QUICK HITS
Future of war: Experts warn the U.S. isn’t ready. Can we keep up with the speed of battlefield changes?
Here’s the new contracting reality: Growing with the agency just doesn’t work today, and proof of concept is the entry point.
Federal modernization: While agencies are moving at full speed towards an AI-driven future, legacy systems and funding strain modernization.
AI and the future of government procurement: What comes next?
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DEFENSE & AEROSPACE
Drone boats make a debut in Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan.
The Navy’s new 30-year shipbuilding plan would expand the fleet to 450 vessels by 2031, including more than 80 unmanned surface and underwater drone boats. The proposal also includes 15 nuclear-powered “Trump-class” battleships, though experts question whether the industrial base can support such rapid growth.
U.S., close allies creating joint “orbital warfare” plan.
USSPACECOM and six allied nations are developing a joint “orbital warfare” framework to coordinate future military operations in space, with the plan expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The effort reflects growing concern about space as a contested warfighting domain, as SPACECOM also expands tabletop exercises with commercial industry partners to prepare for potential conflicts beyond Earth.
Navy seeks approval for limited overseas ship construction.
The Navy is urging Congress to approve limited overseas construction of auxiliary ships to supplement strained U.S. shipyards. The plan would allow up to two ships and select non-sensitive modules to be built abroad, while preserving domestic control of critical work and final integration.
ICYMI:
The price tag just went up: Golden Dome could cost $1.2T over 20 years.
Pentagon CTO says Anthropic won’t be a DOD vendor, but Mythos raises “national security” stakes.
Pentagon seeks funding for E-7 Wedgetail.
The AI Action Team: USAF is experimenting with AI for promotion boards.
Defense Contract Awards
Leidos won a $2.7B Army Hypersonic Weapons contract.
HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding won a $283M FF(X) frigate lead yard deal.
ARA bagged a $111M USN High Performance Computing contract.
Torch Research won a $44M VICTOR SaaS Solution deal.
BAE won a $4M DARPA AI for Battlefield Effective Robustness contract.
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Defense Job Openings
INTEL COMMUNITY
CYBERCOM seeks significant AI funding increase for cyber operations.
USCYBERCOM is requesting a 2,660% increase in AI funding (from $5 million to $138 million) to strengthen cyber operations. The investment aims to improve threat detection, ISR, and offensive capabilities as part of a broader push to compete with adversaries accelerating their own AI adoption.
Director of Pentagon’s secretive SCO details priority areas.
The Strategic Capabilities Office is narrowing its efforts around three portfolios and eight mission areas to rapidly deliver operational tech. With a roughly $1.7B budget, the office is prioritizing autonomy, long-range fires, and repurposed systems—focusing on solving warfighter problems first and technology second.
ICYMI:
NGA RFP: ASTREA.
FBI RFI: CJIS Decentralized Info Sharing.
In turf battle over AI, U.S. spy agencies vie for more sway than Commerce.
SOCOM to evaluate SkyFi satellite imagery-to-tablet prototype.
SpaceX deploys intelligence satellites for the NRO.
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CIVILIAN
NIST updates IT security checklist guidance.
NIST has finalized an update to its IT security checklist guidance, signaling higher expectations for federal cybersecurity. Revision 5 incorporates cloud, AI and IoT considerations, along with greater emphasis on automation and compliance mapping, raising the bar for agencies and contractors alike.
U.S. considers financing billions for nuclear plant components, industry group says.
The DOE is exploring billions in financing to secure long-lead nuclear components to accelerate project timelines. With several utilities already pursuing loan guarantees, the move aims to reduce upfront risk and support broader U.S. nuclear expansion goals.
House bill targets federal legacy IT reduction.
A new House bill aims to accelerate the federal government’s shift away from legacy IT. It would require CIOs to inventory outdated systems and agencies to deliver modernization plans within two years, without additional funding.
Related: DOT advisor promotes lift-and-shift for legacy modernization.
ICYMI:
TREAS RFI: FOIA and eDiscovery Mgmt. System, Support Services.
DOE RFI: Scientifically Relevant Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing Systems.
DOC rolls out AI Upskill Accelerator pilot.
DOGE proposed an AI-driven tool to eliminate regulations at HUD last year.
There’s an ongoing decline in federal employment.
Civilian Contracts Awards
Gap Solutions won a $249K NHLBI T.O. on MAS for the design and software solution for custom applications.
Innovate! Inc. won an $8M USDA Global Services delivery order on MAS for global satellite imagery and agro-meterology time series data processing.
Reveal Global Consulting, Inc. won a $200K CMS T.O. on MAS for eight Coding IT Forward Civic Digital Fellows to support CMS’s Digital Services.
DHS units move to extend contract for Cellebrite’s controversial mobile device data tool.
Follow Civilian Leaders
NASA names former W.H. national security advisor as its Launch Operations Director.
Civilian Job Openings
FAA is hiring a Supervisory Aviation Technical Systems Specialist (ADO Manager).
IRS wants a Program Manager.
M&A CORNER
CTI expands data management capabilities with DCL acquisition.
CTI has acquired Data Conversion Laboratory to strengthen its platform across the data and information management lifecycle. With over four decades of experience and more than 250 clients, DCL adds deep expertise in structured, standards-based data as government and industry push to modernize legacy content and prepare information for AI-driven use.
ICYMI:
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