Head’s up, Brew Crew. There will be no GovBrew on Monday in observance of President’s Day. We’ll be back Tuesday, fully funded and operating under a continuing resolution of caffeine.
—The GovBrew Crew
QUICK HITS
SBA crackdown: Agency starts to terminate 154 firms from 8(a) program over eligibility violations.
Federal contractor wages rise: DOL announces new 2026 minimum rates.
Offerer gets booted for not using mandatory spreadsheet: Providing all info asked for isn’t good enough—contractors must follow formatting reqs.
Budget power struggle: Military services resist GAO’s call for Pentagon authority.
DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Space Force maps post‑2040 plan to protect GPS.
Worried that GPS won’t survive future jamming and on‑orbit threats, the USSF is quietly running “Project Hecate,” a study on building a multi‑orbit, multi‑frequency, highly layered PNT architecture for the post‑2040 fight. Officials say everything’s on the table: LEO, GEO, commercial, even international partners, as they look to outpace growing threats and shape future budgets.
DOD completes major realignment of arms transfer enterprise.
The DOD has finalized the realignment of DSCA and DTSA under the Acquisition & Sustainment office, consolidating oversight of defense sales, technology security, and industrial base policy. Officials state the restructuring will accelerate arms transfers, strengthen alliance burden‑sharing, and better integrate exportability and tech‑security considerations throughout the acquisition lifecycle.
Navy signals major surge in 2027 shipbuilding plans.
The USN says its FY27 budget could double the 17 ships funded this year, thanks to a proposed $1.5T defense budget and a push for more auxiliary and support vessels to rebuild the industrial base. Secretary Phelan says these “easier‑to‑build” ships will help the fleet grow faster, with at least 34 hulls on deck if Congress signs off.
ICYMI:
USAF Industry Day: Comms, Network, Engineering, Cybersecurity, IT Services.
USAF RFI: Contractor Logistics Support and Sustainment.
POTUS urges DOD to use coal as DOE provides $175M for plant upgrades.
Operation Cattle Drive: Navy updates divestment strategy to accelerate IT modernization.
Defense Contract Awards
Follow the Defense Leaders
Defense Job Openings
TRIVIA 🤔
Which agency awarded the first major intelligence community cloud contract, launching the IC’s move to commercial cloud?
Just click the choice you think is right & the correct answer will be shown. Scroll down to the bottom of this email for more information about the correct answer.
INTEL COMMUNITY
ODNI ends task force aimed at reforming the intelligence community.
ODNI has shut down a task force created to reform U.S. intelligence-gathering practices, ending the effort less than a year after it began. The move signals a shift in priorities within the intelligence community, as leadership reassesses how best to balance reform, oversight, and operational demands.
ICYMI:
DIA RFI: AI Test, Evaluation, Verification, and Validation.
CIA launches new effort to recruit informants within China’s military.
NRO awards first commercial imagery deals to HEO, SatVu and Sierra Nevada.
Parsons won a $125M DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory contract.
DIA is looking for a JWICS Technical Director.
GOVBREW INSIDER
Check out this week’s 125+ opportunities from defense, civilian, and intel agencies.
Our team uncovered 45+ upcoming IT services opportunities at Army ACC & TACOM in this week's recompete report.
See if your company qualifies for any of the latest grants & competitions.
Stay up to date on the upcoming events.
Keep track of the latest Agency Acquisition Forecasts.
CIVILIAN
NOAA streamlines deep seabed mining rules for faster permitting.
NOAA has finalized its first major update to deep seabed mining rules since the ’80s, creating a single consolidated application for exploration and commercial recovery. The new process introduces standardized, electronic submissions and even allows one EIS instead of two, all aimed at speeding access to polymetallic nodules as directed by EO 14285.
DOE advances Genesis Mission with new AI-driven challenges.
The DOE has outlined 26 scientific and technical challenges to accelerate its AI‑enabled Genesis Mission, calling on industry and research partners to help address issues ranging from commercializing scientific discoveries to safeguarding nuclear materials. With rapid deadlines and expanding public‑private collaboration, DOE emphasizes the need for swift execution to meet mission goals.
CMS built a waitlist for its AI chatbot—and that drove momentum.
CMS generated strong internal demand for its AI chatbot by launching it through a controlled waitlist, allowing teams to see early wins before broad rollout. Officials say the strategy helped build trust, manage risk, and accelerate adoption across the agency without overwhelming support teams.
ICYMI:
NASA RFI: Travel Management Services.
NASA looks to expand ties with the DOD on technology, launches.
Pentagon, USDA strengthen farmland protections amid China security concerns.
NIST SBIR awards: agency backs AI, quantum and semiconductor innovation.
Civilian Contracts Awards
Follow Civilian Leaders
QuSecure announced its Strategy and Growth EVP.
Former FBI special agent joins FTI Consulting as a Managing Director.
LMI hired a new Senior Acquisition Specialist.
Civilian Job Openings
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M&A CORNER
Palo Alto elevates identity security with CyberArk acquisition.
Palo Alto Networks has finalized its $25B acquisition of CyberArk, positioning identity security as a central pillar of its platform strategy. With machine identities now outnumbering human ones by more than 80 to 1 and nearly 90% of organizations reporting identity‑centric breaches, the company aims to unify privileged access controls across human, machine, and AI identities to strengthen enterprise resilience.
By Light closes Dignitas Technologies acquisition.
By Light Professional IT Services has acquired Dignitas Technologies, expanding its modeling, simulation, and training capabilities. Dignitas supports U.S. military programs like the F-35 with system engineering and mission rehearsal applications.
SHOWER THOUGHTS 🚿
54 year old personal injury lawyer from MN makes olympic debut: The curler is the oldest winter olympian in team history. SOURCE↗︎
Valentine’s Day insight: Why trying to be more loveable is backfiring, and what actually makes people feel loved. SOURCE↗︎
“Holy guidance” meets the stock market: Will you invest in Vatican-approved stocks? SOURCE↗︎
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TRIVIA ANSWER ⭐️
A) CIA — The 2013 AWS cloud contract that transformed IC IT strategy. (Source)
