👀 USSOCOM eyes shared software hub near MacDill

The Army FUZE program has given FluxWorks its first-ever award under Public Law 119-83, a $3.5M grant from the DOD, matched by a $3.5M DEVCOM GVSC co-investment, to speed development of silent, frictionless magnetic gear systems for next-generation combat vehicles.

DOD's proposed Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) faces significant funding and organizational hurdles, with $54B in startup funding dependent on an uncertain congressional spending bill. Experts warn that the new command also lacks an established force structure, raising questions about how it will integrate autonomous weapons, personnel, and acquisition responsibilities across the military.

The Pentagon’s Defense Pricing, Contracting, and Acquisition Policy office issued a memo with three attachments giving acquisition personnel templates and standardized language to enforce POTUS’ “truth-seeking” and “ideological neutrality” AI principles in DOD procurements. The guidance covers LLM vendor documentation requirements, solicitation language, and contract clauses.

USSOCOM is conducting market research for a common platform-as-a-service environment near MacDill AFB, where traditional and non-traditional vendors could work side by side with users and government program teams. A draft PWS says SOCOM wants an integrated contracting vehicle that can rapidly find, prototype, test, and field software-heavy capabilities across several PEOs. The effort would support Joint Acquisition Task Force experimentation, digital applications work, and system-of-systems integration for tactical information systems.

NSA, CISA, and NIST have released new guidance outlining 10 practices for preventing and responding to security incidents involving advanced AI agents that act beyond their intended instructions. The recommendations address unauthorized network activity, data theft, and system breaches, emphasizing monitoring, containment, recovery, and incident reporting.

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GSA has signed its first direct OneGov agreement with an 8(a) small business, (US)AI, offering federal agencies up to 30% off software licenses and $1 two-week trials. The deal, running through September 2028, gives agencies discounted access to a FedRAMP High-authorized platform for developing and deploying AI applications, automating workflows, and strengthening cybersecurity.

NOAA is migrating its weather forecasting systems to the cloud to overcome the limitations of aging supercomputers, improve data access, and deliver more detailed weather models. Google Cloud is the primary provider for the modernization effort, with high-performance computing operations expected to go live by late 2027 and a separate cloud-based forecasting system planned for early 2028.

A USDA IT official says staffing and contract support cuts have made keeping humans involved in every AI decision “untenable,” forcing agencies to consider greater AI autonomy with strict security controls. Other federal officials warn that reducing human oversight could introduce serious cybersecurity risks, while urging contractors to develop more secure, adaptable AI tools.

Arlington Capital Partners completed its acquisition of Gooch & Housego (G&H), a UK-based maker of advanced photonic and optical components with about 1,000 employees serving the aerospace & defense, industrial and life sciences markets. Arlington plans to fund organic growth, including manufacturing capacity expansions in the US and UK, and G&H will gain flexibility as a private company to invest in its people and technology and pursue strategic acquisitions.

TTM Technologies agreed to buy MKS Inc.’s Ophir Optics unit for about $650M in cash, adding precision thermal imaging and laser optics for military, homeland security, and industrial customers, with production sites in Israel and Romania. The deal is priced at roughly 10.3x Ophir Optics’ projected fiscal 2027 adjusted EBITDA and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2027. It builds on TTM’s recently completed $1.1B acquisition of Epiq Design Solutions.

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