ONHS Report: FA8750-24-S-7001

Advanced Cyber Operations Prototypes (A-COP)

Solicitation ID: FA8750-24-S-7001

Agency: AFRL/RIGA

Type: Presolicitation

Deadline: 2028-12-30T18:00:00 ET

Eligibility: Maybe (Dual Approval Required)

Funding: Total funding is approximately $949.9M. Individual awards will normally range from $10M to $50M, with a maximum of $99.98M.

Doc Type: BAA

Clearance: Top Secret

Program Manager: Thomas Parisi

Last Updated: 2025-11-24 13:25

Analyzed File: 24-01 Amend 3 ceiling increase and first repub.docx

Eligibility Reasoning

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) ... cannot propose to this ARA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions: FFRDCs: FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; and FFRDCs must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry... This information is required for FFRDCs proposing to be prime contractors or sub-awardees.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The Department of the Air Force, via the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), is seeking proposals for the Advanced Cyber Operations Prototypes (A-COP) program. This is an open, two-step Advanced Research Announcement (ARA) with a total funding ceiling of $949.9 million, running until December 30, 2028. The program aims to research, design, and develop next-generation cyber prototypes for transition into operational DoD platforms to ensure cyber superiority. Key technical areas include assured and trusted cyber infrastructure, continuous situational awareness, effects-based defenses, and the convergence of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Cyber Operations. Technologies of interest are broad, spanning cloud architectures, machine learning, zero trust computing, mobile/embedded security, and cyber modeling. The submission process begins with a 4-5 page white paper, with formal proposals by invitation only. Awards will be contracts or Other Transactions (OTs), typically ranging from $10M to $50M over a period of up to 60 months.

Overall Technical Areas

Cyber Platform PrototypingAutonomous Cyber DefenseCyber Situational AwarenessSIGINT / EW / Cyber ConvergenceMachine Learning for CyberMobile & Embedded Device SecurityCloud Security ArchitecturesTrusted Hardware & SoftwareFormal Methods & Code AnalysisZero Trust ArchitecturesCyber ISR & Analytical FusionCyber Modeling & SimulationCyber Stealth & PersistenceNetwork Protocol AnalysisCyber Effects & Deception

Probable LBNL Areas

BSACSAEESAESAETALD

Focus Areas

Example Priorities:

An assured and trusted cyber infrastructure begins with proven-correct designs that are technologically immune to threats and have an autonomous ability to modify the cyber domain to avoid unforeseen attacks and emerging threats.
When attacks degrade or destroy resources required for MEFs, the infrastructure shall have the ability to automatically maintain mission continuity by restoring, repairing, or re-provisioning critical resources.
Technologies of interest to the strategic vision of this ARA include, but are not limited to: cloud architectures, code analysis and evaluation, ... formal methods, ... trusted hardware and software, virtualization, and zero trust computing.

Specific Technical Skills:

Zero Trust ComputingTrusted HardwareTrusted SoftwareFormal MethodsVirtualizationCloud ArchitecturesAutonomous SystemsResilient Systems DesignCode Analysis

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Sean Peisert	0.71	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Angelos Ioannou	0.67	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Khaled Ibrahim	0.67	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Vinay Sawal	0.67	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Dan Bonachea	0.67	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Georgios Michelogiannakis	0.67	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Stefan Lasiewski	0.66	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Brandon Cook	0.66	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Nestor Demeure	0.66	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department
Anand Krishnan Prakash	0.66	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg Technologies Dept

Example Priorities:

Global Reach and Provide Independent Options implies the ability to continually access and exercise command and control over warfighting forces.
These contingencies require the ability for critical slices of the infrastructure, i.e., those mapped as supporting mission essential functions (MEFs), to possess an inherent resiliency allowing them to survive the attack by re-provisioning resources to maintain the viability of designated MEFs.
Broad topics of interest also include, but are not limited to: ... cyber mission platforms, next-gen cyber operations technology, ... communication net access, enterprise operations, cyber stealth and persistence...

Specific Technical Skills:

Command and Control (C2)Mission Essential Functions (MEF)Contingency PlanningCyber Mission PlatformsEnterprise OperationsResource ProvisioningCyber Stealth and PersistenceCommunication Net AccessNext-gen Cyber Operations

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Sean Peisert	0.70	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Adam Slagell	0.69	CSA \| Scientific Networking (ESNET) \| Security
Drew Paine	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Sunhee Baik	0.68	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts \| Energy Markets & Policy
Gazi Mahmud	0.67	BSA \| Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology \| Molecular Ecosystems Bio
Tiffany Connors	0.67	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Alex Newkirk	0.67	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
Hannah Cohoon	0.67	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Anand Krishnan Prakash	0.67	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg Technologies Dept
Stefan Lasiewski	0.67	CSA \| NERSC \| HPC Technology Department

Example Priorities:

Global Vigilance and Preserving Freedom of Action in the space domain requires continuous situational awareness and understanding across the warfighting domains.
The need for situational understanding, and in turn Global Vigilance, demands a complete understanding of how missions depend on the cyber infrastructure.
Since mission execution is dynamic in both time and space, the ability to establish and maintain a dependency map of mission functions and threads to infrastructure must also be dynamic and resolve to continually maintain the validity of the dependency analysis.

Specific Technical Skills:

Cyber Situational AwarenessCyber Modeling & SimulationRisk EstimationDecision Support SystemsMission Dependency MappingCyber Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)Analytical FusionMachine LearningData Security

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Gazi Mahmud	0.70	BSA \| Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology \| Molecular Ecosystems Bio
Shawn Tornga	0.70	LD \| LD \| ONHS
Sean Peisert	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Ana Kupresanin	0.69	CSA \| Computing
Sufi Kaur	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Oluwamayowa Amusat	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Alexander Sim	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Research
Tiffany Connors	0.68	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Zhe Bai	0.68	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science
Edward Bethel	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Research

Example Priorities:

In the context of cyber defense, this means using the assured and trusted infrastructure to automatically compute, provision, and deliver effects-based defenses designed to preserve missions, elicit specific desired adversary action, or provide defensive counter-cyber actions.
Broad topics of interest also include, but are not limited to: ... Deceive, Deny, Disrupt, Degrade and Destroy (D5) efforts.
This includes defensive technologies to strengthen the security of US cyber assets and defend against adversarial cyber advancement and cyber exploitation technologies to provide the US with intelligence regarding the cyber landscape and adversary activities in the cyber domain.

Specific Technical Skills:

Effects-Based DefensesAutomated ResponseCounter-Cyber ActionsDefensive Cyber Operations (DCO)D5 (Deceive, Deny, Disrupt, Degrade, Destroy)Mission PreservationSecure Development ToolsEvaluation & MeasurementAdversary Modeling

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Sean Peisert	0.69	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Adam Slagell	0.66	CSA \| Scientific Networking (ESNET) \| Security
Tiffany Connors	0.66	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department
Sunhee Baik	0.66	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts \| Energy Markets & Policy
Hannah Cohoon	0.65	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Gazi Mahmud	0.65	BSA \| Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology \| Molecular Ecosystems Bio
Alex Newkirk	0.65	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
Danielle Svehla Christianson	0.65	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Anand Krishnan Prakash	0.64	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg Technologies Dept
Zachary Needell	0.64	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts \| Sustainable Energy Dept

Example Priorities:

Concepts at the intersection of the areas of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronics Warfare (EW) and Cyber Operations technologies are sought in this Advanced Research Announcement (ARA).
Prototype integration areas of interest include methods of improving coordination and advancing the capability to conduct cyberspace operations in a multitude of environments.
Broad topics of interest also include, but are not limited to: ... spectrum approaches to the coordination and execution of cyber operations...

Specific Technical Skills:

Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)Electronic Warfare (EW)Cyber-EW ConvergenceSpectrum OperationsTechnology IntegrationOperational PlanningMobile and Embedded Device SecurityTactical SystemsData Embedding

Potential PIs for this Area:

Name	Score	Organization
Sean Peisert	0.68	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications
Stijn (Stan) Wielandt	0.68	EESA \| EG \| Geophysics Dept
Shawn Tornga	0.67	LD \| LD \| ONHS
Alex Newkirk	0.67	ETA \| Building Technology & Urban Systems \| Bldg & Industrial App Dpt
Edward Bethel	0.67	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Research
John Wu	0.67	CSA \| Scientific Networking (ESNET) \| Tech Adv and Engagement
Gazi Mahmud	0.67	BSA \| Environmental Genomics & Systems Biology \| Molecular Ecosystems Bio
Sunhee Baik	0.67	ETA \| Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts \| Energy Markets & Policy
Andre Santos	0.66	EESA \| CESD \| Integrated Ecosystem Sciences
Alp Sipahigil	0.66	ESA \| MSD \| Material Physics

Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Name	Score	Organization
Tiffany Connors	0.75	CSA \| NERSC \| Data Center Department · Machine Learning for Cyber
Steven Hofmeyr	0.75	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Cyber Modeling & Simulation
Koushik Sen	0.74	CSA \| AMCR \| Computer Science · Formal Methods & Code Analysis
Zachary Needell	0.74	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Cyber Modeling & Simulation
Jason Lowe-Power	0.73	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications · Cloud Security Architectures
Alexandre Bayen	0.73	ETA \| Energy Analysis \| Systems & Energy Tech Analysis · Cyber ISR & Analytical Fusion
Vern Paxson	0.73	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications · Network Protocol Analysis
Bruce Mah	0.73	CSA \| ESNET \| Tech Adv and Engagement · Network Protocol Analysis
Abdelilah Essiari	0.72	CSA \| SciData \| Data Science Applications · Zero Trust Architectures
Dipak Ghosal	0.71	CSA \| ESNET \| Tech Adv and Engagement · Mobile & Embedded Device Security

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

As of the date of publication of this ARA, the Government does not anticipate work proposed under this ARA to be considered fundamental research. Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. ... Any employee who is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident will be restricted from working on any resultant contract unless prior approval of the Department of State or the Department of Commerce is obtained via a technical assistance agreement or an export license.