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Department of the Air Force to conduct hackathon
February 22, 2023
WASHINGTON (AFNS) –
The Department of the Air Force will conduct its next “BRAVO” hackathon March 20 – 24, 2023, this time at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Any American citizen may apply, regardless of whether they currently work for the Department of the Air Force. Applicants are required to apply online here. Applicants are being accepted on a rolling basis.
Attendees are not required to hold a security clearance. However, certain spaces, use cases, and datasets may require a U.S. secret security clearance or higher. Organizers may request additional information for clearances that applicants possess. Applicants may apply as an employee for the U.S. government, a U.S. government contractor, or a U.S. citizen either affiliated or unaffiliated with a company.
A hackathon is an innovation event commonly employed by technology companies in which teams develop prototypes working around the clock in response to enterprise challenges associated with data. Prior BRAVO projects have produced multiple prototypes and inventions influencing major Defense Department programs.
Federal government employees and federal contractors representing federal organizations are encouraged to share sponsoring use cases, data, or infrastructure relevant to the primary mission of the Department of Defense for use at this event by contacting SAF.CN.BRAVO@us.af.mil.
“Across the previous hackathons, we have honed methods to build and fight with classified and protected data of increasingly larger size and varied origin,” said Stuart Wagner, chief digital transformation officer for the U.S. Department of the Air Force and hackathon organizer. “Hurlburt Field will prototype joint use cases, data and software infrastructures from combatant commands and various military departments.”
In January 2022, the department ran BRAVO 0, its first department-wide classified innovation hackathon with Air Force weapons system data at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. BRAVO 1 Canary Release grew the effort when in July 2022, the department ran its second hackathon simultaneously at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; and Eglin AFB, Florida, with about 300 hackers.
BRAVO allows participants to rapidly commingle and run open-source software and data otherwise unapproved for production with classified or protected data.
“BRAVO moves from the traditional DoD development model operating at the unclassified level where we push code up to protected environments, to a permissive development model on protected data, which we refer to as ‘Dev High,’” Wagner said. “This enables developers to build weapons’ capabilities and calibrations directly with the data at lower cost compared to traditional prototyping pipelines and at a rate faster than an adversary is likely to build countering capability. This event will test how ‘Dev High’ scales to joint multi-domain use cases.”
Applicants looking to participate may do so in one of three roles. The “Hacker” role is open to all applicants and expects project builders with varying skill sets and experience, including software development, data science, machine learning, design and user interface/user design, data visualization, product management or warfighter subject matter expertise.
The “Subject Matter Expert” role is open only to government and government contractors and supports multiple teams with specific expertise or knowledge about a use case or dataset offered at the event. Any federal organization is eligible to supply a use case or dataset for consideration.
The “Supporter” role is open only to government and government contractors and provides administrative support to the event by running security, facilitating supplies delivery, organizing social events, and facilitating the delivery of science fair materials and attendee check-in.
Organizations providing infrastructure support include the “STITCHES” Warfighter Application Team, the Navy Project Overmatch program, Project Arc, Office of the Secretary of Defense Advana Edge and Air Force Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. All five U.S. military services and U.S. Special Operations Command provide use cases and data.
The BRAVO hackathon series is named after “Project B,” a 1921 series of joint Army-Navy target exercises based on Army Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell’s then-controversial claim that bombers sink battleships. Also styled after Project B, BRAVO hackathons are designed to allow government, academia, industry and citizens to test and validate bold ideas using real DoD data, Wagner said.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/3306143/department-of-the-air-force-to-conduct-hackathon/
AFGSC Commander approves formal assessment to investigate missile community cancer concerns
February 22, 2023
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. – Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander, Air Force Global Strike Command, approved a comprehensive study design by the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine to conduct a formal assessment that addresses specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members across related career fields and also examines the possibility of clusters of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at intercontinental ballistic missile bases.
"Air Force Global Strike Command and our Air Force takes the responsibility to protect Airman and Guardians incredibly seriously, and their safety and health continues to be my priority,” said Bussiere. “We also continue to be committed to remaining transparent during this process and we pledge to continue to maintain an open dialogue with members, their families and stakeholders throughout this process.”
The study will have two study teams and be divided into multiple pieces allowing for a better focus on specific needs, prioritization of the study focuses, and enables the best use of resources and time.
“Both parts of the study (evaluating NHL or multiple cancer sites) will follow a phased approach,” said Col. Tony Woodard, USAFSAM commander. “Phase 1 is separated into three parts due to requests from different sources that house potential case identification data. Each of these sources is owned by different agencies that will have variable processing times.”
This study design affords the shortest overall timeline while maximizing relevant information. This also ensures a comprehensive look across multiple Air Force Specialty Codes, locations and possible additional cancers.
“Once each study is completed, each team will then move to the next study in the sequence,” Woodard said. “Some data overlap will occur potentially saving time with future study completion.”
It is still too early to tell exactly how long the study will take, according to the AFGSC Surgeon General, Col. Lee D. Williames. He said phase one will include Department of Defense medical data, analyzed DoD and Department of Veterans Affairs Cancer Registry data/VA medical data. Phase two includes investigating mortality data and evaluate cancer registries.
In addition, there are different data sources for study phases, Williames said.
Data will be requested simultaneously, but analysis for each can be performed independently of each other, Woodard said.
Phase 2 of the study will be conducted if Phase 1 does not show an elevation in cancer incidence (occurrence) or mortality (death) risk, Woodard said.
“If, at any point, an elevation in either cancer incidence or in cancer mortality above expected rates is noted, further phase progression will end, leadership will be notified, and the study team will move to the next study,” Woodard said.
Woodard also noted the team charged with this extraordinarily important responsibility is a highly experienced team that previously completed the USAFSAM’s Fighter Aviator Cancer Study. In addition, he highlighted the existing synergy available to the team as USAFSAM already maintains access to DHA and AFPC databases, saving significant request processing time that could be accrued in working with outside agencies.
“Our top-notch professionals are uniquely positioned within the DoD and DHA enterprise to conduct this analysis efficiently and effectively,” Woodard said, noting USAFSAM also has a number of critical pre-built relationships with outside partners who can assist in this vital effort including the Air Force Personnel Center, the Defense Health Agency Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“As we move through the various phases of assessment and review, we will continue to provide updates, including pertinent information, as and when such information is discovered or identified,” Bussiere said. “While we continue to work through this process, service members, their family members and former service members who may have concerns or questions are encouraged to speak with their healthcare providers."
If any Airman – past or present, Guardian, or family member has a question or concern, they are encouraged to speak to their medical provider or they can submit their question through the AFGSC Official Website at: https://www.afgsc.af.mil/Contact-Us/ or via the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General at: https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Contact-Us/.
In addition, a website specific to this issue is available as a resource at: https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/Resources/Missile-Community-Cancer-Study/
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article/3306681/afgsc-commander-approves-formal-assessment-to-investigate-missile-community-can/