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Acquisition Research Program Newsletter

March 14, 2025       —       Issue 234

NOW VIRTUAL: Creating Synergy for Informed Change: Transitioning Technology to the Warfighter

Join us online for NPS' 22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium and Innovation Summit, May 7-8, 2025!

This free, unclassified DoD-sponsored event will feature leading experts discussing critical topics in defense acquisition and innovation, including technology transitions, agile processes, industrial base strengthening, and continuous innovation.

The urgency around acquisition reform is higher than ever -- and the field is evolving rapidly. Join this important conversation about the present and future of defense acquisition.

This Week's Top Stories 

An aerial photo of the Pentagon and Arlington, Va., Oct. 28, 2018. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quinn Hurt/Released)

Pentagon gearing up to train personnel on new ‘default’ software buying approach
Brandi Vincent, Defense Scoop

The Pentagon is getting ready to provide training and resources to acquisition officials on how to use the newly mandated Software Acquisition Pathway.

• Mandated Software Acquisition Pathway: All DOD components have been instructed to use the Software Acquisition Pathway (SWP) when purchasing software for business and weapon systems.
• Prioritized Commercial Solutions: The directive emphasizes the use of commercial solutions opening and Other Transaction authority as the preferred options for soliciting and awarding contracts.
• Support and Guidance: The DOD plans to provide the necessary training, resources, and guidance to acquisition professionals at all levels to ensure the successful implementation of the new software buying approach.
• Implementation Plan: The undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, in coordination with the Defense Innovation Unit chief, is tasked with developing and submitting an implementation plan for the directive.

Finding Adversaries Hiding in the Defense Department’s Supply Chains
Christine Michienzi, War on the Rocks

This commentary by Christine Michienzi highlights the critical need for the Department of Defense to gain better visibility into its complex and often opaque supply chains.

• Reverse Engineering: Current efforts to understand supply chains involve reverse engineering, which occurs after the supply chains are established. This makes it difficult to capture accurate supplier information and leaves DOD vulnerable to adversarial actions and disruptions.
• Blockchain solution: The author proposes a shift towards capturing supplier information upfront during system development, using a distributed ledger and blockchain technology to secure data and ensure supplier control over access.

The U.S. Navy cruiser USS Lake Erie launches a Standard Missile-3 in May 2013. Navy photo.

In 15 months, the Navy fired more air defense missiles than it did in the last 30 years
Jeff Schogol, Task and Purpose

The U.S. Navy experienced intense combat in the Red Sea between October 2023 and January 2025, expending a large number of air defense missiles and other munitions. This extensive use of weaponry has led to a critical need to replenish supplies, potentially impacting the Navy's readiness for future conflicts.

• Costly Engagements: It's estimated that the Navy expended over $1 billion in interceptors to counter drone and missile threats.
• Stockpile concerns: The Navy's extensive use of air defense missiles in the Red Sea has depleted its munitions stockpile. Retired Navy Cmdr. Bryan Clark, of the Hudson Institute, suggests that at the current rate of expenditure, the Navy could face critical weapon shortages in a conflict.
• Limited Production: Clark notes that current weapons are too difficult to build for the industrial base because they’re too specialized with a bespoke supply chain and are manufactured by hand at low production rates.
• Alternative weapons: Faced with missile shortages and close-range drone threats, the Navy has resorted to using 5-inch gun rounds to down Houthi drones. These rounds are less expensive and more effective against drones that fly too low or close to ships for missile engagement.

China’s shipbuilding dominance a national security risk for US: Report
Didi Tang, AP/NavyTimes

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) contends that the United States faces significant national security risks due to China's dominance in the shipbuilding industry, which has grown rapidly in the last two decades.

• Production Imbalance: In 2024, a single Chinese shipbuilder produced more commercial vessels by tonnage than the entire U.S. shipbuilding industry has since World War II.
• Military-Civil Fusion: China utilizes a "military-civil fusion" strategy, where commercial and defense sectors are integrated.
• Global Sales: China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) sells a significant portion of its commercial production to U.S. allies, indirectly funding China's naval modernization.
• Full Report: Ship Wars: Confronting China’s Dual-Use Shipbuilding Empire

Consultant tapped to lead industrial policy as Pentagon ponders acquisition reform
Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Mike Cadenazzi, a former Navy intelligence officer and EY managing partner (and NPS graduate), has been nominated as the Trump administration's first assistant defense secretary for industrial-base policy. He arrives in the midst of a widespread reform defense acquisition and accelerate the procurement of newer technology to counter well-funded adversaries.

NPS and TOPGUN Launch New Master of Warfare Operations Degree
MCSN Abreen Padeken, NPS Public Affairs

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) have partnered to launch a new Master of Warfare Operations (MWO) degree program, designed to provide warfighters with an interdisciplinary perspective through flexible, distance-learning.

• Initial student cohort: The MWO program is available initially to a select cohort of TOPGUN students and instructors.
• Curriculum: The MWO program covers advanced topics such as strategic competition, combat systems analysis and statistics, naval tactics and technologies, and space systems fundamentals. Participants will explore unmanned autonomous systems, orbital mechanics, and U.S. space policy, gaining a deeper understanding of the political dynamics and strategic ambitions of key global adversaries.
• Flexible learning: MWO was developed as an innovative, asynchronous, distance-learning curriculum with stackable certificates providing flexibility and delivery at the point of need for warfighters. The program allows a timeframe of 5 years to finish.
• Fleet readiness: Delivering instruction directly to the Fleet ensures operating forces are highly educated and ready to deploy on a moment’s notice.

ARP and NPS News

The Acting Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Sean J. Stackley, introduces himself to Gunnery Sgt. William Algarin-Mendoza, member of the parade staff, during a Friday Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington D.C., July 9, 2017. The guest of honor for the parade was Sean J. Stackley, and the hosting official was the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert B. Neller. (Official Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Robert Knapp/Released)

Sean Stackley, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development & Acquisition) (ASN(RDA)), to speak at upcoming 22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium and Innovation Summit

ARP is pleased to announce the Honorable Sean J. Stackley as a keynote speaker at the our upcoming Symposium and Innovation Summit, Creating Synergy for Informed Change: Transitioning Technology to the Warfighter.

A former Acting Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Stackley has extensive experience in defense acquisition. He served 9 years as the ASN(RDA), where he oversaw a budget of more than $50 billion. Prior to his time as ASN(RDA) he worked with Congress as professional staff member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Stackley has also served as a program manager, production officer, and project Naval architect for different major ship programs, giving him the unusual experience of playing a principal role in the design, construction, test, and delivery of three first-of-class warships.

After the leaving DOD, Mr. Stackley held multiple senior leadership roles at L3Harris Technologies.

The breadth and depth of Mr. Stackley's experience give him a rare perspective on the field of acquisitions. We look forward to his unique insights on historical acquisition reform efforts, the current acquisitions landscape, and the direction and future of the field.

To maximize participation and provide greater flexibility to our participants, we will offer this year's Symposium and Innovation Summit in a virtual format. Register here to attend.

From Astronauts to CubeSats, Space Education and Research at NPS Pushes Boundaries
Dan Linehan, Defense Acquisition Magazine

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) plays a crucial role in space education and research for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, offering programs from astronaut training to CubeSat development, and contributing significantly to defense technology and national security.

• Rich history: NPS has a strong space program for engineers and operational students, and continues to be at the forefront of space engineering and operations.
• Astronaut alumni: NPS counts 44 NASA astronauts among its alumni, the most of any graduate school in the U.S..
• Hands-on experience: NPS emphasizes hands-on experience, with students building, testing, and operating satellites to support defense requirements.
• Diverse Space Programs: NPS is involved in diverse space programs and research including CubeSat development, spacecraft robotics, and trajectory optimization.

NPS Welcomes Japan’s Former Navy Chief as Inaugural International Fellow
Javier Chagoya, NPS Public Affairs

The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) welcomed retired Adm. Sakai Ryo, former Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), as its inaugural International Fellow, enriching the institution with his vast knowledge and experience in Indo-Pacific operations and naval strategy.

• Program Purposes: The International Fellows program aims to provide insights into national security issues faced by partners, ensure appreciation of their military concepts and capabilities, and provide access to advisors and mentors during wargames and exercises.
• Sakai's Expertise: Sakai is a subject matter expert in operations and plans for the Indo-Pacific region. He has experience utilizing advances in operations and tactics with naval forces, which he can share with NPS students. He also earned a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and completed the Command Course at the U.S. Naval War College.

Congratulations to winners of the NPS Winter Quarter Awards!

The Department of Defense Management (DDM) is well-represented in the winners of the this year's Winter Quarter Awards.

Six DDM students will be honored at an NPS ceremony at 15:00, March 18, on the Herrmann Hall Quarterdeck:

• Capt John Fiorelli, USMC, has been awarded the Louis D. Liskin Award for Excellence in Defense Management.
• LT Allyson Franchi, USN, has won the Chief of Naval Personnel Award for Academic Excellence in Manpower Systems Analysis.
• Capt Mason Hill, USMC, received the Louis D. Liskin Award for Excellence in Defense Management.
• Lt Shinya Matsuda, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, won the Department of Defense Management Faculty Outstanding International Student Award.
• Maj Ryan Montgomery, USMC, has been recognized with the Distinguished Professor Kenneth J. Euske Dean’s Medal for Innovative Contribution to National Defense and the Department of Defense Management.
• LT Stephan Munari, USN, received the Naval Postgraduate School Superior Service Award.

These achievements reflect the hard work and commitment DDM students bring to their studies. Congratulations to these outstanding warrior-scholars!

Acquisition

Midjourney

It’s Time to Build the Digital Century Series
Ben McNally, War on the Rocks

The U.S. Air Force is facing a critical juncture in its fighter acquisition strategy as it risks falling behind China in fielding a sixth-generation fighter jet due to slow decision-making and a debate over the future role of crewed aircraft. The author argues for the urgent resurrection of the Digital Century Series acquisition strategy, emphasizing its potential to rapidly develop and field new aircraft, incentivize industry, and maintain American air superiority in an increasingly unpredictable world.

• 1950s inspiration: The Digital Century Series approach is inspired by a period in the 1950s when the Air Force fielded six different tactical aircraft in a three-year period.
• Rapid, iterative acquisition: The Digital Century Series strategy is a process-centric approach focused on quickly developing and fielding new aircraft in smaller batches with frequent design iterations, moving away from long-term, product-focused programs.
• Incentivizing innovation: The strategy aims to incentivize industry to build new aircraft more frequently by competing designs and shortening service lifespans, fostering a more dynamic and responsive industrial base.

Advancing DoD Operations With Software Acquisition Reform
Defense Innovation Unit

The recent Pentagon announcement mandating the default use of the Software Acquisitions Pathway (SWP) and Commercial Solutions Openings (CSO) and Other Transactions (OT) authorities is important step in speeding DOD's ability to get innovative technology to the hands of warfighters.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has been using a proven Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) process to successfully develop and field new technologies, and the unit is eager to help scale this process across DOD.

• Problem-Driven Approach: DIU projects start with a problem statement from a mission partner that commercial industry can solve.
• Rapid Prototyping: DIU utilizes its CSO process and OT authority to award prototype agreements, aiming for a 60-90 day timeframe, with a current average around 120 days.
• Easy Follow-On: Following a successful prototype, any DoD entity can directly enter into non-competitive production contracts.
• OT Benefits Over FAR: Using DIU’s OT-based CSO offers advantages like negotiable terms, no government accounting standards, no FAR Part 33 protest applicability, and streamlined follow-on production.

How to deliver more secure capabilities to the warfighter, faster
Daisy Thornton, Federal News Network

This article discusses the critical need to rethink how the Department of Defense delivers secure technological capabilities to warfighters, emphasizing speed and cybersecurity from the outset.

• Cybersecurity First: The impulse to balance innovation and cybersecurity is incorrect; they must be pursued together. Cybersecurity must be a primary consideration from the initial stages of innovation.
• Integrated Teams: All stakeholders, including operators, acquirers, resource sponsors, and industry partners, need to collaborate from the beginning.
• Operator Focus: Capabilities should be designed with the end-users (operators and maintainers) in mind, ensuring ease of understanding, use, and repair.

Collaborative Combat Drones Designed From Ground Up To Do Logistics Differently
Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone

The U.S. Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) are being developed with a new emphasis on streamlined logistics and maintenance through the use of commercial components and designs tailored for Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operations, aiming for greater operational flexibility and reduced support burdens.

• Revolutionary Logistics: CCAs are designed with fundamentally different maintenance, logistics, and sustainment concepts, prioritizing commercial parts and ACE principles. Designs incorporate features like condition-based maintenance and easily replaceable units to reduce the maintenance burden in the field.
• Simplified Ground Support: CCAs aim to minimize the need for specialized ground support equipment, with designs like all-electric start and C-130 transportability in mind. Increased autonomous capabilities will reduce the required deployed footprint and support personnel.

Innovation

iStock illustration

Israeli Startups Investigate Mind-Machine Interfaces for Defense Applications
Stew Magnuson, National Defense

Israeli startups actively exploring mind-machine interfaces for defense applications.

• Non-invasive thought control: The focus is on developing non-surgical technologies, like skin patches, that could allow soldiers to control drones and other equipment using only their thoughts.
• Dual-use potential: Researchers are also investigating neurotechnology for applications such as treating PTSD, enhancing training, and even monitoring and managing soldiers' mental states in real-time.

No sailors in sight: DARPA launches warship designed ‘from the ground up’ to be truly unmanned
Justin Katz, Breaking Defense

DARPA has launched Defiant (USX-1), a novel 180-foot warship meticulously engineered from its inception to operate entirely without human personnel.

• Autonomous Operations: The No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS) program aims to create a ship capable of long-duration autonomous operation at sea.
• No Human Provisions: Unlike many current unmanned surface vessels (USV), NOMARS has been designed with no provision or expectation for humans on board. This distinguishes it from "optionally manned ships" which still include spaces for human life.
• Significant Advantages: DARPA anticipates significant advantages from this approach, including reduced size and cost. greater hydrodynamic efficiency, and improved survivability.

The Real Threat of Chinese AI: Why the United States Needs to Lead the Open-Source Race
Jared Dunnmon, Foreign Affairs

China's rapid advancements in open-source AI, exemplified by DeepSeek's powerful and low-cost models, present a significant threat to U.S. leadership, necessitating a strategic shift towards supporting and promoting American open-source alternatives and bolstering the domestic AI ecosystem. This competition extends beyond economic potential to influence norms, values, and even the underlying semiconductor industry.

• Openness Advantage: The open-source nature of DeepSeek's models allows for free download, use, modification, and building upon, contributing to their rapid adoption globally compared to proprietary American models.
• U.S. Response Urged: The United States needs a much bigger push to develop and deploy its own open-source LLMs, supported by government incentives, investment, and collaboration across sectors.
• Chip Ecosystem Threat: The widespread adoption of cost-effective Chinese LLMs could incentivize the use of Chinese chips like Huawei's Ascend, potentially eroding Western dominance in chip design and manufacturing.

Defense & Strategy

A soldier flies a Red Cat quadcopter in this artist’s rendering. (Red Cat)

Army to soldiers: Get small drones back in the air, don’t worry about the red tape (as much)
Ashley Roque, Breaking Defense

The US Army is taking steps to encourage greater use of small drones by easing the procedures for handling their loss, aiming to reduce soldier and commander apprehension about the time-consuming investigations that have previously followed such incidents.

• Burdensome Investigations: Losing or breaking a drone currently triggers a full investigation (FLIPL) to determine liability. These investigations can be more expensive than the drone itself, consuming significant administrative time and salaries.
• Acceptable Losses: The Army aims to build "muscle memory" where writing off lost drones in combat missions becomes an accepted practice.

Achieving “peace through strength” in the 2020s
Michael E. O’Hanlon, Brookings Institute

To maintain "peace through strength" in the 2020s amidst rising great-power competition and coordinated adversaries, the United States needs to adapt its defense strategy and budget by focusing on deterring multiple threats simultaneously, strengthening its industrial base, and accelerating technological advancements.

• Industrial Strength: It is essential to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base, stockpile munitions, and improve surge capacity.
• Accelerate Technology: The U.S. must accelerate the acquisition of new technologies, particularly unmanned systems, and improve basing infrastructure.
• Integrated Deterrence: Utilizing economic power alongside military might is crucial for deterring adversaries.

Unpreparedness is a Choice
Shawn P. Creamer, Small Wars Journal

The United States and its allies are currently unprepared for a potential multi-theater general war against a growing coalition of authoritarian powers due to decades of strategic misjudgments and underinvestment. This necessitates an urgent and comprehensive national mobilization effort across government, industry, and its alliance network to re-establish deterrence and ensure the defense of free world interests.

• Logistics Vulnerability: The U.S. faces critical weaknesses in logistics and power projection capabilities, with aging infrastructure and reliance on potentially unavailable commercial support.
• Industrial Insufficiency: The national industrial capacity is brittle and unable to meet the surge demands of a protracted, high-intensity war, as highlighted by supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.
• Revise Defense Strategy: The National Defense Strategy must account for the prospect of a protracted, global general war, potentially returning to a multi-theater war strategy including the Homeland.

Make America test again: How rapid, iterative testing will advance hypersonic development
A.J. Piplica, Space News

To regain leadership in hypersonic technology and counter adversaries effectively, the United States must urgently shift to a strategy of rapid, iterative development and testing, drawing inspiration from historical aerospace successes and the modern commercial space sector. This approach involves frequent prototyping, real-world testing, and addressing critical limitations in testing infrastructure and regulatory processes to accelerate learning and field viable hypersonic systems.

Industry

A row of Guided Bomb Unit 32s lie on a munitions assembly conveyer at Langley Air Force Base, Va., March 5, 2013. The productions section of the Munitions Flight is responsible for providing munitions to the flight line. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Kayla Newman/Released)

Exploit America’s commercial strengths to mobilize weapons production
Dan Patt, Breaking Defense

A new report from the Hudson Institute argues that to address depleted munitions inventories and ensure the ability to deter conflict, the Department of Defense should leverage America's commercial power by prioritizing scalable and adaptable weapon designs, embracing contract manufacturing, and capitalizing on the nation's digital strengths. This strategic shift away from traditional, bespoke systems towards modular designs and commercial production methods is essential for rapidly producing and updating the necessary munitions in a cost-effective manner.

Full Report: Ending Self-Imposed Scarcity: Exploiting America’s Commercial Strengths to Mobilize Weapons Production
 

China bans more US defense firms
Leilani Chavez, Defense News

China has expanded its list of banned US defense firms, citing national sovereignty and security concerns, further escalating trade tensions between the two nations. This action by China includes halting economic activities, blocking imports, and prohibiting new investments for the listed companies.

When It Comes to Submarines, Australia Is Going to Be Left High and Dry
Peter Briggs, War on the Rocks

Australia's AUKUS submarine plan faces significant risks of failure due to US production shortfalls and UK program delays, potentially leaving Australia without a viable submarine capability. The author argues that a more practical and cost-effective solution lies in the mature French Suffren-class submarine. This alternative offers a more certain path to maintaining Australia's undersea defense capabilities while still allowing for cooperation within the broader AUKUS framework.

Australian Submarine Agency Strategy Document: Australia’s AUKUS Submarine Industry Strategy

CSR Report: AUKUS and Indo-Pacific Security
 

Congress & Government

The attack submarine USS Hampton enters Dry Dock 1 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine, March 8, 2025. Branden Bourque, Navy

The State of U.S. Shipbuilding Hearing Testimony
U.S. Naval Institute Staff, USNI News

The Senate Armed Service Committee heard testimony this week on the Navy's fiscal year 2025 shipbuilding plan. The Navy's fiscal year 2025 shipbuilding plan aims to significantly expand the fleet to achieve a 381-ship goal with more distributed firepower, at a substantial cost, while acknowledging a near-term decrease in fleet size and the persistent challenge of maintenance delays.

• Brett Seidle, Acting, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition): Statement Before the Seapower and Power Projection Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee
• Ronald O'Rourke, Congressional Research Service: The State of U.S. Shipbuilding
• Shelby S. Oakley, Government Accountability Office: Navy Shipbuilding: a Generational Imperative for Systemic Change
• Eric J. Labs, Congressional Budget Office: Testimony on The Navy’s 2025 Shipbuilding Plan and Its Implications for the Shipbuilding Industrial Base

Research

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Military Supply Chain Logistics and Dynamic Capabilities: A Literature Review and Synthesis
David Loska, et al., Transportation Journal

Military supply chain logistics (MSCL) has historically driven innovation in supply chain management, developing unique dynamic capabilities to navigate volatile and uncertain environments, offering valuable lessons for the broader business logistics landscape. This literature review synthesizes the evolution of MSCL with dynamic capabilities theory, highlighting its distinctive attributes and the potential for cross-sector learning.

National shipbuilding strategies in Australia, Britain, and Canada
Elinor C. Sloan, International Journal

Canada, Australia, and Britain have each implemented national naval shipbuilding strategies driven by the need to replace aging fleets and establish sovereign capabilities, yet they face common challenges of delays, cost increases, and the complexities of warship construction. The article compares their strategic and tactical approaches, highlighting the trade-offs between domestic building, value for money, continuous production, and bespoke requirements.

Exploring Successful U.S. Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research Program Outcomes and Corresponding Public Sector Commercialization Success Factors
Sarah Maria Rovito, George Washington University

This study examines factors contributing to successful commercialization of technologies developed through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), as evidenced by the achievement of Department of the Navy Phase III awards or receipt of an SBIR Success designation. By analyzing a large dataset of SBIR awards using statistical and machine learning methods, the research identifies key predictors of commercial success, such as award amount, company size, and prior SBIR investment.

Military Readiness: Implementing GAO's Recommendations Can Help DOD Address Persistent Challenges Across Air, Sea, Ground, and Space Domains
Government Accountability Office

Military readiness across air, sea, ground, and space domains has degraded over the last two decades. The Department of Defense (DOD) needs to implement over 100 outstanding recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address persistent challenges while balancing current operational demands with modernization efforts.

Resources

Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node's (TITAN) most significant contribution to Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) is its modular open system architecture and data management. Here, systems mounted on a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) will contribute to TITAN's intelligence gathering capabilities. Courtesy Photo, Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors

DOD Unveils MOSA Implementation Guidebook
Jane Edwards, ExecutiveGov

The Department of Defense (DOD) has published a guidebook to promote the adoption of a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) across the defense acquisition lifecycle, providing best practices for planning, implementation, and evaluation, as well as recommendations for requests for proposals.

Guidebook: Implementing a Modular Open Systems Approach in
Department of Defense Programs

DOD Issues Guidance on Contractors’ Program R&M Estimates
Arthur McMiler, Executive Gov

The Department of Defense has issued a guidebook for contractors to enhance the quality of their reliability and maintainability (R&M) estimates for DOD programs. This guide, the first in a series, incorporates industry feedback and offers best practices for generating more accurate R&M predictions throughout the system lifecycle.

Guidance: Best Practices to Achieve Better Reliability and Maintainability Estimates for DoD Systems

Opportunities

A U.S. Air Force Special Tactics operator with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Florida, programs a surveillance drone to provide security at Eglin Range, Florida, Dec. 6, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by SrA Christopher H. Stolze)

SOCOM searching for reconfigurable ‘drone-in-a-box’ systems that can fly and drive
Jon Harper, Defense Scoop

U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is seeking versatile "Drone in a Box" systems capable of transforming between unmanned aerial vehicles and ground robots to enhance mission adaptability.

Special Notice: Drone in a Box (DIBs) Collaboration Event (CE)

Green Berets Looking For FPV Drones To Help Them Clear Hostile Cave Complexes
Howard Altman, The War Zone

U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT) is seeking to procure FPV drones and associated training for Green Berets to enhance their ability to clear hostile cave complexes, as these drones are deemed safer and more effective than the current reliance on military working dogs and partner forces. This acquisition addresses the growing threat posed by adversaries utilizing underground facilities in regions like the Middle East.

Special Notice: SOCCENT Unmanned Aerial System Procurement

Machine Gun With Longer Reach Sought By U.S. Army
Joseph Trevithick, The War Zone

The U.S. Army seeks a new machine gun that can fire the .338 Norma Magnum cartridge, while maintaining compatibility with the 6.8x51mm ammunition used in M7 rifles and M250 light machine guns.

Sources Sought: Dual Caliber Machine Gun .338N and 6.8mm

Sources Sought: M240 6.8mm Conversion Kit

Events

Manifest: Demo Day
17 March 2025
Washington DC

2025 Undersea Warfare Spring Conference
17-19 March 2025
San Diego, CA

McAleese Defense Programs Conference
18 March 2025
Washington DC

2025 Munitions Executive Summit
18-19 March 2025
Parsippany, NJ

DoD Modernization Exchange 2025
25-26 March 2025
Virtual

AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition
25-27 March 2025
Huntsville, AL

Software-defined warfare: A blueprint for sustaining a competitive military edge
27 March 2025
Washington, DC

TEVCON: Technology, Energy, Vehicle Conference
2-4 April 2025
San Diego, CA

Technology & National Security Conference
4-5 April 2025
Cambridge, MA

Building Critical Mineral Security for a Sustainable Future
30 April 2025
Washington, DC or Virtual

Sea Air Space
6-9 April 2025
National Harbor, Maryland

APEX
23-24 April 2025
National Harbor, Maryland

2025 State of the Space Industrial Base Conference and SSIB Workshops
29 April - 2 May 2025
Albuquerque, NM

Creating Synergy for Informed Change - Transitioning Technology
22nd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit
7-8 May 2025
Virtual

2025 ASNE Intelligent Ships Symposium
12-14 May 2025
Philadelphia, PA

DLA Supply Chain Alliance Conference & Exhibition
11-12 June 2025
Richmond, VA

Training & Simulation Industry Symposium (TSIS) 2025
17-18 June 2025
Orlando, FL

MODSIM World 2025
18-20 August 2025
Norfolk, VA

I/ITSEC 2025: Optimizing Training: Ensuring Operational Dominance
1-4 December 2025
Orlando, FL

One more thing...

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Douglas Parker | OKINAWA, Japan (Apr. 15, 2021) Seabees with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 and Marines with 9th Engineer Support Battalion maneuver through a course at the Jungle Warfare Training Center.

Seabees 'Can Do' Since '42
Lt.j.g. Drew Verbis, DVIDS

The U.S. Navy Seabees, celebrating their 83rd anniversary in 2025, have a storied history of providing crucial construction, engineering, and humanitarian support globally.

• Pearl Harbor Origin: The Seabees were created in 1942 following the attack on Pearl Harbor, recognizing the need for a militarized construction force.
• WWII Contributions: During World War II, Seabees built over 400 advance bases, numerous airfields, piers, and hospitals across the Atlantic, Alaskan, and Pacific theaters, playing a vital role in the war effort.
• Post-War Service: Since WWII, Seabees have contributed to every major U.S. military conflict, as well as providing extensive humanitarian aid and disaster relief globally.
• "Seabee" Nickname: The name "Seabee" originates from the phonetic pronunciation of C.B. for "Construction Battalions".
• Disney-Designed Emblem: The iconic Seabee logo, featuring a bee with construction tools and a rifle, was designed by Walt Disney in 1943.

Maureen Lauder, PhD, Communications Manager
Karey Shaffer, MBA, Program Manager
Acquisition Research Program
Naval Postgraduate School
e: ARPEditor@nps.edu 

Note: Article summaries were generated with the help of AI tools.

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