Lynn Speaks on Advanced Manufacturing at Carnegie Mellon

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2011 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III gave the defense perspective on advanced manufacturing yesterday while attending the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

President Barack Obama created the partnership to bring together industry, universities and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies that, according to a White House statement, will “create high-quality manufacturing jobs and enhance our global competitiveness.”

The president’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort, bringing together leading universities and companies to invent, deploy and scale these cutting-edge technologies.

In his remarks at the event, Lynn said the history of advanced manufacturing in the Defense Department can be told through three individuals: the inventor Eli Whitney, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, and Regina Dugan, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Before Whitney had success with the cotton gin, the deputy secretary said, he went to Congress in 1801 with a proposal to build muskets with interchangeable parts.

Whitney took 10 muskets to Congress, disassembled them, and threw all of the parts in a pile, Lynn said.

“And then he reassembled them, with different parts constituting each new musket,” he added, “something that had never before been done. Congress was impressed.

“Eventually, the Department of the Army issued a contract for 10,000 new muskets to be built using this method,” he continued. “It was one of the first widespread uses of standardized parts, and it contributed enormously to the advance of manufacturing in the United States.”

In 1984, Augustine published a book called "Augustine's Laws," which Lynn said is well known in defense circles.

One of the laws charted the cost increase in high-performance jets and tactical aircraft against the increase in the defense budget, Lynn said, noting the lines crossed in 2054.

“What that meant was that in 2054 we would have to spend the entire defense budget to buy one airplane,” he said. “He observed that we could work this out. The Navy would get it for three days a week, the Air Force for three days, and the Marines would have it on Sundays.”

Costs have continued to rise at roughly the rate Augustine predicted, Lynn said, noting much of the reason is the time it takes to design and approve new equipment.

“The time horizon of design and development is increasing at a similar pace,” he said, “which brings us to Regina Dugan, the current director of DARPA.”

Under Dugan’s leadership, DARPA has focused on an advanced manufacturing effort that uses integrated circuits manufacturing as a model for open design and configurable foundries, Lynn said, leading to the ability to crowd-source design.

“Altogether, we think this can significantly speed up the manufacturing timeline -- on the order of dividing it by a factor of five,” the deputy secretary said. “That is to say we could do it five times as fast, which could yield enormous cost-savings.”

Lynn said the pilot of a vehicle DARPA built in less than 90 days was on display at yesterday’s event.

“This is a pilot, not yet a complete vehicle,” he said. “But for DOD, this pilot has the ability to undo Augustine's law and yield advances in manufacturing equivalent to what Eli Whitney ushered in during the early 19th century.”

The department will continue to work as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, Lynn said, to “develop this approach to manufacturing for DOD and to understand its broader implications for U.S. manufacturing.”

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NASA, NSF Collaborate to Develop Advanced Robotics

David E. Steitz

Headquarters, Washington

 

Lisa-Joy Zgorski

National Science Foundation, Arlington, Va.

 

WASHINGTON -- The National Science Foundation (NSF) will take the lead with NASA and two other federal agencies to support the administration's National Robotics Initiative.

The initiative complements the administrations' Advanced Manufacturing Initiative and technology transfer efforts and supports the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively, with people and that enhance individual human capabilities, performance and safety.

"To help everyone from factory workers to astronauts carry out more complicated tasks, NASA and other agencies will support research into next-generation robotics," President Obama said during a speech Friday at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Over the past five years, tremendous advancements in robotics technology have enabled a new generation of assistive systems and devices in industries as diverse as manufacturing, logistics, medicine, health care, military, agriculture, and consumer products.

"NASA has been focused on human-robotic interaction for more than a decade, leading to flight of our newest crew member on the International Space Station, Robonaut2," said NASA's Chief Technologist Bobby Braun. "Our challenge today is to develop robotics technology that can increase the effectiveness and safety of humans in space and deliver cutting-edge science. Through our participation in the National Robotics Initiative, NASA will create the new knowledge, technology and capabilities needed for our future space missions while benefiting life here on Earth, today."

It is becoming increasingly evident that these early, next generation products are a harbinger of numerous, large-scale, global, robotics technology markets likely to develop in the coming decade. The robotics initiative, which pays particular attention to fundamental research and education by academia and industry, seeks to engage our next generation of scientists and engineers in fields essential in the new global technology economy.

"It's exciting to be on the forefront of creating new knowledge and to play a catalytic role in the development of smart technology that enhances America's productivity and ultimately the quality of life of Americans," said NSF Director Subra Suresh. "It's also an opportunity to harness the expertise of our colleagues in several government agencies to tackle a major challenge and to bolster creative science and the U.S. economy. NSF is proud to lead this effort."

The purpose of the initiative is to encourage innovative collaborative research that combines computer and systems science with mechanical, electrical and materials engineering and social, behavioral and economic sciences to tackle the most important and challenging problems in producing this class of human-assisting co-robotics.

Investments in the initiative from NASA, NIH, NSF and United States Department of Agriculture may reach $40 to $50 million in the first year, with anticipated growth in funding as other agencies and industry partners engage.

NIH has used robotics for the rapid screening of potential drugs and the subsequent discovery of new drugs. NIH anticipates robotics will play an important role in rehabilitation, home health care, and advanced robotic surgery in the near future.

The USDA encourages automated systems and improved robotics for inspection, sorting, processing or handling of animal or plant products, as well as multi-modal and rapid sensing systems for detecting defects, ripeness, physical damage, microbial contamination, size shape and other quality attributes of such products.

NSF will manage the solicitation and peer review selection process. All participating federal agencies will work with partners to foster the exchange of ideas and technologies that will directly benefit American today and well into the future. For more information about the National Science Foundation, visit http://www.nsf.gov.

For more information about NASA, visit

http://www.nasa.gov.

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Lynn: Cyberspace Strategy to Build Coalition of Nations

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2011 – White House officials released an international cyberstrategy here today that will help to build a “coalition of nations [with a] mutual interest in securing cyberspace,” Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said.

The event to launch the U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace also included remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

“The strategy the president is releasing today provides a framework for how we can expand this cooperation and establishes how network security relates to other critical areas of partnership,” Lynn said.

Hosting the event were John O. Brennan, assistant to the president for counterterrorism and homeland security, and Howard A. Schmidt, special assistant to the president and cybersecurity coordinator.

Senior foreign diplomats and representatives from industry, civil society and academia also attended.

Clinton said the strategy’s seven key policy priorities are economic engagement, cybersecurity, law enforcement, military cooperation, multiple-stakeholder Internet governance, development and Internet freedom.

“We are seeing cyberspace transform before our very eyes,” she said. “Now we must shape this transformation.”

White House officials released a statement that called the strategy a “first-of-its-kind policy document [that] offers our comprehensive vision for the future of international cooperation in cyberspace.” The report also outlines the administration’s agenda, the statement said, “for partnering with other nations and peoples to ensure the prosperity, security and openness that we seek in our increasingly networked world.”

Lynn said no one nation can devise or enforce a sustainable solution.

“It is hard to overstate the importance of cyberspace to the Department of Defense or the need to engage our allies and partners to keep it secure,” he said. “Department of Defense networks are probed millions of times a day, and more than 100 foreign intelligence agencies have tried to penetrate our networks or those of our industrial partners.”

Cyber threats are growing more serious and more prevalent, Lynn added, and meeting them requires the cooperation of nations, the private sector and individuals.

“Our military continues to ensure that we can operate with secure and reliable networks, he said, “and maintain the capability to defend vital national assets.”

The Defense Department’s forthcoming Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, Lynn said, will detail the military’s role in keeping DOD networks secure.

“Just as our air defenses are linked with those of our allies to provide warning of attack, so too must we share information to prevent and, if necessary, respond to cyber intrusions,” he added.

Over the past year, DOD officials have worked with counterparts in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the NATO alliance to strengthen cyber partnerships, Lynn said.

“While our efforts are increasingly linked with many international partners,” he added, “far greater levels of cooperation with more nations are needed if we are to stay ahead of the cyber threat.”

The strategy that President Barack Obama released today, Lynn said, “provides a framework for how we can expand this cooperation and establishes how network security relates to other crucial areas of partnership.”

Lynn said he is delighted to carry defense cooperation forward in the cyber realm.

“I look forward to working closely in this effort with the departments of State, Justice, Commerce and Homeland Security under the leadership of President Obama,” he said.

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ICE announces expanded list of science, technology, engineering, and math degree programs

Qualifies eligible graduates to extend their post-graduate training

WASHINGTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today published an expanded list of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degree programs that qualify eligible graduates on student visas for an Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension-an important step forward in the Obama administration's continued commitment to fixing our broken immigration system and expanding access to the nation's pool of talented high skilled graduates in the science and technology fields.

The announcement follows President Obama's recent remarks in El Paso, Texas, where he reiterated his strong support for new policies that embrace talented students from other countries, who enrich the nation by working in science and technology jobs and fueling innovation in their chosen fields here in the United States, as a part of comprehensive reform.

By expanding the list of STEM degrees to include such fields as Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Mathematics and Computer Science, the Obama administration is helping to address shortages in certain high tech sectors of talented scientists and technology experts-permitting highly skilled foreign graduates who wish to work in their field of study upon graduation and extend their post-graduate training in the United States.

Under the OPT program, foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities are able to remain in the U.S. and receive training through work experience for up to 12 months. Students who graduate with one of the newly-expanded STEM degrees can remain for an additional 17 months on an OPT STEM extension.

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President Obama Meets With STS-133 Crew

STS-133 commander Steven Lindsey, far left, presents a montage to President Barack Obama as crew members Michael Barratt, pilot Eric Boe, Nicole Slott and Steve Bowen look on during a visit to the Oval Office, Monday, May 9, 2011, in Washington.

Image Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers

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NASA Releases Scorecard on Energy and Sustainability Goals

Merrilee Fellows

Headquarters, Washington                                

WASHINGTON -- NASA has released its fiscal year 2010 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance. The agency exceeded the 5 percent target on renewable energy use for federal agencies last year.

The scorecard measures federal agency progress in a number of areas related to energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and waste reduction. This is the first year federal agencies have published their scorecards.

President Obama in 2009 directed federal agencies to lead by example in energy efficiency and renewable energy use, and meet a range of related goals. Out of seven benchmarks, NASA received five green ratings and two yellow. A green rating indicates the benchmark has been met. Yellow indicates that progress is being made.

"During the last 15 years, NASA has moved consistently toward sustainable and efficient operations at each of its field centers," said Olga Dominguez, NASA's assistant administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure. "Sustainability reduces risk to NASA's mission and frees up resources. This scorecard is an important tool that will help NASA in meeting our sustainability goals."

In fiscal year 2011, NASA will exceed one million square feet of sustainable facilities through new construction and building rehabilitation. Using this scorecard as a benchmark, NASA will identify, monitor, and assess its efforts to reduce pollution, improve efficiency, and cut costs. The agency will update its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan by June 2011 and post the plan on its website.

To view NASA's sustainability scorecard and 2010 sustainability plan, visit http://www.nasa.gov/sustainability.

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