Disaster Relief Puts Military AI to the Test

(US Army National Guard photo via Facebook by Sgt. 1st Class Leticia Samuels)

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Hurricane relief efforts are offering the US military the opportunity to put its artificial intelligence to work, reports Defense Scoop. The Army is using one of its main data analytics and common operational picture tools as part of its response. Maven Smart System provides responders with the information needed to make quick, on-the-ground decisions.

The United States said on Sunday it will send advanced anti-missile system to Israel and US troops to operate it – in a bid to bolster that nation’s air defenses following missile attacks by Iran, reports Reuters.

The Defense Department will buy 500 Anduril Industries’ Roadrunner all-up rounds as well as the company’s portable Pulsar electronic-warfare capability, which can be integrated with aircraft to jam enemy systems, reports C4ISRNET. The contract, worth $250 million, is to counter drone attacks against US forces with the recoverable Roadrunner interceptor.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency approved last week the $680 million sale of the electronic warfare system to Italy, a $175 million sale of torpedoes to India, and a $110 million radar system to Romania, reports Breaking Defense.

France has kicked off the development of an air-combat drone that will serve as an unmanned wingman for its Rafale fighter jet, part of a contract with Dassault Aviation to start work on an upgrade package for the aircraft, reports Defense News.

The Forging Industry Association’s message to DoD and the country’s defense contractors: We have tremendous capacity, and we are ready to work, reports Seapower magazine. The association’s CEO Jim Warren said there is a perception within the DoD that the forging industry lacks capacity, but that’s not the case.

Chauncey McIntosh, currently a Lockheed Martin vice president and its deputy on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, will take over as the program’s general manager on Dec. 1, reports Marine Corps Times. Bridget Lauderdale, current program GM, is retiring after 38 years with the company.

The Maryland Department of Commerce will offer $2.2 million in financial assistance to support small, minority, and veteran-owned business growth, Gov. Wes Moore (D) announced Thursday. The funding includes loans, loan guaranties, and equity investments from the Military Personnel and Veteran-owned Small Business Loan Program and the Maryland Small Business Development Financing Authority. The loan program provides no-interest loans of up to $100,000 for businesses owned by military reservists, veterans, and National Guard personnel and for small businesses that employ or are owned by these individuals. Eligibility information may be found here.

DoD announced Thursday awards totaling $50.1 million will go to 98 university researchers at historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, and minority-serving institutions for the acquisition of research and scientific equipment, reports ExecutiveGov. The grants, which range up to $800,000 individually, will support 21 HBCUs and 49 MIs, including one tribal college.

The Maryland State Board of Elections wants state residents to be vigilant against disinformation that claims cyberattacks have compromised a voter’s registration, reports WMDT.com. FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency officials warn that malicious actors are trying to undermine public confidence in the election infrastructure by claiming that cyberattacks compromised US voter registration databases.

Maryland’s advance voter registration deadline is October 15, reports WBFF Baltimore. Marylanders can register online or check the status of their current registration at the State Board of Elections website.

Vet the Vote said it has recruited nearly 160,000 veterans to serve as election workers, reports Marine Corps Times. During a time when misinformation is eroding trust in US elections, the nonprofit group believes veterans are the key to quashing skepticism and restoring confidence.

Testing of hand-launched deployments of sonobuoys from a CH-53E Super Stallion have expanded the capabilities of the aircraft, providing increased flexibility for the US Navy to support Anti-Submarine Warfare in the joint environment, reports Seapower magazine. Similar testing soon will do the same for the CH-53K King Stallion.

Social Security officials on Thursday announced a 2.5% cost-of-living increase for beneficiaries in 2025, reports CBS News. That is the lowest mark for the adjustment since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2025 COLA will on average add about $50 to each monthly benefit check.

DoD’s new child care reimbursement test program took effect Oct. 1, reports Military Times. The program provides service members money to cover their own temporary child care provider should they, for example, move to a new duty station and can’t get child care at a military child development center. The program covers reimbursement for the travel of a temporary child care provider to a service member’s new duty location.

Three Embraer A-29 Super Tucanos have arrived at the US Air Force’s Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California, reports The National Interest via MSN. They are the first new aircraft assigned to the school in nearly 30 years.

Gary Hogg, retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and current test pilot at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, recently eclipsed 10,000 flight hours flying the C-130 transport plane, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. That is equivalent to about 416 days spread across a 41-year career.

The US State Department said that the US passport processing time has been reduced by two weeks at most, reports The Hill via MSN. The Bureau of Consular Affairs said wait times for both online and paper applications have been reduced to four to six weeks, which is down from the previous processing time of six to eight weeks.

The Maryland League of Conservation Voters has released its annual report card on the most recent General Assembly session, reports Maryland Matters. A record number of lawmakers rang up 100% scores, according to the 2024 Environmental Scorecard, meaning they were fully aligned with the green group on its priority bills that received floor votes during this year’s legislative session.

Take a “green” self-guided tour of the Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology (SMART) Building in California, MD. The facility was designed and built on the principle of minimizing its impact on the environment. The SMART Building will be the home of a Night of Engineering event from 6 to 8pm Oct. 24. Students can learn about engineering opportunities, and the event will be capped off with in-person tours of the building.

The FBI arrested an Afghan man last week who officials say planned an Election Day attack in the US, reports Politico. The man told investigators he had planned an attack that would target large gatherings of people.

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