Richard L. Warr

Well done, short piece on risks of technology diffusion via proxy forces. We see in multiple domains: using a capability risks its exposure, understanding, and use by an adversary. Does the reward of first use outweigh the potential disadvantage in the future?

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Discussions to reopen 3 Mile Island, just down the road from us— a colleague and I are working on a paper discussing the national security implications of the AI boom to the energy grid; BL: if we go all in on AI-based methods of warfare, energy supply and energy protection will be significant considerations.

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Sources report that the internal NASA Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) process has included discussion of a possible RIF in FY 2025. The budget is that bad folks. Stay tuned. Maybe Senator Administrator Bill Nelson can enlighten everyone as to how bad the NASA budget situation really is. NASA is not going to be doing a robust Artemis program or MSR or many of other big new things it wants to do in a budget environment with RIFs. RIFs can be brutal, pit one employee against another, decimate morale, and prompt people to find a more secure job.

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It's that time of the year!!! To submit your research abstract and view competition guidelines, connect directly to the submission page at https://lnkd.in/gkKzSUgd or access the USAFP homepage www.usafp.org and click on "Research." We also recommend using a civilian email when submitting to avoid notifications being sent to a SPAM folder. In the past, there have been some issues with trying to access the site using DoD networks. Please try accessing the site using Google Chrome if it is available at your military installation. If not, please access the site using your personal computer, tablet or smartphone using a non-DoD network. For assistance with research planning and design, please refer to the Research Tools section on the website, https://lnkd.in/gGt_tBA5 Deadline for submissions is Monday, 1 October 2024 by Noon EST If you have any questions, please contact Dianne Reamy, USAFP Research Director, at [email protected] #USAFP #Familymedicine #militarymedicine

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How do you write a requirement that expresses enough of what type or kind of capability is needed to perform a function without being to prescriptive or descriptive (describing an actual system)? It seems moot and arbitrary in way but in the land of CDDs and A-CDDs this is a CAPDEVs life. It would be hard enough to attempt to describe a cardboard box and why we need it but it is borderline impossible with the explosion of tech! In the cardboard box scenario here is a brief rundown of how it would be described: -cover or conceal equipment ranging from 12”x12”x36” T=O -reusable at least 5 times T=O -sealable with or without tape T=O I didn’t really do a great job above but hopefully you get the idea. Soldiers go out and see sweet new AI enabled ML backed widget that smokes and dwarfs anything we have attempted to dream up for them. Problem is we can’t go back to the acquisitions partners and say BUY that! We have to describe it. With enough detail that they arrive at the same conclusion we are at. Let’s just buy this super cool widget and slap a dumb moniker on it and field it! I said all that to say enabling our warfighters with the ability to fight and win our wars should be paramount in our minds. No matter what cog we are in the wheel we should have the mindset of will this enable our warfighters to engage and kill our adversary and come home??!! If we view it through that lense and work towards YES we could be in a much better place with equipping our soldiers! I will continue to work on describing the cardboard box without saying cardboard box and hope that it gets through engineer land understood and built!

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Please find the updated location and registration information below for my upcoming presentation on Wednesday, October 16th on "The R&D Renaissance: Taking Technical Brilliance to Business Impact and Market Leadership." Hope to see you there!   How do industry and government leaders turn R&D brilliance into technology breakthroughs and business impact? Join me on October 16th with the United States Technology Leadership Council (USTLC) as we explore the strategic pathways that take technical innovation from concept to operations, and ultimately market leadership. I'll be sharing actionable insights on how to create and lead innovative, highly effective R&D organizations. USTLC Speaker Dr. Steven Meier, Senior industry technology executive & member of the federal Senior Executive Service in the Defense, Intelligence, Civil & International R&D communities Title: The R&D Renaissance: Taking Technical Brilliance to Business Impact and Market Leadership. - Date: 16 October 2024 - Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm, ET - Location: Leonardo Electronics, 1650 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 700, McLean, Virginia 22102 - Presentation at 6:10 pm, ET Please RSVP to [email protected] if you plan to attend in person or want to receive the virtual link. Topic: Research and Development (R&D) is the key to an organization’s growth, survival, increased revenue streams, long-term profitability, and creating or sustaining a market position. The creation and enhancement of technology that results in new products, services, and business models, intellectual property, and lower operating costs. R&D is an investment in the future growth of an organization. Therefore, it is paramount that R&D spending needs to be strategically and operationally managed to deliver real value to an organization and its customers. In my own experience, from being a benchtop scientist building actual hardware and software, publishing papers, and presenting at conferences to leading large R&D organizations with over $350M+ and 1200+ people, I’ve witnessed disconnects between the organization and its R&D units. Specifically, I’ve seen firsthand that most R&D organizations are isolated from corporate priorities, have no direct contact with customers, are not engaged with business development, and are unaware of market trends. In most cases, R&D organizations comprise a portfolio of ad hoc, uncoordinated, un-prioritized projects constantly competing for human and financial resources. This practice must change so R&D can be a central player and an essential part of an organization. This presentation will be on leading and creating a highly effective R&D organizations based on 30+ years of the speaker’s experience in federal, private industry, and nonprofit R&D sectors. It will address creating a strategy; operational excellence; organizational design; portfolio investment in basic, applied, and advanced technologies; transitioning R&D to operations; measuring the return on R&D; and talent development.

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Beyond excited to announce the launch of the Platform One Solutions Marketplace! Huge shout out to the team and everyone who worked on this incredible leap forward in government acquisitions. Some of the many highlights: 1. Continuously open solicitation - Industry can submit DevSecOps solutions and be evaluated continuously, unlimited proposal submissions and evals every 30 days. 2. A digital, web based medium for DoD users to conduct market research with vendors in a post competition environment and immediately negotiate and award a variety of contracts and agreements. 3. A major focus on non-traditionals, startups, small business, commercial products and services, due to a very low barrier to entry and continuous feedback loops. 4. The P1SM is completely decentralized, allowing all other DoD users to use the marketplace without paying a fee or ordering authority training by meeting all the competition requirements for OTA's (10 USC 4021 and 4022), CSO's (DFARS 212.70) and BAA's (FAR/DFAR Part 35).

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If I were to categorize my posts, I'd say they broadly fit into two buckets: posts about technology, especially in electronic warfare and missile defense, and posts about how those technologies are changing warfighting. This mirrors what I generally like to do professionally: help to develop technologies and understand how those technologies help win the next fight. However, as anyone who plays in this game knows, in order to do the work you want to do, you have to understand how to develop and run a viable business within the guidelines that the DoD has set up to do that. This is akin to cleaning up the kitchen so you have a good place to cook; it's the project before the project that you don't necessarily want to do, but you know that if you don't do it, you won't get to do the rewarding work. This article details some of the frustrations around working with one of the DoD's favorite types of contract vehicles: "Cost Plus" contracts. These contracts are designed to get the DoD what it wants, as expressed through extensive requirements. To develop the end product, the DoD agrees to pay a contractor that contractor's costs plus a certain percentage in fees. DoD rules also define what counts as a "cost" and what doesn't, and they audit contractors to make sure that they're playing by the rules. Of course, this sets up a perverse incentive structure whereby the contractor makes more profit if an acquisition takes a longer amount of time or costs more money; a percentage of a smaller number is smaller than that same percentage of a bigger number. As this article mentions, this system is expensive to manage, incentivizes both longer schedules and higher costs, and is open to exploitation both by the DoD and by contractors. However, it allows the DoD to completely specify the requirements for the project and notionally get exactly what they want...eventually...and at a cost. The last few years have seen a groundswell of desire for innovation in the process of getting DoD money to worthy contractors in ways that are legal and get the DoD what they need. There continues to be a need for the DoD to help the defense industrial base execute more efficiently and be better stewards of taxpayer money. #defensespending #defensecontracting #costplus #army #innovation https://lnkd.in/evPvf3zT

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This week’s analysis contains some of the possible lessons learned from a few gap analyses of ULA. Is ULA heading where it wants to be? https://lnkd.in/gHzb6VVn

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Neat new communications method out of Los Alamos National Laboratory called, 'Lightslingers,' with a current that moves faster than light, something once thought impossible. What started as a pursuit to understand signals from pulsars that decayed in ways that defied physics (a theory called non-spherical decay which is still unproven) now offers potential to be transformative to the almost $17 billion dollar antenna industry. Signals are sent via tightly focused and specified beams, rather than loosing efficiency through large broadcasting. LightSlingers are inexpensive, and easy to build with readily available materials. Superluminal electromagnetic currents from pulsars work in a way in which positively charged partials move in one direction and negatively charged move the other (as they pass through the plasma surrounding the star). This polarization is what creates the wave, however, the magnetic field expands faster than the light, releasing more electromagnetic waves (the bright signal we see here on Earth). These, "faster than light polarization currents," were proven in 2010— radiation emitted moves in a similar manner to that of supersonic sound waves. Technical aspects aside, this technology has many possible applications and can be easily visualized in the image below. Being more secure, they are attractive for use across defense platforms.

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Of course. Take note-- this is another thing we said we would not do in this war, and here we go... From 'no US boots on ground' in Ukraine to now Merrill Moab 3's are ok. Got it.... Check. Quote: Once approved, the change would likely be enacted this year, officials said, and would allow the Pentagon to provide contracts to American companies for work inside Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded in 2022. Officials said they hope it will speed up the maintenance and repairs of weapons systems being used by the Ukrainian military. Over the last two years, Biden has insisted that all Americans, and particularly US troops, stay far away from the Ukrainian frontlines. The White House has been determined to limit both the danger to Americans and the perception, particularly by Russia, that the US military is engaged in combat there. The State Department has explicitly warned Americans against traveling to Ukraine since 2022. As a result, US-provided military equipment that has sustained significant damage in combat has had to be transported out of the country to Poland, Romania, or other NATO countries for repairs, a process which takes time. US troops are also available to help the Ukrainians with more routine maintenance and logistics, but only from afar via video chat or secure phone—an arrangement that has come with inherent limitations, since US troops and contractors are not able to work directly on the systems. https://lnkd.in/gZfhzfUU

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Sources report that the internal NASA Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process included mention of a possible RIF in FY 2025. Stay tuned. Maybe Senator Administrator Bill Nelson can enlighten us as to how bad the NASA budget situation really is. NASA is not going to be doing a robust Artemis program or MSR or many of other big new things it wants to do in a budget environment with RIFs. RIFs can be brutal, pit one employee against another, decimate morale, and prompt people to find a more secure job. #RIFWatch

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Mike Albertson, deputy director for the Center for Global Security Research at LLNL shares: - First, there are a lot of difficult problems in the nuclear world which may never be solved … interesting problems without easy solutions. … Second, there is now much more room for creative thinking than in the past… Nuclear issues …are now an integral component of most geopolitical discussions. … Third, the conversation is more vibrant and diverse, mixing U.S. and allied experts, experts from other domains, seasoned veterans, and emerging professionals. … Useful dialogues are taking place with allies and adversaries around the world, and that important new ideas are being generated by the nuclear expert community. … An Interesting—and Growing—Field … Nuclear policy engagements like the Public Policy and Nuclear Threats (PPNT) Boot Camp bring these generations and perspectives together on a regular basis. … For the Next-Generation - Listen and Learn … - Keep an Open Mind … - Ask Good Questions … - Pick Interesting Projects … - Make Lasting Connections … For Their Mentors and Teachers - Test New Ideas Out … - Engage in Two-Way Conversations … - Provide Interesting Ideas for Future Work … - Give Hope - Hope is what ultimately inspires the interest that brings a new generation into the nuclear policy fold. Good mentors should ensure that this next generation’s interest in creating positive change will remain with them for decades to come… —

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I hate to be a Debbie downer…but “solving” the #ai testing, evaluation, verification and validation challenges will not happen in 500 days- with or without industry’s help. I get the need for strong signaling, I do. But this is a marathon- not a sprint. And the end state should *not* be some hypothetical vaporware. #TEVV is an ongoing, iterative, and learning process that requires breakthroughs in basic research (6.1) and clever solutions in applied research (6.3) and then more unique and clever processes, policies, procedures and human ingenuity in and across the #dod.

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Call me “Old School,” but I have serious concerns about the idea of using classified systems on thin clients in homes for government (military/civilian), industry, academia, etc. It seems this is driven more by user convenience than by solid security principles. Too many #HUMINT vulnerabilities to mention here. Yes, there are necessary exceptions for remote access, but broadening this practice is alarming. This jeopardizes data protection, technology and R&D acquisitions, mission/operations integrity, and potentially human lives. Should those who dislike the inconvenience of a poor base connection (as stated in the article) or being in a SCIF still have the privilege of accessing classified information? Given the current societal trends and the visible dissatisfaction from some politicians, military and other contractor personnel on platforms like X and TikTok, this approach seems shortsighted and lacks critical analysis. The risks, in my view, far outweigh the benefits. As a former Special Agent and security professional with nearly 25 years of experience, I believe this significantly increases our vulnerabilities. https://lnkd.in/ga4SnUux United States Space Force United States Air Force DoD Chief Information Officer United States Department of Defense U.S. Cyber Command National Security Agency National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Department of the Air Force Chief Data and AI Office Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) #rethink #spaceforce #spacecommand #spaceprotection #riskmanagement #informationsecurity #personnelsecurity #physicalsecurity #facilitysecurity #fao #issm #isso #dao #ao #rmf #opsec #defensenews

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Bravo!!! It is great to see important leaders paying attention to critical issues. However, it is not just an Air Force and Navy issue--it's all Services plus our critical allies--Japan and others. Also, it's not just aircraft--its ports, personnel and other critical infrastructure (including IAMD). Proper actions with a sense of urgency are what is needed. https://lnkd.in/gHd7MDve

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The Department of Defense's Chief Data and Artificial Office has called for a Data Mesh Reference Design. Data Mesh enables users to maintain control of their data while complying with enterprise standards, resulting in the integration of multiple knowledge domains through semantic connections. Data Mesh is essential for the DoD to fuse knowledge across various domains at scale. It's exciting to be a part of the DoD and see the changes and challenges on the horizon. I'm eager to see the creative solutions industry partners will bring together to answer the nation's call. #DataMesh #DoD #ArtificialIntelligence

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Check out this "Army of 2030" white paper. It suffers from many of the problems that plague Army writing, including lengthy paragraphs, zombie nouns, cliches, and hyperbole. However, parts of it are well done. A strong introduction explains the main idea and signposts the major points. The organization is logical. The writing is simple and clear. Kudos to the authors. https://lnkd.in/ghpXJRBd

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​The Cyber Resilient Weapon Systems Body of Knowledge (CRWS-BoK) is a living, curated and authoritative guide to the most relevant and important knowledge needed to advance the engineering of secure and cyber-resilient weapon systems. Learn about the tool giving engineers, program managers, and researchers the information they need at https://lnkd.in/eKa3pS_7

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