Acquisition
The M1E3 prototype in Detroit, Jan. 21, 2026. U.S. Army
Army unveils new tank—five years early
Meghann Myers, Defense One
The U.S. Army has unveiled the M1E3 main battle tank five years ahead of schedule by prioritizing a "computer-first" digital backbone wrapped in a chassis built primarily from commercial components.
- Open Systems Architecture: Under the "Continuous Transformation" model, the tank uses a plug-and-play design that allows different vendors to easily swap in better engines or active protection systems as technology evolves.
- Off-the-Shelf Parts: The prototype is constructed largely from commercial components, including a Caterpillar engine, SAPA transmission, and a Roush race car cockpit with Recaro seats.
- Extreme Cost Efficiency: Utilizing commercial products has drastically lowered the price tag, with some components costing only 10% of their traditional military-grade equivalents.
- Field-First Testing: By putting the prototype into soldiers' hands this summer—years ahead of the original 2031 goal—the Army can gather real-world feedback to refine weapon and communication requirements.
A sweeping NDAA change could strip away decades of cost rules for most defense contractors
Terry Gerton, Federal News Network
The new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) introduces Section 1826, a transformative provision that exempts "non-traditional" defense contractors from decades-old, burdensome cost-reporting and accounting regulations.
- Massive Industry Reach: The definition of "non-traditional" contractors includes any company not performing a Cost Accounting Standards (CAS)-covered contract within the last year, a category that encompasses all small businesses and nearly 92.5% of all defense firms.
- Elevated Oversight Thresholds: The NDAA significantly increases the financial triggers for CAS coverage, moving the individual contract threshold from $2.5 million to $35 million and the full coverage trigger from $50million to $100 million.
- Cost Principle Relief: Qualifying firms are exempt from FAR Part 31, removing the need to navigate roughly 75 pages of complex rules regarding allowable costs for things like alcohol, lobbying, or entertainment.
- Negotiation Freedom: Contractors no longer need to provide certified cost or pricing data under the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA), reducing the legal risk associated with defective pricing and putting commercial entities on a more equal footing during negotiations.
Innovation
Garrett Shoemaker, the head of the US Army’s Software Engineering Center, speaks in a July 2025 photo. (CECOM)
Army Software Engineering Center reorganizes for agility — and survival
Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Breaking Defense
Facing a massive 43 percent budget cut as the military retires outdated technology, the newly renamed Army Software & Innovation Center (ASIC) is transforming its business model to remain viable.
- Market-Driven Model: ASIC is adopting a “software as a service” business model, pitching its technical expertise directly to Army programs that have the choice to hire ASIC, private contractors, or a combination of both.
- Agile Methodology: The center is pivoting from the traditional “waterfall” development approach a flexible “scrum teams” that can be rapidly reassigned to new projects as requirements shift over weeks or months.
- Strategic Bridge: Executive Director Garrett Shoemaker envisions ASIC as a complement to private industry, focusing on "operationalizing" commercial innovations by adapting them to the Army's unique combat domains and needs.
Defense & Strategy
Image: Midjourney
The Triage Trap: When AI Speed Replaces Command Judgment
Eli Talbert, War on the Rocks
The "triage trap" is a phenomenon where AI systems prestructure a commander’s decision space by filtering out alternatives, making the model's top recommendation the only visible option. This replaces meaningful command judgment with algorithmic speed and requires deliberate doctrine to protect human responsibility.
- Decision Space Construction: Automation bias occurs when recommendations are misweighted but still presented as options for the operator to review. The triage trap is a more dangerous failure, because the AI constructs a decision space in which existence of alternative options is invisible to the user.
- Cognitive Accountability: Adding friction - such as requiring a one-sentence plain-language rationale before a strike - can force decision-makers to treat authorization as a professional obligation rather than a procedural click.
- Institutional Priority Problem: The risk stems from organizational cultures that treat human judgment as a "bottleneck" to be removed rather than a vital safeguard for high-stakes decision.
- Doctrine Over Software: Lasting solutions require hard-coding human-machine interaction rules into military doctrine rather than relying solely on user-interface design.
China calls Trump battleship ‘easier target’ amid mixed US reception
Richard Sisk, Defense News
President Trump has proposed the creation of a new "Trump-class" of heavy battleships, intended to revitalize the American shipbuilding industry and serve as the centerpiece of a high-power "Golden Fleet". While touted as a leap in maritime dominance, the plan faces significant hurdles regarding its massive $15 billion starting cost, its vulnerability to Chinese missiles, and its departure from modern distributed warfare strategies.
- Easy Target: Chinese military researchers have labeled the large, munitions-heavy vessels as "easy targets" for their arsenal of anti-ship drones and DF-21D "carrier-killer" ballistic missiles.
Related: The Congress, the Golden Fleet, and the Shipbuilding Industrial Base in 2026
Related: Trump’s ‘battleship’ could be most expensive US warship in history
Industry
NASA via DVIDS.
The Front Door Problem in National Security Space
Isobel Porteous, War on the Rocks
The current process for commercial space startups to engage with U.S. defense agencies is a fragmented maze of redundant "front doors" that lacks the funding and speed necessary to compete with global rivals like China.
- Bureaucratic Maze: Current commercial engagement is split across multiple uncoordinated offices at the Space Force, NRO, and NGA, creating redundant briefings and blind spots for agency leaders
- Broken Backend: Even when technological value is identified, program managers often lack the uncommitted funding necessary to bridge the "valley of death" between initial interest and operational contracts.
- Unified Entry Point: A single, integrated platform would consolidate specific capability gaps (like resilient positioning) into one place, allowing startups to respond to "problem-driven" engagement or submit "open topic" pitches.
- Shared Intelligence: Agencies need an integrated database to view and filter commercial capabilities, ensuring that once a company briefs one agency, the entire space community is aware of the technology.
- Automatic Scaling Path: Prize winners should gain a pre-competed pathway to Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) worth up to $100 million, eliminating redundant evaluation cycles and accelerating production.
Australia Preparing Industry for AUKUS Submarine Work
Laura Heckmann, National Defense
Australia is undergoing a historic industrial transformation to integrate its domestic workforce and manufacturing base into the nuclear-powered submarine supply chains of the United States and United Kingdom.
- Structured Qualification Waves: The Defence Industry Vendor Qualification (DIVQ) program uses a five-wave approach to qualify suppliers for critical components, ranging from pipe fittings and valves to additive manufacturing and electro-mechanical parts.
- International Market Access: These new qualifications provide a permanent bridge to the U.S. industrial base, offering Australian firms a seat at the table for high-demand defense programs that extend far beyond the immediate AUKUS partnership.
Government Reports
The attack submarine USS Hampton enters Dry Dock 1 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Maine, March 8, 2025. (US Navy Photo by Branden Bourque)
Defense Budget: Effects of Continuing Resolutions on Selected Activities and Programs Critical to DOD’s National Security Mission
Government Accountability Office
The Congress, the Golden Fleet, and the Shipbuilding Industrial Base in 2026
Congressional Budget Office
The 2026 Outlook for Navy Shipbuilding
Congressional Budget Office
Navy Shipbuilding: Improving Warfighter Engagement and Tools for Operational Testing Could Increase Timeliness and Usefulness
Government Accountability Office
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service
Navy Guided Missile Battleship (BBG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service
The United State's Navy's Military Sealift Command: 2025 in Review
Military Sealift Command
The Costs of Using the Name "Department of War"
Congressional Budget Office
Research
Air Force Senior Airman Preston Kovarsky, a loadmaster assigned to the 701st Airlift Squadron, guides an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System onto a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 62nd Airlift Wing at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Mich., May 18, 2021. (USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Pick)
Contrasting Acquisition Mindsets: A Comparative Analysis Between Industry and Air Force Senior Procurement Leaders
Francesca Porambo, Naval Postgraduate School
This thesis explores how differing mindsets between U.S. Air Force (USAF) procurement leaders and private industry executives influence acquisition decisions and training effectiveness in government contracting. The research hypothesizes that the USAF’s compliance-driven, risk-averse culture contrasts with private industry’s adaptive and innovation-oriented approach, shaping both acquisition outcomes and workforce development. The study evaluates Air Force contracting training structures, specifically the USAF Career Field Education and Training Plan (CFETP) and assesses their alignment with industry best practices. The findings reveal that organizational culture, leadership philosophy, and structural incentives strongly influence mindset development, offering pathways to enhance innovation, efficiency, and agility in Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition and USAF contracting career development.
Shaping Cross-Cutting Leadership: A Case Study in Identity and Mindset Development at a Federal Industrial Base
John Van Monroe, Arizona State University
In recent years, the U.S. government has embraced an "all-of-government" approach to tackle big challenges that require cooperation across multiple federal agencies. To make this collaboration work, the government has turned to cross-cutting initiatives—projects that unite people from different agencies and disciplines to work together on systemic challenges. This research examines the misalignment between technical expertise and collaborative leadership, noting that subject-matter experts are frequently tasked with leading complex initiatives without the necessary training in systems thinking or adaptive problem-solving. Through an action research study at a federal maintenance facility, the text investigates how design thinking can help these experts shift their professional identities and develop the mindsets required for effective cross-cutting leadership.
Evaluating Digital Modernization: Enhancing Analytical and Decision Support in Department of Defense Acquisition Management
Brittany Clayton, Jeffrey A. Drezner, & Luke Schlake, RAND
This RAND report assesses the DOD’s efforts to modernize its procurement processes through digital acquisition, a strategy intended to speed up equipment delivery and improve decision-making via advanced technology. While the research highlights the potential for increased agility and operational effectiveness, it identifies significant structural and cultural hurdles, such as a lack of unified leadership, inconsistent funding, and organizational silos that prevent data sharing. To overcome these obstacles, the authors recommend establishing a centralized strategy and authority to oversee digital policies while implementing a digital acquisition maturity model to track progress.
Opportunities
An unarmed Trident II D5 missile launches from the ballistic missile submarine USS Nebraska off the coast of California, March 26, 2018. (US Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ronald Gutridg)
NPS Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge
NPS & ONR
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and Office of Naval Research (ONR) announce the launch of the first-ever Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge — a $200,000 prize competition for industry to rethink tactical missile capabilities and how they can be rapidly developed and acquired.
- Q&A Session: Get your questions answered at a virtual "Ask Me Anything" session with challenge leaders on 29 January 2026. Register here.
- Submission Due Date: Phase I submissions are due 26 February 2026.
Events
Project Converge
Naval Postgraduate School & NPS Foundation
28-30 January 2026
Monterey, CA
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
WEST 2026: Sustaining Maritime Dominance
AFCEA & USNI
10-12 February 2026
San Diego, CA
36th Annual NDIA Special Operations Symposium
NDIA
17-18 February 2026
Washington, DC
40th Annual National Logistics Forum
NDIA
17-19 February 2026
Tampa, FL
Creative Disruptors in the Desert
Creative Defense Foundation
20-21 February 2025
La Quinta, CA
Generative And Agentic Artificial Intelligence Workshop
US Marine Corps
9-12 March 2026
Quantico, VA
2026 Artificial Intelligence Summit
Potomac Officers Club
19 March 2026
Reston, VA
Accelerating Warfighting Capabilities
NPS 23rd Annual Acquisition Research Symposium & Innovation Summit
6-7 May 2026
Monterey, CA
One more thing...
Glen Bell
You can thank this Marine for Taco Bell — and GI distress
Claire Barrett, Navy Times
Glen Bell, a Marine Corps veteran who served as a cook during World War II, revolutionized the American fast-food industry by applying military-grade logistics to the production of Mexican-style food. His innovation of the pre-fried hard shell allowed for a level of efficiency that successfully transformed a niche cuisine into a global empire.
- The Speed Problem: Bell thought that ground beef, shredded cheese, and chili sauce could outpace hamburger sales if he could find a way to serve them quickly - but preparation of traditional Mexican soft tortillas took too long for the burgeoning drive-in culture.
- Chicken Wire Innovation: Bell’s "secret weapon" was a chicken coop builder who helped him fashion a wire frying contraption used to mass-produce pre-formed taco shells for rapid assembly.
- Global Expansion: Bell opened the first official Taco Bell in 1962, utilizing grand openings with live salsa music and free sombreros to attract crowds. By the time he sold the chain to PepsiCo in 1978, he had successfully introduced tacos to millions of Americans who had never previously experienced Mexican-style food.
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