Acquisition
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration military deputy, gets briefed by Dr. Vince Cowan, Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate, in the AFRL booth during Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 8, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)
Space Force officials fear program delays from small business fund fight
Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense
Senior Space Force acquisition officials are worried about the negative impact of potentially losing the ability to award SBIR grants as Congress deliberates the program's reauthorization.
- Innovation Feeder: SBIR grants are widely utilized by the Space Force to provide initial "seed funds" to commercial firms and startups, of which there are many in the space marketplace.
- Program Delays: The congressional impasse has already impacted the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO), which currently has at least one effort in a holding pattern.
Talent development to unleash the DOD acquisition workforce
Jon Harper, DefenseScoop
Both DOD guidance and the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) emphasizes that investment in the acquisition workforce is crucial for mission success when it comes to reforming the defense acquisition system. A key component of this talent development is scaling the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) prototype.
- Culture Change: The language of the NDAA underscores that culture change is essential for acquisition reform. Section 826 mandates that workforce behavioral objectives be designed to promote critical skills such as adopting innovative acquisition authorities, utilizing iterative development cycles, and prioritizing end-user outcomes over process compliance.
- Talent Factory: The undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment (A&S) has prototyped the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) model to address skills gaps in engineering, acquisition, digital technologies, and financial management.
- Scaling Criticality: Section 823 of the NDAA adds streamlined authorities to ensure the DCTC prototype can be expanded to meet Department needs.
ISACA takes responsibility of training, credentialing CMMC assessors
Mikayla Easley, DefenseScoop
Information technology firm ISACA has officially assumed the critical role of managing the training and credentialing of assessors for the Pentagon's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 (CMMC 2.0) program, a move intended to rapidly scale the workforce needed for the mandated third-party validation.
- Validation Timeline: Most DOD contracts currently allow vendors to complete a self-assessment of their CMMC compliance, but beginning in November 2026, contractors handling more sensitive Level 2 information must have their cybersecurity posture validated by a certified third-party assessor organization (C3PAO).
Innovation
In one version of rocket cargo, capsules full or supplies would loiter in orbit for up to five years, waiting to be called down in a crisis. Inversion Space illustration.
Why (and how) the US military wants to resupply troops from space
David Roza, Task & Purpose
The U.S. Air Force and Space Force are investing millions into the "rocket cargo" concept, which seeks to leverage advancements in commercial space launch technology to resupply troops anywhere on Earth in 90 minutes or less.
- Rapid Global Reach: Rocket cargo uses orbital travel to deliver supplies anywhere in the world in 90 minutes or less - significantly faster than current military airlift, which can take half a day or more to reach distant areas like the Western Pacific.
- Bypassing Airspace: Traveling through space eliminates the need for diplomatic clearances required by cargo planes flying over foreign countries. A resupply capsule would also travel nearly straight down from space at hypersonic speeds for almost its entire descent, making it extremely difficult for most surface-to-air weapons to shoot down.
- Operational Hurdles: Major questions persist regarding how to make the system cheap, fast, and safe enough for combat, especially since loading and system checks for rockets can take up to two days.
Defense & Strategy
A Polish Army soldier prepares an interceptor drone during a live-fire demonstration in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, November 18, 2025 (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Reuters)
Maneuver in the Marketplace: The Changing Economic Dimension of Warfare
Ruth Harris and James Black, RAND
Western militaries must shift their mindset to integrate the commercial sector and economic factors into their core military strategy and operations. They must recognize the private sector as both an active operational power and a critical battleground for competition and conflict.
- Locus of Innovation: The source of innovation has largely shifted away from traditional defense industries toward multinational, non-defense firms that develop dual-use technologies and services. This dynamic reduces the ability of defense ministries to act as dominant buyers and limits leverage over foreign suppliers, sovereignty concerns, and procurement reform.
- Geopolitical Battleground: The commercial sector is becoming a key target and arena for geopolitical competition, with nations attempting to subvert or sabotage industrial bases through espionage, cyber-attacks, or strategic purchases of supply chain nodes.
- Conflicting Priorities: Because private firms' priorities may diverge from a single nation's security interests, governments must move beyond simple "command and control" and instead learn to "cohere and collaborate" with commercial players, even those headquartered abroad.
Industry
US, UK, Australian and Canadian forces operate as a combined force in exercise VIRTUAL FLAG: Coalition. Source: US Air Force
New report offers lessons for Australia from Canada on deepening US defence integration
United States Studies Center
A new report from the United States Studies Centre (USSC) analyzes Canada’s deep integration with the US defense industrial base and argues that Canada should optimize its existing, long-standing defense relationship through the National Technology and Industrial Base (NTIB) rather than seeking to diversify away from the United States.
Full Report: Canada and the National Technology and Industrial Base
Related: The once and future US National Technology and Industrial Base: An American perspective
Related: Into gear: Defence industrial and technology cooperation between Australia, Japan and the United States
GAO Reports
Port of San Diego Harbor Police Department boats combat a fire on board USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego, July 12. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross)
Navy Ship Maintenance: Fire Prevention Improvements Hinge on Stronger Contractor Oversight
Government Accountability Office
Weapon Systems Testing: DOD Needs to Update Policies to Better Support Modernization Efforts
Government Accountability Office
Osprey Aircraft: Additional Oversight and Information Sharing Would Improve Safety Efforts
Government Accountability Office
Excess Defense Articles: DOD Needs to Better Assess the Program
Government Accountability Office
Congressional Reports
The guided missile destroyers USS Mason and USS Laboon steam in formation with the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Italian navy frigate ITS Virginio Fasan in the Atlantic Ocean, July 4, 2023. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Keith Nowak
Navy DDG(X) Next-Generation Destroyer Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service
Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service
The Army’s M-1E3 Abrams Tank Modernization Program
Congressional Research Service
Golden Dome: Potential Strategic Stability Considerations for Congress
Congressional Research Service
Defense Primer: U.S. Defense Industrial Base
Congressional Research Service
Transfer of Defense Articles: Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
Congressional Research Service
Maintenance Delays for Conventional Navy Ships
Congressional Budget Office
Research
Army Apache Longbow helicopters assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade fire 15 air-to-ground 114R Hellfire II missiles at Karavia Range Complex, Greece, May 12, 2023. (Army Capt. Gabrielle Hildebrand)
Supply Chain Risk Management for Army Air to Ground Missile Acquisition Programs
MAJ Sarah M. Hudgins, USA, Naval Postgraduate School
This thesis addresses a critical gap in the DOD’s ability to identify and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities. By applying a qualitative assessment framework to analyze supplier fragility and criticality within the Hellfire and Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) programs, the research integrates government, industry, and financial data to evaluate supplier dependencies and risks. Findings reveal that while prime contractors are generally stable, the greatest vulnerabilities exist among specialized, lower-tier suppliers exposed to global markets and limited substitutes.
Developing a Human-Machine Teaming Assessment Guide for Defense Acquisition
Glenn Jospeh Lematta, Arizona State University
Adequate testing and evaluation of Autonomous and AI-Enabled Systems (AAIS) requires accurate assessment of Human-Machine Teaming (HMT). Although existing methods and tools for HMT assessment are technically sufficient, they need translation and tailoring to be widely adopted in the DoD’s Test and Evaluation (T&E) enterprise. Key inputs to tailoring HMT assessment include tacit knowledge of T&E’s sociotechnical environments and experience adapting test practices. This dissertation is focused on eliciting these key inputs directly from Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to inform the development of an HMT Assessment Guide (HMTAG).
From Factory to Fight: A Modern Framework for Defense Logistics
Jen Gebhardt, Govini
To succeed in modern, contested operating environments defined by great power competition, DOD must fundamentally transform its logistics approach. Historically successful, the current logistics system is dangerously disconnected from the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), which suffers from vulnerabilities, such as a reliance on single-source suppliers and limited visibility into the supply chain's sub-tiers. To overcome this, DOD must adopt a "factory to fight" framework that views logistics as an end-to-end problem and integrates AI-enabled software to create a real-time, data-driven feedback loop, ensuring proactive and predictive sustainment that prevents wartime shortages and maintains deterrence. This shift is crucial because production capacity, not just existing stockpiles, is the true measure of readiness in a protracted conflict.
Events
2026 Naval Nuclear Submarine and Aircraft Carrier Suppliers Conference
NDIA Delaware Valley
21-22 January 2026
Philadelphia, PA
Beyond the Spark: The Holistic Business Case for Robotic Welding in Naval Shipbuilding
NDIA Emerging Technologies Institute
22 January 2026
Webinar
CMMC Academy
NDIA Great Lakes Chapter
28 January 2026
Pewaukee, WI
What is Digital Transformation for Acquisition (DxA) and Why is it the Answer to Speed?
NDIA Emerging Technologies Institute
28 January 2026
Webinar
36th Annual NDIA Special Operations Symposium
NDIA
17-18 February 2026
Washington, DC
40th Annual National Logistics Forum
17-19 February 2026
Tampa, FL
Creative Disruptors in the Desert
Creative Defense Foundation
20-21 February 2025
La Quinta, CA
Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities
NPS 23rd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit
6-7 May 2026
Monterey, CA
One more thing...
14 Navy Variations of ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
Goat Locker
A visit from Saint Rickover... and 13 more Navy takes on the quintessential Christmas poem. See the sample below...
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Tucson (SSN 770) is lit up with Christmas lights and ornaments during the holidays. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Khor
The Night before ORSE
Twas the night before ORSE
And all through the sub,
Not a watchstander worried
Not even a NUB.
The officers in the wardroom
Were banging their heads.
Thinking of failing filled them
With dread.
The CO in his stateroom
And the ENG in a trance
Had given up, thinking there
Wasn’t a chance.
When forward of Maneuvering
There arose such a clatter
The ENG came back running
To investigate the matter.
Away to the Engine Room
He flew like a breeze,
Stopped by Maneuvering
And started to wheeze.
The lights from Maneuvering
Were glistening off pipes
Which gave the boat a luster
Like a new prototype.
When out of his bloodshot eyes
He did catch,
A movement of the aft
Escape trunk hatch.
As he clutched at his heart
And was turning around,
Down the ladder
ADM Rickover came with a bound.
He was dressed in a wetsuit
From his head to his shoe,
And the clipboard he held
Looked just like brand new.
Now Scram it, now flood it,
Some high airborne too!
Let’s take some tests now
I’m ready…are you?
His tight little mouth
Was drawn up like a line.
His wrinkles were creased
And his white hair like twine.
His eyes, they were narrowed
His skin was so pale.
And when he screamed
He made the instruments fail.
He spoke no kind words
But went right to work
And told all the watchstanders
They operated like jerks.
With a spill in the tunnel
And the plant in a Scram,
He reflooded the escape trunk
And out of it he swam.
But we heard him exclaim,
‘Ere he shut down the lid,
“I passed you, you bastards,
And you’re lucky I did!”
|
