.2 percent, he noted. and how they are evolving,” Lancaster Generally, retention of the Air Force’s said. “These valuable insights can be uniformed cyber personnel has been turned into lessons learned and train- sufficient, though this varies with pay ing opportunities for airmen across the grades. force.” fundamentally what has to change. “Recruitment remains a challenge giv- Training is expected to remain on the ... Going forward, when acquisition en competition with the private sector forefront of the Air Force’s mind, with [officials] look at bringing new systems and the high demand for cybersecurity cybersecurity training being a top prior- online, interoperability has to be among professionals,” he said. “Greater use of ity. the top considerations.” hiring incentives and other compensa- “The Department of the Air Force has Don Bray, Raytheon’s director of tion flexibilities will facilitate continued realized that if we fail to aggressively cyber initiatives in the company’s global progress toward higher retention across expand our digital talent, we will be

training and logistics division, said one of all cybersecurity disciplines.” faced with an insurmountable knowl- illustrationiStock the biggest challenges of cyber training One of the Air Force’s top efforts to edge gap compared to our peer adver- is that the domain is always evolving. train its cyber personnel is the Digital saries — particularly with cybersecurity “There’s really two perspectives University, which provides 33 different training,” he said. ND

40 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 Ethics Corner BY ADAM A. BARTOLANZO AND JOHN W. CHIERICHELLA

Contractors Face Tougher Ethical Standards n When private actors seek public funds, the need to protect What about the government’s watchdog, the Government government accounts from fraud, waste and abuse compels Accountability Office? The comptroller general is authorized them to act with scrupulous regard to the requirements of the to investigate all matters related to the receipt, disbursement law. and use of public money. But in terms of enforcement, GAO is As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. put it, “Men must turn limited in its power to making recommendations to Congress, square corners when they deal with the government.” meaning it can do no more than tattle on agencies for misap- But protection of the public treasury is not just the citi- propriating funds. zenry’s responsibility. The government also is expected to act An example of how toothless this approach is can be seen with high ethical standards in its use of public funds. As Justice in a recent GAO decision (B-329446) involving the Office Robert H. Jackson retorted years later, “There is no reason why of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. Instead of depositing the square corners should constitute a one-way street.” money obtained from the sale of government-owned cattle Yet, while private actors who misuse public funds are into the Treasury, the relocation office used the money to severely punished, when government agencies similarly abuse offset the costs of a ranch it operated. GAO determined this the public treasury, they escape relatively unscathed. Perhaps use of money due the government for its own programmatic nowhere is this dichotomy more felt than in the field of gov- purposes violated the Miscellaneous Receipts Act — in other ernment contracts. Government contractors incur hefty mon- words, the office misappropriated public funds. Yet, GAO etary liabilities and suffer other severe forms of punishment if could do no more than report the violation to Congress, and they err in accounting for what they charge the government. recommend that it pay back the money or, if it cannot, report In contrast, government agencies may be careless with appro- a violation of the Antideficiency Act. priations, or even intentionally misapply funds to suit their This was not an isolated incident. A few months before, programmatic needs, with relative impunity. GAO issued another decision (B-331888) finding Customs Consider the myriad laws imposing harsh penalties on con- and Border Protection to have misappropriated public funds tractors for erroneous billings submitted to the government. when it obligated line item appropriations for goods and ser- As contractors well know, submitting defective certified cost or vices for which the line items were not available. pricing data can lead to treble damages under the False Claims Act if the government establishes not intentional or willful “It is clear the government treats itself misconduct, but “reckless disregard” or “deliberate ignorance” on the part of the contractor. differently than its contractors when Then there are the Cost Principles and Cost Accounting caught misusing public funds.” Standards, mandating contractors to charge only “allowable” and “allocable” costs — terms the government possesses sole When contractors shift costs inappropriately between line authority to define and seemingly to redefine on a case-by-case items, there is hell to pay. But when CBP did it, it received the basis. same GAO recommendation, which was a slap on the wrist. Again, the monetary risk to contractors for failing to abide It is clear the government treats itself differently than its by these requirements is severe. contractors when caught misusing public funds. One option to But monetary damages and penalties are just the tip of the level the playing field would be to defund noncompliant agen- iceberg of consequences for contractors. The government may cies. However, that would needlessly punish public programs cancel a contract, and need not pay for any work done, if it and the contractors that help run them. finds the contract was tainted by a conflict of interest. Likewise, Perhaps this is a problem without a solution then. But inaccurate payment requests may be grounds for default termi- maybe — just maybe — Congress should reexamine its harsh nation or claim forfeiture. There is also the omnipresent threat treatment of contractors and refrain from imposing punish- of suspension and debarment — death knells in the govern- ments it does not impose upon government agencies. ment contracting world. Last, but certainly not least, contrac- Maybe — just maybe — the solution to the double standard tors may be charged with a crime under the False Claims Act. is in adjusting the standard applied to contractors by requiring Now consider the laws designed to keep the government willful misconduct as a condition of the treble damages that honest in its monetary dealings. It is obligated to conduct its hang like the Sword of Damocles over the head of every False business “above reproach,” to quote Federal Acquisition Regu- Claims Act defendant. ND lation 3.101-1. What happens, however, when the govern- ment’s conduct falls short of this standard? There are criminal John W. Chierichella is a partner and Adam A. Bartolanzo is an associ- statutes sanctioning misuse of public funds by individual gov- ate resident in the Washington, D.C. office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter ernment personnel, and procedures for removing bad eggs. But & Hampton LLP, and are members of the firm’s government contracts, these measures punish individuals, not institutions. They do investigations and international trade practice group and aerospace not serve as a deterrent against the misuse of public funds at and defense industry team. They can be reached, respectively, at jchi- the agency level. [email protected] and [email protected].

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 41 Government Contracting Insights BY RYAN BURNETTE, SUSAN CASSIDY AND DARBY ROURICK

Parsing the Meaning of Performance Risk Scores

n On Sept. 29, the Defense Department released an interim It would also collect historical pricing data from govern- rule on addressing its increased requirements for assessing ment sources and apply a common statistical method to whether contractors are compliant with the 110 security con- calculate the average price paid for a product or services, trols in National Institute of Standards and Technology Special generating a price range that contracting officers can use in Publication 800-171. Contractors could be affected by how the evaluation of fair and reasonable pricing to determine the Pentagon uses the assessment scores to evaluate supplier whether a price is high, low or “within range.” performance risks. Additionally, the system would calculate a supplier risk Under this new interim rule, which was set to go into effect score for contracting officers to compare competing suppliers. Nov. 30, offerors must have a current assessment on file with This score includes three years of relevant supplier perfor- the department to document their compliance before they mance information from existing government data sources. can be eligible to be considered for award. It requires contrac- It is possible that the NIST 800-171 assessment scores tors to ensure that a summary score from an assessment con- could factor into the calculated risk analyses that are gener- ducted under the NIST 800-171 methodology is submitted ated by SPRS, but how much of a factor they will be remains into a Defense Department enterprise application called the unclear. Supplier Performance Risk System, or SPRS. Another uncertainty relates to the new Federal Acquisition The department has recently taken two little-noticed Security Council. actions that may provide some insight into how it plans to use On Sept. 1, the Office of Management and Budget issued the assessment scores. an interim final rule implementing the Federal Acquisition First, a few months before the interim rule was published, Supply Chain Security Act. This rule authorizes the executive the department added a number of entries to its Frequently branch to issue exclusion and removal orders for products and Asked Questions relating to contractor cybersecurity require- sources that it determines represent a security risk. ments. The updated FAQs noted that scores under the assess- The new Federal Acquisition Security Council, also known ment methodology were intended to be used to support as FASC, will be charged with the evaluation process. The “basic,” “medium” and “high” NIST 800-171 assessments and review process can be triggered from a referral of the council to provide “an objective assessment of a contractor’s NIST or any member of the council; upon the written request of 800-171 implementation status.” any U.S. government body; or based on information submitted The department also clarified that it does not plan to estab- to the council by any individual or non-federal entity that the council determines to be credible. “The system would calculate a supplier Presumably information in the SPRS could provide a basis for a review. Indeed, the rule mandates that “Executive agen- risk score for contracting officers to cies must expeditiously submit supply chain risk information to the [FASC’s Information Sharing Agency] … when… [an] compare competing suppliers.” executive agency has determined there is a reasonable basis to conclude a substantial supply chain risk associated with a lish a passing score threshold that contractors need to achieve source, covered procurement, or covered article exists.” in order to secure contracts. Rather, it indicated with respect However, the precise interaction between the Federal to NIST 800-171 assessment scores that “this is essentially a Acquisition Security Council and SPRS remains unclear. risk decision,” and that “[a] decision to accept the risk should Although there are numerous clues as to how SPRS may remain with the Requiring Activity.” impact future procurements, much remains to be clari- Second, a proposed rule published Aug. 31 expands SPRS fied. Supply chain issues are clearly top of mind for the gov- from its current limited use in simplified acquisitions to a ernment, and oversight of these risks is tightening in response required evaluation factor for all solicitations for supplies and to the evolving threat. services, including those for commercial items. It also amends Further, the type of risk data that SPRS is compiling, as the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement by well as the generated risk assessments that it creates, indicate requiring contracting officers to use the supplier risk assess- that the Defense Department is increasingly focused on col- ments generated in SPRS as a factor in determining responsi- lecting and using data to make decisions about its supply bility at DFARS 209.105–1 to “reduce supply chain risk.” chain. Accordingly, contractors should continue to follow the Under the proposed rule, SPRS would generate three types development of the SPRS interim rule and the actions of the of risk assessments using evaluation criteria: item risk, price Federal Acquisition Security Council to ensure that they are risk and supplier risk. aware of all of the information that the government may use The system would collect data to generate the probability to make a procurement decision. ND that a product or service, based on intended use, will intro- duce counterfeit or nonconforming material entering the Pen- Susan Cassidy is a partner, and Ryan Burnette and Darby Rourick are tagon’s supply chain. associates at Covington & Burling LLP.

42 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 News

SO/LIC Division Presents Rylander, DeProspero Awards

n The National Defense Industrial Association’s was bestowed to Ramón “CZ” Colón-López, Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Divi- senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint sion recently bestowed a number of its top awards Chiefs of Staff. The DeProspero award recognizes to honorees during its Virtual SO/LIC Conference sustained, distinguished service and is presented in October. annually to an individual who has made distinctive The R. Lynn Rylander Award, the division’s lifetime contributions with significant impact in highest honor, was given to Assistant Secretary of special operations, low-intensity conflict, or irregular the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisi- Geurts warfare. tion James “Hondo” Geurts. The Rylander award is The award is named for Col. Albert A. DePro- presented annually to an individual who has made spero, a retired Army Special Forces Colonel who distinctive contributions in the realm of special op- was a founding member of the SO/LIC Division, a erations, low-intensity conflict, or irregular warfare. former chairman of the SO/LIC Executive Board, The award is named for R. Lynn Rylander, a and a lifelong supporter of and advocate for the SO/ Defense Department civilian who was a founding LIC community. member of the organization that is now the SO/ The awards were originally slated to be given out LIC Division. in April but were postponed because of the ongoing Colón-López The DeProspero Lifetime Achievement Award COVID-19 crisis. ND

New Members Join Association’s Board of Directors

n The National Defense Industrial As- and maintaining a robust defense indus- sociation is pleased to welcome 16 new trial base.” members to its board of directors. The New board members include: Angela cadre joined the board Oct. 1 and will Ambrose, General Motors Defense LLC; serve a six-year term. Valerie Baldwin, Leidos; Jeffrey Bohling,

Defense Dept. photos, iStock illustration iStock photos, Dept. Defense “We are grateful that these talented, Perspecta; John Chadbourne, AM Gen- Aerospace; Brett Lambert, The Dens- seasoned professionals will share their eral; Paul DellaNeve, Moog Inc.; Paula more Group LLC; William LaPlante, time with NDIA,” said Hawk Carlisle, Edwards, Lexair Electronics Sales Corp.; Draper Laboratory Inc.; Leigh Madden, president and CEO of the association. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Richard Formica, Epirus Inc.; Kevin Mortensen, BAE “Having such a deep knowledge bank Calibre Systems Inc.; Retired Army Lt. Systems Inc.; Mara Motherway, Booz helps us ensure our mission will sustain Gen. David Halverson, Cypress Inter- Allen Hamilton; and Michael Niggel, and be successful while providing the national Inc.; Gretchen Larsen Idsinga, Advanced Concepts and Technologies best in capabilities to our warfighters Avineon Inc.; Paul Kohlmeier, GKN International LLC. ND

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DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 43 CALENDAR

JANUARY 1-3 2021 Tactical Wheeled We look forward to Vehicles Conference bringing together 12 Virtual January 2021 NDIA.org/TWV21 leaders in government, Procurement Division Meeting industry, and academia Virtual meeting 2021 Human Systems again to solve the most NDIA.org/ProcureJan 2-30 Digital Experience challenging issues in Virtual conference national security. FEBRUARY NDIA.org/HSDE To keep our community engaged, NDIA meetings, 2-3 2021 Virtual Expeditionary Warfare 8-11 2021 Pacific Operational conferences and events are Conference Science & Technology (POST) currently held virtually. Virtual conference Conference Visit NDIA.org/Coro- NDIA.org/VirtualEWC Virtual conference navirus for event status NDIA.org updates. MARCH

Christine M. Klein NDIA National Security AI Senior Vice President, Conference & Exhibition Virtual conference Meetings, Divisions & FOR THE LATEST NDIA CALENDAR: NDIA.org/NSAICE Partnerships NDIA.ORG/EVENTS

2021 VIRTUAL EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE CONFERENCE Register Today This virtual conference offers the year’s premier opportunity to identify, study, and work to resolve the expeditionary warfare and force protection issues in the littoral regions of the world that affect the strength of our national defense and armed services. Through two days of virtual sessions as well as a digital exhibit hall, participants will dive deep into distributed maritime and expeditionary operations in a peer-contested environment. This is your chance to explore the operations and acquisition processes that support the expeditionary warfare community.

February 2 – 3 | NDIA.org/VirtualEWC

44 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020

NDIA NATIONAL SECURITY AI CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Register Today This will be the premier event on innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) for national security. Focusing on topic areas such as the competition continuum, AI solutions, federal AI initiatives, and real-world AI technology. Attending this event includes unparalleled access to key information and members of the AI community. Join us in leveraging the pace of AI development and deployment to strengthen the safety and security of the United States and our allies.

DecemberMarch 20207 – 9 | NDIA.org/NSAICE NDIA NATIONAL SECURITY AI CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

Register Today This will be the premier event on innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) for national security. Focusing on topic areas such as the competition continuum, AI solutions, federal AI initiatives, and real-world AI technology. Attending this event includes unparalleled access to key information AN ONLINE COMMUNITYand membersFOR of the AI community. Join us in leveraging the pace of AI development and DEFENSE PROFESSIONALSdeployment to strengthen the safety and security of the United States and our allies. NDIA Connect is a member-only benefit that’s bustling with information, conversation, andDecember activity 7 – 9 | NDIA.org/NSAICE stimulated by defense professionals from industry, government, and academia. Log in today to explore the platform’s various functionalities and contribute to our collective mission in support of the warfighter. From anywhere and at any time, use NDIA Connect to network with colleagues, collaborate on projects, and stay connected.

Connect.NDIA.org

46 NATIONAL DEFENSE • DECEMBER 2020 NDIA KEEPS YOU INFORMED ON THE LATEST INDUSTRIAL BASE NEWS RELATED TO COVID-19:

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION • POLICY ACTIONS AND MEMOS • RESOURCES AND DOCUMENTS • EVENT UPDATES

NDIA.ORG/CORONAVIRUS

DECEMBER 2020 • NATIONAL DEFENSE 47 Next Month

Vital Signs COVID-19 and the Defense Industry ■ The National Defense Industrial Association produces its ■ Contractors have had to make major changes to how they second annual Vital Signs report, which will take a detailed operate during the pandemic. National Defense looks at how look at the health of the defense industrial base. they are faring as the nation continues to battle the virus.

Industry Consolidation Cyber Espionage ■ The number of companies in the defense industrial base has ■ Government officials have long been warning that adversari- declined significantly since the end of the Cold War. Is further al nations, such as China, are attempting to siphon the defense consolidation on the horizon, and is there anything the Penta- industrial base’s intellectual property. National Defense exam- gon can do about it? ines the identity of these attackers, what they are most inter- ested in stealing and how the DIB can better protect itself. Contracting Trends ■ The Defense Department’s use of other transaction author- 5G ity agreements for rapid prototyping has skyrocketed in recent ■ The Pentagon is ramping up testing of 5G — the fifth gen- years. Meanwhile, spending on Small Business Innovation eration of wireless networks that is expected to be lightning Research programs and grants has been flat, a new NDIA fast and offer enhanced communication capabilities — and is study has found. establishing test bed and experimentation activities across the country. What will 5G mean for the military?

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