Acquisition
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), front, passes the aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) as it departs Norfolk Naval Shipyard after completing a 10-month regularly scheduled extended carrier incremental availability. During the availability, the ship underwent maintenance, repair and inspection of various equipment to include engineering, combat systems, aircraft support, and nuclear propulsion. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Steven Edgar)
Bridging the gap: Why the Navy put an admiral in charge at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Justin Katz, Breaking Defense
The Navy has launched a one-year pilot program at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) by appointing an admiral to command the facility and to bridge the gap between operational and maintenance divisions and urgently tackle maintenance backlogs.
- Historic Appointment: Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, a one-star admiral and naval aviator, assumed command of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) on August 8, 2025, marking a significant departure from the historical practice of captains leading public shipyards.
- Operational Urgency: A key rationale for Hakimzadeh's selection is to inject an operational perspective and a sense of urgency into shipyard operations, driven by the critical need to maximize ship availability by 2027, the year the Pentagon anticipates China wants to be ready to invade Taiwan.
- Bridging Divide: Hakimzadeh aims to bridge the gap between the historically segregated operational and maintenance sides of the Navy, fostering a better understanding of the functionality of operating systems onboard platforms and the necessary prep work for maintenance availabilities.
Protest hits GSA’s $1-a-year agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic
Nick Wakeman, NextGov
The General Services Administration (GSA) is facing protests over its one-dollar-a-year enterprise agreements with AI providers OpenAI and Anthropic, which are intended to centralize software buys for federal agencies. Ask Sage, led by former Air Force chief software officer Nicolas Chaillan, alleges these pacts circumvent federal acquisition regulations, lack necessary security authorizations, and mislead agencies about actual costs and capabilities, potentially hindering their meaningful use.
FAR 33 Deviation
Jeff Koses, LinkedIn
The General Services Administration (GSA) has implemented significant deviations to FAR Part 33, concerning Protests, Claims, and Disputes. These changes aim to clarify the purpose of bid protests (following a recommendation from the Section 809 panel), prevent their misuse, and formalize agency-level resolution mechanisms to streamline the process for both government and contractors.
Practitioner Album: FAR Part 33 - Protests, Disputes, and Appeals
Related: GW Law Webinar: U.S. Bid Protests — Progress and Reform
Innovation
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dominic Albanese, a drone operator with I MEF Information Group, operates the R80D Sky Raider during exercise Cobra Horizon 24.2 at Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 25, 2024. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Michael Virtue)
How Reservists Can Jumpstart Military Software Development
Will McGee, Collin Chew, and Drew Hutcheon, War on the Rocks
A new approach to military software development, pioneered by the Marine Innovation Unit, offers a scalable solution to enhance warfighting readiness amidst global threats.
- Military's Tech Lag: The military lacks the internal capacity to develop and maintain essential technology for modern warfare. Building this required workforce through traditional recruitment would take decades.
- Reservists' Expertise: Reservists offer a deep pool of private sector talent. Many possess advanced degrees and boast deep professional experience in software development and artificial intelligence.
- Obsolete System: The traditional reserve employment model fails to recognize or utilize civilian technical skills. And its rigid physical presence requirement is inconvenient, costly, and deters private sector tech professionals.
- Innovation Unit Model: The Marine Innovation Unit successfully recruits based on demonstrated technical aptitude, allows proficient junior members to lead projects, and employs flexible remote telework from local installations, fitting marines' schedules.
- Efficiency Gains: This flexible approach reduces travel costs significantly (40-70% per drill), minimizes friction with civilian employers, and boosts recruitment/retention by providing meaningful, warfighting-focused work.
Modernize SBIR and STTR to fuel America’s innovators
Jon Harper, DefenseScoop
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, which is up for reauthorization by September 30, faces renewed scrutiny and calls to improve effectiveness and combat misuse. The author argues that SBIR/STTR are essential pathways for American entrepreneurship and must evolve to better support the start-ups that will drive defense innovation.
- INNOVATE Act: Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Roger Williams introduced the INNOVATE Act to modernize SBIR/STTR, proposing reforms like increasing opportunities for first-time awardees, introducing a lifetime funding cap, and offering "strategic breakthrough awards" for scaling promising technologies.
- Commercialization Debate: The Senate version of the INNOVATE Act also imposes revenue ratios to encourage commercialization. The House version removes this provision, which the authors consider critical to ensure that awards go to serious companies rather than "SBIR mills" intent on gaming the system.
Related: 2025 Reauthorization of SBIR & STTR: Supporting Small Business Innovations for Defense
Related: COMMENTARY ON SBIR REAUTHORIZATION: Experienced Small Businesses Play Vital Role in Major Acquisition Programs
Related: COMMENTARY ON SBIR REAUTHORIZATION: Defense Companies Getting Outplayed on Contracts
Defense & Strategy
Indiana National Guard Spc. Jada Zorn trains on start-up and operating procedures of an unmanned ground vehicle created by Indiana National Guard industry partners during he Department of Defense’s 10-day Technology Readiness Experimentation event, hosted by the Indiana National Guard’s Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve Task Force at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh, Indiana, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jonah Alvarez)
The Pentagon plan to Americanize drone warfare
Patrick Tucker, Defense One
The Pentagon strategy for scaling up U.S. drone warfare is beginning to come into focus, as demonstrated at a recent Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
- Ukrainian Influence: The new U.S. military approach is informed by the rapid innovation on Ukrainian battlefields, but the Pentagon emphasizes installing better communications, actual doctrine, and a robust manufacturing base from the start.
- T-REX Demonstration: The T-REX event brought together drone makers, AI, data, and communications software companies to demonstrate mass, coordinated drone warfare. Its most important elements were invisible: new sensing, communication, and autonomy technologies working together.
- Manufacturing Shift: The Pentagon is pushing to boost U.S. drone production and expand real-world testing opportunities for companies, including smaller tech firms, with less red tape.
The AUKUS Inflection: Seizing the Opportunity to Deliver Deterrence
Abraham M. Denmark and Charles Edel, Center for Strategic and International Studies
The AUKUS trilateral security partnership, nearly four years after its announcement, is at a critical juncture, facing a U.S. Pentagon review and concerns over its viability and implementation challenges despite strong support for its strategic goals.
- Challenges Identified: AUKUS faces several issues, including the U.S. submarine industrial base's shortfalls in production and maintenance backlog, questions about Australia's commitment to deploy its submarines in collective efforts, massive associated costs, slow progress and lack of focus in Pillar II, and timeline concerns given the immediate need for deterrence.
- Solutions Proposed: Recommendations include the U.S. increasing submarine production and addressing maintenance backlogs, potentially utilizing HMAS Stirling as a "fourth Indo-Pacific shipyard". Australia needs significant investment in its submarine industrial workforce, possibly facilitated by an AUKUS Visa.
Global Compute and National Security: Strengthening American AI Leadership Through Proactive Partnerships
Janet Egan, Center for a New American Security
The United States is at critical juncture in maintaining its artificial intelligence (AI) leadership, which is profoundly dependent on "compute" — specialized chips and data centers. This necessitate a strategic shift from primarily protectionist export controls to a proactive "promote" approach through global partnerships. This report from CNAS offers a comprehensive strategy to secure the AI frontier for the U.S. and its allies, prevent adversaries like China from gaining military advantages, and reinforce America's position as the preferred AI partner globally.
Industry
A U.S. Air Force XQ-58A Valkyrie, an autonomous, low-cost tactical unmanned air vehicle, flies over Eglin Air Force Base’s Gulf Test and Training Range. The recent test flight and data collected will inform future air operations and contribute to advanced autonomous programs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Ilka Cole)
A Skeptic’s View of the Hype Machine and Business Model of Neo-Defense Tech
Jonathan Panter, War on the Rocks
This article offers a skeptical view of the booming "neo-defense tech" sector, arguing that its emphasis on cheap mass weapons oversimplifies future conflicts and masks a business model primarily reliant on software licensing rather than hardware sales. This approach into an unsuitable strategy for deterring and defeating advanced adversaries.
- Hardware Limitations: The success of Ukrainian forces relied not only on cheap drones but also on "exquisite air defense systems, intelligence support, and sophisticated missiles" provided by the U.S. and Europe. Small, slow, and non-stealthy drones are not a universal solution.
- Analog Mismatch: The grinding artillery war in Ukraine is not an appropriate analog for a potential superpower conflict in the Indo-Pacific, where large, manned warships and expensive nuclear-powered submarines would still be critical, making "cheap mass" a potentially detrimental over-indexing on Ukraine's lessons.
- Software Profit: The true business model for neo-defense tech companies is not selling cheap hardware, which is difficult to profit from without constant consumption in a major war. Instead, it revolves around "software-defined" weapons and "collaborative autonomy," where proprietary battle-management software becomes indispensable, providing ongoing revenue through licensing and updates.
Securing the U.S. Industrial Base in Semiconductors: Investing in a National Champion
Sujai Shivakumar, Charles Wessner, and Chris Borges, Center for Strategic and International Studies
This analysis from CSIS argues that the Trump administrations decision to invest directly in Intel is necessary to secure a domestic supply of leading-edge chips, prevent reliance on vulnerable foreign sources, and reinforce America's technological leadership in an era of intense geopolitical competition.
- Intel's Strategic Role: Intel is considered part of the critical infrastructure underpinning U.S. technological leadership and national defense. It possesses a deep network of knowledge and resources essential for producing complex and sensitive technologies, and crucially, it is the only U.S.-headquartered company capable of manufacturing leading-edge semiconductors at four nanometers and below.
- Foreign Dependency Risks: Continued reliance on foreign sources like TSMC (Taiwan) and Samsung (South Korea), even with new U.S. fabs, involves significant geopolitical and supply chain risks, including vulnerability to conflict in the Taiwan Strait, geological trauma, and production difficulties.
Golden Dome’s Gamble: Can Industry Move Fast Enough to Matter?
John Borrego, War on the Rocks
The United States' ambitious Golden Dome initiative, aimed at countering advanced missile threats including hypersonics, faces significant hurdles in its reliance on the domestic defense industrial base to achieve unprecedented speed and scale in manufacturing. While the concept of orbiting interceptors promises a global defense shield, its success is fundamentally challenged by historical inefficiencies, high costs, and a U.S. industrial approach focused on "exquisite" but low-volume production rather than the mass affordability required.
- Interceptor Hurdle: As the physics of interceptors have been demonstrated, the primary challenge is not science but the U.S. capability to surge manufacturing at the volume and cost needed for the project's feasibility.
- Adversary's Edge: Adversaries like Russia and China prioritize speed, affordability, and mass production, with China reportedly achieving Mach 8-capable hypersonics using common stainless steel and advanced coatings, dramatically reducing costs and enabling larger arsenals.
- Industrial Shift: Success requires a radical reshaping of the industrial base, fusing the integration discipline of defense primes with the speed and agility of startups.
Research
U.S. East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) reload a Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) mounted on a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) during tactical vehicle training in Fallon, Nevada, July 10, 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jake Vernier)
Strategic Alignment at Speed: Modernizing NSW's Capability Development through Digital Transformation
Jason Mariscal & Dwight Cornish, Naval Postgraduate School
This NPS thesis research proposes a digital transformation of Naval Special Warfare (NSW)'s capability development, primarily by modernizing its Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTmLPF-P) analysis. The authors recommend a shift from the traditional "Acquisition Kill Chain" to an agile "Acquisition Kill Web" model that better aligns resource decisions with mission outcomes in dynamic threat environments.
Evaluating defence projects – success may be a multidimensional measure. A case study of a logistics support vessel
Morten Welde, Atle Engebø, et al.
Armed forces worldwide face major investment needs, but past mistake risk being repeated unless they can learn from completed projects. Using the Norwegian logistics vessel HNoMS Maud as a case study, the authors argue that consistent project underperformance often stems from a lack of learning. Among other things, future projects require a "theory of change" to assess the realism of intended outcomes and strategic impacts.
DOD Replicator Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service
This CSR report examines the Replicator initiative, which aimed to deploy thousands of low-cost, attritable autonomous (ADA2) systems across all domains by August 2025. The report considers the program's transparency, funding, and results - as well as the acquisition system's capacity to deliver on its goals.
Events
DefenseNews Conference: Deterring Threats from the Indo-Pacific
DefenseNews
Washington, DC or Virtual
3 September 2025
Creative Disruptors by the Lakes
Creative Defense Foundation
11-12 September 2025
Eagan, MN
2025 Undersea Warfare Fall Conference
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
15-17 September 2025
Groton, CT
Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium (FMMS) 2025
American Society of Naval Engineers
23-25 September 2025
San Diego, CA
USSOCOM Innovation Foundry
SOFWERX
28-30 October 2025
Chantilly, VA
28th Annual Systems & Mission Engineering Conference
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)
Tampa, FL
27-30 October 2025
I/ITSEC 2025: Optimizing Training: Ensuring Operational Dominance
National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA)
1-4 December 2025
Orlando, FL
Creative Disruptors in the Desert
Creative Defense Foundation
20-21 February 2025
La Quinta, CA
One more thing...
Spuds vs. submarine: the lore of the USS O’Bannon at Guadalcanal
Claire Barrett, NavyTimes
The USS O’Bannon, a Fletcher-class destroyer known as the “Lucky O,” was the most decorated U.S. Navy destroyer of World War II. Despite its 17 battle stars, the ship is perhaps most famously remembered for (allegedly) sinking a Japanese submarine using potatoes.
- Potato Lore: According to legend, the O’Bannon got too close to the sub to use its deck guns, leading its sailors to throw potatoes from their spud locker at the unsuspecting Japanese crew.
- Myth Origin: The story of sinking the sub with potatoes originated from a remark by the ship’s cook to MacDonald, who noted they had been close enough to throw potatoes at the submarine. This comment was picked up by the American press, which printed it as fact. Maine potato growers even created a plaque to commemorate the event.
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