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AIR FORCE17.2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)

Phase I Proposal Submission Instructions

INTRODUCTION

The Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), in coordination with the Air Force (AF) SBIR Program are sponsoring topics in the Information Systems technology area in this solicitation. All topics contained within this document shall follow the proposal submission instructions outlined below.

The Air Force (AF) proposal submission instructions are intended to clarify the Department of Defense (DoD) instructions as they apply to AF requirements. Firms must ensure their proposal meets all requirements of the announcement currently posted on the DoD website at the time the announcement closes.

The AF Program Manager is Mr. David Shahady. The AF SBIR/STTR Program Office can be contacted at 1-800-222-0336. For general inquiries or problems with the electronic submission, contact the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at [1-800-348-0787] or Help Desk email at [email protected] (9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday). For technical questions about the topics during the pre-announcement period (21 April 2017 through 22 May 2017), contact the Topic Authors listed for each topic on the Web site. For information on obtaining answers to your technical questions during the formal announcement period (23 May 2017 through 21 June 2017), go to https://sbir.defensebusiness.org.

General information related to the AF Small Business Program can be found at the AF Small Business website, http://www.airforcesmallbiz.org. The site contains information related to contracting opportunities within the AF, as well as business information, and upcoming outreach/conference events. Other informative sites include those for the Small Business Administration (SBA), www.sba.gov, and the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, http://www.aptacus.us.org. These centers provide Government contracting assistance and guidance to small businesses, generally at no cost.

PHASE I PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONThe Air Force SBIR/STTR Program Office has instituted new requirements in an initiative to combat fraud in the SBIR/STTR program. As a result, each Small Business is required to visit the AF SBIR Program website and read through the "Compliance with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Rules” training located at: www.wpafb.af.mil/AFSBIRSTTR. The Certificate of Training Completion MUST be signed by an official of your company and is required prior to contract award. It is recommended that the Certificate be submitted with your proposal. The Certificate is located at the end of the training presentation and/or pg. AF-8 of this document. To submit the Certificate with the proposal, attach and upload this document to the back of your technical volume. This form will not count against the 20-page limitation. Read the DoD program announcement at https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/ for program requirements . When you prepare your proposal, keep in mind that Phase I should address the feasibility of a solution to the topic. For the AF, the contract period of performance for Phase I shall be nine (9) months, and the award shall not exceed $150,000. We will accept only one Cost Volume per Topic Proposal and it must address the entire nine-month contract period of performance.

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http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFSBIRSTTR

https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/

mailto:[email protected]

The Phase I award winners must accomplish the majority of their primary research during the first six months of the contract with the additional three months of effort to be used for generating final reports. Each AF organization may request Phase II proposals prior to the completion of the first six months of the contract based upon an evaluation of the contractor’s technical progress and review by the AF technical point of contact utilizing the criteria in section 6.0 of the DoD announcement. The last three months of the nine-month Phase I contract will provide project continuity for all Phase II award winners so no modification to the Phase I contract should be necessary.

Limitations on Length of Proposal

The Phase I Technical Volume has a 20-page-limit (excluding the Cover Sheet, Cost Volume, Cost Volume Itemized Listing (a-j), Company Commercialization Report, and Certificate of Training Completion Form). The Technical Volume must be in no type smaller than 10-point on standard 8-1/2" x 11" paper with one (1) inch margins. Only the Technical Volume and any enclosures or attachments count toward the 20-page limit. In the interest of equity, pages in excess of the 20-page limitation will not be considered for review or award.

Phase I Proposal Format

Proposal Cover Sheet: If your proposal is selected for award, the technical abstract and discussion of anticipated benefits will be publicly released on the Internet; therefore, do not include proprietary information in these sections.

Technical Volume: The Technical Volume should include all graphics and attachments but should not include the Cover Sheet or Company Commercialization Report as these items are completed separately. Most proposals will be printed out on black and white printers so make sure all graphics are distinguishable in black and white. To verify that your proposal has been received, click on the “Check Upload” icon to view your proposal. Typically, your uploaded file will be virus checked. If your proposal does not appear after an hour, please contact the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at [1-800-348-0787] or Help Desk email at [email protected] (9:00 am to 6:00 pm ET Monday through Friday).

Key Personnel: Identify in the Technical Volume all key personnel who will be involved in this project; include information on directly related education, experience, and citizenship. A technical resume of the principle investigator, including a list of publications, if any, must be part of that information. Concise technical resumes for subcontractors and consultants, if any, are also useful. You must identify all U.S. permanent residents to be involved in the project as direct employees, subcontractors, or consultants. You must also identify all non-U.S. citizens expected to be involved in the project as direct employees, subcontractors, or consultants. For all non-U.S. citizens, in addition to technical resumes, please provide countries of origin, the type of visa or work permit under which they are performing and an explanation of their anticipated level of involvement on this project, as appropriate. You may be asked to provide additional information during negotiations in order to verify the foreign citizen’s eligibility to participate on a contract issued as a result of this announcement.

Phase I Work Plan Outline

NOTE: THE AF USES THE WORK PLAN OUTLINE AS THE INITIAL DRAFT OF THE PHASE I STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW). THEREFORE, DO NOT INCLUDE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION IN THE WORK PLAN OUTLINE. TO DO SO WILL NECESSITATE A REQUEST FOR REVISION AND MAY DELAY CONTRACT AWARD.

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At the beginning of your proposal work plan section, include an outline of the work plan in the following format:

Scope: List the major requirements and specifications of the effort.Task Outline: Provide a brief outline of the work to be accomplished over the span of the Phase I effort.Milestone ScheduleDeliverablesKickoff meeting within 30 days of contract startProgress reportsTechnical review within 6 monthsFinal report with SF 298

Cost Volume

Cost Volume information should be provided by completing the on-line Cost Volume form and including the Cost Volume Itemized Listing specified below. The Cost Volume detail must be adequate to enable Air Force personnel to determine the purpose, necessity and reasonability of each cost element. Provide sufficient information (a-j below) on how funds will be used if the contract is awarded. The on-line Cost Volume and Itemized Cost Volume Information will not count against the 20-page limit. The itemized listing may be placed in the “Explanatory Material” section of the on-line Cost Volume form (if enough room), or as the last page(s) of the Technical Volume Upload. (Note: Only one file can be uploaded to the DoD Submission Site). Ensure that this file includes your complete Technical Volume and the information below.

a. Special Tooling and Test Equipment and Material: The inclusion of equipment and materials will be carefully reviewed relative to need and appropriateness of the work proposed. The purchase of special tooling and test equipment must, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer, be advantageous to the Government and relate directly to the specific effort. They may include such items as innovative instrumentation and/or automatic test equipment.

b. Direct Cost Materials: Justify costs for materials, parts, and supplies with an itemized list containing types, quantities, and price and where appropriate, purposes.

c. Other Direct Costs: This category of costs includes specialized services such as machining or milling, special testing or analysis, costs incurred in obtaining temporary use of specialized equipment. Proposals, which include leased hardware, must provide an adequate lease vs. purchase justification or rational.

d. Direct Labor: Identify key personnel by name if possible or by labor category if specific names are not available. The number of hours, labor overhead and/or fringe benefits and actual hourly rates for each individual are also necessary.

e. Travel: Travel costs must relate to the needs of the project. Break out travel cost by trip, with the number of travelers, airfare, per diem, lodging, etc. The number of trips required, as well as the destination and purpose of each trip should be reflected. Recommend budgeting at least one (1) trip to the Air Force location managing the contract.

f. Cost Sharing: If proposing cost share arrangements, please note each Phase I contract total value may not exceed $150K total, while Phase II contracts shall have an initial Not to Exceed value of $750K. Please note that cost share contracts do not allow fees. NOTE: Subcontract arrangements involving provision of Independent Research and Development (IR&D) support are prohibited in accordance with

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Under Secretary of Defense (USD) memorandum “Contractor Cost Share”, dated 16 May 2001, as implemented by SAF/AQ memorandum, same title, dated 11 July 2001.

g. Subcontracts: Involvement of university or other consultants in the planning and/or research stages of the project may be appropriate. If the offeror intends such involvement, describe in detail and include information in the Cost Volume. The proposed total of all consultant fees, facility leases or usage fees, and other subcontract or purchase agreements may not exceed one-third of the total contract price or cost, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Contracting Officer. Support subcontract costs with copies of the subcontract agreements. The supporting agreement documents must adequately describe the work to be performed. At a minimum, an offeror must include a Statement of Work (SOW) with a corresponding detailed Cost Volume for each planned subcontract.

h. Consultants: Provide a separate agreement letter for each consultant. The letter should briefly state what service or assistance will be provided, the number of hours required and hourly rate.

i. Any exceptions to the model Phase I purchase order (P.O.) found at www.wpafb.af.mil/AFSBIRSTTR should be included in your cost proposal. Full text for the clauses included in the P.O. may be found at http://farsite.hill.af.mil.

NOTE: If no exceptions are taken to an offeror’s proposal, the Government may award a contract without discussions (except clarifications as described in FAR 15.306(a)). Therefore, the offeror’s initial proposal should contain the offeror’s best terms from a cost or price and technical standpoint. If selected for award, the award contract or P.O. document received by your firm may vary in format/content from the model P.O. reviewed. If there are questions regarding the award document, contact the Phase I Contracting Officer listed on the selection notification. The Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Contracting Officer later determines them to be necessary.

j. DD Form 2345: For proposals submitted under export-controlled topics (either International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) or Export Administration Regulations (EAR)), a copy of the certified DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, or evidence of application submission must be included. The form, instructions, and FAQs may be found at the United States/Canada Joint Certification Program website, http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/. Approval of the DD Form 2345 will be verified if proposal is chosen for award.

NOTE: Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled for administrative purposes only, by support contractors; Bytecubed, Ventech, and/or Peerless Technologies. In addition, only Government employees and technical personnel from Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) MITRE and Aerospace Corporations working under contract to provide technical support to AF Life Cycle Management Center and Space and Missiles Centers may evaluate proposals. All support contractors are bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements. If you have concerns about any of these contractors, you should contact the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Gail Nyikon, [email protected].

k. The Air Force does not participate in the Discretionary Technical Assistance Program. Contractors should not submit proposals that include Discretionary Technical Assistance.

PHASE I PROPOSAL SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

NOTE: If you are not registered in the System for Award Management, https://www.sam.gov/, you will not be eligible for an award.

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https://www.sam.gov/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFSBIRSTTR

1) The Air Force Phase I proposal shall be a nine-month effort and the cost shall not exceed $150,000.

2) The Air Force will accept only those proposals submitted electronically via the DoD SBIR Web site (https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/).

3) You must submit your Company Commercialization Report electronically via the DoD SBIR Web site (https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/).

It is mandatory that the complete proposal submission -- DoD Proposal Cover Sheet, Technical Volume with any appendices, Cost Volume, Itemized Cost Volume Information, the Company Commercialization Report, and Certificate of Training Completion Form (AF-8) -- be submitted electronically through the DoD SBIR Web site at https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/. Each of these documents is to be submitted through the Web site. Your complete proposal must be submitted via the submissions site on or before the 8:00 p.m. ET, 21 June 2017 deadline. A hardcopy will not be accepted.

The AF recommends that you complete your submission early, as computer traffic gets heavy near the announcement closing and could slow down the system. Do not wait until the last minute. The AF will not be responsible for proposals being denied due to servers being “down” or inaccessible. Please assure that your e-mail address listed in your proposal is current and accurate. The AF is not responsible for ensuring notifications are received by firms changing mailing address/e-mail address/company points of contact after proposal submission without proper notification to the AF. Changes of this nature that occur after proposal submission or award (if selected) for Phase I and II shall be sent to the Air Force SBIR/STTR site address, [email protected] .

AIR FORCE PROPOSAL EVALUATIONS

The AF will utilize the Phase I proposal evaluation criteria in section 6.0 of the DoD announcement in descending order of importance with technical merit being most important, followed by the qualifications of the principal investigator (and team), followed by the potential for Commercialization Plan. The AF will utilize Phase II evaluation criteria in section 8.0 of the DoD announcement. Please note that where technical evaluations are essentially equal in merit, cost to the Government will be considered in determining the successful offeror. The next tie-breaker on essentially equal proposals will be the inclusion of manufacturing technology considerations.

The proposer's record of commercializing its prior SBIR and STTR projects, as shown in its Company Commercialization Report, will be used as a portion of the Commercialization Plan evaluation. If the "Commercialization Achievement Index (CAI)”, shown on the first page of the report, is at the 20th percentile or below, the proposer will receive no more than half of the evaluation points available under evaluation criterion (c) in Section 6 of the DoD 17.1 SBIR instructions. This information supersedes Paragraph 4, Section 5.4e, of the DoD 17.1 SBIR instructions.

A Company Commercialization Report showing the proposing firm has no prior Phase II awards will not affect the firm's ability to win an award. Such a firm's proposal will be evaluated for commercial potential based on its commercialization strategy.

Proposal Status and Debriefings

The Principal Investigator (PI) and Corporate Official (CO) indicated on the Proposal Cover Sheet will be notified by e-mail regarding proposal selection or non-selection. The e-mail will include a link to a secure Internet page containing specific selection/non-selection information. Small Businesses will

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receive a notification for each proposal submitted. Please read each notification carefully and note the Proposal Number and Topic Number referenced. If changes occur to the company mail or email address(es) or company points of contact after proposal submission, the information should be provided to the AF at [email protected] .

As is consistent with the DoD SBIR/STTR announcement, any debriefing requests must be submitted in writing, received within 30 days after receipt of notification of non-selection. Written requests for debrief must be sent to the Contracting Officer named on your non-selection notification. Requests for debrief should include the company name and the telephone number/e-mail address for a specific point of contract, as well as an alternate. Also include the topic number under which the proposal(s) was submitted, and the proposal number(s). Debrief requests received more than 30 days after receipt of notification of non-selection will be fulfilled at the Contracting Officers' discretion. Unsuccessful offerors are entitled to no more than one debriefing for each proposal.

IMPORTANT: Proposals submitted to the AF are received and evaluated by different offices within the Air Force and handled on a Topic-by-Topic basis. Each office operates within their own schedule for proposal evaluation and selection. Updates and notification timeframes will vary by office and Topic. If your company is contacted regarding a proposal submission, it is not necessary to contact the AF to inquire about additional submissions. Additional notifications regarding your other submissions will be forthcoming.

We anticipate having all the proposals evaluated and our Phase I contract decisions within approximately three months of proposal receipt. All questions concerning the status of a proposal, or debriefing, should be directed to the local awarding organization SBIR Program Manager.

PHASE II PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS

Phase II is the demonstration of the technology that was found feasible in Phase I. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to submit a Phase II proposal. All Phase I awardees will be sent a notification with the Phase II proposal submittal date and a link to detailed Phase II proposal preparation instructions, located here: http://www.wpafb.af.mil/afsbirsttr. Phase II efforts are typically 27 months in duration (24 months technical performance, with 3 additional months for final reporting), and an initial value not to exceed $750,000.

NOTE: Phase II awardees should have a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) approved accounting system. It is strongly urged that an approved accounting system be in place prior to the AF Phase II award timeframe. If you have questions regarding this matter, please discuss with your Phase I Contracting Officer.

All proposals must be submitted electronically at https://sbir.defensebusiness.org/ by the date indicated in the notification. The Technical Volume is limited to 50 pages (unless a different number is specified in the notification). The Commercialization Report, any advocacy letters, SBIR Environment Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH) Questionnaire, and Cost Volume Itemized Listing (a-i) will not count against the 50 page limitation and should be placed as the last pages of the Technical Volume file that is uploaded. (Note: Only one file can be uploaded to the DoD Submission Site. Ensure that this single file includes your complete Technical Volume and the additional Cost Volume information.) The preferred format for submission of proposals is Portable Document Format (.pdf). Graphics must be distinguishable in black and white. Please virus-check your submissions.

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AIR FORCE SBIR PROGRAM MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS

The AF reserves the right to modify the Phase II submission requirements. Should the requirements change, all Phase I awardees will be notified. The AF also reserves the right to change any administrative procedures at any time that will improve management of the AF SBIR Program.

AIR FORCE SUBMISSION OF FINAL REPORTS

All Final Reports will be submitted to the awarding AF organization in accordance with the Contract. Companies will not submit Final Reports directly to the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

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AIR FORCE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR)/SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAMS

“COMPLIANCE WITH SBIR/STTR PROGRAM RULES”

The undersigned has fully and completely reviewed this training on behalf of the proposer/awardee, understands the information presented, and has the authority to make this certification on behalf of the proposer/awardee. The undersigned understands providing false or misleading information during any part of the proposal, award, or performance phase of a SBIR or STTR contract or grant may result in criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including but not limited to: fines, restitution, and/or imprisonment under 18 USC 1001; treble damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act, 31 USC 3729 et seq.; double damages and civil penalties under the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act, 31 USC 3801 et seq.; civil recovery of award funds; suspension and/or debarment from all federal procurement and non-procurement transactions, FAR Part 9.4 or 2 CFR Part 180; and other administrative remedies including termination of active SBIR/STTR awards.

________________________ _______________Signature Date

________________________Name

_________________________ ___________________Firm Name and Position Title Proposal Number

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AIR FORCE SBIR 17.2 Topic Index

AF172-001 Damage Tolerance Analysis of Grinding Burn Cracks in High Strength SteelsAF172-002 Demonstration and Validation of Brush LHE Alkaline Zn-Ni as a Brush Cadmium (Cd)

AlternativeAF172-003 UV cured maskant robotic application with self-maskingAF172-004 Constant Speed Drive Input Shaft MonitorAF172-005 Hardware Modeler Replacement for Digital Device SimulationAF172-006 Unique Modular, High Power, Cascadable Amplifier for support of EMP Direct Drive

TestingAF172-007 Conversational Personal Assistants for Air Force Operations CentersAF172-008 Cost Estimating Relationships for Evaluation of Rapidly Evolving TechnologiesAF172-009 Applications Using New Satellite Communications ConstellationsAF172-010 Threat Detection Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine LearningAF172-011 MWIR InAsSb APD ReceiverOSD172-DI1 Improving the Ranking and Prioritization of Attack-related EventsOSD172-DI2 Micro-Platform Protection (MiPP)OSD172-DI3 Automated Reconfiguration of Mission AssetsOSD172-DI4 Network Isolation of Industrial Control System (ICS) Devices via Permanent Host Identifiers

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AIR FORCE SBIR 17.2 Topic Descriptions

AF172-001 TITLE: Damage Tolerance Analysis of Grinding Burn Cracks in High Strength Steels

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Materials/Processes

OBJECTIVE: Develop special methods, data, or applications for the modeling and crack growth analysis of thermally induced cracks located in grinding burns of high strength steel landing gear parts.

DESCRIPTION: Landing gear are specialized structures designed to sustain the high stresses and loads of landing aircraft. They are often made of high strength steels (300M, 4340, steels with Ftu>180ksi) which are sensitive to elevated temperatures due to material microstructure and low tempering temperatures. On occasion, during manufacture, rework, or chrome grinding, landing gear are overheated resulting in an under/over tempered martensitic condition (burn). Generally, these conditions are associated with the formation of microstructurally and physically small cracks in the 0.001 - 0.010 in. range. It is desirable to better understand the fracture mechanics of small cracks in burned high strength steel parts and methods/models that can be used to manage such cracks in landing gear, and more generally, aerospace specific high strength steel parts.

PHASE I: Investigate the types of machining conditions that encourage the formation of microstructurally and physical small cracks in under/over tempered steels. Define a test plan that will result in valuable data that can be used within the assumptions and limitations of LEFM methodologies to predict crack growth in burned high strength steel materials.

PHASE II: Initiate and complete the test plan developed in Phase I. Phase II testing results will be documented in a technical report and submitted to the government. All lessons learned and additional testing needed for a Phase III effort will be included in this report. The test plan shall include at a minimum test data development, stress intensity validation for specific specimen types selected, and fracture surface analysis to determine stress intensity solutions for failed parts/specimens.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Finalize the results of all testing in a technical report, and create methodology and models that allow for the management of burn induced cracks. Develop specialized tools and techniques that will enable the quick evaluation of grinding burn cracks in support of landing gear sustainment.

REFERENCES:1. JSSG-2009, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE JOINT SERVICES SPECIFICATION GUIDE: AIR VEHICLE SUBSYSTEMS.

2. JSSG-2006, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE JOINT SERVICE SPECIFICATION GUIDE: AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES.

3. ANODIC ETCHING - A METHOD OF DETECTING GRINDING BURNS ON CHROMIUM PLATED STEEL PARTShttp://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a017689.pdf.

3. Crack Extension in Several High-Strength Steels Loaded in 3.5% Sodium Chloride Solutionhttp://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/685377.pdf.

KEYWORDS: Grinding, martensitic, high strength steel, fatigue, fracture, damage tolerance analysis, manufacturing, modeling, material, transition, stress intensity factor, mode, airworthiness, integrity

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AF172-002 TITLE: Demonstration and Validation of Brush LHE Alkaline Zn-Ni as a Brush Cadmium (Cd) Alternative


OBJECTIVE: The objective of this effort is to demonstrate and validate LHE alkaline Zn-Ni brush plating as a replacement for selective (brush) Cd plating on Cd plated, aluminum coated (such as IVD), or LHE alkaline Zn-Ni plated components.

DESCRIPTION: Selective Cd plating (also referred to as brush plating) is used (along with post-chromate treatments) to repair damaged Cd plating on aircraft parts that have exposed substrate (such as low alloy steel) areas to provide a corrosion resistant sacrificial coating. These bare areas are typically from in-service damage, or production areas exposed from rack plating points of contact. Frequently, Cd brush plating is applied to aircraft components, fasteners and electrical connectors; however, Cd is a known carcinogen and brush plating produces fuming which poses an environmental and safety concern. Cadmium dust is also a major concern in a depot environment where sanding and grinding may be occurring, exposing workers to inhalation risk and oral ingestion. In January 2007, the U.S. President signed Executive Order (EO) 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, requiring government agencies to reduce the quantity of toxic and hazardous chemicals and materials that are acquired, used, or disposed. Cadmium is among the chemicals to be reduced by the DoD. Additionally, wastewater discharge from cadmium electroplating baths must meet effluent limitations dictated by regulations under the Clean Water Act, and any sludge from wastewater treatment must be managed as hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). As a result of these regulations, the use of cadmium significantly raises the maintenance costs throughout the life of the plated parts. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted to analyze the cost impact of using an alternative coating in place of cadmium electroplating versus the costs of implementing a full medical surveillance program. Based on data from NADEP Cherry Point, elimination of cadmium electroplating would save the facility more than $20,000 per employee per year. The costs-per-square-inch for plating varies from facility to facility, but similar cost savings is anticipated at other DoD depots.

Due to these increasing costs, regulatory pressure, and risk to personnel performing these processes, the sustainability of the DoD’s surface treatment capability is somewhat threatened. Therefore, this effort seeks to gain approval for the use of a Low Hydrogen Embrittlement (LHE) Alkaline Zn-Ni on Cd, IVD aluminum and LHE Zn-Ni plated aircraft components, fasteners and electrical connectors. It is anticipated that the successful implementation of this alternative coating will not only comply with the requirements of EO 13423, but will also reduce total life-cycle costs of the weapon system.

PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of replacing brush Cd plating with brush LHE alkaline Zn-Ni brush plating for touch up and/or plating repair on steel and aluminum aircraft components that were previously Cd or LHE alkaline Zn-Ni plated, or IVD aluminum coated.

PHASE II: Further develop, optimize and implement the approach from Phase I and demonstrate the process improvements with brush LHE alkaline Zn-Ni plating. Mechanical and environmental properties, as well as process techniques, will be optimized and validated. Component alloy qualification testing and actual part service evaluation testing will be conducted.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The elimination of cadmium is beneficial for both military and commercial aircraft applications. Any aircraft currently utilizing brush Cd plating on components used for aircraft system will have application for this approach.

REFERENCES:1. MIL-STD-870 Cadmium Plating, Type II, Class 2.

2. MIL-STD-1500 Cadmium Plating, Type II, Class 1.

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3. AMS-QQ-P-416 Cadmium Plating, Type II, Class 2.

KEYWORDS: Brush Cd, IVD Aluminum Coatings, Zn-Ni, Cd, Plating, Aircraft Components

AF172-003 TITLE: UV cured maskant robotic application with self-masking


OBJECTIVE: Develop a robotic application system for Dymax UV cured maskants that ALSO masks the areas that are to be plasma sprayed. Without the need to trim the maskant overspray after the application or have to mask prior to the application of the mask.

DESCRIPTION: UV cured maskants have recently been introduced to the Plasma Spray process in PMXG. A mask acts as a self-sacrificing barrier for surface protection and is an essential element of most surface finishing and enhancement processes. The maskant may be applied by spray or syringe method to complex geometries where tape could not suffice. The application process must allow for control of the applied maskant thickness and edge angle. Although the plasma process currently applies one type of UV cured maskant the equipment must be able to handle thixotropic UV cured maskants of varying viscosities. UV cured maskants are restricted by line of sight. A turn table with a robotic arm would be beneficial because many engine parts that receive plasma spray are circular. Plasma spray areas vary greatly from part to part. The system must be extremely flexible to accommodate the current and future workload. Previously PMXG did not have a method to mask some of the new engine workload and this process allowed for successful plasma spray of new workload. The R&D department has employed this material on many projects with success. Hand application is possible but leaves much to be desired, robotic application would be the preferred method. Ease of programming new parts is critical and we must have safety measures in place to prevent damaging the part due to operator error (Ex: running a robotic arm into the part). The system must allow placement of the part in the machine, the machine applies the mask to the required masked areas, cures the maskant material with a UV light, the part is then removed from the machine, prep blasted, and plasma sprayed. If successfully implemented the process will drastically reduce prep time, increase precision, reduce operator error, and create a safer environment for the mechanics. The system shall be fully enclosed with a viewport that blocks UV light but allows the operator to monitor the process. The system shall provide ventilation with HEPA filtration because the system will be vented indoors. System maintenance and troubleshooting shall be supported by contract for a minimum of 3 years after install.

PHASE I: Research and develop a concept that meets the above requirements. A Phase 1 report will provide results of how the concept meets the requirement. The report will also contain a plan for developing a CBA on a part by part basis to compare tape masking to UV cured maskant.

PHASE II: Continue development of the Phase I effort. Employ CBA tool and begin part by part analysis. Outline maximum dimensions for parts. Validate the system is capable of applying the maskant properly and without sacrificing the plasma spray operation.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Final development and analysis ending the Phase III with implementation of a prototype system.

REFERENCES:1. Golebiewski, Richard. "Environmentally safe, UV curable masking resins reduce aircraft component processing costs." The Aerospace/Airline Plating Forum & Exposition. Orlando, USA: The American Electroplaters & Surface Finishers Society. 2002.

2. Arastehfar, Soheil, Ying Liu, and Wen Feng Lu. "A new discrete event system model for supervising and controlling robotic arm path tacking tasks based on adaptive masking." ASME 2012 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference. American Society

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of Mechanical Engineers, 2012.

KEYWORDS: UV Masking, Robotics, maskants,

AF172-004 TITLE: Constant Speed Drive Input Shaft Monitor

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Battlespace, Electronics, Sensors

OBJECTIVE: An effective method is needed to determine revolutions of Constant Speed Drives in support of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM)

DESCRIPTION: Aircraft systems utilize Constant Speed Drives (CSD’s) to convey power to on-board generators at a constant output rotational speed regardless of the input rotational speed of the engine. The input engine rotational speed, through the accessory gearbox, ranges from 18000 RPM at full power to 4275 RPM at idle. Wear, and usable life, of the CSD is a function of the number of revolutions seen at the power input to the CSD. However, CSD’s are not returned to the depot for overhaul based on number of hours of use or revolutions. The CSD is managed under a “fly to fail” item replacement strategy and information for hours on engine or wing is not collected for the CSD. Consequently, the CSD’s are returned to the depot in a wide range of failed conditions, most of which accelerate unnecessary parts replacement and overhaul work. A method, or device, of counting the number of input revolutions to the CSD is needed to correlate use of the CSD to wear and then to establish maximum useful life before overhaul. Eight of the CSD’s in USAF service provide a once per revolution trigger signal (peak to peak volt) that can be counted through a wire or at the connector pin.

This topic seeks to investigate the possibility of developing a small device that will record and deliver objective measures of the Constant Speed Drives operation and condition.

A primary measure (1.) will be a count of the number of input revolutions of CSDs and differentiate by drive type the counts at under-speed, straight through, and over-speed range. The counting device will not have access to external power.

Other measures will be considered that offer value for the CSD operation and condition. Among those would be : (2.) the ability to measure the hydraulic oil condition (gravimetric data, water and acid content) when it changes beyond and back into allowable limits, (3.) the ability to measure charge pressure and output pressure flow rate in the hydraulic circuits when they fall out of operating range, (4.) the ability to detect when and where damaging vibrations occur inside the drive, (5.) the ability to detect when and where excessive heat occurs inside the drive, (6.) and the ability to detect when and where shock occurred throughout the drive. These additional measures would occur ideally within the digital counting device and/or as part of an onboard diagnostic package that operates inside the CSD with minimum number of connections, contacts and transducers.

The device must have an 8-year useful life. CSDs rotate at a minimum 5.4 X 109 counts between service. It is desirable to keep the size of the device to a square inch. The device will be required to mount inside the CSD, be accessible to input (drive type, reset, date) and output (counts per speed range, date) without drive disassembly, and operate at temperatures ranging from -65F to +355F.Input and output for the other measures should also occur without drive disassembly and coincide by date with the digital counter data.

PHASE I: Research and develop a concept demonstration that addresses the above requirements. This phase will determine if flight worthy components for permanent installation are technically feasible. A Phase I final report will provide results of how the demonstration met the requirements and address the boarder scope capability for a Phase II effort.

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PHASE II: Based on a successful demonstrated concept, develop a pilot prototype that meets the requirements of this topic. A Phase II final report will document the results and provide transition plans needed to implement into production capability.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The resulting capability could require enhancements for the production implementation across military installations and the many potential commercial applications in numerous industries to enhance manufacturing and in-service quality control programs for current and past production components.

REFERENCES:1. C. Huang, et al., “Calibration and Characterization of Self –Powered Floating-gate Usage Monitor with Single Electron per Second Operational Limit”, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Vol 57, Issue 3, March 2010.

2. W.H. Ko, H.Xie, “Self-Powered Tire Revolution Counter”, US Patent 6438193 B1

3. CSD and Generator Example (Uploaded in SITIS on 5/8/17)

KEYWORDS: Constant Speed Drive, Self-Powered, Counter

AF172-005 TITLE: Hardware Modeler Replacement for Digital Device Simulation


OBJECTIVE: The D300 hardware modeler supports development and maintenance of test programs to test and indicate repair actions for avionic circuit card assemblies. The replacement is required to maintain this capability for current and future avionic repairs.

DESCRIPTION: The current hardware modeler (D300 system) supports development and maintenance of test programs used to test and indicate repair actions for avionic Shop Replaceable Unit (SRU) circuit card assemblies (CCA) at the Tinker, Hill and Robins Air Force depots. Many custom and hybrid integrated circuits (ICs) and custom electronic components cannot be modeled in simulation software because of their complexity and/or lack of technical data. Location of the components within the CCA topology can also prevent reverse engineering to determine unknown functionality. The current hardware modeler in conjunction with the Teradyne LASAR digital simulator has the ability to perform this modeling. The hardware modeling system has the ability to model multiple devices (both dynamic and static devices) simultaneously. It is also able to retain input (stimulus) and output patterns for entire clock cycles, and therefore, reestablish the state of the device under simulation in a repeatable manner. The simulation results are available for use in further simulations of the SRU or CCA. The simulation results also reduce the need for reverse engineering. The current hardware modeler is obsolete and no longer supported. Current units are being used for spare parts to maintain viability of the system. The majority of the digital test programs in use and in development at the depots use the Teradyne LASAR digital simulator. Also, the current Air Force family of testers, the VDATS, is equipped with Teradyne digital test instruments that work in conjunction with the LASAR simulator output. The hardware modeler replacement must be compatible with LASAR and the VDATS Di-Series digital subsystem or a compatible high speed digital test subsystem. It must use this digital subsystem in conjunction with the Teradyne LASAR simulation software to model digital, hybrid and custom ICs and the circuit boards in which they are installed to produce fault dictionary and guided probe diagnostics for the VDATS test station. These diagnostics indicate repair actions to be taken by Air Force avionic technicians to return defective SRUs and CCAs to serviceable condition. This SBIR shall investigate the use of the VDATS Di-Series digital subsystem (or equivalent) as a replacement for the D300 hardware modeler.

PHASE I: Develop a solution that can replace the D300 with the VDATS Di digital subsystem. The concept solution should address software interfaces, hardware interfaces and estimates of LASAR simulation run times using the VDATS Di digital subsystem. A Phase I final report will provide results of how the concept meets the requirements

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and address the broader scope capability for a Phase II.

PHASE II: Based on a successful concept review, develop a pilot prototype that demonstrates a LASAR simulation using a hardware model controlled by a VDATS Di digital subsystem. A Phase II final report will document the results and provide transition plans needed to implement into production capability.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Based on a successful concept review, implement the prototype design into the production environment.

REFERENCES:1. Coggins, Kevin. "VDATS and the DoD ATS Framework." 2008 IEEE AUTOTESTCON. 2008.

2. Rowson, James A. "Hardware/software co-simulation." Design Automation, 1994. 31st Conference on. IEEE, 1994.

KEYWORDS: Hardware modeler, VDATS, Circuit Card diagnostics, Shop Replaceable Unit

AF172-006 TITLE: Unique Modular, High Power, Cascadable Amplifier for support of EMP Direct Drive Testing


OBJECTIVE: Determine feasibility and develop concepts for a high power, modular amplifier design to support wideband (10 kHz–2 GHz), with minimum 10 kW Average Power, and capability to drive load impedances from short to open circuits for Direct Drive testing.

DESCRIPTION: Current requirements for EMP survivability and hardness assessment testing as defined in MIL-STD-3023, “High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Protection For Military Aircraft” (21 November 2011) include Direct Drive techniques in support of both Threat-level and Low Level Hardness Maintenance/Hardness Surveillance. The waveforms used for this testing are derived from the NORMs of threat-relatable responses and are used to drive candidate test points to levels above the margins defined for the Category I, II, & III aircraft. The Direct Drive testing approaches in MIL-STD-3023 require that these waveforms be driven with an amplifier with supporting -3 dB bandwidth of 10 kHz – 2 GHz, the amplifier must be able to source at least 10 kW average power, and must be able to drive load impedances which are not always known, but can vary from a short (0 ohms) to an open (> 10 M ohms) circuit, without damage to the amplifier or perturbation of the driven waveform. The minimum -3 dB bandwidth specified in the MIL-STD-3023 is 100 kHz to 1 GHz; but engineering design requirements must include the specification of a decade lower -3 dB point on the low end and an octave higher -3 dB point on the upper end to insure that the minimum specification is met by the amplifier. In the case of perturbation of the driven waveform, an external, real-time feedback and control system is required to adjust the waveform to compensate for the changes due to impedance variations (the additional component needed in the Phase II), but the amplifier must be able to drive the test point with the same energy regardless of impedance changes. These changes can occur as the drive levels are stepped up per the guidelines in the MIL-Std-3023, due to non-linear protection devices becoming active, causing the driven impedance to vary instantly from a nominal impedance of 50-100 ohms to a near zero ohms (short) condition. This condition causes an extremely high VSWR for the length of the waveform. Normally, an amplifier will either shut down or sustain damage under these conditions. There are no existing Commercial-off-the-shelf products that will support these requirements without exhibiting this shutdown or damage, thereby leaving a shortfall in the ability to satisfy the requirements of the referenced MIL-Standard and determine hardness/survivability of military tactical and strategic air vehicle systems. For Phase I, define and develop the amplifier technology concepts necessary to meet these requirements for MIL-STD-3023 Direct Drive testing and provide the initial layout and capabilities to build the amplifier unit and supporting Direct Drive feedback and control subsystems in Phase II.

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PHASE I: Research and develop a concept demonstration that addresses the above requirements. A Phase I final report will provide results of how the demonstration met the requirements and address the boarder scope capability for a Phase II effort.

PHASE II: Based on a successful demonstrated concept, develop a pilot prototype that meets the requirements of this topic. A Phase II final report will document the results and provide transition plans needed to implement into production capability.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Implementation of a prototype system that meets the needs of the topic above. Provide documentation and a plan for any further development required and maintenance of the final product.

REFERENCES:1. Beilfuss, J., and R. Gray. "Source selection techniques for EMP direct drive simulation." Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1989., IEEE 1989 National Symposium on. IEEE, 1989.

2. Hoeft, Lothar O., et al. "Comparison of R 2 SPG waveforms with simulated EMP." Electromagnetic Compatibility, 1991. Symposium Record., IEEE 1991 International Symposium on. IEEE, 1991.

3. MIL-STD-3023, “High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Protection For Military Aircraft” (21 November 2011)

KEYWORDS: EMP Direct Drive Testing, EMP Survivability, Hardness assessment testing

AF172-007 TITLE: Conversational Personal Assistants for Air Force Operations Centers

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Information Systems

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct ITAR specific questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer, Ms. Gail Nyikon, [email protected].

OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate a conversational personal assistant application for operators in an Air Operations Center environment.

DESCRIPTION: The convergence of natural language processing and machine intelligence, along with web-enabled access to services and information have spawned a new appliance – the “conversational personal assistant”. Exemplars include Apple’s Siri, Google Home and Amazon Alexa. These systems provide a convenient human-machine interface through text and speech recognition, and intelligent interpretation of human language requests, queries and directives. Through network interfaces to databases, world wide websites, and internet connected hardware, they can act on these requests or answer these questions within the constraints of their connectivity. More importantly, they have adaptive learning capabilities, which improves their ability to satisfy our requests, and possibly to anticipate our needs, through passive and active feedback. Such an intelligent virtual assistant offers to reduce our work load, simplify routine tasks, and even to learn and assist with more complex tasks over time. This type of capability could provide great advantage to personnel in complex, task saturated, and time critical situations.

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One such environment is the Air Operations Center (AOC) or Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in which personnel are engaged in the process of coordinating military air operations with other ground, air, space and sea forces. The COAC staff plans, monitors and directs sortie execution, for a range of missions including close air support/precision air strike, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, airlift, air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, air drop, and countless other mission critical operations. These troops utilize phone, text and video communications/collaborations, a variety of software tools in an integrated environment, and a range of data feeds to provide real time shared situational awareness with the purpose of enabling the production of decision-quality, actionable information for the commander and his staff to command aerospace power. These functions are performed by multiple personnel in the CAOC with defined tasks, such as strategy development and air task order planning, surveillance and reconnaissance tasking, intelligence collection and analysis, battlefield coordination, airspace control and air traffic management.

A personal assistant to operators in this environment can be envisioned to support a number of functions. The conversational interface would allow simplified data input and output for queries, commands, and information access. The assistant could prompt and guide the user along a series of steps in task checklists, and provide timers and alarms for various time critical activities. The assistant could advise and assist the user in evaluating data and information to interpret results and make assessments and recommendations on courses of action. Many of these functions can be automated, but the ability of a personal assistant to adapt to a user or situation, and better understand the desired outcomes or intentions is expected to greatly enhance the effectiveness of the operator.

PHASE I: Identify the role of a conversational personal assistant in the functions of Air Operations Center, in terms of enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of operator task performance. Define the architecture for implementation of such a system, including data interfaces, learning methodologies, and human-machine interfaces. Identify challenges to implementation, and required technology development to overcome them.

PHASE II: Based on the Phase I effort, develop and deliver a functional prototype of the envisioned personal assistant and demonstrate its application in a simulated air operations center context. The system will likely be trained in representative scenarios, and the contractor shall show the capability of the system to adapt and improve its effectiveness over time. Metrics shall be gathered to demonstrate how the system improves the efficiency of operators in an air operations center.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The contractor will pursue commercialization of the various technologies developed in Phase II for transitioning expanded mission capability to a broad range of potential government and civilian users and alternate mission applications in complex environments.

REFERENCES:1. Pratzner Jr, Phillip R. The Combined Air Operations Center: Getting the Organization Right for Future Coalition Air Operations. MARINE CORPS UNIV QUANTICO VA SCHOOL OF ADVANCED WARFIGHTING, 2002.

2. Phister, Paul, Igor Plonisch, and Todd Humiston. The Combined Aerospace Operations Center (CAOC) of the Future. AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB ROME NY INFORMATION DIRECTORATE, 2001.

3. Serban, Floarea, et al. "A survey of intelligent assistants for data analysis." ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR) 45.3 (2013): 31.

4. Ali, Awrad Mohammed, and Avelino J. Gonzalez. "Toward Designing a Realistic Conversational System: A Survey." FLAIRS Conference. 2016.

5. Borras, Joan, Antonio Moreno, and Aida Valls. "Intelligent tourism recommender systems: A survey." Expert Systems with Applications 41.16 (2014): 7370-7389.

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KEYWORDS: conversational personal assistant, voice recognition, machine intelligence, natural language processing, voice control, chatbot, human factors

AF172-008 TITLE: Cost Estimating Relationships for Evaluation of Rapidly Evolving Technologies

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Air Platform

OBJECTIVE: To develop methodologies, tools and associate procedures to enable the assessment of the life cycle costs and enhanced capabilities associated with the incorporation of emerging technologies.

DESCRIPTION: "Rapidly evolving technologies combined with the dynamic world environment present unique challenges to the Air Force. The ability to correctly cost technology transitions in support of evolving warfighter needs must be conducted in a timely manner. An emerging technologies Cost Capability Analysis (CCA) would assist in the evaluation of the cost imposing impact of various aircraft systems and CONOPS, in the development of revolutionary, low cost aircraft to augment existing warfighting capability. For example, there are new acquisition strategies for low cost aircraft to take advantage of, such as a product line approach, as opposed to current means to develop exquisite aircraft like F-35 and F-22. This product line approach can bring emerging technology transition to the fight in a timelier manner. The understanding of the developmental cost impacts of this acquisition approach need to be understood and modeled for analysis.

There are various tools and methods used to assess mission effectiveness and/or campaign outcomes, without consideration of the cost of operations and support, RDT&E, production, and other life cycle cost (LCC) elements. Existing cost estimating relationships (CER) rely heavily on Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) data, and this approach is inadequate for proper assessment of emerging technologies. Additionally, determining costs associated with an innovation, throughout the entire perceived life cycle, is vital to establishing a relevant business case for investing in emerging technology development.

The ability to rapidly assess the cost effectiveness of emerging S&T with expected LCC may be realized from an integrated combination of new and/or existing LCC models and the rate of return for the improved capability. It is envisioned a cost validation can be realized using mission effectiveness and campaign analysis (i.e. Brawler, Suppressor, or STORM) in conjunction with new costing models employing new CERs that more adequately estimate costs throughout the life cycle with correlations between safety, reliability, maintainability, operations and support as cost drivers for the emerging technology.

Providing integrated CCA for emerging technology cost estimation relationships for new weapon systems will enable future Air Force acquisition community to determine the most cost effective technologies to meet the future evolving warfare environment.

PHASE I: Conduct feasibility analysis of an integrated toolset to assess cost estimating relations from capability improvement by employing emerging technologies. This shall include, but not be limited to, identifying new or incremental change to existing CER tools and methodologies to be developed for product line acquisition of a new capability and proven against the baseline of an existing weapon system and/or subsystem.

PHASE II: Develop, prototype, validate, and demonstrate proposed integrated analysis. The ability to show measured cost relationships for emerging S&T against a government provided baseline capability and/or mission enhancement from technology performance will be required. The throughput must show linkages between emerging technology, and establish LCC sensitivity analyses for key cost factors, such as: safety, security, reliability, maintainability, survivability, and/or other key variables.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Product-driven commercial sectors may benefit from emerging technology CERs methodology and tools by incorporating into business case analyses for ROI and IRR. Phase III activities could expand this work to commercial sector to enable companies to assess cost of implementing

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developing technologies.

REFERENCES:1. AFI 65-502, "Financial Management - INFLATION", dated 13 MAY 2015 Corrective Actions applied on 27 January 2017

2. "Air Force Cost Risk and Uncertainty Analysis Handbook", dated April 2007

KEYWORDS: life cycle costs, emerging technologies, cost estimating, cost estimating relationships, Cost Capability Analysis, cost impacts, modeling

AF172-009 TITLE: Applications Using New Satellite Communications Constellations

TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Space Platforms


OBJECTIVE: Develop and demonstrate applications or services that take advantage of new and emerging non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite communications constellations. Help condense the time between deployment of NGSO constellations and their operational use by the Air Force.

DESCRIPTION: The Air Force uses satellite-based communications including services provided by commercial satellite operators, and its total satcom capacity demand is likely to increase over the next decade. Recent commercial ventures have introduced and are planning networks of non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites even as geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite capacities increase. The Air Force would like to be positioned to exploit new NGSO capacity as it comes on line in the next few years.

Practical progress towards higher-capability NGSO networks has been made with the deployment of O3b satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO) and the start of Iridium NEXT in low Earth orbit (LEO). As these networks expand, multiple other networks are in various phases of development. One or more could be providing services by the end of the decade featuring worldwide coverage, high data rates, low latency, inter-satellite links and robust interfaces to 5G or other terrestrial networks. Commercial operators expect to deploy capability and offer services. Each future network has different plans for ground infrastructure, including fixed and mobile capability, antennas, gateways, terminals and handsets. Whatever, the particular implementation features of the new networks, the Air Force seeks enhanced satcom capacity for manned and unmanned air vehicles and their payloads. While lower data rate networks will also be deployed to support Internet of Things applications, the interest here is in substantial data rates measured in at least megabits/second, and possibly much higher.

This research will not duplicate new commercial services. Rather, it will exploit these services to deliver applications that they unlock or enable. Proposers can collaborate with NGSO constellation service providers, maintaining a focus on development and delivery of applications soon after constellation operational capability. Services that can be demonstrated and deployed near term, rather than being reliant on more speculative future

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constellation services, are strongly preferred. Services that access NGSO capacity as a core element, and combine in a complementary way GEO, low data rate LEO or other communications networks are also of interest. Services that propose to use multiple NGSO networks will be considered, but an effective application deployed sooner using only one network is considered more useful than a grand solution never deployed.

PHASE I: Identify an application or service offering that directly leverages new NGSO satellite communications networks. The service should support Air Force missions and deliver a new or substantial increment from current capability to communicate and move information to and from air vehicles without an extensive development program. The service may also leverage GEO/GSO satcom and terrestrial or airborne networks and data, but it must explicitly make direct use of high data-rate NGSO network capabilities. Create a software architecture and determine what hardware, if any, will be required to implement the application.

Plan a demonstration that can feasibly be carried out during Phase II, using a realistic candidate NGSO service. For example, the Iridium NEXT network has some satellites in place with dozens of other vehicles in the constellation manifested for launch. In Phase I, determine the data interfaces to new commercial networks and understand data security and information assurance.

PHASE II: Based on the Phase I effort, design and build the application or service. Create or adapt software to interface with and access the NGSO network and its associated services. Assemble necessary elements to access other complementary communications networks as needed. Develop a prototype application suitable for demonstration and directly useable or extendable to wider deployment for Air Force use.

Implement the application using a high data rate NGSO satellite communications network and evaluate effectiveness, clearly demonstrated new capability or capability significantly better than current, at lower operating and total cost. If the NGSO network is not completed at the time of the demonstration, describe how the new service will support the full network and how capabilities will expand and improve.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Create other related applications and services involving communications, data handling, video transmission or other areas for commercial or dual use. Partner with multiple NGSO constellation operators and terrestrial communications providers to integrate satellite connectivity and services into their offerings.

REFERENCES:1. "Space: A Sudden Light," The Economist, August 25, 2016.

2. Foust, Jeff, The Return of the Satellite Constellations, March 23, 2015, http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2716/1

3. Petersen, Gregg E. What Will Commercial Satellite Communications do For the Military After Next?. ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA, 1998.

4. Brunnenmeyer, David, et al. "Ka and Ku operational considerations for military satcom applications." Military Communications Conference, 2012-MILCOM 2012. IEEE, 2012.

5. Start, Andy, and Gordon McMillan. "The critical role of tactical satcom in deployed operations." Military Satellite Communications 2013 (Milsatcoms 2013), IET Seminar on. IET, 2013.

KEYWORDS: satellite communications, satcom, satellite constellations, Iridium, non-geostationary, LEO, mobility air fleet, global coverage, airborne communications terminal

AF172-010 TITLE: Threat Detection Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

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OBJECTIVE: Adapt and apply multi-int sensing and machine learning to identify, understand and help mitigate threats to Air Force installations.

DESCRIPTION: Machine learning techniques have evolved and developed rapidly in the last few years because of the availability of low cost massive computing and large scale labeled data sets. Pattern recognition and other forms of information extraction from video, imagery, text/data streams, or large collections of meta-data from diverse sources are increasingly practical and effective. Processors and algorithms operate at a speed that is increasingly compatible with real-time activities including control and operation of autonomous vehicles, instantaneous facial recognition, and natural language processing.

The Air Force deploys and manages forward operating bases, aircraft assets at expeditionary airfields, and other various fixed or temporary supporting ground installations and facilities. Each of these faces threats to its operation, ranging from personnel, manned or unmanned vehicle intrusion, kinetic, electromagnetic and cyber disruption and corruption. These threats evolve on multiple timescales - sometimes quite rapidly – and can increasingly incorporate elements in multiple domains.

Machine learning has the potential to map and understand the installation or operation and then to characterize, monitor and highlight dynamic threats, intrusions and interference within the environment that indicate anomalous behavior and that might pose a threat. Such systems could make use of any available/existing data and ingest new sources of data, including sensors, from within the installation, its physical exterior, local electromagnetic sources or exchanges over public networks. Signals collection and mapping, video analytics such as facial recognition and gait analysis, airspace awareness or physical change detection of the surrounding environment based on vehicle-mounted sensors could be used. A key challenge is the availability of representative data and associated labels or truth identifiers, so that for such systems can be adequately trained. These data could be gathered and the systems trained in-situ, or by using synthetic generation or simulation.

For the purposes of this solicitation, the focus will be on forward operating bases in areas with adjacent or nearby urban and semi-urban environments, with sparse road and other infrastructure, and complex mixes of allied and adversarial groups, as well as threat detection during transitional periods of base operation. The detection, characterization and early identification of threats to base personnel and property, including high value assets such as aircraft, is the primary objective of the system to be developed. The government will make available a dataset which will include multiple bands of electro-optical data, RF GMTI, and acoustic data. Training data does not have to include the government provided data set, regardless of data source it should be clearly identified in the proposal.

PHASE I: Determine appropriate machine learning techniques for implementation of threat detection at forward operating bases embedded in civilian areas. Establish the relevance of these machine learning approaches based on their previous or ongoing application to other similar challenges or clear potential to support threat detection, indications and warning, and predictive avoidance options. Identify existing data sources that could be used to support threat detection, and possible new datasets that could augment existing sources to uncover connectivity or indications of patterns and information. Examine the feasibility of learning methods to characterize and identify threatening behavior or precursors, including the availability of training data or truth sets. Provide a plan for development and demonstration of these concepts, including the development of sensors, data collections, and

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necessary training data sources.

PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate the concept and application identified in the Phase I project, including deploying and/or connecting the network of sensors, sources, or databases, training the system to detect threat patterns and generate actionable indications and warnings for operators. Evaluate the effectiveness in terms of probability of detection and false alarm rate for the threats, and reporting on probability of correct classification and probability of detection with a standard confusion matrix. For the phase II additional government assessment could be accomplished so a proof-of-concept software deliverable should be made that can be tested by the government in order to validate future investment. In order to make a product that the government can use, DISA and DoD guidance should be followed in terms of cybersecurity and thus operating systems should have the STIG (open-scap.org) applied with all ports and protocols documented in the final report.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The contractor can pursue markets and applications in which detection of anomalies or dangers is required, and where multiple data sources are present in dynamic and uncertain environments. Applications include autonomous vehicles, infrastructure protection, security and management of large public events.

REFERENCES:1. Mitchell, Robert, and Ing-Ray Chen. "A survey of intrusion detection techniques for cyber-physical systems." ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR) 46.4 (2014): 55.

2. Pathan, Shafiqua T., et al. "A survey paper on a novel approach for image classification based on low level image processing algorithm from real time video." International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research 3.2 (2014).

3. Hogenboom, Frederik, et al. "A Survey of event extraction methods from text for decision support systems." Decision Support Systems 85 (2016): 12-22.

KEYWORDS: artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, autonomy, autonomous systems, neural networks, facial recognition, anomaly detection, intelligent surveillance, threat indications and warning

AF172-011 TITLE: MWIR InAsSb APD Receiver



OBJECTIVE: Design, develop, demonstrate, and produce a prototype III/V avalanche photodiode receiver array in 3.0-4.6 micron range with better than 250 noise equivalent photon sensitivity and greater than 100 MHz bandwidth.

DESCRIPTION: Low flux photon detectors are a major focus of military electro-optical systems for passive and active sensing, while commercial electro-optical systems focus extensively on telecommunications and production monitoring. Systems designed for all of these applications typically require extremely low dark current density (dark current < 10 nA), high quantum efficiency (EQE > 50%), and single carrier multiplication (k < 0.05) to achieve the

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necessary photon resolution. Several material systems are capable of meeting these requirements, including silicon, InP/InGaAs, and HgCdTe. These material systems cover the near infrared, short-wave infrared, and thermal infrared spectral bands, respectively. However, the spectral band between 3.0-4.6 microns is not particularly well served by either InP/InGaAs or HgCdTe. An opportunity exists to introduce a new material capable of low dark current, high quantum efficiency, and single carrier multiplication for use in this 3.0-4.6 micron range.

III/V materials are capable of meeting bandgap requirements for detection in this spectral range, and recent literature indicates that they should be capable of performing in low flux conditions. The goal of this program is (a) to explore III/V materials for low flux photon detection in Phase I, (b) to bond a photodiode array to a commercially available readout integrated circuit (ROIC) in Phase II, and (c) to demonstrate a large array with single photon resolution in Phase III. The basic requirements for meeting these goals are: that the temporal resolution of the detector assembly is less than or equal to 100 MHz; that the quantum efficiency of the detector assembly is greater than 50% in the spectral window; and that the system is capable of operating at or above 77 K. Preference will be given to avalanche photodiode designs that operate in linear as opposed to Geiger mode, devices that extend the cut-off beyond 4 µm, devices that operate at higher operating temperatures, as well as devices that can be readily fabricated on commercially available substrates and with minimal epitaxial calibration.

PHASE I: Develop an avalanche photodiode using III/V materials on the single element scale. Demonstrate low excess noise (k < 0.1) and high multiplication (>10) on multiple devices. Demonstrate spectral cut-off wavelengths greater than or equal to 3 microns.

PHASE II: Develop bonding techniques for full arrays to a commercially available ROIC. Demonstrate either substrate thinning or epitaxial lift-off techniques to retain quantum efficiency in back-illuminated designs. In single element devices, demonstrate 3 dB modulation response above 100 MHz and noise equivalent photon performance below 250 photons.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Demonstrate a fully packaged camera with over 80% pixel operability and a minimum 32 x 32 array form factor.

REFERENCES:1. Marshall, A.R.J., et al., Electron dominated impact ionization and avalanche gain characteristics in InAs photodiodes. Applied Physics Letters, 2008. 93(11): p. 111107.

2. Svensson, S.P., et al., Band gap of InAs[1-x]Sb[x] with native lattice constant. Physical Review B, 2012. 86(24): p. 245205.

3. Sun, W., et al., High-Gain InAs Avalanche Photodiodes. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 2013. 49(2).

4. Ren, M., et al., AlInAsSb/GaSb staircase avalanche photodiode. Applied Physics Letters, 2016. 108(8): p. 081101.

5. Woodson, M.E., et al., Low-noise AlInAsSb avalanche photodiode. Applied Physics Letters, 2016. 108(8): p. 081102.

KEYWORDS: APD, Avalanche Photodiode, MWIR, midwave infrared, III/V, compound semiconductor, detector, single photon avalanche detector, SPAD, LADAR, LIDAR

OSD172-DI1 TITLE: Improving the Ranking and Prioritization of Attack-related Events


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OBJECTIVE: Develop methods to focus limited human security specialist resources on highest value indicators, and increasingly automate responses, when continuously monitoring complex collections of IT assets for signs of an attack.

DESCRIPTION: High value IT assets, such as endpoints, servers, and devices, are under continual attack by well-resourced adversaries that can leverage component product and software defects in order to gain control of the assets. Continuous monitoring of an asset’s typical behavior including running processes, communications, memory use, and storage can reveal useful anomalous events. However, false positives are high, and human specialists must still spend considerable time sorting through events to determine the highest value investigations to pursue. Without a considerable reduction in false positives there is little hope in providing sufficiently automated resolutions. In addition, due to lack of automated responses, accurate sensors and personnel, the time required to recognize, to diagnose, and act upon events in the commercial sector is in the range of days and hours.

Host-based and Network-based intrusion detection systems identify unauthorized, illicit, and anomalous behavior based on agents placed on hosts or upon network traffic. Logs from hosts, servers, firewalls and other devices can also provide an indication of unapproved and irregular activities within the network and on individual devices. Security information and event management (SIEM) technology has been developed and adopted by sectors in the commercial world that supports threat detection through real-time collection and analysis of security events from a wide variety of sensors and events.

A driver for operating cost effective and secure operational DoD environments will be availability of subject matter experts (SME) to monitor highly protected assets. Their labor hours are a limited resource and the ability to focus their expertise on the highest value defense activities is an important way to most effectively leverage their resources. This research will develop means of ranking and prioritizing attack indicators so that their time may be more efficiently spent on the most important threats. This may also lead to eventual automation of monitor and response capabilities. This may help reduce the response time for those most serious events down to hours/minutes.No environmental factors required.

PHASE I: Develop and evaluate solutions to improve ranking and prioritization of asset attack or compromise events using inputs from a wide collection of agents and sensors. Gather and correlate information collected from server and endpoint agents, network traffic monitoring, and other compromise indicators to assess, prioritize and provide information and recommendations to defenders. Innovative techniques such as big data analytics, All learning, and correlation may be explored to identify the highest value threats and rank them.

PHASE II: Implement the solutions developed in Phase I and demonstrate them in a realistic IT environment. Study and describe how this capability may be augmented by the introduction of automation in the response to events/attacks.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Commercialize the technology. The solution developed in Phase II will be "productized" for more general use across the government and in the commercial marketplace. Consumer documentation, such as Administration and User's Guides to the product, will be developed.

REFERENCES:

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1. Incident Response Capabilities in 2016: The 2016 SANS Incident Response Survey, SANS Institute InfoSec Reading Room. https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/incident/incident-response-capabilities-2016-2016-incident-response-survey_37047

2. IDFAQ: What is The Role of a SIEM in Detecting Events of Interest? Kibirkstis, Algis (author), November 2009. https://www.sans.org/security-resources/idfaq/what-is-the-role-of-a-siem-in-detecting-events-of-interest/5/10

3. DoD S&T Priorities: (3) Cyber Science and Technology – science and technology for efficient, effective cyber capabilities across the spectrum of joint operations. http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil/resources/ASD(R&E)_StrategicGuidanceMay_2014.pdf

KEYWORDS: Cyber threat ranking, cyber threat prioritization, automated cyber-attack response

OSD172-DI2 TITLE: Micro-Platform Protection (MiPP)



OBJECTIVE: Develop capabilities to facilitate the application of cyber protection techniques, methodologies, algorithms, and capabilities to micro-platform devices in development, ultimately reducing their capacity to become significant threat vectors.

DESCRIPTION: There is a global cyber war being waged today. The adversaries include hacktivists, criminals, extortionists, and all the way up to nation states. The goals of these adversaries are as varied as the communities they represent, including: denying access, disrupting operations, espionage, financial gain, competitive advantage, and capability destruction. The most common vector today is initiated through phishing emails that exploit vulnerable browsers – an issue that is rapidly being addressed through the application of key technologies. Since the adversaries are determined and highly motivated, as vulnerabilities are closed, new vulnerabilities are constantly being discovered. Recently, some adversaries have turned their attention toward exploiting special purpose devices that incidentally provide vulnerable computing and storage. Indeed, the number of these special purpose micro-platform devices, due to the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), is estimated by some to be at least 7 billion today and will rise to 50 billion by 2020, a 7-fold increase in just 4 years. IoT and other embedded devices represent a significant threat vector which must be mitigated by improving the security of the devices. (Note that there have been significant advances in the patching of existing micro-platform devices and therefore, this research does not address that issue.)

No environmental factors required.

PHASE I: The first phase focuses on the development and evaluation of innovative techniques, methodologies or algorithms to provide cyber intrusion prevention for one or more vital micro-platform devices. However, the solution should demonstrate how it could be applied across a broader set of devices. The solutions should include a

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low-cost general methods for intrusion prevention that could employ any combination of software, firmware, or hardware, either embedded or external, with the goal of minimizing attack vectors in the devices through various techniques. Innovation in the miniaturization of the common intrusion protection methods is sought. The research should demonstrate protection for device integrity, confidentiality, and availability through some combination of perimeter and/or on-device techniques, including micro-firewalls, micro-segmentation, IDS, logging and other techniques. Of primary concern is the prevention of third party ability to gain access to and launch attacks from the protected devices. The research will include analysis of the relevant standard security metrics.

PHASE II: Assuming that cyber intrusion prevention techniques, methodologies, or algorithms show sufficient promise, this phase focuses on the development of one or more intrusion prevention capabilities. Protection should be provided for one or more vital micro-platform devices. The solutions should provide a tangible example of the concepts delivered in Phase 1. Innovation in miniaturization and cross-platform control is sought. The resulting capability should demonstrate the strengthening of device integrity, confidentiality, and availability. The research will include penetration testing and provide results.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Work with the DoD to demonstrate that the prototype developed during Phase 2 can be applied to DoD and non-DoD systems and software. Further demonstrate and deploy the capability within diverse environments.

REFERENCES:1. “America’s economic prosperity, national security, and our individual liberties depend on our commitment to securing cyberspace and maintaining an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet.” Present Barack Obama, Feb 13 2015 “We’re the ones who stand with those who create and innovate against those who would steal and destroy. That’s the kind of country we are, and that’s the kind of cyber force we are.” Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Mar 13, 2015http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0415_Cyber-Strategy

2. Over the next decade, the Internet of Things (IoT) is poised to change the way we go about our daily lives with projections of over 50 billion connected devices by 2020, compared to the 7 billion devices today.”http://www.buzzproducts.com/design/digital/Connected-The-Rise-Of-The-Internet-Of-Things.html

3. Security Risks of Embedded Systems, Schneier, Bruce, January 9, 2014https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/security_risks_9.html

4. Recommended Practice for Patch Management of Control Systems, DHS National Cyber Security DivisionControl Systems Security Program, December 2008,https://ics-cert.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/recommended_practices/RP_Patch_Management_S508C.pdf

KEYWORDS: IoT, Internet of Things, Embedded Systems, Intrusion Protection

OSD172-DI3 TITLE: Automated Reconfiguration of Mission Assets


The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 5.4.c.(8) of the Announcement and within the AF Component-specific instructions. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. Please direct ITAR specific questions to the AF SBIR/STTR Contracting Officer,

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Ms. Gail Nyikon, [email protected].

OBJECTIVE: Provide a capability that can rapidly and automatically reconfigure protected IT assets (e.g., multi-tier servers) in response to an ongoing cyber-attack.

DESCRIPTION: High value IT assets, such as endpoints, servers, and devices, are under continual attack by well-resourced adversaries. This research will focus on one potential reaction to an ongoing cyber-attack and provide the ability to reconfigure a protected, complex, multi-tiered application. Dynamic reconfiguration can consist of a wide range of actions that can include providing new network addresses for the assets, reconfiguring protection assets, such as firewalls, changing the protocols between components in a multi-tier solution, and changing the cloud infrastructure provider of the mission, even when the underlying infrastructure ecosystem differs across cloud service providers (CSPs). The focus of this research is on reconfiguration in the infrastructure of the application. The goal is to use multiple methods to make the protected asset’s attack surface rapidly unrecognizable, possible moving the application, and forcing the attacker to go back to square one in planning the attack. High degrees of automation are preferred in the solution, minimizing the administrative burden of the capability. Being able to define the logical components and relationships of an N-tier application’s deployment are would be a valuable feature in this research.

No environmental factors required.

PHASE I: This phase will focus on the feasibility and planning for this research effort. The investigators will create an analysis document in the form of a Technical Report, regarding the feasible options for changing the attack surface of an operational application “on the fly”. Several possible options for automated reconfiguration are mentioned in the description above. (e.g., new addresses, component reconfiguration, cloud porting etc.) The investigators will determine use cases to define when dynamic reconfiguration of an N-tier application should occur and what triggers will be used from the larger threat sensing capabilities to invoke the features developed in this research. (This research does not sense when an attack is occurring, but rather, one reaction to the detected attack.) This research should document the best practices in application development that will facilitate rapid reconfiguration functions. The investigators will describe ideal application/workload design options that best match this dynamic reconfiguration environment. Important to this report is the identification of specific control points, within the protected application and its hosting environment components to include compute, storage, and networking.

PHASE II: This phase will focus on the design and implementation of a software-based solution to provide extensive reconfiguration of a mission application’s run time configuration in order to protect the application from any further progression in an attack. The intent is to reconfigure an application’s attack surface, location, and communication methods with only minimal impact to the operation of the asset. The asset may continue to run in a new configuration, which may reside in a different DoD-approved cloud, with new network addresses, with changed security component components, and may communicate internally with different protocols.

One important aspect of reconfiguring a N-tier instantiation is being able to define the logical pattern of the application in terms of application components, such as contemporary servers, communications paths, ports, and protocols, and security components. Once these pattern requirements are known, then logically equivalent substitutions can be made for the purpose of changing the attack surface. For example, if Server 1 communicates with Server 2, using protocol A, then the same effective communication can occur through a different communication path, between different addresses, possibly in different cloud IaaS.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This phase will focus on the commercialization of the technology. The solution developed in Phase II will be “productized” for more general use across the government and in the commercial marketplace. Consumer documentation, such as Administration and User’s Guides to the product, will be developed. The investigators will determine the cloud IaaS’s, and guest operating systems that will be supported in the product based on market need, and move to expanding the portability of the product to those environments.

REFERENCES:

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1. Cloud Migration Research: A Systematic Review,http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6624108/?arnumber=6624108

1. “…DoD must increase its defensive capabilities to defend DoD networks and defend the nation from sophisticated cyberattacks…” “The DoD research and development community as well as established and emerging private sector partners can provide DoD and the nation with a significant advantage in developing leap-ahead technologies to defend U.S. interests in cyberspace. In addition to supporting current and planned investments, DoD will focus its basic and applied research agenda on developing cyber capabilities to expand the capacity of the CMF and the broader DoD cyber workforce. http://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/features/2015/0415_cyber-strategy/Final_2015_DoD_CYBER_STRATEGY_for_web.pdf

2. Donovan, Paula J., et al. "Quantitative Evaluation of Moving Target Technology." Technologies for Homeland Security (HST), 2015 IEEE International Symposium on. IEEE, 2015.

3. Carvalho, Marco, et al. "Command and control requirements for moving-target defense." IEEE Intelligent Systems 27.3 (2012): 79-85.

KEYWORDS: Cyber Defense, cloud migration, application reconfiguration, automation

OSD172-DI4 TITLE: Network Isolation of Industrial Control System (ICS) Devices via Permanent Host Identifiers



OBJECTIVE: Develop a solution to isolate critical ICS devices from general network traffic while maintaining network connectivity between devices, between devices and trusted administration entities, and without deploying additional code to the devices.

DESCRIPTION: Modern ICS devices are network connected. This enables devices to communicate with each other for coordinated operation as well as communicating with a centralized control system. These network connections also allow designated administrators convenient maintenance and administration of the devices. However, these network connections create additional threat vectors into devices controlling critical systems. Furthermore, many of these devices run on proprietary firmware that is closed (unreadable) and rarely updated. As a result, organizations must connect these devices to some portion of the network even though there are very limited use cases for these devices to communicate. Traditional firewalls can help limit traffic in and out of designated areas. However, most firewalls enforce rules based on arbitrary (also dynamic and spoofable) addresses such as internet protocol (IP) addresses. Furthermore, inside the protection of a firewall, devices are still able to communicate laterally and still often visible to the rest of the network. Any misconfiguration of either the device or the firewall is catastrophic.To resolve this problem, an additional name space (apart from IP addressing) is required to abstract the (permanent) identity of a device from the device’s corresponding addresses. Rather than using IP addresses to connect, connections now use the host identifier instead, providing a more reliable attribute of identity. One such implementation is Host Identity Protocol (HIP) which adds a “host identifier” in the form of a cryptographic public

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key associated with the host. In the instance of HIP, two parties must share a cryptographic binding before being able to see each other on the network; effectively hiding portions of the network that are not allowed to communicate with each other. No environmental factors required.

PHASE I: Evaluate current methods of abstracting the device identity from the device’s addresses, and the suitability of applying this new name space into the network infrastructure for Department of Defense (DoD) networks and networked components built according to military specification (MILSPEC). Identify a use case for isolating connected ICS devices that is appropriate for a proof-of-concept, and design a reference architecture for implementing identity-based whitelisting (or blacklisting) at layer 2 for the identified use case. Describe any potential latencies or delays that may be introduced due to the use of these abstraction methods.

PHASE II: Develop a lab-scale reference implementation intended to isolate several of the desired devices regardless of address or network location. Identify lessons learned from the reference implementation, and develop a transition plan for operationalizing the solution. Measure expected delays and identify sources. Identify potential vendors, suppliers, integrators, and contract vehicles for acquiring the materials necessary for implementation in a DoD network.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Develop a repeatable implementation based on the reference implementation for more general use across the government (outside DoD) and in the commercial marketplace; including implementation and configuration documentation, as well as Administration and User’s Guides.

REFERENCES:1. Host Identity Protocol (HIP), RFC 5201. Retrieved fromhttps://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5201.

2. Host Identity Protocol (HIP) Architecture, RFC 4423. Retrieved from https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc4423.

KEYWORDS: Host Identity Protocol address isolation, IP address abstraction, Industrial Control System (ICS) protection, SCADA protection

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