Cybersecurity firms have pioneered the use of artificial intelligence in their products, but the latest generation of AI technology offers hope that a greater share of the work to secure computer systems could be automated. A new competition at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency aims to jump start efforts to build open source AI tools to find and fix vulnerabilities. Program Manager Perri Adams leads that effort and recently caught up with my colleague Elias Grolls on the CyberScoop Safe Mode podcast to discuss how to encourage developers to build tools that anyone might use to secure computer systems. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Last month, FedScoop hosted its annual FedTalks in Washington D.C. In its 14th year, the event is the largest annual gathering of C-level executives, leaders and innovators from the government and tech community. Leslie Beavers, principal deputy CIO for the Department of Defense, delivered the closing keynote at the event and showcased the work the Pentagon is doing in cybersecurity, digital transformation and modernization. Listen now to Beavers’ closing FedTalk. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Building out edge compute capabilities for DOD tactical operations by The DefenseScoop Podcast

The Special Competitive Studies Project, which has continued the work of the now dissolved National Security Commission on AI, issued its latest report this week on generative AI and its impact on the global competitive landscape. That report states, among other things, that recent advancements in AI come as transformations in geopolitical structuring resemble that of the days leading up to World War I. And because of that, “This moment provides the United States government with a unique opportunity to lead with conviction as humanity enters a new era.“ Ylli Buy-Rak-Tari is the CEO and President of the Special Competitive Studies Project, and he joins me now to discuss the major takeaways from SCSP’s new report and the stakes at play for the U.S. as it looks to embrace AI for defense, national security and more.

Climate change and defense – two topics that you don’t often think about together. But in recent years, the Defense Department has made sustainability, climate and energy resiliency top priorities related to national security. And it makes sense – not only is the DOD one of the largest energy consumers in the world, but in the digital age, emerging threats put the department’s access to energy at risk in novel and new ways. Joining me to discuss the DOD’s focus on the climate and energy, how innovative technology plays a role in that and what’s coming next is Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installation and environment.

The Government Accountability Office is highlighting 37 areas across the federal government on its most recent High Risk List. The Department of Defense’s approach to business transformation and business systems modernization were among high risk areas. Vijay D’Souza, director of information technology and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office, discusses how the DOD can work to improve their business systems modernization. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available twice a month. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is launching a dynamic engagement effort to reimagine the future of artificial intelligence for national security. DARPA will use AI Forward to collaborate with and help shape future research paths for the community of experts now working to make trustworthy AI a near-term reality. DefenseScoop reporter Brandi Vincent recently spoke with Dr. Matt Turek, deputy director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office, about the future of technologies like Chat GPT and the potential impact it will have on national security. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available twice a month. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

The Navy is looking to add vendors to add to its roster of contractors for a $982 million contract for unmanned vehicles. The Department of Defense released its new zero trust strategy and roadmap last week. Steve Stone, head of Zero Labs at Rubrik, Inc. and former senior analyst for cyber threats at U.S. Transportation Command's Cyber Intelligence Branch, discusses best practices for implementing the strategy across the military. The Defense Business Board at the Pentagon is studying a number of issues that relate to the way that companies do business with DOD. Stan Soloway, president and CEO of Celero Strategies LLC, former deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition reform and a recent addition to the Defense Business Board, explains what the landscape looks like for companies trying to do business with the Pentagon. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

DARPA is calling for artificial intelligence “reinforcements” to bolster the military’s air combat capabilities. The Department of Defense is reevaluating irregular warfare and information operations. The Department of Defense says it’s made progress toward a clean opinion in its release of the results of the 2022 audit this week. Those results came from a DOD Inspector General’s office that hasn’t had a confirmed leader in six years. Glenn Fine, nonresident fellow in the governance studies program at The Brookings Institution and former acting inspector general at the Department of Defense, discusses the state of the IG community at the Pentagon. The Department of Defense has released its new Zero Trust Strategy and Roadmap. Hear David McKeown, acting principal deputy chief information officer at the Department of Defense, and Randy Resnick, DOD’s Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office chief, discuss the new strategy at a press conference held Tuesday. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

The Department of Defense is moving towards the pinnacle of its data convergence. The department’s new missile defense review also includes a new focus on kamikaze drones. December will mark the six-month anniversary of the full operational capability for the Office of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office at the Pentagon. At CyberTalks, Katie Savage, deputy CDAO for digital services, explains the three ways the digital landscape of DOD has changed. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

The Army is planning to transition two artificial intelligence algorithms through its technology “Gateway” effort. The Office of the Secretary of Defense now has its own CIO and a new directorate to modernize IT functions. The Air Force’s new Climate Action Plan completes the triad of plans for the military departments. The Army and Navy published their plans earlier in 2022. John Conger, senior advisor for the Council on Strategic Risks and former acting assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, discusses the differences and similarities among the plans from the services. The Department of Defense has opportunities to strengthen processes for administrative investigations and training, according to the Government Accountability Office. Kristen Kociolek, director of financial management and assurance at GAO, explains the recommendations her team made. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

Cybersecurity is one of the Defense Intelligence Agency’s top mission priorities according to its director. In an interview with Scoop News Group’s Wyatt Kash, DIA Chief Technology Officer Ramesh Menon explains the scope of the cybersecurity duties at his organization. The Space Force will soon have a new chief of space operations. Current CSO Gen John “Jay” Raymond will retire after 38 years of service. Gen. Raymond tells DefenseScoop reporter Brandi Vincent about his experience as chief of space operations. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. Listen more here. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

The Department of Defense is about to begin year four of its full audit. The department has more than 400 IT systems that have a piece of the department’s financial management system. Chris Radich, vice president of solution engineering for public sector at Celonis, discusses the biggest issues the Pentagon faces in getting to a clean audit. This interview is underwritten by Celonis. The cloud is a crucial part of the Army’s future fight, according to its chief information officer Raj Iyer. Paul Puckett, director of the Enterprise Cloud Management Agency at the U.S. Army, tells DefenseScoop’s Jon Harper why the Army is going all-in on the cloud. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, a highlight from Department of Defense Chief Information Officer John Sherman’s keynote address at FedTalks last week. Sherman highlights the progress the Pentagon has made on its zero-trust journey and how his organization’s people are the drivers for that transformation. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, military branch leaders see potential problems with how the Department of Defense is coordinating work on Joint All-Domain Command and Control. Janice Haith, strategic client director for Department of the Navy at Oracle and former deputy chief information officer of the Navy, discusses what the coordination should be across DOD to continue the momentum towards JADC2. Maj. Gen. Kim Crider (USAF, ret.), former chief technology and innovation officer for the Space Force, explains the issues DOD leaders are facing in implementing JADC2 and leveraging the data assets that are available. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week. Listen more here. If you want to hear more of the latest from the Department of Defense, subscribe to The DefenseScoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. And if you like what you hear, please let us know in the comments.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, Navy will soon re-award its aerial jammer contract and some details about the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the National Defense Authorization Act. Tara Murphy Dougherty, CEO at Govini and former chief of staff for global strategic affairs in the Office of the Security of Defense, discusses where the federal government is spending its money on critical technologies for national security. Part two of Director of the Defense Innovation Unit Michael Brown’s conversation with DefenseScoop Reporter Brandi Vincent. Brown discusses his tenure at DIU and what to expect during his final weeks with the unit. You can listen to the first part of the discussion on last week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, the Defense Department is reviewing results from the Hack U.S. program that ended Monday. Rear Adm. Danelle Barrett (USN, ret.), former deputy chief information officer of the Navy and former director of current operations at U.S. Cyber Command, explains what organizations can learn about their cybersecurity posture from bug-bounty programs like Hack U.S. Director of DOD's Vulnerability Disclosure Program in the DOD Cyber Crime Center Melissa Vice tells FedScoop’s Billy Mitchell how the program is the first of its kind and what the Pentagon hopes to learn from the bug bounty. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, the Pentagon is looking to partner with HBCUs on a new research center. At UiPath Together Public Sector 2022 produced by FedScoop, Air Force Deputy Chief Information Officer Winston Beauchamp highlights how the force is extending automation to the edge and maximizing the leverage of those capabilities. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week.

On this week’s episode of The DefenseScoop Podcast, the House Armed Services Committee begins its marks of the National Defense Authorization Act. An update is coming to the Department of Defense’s policy on humans in or out of the loop using artificial intelligence tools in warfare. Gregory Allen, director of the AI Governance Project and senior fellow for the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former director of strategy and policy at DOD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, explains the confusion that exists now in the department and what this update will hope to achieve. The Army is pushing its cloud capabilities to the edge. At last week’s UiPath Together summit produced by FedScoop, Army Chief Information Officer Raj Iyer discusses the service’s journey to edge and how it’s using automation. The DefenseScoop Podcast is available every week.