Under the partnership, Anduril will integrate its Lattice open software platform into the revolutionary goggles to enable operators to see threats faster across the battlespace.

The software utilizes sensor fusion, computer vision, edge computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect, track, and classify every object of interest in the operator’s surroundings.

Once activated, Lattice is expected to augment IVAS’ capabilities, enhancing soldier survivability in complex and contested environments.

“It’s one of the Army’s most critical programs being fielded in the near future,” Anduril founder Palmer Luckey said, referring to the IVAS. He added that the goal of the partnership is to ensure the device “gets the right data to the right people at the right time.”

‘Bringing a Full Picture’

According to Anduril, Lattice works by fusing multiple sensors, data, and assets into a single, AI-enabled software interface to automatically detect and monitor threats.

It employs advanced data processing techniques to filter high-value information, enabling operators to react to the most immediate threats first.

The software can also be used to further investigate threats by coordinating with other available platforms, such as drones and aircraft.

The company noted that its Lattice platform is also suited for monitoring land and maritime borders, as it can alert human operators to objects of interest through their desktop or mobile phones.

“IVAS brings a full picture of the battlefield to every soldier, enabling safer and more effective operations,” Microsoft VP of Mixed Reality Robin Seiler stated.

“Our collaboration with Anduril to integrate their suite of critical sensors … demonstrates the transformative capability of this fighting goggle and will allow us to further expand the impact IVAS will have for every US soldier.”

Struggling Program

Launched in 2018, the IVAS program aims to produce augmented reality goggles that are said to revolutionize how soldiers train and operate on the battlefield.

However, the initiative has faced challenges, with soldiers reporting disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, and headaches after trying the equipment.

User feedback also revealed that fewer targets were hit when they used the early versions of the device.

The US Congress has already withheld nearly $350 million in funding for the goggles, with a Pentagon official claiming that the US Army might just waste billions of dollars on the program.

US Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey also stated that the upcoming operational tests of the IVAS goggles may determine the fate of the troubled initiative.

The post Anduril to Revive US Army’s Troubled IVAS Program, Partners With Microsoft appeared first on The Defense Post.

After multiple failed attempts to build efficient mixed-reality goggles, the service will launch a new initiative called “IVAS Next” with a focus on improving the issues with previous IVAS iterations.

According to three industry sources, the army is considering opening a recompete contract that would replace Microsoft as the program’s prime contractor.

It remains unclear if the recompete will only facilitate minor adjustments to the already-available IVAS goggles or create an entirely new system.

Potential Participants

There were reportedly 80 companies invited to an industry day last December wherein they learned more about the IVAS Next program.

Headlining the list were Anduril, L3Harris, Palantir, and the American arms of Elbit Systems and BAE Systems.

Kopin, the developer of the display technology installed on F-35 helmets, was also present.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is still setting its sights on the program despite its previous IVAS devices receiving negative user feedback.

“Microsoft fully intends and is prepared to compete for IVAS Next,” a representative told Breaking Defense. “We remain committed to delivering the industry’s best capabilities for our warfighters.”

IVAS Versions

Microsoft has developed three versions of the IVAS goggles: IVAS 1.0, IVAS 1.1, and IVAS 1.2.

However, these versions faced years of fielding delays after soldiers complained of disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, and headaches after testing the equipment.

More specifically, users said they hit fewer targets and engaged more slowly when they used the IVAS 1.0.

The latest version, the IVAS 1.2, features a 60-degree field-of-view and has a flat design that allows soldiers to easily flip it up for comfortable use.

The 1.2 recently completed squad-level testing and is set to undertake more assessments to determine its fate.

The post Defense Firms Lining Up for US Army’s ‘IVAS Next’ Competition appeared first on The Defense Post.

The project will combine large language models operated under Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service with Palantir’s AI Platforms suite for government and classified cloud environments.

The integrated suite will be deployed throughout the community’s existing Azure Government, Azure Government Secret Impact Level 6, and Top Secret clouds.

Cloud computing and language models under the initiative will be applied for use case-building capabilities to enable safe and efficient AI-based operations in logistics, contracting, action planning, and other deployments.

The consortium noted that services provided by the agreement are subject to completion of authorization and accreditation by covered government agencies.

“This expanded partnership between Microsoft and Palantir will help accelerate the safe, secure, and responsible deployment of advanced AI capabilities for the US government,” Microsoft Americas President Deb Cupp stated.

“Palantir, a leader in delivering actionable insights to government, will now leverage the power of Microsoft’s government and classified clouds and robust Azure OpenAI models to further develop AI innovations for national security missions.”

Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar added that the consortium’s support “is a step change” to enhance the performance of the US government’s defense and intelligence teams.

“Palantir AIP has pioneered the approach to operationalizing AI value – beyond chat — across the enterprise,” Sankar said. “It’s our mission to deliver this software advantage and we’re thrilled to be the first industry partner to deploy Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service in classified environments.”

The post Microsoft, Palantir to Supply AI and Cloud Solutions for US Defense and Intelligence Community appeared first on The Defense Post.

Saab, Anduril Industries, Bollinger Shipyards, Teledyne FLIR, and General Atomics headline the list of chosen contractors.

Marinette Marine Corp., Honeywell International, Leonardo Electronics, and Microsoft are also contract recipients.

According to a Pentagon announcement, the companies will deliver payloads, non-payload sensors, mission support systems, and autonomy and vehicle control systems for the naval drones.

Each of them will be guaranteed a minimum of $1,000 to begin the work for the contract.

The Pentagon expects all work to be completed by February 2025, with a possible extension to 2030.

Need for More Investments

Last month, defense officials told Reuters that the US Navy’s efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because it remains wedded to big shipbuilding programs.

The proliferation of USVs in the Black Sea amid the Ukraine war is reportedly an indication that sea drone warfare has arrived.

The service’s program lead on drones, Rear Adm. Kevin Smith, had the same stance, saying the navy must move its unmanned systems beyond just surveillance roles to be able to carry out more consequential missions.

“I’m confident that the future of our Navy is going to be a mix of conventionally manned platforms with unmanned and autonomous platforms all teamed together,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti told Defense News.

The post US Awards $984M Naval Drone Contract to 49 Firms appeared first on The Defense Post.

This is according to US Army Futures Command head Gen. James Rainey, who was asked to speak before members of the Senate Appropriations airland subcommittee on the $22-billion initiative.

Some US lawmakers have raised concerns over the program marred with performance challenges, even calling it a “bad penny that keeps turning up.”

Rainey said the IVAS goggles must ace their upcoming test series because a poor showing may result in redirecting its massive budget elsewhere.

“As a former infantryman, I realize the potential [of the IVAS]. It is a legitimate 10 times upgrade to our most important formations,” he said, as quoted by Breaking Defense.

“But if it does not work, then I think we would have to take a very hard look at whether we continue down that path or use the money for other critical aspects of our night-vision strategy.”

A Rocky Path

The much-hyped IVAS goggles were supposed to revolutionize the way soldiers train, operate, and receive information on the battlefield.

They feature a mixed reality heads-up display that integrates next-generation situational awareness tools to aid in decision-making and targeting.

However, the multibillion-dollar program has been on a rocky path as soldiers complained of experiencing discomfort after less than three hours of using the goggles.

Among the “mission-affecting” physical impairments caused by the IVAS are headaches, nausea, and eye strain.

Potential Alternative

If all goes wrong after the IVAS trials, the US Army can redirect the money to Elbit’s Enhanced Night Vision Goggles (ENGV) – Binoculars.

Rainey said the ENGV has “really strong” performance in providing enhanced situational awareness to soldiers.

The system is known for its white phosphor image intensifier tubes that enable operators to see in the dark or when there is fog, dust, or thick smoke.

According to Rainey, investing in a potentially more effective and efficient night vision system can help ensure that the army can “own the night.”

The post Upcoming Tests Likely to Seal Fate of US Army’s Troubled IVAS Goggles: Official appeared first on The Defense Post.

Under the project, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) will integrate its Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing (CTIS) platform with Microsoft’s Sentinel, a cloud-based security analytics solution developed to protect users from cyberattacks.

Sentinel combines detection, proactive hunting, threat visibility, and response to “sophisticated” breaches.

Through this method, in-country Sentinel partners can share threat data with the government “at the speed and scale” required to alleviate intrusions on federal infrastructure.

Canberra added that the effort will be supported through Microsoft’s analysis of 65 trillion signals of global threat intelligence every day.

“It is of the utmost importance that Australia continues to build our cyber security capabilities,” Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles stated. “This initiative is a significant step forward in bolstering our cyber defences. 

“The best cyber defences are founded on genuine partnerships between and across the public and private sectors. It is collaborative partnerships like these that foster innovation and deliver practical outcomes for Australia’s cyber resilience.” 

Investing in Cyber Defense

According to the government, the latest cybersecurity project builds on a 5 billion Australian dollar ($3.3 billion) investment pledged by Microsoft in October 2023.

This investment is among the “first steps” in supporting Canberra’s strategy of becoming “a world-leading cyber secure and resilient nation” by the end of the decade.

“This is our largest investment in Microsoft’s 40-year history in Australia and a testament to our commitment to the country’s growth and prosperity in the [artificial intelligence] era,” Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith said during the investment’s announcement.

“We’re coupling this A$5 billion in computing capacity and capabilities with [artificial intelligence] and engineering that will strengthen the nation’s cyber defence, including a deeper collaboration with the Australian Signals Directorate.”

The post Canberra, Microsoft Team for Australian Cyber Threat Intelligence Sharing Solution appeared first on The Defense Post.

Called Volt Typhoon, the criminals specialize in espionage and associated information-gathering activities aimed against critical infrastructure organizations.

Documented exploits by the hackers show that they operate and maintain compromised access “without being detected for as long as possible.”

Among the victims of attacks are the government, maritime, communications, manufacturing, transportation, information, and education sectors.

Microsoft said it has “moderate confidence” that the group’s campaigns could disrupt vital communication capabilities between the US and Asian regions in a conflict.

Volt Typhoon Behaviors

Microsoft highlighted that the actors can sustain stealth in their assaults by “almost exclusively” relying on the victims’ existing tools and hands-on keyboard approaches.

Volt Typhoon’s usual routine involves deploying malware in computer commands to collect information, such as credentials from local and network systems.

The group then hides the stolen data in an archive for exfiltration and uses the same valid credentials for additional cyberattacks.

Furthermore, Volt Typhoon’s operations blend in with regular network activity by routing internet traffic to compromised small office and home office hardware, such as firewall, router, and virtual private network or VPN equipment.

In other cases, the hackers utilize modified open-source programs to establish command and control channels and hide from discovery over longer periods.

Joint Advisory Released

Simultaneous with Microsoft’s Volt Typhoon report, multinational cyber defense agencies published a joint advisory on the China-backed actors to protect the digital landscape of respective countries.

The documentation characterized the malicious group and released some recorded instances with the criminals’ footprints. Options to counter the hackers were also presented in the paper.

The post Microsoft Discovers Chinese Cyber Group Spying on Guam, Other US Locations appeared first on The Defense Post.

A small batch of 50 IVAS 1.0 will be handed over to soldiers at Fort Moore in Georgia later this week for use on various missions, according to program officials.

There are reportedly 5,000 IVAS 1.0 units in storage awaiting official deployment due to a funding shortfall.

The US Congress withheld nearly $350 million in March last year to procure and field the next-generation goggles for the US Army.

However, with the budget now available for the first 50 units, the service is expecting to field the initial batch by the end of this month for soldier training.

“They [Fort Moore soldiers] have plans of instruction [for the new IVAS],” IVAS product manager Lt. Col. Denny Dresch told Breaking Defense. “They have [courses] that will be utilizing IVAS, as well as … their Airborne Ranger Training Brigade and some are officer training.”

Despite the major development, the army still needs money to field the remaining 4,950 IVAS 1.0 units in storage.

IVAS Goggles

A militarized version of Microsoft’s HoloLens 2, the IVAS goggles are meant to revolutionize how warfighters train and move on the battlefield.

It is a mixed reality heads-up display that integrates state-of-the-art situational awareness tools to provide soldiers with needed mobility and lethality for day or night missions.

The device is also expected to improve mission planning, decision-making, and targeting through advanced sensing, mapping, and computing capabilities.

The first versions, the IVAS 1.0 and 1.1, will be used to support company-level missions and live-fire exercises.

The IVAS 1.2, the latest variant of the technology, incorporates reliability upgrades and features an improved low-light sensor for combat operations.

“Anybody who has had IVAS on, even the early versions, knows that this is a transformative capability and really has the potential to change the way that we fight,” program manager Col. Anthony Gibbs said.

“This new version, 1.2, we think it’s really going to hit the mark in terms of what we need to put out there for our Soldiers to give them the situational awareness and the leap-ahead capability they need to stay ahead of our peers.”

Problems

The development and fielding of IVAS goggles faced years of delay after soldiers complained of disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, and headaches after trying the equipment.

They also reportedly hit fewer targets and engaged more slowly when they used the IVAS 1.0.

Another technical issue discovered on the goggles involved their “field of view.” The equipment allegedly loses resolution when sight is widened for peripheral vision.

The post US Army Finally Fields IVAS Goggles After Years of Delay appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Passwordless for Air-Gapped and Critical Environments enables agencies to authenticate users without using passwords and features self-service automated capabilities to “air-gapped” or isolated networks as well as critical solutions integrated with Microsoft Security.

The platform will aid government agencies, defense industry partners, and related organizations to maximize security, protect end-user acceptance, decrease overhead costs, and bolster the efficiency of frontline workers.

Providing ‘Missing Ingredient’

Axiad’s package is an architecture developed to meet the goals highlighted in White House Executive Order (EO) 14028.

The directive, which focuses on cybersecurity enhancement across the nation, requires federal agencies to adopt zero-trust principles and network adjustments, an approach that continuously validates and authorizes all user credentials in an organization before being allowed access to data.

“With this new package, Axiad is the first company to provide all these elements plus the critical missing ingredient – self-service authentication management, including enrollment and account recovery – and bring them to the on-premises Microsoft ecosystem,” Axiad Chief Operating Officer Jerome Becquart explained.

Microsoft Principal Product Manager Ehud Itshaki added that “Axiad’s integration with Microsoft empowers critical infrastructure, government and defense industrial base to easily upgrade their existing Microsoft on-premises infrastructure to become passwordless.”

“With phishing-resistant, passwordless authentication, they can enhance their security posture and comply with the recent EO mandating phishing-resistant MFA (multi-factor authentication) – all while getting more out of their existing Microsoft authentication and infrastructure investments.”

The post Axiad Unveils Passwordless Authentication for US Federal Cyberspace appeared first on The Defense Post.

American tech firm Microsoft delivered the upgraded military goggles earlier this week to undergo a critical design test, according to IVAS product manager Lt. Col. Denny Dresch.

The test will determine if the changes in design are enough for soldiers to safely and comfortably use them during combat.

In 2021, the US Army postponed the deployment of the next-generation goggles after discovering a serious issue with their wider “field of view.”

IVAS developers reportedly made “minor reductions” in the system to improve device quality and clarity.

“That [test] will give us a good initial view [of] if we’re headed in the right direction, then we have to go to more and more difficult tests,” army acquisition head Doug Bush said, as quoted by Breaking Defense.

Trials on the 20 IVAS 1.2 prototypes are expected to be carried out in August.

Worst-Case Scenario

Based on Microsoft’s HoloLens device, the IVAS goggles are envisioned to revolutionize how soldiers fight on the battlefield.

The tech consists of a ruggedized augmented reality and heads-up display system that allows troops to see through smoke, around corners, and in the dark.

Bush said the upcoming test will serve as a “very important data point” that will provide the US Army with more subjective feedback about the goggles.

If the equipment still does not meet expectations after the trials, he revealed that the service will consider re-opening the competition to find a more suitable vendor.

“The combat capability has always been the Army’s first priority, that was an early decision. Were it not to work out, we’d likely just do a new competition, perhaps with somewhat different requirements to see what else is out there,” Bush said.

“There are other companies that could come to the table.”

Problematic Design

The previous version, the IVAS 1.0, faced a multitude of problems leading to the development of the new, upgraded model.

According to the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester, the infantry unit that tested the device was more successful in accomplishing their missions with their current equipment.

Soldiers reportedly hit fewer targets and engaged more slowly when they wore the IVAS 1.0.

Some also reported suffering from disorientation, dizziness, eyestrain, headaches, motion sickness, nausea, and neck strain after using the goggles.

The post US Army Receives First Upgraded IVAS Prototypes After Long Delay appeared first on The Defense Post.